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That's the top 4 D who would likely miss at least Friday's game. Possible that UND would be playing with only 5 D that night; plus you throw in possible injuries/illnesses during that time. PSU has 4 players participating in the Spengler Cup, but they will miss zero games because they play Jan 3-4 that weekend (Sat & Sun); smart scheduling on their part. Even though BU only has D McCarthy gone to Davos, it's a moot point because they only have 1 exhibition game the weekend of 2-3-4 January. All it takes is 1 loss with a depleted roster against a team like Mercyhurst & the NPI takes a major hit. It's negligent as a HC to put your team in that predicament with playoff seeding on the line, unless DJ is planning for them to return & dress for Friday night.

👍 Ch 45 on Directv in Phx for those interested.

What station is channel 9 in Phoenix? Ch. 9 is not available on Directv.

Considering how UND's loss/tie to Bemidji last year hurt them quite a bit in terms of seeding, I wonder how negatively affected Quinnipiac will be this year for losing to Yale.

The conversion to NPI doesn't sound like it's needed then, If it's extremely similar to the PWR with only 2 changes to the tournament field over 20 years. Change for the sake of change, not because it's actually needed.

So if the season ended today, Dartmouth would be the #1 overall seed & Mich. St. would be #10 overall. Throw in Cornell, Yale, LIU & Lindenwood in the top 16 & it appears you have a system that doesn't reward the most talented teams in the hardest conferences with the most difficult schedules. Maine & Quinnipiac would also be on the outside looking in. For those in the know, is NPI a very differently structured format than the PWR? Because Dartmouth at #1 come tourney time would be epic clown world reality.

Do not understand the logic with not playing the hot goalie. If someone's playing exceptional, there is no reason to disrupt the flow.

Pretty much. UND clearly has more depth, but do they have the focus & drive to be able to sweep is another question altogether. Of course they want to sweep, but the jury is still out if they have the mental toughness to do so. Good teams split; very good/great teams find ways to sweep.

It's called the Semptimphelter Effect: a newly-established UND coaching strategy to revert back to the portal goalie, regardless of how well another goalie on the roster played the game before.

Don't know, but I would assume that teams are allowed to bring more than 1 extra player to account for a possible rash of injuries that may occur away from home.

True, but then that 4th line mojo may take a hit. At any rate, give Strinden a clipboard & have him take notes in the stands on Friday. Perfect opportunity to teach a lesson & give the young bull Klee a chance to show what he's got. But odds of that happening are low.

The fact that no adjustments were made after the 1st period was telling. Deja vu. A loud & clear message needs to be sent to the entire team for poor play: dress Klee & bench Strinden next weekend. It would likely boost the 3rd line as Klee is probably jacked to get in the line-up & prove himself. The coach's first loyalty is to the team & its success, not any 1 player. It was sunshine & lollipops for DJ while they were winning, now UND fans get to see how he handles adversity.

Echoes of another team 113 mi east of GF, namely the mighty Beavers, that also like to plug up the neutral zone & who had UND's number last year. Just like his predecessor, DJ didn't make any in-game adjustments tonight after the 1st period in an attempt to change the tempo of the game. The team was clearly struggling, but no adjustments were made for the entire 60 minutes. Call a timeout or put the Sharpie to use & start drawing up some other plans. Do something. It's guaranteed that other mediocre teams who don't have a lot of firepower will look at tape of tonight's game & will implement a similar strategy against UND. The onus is on DJ to find a solution to this nagging issue. If other teams have similar success like MN had tonight, it will mean that DJ & Smaby haven't successfully implemented an offensive scheme yet to deal with it. Plus, not benching Strinden for a game or two sends the wrong message that crappy play will be tolerated. At this point, you'd think Klee couldn't do any worse. A good bet that he's more hungry & disciplined than Strinden currently is because he's desperate to crack the line-up. Benching an alt captain would definitely get every player's attention that there will be consequences for not playing at a high level. So not huge red flags because it's very early in the year & DJ's body of work is too small with which to judge him. But the upcoming games against Clarkson, BSU & Mercyhurst (the NPI killers) will tell a story about whether DJ has left BB's old problems* behind or if they continue to haunt the team. * lack of consequences for substandard play & an inability (or unwillingness) to make in-game adjustments

It would behoove Jackson to walk the talk & enforce some accountability with the team; perhaps by benching Strinden. If there are no consequences, no lessons are learned & it sends a signal that the coach won't punish bad play. Avoid being a paper tiger. Good opportunity for Klee to see what he can do.

It probably feels good for the MI forwards to score all those goals, but blowouts like those do nothing for their collective team development. Qualities like resiliency, focus, discipline & teamwork aren't forged in 10-2 wins.

This clip is from the 78-79 season. Kermit may have already been abducted at this point because I don't see him chilling on the plexiglass.

You guys rocked. The Poobahs were a creative & comical force that should have become a tradition at UND instead of sputtering out after just a few years. Would be nice if today's student body developed something similar.

He said during the NCHC Award Ceremony last spring that he wanted to have his name on the wall with other UND greats. One week later *poof* into the transfer portal.

I wonder if that is still valid though, as the NPI is now being used. And how would BU be #1 after tying Colgate? That in itself doesn't make sense.

The youngest UST forward last night was 20 yo. A breakdown of their ages: 20 yo: 1 21 yo: 4 23 yo: 2 24 yo: 4 25 yo: 1 ------------------------- Combine all that experience, physical maturity & aggressive style & it's no wonder a barely-17 yo Verhoeff would struggle at times dealing with them. But very good experience for him compared to the mostly 17-19 yos he was facing in the WHL.

You think Laurila should replace Jubenvil as the 7th D when Emery comes back? PP was good at 2/4, what kind of adjustments? Didn't watch the game, so looking for opinions from those who did.

His Majesty's stats through 3 games: 1G, 4A, 5PTS, -4, 12 SOG. All it's going to take is for him to get steamrolled by a 6'2", 210 lb player at center ice to make him wish he had stayed in Medicine Hat. He's great for college hockey, but not sure about his durability over the long haul. I remember Pandolfo saying at a press conference a couple years ago (a week after they played UND in Boston) that Celebrini would be sitting out the weekend because he was banged up after playing UND the week before. And Celebrini is more stocky than McKenna. No doubt the scouting report on him is to be physical.

NIL may buy a team talent, but that talent often arrives on campus without much passion or pride for the program. Buyer beware.

Canisius beats Clarkson, Clarkson beats PSU. Miami sweeps Ferris, Ferris beats WMU. UNH defeats MSU. The NPI is going to be a cruel mistress to these supposed wagons, esp. PSU & WMU.