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Congrats to Dane on getting Coach of the Year!

I won't leave anyone guessing here...I am a parent of an athlete from this past year's UND Women's basketball team. We have experienced a LOT of basketball over the years following our daughters through their basketball careers. We have been apart of many different coaching regimes over these years; from early grade school, middle school, JV, varsity, AAU and college. We have invested a pile of money, miles, hotels and time in basketball and are due our two cents among the arm chair professionals and psychiatrists. Sorry, this just needs to be said. This past year was not at all fun to be apart of! Of course, everyone wants to be part of a winning team. It's not easy for the athletes or us parents. We as parents want our daughters to give it their all for the sport they love. Believe me, these young ladies want to give everything they have also. Many have weight trained, managed diets and practiced shooting/moves in the off season. They rigorously practice and compete hard for their positions...as they should. We may have been missing some talent/skill this year, but we were definitely not lacking work ethic or determination! These ladies have dedicated years of their lives to basketball and genuinely love(d) the game. However, they ended this season; belittled, discouraged, broken and defeated. Could you see it throughout the last game at the Summit League Tournament??? You should have, it was evident they were beaten before they hit the court. It was a summation of a season that reached its low point unfortunately. We all expected and deserved better from this team and its leadership. For those rushing to defend this coach, you are likely doing so without understanding what many of these players actually experienced this season. What people see during games is only a small glimpse. If you paid close attention to the sidelines and truly listened to what was being said to these players, you might begin to understand the problem here. I can't imagine what was being said to them in the locker room, bus and plane. You don't treat "family" like that, at least we don't in ours. You don't argue with and belittle your assistant coaching staff in front of the players. Lying, frustration, humiliation and manipulation are not successful coaching technics. Some of these ladies have now expressed their hatred for basketball and everything it represents. That should concern anyone who cares about the UND Women's basketball program. Coaching should be about teaching the game, developing skills, exploiting strengths and weaknesses, building confidence and helping athletes grow both on, and off the court. A good coach will scout his players talents/skills and exploit them to the team's benefit, not take the player out of the role they're good at. A good coach should be tough and demanding, but honest and respectful towards his staff and players. Talking about "family" and living living family are two completely different things. Shouldn't a person in this position take responsibility for their actions, or lack there of? Should he continually blame it on lack of player D1 skills for their loses? Or, assistant coaches for not having the expertise to work on defense or offense? You are the head coach, you are the one who is ultimately accountable. The lack of skill here is largely at the top. We were out coached soo many times, it was obvious and embarrassing These ladies deserved better! Chaves was made aware of this by some of the parents and only lame apologies where offered up. For anyone who truly cares about UND and this once proud program let's start out all new. A nationwide search for a QUALIFIED D1 coach should be the only logical solution. This program deserves and is capable of being better. There is another Aaron Johnston or Jory Collins out there, and Grand Forks has just as much to offer a coach and his/her family. On a bright note, our daughter is receiving a world class education and that shouldn't be over shadowed here. In the end, that's what is most important.

Say what you want about Bob Motzko as a head coach, I’m not sure I’d have the heart to continue coaching as long as he did after losing his son. I don’t like the Gophers and his decision-making at the World Junior Tournament in December/January had me scratching my head, but I wish him the best moving forward from Minnesota.

https://www.grandforksherald.com/sports/und-hockey/dane-jackson-named-nchc-herb-brooks-coach-of-the-year "When Dane Jackson was named head coach on the evening of March 29, he didn't have much time to enjoy the moment. He inherited a decimated roster, and rival teams were working to get even more players in the portal. It looked bleak in the moment, but it didn't turn out that way." What a brilliant turnaround. You know what would be a nice first year anniversary gift - a trip to Las Vegas.

Here is my take (bubble spots are #13, #14, and #15 in NPI): AHA: Eliminates the NPI #16 ECAC: Quinnipiac is a lock (Down 1-0 in best of 3 v Clarkson) Cornell is a lock (Down 1-0 in best of 3 v Harvard) Dartmouth is essentially a lock (Up 1-0 in best of 3 v Colgate) Princeton is up on Union 1-0 in best of 3 If anyone other than Queue, Cornell or Dartmouth wins the ECAC, they take a bubble spot away. Union has a slim chance to get in as an at large, but that would likely only be possible by winning the auto bid anyway. NCHC: All remaining teams are locks (UND, UMD, Denver and Western) and won't take any bubble spots. B1G: Michigan, Michigan State, and Penn State are locks and still alive. Ohio State is the only one here who could steal a bubble spot. Wisconsin is essentially in, but would be a team that could sweat with multiple conference upsets. Hockey East: Providence is the only lock. UMass and UConn could get in if they get to the championship but don't win it ... but will likely need to win it to get in, which would also then put them in the top 15 of NPI. Merrimack, BU, Northeastern, and BC would steal a bubble spot if they won the AQ. CCHA: Augustana has the best chance of making it as an At Large ... Michigan Tech will need to win it to get in and would steal a bubble spot. St. Thomas and Mankato need to get to the championship game to have a chance at an at large. Conclusion: There are essentially 12 locks (current NPI 1-12) leaving 3 bubble spots up for grabs (AHA takes one of the 4 remaining spots). Out of those ranked 13-18 in the current NPI, current NPI #13 Augustana has the best chance of getting an at large without winning their conference tournament, but they would be sweating out the other conference tournament results leaving 2 bubble spots for the other five teams to battle over. UMass (14), UConn (15) and BC (17) from Hockey East and St. Thomas (16) and Mankato (18) are 5 teams battling for those 2 spots. 14-18 are currently separated by only 0.328. After tomorrow we'll know who is still in the running from the CCHA, If St. Thomas and Mankato win, they along with Augustana would still be alive. If either of them lose, their season will be over. The Hockey East is only in their quarter finals and will have their semi finals and finals next weekend, so less will be decided. Providence is the only one who can lose tomorrow and not have their season essentially ended. UConn and/or UMass would still have life, but would need Providence to win Hockey East, Augustana win the CCHA, and for Ohio State to lose in the B1G.

My favorite part of Coach Carle putting CHN's Adam Wodon in a box was Wodon saying NPI is too volatile and the margins so small that it doesn't make sense to give teams home ice advantage for receiving a top 4 seed. To which Carle responds, but it's good enough to decide whose season ends and whose doesn't?

Sunday morning analysis: How nice is it to be closer to 30 wins on the season and IN the NCAA tournament vs scratching and clawing to get to 20 and missing it?

Jax said that another school offered Verhoeff about 3x what we offered for NIL. But KV still wanted to come to UND which says a lot about the program and maybe even more about the character of KV. Loved the whole interview with Jax but that was a beauty of a nugget.

Glad that things have worked out with Jax taking over for Berry. I hope something that doesn't get overlooked by some is the people that were brought in. Smaby is a no BS guy who will likely be a head coach somewhere. They brought in JPL to coach the goaltenders and low and behold we've got the NCHC goaltender of the year. Brynn Chyzyk comes in as the GM and it seems to me like we've got a good pipeline of kids coming in to where we shouldn't have to rely on the portal. Yeah we probably hurt some feelings with letting go of KG and Berry, but the moves were necessary and I hope our AD acts in a similar fashion with all sports needing a change of culture.

Nice congrats to Cole! He had a great FR season...with hopefully more to come. Can't wait to see how he progresses in his Soph season.

They kicked our butts, but I need an explanation on the spearing. Especially when I watched Verhoeff get a butt ending major that wasn't even close to being as nasty as the cup check.

I'm not sure how it'd be possible NOT to have that take a massive toll on a father. I can't quite imagine going through that and as a higher profile person, heart went out to him.

I haven't liked how the NCHC had done the awards this year, announcing them randomly through the week.

That's because they spend about 15 minutes prepping for the show. Bucci: "Ok, we've got BC and BU live via satellite to talk about their upcoming matchups...then we interview Gavin McKenna for 15 minutes to talk about his adjustment to the college game." Colby Cohen: "For the remaining 30 seconds we'll throw the brackets of the four regions up on the screen. The #1 seed in Sioux Falls is ND...that's Notre Dame for you college hockey junkies. Wait, I'm sorry..ND is the North Dakota State Bison."

I don't view UMD as an unbeatable road block, I just find it very annoying to get to the tourney and play the same teams.

They don’t have to deal with COVID, transfer portal, and their location like UND has to

The sooner the refs make an embellishment call, the sooner it stops for the night.

These people are the same jackwagons that ordered their minions to go around the arena a few years back, yelling at parents because their 5-year-old Timmy was eating popcorn without putting his masks up in between bites. But I digress..... Zero reasons for tickets to this game need to be north of $50 regardless of seating level.

A national tournament without a beanpot school? Wha.... No gophers either.... Is this heaven?

why is und the largest of the dak4 in enrollment and ndac is under 10k for students? please tell

Really? Schmidt is doing great on the recruiting front for FB. Softball is winning at a pace I have never seen before. That new on-campus home field is paying off nicely. Hockey is rejuvenated after just one year of new leadership. The basketball programs are struggling because of poor coaching hires, a lack of thoroughness in coaching searches and a complete lack of standards and expectations from the AD's office. Volleyball just hired a new coach, so the jury is still out on that. But that program is currently in the sewer for the same reasons I outlined above for both basketball programs. Our new facilities are top notch and are already helping us recruit top notch student-athletes. We've just been lacking proper leadership in the AD's office. Which has nothing to do with geography or climate.

What a shocker. Play UMD in the playoffs, and they injure one of our players. It happens far too often for it to be just a coincidence at this point.

UND does have an AD problem. We've settled for mediocrity with no vision for many years. The last 20 years we've become the bottom of the Dakota 4 whereas previously we were often at the top.

We just need Spoon Man to be solid in net. Not spectacular, just solid, and I like our chances.

When BU fans are glad you are gone, that’s telling 🤣🤣

Regarding Verhoeff. Jax has taken the approach that Sandelin has done very well and that Berry often failed to do with young players. He put KV in big roles all year to let him fail and grow. It’s made him a better player. BUT- he cannot have top-4 minutes in the tourney in a do-or-die scenario, He’s got to be on the 3rd pairing. He’s 17 and just not ready the big-time moments against more mature players. Those little mistakes he makes regularly will end up in our net in a tight game. Throw a thousand tomatoes at me for saying this but I would rather see a boring but steady defenseman like Jubenvil make smart simple plays, a good breakout pass, and let the forwards do their thing.

Stop it. Yes it has been a lousy game. But it is one they can afford to lose. On to the national tournament and #9!!

Haha penalty on Boisvert to end his college hockey career in the penalty box.

This made me laugh 🤣🤣

I actually feel the opposite. While it may not be a super popular post college place to live, I think it's a great college town. The city is really set up around the college and I don't think it's hard at all to sell someone on four years there. Obviously the weather could be better, but the difference between GF and Fargo, Brookings, etc. in that department is fairly marginal

I had a hard time rooting against Bob after the tragic loss of his son.

Sources tell me that the fraternity member who took Boisvert out with a giant left hook was none other than Lewis Skolnick. He then ran off with Sacha’s girl, Betty Childs.

The UND twitter burner accounts are also forensic accountants in their spare time

UND will play somewhere against some team that wants a title as badly as them. Who and where matters not. Control what's yours to control. Bring the "A game".

That's gotta go to the rafters, I would think.....

Good point

or just win more....

You and .357 can keep agreeing with each other on the worst take I have heard all year. Keaton Verhoeff had a bad game, but is top 4 on any college hockey team in the country and for many games this year, was UND's best defenseman. Any college coach in the country would gladly take him and put him in the top 4. He is a phenomenal hockey player and UND is very lucky to have him. I hope he plays in all situations in the regional because I am extremely confident with him out there.

I have faith!

Cooper Simpson with a hat trick tonight.

Maybe this is the meeting where they are asked how it is possible to have the same enrollment number three years in a row.

I’d say 99% of college teams in the country regardless of the sport or level call the team a “family” not sure why that keeps being brought up. Its honestly just used as a buzzword in recruiting and managing the team. Everyone says it some teams do it on different levels

same for fargo, brookings, and the milly....

UND doesn't own the venue it plays in, unlike the other 3 Dakota schools. I don't have the most recent numbers, but guessing just removing that and UND falls to the bottom of the 4 or very near it once you look at Facilities Expenses. Also, these numbers are shaky at best for comparison's sake as each school can report as they see fit. Some schools break more stuff out and tie it to individual sport, some just bunch a lot of that stuff together.

I'm hoping for chaos

If an illness is making the rounds & the team was lethargic as a result, then great, better now than in 2 weeks. But if not, it's disconcerting that, 37 games into the season, the team is still making fundamental mistakes on defense that should have been cleared up by the new year at the latest. 12 days off can do wonders for healing; but if the team defense is still making pee wee mistakes after 37 games, not so sure another 12 days of lessons will fix whatever the issue is. Would consider activating Jubenvill in the playoffs & giving him more minutes than KV. UND is lucky to have KV & he'll no doubt elevate his game next year; but he's only 17 and very raw, whereas JJ is 22 & a lot more stable on the backend. Those 5 extra years of experience on defense mean a lot in 1-&-done playoffs. It wouldn't be a good look for KV, but winning championships is about doing what's right for the team, not the individual. Jackson is a great recruiter, now fans will get to see if he is a great playoff coach.

I’m a DU fan but watched the first period on the app and also the Sioux Bulldogs highlights. I don’t think you have anything to worry about. Your team played with speed and energy, just hit a solid defensive effort. I did think the Hawks were a bit lax on defense, but not much you can do to stop two rebound goals, a redirect and two NHL quality scoring efforts. Hard to say whether a couple weeks off will hurt or help, but I suspect a few extra days to heal bumps and bruises will be an advantage.

Dang this team can’t catch a break with these illnesses. Hopefully they get that out of their system (literally) before NCAAs.

Love it. The most interesting part to me is Jan comes in as a strong but not elite recruit in the first year in recent history that UND doesn’t have a (NCAA championship winning) goalie coach on the bench…and they finally get back to having a top goalie, the first to win it as a freshman no less. After years of poaching proven goalies from other teams, with mixed results…who often regressed here vs. their prior teams. I wouldn’t have guessed it would play out this way after Karl’s departure but Jax just keeps showing he knows exactly what needed to be done. Congrats to Jan and team. Just a couple more boxes to check!