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I should clarify. I don't think UND will try to intentionally hurt Eichel, it's not Hakstol's style. Besides, he's part of the royal class and he's just too shifty & it's too hard to line him up with a crushing hit & run check in open ice. But I think it would be smart to try & grind him down. He should be on a first name basis with the plexiglass & know how it feels to have some East Grand Forks kid leaning all 220 lbs into him whenever he goes to the boards....

I think as NCHC fans we knew that this was not going to go in Duluth's favor as the officials were reviewing the play. The team they were playing & the ramifications of that other team not making the FF didn't bode well for Duluth. Which is unfortunate because Sandelin coaches a good program the right way & is part of the Sioux hockey family. Not having any Boston school & no Eichel in the Frozen Four in Boston of all places just wasn't going to happen.(( A comparison would be UND getting left out of the FF at REA due to some other team having a controversial call go their way at the X)). Talk about an embarrassment to Hockey East to have 3 or 4 NCHC schools in the FF right in their backyard. I'm not implying that tournament officials colluded with the referees before the game, but for whatever reason, it's particularly weird to me how things all went against Duluth in the final 5 minutes against a team whose city would be hosting the FF in a couple weeks.

Exaaaaaaaaactly. One or two flashy players does not a championship team make. They'll have to beat the entire UND team, and oh yeah, plus Zane. BU had nowhere near as competitive, grinding a schedule that UND had. Teams actually hit each other & play a physical style west of the Mississippi. Mr. Eichel, say hello to Mr. Poolman's shoulder at 20 mph.

Every team usually has a couple good players, sometimes really good players like BU. But it'll be UND's 4 lines & Zane vs. BU's 4 lines & their goalie.... Plus I think playing 4 games against Miami this year really prepared us for high-octane offenses.

I think UND was the underdog also in 1997 when they faced BU in the title game. I think BU had a lot more firepower that year, UND just had a hot goalie in Schweitzer, a better team game & destiny. No single player on BU is going to beat UND this year; it's going to take a lot more than just Eichel to beat this year's UND team. UND also gets last-change throughout the Frozen Four so we can dictate the match-ups. If Poganski or Poolman can get their crosshairs on the shifty Eichel, we'll be able to wear the kid down a little. I'm confident....

Alright, lol, just some of Zane's groupies, I guess...Everyone wants to touch or be seen with Zane's fathead....

I agree, I never felt panicky with this team with Zane in net; he's a great calming influence. What a beastly forecheck, backcheck, blocking shots & great pace for the last 50 minutes of the game by UND. You could tell that they wanted it more than SCSU. And LJ & Poolman played possessed for a second night in a row...kudos to the entire team & the coaching staff for the great game plan....they earned this victory & didn't take any shortcuts....

With that pic that MM posted, I assume that was Zane's mom & gf on the left. Who are the other 3 girls, his sisters?

I think Thompson was sick...things happen for a reason, I guess....Enter Panzarella & his momentum-shifting goal...

St. Clair!!!

Wow, impressive forechecking by UND....

Wow, Chyzk almost scores in alone...

LJ!!!!!!

Here we go, start of 3rd period....

Wow, Poolman or the General almost scored with less than a second left in the 2nd....

Looks like UND is just trying to neutralize the SCSU push-back at this point....

PP UND....

That was close....Zane with the save from in close...

Good that UND's still being aggressive....

Cagguila credited with the goal....

Work hard, get rewarded....Let's bury these guys

Parks!!!!!

They appeared to play energetically that period & were all standing on the bench when not on the ice....

Plus, SCSU played about 3.5 periods yesterday & aren't as deep as UND...

Good physical play by UND....