tnt

I would say that Ohio State could give St. Cloud a scare, but it seems every time I have seen them, they take really dumb penalties. If they can wise up a little, they could give St. Cloud a great game.

2 ticket packages in Section 113, Row C, seats 21 & 22.

That was kind of my point, that to me Poolman isn’t saying all the right things like the poster said. To me the semantics don’t matter much anyway. Show me, don’t tell me. We have had way too much talk lately, and not enough action.

I think the top half isn’t good enough. They need to finish top 2 in the league. Other teams are losing guys, so just getting home ice should only be a goal along the way to a high league finish for a program like ours.

Which recruit?

On GPL they are talking about a tweet from Joe Meloni that Westin Michaud of CC will graduate and still have eligibility, and that no decision has been made where he will play. If I were Berry, I would explore that, as with his numbers he would have been our leading scorer. No more Mr. nice guy, we need an experienced scorer.

I agree. Like I said, I can see shifting scholarship money if you think a guy can help you immediately, but to make the wholesale changes doesn't make sense. All those guys would need to learn the systems, which is a recipe for a slow start. I know, I know, the systems might change some anyway, but just familiarity of what to expect in certain arenas and being comfortable in the school and hockey mix all play a factor in a smooth transition to the college level.

So if it is him that is stifling the offense with his schemes and such, what good does it do to throw more last minute recruits into the situation? We have always had role players that didn’t score a lot, but the first few lines put up decent numbers. It seems to me that many of the role players are fulfilling their roles about as good as some of the guys expected to score. Definitely need more scorers, but not usually a quick fix, especially when you want them now.

So we get rid of 4 or 5 more guys, then bring in more dime a dozen guys late in the game with 4 years of eligibility and hope these last minute pick ups will be the answer for us. Then when they aren’t, rinse and repeat. I have more faith in making some changes within the schemes and special teams and get a few more goals to put us over the top, hoping that a few of the freshmen can step up and the other guys make the next step. A game here or there changes a lot of people’s opinion of this team, as evidenced by all the if’s thrown out there concerning pairwise.

What USA team do you coach so we can scutinize the lineup?

Wow, just wow! Point out guys like that who are available for next year. .

...and we know all transition well to college hockey both offensively and defensively!

If there are players that they could get that will be ready to contribute right away, then by all means tweak the roster or scholarships. I just don’t see wholesale changes helping a team that needs scorers. There usually aren’t a ton of guys this late in the game that are going to give you immediate impact, and our problem very well be that they might give you more offense but give up as many the other way. If they can find a grad transfer or someone that has great potential, by all means tweak the roster.

Yes, by all means let’s start over next year with 10 new forwards, that’s a recipe for success.

You are not going to get production by everyone you bring in next year, even if you cut all those players and replace them. We may not have won the National Championship in 2016 if we cut non producers like Coltyn Sanderson and Colton St. Clair.

Have all of Miami recruits signed their letters of intent?

I just don't think they would pull the trigger after next year. I think he has two years to right the ship.

The scary part for UND should be that with the huge downturn in attendance, it is getting harder for season ticket holders to sell their tickets when they can't go, and when they do, it is for the fraction of the price they would garner in the past. If attendance at UND continues to diminish, it might be more worthwhile to skip season tickets and pay a premium for certain games, then get the rest on the cheap. The same goes for the regionals. If fans continue to take a hit, they might just quit buying and pay a premium during the years they do make it. The culture of UND hockey is changing and it isn't for the better. If I were in charge of the Ralph, I would figure out a way to make it easier for fans to attend by figuring out a better parking situation, because if the product isn't enticing people as much, you better not make the other things around the game a headache to deal with.

...and since Brad won’t touch this, 10 goal scorers each year since 2004-2005 have been 6,6,6,4,6,6,6,5,5,4,6 and under Berry 7, 4,4, and 1 this year, and that one only came about because of an overtime goal last weekend. We had a few years there when guys like Parks and Macmillan were key players that we weren’t overly talented, but still managed quite a few guys that could get to ten goals.

Goals scored have gone down each year under Berry. 162, 127, 117, to 93 this year. The further away from the Hakstol era, the worse things are getting. That is a pretty significant decline to just blame on puck luck.

They have a lot in common, that’s for sure. If you are being objective you would have to say that hard work will most likely be successful more often than not if players have enough talent and are put in a position by coaches to be successful. Either we don’t have the talent or the talent we have isn’t put in the position to succeed, either way, that is the coaches responsibility.

...and Denver lost three guys this past offseason that were all major contributors, yet a first year coach seemed to keep them in the mix. No doubt Schlossman secretly hopes Poolman will leave so he can keep that talking point going. The first two years after the Championship it was relevant because of the number and quality they lost, but should be someone to pick up the slack and put up decent numbers by now. Waiting to hear a story about the historic lack of scoring.

What does bother me is hearing Berry talking about guys like Scheel and Jones and others being hurt, but then saying they don’t make excuses. I am sure Denver would have liked to have Larson the whole first half as well.

So, I don’t suppose you got stuck with Regional tickets for the second year in a row either. They may be killing the Golden Goose with these last two years, because don’t know if I want to go down that road again, and imagine others have reservations as well.

...and it doesn’t help that it coincides with one of the most brutal winters weather wise as well!