Snake

It looked like nerves to me. I didn’t think this team would feel the “pressure” of the frozen four as much as past teams maybe have, but they looked tight. There’s no doubt these kids feel the pressure to perform for all of the fans that show up. Our fan base is the best in college hockey, and Strinden even said himself that they were sorry they couldn’t get it done for the fans. They talked about how bad they wanted to do it for the city. We are a passionate group! Denver doesn’t quite have that

Jax mentioned this week that if it didn’t go their way but they played well they could live with it. Unfortunately, this one might sting them for a while. Crappy way to end an otherwise fantastic ride. Future is still bright. Start the offseason with a serious evaluation of the powerplay.

Feels like we were out-prepared and out-coached in this one. Hastings has the experience and knows what’s up.

I’m starting to question the defensive coaching of this team.

This PP sucks

I’m rooting for a final five in Vegas UND, Duluth, Wisconsin, Denver/Mankato. Would love to see Duluth roll PSU and Michigan

I’m not sure what to make of this game. The defense was leaky which has been a trend lately. Sickness could be an issue. It doesn’t just affect games but the week of practice as well. The one good sign lately is that when they needed to go into Lawson to win a Penrose they played their best hockey of the second half. Get some rest/recovery, get everyone practicing full speed, and return to that form for NCAA’s.

I know. That’s my point. The whole Friday vs Saturday record thing doesn’t matter because we aren’t playing the “Saturday” game after having played one on Friday. Both teams will be fresh for this Saturday game.

Is it a Friday/Saturday thing or a Game1/Game2 thing? Would think lineup depth has a say in the latter. Anything can happen in the first game of a weekend. In the second game our depth shines through.

Exactly. It’s all about getting back on track and playing their best hockey. It’s been a little rough around the edges lately even though they’ve had good outcomes.

After Friday’s game Jackson mentioned that DU kind of “baited them” into being slower moving the puck around on the PP and that they needed to be more aggressive. It was kind of disappointing to see more of the same last night. That said, sometimes it just doesn’t click on a given weekend. Take the opportunity to learn from it and move on.

One of the dumbest sequences I’ve ever seen.

I agree we have some true tests coming up, but I’m very impressed how this team has navigated the first half given all of the turnover and youth on the roster. They’ve displayed a calmness and consistency you don’t usually see from teams in this situation. I give credit to the coaching staff for a consistent message and game plan, and establishing a #1 guy between the pipes sure helps too!

Ummm…what part of “Jax said…” from my post didn’t you understand?

In the radio pregame yesterday Tim asked Jax about scheduling this series and Jax said that they’d gotten to know and respect Gotkin over the past several years at the coaches meetings down in Florida. Gotkin had never played UND so they decided to get them on the schedule. Sounds like a nice agreement amongst guys that mutually respect each other and their programs. Also…they are well aware of everyone wanting the “blue bloods” on the schedule.