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Based on Coach Larson's behavior last weekend, it's safe to say that the ss.com search committee in charge of finding a new coach can rule him out as a possibility. Finalists are now Raboin, Smaby & a couple others.

I don't understand that line of thinking: even if it's short term, you're still extending the mediocrity. If UND misses the playoffs this year, it can be attributed in large part to laying an egg against a team (Cornell) who was playing its first series of the year, and not showing up & struggling against BSU of all teams. This is just as damning to the coaching staff as getting bounced in the first round of the regionals. The only difference is that this time the coaching deficiencies manifested early in the year instead of the usual late March.

Moderators: Please add ASU to the NCHC standings on the front page.

Cornell's too talented & experienced to continue being mediocre. Anticipating that they'll put together some key wins in the second half to bolster our PWR if even just a little. Bemidji, on the other hand, pfft...

Wasn't a fan of splitting up Croal-Littler-Andrew..when a line is clicking, let them be. Boisvert is quietly establishing himself as a force in D1 hockey. And he's only 18. Safe to say he's adjusted well to the college level.

Does the OT win tonight count like a regulation win when it comes to PWR, or .67?

That's why I question sometimes if Berry plays guys guys due to merit or personality. Because if he were being completely objective over the last few games, Andrew plays over Montgomery. No need to throw a wrench into the 4th line when it was doing so well.

Unfortunate that Andrew has to possibly be the odd man out tonight after his strong play lately on that 4th line.

So why aren't these bad losses affecting teams like MI & BC very much, if at all? Compared to UND's drop.

That doesn't answer my question, which was why MI wasn't penalized more for losing at home to a #32 team, whereas UND was affected quite a bit after their L & tie with BSU.

Before yesterday's MI & WI game, MI's PWR was 8 & WI's was 32. After WI's win they jumped up to 27, while MI fell only 1 spot to 9. Can anyone explain how MI got shutout on home ice to the #32 team & only fell 1 spot? I thought bad losses hurt a team's PWR. Whereas UND loses to BSU & had a major drop as a result; not so with MI.

If they don't, UND will have 7 D for the second half, & if one of the 6 primary D gets injured, that means Komzak or Montgomery plays. Not sure that’s a good idea for a team on the outside looking in trying to make the playoffs. Cross your fingers & hope no one gets injured on the backend.

It took a miracle comeback in the final minutes against one of the worst teams in D1 to eke out a win. All concerns with the ability of the HC & the cohesiveness of the team are temporarily forgotten in the afterglow of the victory. Anything's possible with this squad, they could go on an impressive run & finish very strongly; or they could continue to play inconsistently & hope for an autobid. The odds favor the latter scenario, because the team still struggles at the midpoint of the season with fundamentals, consistency & discipline; facets which should have been corrected a few weeks into the season. This team lacks an identity; many times they seem like a ship without a rudder. This is the job of the HC to instill one in them. The sooner Berg gets back, the better, it's asking a lot to have Boisvert carry the team. Will be interesting to see if UND brings in Laurila at the break. If Zmolek doesn't return for a couple or more months, it leaves the D in a precarious situation during the meat of the season (Jan & Feb) when wins are crucial.

A coach's allegiance to either of the two names has nothing to do with his aptitude as a coach. I agree with not calling the coach "Bubs", that's something teammates or friends call each other.

Nice to know that the success of the program is being held financially hostage by a wealthy woman who likes the HC's personality. And if that relationship is as tight as you suggest, then that is how you drive a program into the ground for the next 5-10 years. She in no way should have that much control over a position that has that much impact on the team; especially if she has a close connection to that person, because that renders her incapable of making a rational, impartial decision. Btw, how do you know that she & Berry are buddy-buddy? I'm far removed from GF & I don't know the intricacies of UND athletics.

High aspiration for a team that plays with no urgency, no passion, no consistency, cannot complete a basic pass & has a hard time, get this, shooting the puck on net.. all these flaws still uncorrected with the midpoint of the season soon approaching no less. A hockey version of the '70's Stepford Wives.

Berry's current contract is through the 25-26 season, I think, with it being inked in 03/2022. So if we don't hear any news of a new extension for him by next spring or so, it could mean that his days at UND are numbered.

I often wonder how his teams can just mentally check-out for significant chunks of the game, or even more strange, how they'll play solid 1 night & disappear the next. Putting 2 solid games together is an alien concept for these guys. This team can play pretty darn good when they're locked in (Providence, 1st BU, 2nd DU games), but then throw up a total stinker like on Friday vs RMU. Really curious what's going through their heads when it's one of those nights where they appear to not even be trying.

Interesting press conference with Berry, Boisvert & Hedquist. All 3 said the team played much better D tonight & got the puck out of the zone better. All 3 stated also that the team's overall game was much better than last night. This in stark contrast to most everyone here in this thread who stated that the D was very bad again & that the team couldn't even pass.

Sums it up. Berry could very conceivably be the HC for another 5-10 years, which would put him close to 70 yo. God forbid it drags out that long. It's possible, Berenson stayed with MI until he was 77. Never heard of an average coach voluntarily stepping down, they usually have to be canned.

Everything flows from the coach. Carle is in a league of his own. If he were coaching UND's current team, there's a high likelihood that he would put a lot better product on the ice, because he gets the most out of his players. Whereas Berry does the usual Berry stuff in a Berry kind of way. Carle's building a dynasty at Denver, & UND is currently unable to stop him.

I was looking forward to this year, but so far it's been a continual uphill climb in terms of consistency & injuries. Some years are just like that, it's the volatile nature of sports. Whereas DU is coasting & it seems like everything they do turns to gold. I'm not ruling UND out because they could go on a tear, but realistically the odds aren't in their favor; they don't seem to have the horses, the consistency & the savvy coaching that define successful teams.

Wiebe was raised a d-man, is a draft pick & is a second-year starter, & he made quite a big gaffe by not covering his man in the slot on a basic play, resulting in a goal. The forwards were also missing assignments, resulting in many grade A chances for DU. We got a glimpse last night of the same inconsistency that we saw in the Augustana game (& even the first MSU-M game, which should have been a loss) when most everyone was healthy; except now we can pin it on injuries. Even in the first Cornell game before Strathmann & Croal got injured, the entire team looked like they had just returned from summer vacation. The inconsistency appears to be systemic, regardless of the health of the roster.

Consistency is a state of mind rather than something that's dependent on how many healthy players a team has (Berg & Zmolek being out did not cause the d-men & forwards to miss basic assignments). UND had plenty of talent on the ice last night, but they were still making fundamental errors that should have been corrected a few games into the season, at most. Those mental mistakes are a sign that the team isn't learning its lessons, & much of that falls on the coaching staff for not getting their message through effectively.

They would first have to fix their massive inconsistency & play a sound, disciplined team-game to even get a sniff of 2nd place. Right now they look like a bunch of individuals without an identity. The team's predicament falls squarely in the lap of the coaching staff.