Scratch

It just seems weird since he was so composed from day 1

I've enjoyed shitting on duluth about Osterberg for a decade, but senior assistant captain Strinden just took it away with an equally disreputable flop. And this KV situation is bizarre his decision making is like a western ND high school team playing a GF team at state, just sheer constant panic. I hope it doesn't lead to him transferring But great turnaround by Jan!

I'm not sure if this is correct but CHN has UND's SOS at 15, Merrimack's at 26. My take- This game should be a slam dunk. Merrimack's 45% Corsi is 53rd in the country. They'll probably be on pace to have 15 shots on goal through two periods until its the third and the Sioux are blowing them out and then maybe they reach 20 in desperation. I think the most likely outcome is UND winning by 4, maybe two if they play loosey goosey, which they can afford to do against a team that should be going 3-5 minutes without a shot frequently throughout the game. Merrimack hasn't seen anything close to UND's team speed this year, Providence is basically their toughest opponent on the year (and having watched Providence a few times, they look slow and average to me). Plus I think Zellers is going to elevate and bury 3 over the weekend for no reason other than his panache. Or maybe I'm completely wrong, and Merrimack's inability to cycle doesn't matter because they score every goal off the rush. Doesn't seem impossible since UND's gameplan the last two months has seemingly been to allow as many 2 on 1 chances as possible and for Jan to allow 1-2 softies for a total of 3-4 goals allowed on like 17 shots. Or most recently for KV to apparently be struck with amnesia and a musculoskeletal disorder all at once and singlehandedly cause 2-3 goals against, but I'm optimistic that was a one off. Unlike 2016, this team doesn't have 4 guaranteed shutdown never out of position defensemen--it doesn't even have one--and it doesn't have any forwards that are notably strong on D like Cagg or Schmaltz. But this is a dream regional for UND and I think Smaby is going to scare them into playing decent enough off D to let the skill shine through.

Looks like we are very likely to be in Duluth’s bracket. God help our defensemen discover how to keep themselves between the puck carrier and the goal

Verhoeff’s second breakaway given up of the period doggin it back

Like I said, our D is constantly getting burned

If Kernan miraculously develops the skill level that made Schmaltz a first round draft pick I'd be all for him being 1 or 2C next year. I like Kernan but comparing him to Schmaltz by saying they each do some things better than the other seems strange to me. I don't see them as comparable-Schmaltz was multiple levels better in pretty much every way, especially his second year when he was stick lifting like Datsyuk. I think Kernan is a 3C on a good Sioux team, 2C on one that sneaks into or misses the tournament

If Kernan is our 2C going into next year I will be very concerned

True, I'm just blindly assuming the last decade where half our teams were basically the equivalent of an ok Bemidji State team is a permanently bygone era like the early 90s and we are back to never missing the tournament or losing in the first round status

I've felt we've been getting burned in transition or the D have been getting walked all year but Spunar has bailed them out. Every D man too-Emery noticeably in the beginning of the year, Liv several a couple games in a row around Christmas, Wiebe, everyone. But I have no evidence of this and am likely just losing it.

Makes sense. No idea if this is accurate but it has seemed to me all year that we give up 3-6 clean breakaways every game but it somehow hasn't burned us yet. Nervous we get Gerbe'd if it continues to happen in the tournament once we have to face Plante/Hage type talent, probably starting in the second round.

Older half of the forward commits seems pretty clogged with guys I don't expect to provide much point production their underclassmen seasons (other than Simpson)

Unless your St. Cloud C- should be more than sufficient to beat anyone in Atlantic their best team any given year is like an ok Bemidji State team

Spunar looks lazy when he’s hot and lazy when he sucks kinda like cam

First time this year they’ve been cycled on all night. I wonder if reading schloss’s effusive praise of the D every week lulls them into playing like this, even though they have been getting walked 7+ times in transition pretty much every game all year. Especially liv and emery.