Irish

I'm not sure what you are implying, but elite programs can put up more than 2 goals in a weekend on Canesius - elite programs can hold 2 goal leads - elite programs have a few guys who can score and who are in the top 50 scorers in the nation - elite programs make the tournament. Is this temporary? - perhaps - but we have not seen much "elite" play lately. Tell me what has been elite about the last two years. How long a slump do we have to have before reality sets in?

Sadly no.

I see this as showing "parity" about as much as the Sioux Falls game in football showed the football parity. This was an ugly display from a team who lacks offensive firepower and grit. You are correct about the other parts of your post - I'm not so sure we beat them again, but then again we could beat the number 1 team. We have some pieces necessary to be a good team, but mental lapses and no talent up front holds us back.

Sorry - didn't mean to sound so harsh - Just pointing out that if puck luck is part of it we are in the midst of an ultra-long cycle. And the more I look at the past almost 2 years the more I think the lack of playing a full 60 enters in too. Call it grit or whatever, but we puke up leads like no team I have ever seen and seem to take turns making bone headed or lazy plays. And the above poster is dead on about playing down to our competition. Berry has some serious issues to correct.

It's what we do.

Puck luck? Do you honestly think our group of logo shooters are cursed by bad puck luck? If that's the case, the hockey Gods must have been squatting on us for the past 2 years. Could it possibly be our lack of talent?

It is good to have goals.

I'm not saying we don't have a capable recruit - I'm saying we know less about him. It was a good scramble by staff. However, given we are in dire need of good QB recruits it is natural this scenario caused angst among the fans - seems like we finally got a capable coach and a stud recruit, then all of a sudden not. I really hope this works out.

I'm not saying he won't be good, I'm saying it is hard to tell. There are a lot of good high school QBs. Additional scouting gives us valuable information to perhaps more important factors such as pocket presence, arm strength, mobility, mechanics, and the ability to read defenses. At this point we don't know a lot. And to list NFL QB's with the same height doesn't help the analysis at all.

Really - it's an easy one for me - Bubba has had a continued inability to recruit and develop QB's - no high school QB at all in last year's class. When we did get guys with potential he turned them over to Rudy for "development". The results speak for themselves. Now, finally, we get a new OC and a stud QB commit. Then 3 days before signing he bolts. At the last minute we get a QB from Michigan who had a good high school career. Other than HS stats it is very hard for us to determine if he is the real deal or not, but there is a nagging suspicion that if he was really good he wouldn't have been available this late. I am not saying he is not going to be a good player - I am saying that this is a difficult way to recruit the most important position on the team. The angst comes from finally getting a change in OC, gettintg a stud to commit then losing him, then a last-minute pick-up.

Point taken - I'm not saying we should win every recruiting battle with them, but in my mind there is no reason those two schools should be skating circles around us.

We sure should have an advantage over St. Cloud and Duluth.

So ..... if it isn't our system, failure to develop, or failure to recruit how in the wide wide world of sports have we ended up with perhaps the most punchless team in Sioux history. St. Cloud, Duluth, and Denver don't seem to be having this problem. Something has to be amiss, and with Berry's continual coachspeak we are left to speculate. We should have some recruiting advantages here with our facilities, tradition, fans, and history of developing NHL players. I agree with some who have suggested that Berry is enamored with grinders. No excuse for our lack of scoring - none.

I get that - I was speaking about next year's roster.

All right - message received - I guess I am just really frustrated.

The title of this thread is University of North Dakota Hockey 2018-19 season. And not your buddy, pal.

Have you looked at our top 6 scoring recently - not one in the top 50 NCAA scoring leaders - not one. Our "top 6" guys should be here and we should have some scorers on our top 6. One point is that these are guys Berry is keeping on the roster instead of bringing in another scorer.

The fact that this is really a discussion should scare the crap out of Sioux fans. Time for a change and Berry has shown absolutely no indication he gets it on any level.

This may very well be true - in which case it scares the crap out of me that this is the team we have fielded 3 years after a championship.

Thanks for your expert analysis - truly appreciated. Here's what us more emotional, less analytical fans see - A once mighty program (most feel the best in the country) driven straight into the ditch a short 3 years after a Championship. Berry has given us perhaps the most unwatchable team I have ever seen in my 50 years as a Sioux fan. Whether it is poor recruiting, the system, or some combo the fact remains what we are doing isn't working. And all we get from Berry is no change on the ice and some of the most bland, boring, least informative coach speak repeated over and over. No indication of any changes. There is absolutely no reason - none - that our program should have sunk so low that 1 or 2 goals a weekend is the new norm. Something needs to happen and if we are not willing to change coaches then the Coach has to change. We are frustrated and this board seems like our only outlet or chance for input. This is not a temporary anomaly, but the new norm. If you can see why the "system" isn't working why can't a coaching staff with NHL experience see the same. This smacks of stubborness and inflexibility. We have enough grinders - we need some studs.

Not only do we not have a Freshman in the top 50 in NCAA freshman scoring in the country, we don't have anyone in any class in the overall top 50 in scoring. Left to his own devices, Berry, in three short years, has given us the most punchless Sioux team of all time and perhaps the most offensively challenged team from a major program ever. Only three possible reasons - a total breakdown of evaluation of talent and recruiting; system, system, system; or a total cosmic plot against us involving puck luck, refs, goal posts, and bad ice. He has had 3 classes and brought in no scorers - none. It's not just the infamous Junior class, it's all classes he has brought in. How low are we willing to sink before action is taken. It's like watching a train wreck in slow motion.

Agree that it is somewhat of a mystery - I think Berry and crew are seriously misjudging who can perform at the next level. There are guys in every sport who cant adjust to the next level - we seem to be getting all of them. No one can be snakebit for their entire career - let alone everyone.

It's lack of talent up front - pure and simple. Teams can get snakebit for a game, maybe 2 or 3 in a row, but not for two plus seasons. The game is faster here and we don't have guys who can keep up. We don't have the speed or puck skills. Watch our "Power" Play - when pressured we have an extremely hard time even gaining the zone and setting up. When we do, we spend an enormous amount of time teeing it up out front - the defense always has time to adjust - we don't have the skills for quick passes and movement. Of the top 50 freshman scorers in the country there are NO UND players - none. There is absolutely no excuse for this lack of talent at our school - none. This with the best facilities, fans, history in the country 3 years after our 8th National Championship. All "culture" no talent. It's nice we have guys who will support a teammate in a mile run. It would be much nicer if we had guys who could also score. Berry and company have a serious recruiting problem and we see the results on the ice. Time for Berry to go. If we are relying on next year's class to save us we are delusional.

Also, if we are serious about our programs we will need some serious buy-out money too.

In my opinion this game illustrates the best and worst about Sioux Hockey this year. First, the best - we played a whole game with passion, intensity and grit - didn't go into a shell in the 2nd or after we got a lead. We forechecked hard (that's a big reason we won a championship) We were hard to play against. We played smart (for the most part) The defense was great and the offense got it done - not the prettiest but got some goals. Honestly, this is how I thought this season would play out - maybe not the top talent could beat anyone at any time. A decent record and perhaps a tournament run - practically home ice in the regional. The worst - why is this game an outlier this season - especially after the break. Why can't coaches and captains get this kind of toughness game in and game out? Do we have to get a player a weekend kneed in order to play with intensity? We've seen what we can do - now, let's start doing it on a regular basis. This is on the coaches to get us ready for every game.