OETKB

This situation looks like a walk-on. Blais is recruiting defensemen who are 6'+ and 190+ and nothing less these days. That's not to say he can't play the game. It just sounds like a scenario where he will have to play his best hockey ever to get a regular spot on the ice.

As a transfer, he'll have to sit out a season, right? As a guess, he'll be a walk-on for the '03-04 season and may or may-not get much ice time. Do you know anything more about whether this kid is likely to make the lineup?

I know it is just guesswork at this point, but why not take a shot at what the Sioux will look like in personnel pairings? My humble prostidigitation: Hale - Parise - Bochenski Prpich - Spiewak - Notermann Lundbohm - Fournier - Massen Canady - Genoway/Palmiscno - McMahon/Fylling

Blais has enough confidence in Siembida and Brandt to go into this coming season without a third option. I think that says alot regarding their potential to improve vs. last season. I think goaltending will be okay. Not Goehring levels, but above .900 for the season. The big question IMO is whether such players as Massen, McMahon, Fournier, Fylling, & Canady will be able to spread the offensive points beyond just Bochenski, R. Hale, Lundbohm, Spiewak & Notermann. If we have to rely on just Bo' and the upperclassmen to get the job done, UND will be in trouble. This season depends on the Soph's playing up to their potential, I think.

I'd have to agree on the point that anyone who thinks UND won't have a strong offense is simply ignorant of the team's situation. Last season, they dressed 6 offensive freshmen each game! This season, they'll have only 2 or 3, and one of them is Zach Parise, whom most people think will transition to the college game pretty quickly. The large sophmore class will start to assert themselves. There are 3 USHL first team all stars from '99-00 in that class, if I'm not mistaken. Just because UND doesn't have "proven" returning players doesn't mean they won't be an offensive force this season.

The big question with Lucia is whether he can do it again. It's all very well to step into a good situation and, with tons of drive and energy, get that first championship. However, it takes much more to sustain that energy and do it multiple times. Personally, I dislike Lucia because he dislikes ND. Not only did he vote against Panzer, but at the Hall of Fame Game last season, he could not bring himself to say anything good about the arena. Everyone else was raving - Lucia said something to the effect that it was "okay." What was this thread about?

I agree that the team needs to take one game at a time, but that should not be a problem after last season. Also, I don't even like the word "predictions," because it implies that one can know in advance what will happen, which is impossible. Mostly, I wanted this to be a measure of the confidence level of UND fans. So far, the results are very positive.

I'd like to know how much confidence UND fans have going into the 2002-3 season. What do you believe this team can accomplish? It sounds like nobody is bashing Dean Blais or the talent level of Soph's who are returning. Also, no one on this board is overplaying the abilities of Parise or Greene. These are all positive things. One thing that should boost wins is the number of NC games. UND fared very well, even last season, vs non-conference opponents. The big question marks are goaltending and whether we will see a significant jump in scoring from the large soph class, IMO.

Last season, UND suffered its first losing season under Dean Blais. Not even Blais could take a team regularly dressing 11 freshmen into the playoffs. Consider the following among 20 player game rosters: 2000-1 = 10 Upperclass, 5 Freshmen 2001-2 = 6 Upperclass, 11 Freshmen 2002-3 = 5 Upperclass, 5 Freshmen (estimate) 2003-4 = 14 Upperclass, 2 Freshmen (estimate) Based purely on experience level, the Sioux should have a better season this year than last and a very strong season the following year. There are many other factors to whether a team does well or not, of course. Here are some: Chemistry among players Coaching attitude shifts Staff changes Talent level of incoming players Individual player development while in program Strength of schedule (to a lesser degree) I, for one, believe that UND's freshmen from last season did not lack talent. Nor did Dean Blais slip in his coaching ability. Chemistry among players was a question mark, though. Also, last season, strength of schedule was something Blais lamented about as the season drew to a close. With that many freshmen, it is next to impossible to be successful in the WCHA. Denver's coach also made comments to that effect. I'd like to know what others believe. People have been talking about UND's lack of "proven" players, but with half the roster coming off their freshman season, can we expect them to be "proven"? "Balanced" might be the buzzword for the 2002-3 Sioux. What a relief it is...

Don't you think Blais has specific plans for Prpich? He played LW in the BCHL if I'm not mistaken. The possible roster at LW could be: Lundbohm Hale Canady Prpich Am I right about this or do I have some personnel mixed-up? Similarly, the lineups at center could be: Fournier Spiewak Parise Genoway R. Connelly and at RW: Bochenski Notermann Massen McMahon Fylling Palmiscno As I said above, I'm not claiming to know exactly what position people are slotted at, but if I'm at all correct in these listings, it looks like Blais brought in Prpich to play LW and the only position that is "overcrowded" is RW.

Couldn't agree more with the last post. At UND, Blais has brought the program back into national elite status. He didn't get there by being meek. He brings in players he hopes will be both great on the ice and in the classroom. Sometimes, the recruits can't bring their game to the level UND needs and they leave or are cut to make room for another kid who wants a chance to play for an elite team. I really like the look of this coming season's roster. Blais has quietly brought in a list of super solid looking freshmen. Not the flashiest defensemen, but rather big, tough kids who are going to make Mazurak and Schneekloth look like "little guys." If I'm not mistaken, the lightest defensemen now on the roster (Besides Lienweber) is Fuher at about 190? Also, the forward recruits are talented, team captain, hard-working types. The large group of sophmores should have much more success this season than they did as freshmen. Put it all together and I think you are looking at a team that will win 25+ games, especially with the non-conference schedule they have.

This is not good news for some of the returning sophmores, but it seems like good news for the program, and that is more important in the end. With the addition of Prpich, there are something like 5 "extra" forwards for next season. If I had to guess, the players on the "danger bubble" would be: Both Connelly Brothers Palmiscno Faul These guys will have to compete hard to get any ice time. If Blais has plans to play Prpich regularly, that means there is yet another forward who may drop off the expected roster of guys who dress for games. Who would that be?

Blais should have an abundance of scoring punch in 2003-4, unless the soph's simply don't develop. Last season was tough to watch, but we all know the achievements of these guys prior to college and they certainly should develop into a very high-scoring Sioux team. Its great that Murray is going to the BCHL for a year. He'll still be young when he comes to UND, but at least he'll have played at a higher level for awhile. More talented than Parise? That's quite an endorsement. Hopefully, Blais can take the team far into the playoffs this season. In 2003-4, it seems as if these guys should be good enough to make the frozen four. It all depends on whether the coaching staff can get them to play a complete game. With a bottom-heavy team, there is less senior influence on the younger guys, and that can sometimes be an obstacle to their development.