tnt

gfhockey has a ton of swagger with other people's talents!

Just wondering from people that go to the Denver games at Magness what the UND contingent of fans was like compared to other years?

It will take one incident where someone cracks their head on the ice, and the whole fighting thing will be in the news outside of the hockey world and things will probably take a different direction from there. It looked like Sam Bennett was going to hit the ice like that, but thankfully he didn't. I am actually surprised we haven't seen an incident like this already, because you are in such a vulnerable position when you are being wrestled to the ice. Surprised we haven't seen an incident with a fractured eye socket or something either.

Hopefully the American fans don't follow suit and boo the Canadian National Anthem. Let's be a little more classy.

Yes, a good year, but not spectacular. 51st in the league in points per game. For somebody who thought that he should come in to UND at an early age, you would think that as one of the older players in the USHL he would be top ten in that statistic. I think he would be a good addition as a reliable two way player that can take faceoffs, but if some are against portal players, why pick up someone who isn't extraordinary, especially if it is pushing off another player in the current pipeline that could be ready. If the people in the know are correct and we lose 6 players to the portal, then something like that could be a necessity.

Yeah, I didn't see Denver turning down Pohlkamp. Most people on this site were twisting in the wind hoping we would get Pohlkamp. Maybe we should go back and look at those who were part of that crowd that are now saying we shouldn't use the portal.

But his facts are made up in his head.

Was that the year Denver tied us for the title the next night, and got the top seed?

Who knows, they may still have to play Denver in the first round.

Didn’t UND get it in Omaha?

Actually they would wrap it up with a sweep, or win and 2 points, so the Penrose could be in Arizona next weekend. Would be nice for them to have the Penrose hangover going into our weekend with them.

Hopefully we take care of business against Duluth next weekend and Western sweeps Arizona State to come close to wrapping up the NCHC title. Too bad they didn’t beat Omaha in regulation last night, then they probably could have wrapped it up. Don’t want them to be playing for the title at home against us, but need Arizona State to stumble in their last 4 games against Western and Omaha, or have Omaha stumble to help us have other outs, as Denver has an easier schedule.

Yeah, can we quit with the playing the same team the last weekend of the regular season. Change it up, it makes things more exciting. Every once in a while you may get the top two teams playing for the NCHC title.

It says the state of the program when Schlossman doesn't even think it will be close.

Right, sell the University as a whole and the educational opportunities along with all of the facilities. Then sell them on being remembered as the group that put UND in the spotlight again. Instead of being lumped in with all the other NDSU championship teams, why not start a path of your own and be recognized like a Mike Mooney who helped turn the program around last time. Create your own opportunities to be recognized for greatness.

I think when they said they were refocusing on peaking at NCAA tournament time, it was all part of a master plan. They have been sandbagging all year, and will probably do the same this weekend so everyone underestimates them, then they will go on their run. A guy can dream, can't he?

I question what it is in our roster management where we have off years on average once every couple years. Hakstol seemed to know how to always have a few guys waiting in the wings with experience, or he could get them to stay in juniors longer. Maybe that is a thing of the past with everyone wanting to rush things, and there are guys like Zellers and Strathmann that are willing to develop another year, but when you are told the reason behind our problems is because our defense doesn't have the experience, it beckons the question why. It's not like we are losing a ton to the pros. Hakstol had that problem too, and didn't have the advantage of the portal to fill in those gaps. Whatever system Hakstol had, it doesn't seem to be duplicated under the current regime.

The good thing for UND in the probability that they will need to win the Frozen Faceoff to get a tournament birth is that none of the teams in the league are in the "can't lose" category. Western has been impressive, but other than Bump aren't loaded. The problem for UND is that they have lacked the consistency to go on a long run. Get home ice and a first round victory, and who knows if they will even have to face the team with the most talent in Denver. This weekend is the first step in keeping home ice alive.

True, but in many circles hockey is a niche sport too. Regardless, NDSU is getting far more national exposure than UND is these days. UND used to get talked about every year during tournament time. When is the last time when they have the selection show for the National Tournament where UND is even mentioned, much less someone picking them as the candidate to win it all?

Remember when there were arguments on which was the premier program in the state of North Dakota - NDSU football or UND hockey? It appears that question is moot now, as NDSU has a much, much higher standard of excellence, and culture. UND hockey gets complacent after 3 or 4 wins in a row, while NDSU doesn't get complacent after 3 or 4 titles in a row. Long for the day when the passion is there to actually compete for National Titles again in hockey.

UND used to have the best winning percentage in the NCAA tournament. UND made the NCAA tournament just about every year under Hakstol and made the Frozen Four a good deal of the time. Yes, there were those that wanted Hakstol run out of town, but there were also a lot that knew if they kept getting that close the door would be knocked down. Now they make the tournament about half the time, and are one and out when they get there. To miss the tournament when you are bidding on regional sites is even worse. I don't even want to start on the destination performances and Frozen Faceoff one and outs. The same people that are fine with the decline, would have not recognized the need to move on from Gasparini. Sometimes a new face is needed to bring the program to another level. We could still very well be at five national championships if there weren't people that could see a change was needed.

North Dakota State Bison (North Central Conference) (1997–2002) 1997 North Dakota State 9–3 7–2 T–2nd L NCAA Division II First Round 1998 North Dakota State 7–4 6–3 4th 1999 North Dakota State 9–2 7–2 3rd 2000 North Dakota State 12–2 8–1 2nd L NCAA Division II Semifinal 2001 North Dakota State 7–3 5–3 3rd 2002 North Dakota State 2–8 1–7 9th Total: 46–22 This is Bobby Babich's record at NDSU. One bad year. Probably doesn't make him a bad coach, but sometimes you need a new voice. Why weren't NDSU fans just happy and go with the flow because it is just a sporting event? Whatever you do in life, do well and get the most out of it. I think most of us believe that UND hockey should aspire to be in the conversation every year, and that there is a lot being left on the table. Doesn't make Berry a bad coach, but sometimes a change is needed to change the culture and mindset because based on the postgame interviews the message doesn't seem to be getting through to the players. It certainly worked for NDSU. Do you think NDSU would be fine making the NCAA playoffs about every other year, then when they do make it suffer a one and done?

We’ll see if the “next man up” that the preach comes to fruition, or if when the weekend is over Tim Hennessey is interviewing Berry about who was missing with injuries.

Obviously, it is less fun when the team isn't winning, and when that starts becoming more of an issue like it was for Minnesota, you saw how the fans reacted to that. It is plain to see that apathy is setting in here as well.