tnt

Last year we scored a pp goal in how many straight games then dropped a bit. Hopefully we can get it going and keep it consistent into the playoffs.

I agree it is too early to overreact, but St. Thomas was able to muster an attack against their young defense, so it is just disappointing that we were kind of a one and done on the offensive end with very little sustained pressure. Need to put one in early tomorrow and hope we can fluster them a bit, instead of the other way around. They got the snipes, so we need Gaber, Perron, Blake, etc. to show some of what we have been seeing on our end.

That is what concerns me, especially this year. After last year, UND has something to prove. Pressure is on even more tomorrow, as they need to get off to the better start that Berry has been stressing.

Like the gophers don’t have a nice weight room and facilities. Usually when you get first round draft picks they have speed and/or strength to their game and a competitive edge. Don’t think UND was totally outclassed, just need some extra effort and play a little more clean. We all said UND would need to come together, so losing to the #1 team in a game where we weren’t crisp is hardly shocking. Hopefully a better effort tomorrow.

Guys like McLaughlin need to fight through a few checks if they aspire to get to the next level. Sometimes when they got rubbed out they let up and allowed the gophers any easy zone exit. Not much cycling this game.

A lot of times when you play rivalry games and NCAA tournament games you need to either have hard skill perform or have your grinders play a big part by going to the net. This is my concern with this team when the power play isn’t clicking, they need some hard work goals to turn the tide. Didn’t get to the net very well, and that includes the guys that have to play that way. I suspect Ness will be in the lineup tomorrow to try add some of that. Let’s see if they can turn it around tomorrow and play with more of an edge.

Certainly would be nice if we could be a great Friday team this year and at least guarantee ourselves a split right after game one of a series. Makes it so much easier for us as fans as well.

I'd have to watch it again, but I didn't see anything egregious, but regardless if Wisconsin gains momentum and wins that game, we would really be up against it this weekend and against BU to make sure we don't get behind like we did early next year. There are ways to get even legally with hits. Probably nitpicking, because Gaber is feisty to begin with, but he is now the captain and needs to set the standard for keeping out of the box.

That's the one.

To that end, Gaber took a bad penalty against Wisconsin when we were only ahead 1-0 and thankfully they didn't score. Good penalties are one thing when playing a rivalry game, but bad penalties can really hurt momentum and crowd interaction, so we need our leaders to demonstrate that discipline.

Yeah, everybody loved the Holy Cross win, but frankly the amount of run that has had seems obsessive. Basically it was just the precursor to the modern day regional where low seeds beat higher seeds more frequently.

Yeah, whether you believe in bulletin board material or not, why give the opposition something to shove back in your face!

Hopefully the physical is clean, because if we give them power plays it might help them get off on the right foot. Would be nice for us to get the first goal and put them behind the eight ball from the start.

Was wondering about Ausmus, because if he was supposed to be more of an offensive defenseman, the numbers in the more wide open BCHL haven't been there.

Yeah, you add the life and death cancer issues of Zach Stejskal and Will Francis and it has been a rough few years for Duluth.

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!