OETKB

In any case, I do believe it is good policy for an NHL team to look for draftees in their region. You want the best talent, but you also want some local talent to draw in those crossover fans from college and junior ranks. IMO, there isn't enough of that in the NHL.

Whether Parise stays or not has a lot to do with how he'll perform this coming season, doesn't it? He got overlooked in the national spotlight because of UND's slump at the end of the season, but still finished with an exceptionally strong 60+ points as a natural freshman. How can an NHL team not give him an offer if he scores 70+ points? For that matter, don't you all think that Bochenski and Schneider are at risk for early departure after this coming season? Those guys could score 70+ and 50+ points, if all goes well.

An interesting comparison to what I posted earlier: UM's 2002-03 Championship team's "Average experience" score = 2.3 People are talking about how young the goofs were, but the top 20 score above indicates they were well balanced in terms of experience. UM will be even higher on the scale next season, which should give them an excellent shot at another return trip. As I indicated before, UND will be about 2.4 on the scale next season, which will give them a much better shot at the Frozen Four. Obviously, the games are played by people, not statistics, but I really like this measure as an indicator of probable success, given that recruits are roughly equal.

"I know what I want...and the timing is right. I'll take what is mine..." = 8th Championship. I don't know about you all, but I'm not willing to say UND has to bow down to any team this coming season. Let's get it on, Goofs or BC or anyone else.

"Eight is enough" - A preview of the upcoming UND Championship season.

P.S. Using a scoring system of 1=freshman & 4=senior, the regular 20 players on UND for the past several seasons have averaged about: '99-00 = 2.7 '00-01 = 2.5 '01-02 = 1.9 '02-03 = 2.2 and my expected rosters for the next two: '03-04 = 2.4 '04-05 = 2.8 I don't think it is any coincidence that UND's last Championship was the year they were the most seasoned. Things are looking up for the next few years, I believe.

I found this cell note in my personal Sioux spreadsheet that tracks players and stats and such each year. Originally, I had them pegged to win the WCHA, but I've now revised and updated it. Early Prediction: 2nd place WCHA; F5 Runners-up; National Champions! UND will have the strongest team since 2000, as the large junior class becomes more potent, and the young guns just keep growing in number (Parise, Murray, Stafford). Offense - There is lots of talent here, and this season they will be more skilled and explosive than the past two years Defense - will be strong, skilled and very mobile. Smaby should be an excellent freshman. Losing Hale early hurt, but three returning players (Jones, Fuher, & Schneider) will be hitting their grove as juniors, and Greene is expected to become a defensive "monster" as a soph. Goalies - Brandt is back, plus two good freshmen join the mix. Late last season, Brandt proved to be a solid WCHA keeper. He really handled the pressure of the late season well, but he was not rewarded with any offense. Note, for last season, the very same spreadsheet predicted: Predict: 3rd place WCHA; Loss in NCAA Regionals? UND will be all-around improved from the previous season, with 10 anticipated starting Soph's who were freshmen in UND's first losing season under Blais in '01-02. There will be 20 returning players (Including Fylling & Genoway) this season, which is much better than last season's 12. Offense - a big question mark, as there is plenty of talent, but scoring is not "proven" (Only THREE returning 20+ pt scorers = Bochenski, Lundbohm, Notermann) Defense - will be much more consistent and tougher, as Jones, Fuher, & Schneider will all return as Soph's and Hale is expected to have a "breakout" defensive season. Goalies - Both Siembida & Brandt were decent last season, but somebody needs to become the trusted starter Last season's prediction was not too far off. I hope this year's is right on!

Well, this is all well and good "yippee skippee" talk for a program that is just coming off two years of championships. However, I remember a day, not to distant, when the UM fans were saying "All the excuses have been used up..." Please, let's throw the UM fan bias away for the moment and remember the reality of the topic as it applies to UND today (and UM tomorrow). If your program has gone from dominant to hopeful, you need to make adjustments. Period. Fans need to remember that this program and the effect on the Grand Cities is paramount in order of importance. I absolutely love the fact that a third of the team this coming season will be ND kids. Obviously, UND has had an impact on youth in G.F. I'm sorry, but individuals who don't show that they can develop under the program don't deserve to keep their scholarships. That is the harsh reality of free money. If they want a 4 year guarantee, they had better be Zach Parise or go to Canisius.

IMO, this is not an all-or-nothing issue. There is the idea of a commitment implied to a kid, but there is also the expectation of what that kid will bring to the program. In some cases, it is justifiable to pull a scholarship. Take the extreme case of a kid who plays for the team for a few years, scores just a couple of points, and generally is a disappointment at the college level. If this kid is not learning from the coaching staff, it can be argued that they are failing the "class" they were given a free ride to take. It seems to me that Blais gives kids two years to show improvement before he makes a scholarship decision. That, to me, does not seem overly harsh. Two years should be enough to show development under the program. If not, as with any job or relationship in life, you provide that opportunity to someone else. Of course, I've always stated my interests are first with the success of the program and its impact on Grand Forks. I believe this issue is one where it is unlikely to change others' opinions.

Agreed! Our offense was AWOL at the end of last season. To me, that is the biggest concern...how the team will perform after Christmas next year. They've got to learn to coordinate some offense and work together better. We don't play any "Canisiuses" this season. As for Jordan Parise, I'm really glad Blais is bringing him in. Not only should he get and give a boost as Zach's brother, but he's a big goalie (for a change) with good numbers. Better numbers than Ziggy, even. Fight on Sioux

I wonder if Blais will have him out there anymore? Blais thought he would be able to come in and "Contribute right away." It didn't happen. With the addition of Murray, Stafford, & Porter (whom I believe will all see regular shifts), the forward lines will be pretty clogged up for Genoway/Canady/Connelly/Palmiscno, who will all have to fight for ice.

Of the above, whom I consider to be the teams' core players, I'd hope for Massen, but I'll go with Parise. Hopefully, as a soph, he'll be able to do even more damage out there. Go Sioux

It's good to see that Blais is working the offseason to make the team better. I wonder if Sedevie is still slated for later? If Lammy comes, won't that make 6 "Grand Cities" kids and 8 ND kids on the team? That's fantastic! Go Sioux

Not that I'm advocating vindictive "dumping" of offensive players. I know the boys who weren't scoring were working hard. By the "adding a few" comment, I'm thinking Dean will probably announce another offensive recruit. Just a hunch. Another may come from a walk-on. Anybody heard about Fabian lately? He did not have a great season in the USHL, but he has pro aspirations and good size. I believe he scored some key goals toward the end of the season for the Scarecrows.

No question...offense let us down, at the end of the season especially. This website is a homer-fest, and that has it's place. However, Blais said he would have to make some hard-line decisions in the offseason. Some guys simply haven't performed at the college level. Blais cut players like Hasbargen & O'leary two years ago to make room for some of these guys, who have done less in scoring terms. I wouldn't be surprised to see a few new forward freshmen added to the roster. The excuses for not being competitive are really getting old. This season, it is performance time.

A quick and dirty assesment for next season: Defense = Wash. Lost Hale and one senior, but average experience level stays about where it was, as three solid soph's become juniors. Offense = Better. Lost 2 good seniors, but gaining experience. Kept the most talented players and Murray is coming into the fold. Average experience level goes up, here, as some of the young talent becomes upperclass talent. Goaltending = Better. Brandt looked good at the end of the season. Experience level continues to improve here, and Ziggy put up some good numbers in the USHL. Overall = Better. If I'm not mistaken, this is Deano's last year in his current contract. I think he was planning for this to be a smash hit season when he overloaded the team with freshmen two yearss ago. It should start to payoff, now. Thoughts?

I agree that it is time for UND to take care of business next season. While it is always nice to see "Great season" and "Thanks for the memories" type threads at the end of a season, the fact remains that the end of last season was a major disappointment. They made the NCAA tournament soley by winning so many games early in the schedule, and they were a no-show vs Ferris State, who got spanked the next day. The youth excuse is over...time to produce. The success of the program and its impact on Grand Forks is the only thing I care about. Individual players (and especially their parents) had better be ready for a lot of objective criticism if things don't come together next season. That being said, I believe things WILL come together next season. Go Sioux.

One thing gopher fans are right about is how dominating Minnesota will likely be next year. If everyone returns, they'll have something like 16 upperclassmen to put on the ice! However, I'm thinking there will be 1 or 2 key players that jump ship for the money. It's becoming more common than ever for WCHA players to leave early, and who can blame them with pro salaries as high as they are? Something gopher fans might not realize is that UND only had 5 upperclassmen on the ice most of the season. That's a very low number. In fact, even in the dismal 2001-02 season they had 6 upperclassmen that played regularly. Next season, UND's upperclass ratio will FINALY swing in their favor. I figure they'll have 12 or 13 upperclassmen playing games. Will they be better? Unquestionably. Good enough to win it all? Only time will tell. The way they ended this season doesn't leave me with a whole lot of confidence, but I'm hopeful.

The 2002-03 season is over, and the end wasn't exactly inspiring. The Sioux do have some good returning talent (even without D. Hale), but will it be enough to recapture the "glory days" of two years ago? UND, like every program, is in danger of becoming just another WCHA program if we set our sites so low that we say "great season" after a flop like they had at the end of this one. Seriously, folks, you can't accept mediocre seasons for very long before your team is considered mediocre by everyone, including the prospective recruits. So, the question is...Is this Sioux team good enough, given the roster we know about right now? That is, are they going to be good enough to challenge for #1 in the WCHA?

Given that MN is in the Frozen Four w. only 1 senior, the obvious call is that they will be awesome next season. Really, they are much better this season than I expected. Given how well UND was performing in the first half of the season, it looked like they could be the team to beat next Fall. However, due to the horrific slump they slid into to end this season, now I'm just not sure. Obviously, Parise & Bochenski pack some scoring punch. The question is... what happened to the rest of the team? Lundbohm & Notermann began the season like gangbusters. Not factors at the end. Massen was on fire for awhile, too. Ineffective at the end, among others. My concern is for the program always, so forgive me if I "pick on" individual players. The golden recruiting class of 2001-2 simply hasn't produced, with the lone exception of Bochenski. Blais seemed really excited about bringing those USHL boys into the fold. One is gone, two are bubble players on the 4th line. Disappointing. Blais thought 2003-4 would be his year. As it stands now, it looks like an uphill battle. Then, if we lose Parise & Bochenski & Schneider to the pros, the following year may well be a struggle, too. We shall see what 2003 brings. I'm looking forward to seeing what Murray, Smaby & Stafford have to offer. Also, it will be exciting to see if Lundbohm, Massen, Parise & others will show improvement.

Whatever the reason, the Sioux only averaged 2.0 goals in their last five games. Where is the offense for which UND is known?

Well, I've got to agree that this season was better than last, but not by much in the second half. I'm not sure exactly what happened to this team, but after Christmas they just couldn't put it together anymore. Thanks for the memories to the seniors. This season ended a bit prematurely (at least by one game), IMO.

After being out this long, he will certainly not be at full strength, but it is great news for the team. They've not been the same without him. Even having lost 20 lbs, I'll bet he will still play excellent positional defense and lay some smack down with his hard checking style. I'm thinking the Sioux will be better with him in there. Last night, there were LONG stretches of time where Duluth kept the puck in our zone. Hale will help ensure that doesn't happen out East.

Let's face it. This is a hard luck season for the Sioux. Tonight, they get what should have been a goal with about 17 seconds left waived off because the ref lost sight of the puck. Another 1 goal "performance" for UND = another 1 goal loss.