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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.

Tough for MI to jump right into the fire with a solid team like Mankato without any exhibition games to iron out the kinks. If they lose against Mankato, their PWR will take a hit in their first game.

According to USCHO, these games are not exhibition, meaning they would count towards the PWR. Somebody chime in if I have this wrong.

Having the regional in Fargo is good mostly for the fans - more convenient & less costly. As far as the team is concerned, it's also less costly & more convenient, but it hasn't amounted to jack for success. Flub after flub. If a team is hungry & clicking on all cylinders, they'll win anywhere.

Augustana will be better than Manitoba at exposing any early-season weaknesses this team may have. Plus they will get our guys better primed for Providence the following weekend - from a conditioning standpoint & figuring out best line combos. I would rather have UND play exhibition season openers against quality CCHA teams like Augustana than Manitoba.

Hey alright, thanks for being our voluntary reporter tonight. If you have time, please provide some feedback as to how the scrimmage went, who stood out, general thoughts, etc.

A culture of full-60 .. for a full season, with no more 10-min disappearing acts in the playoffs. Let's start there. : ) Different reasons for failure in different seasons, of course, but still think that the main glitch with this team the last 8+ years is that they were mentally peaking too soon, more so than just having bad luck. Good news is that Berry seems to have finally realized this & is putting more focus on a national championship, not treating the Penrose like it's the Holy Grail. Kudos to him for his insight & willingness to grow, not easy for an old dog his age to change course. Sometimes all it takes is a tiny change in perspective like this to make a big difference & put a team over the top.

May the team's final result on the ice this year match the rhetoric from the coach.

Every new season brings promises of finishing unsettled business from the previous year. Pretty sure that the members on this site have been stuck in the hockey version of Groundhog Day for the past 8 years. I'll be more focused on the team's actions next March & April, not so much on the coach's words in September. There's a reason why Nike's marketing department chose Just do it over Just say it. Prove it to the fans that you mean business this year & will make a serious run at #9; enough of this 1 & out nonsense. Make North Dakota hockey great again. That being said, it does sound like the team has made a big mental adjustment with how they view the Penrose; which makes sense & is encouraging.

I interpreted that as simply meaning that the coaching staff put too much emphasis on winning the Penrose in recent years; which may have caused the team to peak too early. Perhaps he's implying that it's just a change in perspective for the team rather than sitting guys later in the year. But yes, follow-up questions would be nice.

That is exactly what I've been harping on for the last 6 months. Too much focus on the Penrose in years past may have caused the team to experience an energy-dump in early March, peaking too early; kudos to Berry for shifting gears. My main concern for the team this year wasn't necessarily the players, but would the coaching staff tone down their hype of winning the Penrose. The focus should be doing well week-to-week, instead of the players & staff being overly concerned the entire season about finishing first. Play hard, enjoy the moment & let the chips fall where they may. On the ice, my biggest concern is how the team will respond to heavy forechecking, & will they be able to transition out of the d-zone more effectively this year. Will be interesting to see how Mac adjusts to the faster, stronger NCHC. Would like to see a defining year for Kunz, park his large frame in front of the goalie early & often for screens & deflections. Will the coaches relegate James to a checking line again, or is this the season he has a breakout year offensively? Perhaps Croal, Schmaltz & Wilkie on a checking/energy line.

Definitely need to send Ole & Lars to DU for a 'hit', NoDak-style. Carle is recruiting great talent, but it's more than that: he's getting more out of his players in March & April when it matters most. That's an invaluable skill & he's a natural at it. Therein lies the difference between him & Berry. It's conceivable that DU could keep racking up championships & leave UND in the dust trophy-wise if we don't stop self-destructing in the playoffs soon.

And not 1 team from the WCHA. Maybe I crossed over into the Twilight Zone & that's why I'm seeing MSU at #4. MI at #7 also a little surprising considering how many they lost early this summer. What does BU's incoming class look like besides Eiserman? The early trip to Cornell this year will be a doozy.

Probably unrelated, but with MN's top prospects like Berchild & Lutner going elsewhere & their highest scorer from last season transferring, seems like something's a little off with that program. Maybe it's a temporary rough patch that all big programs experience occasionally, or a sign of something deeper. Would be interesting to know if he reached out to UND or any other schools. I mean, MI seems like it would have been a good fit for him; as I thought they were hemorrhaging at top forwards this year & they could have very much made room for him.