.357

Wasn't to the level of the other transfer portal D players who had 4 or more years of college hockey experience compared to Benoit; so obviously he wasn't going to be to their level ..yet, anyway. I don't think that's a fair comparison to players who have substantially more game experience than him. Not all players acclimate like Livanage, some need some patience to get up-to-speed. How did Benoit look in the regional against MI? Did he make glaring mistakes resulting in goals or opportunities for MI, or did he hold his own even though he saw limited time this year? I guess only time will tell if him leaving for QU was unfortunate for UND. I appreciate the feedback here, it helps me to learn more about the players.

It was never explained why the drafted Benoit was buried behind non-drafted transfer D portals, even when the transfer Ds were missing assignments & not doing as well in the second half of the season. People complain here when higher-ceiling guys don't get the necessary game reps to develop, but in Benoit's case, he was conveniently forgotten behind players who will never see a day in the NHL. Or maybe that applies only to forwards. Favoritism, perhaps? So off to QU he goes, where Pecknold will probably utilize & develop his talents. One man's trash is another man's treasure. Granted I didn't see what the coaches saw, but it seems like he was never given a fair shake; unless someone here who knows more can explain this.

You stated that you didn't think it was too much emphasis being put on the regular season (which maybe causing the team to peak too early), but rather a misuse of the high-ceiling talent we have. I thought that was the argument you were making.

So UND's uninspired/lack-of-energy play the last few weeks of last year can be attributed to not playing high-ceiling guys enough throughout the regular season?

I understand what you're saying & it makes a lot of sense, but that kind of mentality strikes me as not having much faith in UND; that the other team needs to be brought down a couple of pegs in order for the good guys to have a chance. It's not so much the physical talent of the other teams that concerns me, but Berry's philosophy & the mental strength/grittiness of our guys. If Berry can have his guys clicking on all cylinders come late March (which would be a minor miracle), then it doesn't matter much who's on the other team. That is Berry's biggest coaching challenge: to be Carle-esque when it matters.

From what I've read, Wpg is well-stocked at the F/C positions, so maybe they were more patient & supportive of McGroarty staying another year. So if they had drafted Blake instead of Car he may have stayed another year; but who knows, Blake may have been itching to move on regardless. Wonder how much of an NIL deal, if any, figured into Mcgroarty's decision to stay. MI still lost a lot of offense with Brindley, Nazar & Duke signing; will take a lot to replace that.

I hope you weren't expecting objectivity from him about the program's extended playoff woes. No need to crucify big B, but he could have at least asked him why his team looked like they had been injected with horse tranquilizers during the 2nd intermission of their last game. And maybe also ask him what he might do differently next year to avoid another implosion in the playoffs. You don't fix a problem by avoiding it.

Has UND ever had a player who put up middling numbers in the USHL, but then surprised everyone & became a scoring dynamo like Brodzinski at the collegiate level?

According to GPL, the Denver pep band was actually the Edina H.S. pep band. Funny if true that the most successful college hockey program needs a loaner from the local high school.

I hear the players sometimes admitting they didn't play up to their standards, but I've yet to hear the HC take accountability, at least a modicum, for a bad performance. And of course, it's usually a combination of factors for a loss; I didn't mean to imply it's solely the HC's fault. I'm guessing Berry wouldn't publicly admit to any gaffes, because he would then be incriminating himself. But I do hear pro & college coaches sometimes admit (not often) that maybe they should have done some things differently. I'm mostly interested in Berry's taking accountability in the postseason, because the same results happen with different players over the years. A pattern is developing, just like with the football program. There's a big difference between Schlossman or Hennessy asking Berry what he plans on doing differently next year, and me; because with S or H it would then be on record for the public to know what he said. With me, Berry can just ignore my email & not feel any pressure about making any meaningful changes. Thanks for the links.

I don't live anywhere near GF, so I don't know the kinds of questions the local media asks Berry after a loss. Do Schlossman or Hennessy ask him tough questions & does Berry ever take responsibility when they lose a game? Or is it a big circle jerk? One question I would very much want asked of Berry: "What are you going to do differently next year to get the team ready for the playoffs so you avoid another early exit?" Seems simple enough & Berry's answer would be very telling about where his mindset is at.

What culture does Berry dislike?

Carle is a class-act, actually glad they shoved all that hubris down BC's throat. BC maybe thought they could just show up & their talent would dominate DU. Berry could learn a lot from watching how Carle handles these high-pressure situations. My main concern is that he will keep sticking with his same philosophy; inputting the same broken formulae & expecting different results. It's rare for an old dog pushing 60 to overhaul how he views the game, but who knows.

Observe how DU handles the first 10 minutes of the 3rd period, & see how it differs from UND's style.

That's how I saw it also, MI was down 3-0 in the 3rd & they were still flying around the ice. A lot of tenacity & pride in those guys and they played a full 60. No doubt a reflection of their coach, in part. Even though they lost, they left everything on the ice. That's all you can ask for as a coach & a fan. Despite them being one of the Axis of Evils, they did their school proud.

And in DU's two regional games they still won despite not having one of their highest-scoring Fs playing: Rizzo. That would be akin to us beating MI & MSU in our regional this year without Berg. Pretty impressive. One commonality shared between all the teams that won their game(s) in the tournament this year is that none of them went into a shell for 10 minutes in the third period. <ahem>

Like most here, not crazy about DU possibly getting to #10 this weekend .. but at the same time, they deserve mega kudos for repping the NCHC so well & keeping it the dominant conference in the country. They sure know how to run a hockey program & I can admire that in a nauseated kind of way. Perhaps Coach Berry can learn a few things from the ascending red-haired Master; because Carle is clearly a more competent coach when it comes to preparing his team for the playoffs & it's not even close. The results speak for themselves.

Good call. He was effectively boxing the BC player out of the crease & the puck ping-ponged off his skates & into the net. MI certainly is playing them tight & not intimidated.

Thanks, I needed a chuckle. But knowing our luck, BC would have their title forfeited to the runner-up: DU.

Amazing, & in my naivete I thought those BC freshmen were there solely because a good chunk of them were from Mass. & they liked the HC. I'm assuming UND better have a competitive NIL in place in future years to contend with some of these bigger schools; because it sounds like the REA alone as a selling point might not be enough.

Blake could have waited until after his 3rd season & Carolina still would have retained his rights & could have signed him then (up to August '25, I think). I know they're fielding a minor team next season & need extra cogs, but they still could have given him another year to develop at this level; both physically & emotionally, instead of throwing him in the deep end & risk "josting" him. Are NIL dollar amounts received by athletes available to the public? I'm wondering what ballpark figures these hockey players are receiving. 20k, 30k, more? And did Ralph leave a little extra in the piggy bank for the team to use for contingencies like this?

That's what I was wondering, if there is a tendency sometimes (unconsciously) for a team to sit back & let the star players carry the team offensively. Perhaps the team will put in extra effort up & down the lineup next year to get more balanced scoring now that Blake is gone.

Snuggerud: drafted 1st round, #23 overall; 6'2" 190ish, physically able for pro game now, opts for 3rd yr with Gophers. Blake: drafted 4th round, #109 overall; a generous 5'11" & about 170, goes pro after 2nd year. Would be interesting to know how much NIL, or lack therof, impacted the above 2 players' decisions.

If one can keep a lighthearted approach, there is comedic gold to be found in some of these replies. Like most here, am focused on the Blake situation but got sidetracked into this dead-end.

Come now, Mr. Agnew, good vibes only. Asking for a definition of what a great college hockey coach is was an innocent enough question, or so I thought, & I was genuinely curious in reading people's opinions. It had the opposite effect of triggering some into thinking their coach was being attacked. Funny how the mind works sometimes.