NoDak Fan

The boys have some work to do next year!

Anyone know what the average age of Minnesota State's team is? The have 1 NHL draft pick and Minnesota has 14. Looks like a very good commercial men's team playing the kids just right out of high school in beer league!

The NCAA basketball tournament showed us the excitement and heartbreak of the one-and-done format in the NCAA Tournament. I just wonder if hockey was played in the same fashion as NCAA baseball with best two-of-three regionals/super regionals would UND have a few banners hanging in the Ralph. No way som of these talked-about teams like 2003-04, 2010-11, 1998-99 lose two of out three. It won't happen since best-of-three series cost money and money is something the NCAA doesn't like to spend on niche sports with low profile on the national sports scene. My two cents

Yes, that 2019-20 team was a good one and cheated out of a chance to win a title.

As we gear up for the NCAA Tournament I'm thinking back to some of the great UND teams that never did reach the pinnacle. I apologize if this has been kicked around before, but I was curious to get others' feedback on some of the great UND teams that didn't win the title. As we know you sometimes need some good fortune to win a title. I think of the 1997 team not having to face Michigan in the title that year as an example. Or the 1999-2000 team that faced Niagara instead of New Hampshire in the region final in Minneapolis. But there is always some misfortune that goes along way. Like the 1997-98 team that had Karl Goehring sidelined and the tough task of facing Michigan on its home ice in the West Regional. Or, the 2003-04 team that couldn't get a goal over Denver in the West Regional in Colorado Springs. But I digress. Here is my top four UND teams not to win a title (in no particular order). 1998-99: Didn't lose more than a handful of games. Perhaps ran out of steam in the final few weeks. Lost to BC in the regional, 3-1 in Madison (That team was loaded: Jason Blake, Jay Panzer, Jeff Panzer, Lee Goren, Brad Williamson, Mike Commordore, Karl Goehring and had great depth in Ulmer, DeFauw, Armburst to name a few. 2000-01: A year after winning in 2000. The cupboard wasn't completely bare. Had Jeff Panzer, Ryan Bayda, David Hale, Travis Roche, Bryan Lundbohm and Karl Goehring. Didn't have the scoring depth as other Blais' teams, but were entertaining. Rallied to force OT vs. BC in the title game. Had some great scoring chances early (I believe Lundbohm had a breakaway) in the first. 2003-04: Zach Parise's 2nd year. Brandon Bochenski. Of the games lost that year, not many were my more than one goal. 2010-11: The Pony Express. Chay Genoway. Danny Kristo. Had to face Denver in back-to-back weekends to get to the Frozen Four in St. Paul. Could play fast, could play heavy. Outshot and mostly outplayed Michigan in the semifinals, but couldn't score. Ran into another hot goalie. Honorable Mention: 2006-07: The DOT line. Rallied from a miserable start against Michigan in the region semifinal. Defeated rival Minnesota a week after the Blake Wheeler game. Had a second period lead over BC in the semifinals, but couldn't close it out.

With Omicron being a big concern now and the Eastern schools propensity for shutting down at the drop of a hat, is there a concern that Cornell will pull the plug on its trip on Jan. 7-8? I see they are also scheduled to play at Arizona State (Jan. 1-2). Wondering

Wonder just how effective Caufield would have been playing in a league where checking in the corners is encouraged. He's talented, no question, but aside from power plays, just how much time and space would he have gotten having to play fast and talented teams that are hard on pucks week-in-and week-out in the NACHO? We'll see how the next level goes for him.

Too bad Pinto didn't stay. I could see it now. The Ford-Pinto Line!

UMASS shorthanded for Frozen Four. Losing top goalie and top forward due to contact tracing. Later today we will learn that St. Cloud State and Minnesota State's charter planes are grounded due to mechanical failure. Why doesn't the NCAA just drop the national championship trophy off at Amsoil Arena and save us the trouble.

Should've had the tournament in one city and had enabled some flexibility for a team on stand-by to fill a spot in the bracket. Or, they should've just taken the top 4 teams this season and place them in the Frozen Four (like the old days). Hopefully, the NCAA gets its right when the next pandemic hits. Hopefully, I'm not around to see it

Here is hoping Lake State can win so Bucci has to broadcast a WCHA game tomorrow night.

A few observations. Did Wisconsin do any conditioning this season? Looked awfully tired and lost a lot of races to pucks. Tony Granato has some good video next season on what being "hard on pucks" means. With no non-conference play (outside of ASU) the Badgers never saw a team that played a 200-foot game for 3 periods.

Wow! One tournament game in the books and 3 Big Ten teams are done.

Yes, Michigan isn't used to playing hard in the corners, so if it's bad in the trenches we know it's Duluth

We'll see after Michigan-Minnesota Duluth chew it up. Hopefully, it's not an issue.