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Especially when they haven’t been able to put up much offense.

Maybe he has some under the table money coming to him. Just dumb, every penalty he has taken.

…and I’ll say it again, NHL scouts think you’re wrong. So did guys like Wiebe, Emery etc. not have talent last year, or is it that it is tough for young guys in college hockey and some very talented players take a while to make an impact, especially on defense.

Not saying we can’t get there, but remember when we used to mock the gophers about not winning a title in October and November? If the gophers are just average as some have suggested, we have yet to show against a top 10 team.

I think with all they lost on defense I think bubble team was always going to be in the equation, and frankly that may still be the case for us as well. Remember how like 9-16 fluctuated substantially last year from week to week? It could be even more so this year with all the new talent infused in most teams. We’ve already seen a ton of upsets that seemed improbable. Going to be even more bubble teams this year. As bad as we were at times last year, there were games that would have boosted us into the equation if we would have just taken advantage of them.

I agree regarding penalties, but that wasn’t the case, most of those were really soft calls both ways. I know it is the new focus in some cases, but I always like letting the players play in a rivalry game unless it is getting out of control. That check from behind called on Minnesota was horrible. Hopefully they let them play tonight, but no doubt they will try even out the marbles instead.

Probably won’t pick Emery now!

It looked like Swanson felt bad about not getting it to James for the open net hat trick. Not sure if he didn’t see him originally, or if he thought the Minnesota defense would block it. Don’t feel bad about putting the final stake in a victory!

I get that they want to stop slashing on the hands, but I didn’t think any of those calls limited the offensive player. Relatively speaking this was a pretty clean game and maybe there should have been 3-4 calls.

All the tents will make the gophers feel like they are playing at home!

Bad choices certainly do have consequences, which is why the state of Minnesota is a joke throughout the country.

What’s the story on Brock England?

How much you want to bet they get him back just in time for UND’s visit in early January?

Not only that, it makes it that much easier on the diehard fans who don’t want to have to deal with the possibility of our bitter rival having a chance to sweep at the Ralph. The nerves seem to get worse with age, not better.

Kawaguchi was much older though when he first came in, so he had even more time to be physically ready for the college game.

Like UND did the Hall of Fame year. Would love them to remain unenthused and uninspired, but sometimes the rivalry brings out the best in both teams.

I really like Josephson, and once he and his linemates start to gain some chemistry, we will have even more scoring depth. Hopefully he and Kernan get their first goals against Minnesota. I’m sure being a Maple Grove kid, Kernan would love that.

No comparison in talent level? Take your green glasses off. Yes we have a couple guys who have a bigger upside in Reschny and Verhoeff, but it may take a while for them to be dominant. Minnesota has 8 top four round draft picks, while UND has 6, actually 7 when you consider Verhoeff. Acting like Minnesota has no talent is just not the case.

Early results aren’t a great barometer. Remember UND fans weren’t feeling great about the Hall of Fame game against Minnesota in Vegas because UND had beaten Manitoba in OT while losing and tying Bemidji State, and splitting with Minnesota State while Minnesota beat and tied Duluth. Young teams can change a bit from week to week, and desperation can always play a part. Hopefully UND looks at this as a huge opportunity to get ahead of the game in the national picture while giving their rival a big hole to climb out of going forward.

So if Minnesota beats us at home, does that mean we will be bad as well?

But it does make me wonder if CHL players are taking visits during the season, because unlike the USHL, some people, like Sutter, could look at players differently if they take college visits.

Ditto.

It’s funny because one of their most beloved figures, Lou Nanne, was from Canada. You would think Lou would tell them the error of their ways.

I think the difference is that Berry was saying the right things, but the accountability wasn’t there. Hopefully that will change under new leadership, along with a more attractive brand of hockey. Preaching work ethic, and then not being on the road recruiting and getting UND’s brand out there weren’t consistent talking points. We saw how crazy the recruiting was this summer out of necessity, but with Chyzyk and the new coaches I believe it will continue to be a point of emphasis, and that along with a more aggressive brand of hockey has brought excitement back into the program. Hopefully the accountability with the players goes hand in hand with the coaches keeping themselves accountable.

True, and I would bet that even with the one and dones in the conference and national tournaments Berry would probably still have his job if UND hadn’t missed home ice a couple times lately. The combination of being good enough to win the league one year with no post season success and then finishing bottom half of the league sealed his fate.