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Where I live (AZ) is MST, which is currently 2 hours behind Central. MDT (ie, Idaho) is 1 hour behind Central. That's why I specifically said MST. I never mentioned the time for the UM/ASU game.

Not sure what you mean. I put the BC @ MSU game at 3PM MST; you put it at 5PM Central. Same thing.

BC @ Mich. St. televised on Big10 Network today at 3PM MST. MI @ASU also tonight. A couple of humdingers.

DU is in the same boat as UND as far as how many blue chips they get, & look at them. Maybe the blueprint for success in college hockey is to try & get a few first-rounders, while loading your roster with 2nd-7th rounders who will hang around for 3-4 years. Maybe it's harder to win a championship when your first-rounders are leaving every 1-2 years: no continuity. Look at MI this off-season, most of their top talent went pro & they'll probably struggle to finish in the top-15 this year.

It was refreshing to hear Berry say that they wanted the team to hit their stride around playoff time by putting less emphasis on the Penrose this year. That change in perspective could pay dividends later in the year. Then last Saturday happened, which raised some huge red flags. Being critical of a team that was so disjointed is, imo, a healthier & more expected response than sugarcoating it; because the guys showed just how unprepared & unmotivated they were. And since Berry is the CEO of the team, it's only natural that a big portion of that criticism falls on him. Even though it was "just" an exhibition, because it's still an important game that sets the tone for the following weekend. Perhaps it was just a fluke, & hopefully Berry will make the needed corrections ahead of Providence; who will be just as pumped as Augustana to pull off the upset at the Ralph. My biggest concern (of the many that presented themselves) is having the D improve sufficiently enough in 7 days so they aren't exposed like they were against Auggie. A tall order in such a short time. It's hard to imagine that Emery, MacDonald & Strathmann will be playing at the same level this October that Britt, Pearson & Pyke were playing at last October. Big differences in experience. But hey, anything's possible.

8+ years of futility tends to wear on those who expect more of the program.

Excellent, thank you very much.

Good analysis. Do you have any impressions of Boivert, Croal, Littler, Jubenvill & Strathmann?

So 20 years with 1 title is ok as long as we're competitive & remain in the upper echelon. Interesting, I guess Berry should remain on a long leash. I'm guessing scouts respect Berry because he can develop talent, but it's certainly not because he can consistently get his teams to go deep in the playoffs. We have different perspectives on what constitute a successful college hockey coach. Not all coaches are cut from the same cloth. {{ie, Carle}} I think he's saying that some fans here hold the program to a higher standard than others, which is definitely the case.

The team that won #8 was comprised mostly of players whom Hakstol had final say into accepting into the program. He laid a large part of the foundation for #8, including nailing down Boeser. It was in every respect an inherited team. Since then, Berry has not proven that he can win it all with a squad fully authored by him. Fast-forward 10 years to 2034 & UND is still stuck on #8. Is he still a keeper then?

You can spin it anyway you wish, but it was still an inherited team, comprised of guys who ultimately chose UND because they wanted to play for Hakstol. The foundation was laid by the previous coach who had the final say on who was accepted into the program, & who was not. Unfortunately, Berry's track record in the playoffs with players solely tied to him or his staff (things he controls & has authority over) has been an abject failure. That's the reality of the matter.

My point is that Berry is yet to win it all with a roster completely of his own recruits; he did it with an inherited team. I thought I spelled that out clearly. Not everyone on SS will have the same thoughts, Goon, & many times fans are clashing on the state of the program. That's to be expected here. And I highly doubt a recruit will make his decision based on the critical words of some middle-aged farts on a sports forum.

Hakstol went to the Twin Cities & personally had lunch with Boeser after Wisco & Minnesota dropped the ball on him, convincing him to come here. (Boeser admitted such during a podcast, think it was on Spittin' Chicklets). No Boeser, no #8. The point is that Berry has not won a championship with a roster completely of his own players; not yet anyway. He may have been in charge of recruiting, but a high-end player ultimately decides on a program moreso because of who's coaching the team, not because of the recruiter.

There's no doubt that Berry is an affable, genuine guy who cares deeply about his hockey team. He bleeds green & it's obvious; wouldn't doubt it if he has stress-related ulcers because of all the pressure to succeed here. He also has an eye for talent & recruits quality players with good characters. But I have my doubts if he's capable of taking a team to the championship & winning it all. Yes, he did it 9 years ago, but he inherited that loaded team from Hakstol, who was singlehandedly responsible for landing Boeser & all those other studs. Not a slam on Berry, but I envision him more as a salesman. I think he would be a natural working in the UND Alumni Department, reaching out to wealthy grads & convincing them to dig deep into their pockets to donate to their old school. He's a very likable guy & has a talent for relating to people & putting them at ease: qualities that will get one far in sales. But behind the bench of a major D1 hockey program & guiding a team to no. 9? Not saying he can't do it, but the proof is in the pudding.

The off-season pomp & circumstance that is UND hockey is officially over. All the hype & promises made over the summer now have to be equally matched by wins on the ice. Now is the time when the rubber meets the road & fans no longer care about what was said in June. Purge whatever mental pathogen is plaguing the team & hang #9. Carpe diem.

It would have been nice to also hear him say something like, "I needed to do a better job at preparing the team for tonight" or "I maybe should have called a timeout when we went down 0-2" or "I should have talked with the captains before the game about what was expected of them tonight", etc. Keyword being "I". ; ) Everyone probably had a hand in that train wreck. Perhaps this was just a freakish anomaly in that they ran into a hungry team that was determined to win one for the memory of Demers; seems like sometimes things are scripted to happen a certain way. But anyway, onward & upward to Providence.

Berry highlighted the team's deficiencies, but one thing he didn't mention was any responsibility he may have had in the poor results across the board. Can't imagine that last night's game was 100% on the team & 0% on the coaching staff. Good coaches can see weaknesses in their players, great coaches can see weaknesses in themselves.

Still trying to wrap my mind around how an entire team can take not just a period off, but the entire game. Zmolek said afterwards that there was no energy on the bench; this isn't March & the team can't be fatigued. It's as if they weren't motivated to play. Berry said before the game that the team had excellent practices during the week, & then POOF, 60 minutes of uninspired hockey. That's what baffles me. For whatever reason, Swanson was the only player immune from whatever was affecting the team. A continuation of the regional last March in terms of disappearing for large chunks off time. And like you said, where are the in-game adjustments from the coach (ie, like calling a timeout) & the pep talks of the leaders when they're getting dominated? Do at least something to change the momentum. Providence will be the litmus test for how this team will do this year.

It's not so much the loss that is troubling, but the manner in which they lost. I cannot tolerate complacency. One or two guys not performing? Fine, sit them out the next game. But essentially the whole team, minus Swanson, can't get motivated after not playing for 6 months? If they lost 5-4 or 4-3 but at least competed hard, that's a lot easier pill to swallow. The team better have a Come-to-Jesus meeting this week & get their act together. The coaches & leaders have 6 days to pull their heads out of their arses. Next week's game against Providence will probably be a good indication as to how this team will do this year.

"I just thought we were soft," UND defenseman Bennett Zmolek said. "We were losing a lot of battles. We didn't have the jump. The bench was quiet. I felt like the energy should have been up." I can understand if there are a couple of passengers in a game, but what I don't get is how almost the entire team can take the night off. Most of them hadn't played competitive hockey for 6 months, you'd think they would be self-motivated enough to go out there & hustle and put on a good show for the fans. Instead, we get a snoozapalooza. The rhetoric from Berry during the week (stated a few days ago how he was impressed with the intensity during the practices) in no way matched the behavior we saw on the ice tonight. It's like someone flipped a switch causing most of the players to check out for the evening. Kudos to Swanson for showing his teammates how a Fighting Sioux should play. Lastly, it would've been nice for Berry to call a timeout when they were down 0-2 or 0-3 & they were sputtering and going nowhere; do at least something to try & snap his guys out of their zombie state. Maybe the mood was already set for the night & it wouldn't have helped, but may as well try.

At first I thought maybe the coaches told them beforehand not to go too hard, to avoid any injuries before the season begins. I doubt that would be the case, which leads me to think that maybe the players didn't see much value in an exhibition game where their stats don't count. But even that doesn't make much sense, you'd think the guys would take this game seriously so they can be better prepared for next weekend. I can tolerate a loss, it's the lack of effort that boggles my mind.

So for those who watched, is it safe to say that the main problem was that the team wasn't that focused & emotionally invested in the game (too many passengers)? Who sits next weekend besides #13?

By whom?

Not watching the game, does anyone have any theories as to why the team is playing without any desire or urgency? I get that it's an exhibition, but you'd think the guys would come out playing hard as they haven't seen any action for 6 months & would want to put on a good show for the fans. It's up to the coach & leaders on the team to get things turned around. This is why you're a captain, Jamernik.

Surprised a little that Littler beat out Croal for the last 4th-line spot.