Irish

Thanks for the recap - looking at the players listed it makes me think more than ever that we have a big lack of high end talent this year, and down recruiting classes for our juniors and sophomores (freshmen to be determined). Hak just isn't the recruiter Blais was. As for the theory that we have good players up and down the line-up - that only works if the players develop and show up every game. One of the main problems with this team is the lack of development for almost everyone. Hardly anyone is playing better than expected - many are worse than last year. Gregoire was mentioned in the same breath as Schroeder as best newcomers to the WCHA - see them at par now? (please note - I'm not criticizing Gregoire - just using this as an illustration for our player development). How do you think our sophomore and junior classes are developing? Blais had a reputation for developing talent and was able to recruit the likes of Parise because of it. Under Hak, many players just plain don't develop. I'm not so sure our system isn't grinding them down. Our offensive break-out and cycling are horrible. If fans can see it why can't the coaches. You would think that after watching game film after game film the light would go on. I'm not saying we don't have some good players - we do. I just think that almost everyone is not playing to potential. If it is one player it probably is the player if it's everyone we have to look at the coaching.

We got 2 goals total against two of the worst teams in the country. Tell me again why we don't need any blue chippers on our roster.

My comment was aimed more at our current roster - In fact, please put your fine eye for talent to use and evaluate our current classes. I am interested in your opinion on the last 3 recruiting classes as they compare to other top NCAA teams like Minnesota, BC, Denver, ETC.

True, but in my opinion we should have had at least one. You make a valid argument - I personally am on the side of needing top end talent, but understand what you are saying about team chemistry and work ethic. We don't seem to have either top talent or chemistry this year, and I'm not sure Hak has shown he can develop chemistry or work ethic. Hopefully this team can right itself ( a sentiment I've had for four or five weekends this year). Time is short.

I'm not saying we don't have some decent hockey players coming - just like we have some decent players on the team this year. I am saying that we don't have any top end blue chip talent - the kind you win championships with. No Toews, Oshie, Parise, etc. In my opinion, both our sophomore and junior classes are performing below expectations. No one has had a real break-out season. Hell, some have not improved at all. The jury is still out on our Freshmen - some nice talent, but not top end. No first round draft choices, under representated on the 18 and under and World Junior teams. Look at this team's stats and tell me who would make all conference or all american. Our Shattuck pipeline seems to have dried up and we haven't found a replacement. I'm just not happy with mediocre hockey. When we were in the race to recruit Zack Parise he was told to go to UND = that was his best shot at developing his skills for the pros - do you think he would get the same advise today?

Unacceptable - We're the Fighting Sioux, not some crap ass team like Bemidji State. To show up like this when our non-confernce games are crucial to getting into the dance is pathetic. How many times have we seem a Hakstol team mail it in? Do you think Blaiser would put up with our effort so far this year? I've said this before - we need some blue chip studs on this team. We just don't seem to have the talent this year. Hak better hit the recruiting trail hard - the product he's putting out this year is below expectations. We got it handed to us by one of the worst teams in the country.

Great win for the Sioux tonight - they looked good - many scoring opportunities, some solid hits, Eidsness - great game. But seriously- we need some players who can put the puck in the net. We had many opportinities due to hard work but ended up shooting into the goalie's pads again. We need some scorers who can put the puck in the corners. This is where we miss the blue chippers like Toews or Oshie. We should have had 4 or 5 goals but couldn't close the deal. Again, however, great work to put us in scoring position. We have to work on our shooting. Hopefully this effort will carry over to tomorrow. I think this is a must sweep weekend.

I'm not quite sure how to take this comment - I just feel that this team is playing soft. I too was around in the Bjorkman days and for the Barn days before that. A trademark of the Sioux has always been hardnosed hockey - I just don't see it from this bunch particularly the defense. I'm not saying we don't have any hitters, but I feel that the game has been taken to us far too often so far this season.

Here's my 2 cents worth on our current state of affairs: It's interesting to see the debate on talent - do we have the talent and just aren't playing at all or is this a mediocre bunch? A debate I never thought I would see about the Sioux. I think it is some of both. In my opinion, our sophomore and junior classes are below UND standards and behind what other top teams got. In addition - no one is getting better - no breakout years or even steady improvement. Trupp has one goal for Christ's sake - don't even mention Lapoint's lack of progress. We need some studs here and in a hurry. I agree that we didn't win a title with Oshie ant Toews, but we should have won at least one. If we don't recruit the hell out of the next couple of years get used to this type of record. Are we getting beat to top talent or misjudging our recruits? What happened to the Shattuck pipeline? We are carrying a lot of dead weight this year (I know some have much potential - but we still have to put the puck in the net) The recruiting now is all on Hak. Get some studs please! Playing style - It was only 4 1/2 years ago when we beat both BC and BU out east to win the regional - Parise described our defensemen making players squeal when the came in front of the net. See any of that this year? This is the softest team I have ever seen the Sioux field since the Bjorkman days. The dump and chase/ cycle, cycle, cycle just ain't working either. It seems that absolutely no one likes this or the results it produces. I have even had fans from other teams wonder why we never carry the puck into the zone. Yet Hak seem to stubbornly hang on to it. It's like football coaches who get a blind spot for an offense thats time is past yet can't move on. Even the best coaches have a hard time changing some times. I wonder if the coaches ever discuss the offense and trying something else? This style is brutal to watch (cycle until you lose it). During a power play this weekend we had a great centering pass - nobody home. However, we had 3 players in the same spot along the boards. Get in front of the net! The uneven play and lack of intensity - This is a Hakstol team trademark. Every time we think we have our crap together, we lay an egg. It's hard when our good play comes in 1 game spurts. Overall - what we are seeing isn't Fighting Sioux hockey as I have known it. Playing style adds to the irritation.

The second was on Eidsness - however I'm stunned sometimes at our defensive lapses. Unless we toughen up it will be a long season - These aren't minor mistakes - they are major screw ups. It's great to see some offense tonight. Let's take two from the Big Red.

It's great to see us unload on someone. Welcome to the WCHA Cornell. My only concern is the horrible defensive give aways we handed out. Our defense must improve. I've never seen so many defensemen fall down. We need to keep this intensity for the next 3 games to start the second half. That's the million dollar question for the Sioux this year - can they do this consistantly?

"Ah, Rory McMahon" he says in his best Homer Simpson voice.

It used to be that when you played UND, we forechecked the crap out of you all weekend- you knew you were in a hockey game. Now what do we do - cycle you to death?

I agree that on paper we should have an offensive powerhouse. I think the freshmen Gregoire and Hextall are playing well (although I wonder why 2 freshmen should be tied for the team lead for goals scored). The rest - Duncan - 4 goals (playing well), Toews - 0 goals, VV - 3 goals, Frattin - 2 goals, Trupp - 0 goals, Watkins - 1 goal, Kozek - 2 goals - Lapoint has had his struggles on defense and hasn't really panned out like we had hoped. Hardly anyone is playing at the level they should - some are almost non factors. Why no one is scoring is beyond me - my theory is cycle, cycle, cycle. Whatever it is, we are not developing talent like we should.

Through 12 games - Frattin 2 goals, Martins - 2, Kozak - 2, Watkins - 1, Zajac - 1, Trupp - 0, Davidson - 1, Malone - 1. In fact, no one has more than 4 goals. They may have talent based on expectations comming in, but there ain't nobody getting better here. I get the fact that everyone has good stats when recruited, but we have a lack of firepower. Who is living up to expectations among upper classmen so far? Anyone having a breakout season? It seem to me that either our talent is way down, or we have an extreme group of underachievers. With Blais, you could count on player development.

Not only that, but many came here because they wanted to play for Blais. We're out of Blue Chippers and it shows. We had better have a crapload of talent coming in next year or we are in for a long dry spell. This year's sophs and juniors are not the foundation for any kind of championship. We need to pick up the recruiting.

You said it all - now I wish the coaches would get the picture.

One of the problems as I see it is that we have two sub-par recruiting classes (sophs & juniors). We need to go out and get some studs so we can beat the likes of Alaska Anchorage and Minnesota Duluth. Come on coaches - pick up the pace. Also, it seems like we don't hit anyone anymore. What I've seen this year is a long way from Sioux hockey.

Anyone else as frustrated as I am as to how we managed the 3rd period. I'm tired of waiting for Hak and Company to get their crap together.

Wow - talk about declining expectations - doesn't anyone else think it's strange and a little sad that we are talking about not matching up with "Alaska Anchorage" when they come to play at our house. We sound like the fans of a 4-6 team. The question isn't weather Hak is a good coach - he is. The question is rather is he a great coach - the jury's still out.

The win last night nonwithstanding, there are some issues with Hak's teams that are frustrating. I'm not saying he should be fired, but ask yourself this - how long are you willing to wait to hang a banner. Boston College, Minnesota, and Denver have won 2 and Wisconsin 1 since we last won one. I for one am getting restless. Areas that need addressing: (most of these are the same as other posters - there seems to be some common themes here) - Intensity - how we can look so flat and unprepared for frozen 4 games is beyond me - We flounder for more games under Hakstol than we have since Gino took over. We need to make playing in the Ralph a thing to be feared - we don't putout a good product at home. - Our annual crappy starts - Much has been said - Why does it take us longer to get our crap together than almost everyone else in the hockey playing world? - Our offensive scheme - I hate this constant cycling too. someone else said here is the place where scorers come to die. Good God. Look at our stats and compare them to how our recruits did before they got here. Frattin scored for the first time in 14 games and Malone for the first time in 33 games - good crap - those are some dry spells. In the past we have had some high end studs (with whom we should have won a couple of titles) carry us. Now we don't. Very few scorers come to UND and play over their projections. We have some people who just never score - we can't afford to have that this year. - At times our power plays are not just unproductive, they look pathetic. This is coaching. - Does anyone else here wish we would start hitting people again. Getting bullied in a game isn't Sioux hockey. Here we sit again after another weekend trying to find positives out of a split. It's time for us to play Sioux Hockey every game. 4 - 6 just won't cut it at UND.

Not trying to get into a contest with you - I respect your hockey knowledge- There are some points about tonignt's game I think you will agree with 1. We have an anemic power play - way below what I would expect looking at our roster 2. We got manhandled by a bottom feeding team at home 3. other teams are starting to take physical liberties with us 4. What we saw tonight was a far cry from what I consider Fighting Sioux Hockey I'm not saying fire Hak - I am saying that some of this season is his and his staff's responsibility. Many of us are frustrated with our underachieving starts. Hopefully we can rebound tomorrow. The Sioux have a lot of work to do to become a good hockey team..

This type of effort from a Blais team was unacceptable. This type of effort at home from a Hak team is commonplace.

Just got back from the game - I'm drunk and pissed. I hope this ends the great Walski experiment - this loss is on the coaching staff - Walski is not nor will ever be an everyday WCHA goalie - We have kept him at the cost of running off our young prospect - now he has cost us a game. Remember this loss when we are looking for a bracket in the sweet 16. Totally mismanaged by coaching staff - what does he have - naked pictures of the coaching staff? If there is a more pathetic power play in the country I'd be surprised. 5 minute man advantage and what - two shots on goal? Can't we be better organized than this with the names we have on our roster? We may have people that can fly, but we have no one who can close - absolutely no scorers tonight. Getting our butts handed to us at home by Alaska Anchorage - pathetic 3-6 record - unacceptable I'm tired to the talk about what this team could be. We are 9 games into the season. Time for reality to intrude. What a lackluster effort.

I'm having a hard time deciding how to feel about this team so far. We look great at times, but give up goals in bunches like no Sioux team I can remember. I think we have real potential this year if our goaltending settles down and our defense solidifies. I'm generally not a fan of the Hakstol season (floundering until Christmas). My worries include: finding a real scoring punch - our Sophomore and Junior classes have some good players, but no real blue-chippers (we need to pick up the recruiting), and season long goaltending (I've said it before, we mismanaged our goalie situation and are now stuck). Overall, I'm not real satisfied with a 3-5 record so far. This team can fly, but we need to learn how to finish. Hopefully we'll sweep this weekend and get a streak going. I'm ready to hang a banner this year.