tnt

Wow, Biondi last year, now James this year. Losing anybody is brutal, but top guys really hurts.

Just think, if there had never been Covid we might have already hung banner # 9!

Big memory was when Dave Hakstol and Ben Hankinson went at it near center ice. Since Hankinson is a player agent now representing some ex UND players and Hakstol is an NHL head coach, I wonder if they needle each other about that.

So you're saying only UND fans consider it a rivalry still?

What would be the impetus for them to get this done. If players saw this, I would bet they would push for it.

I like the Robbie Bina goal from the far end line on Frazee at Mariucci. I think that happened to Jon Casey once at Wisconsin too. I remember Tim Hennessey telling the story of Troy Murray tongue in cheek apologizing to Jon Casey, saying "Sorry I should have won the draw" in his own end.

Ever see the empty houses at Mariucci for years even against Big Ten opponents, and then magically sellouts when they played UND. I imagine the casual hockey fan doesn’t care, but the ones that speak with their dollars still consider each other a huge rival.

Glad to see that they played around with Wiebe on the 2nd PP unit, as Jamernik fumbled some pucks, and they already have good net front presence with Johannes. Like giving Wiebe, Livanavage, McLaughlin, Perron and Johannes a look. If things don’t click, I can see Kunz given a chance as well.

This might be a bigger sign going forward that the gap on the offensive line has narrowed and almost disappeared if they can keep doing it consistently. Having not to rely solely on trick plays is where we need to be.

I’m going to hold judgement on this until we get a big road win, hopefully next week. Much like the Ryder Cup, I need to see winning on foreign soil before I feel a fundamental shift going forward. This certainly should be the impetus for the confidence to do that. Let’s keep it rolling!

Exactly what gave the runner the edge at the point of contact. How do you miss that? We’ll see if they let that go both ways.

How many 3rd and long situations can this defense give up?

I would say no, but I bet Ness is in the lineup, unless he is hurt.

Yes, it seems once they got in the offensive mode, they started taking unnecessary chances of going all out for offense, wanting to be a part of the barrage. Some shades of early last year in that regard. The offense should come if they just take care of the puck and the front of their own net. It’s early, so hopefully they focus on that going forward.

Cole Caufield and Wisconsin remember what it feels like when they underestimate Bemidji St.

Which is unfortunate because at least it met the criteria.

Plus, do you run the risk of losing a good 2-4 year player. Not a lot of room beyond Panzer, Boisvert, Swanson, Littler and Croal. I assume Klee and Slipec will be out a few years. Leaving could be Johannes, Jamernik, Ness, and Albrecht. Would they want Jamernik or Ness to stay another year, or does Jamernik want to start his flight career?

Maybe get him on a visit when we play Minnesota in a few weeks.

I saw Perron and Blake signing jerseys after the exhibition game last week. I assume they weren't asking $300. And if they do start asking for money, might as well ditch the annual meet the team and autograph session, unless you have tables saying how much money each is asking for their autograph. At some point, college athletics will completely lose its allure.

The way they made it sound, he was coming back for one more year (this year). He certainly has the eligibility to play one more year, but the odds probably aren't that good.

So what are the chances that Panzer takes his dad’s number after Gaber is gone next year?

Agreed, I know it is one of my pet peeves when too much is made of a single game or series, either positively or negatively. Manitoba has never been a good benchmark, and I suspect their level is down a bit this year, so it is hard to draw any firm conclusions. I suspect not many Manitoba players would be on NCAA rosters if they were eligible.

I would say that has been our biggest problem, winning on the road. You need to be a disciplined and mentally tough team to win on the road consistently, and we haven't been able to do that. Our home record is great, we need to take the next step and be consistent on the road.

Don’t forget grabbing the face mask on that same play that was missed.