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Can the Sioux beat the Pioneers?


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17 members have voted

  1. 1. Can the Sioux beat the Pioneers?

    • Can UND beat Denver?
      1
    • yes
      11
    • no
      4


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Might as well get this one going. Big weekend for UND this weekend. Gut check time.:) Time to make a move or get the golf clubs out. Any thought. I think that UND can beat the Pioneers if they play tough inspired hockey. Denver doesn't have a lot of fire power, and play a boring defensive of hockey. Minnesota beat them with an up tempo style of play.

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Blais was REALLY hoping that Denver would win the MacNaughton outright this weekend so that they would come into ND flat.  Unfortunately, that will not be the case.

Sorry, folks, but this team has not proven to be the type that will upset Denver on their biggest weekend of the season.  If it happens, I'll eat my words (and you can all call me on that), but the chances of us beating them next week are slim and none.

At least we can look forward to next season.  That is...with a few new forwards who don't suck.

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I'm glad Denver comes in needing to win.  I figured the Sioux would psyche themselves into a subpar effort thinking that Denver wouldn't show up.  

This Sioux team can play with anyone; they've proven that consistently over the last three months.  They haven't been able to pull out too many wins, but they have been RIGHT THERE with every good team they've played.  Plus Denver has recently been beaten by Minnesota and SC, swept by CC and tied by UMD.  They're not unbeatable at all.

Sadly, CC is getting beaten by UAA again tonight.  If that holds, then the Sioux are currently alone in eighth, 24, 24, 23 and 22.

The way teams are playing, I think there is a decent chance for an upset into the Final Five for UAA, UMD or the Sioux.  I think the fork is into Tech, MSU and Wisconsin.

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Sure hope the last game (Saturday) has implications for both teams, since we'll be there with a kids hockey team. Would like to see both teams playing hard.

Big win last night but big loss Friday night. Can't believe UAA swept CC.

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Tim, you have to remember that these are the beginnings of the 'glory years' for UAA. :)

I'm at the point where I don't care if the Sioux sweep this weekend. The guys just need to go out there and work hard. Each of them needs to BE A FACTOR on every shift.

I watched part of the Gopher/Badger game on Friday night and heard something interesting... "The Sioux were going into Duluth this weekend having penciled in four points." ---> Doug Woog. Where did he get this idea? I didn't hear that from anyone connected to the UND team. Maybe he reads USCHO or something. It might have been on there, but I gave up reading that garbage. I think after how this season has gone, it is HIGHLY unlikely that UND has a team that exhibits overconfidence going into any series.

Whatever happens this weekend, I would love for the Sioux to have to travel to Minnesota for the first round and knock off those arrogant cake-eaters. If the Goofers don't get a bye, they are going to have trouble making it to St. Paul. It would be fitting for the Sioux to take that opportunity for a bye away from them.

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The Sioux will have to play a full 60 minute game each night to take any points from Denver.  This will not be a series for guys to take a night off, or a period for that matter.  Personally, I think the team tends to play better against "better" teams, e.g., Minnesota, Michigan, etc.  I'm not sure if it's an overconfidence or fear issue, but I think the team spends time looking at a team's reputation, record, etc. and plays accordingly.  I hope they take Denver seriously, stay on the puck and play it tough both nights.

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Tim, you have to remember that these are the beginnings of the 'glory years' for UAA. :)

I watched part of the Gopher/Badger game on Friday night and heard something interesting... "The Sioux were going into Duluth this weekend having penciled in four points." ---> Doug Woog. Where did he get this idea? I didn't hear that from anyone connected to the UND team

Whatever happens this weekend, I would love for the Sioux to have to travel to Minnesota for the first round and knock off those arrogant cake-eaters. If the Goofers don't get a bye, they are going to have trouble making it to St. Paul. It would be fitting for the Sioux to take that opportunity for a bye away from them.

I am not sure where Wooger got his information, but remember he likes to take a shot at UND any time he gets a chance so be it.

I would love nothing more than to see UofM or any of the top team get knocked out of the final five. I would make a statement about the strenght of our league...

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So far, on the DU-UND thread on USCHO, I'm the only person to give the Sioux anything more than a split against the Pioneers.  I predicted the Sioux to get three points, because, as a Sioux fan,  I'll never say die.  The key to beating Denver will be peppering their

goalies with shot after shot after shot.  At least 40 each night.  How many SOG have other teams had against Denver?  Asking because I'm too lazy to look it up myself.

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UND's hallmark under Blais has been the ability to produce more offensive chances than the opponent.  I remember the 2000 championship game - even when they were down 1-2 they led the shot charts about 28-20 or something like that.  Eventually, in the third period, it paid off for them.

This year, the crew is too green to bury the black in the back of the net.  Blais should have realized this before he cut O'leary and Hasbargen and Murphy.  If you're going to field role-players they may as well be veterans (instead of R.Connelly and D.Faul and R. MacMahon).  My stance is - if you can't get 10+ points as as frosh, you won't see much ice with this program.

Anyway, this season is pretty much toast.  All we can hope for is that the boys train their Arses off over the Summer.  We seem to be stuck with a group that has big question marks regarding their success at the D1 level.  

Thank God we got Parise!  Word is he is the real deal.  Also, I am anxious to see how good Genoway can be.  And, of course, we bring back Fylling, who should be a rocket out there on the ice.  Here's to next season - may it be infinitely better!

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The problem with this team is not the absence of guys named O'Leary, Hasbargen and Murphy; it's the ones named Panzer, Lundbohm and Roche that UND misses.

I had this conversation with my father, however, I don't know who Hasbargen or Oleary would have replaced in the line up? These guys were 4th line players at best. We miss the rifle of Travis Roach and the goals of Jeffie Panzer... :)

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Kuhninca, you've written off this year's class much too soon.  I see alot of promise.  You've got to remember that they've been asked to shoulder alot of the load this year while still trying to learn the college game (most importantly, backchecking).  Typically you hide your freshmen while they're learning - put them on the 4th line or 3rd pairing, mix them in with experienced players, etc.  You can't do that when half your team is freshmen.  While I think keeping O'Leary, Murphy and Hasbargen may have helped, I think Dean made a conscious decision to throw the freshmen out there and let them, and the team, take their lumps.  Although they haven't adapted as quickly as he, or anyone, would have hoped, they are improving and you can't deny that there is alot of talent there.

Also, I don't understand your fascination with Fylling.  He had such a great freshman year for the Sioux that he was asked to go back to the USHL.  There, he's posted a 20-27-47 line in 40 games.  Solid numbers yes, but not any better than Canady and R. Connelly posted last year and significantly less than Bochenski, Fournier and Massen (these 5 were the Sioux freshman forwards in the USHL last year).   Obviously, USHL success does not immediately translate into WCHA success.  I hope that Fylling has a breakout year for the Sioux next year but at this point I'm expecting him to be fighting for ice time.

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