OETKB

Great weekend, after Niagara came out tonight with a strong push. They just could not sustain it against a relentless UND this weekend. One more time: If the coaches were not going to start Cam Johnson tonight, then why the heck did the not get him in last night after UND was up 6-0? Seems like an inexplicable coaching call to me.

I hear you, but I was thinking for most of the 3rd period - if Zane gets hurt tonight, there goes our season.

Well, yes. I thought that, too. But, what if he has a rough start, and puts UND in danger of losing against the #59 team? Tonight was a risk-free chance.

Great result for UND tonight. One question - why the heck would you keep Zane in for the whole game, after you go up 6-0? Big mistake, IMO, to lose a golden opportunity to get minutes for your backup goalies. And, of course, Zane gives up a softie, anyway. Seems like he is a bit cursed, in terms of getting a SO.

The two plays that stand out in my memory are: Luke Johnson blows a tire and Duluth skates all the way up the boards uncontested to score goal #3. Wow, just wow. Nick Schmaltz skates in on a 2-on-1, and BAILS unexpectedly on the play. When have you ever seen a guy pull up and turn around on a 2-on-1? Just that kind of night.

6-3-2 record at home. Not exactly a "#1 in the nation" kind of record. But then again, UND will not be #1 anymore. This team is capable of playing a hell of a lot better than tonight, though. SOFT FRIDAYS need to go away. Also just looked at the lines again. No idea what Hak was thinking by switching them all around - certainly did not work. I expect to see Cags up on #1 line again, and Murphy/Mattson replaced by Sanderson/Panz.

This game was soft in the D zone, too. I was waiting to see some more physical plays, but it just was not happening. Soft.

ND was an average team (if even that) today. Way too many poor passes, falling down for no reason, coughing up the puck by skating directly into traffic. Just not inspired hockey at all tonight. Boys looked rusty at best.

Got to believe that Panz will be in for Mattson tomorrow. We need better D.

I can't even get it to refresh right now

Anyone else having problems with the NCHC feed?

Exactly. The international rules make no sense. Play is blown dead if someone skates into the blue but does not affect the play. However, a guy can run into the goalie before scoring, and that is ok?

I'm suddenly wondering who will round out the forwards next season. If we lose Cagguila (or any other underclassman), we may only have one extra forward on the roster. [Edit] Given that Cakebread has only 3 points in the USHL this season, we may have zero extra forwards with the departure of Rowe. Perhaps Yon comes in next season, and we add a new recruit?

I respect your opinion always. But, in my take, UND has to take a lot more pride in their Friday night performances at home. It has been a weak point to date, and without a strong home record, UND will not have the right pairwise ranking to go far, IMO.

To clarify my take on tonight, UND looked pretty good, except for that shift after the 1st goal. And, my point tonight is....UND needs to have a dominant home record, and that is NOT happening so far this year.

I have no problem with shootouts. I DO have a problem with sucky home records.

The difference in this game ( and Hak agrees) was the weak-ass shift after the 1st goal, where they handed a goal to UNO. You can't give up such a weak one after working so hard to get ahead,

What is the deal with UND coming out FLAT to start home games? We've seen this over and over. After that, it was a pretty good game. Too bad it was over before it started.

That should not be underplayed, in all seriousness. Getting beat at home by BSU in a blowout is simply not OK. However, having said that, UND has stormed forth since with convincing performances, and I think we can all agree that the team looks damn good now. And, as a fan who has been watching a long, long, long time - seeing this team go 7-1-1 to start the season is hugely satisfying. Hasn't happened in this fashion (5-0 on the road) for over 30 freakin' years!

Glad to see the last two periods tonight. Bucky kind of folded in the 3rd, but you could equally say that UND took over. Damn, it is nice to see a UND team that is good from the start of the season.

6-1-1 is a great start. 7-1-1 sounds even better. Hope to actually see some of the game tomorrow.

Zane 3 goals against on 20 shots. Not exactly great stats. What did he look like tonight?

In 2009-10, UND had a hard working, blue collar team that could get things done: Jason Gregoire 37 Chris VandeVelde (A) 41 Brett Hextall 26 Brad Eidsness 0.914 Ben Blood 14 Evan Trupp 34 Brad Malone 25 Matt Frattin 19 Aaron Dell 0.897 Andrew McWilliam 3 Corban Knight 13 Darcy Zajac (A) 19 Danny Kristo 36 Derrick LaPoint 22 Jake Marto (GF) 18 Carter Rowney 8 Mario Lamoureux (GF) 12 Brett Bruneteau 5 Brent Davidson Corey Fienhage 2 This year's team looks very similar. I even think they have more potential, given the great blueliners we have now.

I just checked my records. UND has not been 5-1-1 since 2009-10, if I am not mistaken. This bodes well for the potential of this season.

Hak said they tried hard in the first half but were not mentally sharp. They need to fix that. Mentally ready to go is EVERYTHING. Good determination win tonight, though.