Jump to content
SiouxSports.com Forum

BusinessSoot

Members
  • Posts

    54
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by BusinessSoot

  1. It’s early in the season, yes. But the same three headed monster continues to surface, just like it has  over last couple of seasons…..even strength scoring and untimely penalties.  UND has been very subpar in these areas. I’ve said before, the forwards don’t score on a regular basis 5x5 and it needs to change or close games will continue to go other way. At some point something has to give. 
     

    I have said many times to a few, if UND is above .500 after 10 games, I would be surprised and happy. Will this team make the NCAA tourney, yes, but the swagger is not quite there yet for this team to be elite. The first 10 games will tell a lot, I like this group.  

     Lots to be excited about, locker room  leadership  much better than last year, but certainly a ways to go……

     

     

     

  2. On 5/18/2023 at 4:27 PM, Wilbur said:

    So, with the experience coming in, we would all have to assume that the d zone play would have to be better next season correct?  Bringing in older and experienced guys, and a goalie that has been hung out to dry for three years in Miami.....has to be better right? 

    Ludvig....82 Games

    Britt....131 Games

    Pyke....83 Games

    Pehrson....127 Games

    Zmolek....28 Games....

    My Minot High School math tells me that is 451 games of experience coming on to the goal prevention side of things next season.  We give up 2-3 a game we should be fine, with the guys we have that should be putting the puck in the other net.  

    Not necessarily. Remember, according to many on this forum for the '22-'23 season,  "we have the best d core in the country...".....things better get straight from get go or the already questions out there on what the hell is going on with UND's d-core/coaching , will go further under the microscope. 

    • Upvote 1
  3. 43 minutes ago, tnt said:

    So are you advocating going full out into the portal like Q did this year.  We outplayed them badly one game this year early with guys like Blake, McLaughlin, and James having hardly any college experience.  This is the same argument made a few years back after we lost to Denver in the 1st round of the NCHC, then the next year Kawaguchi, Adams, and Weatherby took steps forward and Pinto made a big difference.  Of course we don’t have that option on the back end, but things change fast, as in the progression of Dylan James from early to late, kind of the same progression we saw with Sanderson.

    The ’23-24 UND  roster, a roster still not complete, has some wood to cut to get to the level of either of those teams tonight. That was my point. Don’t care how either team playing tonight assembled their roster, those were two good teams.

     

  4. 29 minutes ago, siouxkid12 said:

    There is a lot to read, and I honestly do not want to go back and read it all, so if this has been covered, I apologize.
    What if most of these players that are entering the transfer portal have been told by the staff that they should enter it? Let's be honest most of these players that are entering it didn't play or were not overly exciting as players and Berry think's that they aren't going to get better. The portal has been a detriment to college sports, but it also is a good way to clean house from players that aren't cutting it anymore.

    But those leaving  were all "great" in '21-'22 on this forum and UND had the "best d-core in the country" for '22-'23. 

    Would really enjoy our favorite hockey beat writer to ask the really hard questions as to why the man in charge thinks there has been such turnover. 

    • Like 1
  5. 7 minutes ago, scpa0305 said:

    Agreed. But the point most folks are missing is Nodak used to be a sure fire program as far as recruiting goes. This past year was the first time I’ve heard negative things (from a recruit standpoint) about going to Und. And I’m talking high end kids. Most folks on this forum are speaking in terms of pro hockey where guys come and go and you build through free agency (which work at the pro level). The problem is, for those families with high end kids, college hockey is only the next step in the development. Right now is the message is there is zero room for error and you’ll be replaced by a 25 year old portal guy. Honestly it would be super tough for me to send a kid to this program. Really hoping things turn around quickly.

    Bingo. 

  6. 14 minutes ago, Oxbow6 said:

    #culture

     

    WTF is happening.....

    I'll say this again....... when roster moves were made last year BEFORE returning players were sat down and talked to the coaches  end a big WTF went thru the locker room. And from what I heard last summer letting Ferner walk with eligibility, was a big blow to the locker room and the young dmen. Had many guys questioning what was going on. He was very well respected by all. NHL caliber player, no way, but all teams need "that guy".  Calder getting strung along after season didn't sit well either with most.    Is there a trust issue with the HC and his staff? KG is a part of the daily d-core/goaltending coaching development, something is not right..... Does Berry solely control the roster decisions? I honestly am very curious as to WTF is happening as well...... this is not good.

     

    • Upvote 2
  7. 1 hour ago, AJS said:

    @brianvf nailed it. Making hard decisions that will improve the team.  

    Fair enough. I have don't necessarily see it that way, due to the fact his "hard decisions" failed in every way last year. The 10 and 19 5th year failed venture, cost ice time/development of others, as one example.  Two freshmen of class of '21 left, that in itself is concerning, considering those whom are leaving were contributors to a Penrose team a year ago. (Portz played every game as a freshman). 5x5 scoring from forwards has been clearly an issue the past two years and the list could go on. Hopefully the business model Berry is trying to instill/get corrected gets sailing in the right direction.

    He had a pre season ranked #4 team on paper last year............

    My two cents.

    • Like 1
    • Upvote 1
  8. 2 hours ago, AJS said:

    Love this. 

    So far so good for UND next season. This is why I'm closely watching what happens with Albrecht / Portal Forward. If both happen, there's becoming a pattern that I really do think is damaging for the program long term. 

    As I post this, Portz hits the portal. This is going to sound harsh, but I love this move. Kudos to Berry.

    Why "kudos to Berry " for Portz leaving? Just curious.

  9. 2 hours ago, Oxbow6 said:

    "Data in its entirety"......look no further than that career season stats of some that got major minutes this season at the expense of others and you'll glean into why this team didn't host a NCHC quarterfinal series and missed the NCAAs. 6 or 18 were not going to be the next Sanderson or Boeser but anyone who has followed this team for 4 years knew what 10 19 27 and 28 were going to give you. 

    Well stated. Can't imagine a scoring explosion from 28 next year, based on historicals. 28 coming back eating into time/development from a guy like 29?? Time will tell.

  10. 1 hour ago, Goon said:

    Think for a minute, why did Calder played for three teams in three years? Do think maybe just maybe there was a reason he wasn't asked to come back to UND? Why wasn't Budy asked to come back. Maybe he wasn't a good fit. I see a lot of pointing of fingers at the coaching staff, but maybe some of it is players. Why were certain players asked to come back, Hain and Senden. Maybe they were good teammates. 

     The players didn't suddenly show up on campus uninvited. And surely staff did their homework on each player. Did coaching staff hope for a one year "fix" with Calder/Ferner for example, then team had success, coaches thought they could bring in "better players for a better end goal in mind " and that led to their departure because the "plans changed"? If that is the case, they (staff) got adverse results. I have said for a long time, the decision to bring in players last year from portal, and from what I heard last summer, without any conversation as a group prior with the  returning players. Hence why Calder entered portal so late. He was told plans changed 3 weeks after UND's season ended. That sent a wrong vibe to a lot of guys in that locker room. And now with Bast/Constanini/Johnson leaving, something is not adding up.  

    My two cents.

  11. 11 minutes ago, jk said:

    Although the exact circumstances probably vary widely, to me there are three general flows in the portal.

    1. Fifth line forwards or fourth pair defenders from big schools who want to play more.  They generally go to "lesser" schools.  Think Blaisdell to UNH.

    2. First or second year studs at lesser schools, who became more than their recruiting profile suggested, who want the big school contending experience.

    3. Guys near the end of their eligibility, sometimes from lesser schools, but not necessarily, who want to contend or just want a change of pace.  Sidorski and Farmer both fit that profile.  

    I don't really think we want much of (1) above.  Budy might kind of fit that.  (2) is promising, but comes at the expense of your pipeline.  Could be good if you have a hole in the pipeline.  (3) seems to be where we're shopping.

    Or this......... coaching staff tells players with eligibility left, they will have a reduced/no role moving forward, even after they contribute/significantly contribute  in some way shape or form, over their course stay. Case in point, let's look at the players who have left/in portal currently,  the UND program with eligibility  since '21-'22 Penrose team:

    Calder/Ferner- both came with 2 season remaining, both told they really don't fit into the following season's plans. Doubt they had even thought about not coming back. Hence why they did not participate in Sr. night festivities at end of '22.  Guessing Budy was also told he was not going to fit into plans moving forward.

    Bast/Constantini/Johnson: all had times of very timely/solid contributions in '21-'22 and all showed promise, then boom, off to the portal because of who knows what happened.  Brining in Farmer/Sidorski did nothing to make this years team better, keeping Sedin/Hain probably hurt development chances for some up front as well. DeRidder not as they thought, played better down stretch, but I would say he was a disappointment as well.  Team flirted with .500 hockey most of year and missed NCAA tourney, so proof is right there that the changes HC decided on  didn't work out.  This all after a pre seaon ranking of #4 in the country. So question is, what is happening to the development of these players? Is coaching staff that far off the mark on recruiting and now portal is something they lean on moving forward?

    Hellsten also had moments where he contributed in '21-'22 and had some opportunities in '22-'23 to take control but did not.

    Point being, 5 players with eligibility left who were part of a championship lock room, all gone from the program. Did the changes after last year this have an effect on '22-'23 season and the locker room? Can't imagine these guys were bad eggs, or they would not have been brought in, in the first place. 

    UND hockey has hit some very interesting times. 

     

  12. 1 hour ago, burd said:

    One small upside is that the young forwards seemed to improve their defensive play later in the season.  OTOH, it's hard to develop an aggressive, attacking offense if you lack confidence in the D and goalie behind you.  

    Hopefully, Jake can get some pickpocketing lessons from his cousin this summer. 

    Interesting take, I disagree. For as may "grade A" chances this year 5x5, that were not converted by the forwards, leaves to wonder why? I highly doubt it is because they were worried about the backend/ goalie. Opportunities were certainly there, not a very good conversation rate.

    I would also be intrigued on how many 5x5 and "big/crucial" goals were scored by the d-core over the past two years. I can think of several games/instances where that was the case. 

  13. 37 minutes ago, AJS said:

    Never seen either personally, but seems like talent wise, these two aren't in the same category. If you're thinking Klee is going to be playing Top 4 minutes, we're in trouble. The issue really, is you need a legitimate high end #1 pair guy (Pyke would be) and another Top 4 guy. I believe it was last year, the US Junior team had almost every D-man was LH. Realistically, guys are going to have to play on their off hand next year. 

    A lot of next season is riding on the portal.

    Scary thought that we are even relying that heavily on the portal. IMO, portal won't matter as much if the forwards don't figure how to score goals consistently 5x5. As much as the defensive woes were exposed this year, lack of scoring by forwards 5x5 has been as big or bigger an issue the past two seasons. 

    • Upvote 1
  14. 29 minutes ago, AJS said:

    I thought he progressed nicely. Not trying to pick on Farmer, but even at the end of the year that 3rd pair was inconsistent at best. That was one of my issues. It would have been one thing if the 6 that were playing were all lights out. That wasn't the case.

    I'll say this. There was no "mentor" for the young d-men this year like there was the previous year. Decision was made to bring in Farmer and replace the "mentor", that was there previously and who also had a year of eligibility left. The "mentor" was a solid defender, who could make a first pass out of the zone consistently and could be some one for the young guys to lean on.  I promise you, the "mentor" they had in place for the on/off ice for the young guys in '21-'22, was missed. 

    Resumes do not always translate to better success.........the intangibles are very hard to replace.

     

  15. 10 hours ago, Benny Baker said:

    Dare I say Brent Johnson put up decent offensive numbers (1-5–6) in only 13 games and had the third highest +\- of any defenseman this year for UND. 

    Kid has been a defensive liability since he arrived on campus. As I have stated before, until he got things figured out between his ears, he was going to struggle. Best for both parties that he moves on. Also, he came in a year too early, no where near ready physically or emotionally for college hockey. So, this is on the coaching staff just a bit as well.

  16. 7 minutes ago, scpa0305 said:

    In that situation Moore has his guy…the other D, center or weak side wing has to have that guy coming in free. The fact he was that wide open wasn’t on Moore. Jake has zero clue what he’s talking about 

    100%. Sidorski was the guilty one.

  17. One of the other main issues the last two seasons.......no consistent scoring 5 x 5 from the forwards. (last years team got some very timely 5 x 5 goals from the d-core  thru out the season which helped). When the d has been as badly exposed like they have been this year, sub par goaltending = recipe for a .500 record. 

    Throw in a some roster changes that have not worked out, and a non cohesive locker room rears its ugly head. Anyone else notice UND scores a goal and the players don't seem overly excited. Just kinda ho-hum over to the guy who scored. The body language for this team is something else. 

    The coaches, in my opinion, have missed the mark with several recruits the past few years. A few players came in too early. Example, another year of USHL for #6 would have been beneficial. Let's remember he did not complete a full season in USHL due to injury. Was he mentally and emotionally prepared for college hockey? I'm saying no?

    • Upvote 1
×
×
  • Create New...