.357

Please elaborate.

Sometimes I think it's a combination of mental fatigue & what you're saying: not knowing how to win. Mental fatigue in the sense that there's so much focus & drive into winning the Penrose from Day 1, that when they do win it, the team treats it like a mini-championship & they all breathe a collective sigh of relief; losing their competitive edge because there's a natural letdown after each player has put so much effort into winning it for the past 5 months. I say this because most of the team seems drained come March, not just a few players. Peaking at the wrong time, perhaps. Berry's biggest challenge this off-season won't be getting a guy like Pohlkamp or Wood, it will be to take a long, hard, honest look in the mirror; maybe reaching out to mentors who have a track record of winning. Because having a star-studded roster won't get the team any closer to a national title if it's the coach's philosophy that is weighing the team down.

When officially can the blue bloods start hauling away the talent from its feeder programs?

This was in response to Pohlkamp going to NoDak or St. Cloud .. the only major schools west of UND that I know of are CC, ASU, Denver & the Alaska schools.

QU is no joke, good hustle. Rand may not be liked much around here & he's frequently the butt of jokes, but he's obviously a great coach & his players are buying into his philosophy.

The question remains why UND in particular is affected by what could be late-season mental fatigue, this year & others, compared to other teams. Watching Quinnipiac's first game this weekend they were flying all over the ice from start to finish; strong on the puck & never giving up on a play. Other teams are also going strong during the tournament & keeping the pedal to the metal. This contrasted with UND collectively shutting down for most of the third period against MI, like someone slipped sleeping pills in their Gatorade during the second intermission. The baffling thing is, this lack of edge (if that's what it is) is affecting most of the team, not just a few players who may be burned out at the end of a long season. Going by recent years, maybe the team could start investing in a sports psychologist if they haven't already. UND has all the bells & whistles in REA to train & rest the body; maybe it would be wise to invest equally in the players' mental health to make sure they're locked & loaded between the ears come late March.

I didn't see many games last year, so I don't know much about the team, but why are you down on Benoit? He rarely saw any action last year, so it seems like you're not giving him a fair chance to prove his mettle. It may have been you or someone else, but a ss.com poster said to trust our recruits & develop them, which I tend to agree with; at least give them a fair chance to prove themselves before letting them go.

And if he called & had a word with me, I'd tell him that he is in a league of his own.

Criticism would be relative to how they might lose, I suppose: in an ot thriller or a 1-7 drubbing. If the latter, they would probably deserve both barrels unless half of them had the flu, food poisoning or some other sickness.

Did Rizzo play today for DU?

Yes, the team understands the fanbase & community all too well, yet all this understanding isn't pulling them out of a 1+ month funk. And I didn't imply that yelling was the solution, I gave it as an example along with being too soft as two extremes that don't work. If I were a coach, I wouldn't want my assistants being 'yes' men & walking on eggshells around me; I would want honest feedback about what things need improving. And if my assistants are as myopic as me about what ails the team, I would reach out to those who know Sioux hockey & have a lot of hockey experience under their belts (Gino, Blais, Eades, whomever) to determine if they see something that my staff & I are missing. I would try to listen to as many perspectives as possible, pride be damned.

Question for you & anyone else who cares to reply: If you're a head coach of a talented team, but the team morale is spiraling downwards & a bulk of your players are going through the motions right before the playoffs, what's the best way to collectively reach them & turn the situation around? Like you said, going caveman on your team will probably scare away some high-end talent; & being too soft encourages more uninspiring play because there are no consequences. Every problem for a coach has a solution, unless the problem lies with the coach himself &/or his staff.

A win against MI not only advances UND in the tournament, but also shines a positive light on our school to any blue chip recruits & worthwhile grinders who may be undecided. Free advertising.

What coaches did they interview? I thought they only interviewed the #1 seed coaches.

Maybe if UND were currently skating hard & giving it their all and still losing I would agree with you that UNO is better now. It's hard to draw a comparison between two teams when one is barely trying.

You may be right, but if the D was subpar to begin with the weaknesses should have manifested earlier than January, you'd think. They were hanging with BU, MN & WI 5 months ago, now they can't even hang their own clothes. Which leads me to think that they may lack the overall talent or character required to elevate their game when the playoffs approach & all teams are bringing their A game. Throw in most of the forwards who look like they're attending a funeral & this is the result. Like someone mentioned earlier, Persson will probably have to stand on his head & steal the first game of the regionals; & if the guys can somehow squeeze out a W that first day, I think it would jumpstart their confidence in a major way. In the meantime, I feel it's incumbent on the coaching staff to have a come-to-Jesus meeting with the team & the individual players (who are slacking off) to discern what the actual problem is. Have some self-respect, guys.

Ditto. If a goalie is in the zone & seeing the puck like a beach ball, stick with him. HH on Friday, & if victory, LP on Saturday to see who is sharper just before nationals. I like the idea of throwing HH in the fire now to see how he handles himself in an intense playoff game; plus it's valuable experience for him ahead of next year when he'll likely be the anchor goalie. But there are many variables that fans aren't privy to & which may warrant LP starting. As long as one of the variables isn't that "LP's our ride or die" (going w/him because the coaching staff feels obligated to him), that's fine.

Considering how well he did last weekend, most definitely ... go with the hot hand. Plus, playing against a very good UNO team would give Hedquist invaluable experience for next year & get him battle-tested in case he's needed the following week in the national tournament.

Latest by the authoritative science journal New Scientist, for all you left-brained geeks: COVID-19 (Coronavirus) kills 0.7-1% of those infected. 99% fully recover. 7000 people had died, most of them above age 50 and with pre-existing conditions (such as heart disease, obesity, smoking-related complications, or diabetes). The flu decimated 30,000 people in the US alone during the same period. The measures adopted by governments, communities, and individuals the world over are far more dangerous and detrimental than this or any other virus can ever be. This mass delusion, psychosis, hysteria, or panic is a first. The only comparable reaction to a pandemic happened in the 14th century with the bubonic plague (Black Death). The Spanish flu killed 50-100,000,000 worldwide. AIDS infected 45,000,000 and millions perished. Swine flu infected 61 million in the USA alone - and killed 600,000 globally. SARS (2002-4) had a case fatality rate 10 times higher than COVID-19. There was no hint of panic or hysterical self-isolation. So, what gives? Why now? Because people have short memories (lack perspective) and believe everything the tv tells them. This unparalleled fear-mongering has even struck the hospital where my wife works: staff are prohibited from entering through the front door, and now must enter via the rear through a tunnel; and have their temperatures read at a checkpoint before working. If they're running a little high, tough luck, no work for you; you have to go home. I will always contend that this is whole thing is as suspicious as it gets, my intuition screams that something is amiss; most likely a red herring to divert everyone's attention. From what, I'm not sure yet. And it amazes me that people here & elsewhere soak it up so willingly. The authority-worshipping, cognitive dissonance & willful ignorance I read from most people here is beyond epic. Suffice to say that most of you here should be ashamed of yourselves for buying into this utter nonsense & paranoia, & then peddling it onto others. No critical thought or courage whatsoever to challenge the edicts of the state, just blind acceptance. But thankfully, it sounds like a few are starting to rouse from their slumber. The people here & in society deserve the chains that will be put around the necks of their posterity, if not their own, for turning their backs on the Truth & common sense. Because the injustices we face today, will be much worse for our children.

From Phoenix~ When taking a cruise with the old lady, what I saw & perceived was a day like any other Sunday, pre-corona. Normal flow of traffic, quite a few families on bikes, walking & a few with babies in strollers. Normal traffic also at the restaurant & grocery store we visited. All without masks & gloves, except for a couple of women. People seemed rational, and at times were very friendly; much more so than Black Friday. I told her that this was comforting to see...it was as if..hmm..it was as if people weren't buying into the fear-programming...yet anyway, because things can turn quickly if the news outlets report more restrictions, limitations & bans; if the Fear Meter is turned up a couple of notches. So we enjoyed a nice day of normalcy. I told my wife that the best assets to have in these times weren't hand sanitizer, tp & masks; but a clean diet, sunshine, laughter, a ton of common sense & a questioning mind...& a lot of bottled water doesn't hurt either. Lol

What do you mean? Please elaborate, as I have no tv but am interested in this development.

Safe to say you could call the obesity problem in the US, happening for at least the last four decades, a true crisis: creating 10 y/os who are type-2 diabetics who can't even see their own shoes, 30 y/os who need bypasses, putting a financial strain on everyone else, putting a damper on my ogling at the local mall, etc. It's hard to effect meaningful dietary changes in a free market, with so many options & temptations, but the onus is on parents to set a good foundation in their children's lives, & they've failed miserably in this respect. The solution: fast food companies in hs cafeterias, prescriptions to treat symptoms instead of sound nutritional advice & endless lip service. Apologies for going off topic, now back to the corona scare...

Thank you. One week everything is hunky dory & we're anticipating a good series with CC; the next I can't even buy any asswipe at my local Walmart. Had no problems getting water tonight, but no Charmin at any stores I was at. Not sure people have their priorities in order, unless they plan on their tp keeping them hydrated. Hammersmith: try to tone it down with the crack pipe reference, ok? That was years ago. Seriously, I don't think you or anybody is the final arbiter on what is credible or not; being "official" or on a certain channel doesn't necessarily qualify it as truthful. Information is coming from many sources right now. The point is that quite a few service members will still be involved, because I saw "curtailed" & "reduction" being used, but not a full-stop. And will these exercises have any interactions with the local populations? Because it sounds like there will be during their rest periods. I guess as outsiders we won't know the logistics & actual deployments involved until they happen; but to have any exercises at all at this stage in the game without full knowledge of the possible consequences is immoral, & criminal, if it in any way contributes to its spread. If they can cancel games at halftime, they sure as hell can cancel this exercise until more is known. Not that I believe any of this, just offering a counter-point.

Well, it would probably be important to get answers from those authorizing this exercise BEFORE allowing it to continue, right? ... considering how it could very well fan this pandemic out of control, endangering 37k troops & the entire European continent, yes?

Well why would this exercise be allowed to continue, considering the gravity of the situation? Aren't we risking greater infections and a greater catastrophe if this goes ahead? Won't it fan the pandemic to a much higher degree than if no military exercise happens at all? Or could there be another reason it's being allowed to continue?