schmidtdoggydog

DB was interviewed after ZP and when told of the comments, he said the team didn't give the fans anything to cheer about on Saturday, which was a factor in the lack of atmosphere!

Out of respect for other members of this board, this will be the last post I contribute to this thread: Simply citing articles that may contain quotes and then attributing them to the coach does not further your point. You ask who should Massen replace? Well, it appears to be a ridiculous question considering he played both games last weekend, and when weighing the importance of the series, apparently DB felt he deserved to be on the ice, but evidently he forgot to consult you. As for his skating, when he broke away from everyone as a freshmen in the Ucch box score and scored his goal, DB said after the game that there are only about 10 skaters in all of college hockey who could score the goal that he scored. High praise for such a poor skater - from the coach nonetheless. I have a copy of the tape if you care to see the goal. That being said, I will agree to disagree. JM is clearly not UND's strongest skater, but he clearly is not their weakest. With his combination of size and skill, if he can get on track, he should be a very nice contributor.

It reminds me of your posts - surplus of crap with no demand. Clearly, you are emotionally and mentally bankrupt yet you find a way around it by spouting your endless propoganda despite yourself.

Such as?

I think he skates well - he certainly did at Mariucci as Freshmen when he blew by everyone on the ice and went topshelf scoring a goal with a backhand shot. And he skated well last year as evidenced by his play against St. Cloud at REA when he zipped up the right side and blew a slapshot over Moreland's glove for the GWG. If he is having some skating issues, that may go back to his injury earlier this year.

Based on representations made by one of the Hale's last season, the correct answer is his brother.

He certainly has the capabilities to be a very good player as shown by the first-half of last year. He is big and strong, and when on his game, good with the puck and around the net. Perhaps his groin injury earlier this season set him back more than any of us realize and has made him a bit tentative? But, when he is playing well, he is fun to watch. Here's hoping he is saving his best for the last eight weeks of this season.

Well said - he is a joy to watch every single time he steps on the ice!

Within an hour of the auction close, they posted the winning bids last year.

From NCAA website: Western Michigan University was selected to host the 2005 Midwest regional at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan, March 25-26 and Mariucci Arena on the campus of the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, March 26-27, 2005 will be the West region host. REA host West Regional in 2006, and Midwest region bid was awarded to Michigan Technological University and the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin, March 25-26, 2006. The 2007 West regional bid was awarded to the University of Denver and the Pepsi Center March 24-25, in Denver, while Western Michigan's Van Andel Arena was selected as the site for the Midwest region, March 23-24.

Ludwig (USA) and Murray (Canada) both played in the WJC around that time and maybe that lead to an Olympic tryout for both? Kevin Maxwell left UND after his rookie season to play for Canada in 1980.

Great observation. I did some checking and over their last seven games (back to the Sat. Tech game), UND has scored 54 total points as a team while going 3-3-1. ZP (12), BB (9), BM (9) have accounted for 30 of those points. Of the remaining 24 points, 10 were scored by the defense and 14 by the forwards. Other than ZP, BB, BM, I believe 12 separate forwards have seen ice time during that timeframe. That means over SEVEN games those TWELVE forwards have combined for FOURTEEN total points. That is not depth - at least not offensive depth! For now, and much like last season, it appears that this is a one line team!!!

My bad. I hope he turns Quinnipiac into some sort of Atlantic Hockey dynasty, wins the hobey and plays in the NHL. But even if he plays there, I still hope UND wins the national championship year after year after year . . . . .

Nobody makes these kids commit to UND. They do it because this is where they want (or ultimately decide) to play. But part of playing hockey for the Sioux is playing to higher expectations than at other schools. When the players don't play to that level, they should not escape criticism - simple as that. If a player can't handle playing under that type of scrutiny, they should consider transferring to a school like Quinnipiac, which is a school that has no shot of winning a national championship.

Talk about someone needing an outlet! Thanks for the scolding - let me know when I can come out of my room!!!

It seems to be the same thing that happened last year for a stretch - everyone is standing around watching ZP play. That better change fast.

I just talked to a friend in GF who called Buffalo Wild Wings and he was told that they are picking up the feed tonight and showing the game. I only ask that if you go there and they don't show it that you won't take it out on me.

I agree completely. No question DB is one of the top coaches in the country, but with his willingness throughout games to change the makeup of lines, I have to question in a situation like last night why he was unwilling to shorten the bench in the last half of the third period.

RW77, You have developed a horrible tendency to either misquote or misrepresent statements made by other members of this board. I did not say that Brandt, Smaby and Massen cost UND the game as you represent, what I said is their performances on the three plays that I mentioned, along with DB's coaching, were all contributing factors in the loss!

The loss was as much about coaching as it was about goaltending. Jeez, when UW scores their second goal and has the momentum and everyone in the stadium is standing and cheering, why not shorten the bench and remove some of the potential liabilities from the ice and play to WIN? (Don't get me wrong, I realize DB is a fantastic coach, but come on!!!) The play by Brandt was stupid and it cost UND a goal, but not necessarily the game. Smaby's play on the man in overtime in front of Brandt was atrocious. He may be a freshmen, but with only nine league games remaining he should be seasoned enough to make a what looked to be a very simple play. And James Massen, what in the world happened to him from last year to this year? On UW's third goal he could've easily chipped the puck out of the zone, but he didn't, he just watched the guy pick it up, make a move to the net, which lead to the tying goal. I apologize for singling out anybody, but those two plays, in addition to Brandt's blunder and DB's shortsightedness were all contributing factors in the loss. If UND's strength is its depth, as has been advertised all year, it most certainly did not show last night. And although I marvel at how much Zach Parise has elevated his game since returning from the WJC (I truly feel that he is the best player in college hockey at this point because he is doing everything in every zone and doing it very, very well) the play of many of his teammates has gone in the opposite direction. That being said, I hope the players are as p*ssed about the loss as the fans are, if they are then last night's loss can be turned into a positive! If not, then last night's loss could start a slide much like last season's.

I find it odd that UMD is 20th in the nation yet second to last in the WCHA. They must be like a timebomb just waiting to detonate during nonconference games. That should serve them well come national playoff time

DB commented last weekend that he will likely give Brandt the start this Friday because he has more experience in hostile environments.

It seemed to me that DH was getting his info directly from the Wisco folks, which seems like a good source.

Because the swimming coach took 20 minutes or so to introduce his assistant, who then took 10 minutes to talk about the swim teams, there was very little time for the remaining coaches to speak. Therefore, Dave Hakstol, who filled in for DB, only had the mic for about 5 minutes. He discussed that UND knew they would be in a battle this past Saturday especially after outscoring DU, described by DH as a very good team, 20-5 in the first three games. His suspicions were confirmed when he showed up at the arena at 4:30, which is usually an hour before the opposing team shows, and GG (coach of Denver) was already there with his team conducting one-on-one meetings. DH said despite that, UND played quite well on Saturday and it wasn't until Denver scored in the third that UND lost momentum. He said that up until that point, UND should've had a 3 or 4 goal lead and gotten the sweep, but after Denver scored, UND was very lucky to get out of there with one point. Someone from the audience then asked if the coaches have noticed some letdown the last three Saturdays. DH said that they had not and that each of the games was quite different. He said that Saturday in Tech was an absolute "war" and that both teams came to play. As for Saturday in Minnesota, he said that UND played okay, but that Minnesota was outstanding and really controlled the play. UND would have liked to have gotten a point that night, but Minnesota's play ensured that that wouldn't happen. As for this past Saturday, he said that game falls back on the players and even though they only had a one goal lead the team appeared a bit complacent, which wasn't unexpected because something had to give soon. He then noted again though that UND did play well as a whole this past weekend as evidenced by the Parise brothers garnering league honors. He said he didn't want to get ahead of himself, but felt that if UND plays well this weekend and can get some points out of Wisc that they feel it will be come down to a two team race for the league, especially considering there are only 10 games left. Someone then asked about Wisco's rink. DH said it is not officially Olympic size, rather it is in between NHL and Olympic size. He thought it was five feet longer and 4-6 feet wider than an NHL rink. He did mention that they heard this morning that Saturday's game is sold out for the first time in over five seasons and Friday's is close and so it should be a good test for the team from that standpoint. And that was it.

Here is a good article about Belfour from last week. By Darren Pang Special to ESPN.com Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Ed Belfour passed the great Tony Esposito with his 424th win on Saturday. Coincidentally, he tied Espo on Jan. 24 with a 4-1 win in Montreal, the same team Tony broke into the NHL with and helped to a Stanley Cup. I first saw Ed Belfour play during training camp with the Chicago Blackhawks in 1987. He was a heralded free-agent signee out of the University of North Dakota, fresh off leading the Fighting Sioux to the NCAA title. I had already been a pro for three seasons, having played in Milwaukee, Saginaw and Nova Scotia. The Hawks had also drafted Jimmy Waite in the first round and signed Bob Mason to a very large deal from the Washington Capitals. Needless to say, camp was a bit crowded. I knew Mason's game from watching him play so brilliantly in a quadruple-OT loss to the New York Islanders in Game 7 of the division semifinals and I had an idea about Waite from reports I'd heard. I was curious about Belfour, though. He wasn't the most gregarious person I had ever met. He didn't say anything, in fact. He showed up at the rink with a frown on his face and always looked like he had overslept, his hair all over the place. We were doing drills with goalie coach Wayne Thomas prior to the main camp and Belfour wasn't doing so well with the "X", "Y" and "Z" drills that are staples to the foundation of movement in the crease for any aged goalie, let alone one that would be trying to play in the NHL. He got frustrated. He worked his tail off, be he was sour. He was cursing. "This Thomas guy & where did he ever play?" he said to me. I told him that Wayne was a nine-year NHL veteran, had played for the Canadiens, Leafs and Rangers and had been coaching since he retired in 1981. Didn't matter. Eddie wasn't buying what Thomas was selling. But there was something about Eddie. I wasn't convinced he was any good, technically, I mean. He gave up goals on the short side too often and he had these gaping holes between his body and his arms. In fact, he looked like he wanted to be a middle linebacker on ice. He hiked his jersey up over the back of his pants and had a green piece of fabric attached to them. I found out later it was from his NCAA championship pants. He battled players in his crease. He wouldn't give in, nor would he give up. I figured he might play 10 games in the NHL and that was JUST about it. He wouldn't make it with his stubbornness and lack of patience in the net. What did I know? "Tony O" was one of Eddie's heroes while growing up in Carmen, Manitoba. In fact, he won a school contest with a fabulous drawing of the left-handed butterfly goalie. His agent and great friend, Ron Salcer, had a painting done of Tony and Eddie, both in the Hawks jerseys in similar poses. Ron told me last night that Ed Belfour is as dedicated, as intense and committed as any athlete he has ever been associated with, and it's that feistiness that has put Belfour in this position. I have often said that Belfour is married to his position. He had spend nights sleeping in the old Chicago Stadium, as he tried to sharpen his skates or tweak his equipment following a loss or a game he didn't like. He developed a blade that could be removed in a minute and replaced with another during the game if he lost an edge. He financed the project and I'm sure drove his trainers to the loony in the process. The goalie that you see today, technically, isn't the same one who broke into the NHL while I was playing. He is efficient, patient and doesn't get caught up in everything that is going on around him. He is more like his friend, Vladislav Tretiak, who really shaped Belfour's style (and is the reason he wears No. 20). Belfour will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. He wants to play more hockey. He plans on keeping himself in top shape through a work stoppage, if there is one. Don't be surprised if Belfour stays in Toronto; he enjoys playing for Pat Quinn and calls him his perfect coach.