Irish
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Posts posted by Irish
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Even though the Sioux won, I have a feeling that this game is the "Pottersville" of our football future - what might be if we don't get things rolling in this program. A so-so team playing in front of a small, uninspired crowd with a non-exhistant student section. The Big Sky will help give us opponents that are actually of interest, but we need some excitement about this program. I'm not trying to put down today's win, just thinking that next year needs to be better. Think it can't happen here - look at the once proud men's basketball program.
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Different game between the 2nd and 3rd periods - the Sioux seemed to be tired the 3rd. I can't believe that at times we had such a hard time getting the puck out of our zone given the defensive talent we have. We could have had several more goals.
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Don't like the thread but I will throw my two cents in anyways.
Muss deserves another year and the coaching staff deserves another year. What I have noticed this year is you will be competitive at this level with solid QB play. This year ours has been to inconsistant. We have some good young kids that this staff brought in who I think deserve a shot next year. I think we will be starting a freshman at qb next year so I will wait until than to see what happens.
Agreed that this thread might be premature and we need to give the youngsters a chance to step up. However, I think that we need to do more than just wait for the young kids to get things going in the right direction. There are some signs that we are not on the right track as a group. I don't think that most people are happy with where we are at in the transition so far. The quarterback dilema presents an interesting argument. Are the coaches at the mercy of a quarterback who just doesn't quite have the skill set to perform consistantly at this level, or is it their fault for putting us in a position where he's all we have to go with. I think the latter is more correct.
Finally, I think that some of our schemes have seen their day. The 3 4 worked well against the old Bison option, but without the studs of yesteryear it appears to be a defense that is willing to give up a 10 - 15 yard pass at will all day long without a significant rush. On offense it seems everyone from NAIA Sioux Falls State on up has seen the bubble screen from us so often that it is just a joke. Muss needs to do much more that to just ride out this year and wait for the Freshmen to start playing. I expected a much more successful transition that we have so far.
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After several chances, Dell has shown that he is totally incapable of winning the starting job. Too bad, what with Eidsness regression this year.
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What number are you?
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Great weekend test - the talent is in place, now we need to develop the mental toughness and attitude that champions have - the "we'll kick your ass in your place or ours" mentality. This is a good series to start to develop it. We need to continue to forecheck the crap out of our opponents. As for scoring, I hope we play a little more like Blais's NO team did last weekend. With our talent I would like to see less dump, chase, and cycle. Included in our great defensive talents are players who can move the puck. Let's take advantage of this and get more odd man rushes and better break outs. When teams figure out and stop our break outs it can be very disruptive as Yale showed last year. I thinks the odds are good that we kick some Maine butt this weekend.
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They have been doing it all year in their games against fbs/fcs competition...I too don't understand. Perhaps the coaches don't trust their kids to make a play. Alot of the shortcomings by this years team are directly related to coaching, gameplanning etc. Hopefully our AD sees this and does something about it.
Agreed that this is an every game occurance. They would rather give up 3 27 yard plays than one 80 yard play - a pathetic way to coach
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Of the 4 Dakota teams that moved up do DI, who do you think is doing the worst at this point in time? We started the journey with a SOLID DII program. It kills me to see all of the Dakota schools ahead of us. Mussman needs to get his s**t together
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alright - another generation of defensemen to smack the Gophers around
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I think UND is in kind of a tough spot at quarterback until one of the two true freshmen is ready to take over in a year or two. Landry is obviously a senior, and has been very up-and-down. Goska is a junior and a talented runner, but unless UND goes to some sort of veer-type offense, he's probably not the full-time answer, either this year or next year IMO. Nichols played 9-man football, and is a good athlete, but may fall into a category similar to Goska, i.e. is he enough of a passer? Hendrickson is another talented athlete, but has had to switch to receiver, and seemed to be more of a runner (albeit a very good one) than passer in high school. No quarterbacks were brought in with the 2009 recruiting class. So that leaves Demler and/or Comes as the quarterback of the future. Hopefully at least one of them is ready to contribute as early as next year.
Not to make excuses, but another thing to keep in mind is how few fourth and fifth year players there are right now who would have been considered very good NCC players (and these players were recruited before Mussman was even the head coach). I count maybe six or seven, and all but one or two are on the defensive side. I believe that's in large part due to the circumstances surrounding the recruiting class of 2006, insofar as UND hadn't made any formal decision regarding whether to stay dII or go dI. That uncertainty hurt recruiting. And as far as the class of 2007, it had no possibility of post-season (other than for the few who played as true freshmen), and there has been a very high attrition rate from that class. Throw in the class of 2008 and Lennon's departure in the middle of the recruiting season, and the handful of decommitments, and it becomes clearer why UND has such a young team right now.
Exactly - "No Quarterbacks were brought in in 2009".
This leaves us with Landry, Goska (who apparently is a worse passer than Landry), and a 9 man quarterback. I get that we're young, but come on - I hate to mention NDSU, but I will. They appeared much further along in their 3rd year without all of the growing pains you documented so well. . In addition, they brought in freshmen last year and this year that helped them upset Kansas. We need to do better and be competative.
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From the live chat coaches show tonight....
On UND's QB front, Mussman says should see lots of double QB use from UND. Goska planned to get action early.
Says Landry's talent and arm gives UND best chance to win. But offensive options is key for Sioux.
Let's hope Landry's arm can direct the ball closer to his targets, some of the throws against Idaho were brutal. Good to hear Goska will get some downs too, sounds like they might open it up a little more this week.
Wow - this quote from Mussman says a lot about him and the state of the program. We are in the 3rd year of transition - If Landry (who had one of the worst performances in modern Sioux history) not only keeps his job, but "gives us the best chance to win" what does that say about our recruiting, judgement of talent, and offensive philosophy? Landry's skill set is well known - even when he's playing well he has problems with passing touch, accuracy, and his tendency to lock on to one receiver and telegraph his throws. I had hoped that with our expanded scholarships we would be more competative this year.
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I'm glad they're trying to involve the students. Now, if they can take some of the Barney Fife out of Alerus security, they could have a renewed student section.
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I watched the Sioux Falls game on TV last year, and the attendance was horrible (maybe they shouldn't show games so lazy fans like myself actually go to them). As a student I didn't miss a single home game, even the ones on TV, and the Alerus was always packed....
I know that the Sioux play Montana at home in a couple of years. I know for that one that if Sioux fans don't fill the Alerus center, that the Montana fans sure will....
Sadly, I was at that game - it was one of the worst losses in modern Sioux memory. The wind seemed to go out of the sails of Sioux fans after this game and interest in home games dropped significantly. I think 3 things need to happen to improve attendance
1. Put out a better product - this seems to be happening. After the Sioux Falls debacle, the Sioux looked much more organized and focused. I think this should continue into this year.
2. Get a better schedule - This seems to be happening also, but until we have a confernce, something to play for, and some natural rivals on our schedule it will always be hard to get everyone fired up to play teams even if they are DI like Lamar and Southern Utah. No rivalries here.
3. Get the Alerus to become much more user friendly. This has been discussed on another thread. The attitude at the Alerus seems to be to try to suck all of the fun out of tailgating and the game. The University needs to have a serious talk with the Alerus about how they do business.
Being picked last in the GWC is not where we wanted the program at this time. This would be a good year for a breakout season from the Football TEam.
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I loved the barn - I think the hard-nosed attitude that our teams developed playing there carries over into the Sioux Hockey Program today (contrast that with the Gophs)
My memories start with standing outside at -20, then getting in and it's still -20. Luckily, we all carried the accessory of choice, a wineskin filled with a strong warming fluid. The fog or mist that formed inside the barn gave it a surreal appearance. Chicken wire added to this. You had to rush to the warming rooms between periods. They resembled a very packed smoking lounge, with people re-loading their drinks. Add a very hard-nosed team and many animals ready to be thrown (gophers, badgers, whatever) and it was a hockey classic. When I see our team play in the Ralph, I think in some ways we have come light years in facilities, but in other ways, we are still a team that would feel at home playing in the barn. I hope we never lose the edge.
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It's funny. It's months post game and some of us are STILL fishing for a scapegoat.
Fine. So I'll sum it up:
Pathetic. Simply Pathetic.
Well excuse me for daring to post that the Sioux didn't look particularly well prepared against Yale or that BC had a great game plan against Wisconsin (prove it). And then to have the nerve to suggest that Coaching has something do do with tournament success (pathetic). The title of this thread is "So - Is there a missing link?" - Expect some speculation on why the Sioux seem to struggle come tournament time. Our season ending losses have been very frustrating, mainly because of how we looked in those games. Loyal Sioux fans have the right to speculate on what is missing without a lecture from you. I'm sorry if the suggestion that everything is not perfect is upsetting to you.
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so what's more important coaching - recruiting or luck ?
Obviously you have to be a solid recruiter or you can never get to the top. But at the highest level where talent is fairly even, I think it is coaching. Remember, BC and us were the two hottest teams last year going into the tournament. They were 4th and we were 5th. Compare York's preparation and game plan against Wisconsin with ours against Yale. To me, that's what made them champions.
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But being pretty red hot all season long worked for DU
I think how you get there is irrelevant. The only two factors that matter are:
1. You make it in the first place
2. You play well once you're there.
The regular season isn't indicative of anything only that you belong (or you got lucky).
The playoffs start a perilous high stakes season of 4 games maximum. I agree that we need to become a tourney team but every year a team goes into the playoffs with such an unbelievable line that you think they're going to the Frozen Four at least and they bow out early. Then other times they barely make it into the tourney and they end up winning it all (BC has now done it twice). I think Coach York of BC has it nailed in terms of what I've said. They make the playoffs, but they're not really dominant in doing so. Then they just find ways to win once there.
I see your point - there are many different paths to the Championship - BC has found a way to be hot during the tournament - we haven't. It seems like they always come up with a game plan that is disruptive to their opponents, always get good goaltending, and use their speed. Lately, they've been making WCHA teams look like they're skating in cement.
However, I think relying on a hot streak second half only works if you have a lot of freshmen and have chemistry issues to work out or if you have some early injuries (like last year for us). As a blueprint for every year, it has shown to leave something to be desired.
Bottom line is we're all guessing - I don't know what the answer is. I do know that we are due and have the talent. I'm hoping for #8. I also hope we beat the Gophs and BC along the way. We shouldn't want to duck any team.
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I can't wait - this slow hockey news season is killing me
I felt last year that going in to the tournament the two hottest teams and the two with the best shots were us and BC. Now they're National Champions and we're one and done. We should be loaded this year, but Hak has to figure out how to become a tournament team. I think a big factor will be the pace of the season. I think we can all agree that with this team, floundering until mid January is unacceptable. Having to rely on a white hot streak the second half just to get in the tournament has not proven to be a successful strategy -We haven't been able to sustain it long enough for a championship. Rather than relying on catching fire at precisely the right time, how about trying a whole season of excellence - one where we steadily improve our play and hit our stride at tourny time. Tournament prep is a critical area - At least 3 and possible 4 times since Hak took over I felt we were the team to beat going into the tournament. It's time we finish.
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Here's a list of college hockey coaches and the length of time it took them to win a national title,
Jerry York (winniest college hockey coach of all time): 7 years to win a championship at BC
Bob Johnson: 7 years at Wisconsin
George Gwozdecky: 10 years at DU
Red Berenson: 13 years at Michigan
Don Lucia: 9 years if you count his tenure at CC and Minnesota
These are considered some of the best college hockey coaches of all time.
You left off the two most pertinent ones - Dean Blais - 3 years and Gino Gasparini - 2 years
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Look - a lot of people who are venting here are not saying fire Hak - that's just the unfortunate and somewhat tounge in cheek title of this thread. What we are saying is that part of the job description of Hockey Coach of the Fighting Sioux is to win some National Championships - of course not every year, but some. So far Hak has fallen short. It is not unreasonable to compare Hak to the two coaches who came immediately before him, both of whom won their SECOND National Championship by the end of their 6th year. The pattern of Hak's seasons - start out playing like crap, put together an amazing run late, and fizzle out in the playoffs causes much frustration to fans who are on a roller coaster of emotions. And let's face it - in some of our playoff losses, the Sioux have looked just clueless for a big part of the game. I think that's on the coaches. I agree with a previous poster - Hak has been good, but not great. We have the best tradition and facilities in college hockey - we need to expect great. Otherwise, we'll look like the Gopers during the Woog years.
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I thought it might be a good time to dust of some comments from a few of our internet coaching experts. There's a reason why Hak, Cary & Dane get paid to lead/coach the team and there's also a reason why 11,500 of us have to pay to sit in The Ralph and watch the team. JK said it very well in another thread....as well as the coaching staff has done since Hak took over, this might be the best job of coaching that Hak, Cary & Dane have done. When you come into the season with only 3 seniors and you're playing 17 freshmen and sophomores, the expectations shouldn't be out in the stratosphere. Then we lose the best defenseman in college hockey and we're down to two seniors. Then we lose VandeVelde and Hextall to injuries for lengthy periods of time but the coaching staff is able to hold the team together even though we were down to one senior.
How this team managed to get to a tie for #4 in the pairwise and win the Final Five is quite amazing. We're actually getting bonus hockey now that we probably had no reason to expect. Even with all the adversity the team faced after Genoway went down, they were very competitive when they went out to Denver and deserved to win one of those games. As the second half rolled around, Hak kept saying they were close and it turns out he was right.
Here are some of the Internet Coaching experts comments.....
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OETKB
Just a weak season. No real fight.
They try to compete, but they don't have nearly the grit they are given credit for.
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Oxbow6
If I hear "We're close" from Hak in post game...
No you are not close, but you are close to being out of time this season!
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Shawn-O
Kiss home ice goodbye.
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fightingsioux4life
Here is the remaining schedule for this team and my predictions for what I think will happen:
2/13 @St. Cloud (L)....this time Lee is the "hero" in net.
2/19-20 UM-Duluth(W)(L)....boys win on Friday, party too much and lose on Saturday.
2/26-27 @Colorado College (L)(L)....the World Arena has been tough on our great teams, this could get ugly.
3/5-6 Michigan Tech (W)(W)....this is Grand Forks, not Hougton and it's not the Winter Carnival. Thus, a home sweep.
3/12-14 WCHA First Round, on the road (L)(W)(L)....doesn't matter where this series is held, I don't see us in St. Paul.
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SIOUXELEVENS
This will be the first year, no home playoffs, no final five.
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ticklethetwine
1 win out of 3 with Minny 0 wins out of 4 Denver.
I say fire his a@@.
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ticklethetwine
Every week we hear oh this team is due and they should really get it going they are just having some bad luck. The funny thing is we keep saying that every weekend but nothing changes. Our leaders don't step up
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gfhockey
scott sandelin???
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BringDeanBack
I feel bad for Genoway, his season is done, and his team doesn't seem to care.
I bet you aren't quite as smug now - It's time for Hak to GET ER DONE
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Let's go boys - give the rodents 60 minutes of pain
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Two Tickets for Saturday only - Prime - Sect 113, Row C - directly behind goal 3 rows from glass, on the isle.
PM me with offers, but I won't be online after 10 tonight. I'll try check again first thing in the morning.
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If anyone is that upset about this gouging, forward the member names that have listed them on here, to the GF police. Selling tickets for more than their face value plus a small handling fee is illegal in ND.
HOUSE BILL NO. 1058
Google House Bill 1058 and see what it is really about - It makes NO mention of scalping or ticket sales
SIOUX vs Bulldogs - Friday
in Men's Hockey
Posted
Nice win by the Sioux - they showed good energy throughout the game. I'm still waiting for goals to come in bunches. With our talent, it should happen.