tnt

Exactly, this is GPL type meltdown.

So is there another formula for neutral game sites like those at the "X"? I know teams get more points for winning on the road, but how do neutral games change the equation? Jim, any input on that?

Yeah, it happened last week here. They don't review a goal for offside, so since CC had a timeout they were able to challenge for offsides. That is part of the reason it's a crapshoot when you use your timeout when your players are tired on an icing call. There are a lot of close plays at the line resulting in goals. I would like to have that timeout in the bag for those circumstances, but you could also give up a goal if your players are extremely tired.

But the point was that you still can grow a lot after your sophomore year. In fact there used to be quite the media attention placed on the "sophomore jinx". Don't hear that anymore, but guys taking off in their junior and senior season isn't unheard of. Steve Johnson's first 2 years were 2 goals and 8 goals then 26 and finally 34 which made him a Hobey Baker Finalist. Not saying that is Wilkie, but plenty of examples of guys becoming impact players after their sophomore year. In fact if you don't see those improvements on a gradual basis, I would question the development model.

Isn't Murphy the second leading scorer on Arizona State?

Yeah, because Duluth wouldn't want to win the Penrose Cup for the first time! I know winning the Big Ten doesn't hold any prestige, but believe me winning the NCHC regular season title is quite an accomplishment.

Think it was the NDSU football game against James Madison that day.

... and yet they are above both Michigan and Michigan State in pairwise. I hear ya, a third of the Big Ten is really awful.

This weekend is scary with CC being winless at home and the tough outs they gave us in past NCHC playoffs with some great teams we had. I'm sure their confidence is boosted by the fact they beat and tied at Duluth, while we were swept both here and there by Duluth. Doesn't help we'll probably be without Jost. Guess we'll really see what we're made of this weekend.

... and it doesn't help when they did turn it over, a team like Duluth made them pay for it. Can't give up bad goals to a team like that and expect to win.

Well said. I think many of the breakdowns last weekend didn't involve Casey Johnson or Peski, two of our greenest defensemen. I think all of us would probably do better if we didn't get too high after great weekends, (St. Cloud, Boston College, Omaha) or too low after poor weekends (Michigan State, Duluth). We're probably somewhere in between, which relates to where we are in the standings.

I might also add regarding talent level that there aren't many impact freshmen in College hockey. Tufte is starting to really come around now, but he didn't jump in right away scoring. Who was our second leading goal scorer the last half of our Championsip season -- Coltyn Sanderson, a walk on who didn't play much his first 3+ seasons. So I wouldn't count out the freshmen or sophomores on this team. Look at Gersich from year one to two. If you want examples of similar players from Gino's years look no further than Jeff McLean and Kevin McKinnon who went back to junior hockey after time at UND, and came back impact players

Once again you don't lose guys like Stecher, LaDue, and Schmaltz and not feel it. We sure could even use a guy like Keaton Thompson who was maligned by many. We'll see how Duluth does next year when they lose the majority of their defensemen. That happens when you win a Championship that you constantly railed on Hakstol for not winning.

... and with a team as good as Duluth, you would think they would have more fans. We haven't been great lately, and I guarantee you the next home series will be packed.

He didn't have a good weekend, and I wondered if he was hurt going in, and perhaps he was since he sat when the game was determined. You need a physical defenseman like him, but you can't take bad penalties.

If you're not getting scoring from your defense and having your defense jump into the play in College hockey, you'll have trouble consistently putting up goals. We have to make sure our defense is taking care of their own end first before we can get the additional offense on the other end. It was telling that Berry's post game with Tim he expressed this is the group we've got. I think we did well in the past with less talented teams when we lost recruits like Miller, Lemieux, Matteau etc. Those teams just outworked and outwilled the other team. Need to start with that, and then what you get is what you get.

It's surprising to me that the team seems fragile in the confidence end of things, a couple weeks removed from Omaha. I guess giving up the lead against Miami will do that to you. Of course they haven't been helped out by poor goaltending like they did in Omaha. It just seems after Cam gave up that first goal tonight, their energy level dropped quite a bit. Instead of putting their nose back to the grindstone, they took some bad penalties and got further behind the eight ball. They could use a nice come from behind win, but I'm good if they play from in front and win from here on out.

But I would say Jost may not be ready for the rigors of an 82 game season. Just hope we can turn this around so those contemplating leaving feel they have a chance at something special if they stay. Let's face it, we have usually been coming off a Frozen Four so guys don't have a chance to play a few games at the end of the NHL season, and being so close to a Championship makes it easier to see it getting done the following year.

I know this is more of a rhetorical question because we all know his whole existence revolves around being an antagonist, which is quite sad. What other reason would there be to continually go on a rivals thread to say how great your team is.

It seems like a lot of times we have Big time recruits in we don't play great, but I recall a few of them still committed because of the atmosphere and facility itself. I recall one mentioning the student section being packed for warmups. Let's hope that is the case this time.

http://www.sbncollegehockey.com/2016/9/8/12843076/college-hockey-recruiting-massimo-rizzo-jack-mcbain-baron-thompson-nick-henry The fact that Rizzo took steps to maintain his college eligibility is a positive sign that he at least interested in what the NCAA has to offer.

Let's just say his prognostication skills have a little to be desired, but the stats he put forth didn't exactly scream out dominance by Duluth.

http://undhockey.areavoices.com/?p=103860 Apparently Brad Schlossman didn't feel the same.

Getting outshot attempted 81 to 38 last year on Friday and 146 to 70 on the weekend is quite different than Saturday this year out attempting Duluth 62 to 46. Yes shots don't mean everything, but they give an overview of territorial advantage. Cam wasn't as lights out this year, but it doesn't mean they were great the year before. Remember, people were wanting Cam pulled because of 2 shorthanded goals that he gave up after we had a pretty good first half of the game, outshooting Duluth 24-14 after 2 periods, giving up only 2 shots in the first. They deflated a bit after the 2 short handed goals. Quite the contrast to his stretch of shutout hockey the year before. Regardless, I wasn't in the pull Cam camp.

I thought the one night that UND looked a lot better than they did the prior year when they swept Duluth but got outshot badly.