OETKB

UND is not a championship team tonight. Weak looking performance. Weak.

UND can't even generate shots on net, let alone good chances. Being dominated tonight.

Gophers are skating around UND big time. Does UND have a good scoring chance yet this period?

If UND doesn't start checking and crashing the net, this game will go badly.

Whatever. UM outhustled UND in that 1st period. They controlled the puck much better. If the Sioux want to win, they will have to do much better.

Those who easily blow off the WCHA title must not be long time fans. It meant an awful lot to the teams who won it. I think it still does.

My optimism is running at a low point right now. I will always bleed green, and always expect UND hockey to be the best of the best. Period. Right now, they can't even be counted in the top half of the WCHA. Not good enough.

Only problem is... when you blow it at home prior to the DU weekend, then you need to make up ground, which they have already failed to do, again.

They may very well come out with the nastiness and grit needed to get a win tomorrow. But, given their poor WCHA record so far, it won't mean much, until they can learn to do that consistently!

I feel bad for all the Sioux faithful, who are simply being let down by a sub-par performance so far. No excuses - UND has flopped to start this year.

VERY TIRESOME! And, finishing 4th, 5th, or worse in the league is getting very old. We don't care about "NCAA PARTICIPATION" banners here.

This team lets Mannino beat them yet again. I had the displeasure of watching UND lose vs DU with him in net a few years ago at the Frozen Four. Today, yet another game goes by where the youngsters have no memory of reasons to work harder. So, this team is now sub-500 in WCHA play. The team that was picked to win the league. NOT GOOD! And, reading all the USCHO & INCH commentary, I have to imagine that the "not getting started until Christmas" comments have to be getting really annoying to Hak, too. I really don't fault him. I think he is a good coach. However, perhaps the team needs a few hard days of practice to get things rolling. I just don't know. One thing is for sure, this team has screwed up so far. No question.

This team's road performance so far has been fine. The thing that is so annoying is the continued lack of home ice pride. This team talks a good talk, but the walk is more like a limp on Saturdays. When you have 10,000 fans on a consistent basis, I find it hard to take that the team comes out flat as a routine. This year, several leaders on the team stated they wanted a "fast start". Does one more win than non-wins qualify? I think not. Therefore, by their own definition, they have disappointed. And, the late season miraculous winning streaks can not happen every time. UND needs to get it going early this year.

Obviously, Dale has a good program going. However, playing Chappel when they were up by 30 pts was pretty dumb. Basically killed any hope of a championship. Ooops.

After yet another split at home, and a very AVERAGE looking 4-4 start in the WCHA, I have to change my tune. This team has disappointed so far. I can cut them some slack for a few weeks at the beginning, but after 11 games, they have to be in a routine. And, the status quo is not satisfying.

I agree with Hak's assessment so far, that the only really disappointing game was the Saturday game versus CC. Oh, and lucky me - I come home for one regular season series in the last several years, and I get to see that! Oh well, at least the Friday game was great. UND would look much better if they were 6-2-1. That is why every game is important, especially at home. The college season flys by. I hope the team realizes this.

Problem is, those teams seem to do okay when rated #1. For the last several years, UND has not been able to handle the pressure, and that concerns me greatly. Hak has stated that some of his players are dinged up (injured). Other than that, this team should have no excuses. They simply are not getting it done right now. Let's hope tomorrow is a different story.

Have to disagree about your "young players" comment. UND is one of the veteran teams this year. This year, they have a higer experience ratio than the last two years. Not a young team at all. Don't mean to criticise you personally, just want to squash that thought as an excuse.

One thing is for sure, UND will not be in the top 5 after this weekend, even if they split. But, maybe that can be turned into a good thing. Perhaps if this team gets its face slapped a few times early in the season, it will get more serious about showing up 100% for every game, and be stronger come the second half.

That is a big sore spot for me. "Hot goaltender" came up at least a dozen times a few years back when the Sioux were having a bad season. Now, I absolutely hate that phrase. Sometimes, it is valid. Often, it happens because the other team had the game momentum - plain and simple.

That's kind of funny, acutally. I like Wisco fans.

The thing that is most bothersome to me is that the VV, Oshie, Duncan line has done squattola for the last two games. Not good. This team is going nowhere without them.

I've learned something from watching Sioux hockey for decades. Teams can not come out every night with the same intensity. As fans, we want them to. But, in reality, mental letdowns are difficult to avoid, after big wins. I had the opportunity to see both CC games live (with great seats), and what struck me Saturday was how much better CC played. They pushed UND into playing their style (less physical, more speed oriented). At one point in the second period, I wondered if UND wasn't getting into a "no touch, women's rules game." That is what Hakstol warned the team about after the Northeastern game. Set the intesity, don't just match it. But, at this time of the year, that is not easy. The most disappointing thing about Saturday is that UND lost in front of a packed house, got out-muscled, and out-goaltended. But, this team has better potential than any under Hakstol, IMO. They'll come around. And, since when is a 4-2-1 record, all against very strong teams, considered bad?

Very well said. I believe that being forced to change the nickname because of lack of support from the Tribes will equate to the end of an era. Eventually, you will see the special programs/placements lose support at UND. This settlement is a blow to free speech everywhere. To me, this was always an issue of free speech, not whether or not we could convince the NCAA that we had tribal support. UND (ND Board) has caved in on the real issue here, and thus UND has become another victim to the seemingly unstoppable wave of PC thought police that are infecting this country like a runaway virus.

I agree - UND looked sluggish, and they were lucky to come out of this one with any points. Northeastern played hard and were motivated. JP is the only reason UND won. What was most disappointing was to see UND's top line do virtually nothing. I'm a little concerned about the Tech weekend, unless the intensity is turned up.