Siouxhky19

JBD - I think he is crazy to not sign pro contract unless the NCAA tourney being canceled is enough fuel for him: This guy has top-4 NHL defenseman written all over him and was the best defenseman on UND throughout the year. Kiersted gets more points, but he's a gambler and can be a liability in the D-Zone at times. Also note: UND has a LOT of talent they coming in on the back end for 2020-2021 season. Speaking of Kiersted though, I think he's in a similar boat as #KawaHobey - I think he'll end up signing a contract this summer. His stock may never be higher with how many points he had this year and has great PP ability. Same with above, there is too much talent on the blue-line joining the team for 2020-2021 that I'm not sure it makes sense to have any of the new guys wait another year (Kleven, Sanderson, Miller, Moore, Bast 2.0). As it stands right now, they have 11 D on the roster including incomers, and they probably will shave to 8 or 9 max: Thoughts or any word on if Reiger would get cut or asked to leave? 1) JBD 2) Kiersted 3) Gabe Bast 4) Frisch 5) Tychonick 6) Reiger 7) Kleven 8) Sanderson 9) Miller, 10) Luke Bast 11) Moore

CC's 7 road wins this year: - 2 against Jan Brady U when they were struggling at beginning of the year - 2 against Princeton (ranked #55 in PWR) - 1 against St. Lawrence (ranked #59 in PWR) - 1 against Air Force (ranked #48 in PWR) - 1 against Omaha

I'm a little surprised to see so many comments boasting around Mankato's "#2 ranking", how good of a team they are, the lessons UND will take from this, etc. etc. Let's challenge how good of a hockey team MSU is and that "#2 ranking" they currently hold: - The WCHA is a weak conference. Of the 6 conferences in men's hockey, they are 5th. Only Atlantic Hockey is a weaker conference. Look at how many teams the WCHA has put into the tournament since its rebirth for support on why I can say it's the second weakest conference. Further, let's put into context that MSU was not invited to the NCHC because "lack of competitiveness" towards NCAA championships. MSU carries an 0-6 record in the NCAA tournaments. Of those 6 losses, 5 of them have occurred since the WCHA restructured and Hastings has been the coach. While this is based on prior years statistics, it indicates that it is likely when MSU plays a higher caliber team outside of its conference, they lose. This can further be evidenced by the fact that MSU was a consistent doormat and punching bag of the original WCHA. From 2000-2012, this team had a winning percentage under .500. Since Hastings has taken over, MSU has a winning percentage of over .675 which is pretty dang impressive on paper, but clearly there is a benefit of being in an inferior conference with the likes of Fairbanks, Anchorage, and Huntsville accounting for up to 12 games per year. Colorado College would finish no worse than 3rd in the WCHA, and I would further argue that CC would battle for the #1 WCHA spot with BG & MSU. - Mankato's ranking of "#2" in the nation is a reflection of early-season poll bias. It's two weeks into the season and MSU's previous wins were against Arizona State.... The "#2" designation is also a reflection of prior season success in that MSU consistently racks up 20+ wins per season because they thump on teams ranging in the bottom 10 of the PWR. *I'm not saying this MSU team is a bunch of slouches - hockey parity overall has gotten tighter and tighter - but I am completely unconvinced that the current year MSU team is a contender or this weekend might not bite UND in the rear later in the year based on who MSU has always been and the conference they play in. The notion that UND getting a tie and a loss is an "okay outcome" at Mankato because they are the "#2 " team in the country and "on the road" is highly questionable given how weak the WCHA is and the teams that MSU plays in order to earn that "#2 ranking" in the country designation.

Would love to see teams that perennially have larger upside of helping the Sioux in the PWR later in the year (i.e. no more Canisius, Bemidji State, AH) and old rivalries: Big10 - Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Notre Dame WCHA - Mankato, Michigan Tech Band Atlantic - No Thanks Hockey East - BC, BU, Northeastern, Providence ECAC - Quinnipiac, Union, Cornell