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AJS

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Posts posted by AJS

  1. 7 minutes ago, Midwestern Hawk said:

    Before last weeks debacle at USD, I would have thought UND would be favored for a solid win vs MSU.  Now I am not so sure.  Was the USD game an aberration caused by overconfidence on the part of the team and the staff?   Did it expose some flaws in the team, maybe or maybe not caused by injuries?  Was the staff a little lax in the preparation of the team?

    At this point I vote that last Saturday was the 'perfect storm' caused by overconfidence, injuries, and running into a really 'hot' opponent with a chip on its shoulder that played a great game. 

    I do agree with everything you said, but right now I find it hard to practice what I've preached, which was along the lines of what you said.

    I just can't picture UND winning against anybody right now. Montana State with more points than UND.

  2. 30 minutes ago, ChadR said:

    Good post! I'm guessing Costello will be delayed till 19 or 20. Would love to see him develop more before coming here. Is Tychonick a senior in HS this year?

    Anyone have any insight on Massimo Rizzo yet? We haven't had a huge bluechip freshman since Boesser (not like that was too long ago).

    Tychonick is 17 currently and turns 18 in March, based strictly on his age, he'd be a HS senior. 

  3. http://www.grandforksherald.com/sports/4329877-und-trying-regroup-big-sky-opener-ahead

    "UND says newly injured cornerback Evan Holm, right tackle Mat Cox and left tackle A.J. Stockwell are questionable for the Montana State game.

    Fullback Kyle Norberg, who was hurt in Week 1, and linebacker Noah Larson, who was hurt in pre-fall camp, are also questionable.

    Deion Harris, Andre Randolph, Demon Taylor, Cam Hunt and Donnell Rodgers are out."

    I would put the Holm, Cox, Stockwell being questionable as a big win. Even if they can't go this weekend, none of them sound like long term. Dissapointed with Larson news.

     

  4. Good news is UND is still in the drivers seat, being ranked #19 right now, I think 7-4 gets them into the playoffs. Preseason polls matter A LOT in Football, as it makes it much easier on teams ranked higher to begin the season. Obviously you still have to win games, but UND isn't in a bad spot right now. You won't drop with a win, so who cares about style points, just win!

  5. 15 minutes ago, Oxbow6 said:

    The puck needs to find the back of the net more this season to make a jump up record wise from last year's club. Both were in and out of the lineup and probably didn't have the year each should/could have had but Jost and Boeser won't be easy to replace.

    Jost / Boeser are amazing players that will be great in the NHL, but you also have to remember that between injuries & youth, neither made it to 40 points last year. I don't think it'll be as tough to replace that production as some.

    • Upvote 3
  6. 8 minutes ago, Oxbow6 said:

    ..........so you're saying UND is in trouble as we move to the MVC starting next season?

    Not until 2020, but they need to improve regardless. UND was able to move the ball in the Big Sky last year with what was basically the same O-Line. With injuries, we'll be very young for the next few weeks, so they may take time to gel. 

  7. 2 hours ago, WILDCAT said:

    Sac's loss to Weber and PSU's loss to Davis are non conference losses

    Interesting, although it doesn't affect the conference vs conference non-conference schedule, when were these games added? I'm guessing they don't play each other in conference this year, but how early do teams get this years conference schedule? Was there a chance that Sac / Weber would play each other twice?

  8. I have no doubt this years team will be better than last years and will finish better in the NCHC and pairwise. That's because of one word, depth. UND will lose their "stars" and will need players to step up, but I believe.

    • Better "core" of proven players over where they started last year. Poganski, Gardner, Gersich, JJ & Hoff are Top 6 caliber forwards
    • 2017 incoming players as a group are much, much better than 2016. This will lead to my key of depth. Both offensively and defensively, the bottom 15th forward working on up and 8th dman working on up will be improved from last year. This 2017 will have an easier transition and the 2016 class will now have experience. A lot of returning players on the roster.

    This incoming class has a lot of talent and they can be sprinkled in the lineup between veteran players. I hope to see a freshman on every forward line, surrounded by two players with experience. I'm excited for this year. 

    • Like 2
    • Upvote 1
  9. The junior leagues have either started regular season or preseason play. With most recruits being a few years out, I'm keeping a close look at the potential '18 class.

    • F - Mattson (98) - USHL
    • F - Keane (97) - BCHL - 0-1-1 2GP
    • F - Senden (98) - USHL
    • F - Hain (00) - USNDP U18
    • F - Costello (00) - USHL
    • D - Tychonick (00) - BCHL - 1-1-2 2GP
    • G - Scheel (99) - BCHL - 1-0 .938 2.00 GAA

    You have 3 Senior forwards and most likely at least one early departure (Gersich), so you need at least 4 forwards coming in next year. The overagers have not performed at all in juniors, so I'm sure the coaching staff will be closely monitoring their situation. If they can't step it up this year, they'll likely be pushed back (Mattson) or let go (Keane). Senden might be Ok, if he's a grinder / 4th liner type guy. Right now, none of those three have shown they are even close to be college type players. Hope they all have big years though. If Hain / Costello can handle their new situations, they could come in as true freshman.

    Not worried about Tychonick at all, will be fun following his progress in his 2nd year, great player. Will likely step into a great situation at UND who doesn't have any Seniors, but Wolanin will probably be an early departure target.  

  10. Here's where UND sits through 3 games.

    Utah - L - FBS school from a P5 conference, expected, no harm done on the national stage

    Missouri State - - Blow out, shut out against a MVFC school -- regardless of how MSU finishes this year, big enough win and impressive enough win where it'll look good

    USD -- Blow out loss, looks bad

    Perception isn't always reality, but there are going to be so many variables going forward that we're far from hitting the panic button. We all know how poorly UND played yesterday and it wasn't indicative of how they started the season. If this was an aberration and they turn it around starting next weekend, the USD loss will just be a blip on the screen. They don't have a bad loss (as far as opponents go) yet, but they'll have the chance to get some quality wins starting with Montana State who took SDSU down to the wire. They still have a chance when people bring up USD down the line this year, you can point to A, B & C. 

  11. Besides UND, great job by the Big Sky yesterday! Idaho State / SUU with two huge victories for the conference. Montana / Eastern Washington taking care of business as well, with the only other non-conference loss (besides UND) was NoCo to Colorado. Very important week setting the stage for conference play. 

     

  12. UND needs to be in survival / playoff mode the rest of the season. This game next week will set the stage for the rest of the year.

    Any updates on the injuries in yesterdays game? Especially the O-Line? Going from a deep experienced group to FR-FR-SO-JR-SO isn't ideal, but could also be exciting, let's see what they have.  

  13. After sleeping on this one, and reading through all the comments I think the following are true:

    • The way UND played was completely unacceptable and incredibly disappointing. I also don't think UND could have played any worse. Blame is shared by everyone, nobody was ready.
    • This will be a black eye when it comes to any potential seeding (putting the cart way before the horse)
    • This was a complete failure in one game --- that being said, we have not only two games this year as reference, but also the last two years to know that this was aberation, not the normal. This one game doesn't tarnish what Bubba has built and won't affect anything going forward. A lot of teams (not all), even good teams lay an egg throughout the season. 
    • It's definitely gut check time, but they start the Big Sky schedule 1-2, same as last year, but in better position this year --- injuries are pilling up this year, more than any before and it'll be tougher, but everything the team and it's fans want are still very much within reach

    This UND team is better than last years version, injuries in key positions are throwing guys into the fire, but I think moving forward will be a blessing. If the young guys (OL, ILBs) can improve and hold their own moving forward, it will pay dividends in the upcoming years. 

    • Upvote 1
  14. 3 minutes ago, Siouxfan69 said:

    For the second year in a row UND gets no bye week till the regular season is over.  What's with that?

    I would love to know this answer. 

  15. It's tough to put into words how disappointing of a result this is. I really don't know how they come back from this one, given the Big Sky's current reputation and how they've fared non-conference this year as well as in the playoffs the last couple. Winning in the Big Sky won't do anything for the reputation of UND. They needed to prove it today and they failed miserably. That being said, as much as this one hurts, UND just needs to take it game by game. They're still in a better spot, given their #10 ranking, even if they drop to #20 going into conference play. Start winning and climb back up. 

    This one will take a long time to come back from.  

    • Upvote 2
  16. 3 hours ago, UNDBIZ said:

    It's their super bowl. We just need to be better than them. 

    Exactly, we'll find out tomorrow, but if UND is the better team, revenge and all the other factors go out the window. 

  17. What's making me nervous isn't just the revenge factor, but the article in the Sioux Falls paper about this being a potential game changing win for their program. Not saying UND won't be ready or motivated, but it seems to be on a whole nother level for USD. Kind of put all your eggs in one basket type game for them. 

    This game is so important for both programs, there's going to be one disappointed fan base tomorrow night. 

  18. 5 minutes ago, BarnWinterSportsEngelstad said:

    Last Saturday, in Sec 211 and top 19 rows of corner sections 210 218.

    Now for Mont St, next home game, section 211 & all of corner sections 210 218 are blanked out, don't know if it will stay that way, so may be they expanded tickets for students to around 4,000.

    It's Military Appreciation / Family weekend, which would be my guess on the additional sections being blocked off.

  19. 27 minutes ago, Midwestern Hawk said:

    Probably depends on if he is close to 100% vs Montana State, Hunt's progress and how Rastas & co play.  I heard from a few guys that when he was in before getting hurt, looked like a very high upside.

    I agree, there'll be a couple different factors, but even if he is 100% going into Montana State, which would put him as the best choice all things considered, if Rastas, Hunt, ect.. are holding their own, I hope they RS. My question would be, not will it make the team better, but would Larson > Rastas be the difference between winning and losing games the rest of the year.

  20. 36 minutes ago, Midwestern Hawk said:

    Reading Tom Miller Blog(comments at bottom) sounds like Larson is not ready for this week, maybe next week?  Wonder if there is any chance he redshirts?

    http://millersports.areavoices.com/2017/09/11/rodgers-taylor-out-indefinitely/

    Since it appears he won't be able to go this weekend, I hope they redshirt him. I'm ok putting all out eggs in the Rastas & co basket, even though Larson would obviously help this year.

  21. I'm all over the board when it comes to games that have playoff implications. This isn't a make or break game, but it's pretty close. If USD wins, they are 3-0 non-conference with an FBS win and impressive FCS win. If UND wins, they are 2-1 non-conference with their only loss being being to Utah and two wins over MVFC teams.

    I'm basing the feeling good / concerns based on when these two teams played last year, hopeful category based on both this year and last

    Feeling Good

    • Offensively UND is in a much, much better spot. Like night and day compared to last year
    • Defensively, still questions, but I'd put them about even (good defensive unit last year). Tough to really gauge based on the two teams they played. I felt ok with Utah, given they are a good P5 team, even giving up 37. MSU with the shut out was impressive, but it's MSU. I have been impressed with not giving up the big plays. Not trying to be harsh on the defense, they were good last year and the only reason UND was in the first four games. Even is a compliment. 
    • Overall, a better team than they were week 3 last year

    Hopeful

    • Basing this strictly on the common opponent of BGSU. UND lost and USD won, but looking deeper for UND, it was part of the first 4. BGSU isn't very good, like with the Missouri State / Missouri game, MSU scored most of their points in the 1st quarter. USD was up big 21-3 after one. Hopefully, it was BGSU getting caught by surprise, along with a couple ST errors to give USD good feel position. USD won, but it wasn't a blow out and ended pretty close. 

    Concerns

    • Road game against a team that I believe is a legit Top 15 team that has a lot of confidence
    • Injury issues for UND > USD
    • Streveler
    • Like UND with Richmond, although USD lost last year, it's a game they think they should have won. They'll want pay back 
    • Like 1
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