Snake

I think this is a very valid question. I will admit that I thought hiring Berry would be a good move. I'm not ready to pull the pin yet, but to make a coaching change would imply that something was wrong with the way things were going in the past. I just don't know that things were all that bad on the ice the past few years warranting this type of change. To see the product on the ice regress from a season ago is quite shocking, and the change should not be above scrutiny.

They are July B-Dates, right? Some kids are ready for kindergarten at age 5, some aren't. That's the decision parents have to make when their child has a summer birthday.

I agree with you here for the most part, but it even seems like the grit and toughness has been squeezed out of MacWilliam, too. He even said as much himself when he noted in a recent press conference that hockey is different and that he can't make the big hit any more. Last year we had pretty much the same core of D, and they were much more responsible in their own end than they have shown this year. Yes, they had Ben Blood and he logged a ton of minutes, but it's not like we haven't had to deal with graduations before. I doubt Berry has forgotten how he coached that '05 group, but has HE changed since then?

No such thing as a moral tie.

Good thing we didn't need that one last night.

See, even DirecTV is giving up!

I think expecting a blowout win is unrealistic given the level SCSU is playing at. Aside from UND's effort, which everyone agrees was pathetic, SCSU did a lot of things well and will be smelling blood. I will be extremely happy with a hard-fought one goal win. Any loss will be a major disappointment regardless of effort tonight. We can't reward a good effort with a moral victory tonight just because they lowered the bar last night.

You beat me to this one! We're tied up! :-)

So basically you're saying there has only been one instance where we've been burned by a grueling WCHA playoff run, and they needed every one of those exhausting wins to even make it? Since none of the seasons you've shown here actually ended in a National Championship, it would appear that the 6 in 9 reason for failure is no more significant than any other reason, no?

But in many cases, the only game that would've been a "throw away" at the final five would've been the championship. And, since you can't just forfeit to save your legs for the national tourney, you may as well play to win it. This whole playoff argument is ridiculous because other than the 2011 team we have consistently been a bubble team heading into the playoffs.

So you're saying we should've been losing at the F5 in order to be fresher for watching the national tourney on TV? Why do you blame the playoff format? Blame the team for finishing 3rd - 5th those years.

Ridiculous. It seems to me that in two of the last three years we ABSOLUTELY needed to make the Final Five, and win at least one game there in order to make the national tourney.

Phil Housley? IALTO

What's the over/under on the number of times we hear "full 60 minutes" in the post game?

No. I'm saying that if Animal the captain feels like he can't hit then all hope is lost for anyone hoping to see the return of physical UND hockey.

Did any of you watch the press conferences this week? I seem to recall Mac saying that the game of hockey is changing and you can't make the big hit. Well, that says something right there if you ask me. Never thought I'd hear someone like Mac say something like that. If that's how the players feel it could certainly explain the soft, tentative play.

The link is to a mobile website, so if you're on a PC it may not work right...just my guess.

Gothberg in goal, Panz in for Mattson per UNDMHockey on Twitter. Forward combos same as Saturday.

Roe's tweet was from a year ago, so it's not like he hasn't moved on.

You might be thinking about the Shane Joseph/Grant Stephenson MSU-M team around '02 or '03...That's the only time I remember being in Mankato on the wrong end of a sweep.

They aren't sustaining offensive zone pressure and drawing penalties?

I suppose we won't have the luxury of the extra non conference games that you get for taking trips to Alaska, thus the 24 game conference schedule.

Thanks. Kinda sucks because I was looking forward to having all the potential road trips every year.

^ This

Isn't the NCHC playing a full 28 game schedule, each team playing 4 against each other? If so, why the need to designate rivals?