AJS

Here's my question. Take out Men's hockey. Why do UND's other programs have no money. How does that change? Cutting sports / conference change saved a lot of money, but do those savings just shrink the overall budget, so really, no additional money for programs. Thinking of individual events (NDSU Football / Gopher hockey over Thanksgiving (no students). Let's say UND Football averages 1000 more fans per home game than usual. Does that even matter? Will that money increase funding? I'm rambling, the overall sentiment and frustration is UND doesn't appear to be in any better spot now financially then they were in 2015 playing in the Big Sky with 21 sports.

Blake (2nd in USHL in points) and McLaughlin (7th in USHL in points) were both drafted last year. Two drafted '03's that are in the Top 10 in the USHL is a great start. That's a solid 1/2 start to a class. Strinden (17th in USHL points) mid-'02, played in the Bio-Steel All-American game. Most likely will be drafted by all accounts this summer. James (35th in USHL points), highest rated recruit (potential 3rd rounder). Spicer, who's having a solid year with the NTDP. Reason for optimism. No first rounders or even second, but this is a class where all 5 Forwards are likely to be drafted is impressive. They are all currently performing very well. Taking Spicer out as the NTDP's schedule is unique, having your 4 other forward recruits all be in the Top 40 in the USHL is impressive. Side note: Livanavage (33rd in points) as a d-man and Perron ('05) is 31st in points. UND has 15% of the Top 40 scorers in the USHL as recruits. That's impressive.

I agree with this, the issue being (and this is on Berry), they didn't have anyone else to bring in this past year. That's proof by Montgomery not playing right now over Ness / Albrecht. We can circle back in a few years to see how Ethan Bowen does at Vermont. I find it very hard to believe he wouldn't be more capable than the "bottom 4" forwards on this years team. I do though agree with the thought. This year, you're kind of stuck in the middle.

Equally as poor as Sather. Will be interesting to see what program gets the first win of 2022.

I find it hard to believe there was a time this year where one person said “we cannot be beat” let alone this board being on fire with that sentiment. They got worked most Fridays the first half. Agreed, definite slump and it will get better, but come on with the we cannot be beat stuff.

Things become less frustrating once you accept it for what it is. This team will not make the playoffs this year. I'm looking forward to the rest of the year with an eye on next year. Extra emphasis on the D-core and Hellsten. Especially once Sanderson goes to the Olympics. Can Hellsten continue his play from WMU series and really solidify himself as a guy you feel good about heading into next year. Likewise, can this team tighten up defensively, like they did last game. I do think the Forward position not this year, but next year would be easiest to fix.

Yes. The new transfer rule helps out here, because it opens more players up to the possibility since nobody has to sit out. To me the most obvious player is Ness. He fits the bill. Two years in the system and things are not clicking. Change of scenery would be best for both parties. This is where things will get interesting and I think the way the rest of the year plays out will determine if Berry is almost forced to really shake things up. Budy seems like the next logical choice. He's not a Top 6 Forward (which was what he was brought in to be). Third, Albrecht. He was brought in kind of that emergency forward role. To me local wins out, Montgomery can backfill that roll. You can't have two "emergency" forwards on a team. We discussed this a few weeks ago, it's harsh. Wish it worked out, but if Berry is going to do what's best for the team, Ness / Budy / Albrecht would hit the transfer portal at the end of the year. I realize that not everything is based on points (those 3 have 3 combined points 44 combined games this year), but they aren't defensive specialists either. This would allow the 5 Forwards that signed NLI's to come in / plus an additional spot for a transfer. The forward group at the bottom is a complete mess this year.

This team would be better off if they left the 4th line at home.

Season on the line?

I would say top to bottom this is a better forward class than normal. Edit: The age of the forwards also leads me to be more optimistic. Zero ‘01s (age out group). One ‘02 (summer DOB). Three ‘03s, one ‘04. It’s a young group that’s putting up points.

Reminder that help is on the way. All 5 Forwards that signed their NLI continue to impress. McLaughlin has appeared to break into the next tier. 17 points in his last 10 games. Tied for 6th in overall points in the USHL. Also: Watching this current team struggle, they need all 5 next year. Need to push out 2 forwards w/ eligibility remaining on the current roster.

I have a feeling they win with Driscoll coming up big.

I said it in one of the Cornell threads. Forward depth is this teams biggest weakness. That 4th line is awful.

Not what most wanted, but Berry does back with Driscoll tonight. Guess he's buying into the thought process that eventually he'll have to have a game where he saves > 90% of the shots he faces.

@gfhockey Strathmann's final 5 teams were UND, UMass, BC, BU and Wisconsin. No Michigan or Minnesota, maybe they didn't make his Top 5. He's one of the Top '05 Dman in the country. That was a good recruiting win.

Keep splitting the weekend at goal, but I would like to see Berry switch it up and go Hellsten on Friday / Driscoll Saturday. Might just be me, but Driscoll losing another Friday would be more frustrating than Hellsten.

NTDP / Cornell / Covid weekend, momentum is non-existent right now. I'd be shocked if they don't get swept. Hope they prove me wrong.

2022 USHL Biosteel All-American Game is today at 3pm on NHL Network. Features the top prospects eligible for the draft. Does not include players that have already been drafted. As always, very heavy with NTDP players. 2022 Biosteel All-American Game (biosteelallamericangame.com) UND Commits. Team Blue Livanavage Team White Spicer Strinden

Any of the current '05 recruits would be your answer.

I'm going to zag a little when looking at the roster and where I believe a bigger issue is that doesn't really get mentioned. Forward depth. Completely understanding that different players play different rolls, but I'm not sure what two of these three bring. Albrecht should be an emergency guy, only playing when there's nobody else. Him playing 12 games is concerning. What's Budy's roll? If he's supposed to bring offense, then there's an issue (1 point on the year). Ness is flat out not a D1 player (2 points on the year). You have 3 forward spots tied up with guys that bring nothing offensively and really aren't that great defensively either. I mentioned it in the Cornell thread, but there's 5 guys that signed NLI's. They need those 5 to come in. With only 3 Seniors, most likely nobody leaving early, you need to have a couple guys transfer out.

5 forward recruits that need to come in w/ only 3 Seniors. Berry needs to get some guys to transfer (9 & 11 being the two). Need to upgrade the talent.

Hockey team just falling in line with the rest of this absolutely pathetic athletic department.

Kleven on both. First one I if you told me he had his eyes closed the entire shift I’d believe you

Kleven with an all time bad game

I think they look fine, they had a number of great opportunities. They just cannot score.