farce poobah

The kind of game where you don't want to go more than a few minutes without a shift. A whole new meaning to "cold legs".

We've had a lot of talk about how tough the schedule has been. Everybody so far has been ranked, or is ranked currently. What I didn't realize, until checking in at the USCHO board, was that its possible that all the REST of our games might be against "TUCs" (in Pairwise lingo that is). http://board.uscho.com/showpost.php?p=3487...p;postcount=783 (Tip of the cap to Fighting Sioux 23 for the research ...) ================================== I'm going against the run of play here but I'm optimistic. What we'll see going forward is a shorter bench in key situations, less ice time (against opponent top players) for guys like Marto and Lapoint. We'll see our defensive zone systems start to click, and once everyone gets on the same page, the opponent time-in-zone falls. We've seen what the entire roster can contribute; going forward we'll see roles defined. The forward lines will still get tweaked, but some things seem to be sorting out. These teams ARE different from the Blais teams, which had the amazing speed and quickness to pull off comebacks on a routine basis, especially against lesser caliber opponents (like scoring the tying and winning goals at UMD in the last :30 seconds, to name another comeback). What those teams lacked was the size to fight through the maze of sticks and bodies in games like the national quarterfinals in 1998 and 1999. We've traded size for speed. If I could wave my magic wand, I'd like the ability to hold a lead in the last period. We've allowed too many, and its been on rushes and against our better players. This is concerning. The other concern I have is the health of our top guys. Oshie does not appear 100%; why else does he curl and pass with a near-break on Saturday? We need Lammy to stay healthy, for the backup is untested. And we need #2-4-5-28 to stay healthy.

All in all, it was a pretty D@## good year. I voted for team glory, and the West Regional final, Porter's GWG. But Duncan's Hobey struck a chord, and I think it's because he epitomizes the qualities we like to see in North Dakota hockey players. I expected to be part of a crowd of a maybe a couple hundred, but it was at least a couple thousand. More UND fans obviously than anyone else, and that added to the atmosphere. Wonderful, wonderful moment, that I am still savoring. It couldn't happen to a better guy than Ryan Duncan.

Nice guess - boxscore says 453. http://www.fightingsioux.com/downloads1/30...DB_OEM_ID=13500 If they were to try again with a rivalry game, decent notice, and a better date, it could draw decently. But this had none of those...

Observations based on webcast... I thought we looked good in the neutral zone and decent in our offensive zone, but our defensive zone coverage and puck poise still needs a lot of work. Regan should be #1 star; we could easily have rung up 6 and made their late goals meaningless. But we didn't get it done offensively. I like the chemistry of the new lines; we got consistent pressure from all four lines. Like the faceoff tally; we had possession a lot, which tilts the game in our favor. I like Radke in the lineup, especially if he doesn't take *** penalties, which he didn't tonight. Disappointing that the tying goal was scored with Oshie,Duncan, Chorney out there. I expect to see Genoway on Defense for some time now. Lapoint has flashes of brilliance but has been on the ice for a lot of goals allowed. Ditto Marto. Jones hasn't developed. Expect to see that rotation shortening as the season goes on to 4 - Chorney, Bina, Finley, Genoway. Lammy continues to be solid. The pieces are in place for a run; what kind of legacy do the guys want to leave? Three of them stayed to win a title - this is as good a chances as we'll see for a while I think.

yup - replay on FSN starting at 10pm http://board.uscho.com/showthread.php?t=74484

No condolences here, but final in Minneapolis RIT 4, Gophers 3.

7-4 UNH another ENG 1:00

6-4 UNH with an ENG 1:10 left

now 5-4 - Bina on a rebound 6x5 goal 1:18 left, Sioux timeout

triple davv Lapoint got walked around ... 5-3 UNH. Gotta give the blue credit for sticking with it. 2: left.

double davv 4-3 UNH. Turnover in our zone leads to a goal. 3: left

4:19 left, 3-3. faceoff in the UNH zone. back to 5x5. Looks like we lost a little jump after that goal.

Damv. Tie game. Fornitaro.

I'm sorry, you must be thinking of Frazee.

Agree. Lots. We look really good in two zones, but not so good in our own defensive zone.

7:45 left, still 3-2. Oshie-Duncan-Kaip with an excellent shift, keeping the puck 180' from Lammy the whole time.

Oshie with a screened wrister that nearly beat Regan. (Hit him, to be exact.)

now 9: left, 3-2. Now UNH with a flurry. Almost tie it. Would be really frustrating to play this well and not get the W.

11: left, still 3-2. Radke with a chance in front. UND still looking good ...

Sioux with some more good chances off transition. Trupp is coming really close ...

16: left, still 3-2. Long stretch with no whistle and no good chances, ending with a great 4-2 rush by the Sioux. Forney on the doorstep stopped by Regan. Now Genoway off the post.

Bit of controversy. SC led 1-0 late in the 3rd, when a play the Huskies thought was blown down wasn't and Miami scored to tie it. SC gave them all they wanted.

Woo - next year the Sioux play at the GLI. That was announced on the Michigan broadcast ... still 0-0 at the Joe with 5: left. If it goes to OT, they play until its decided, the old fashioned way.

ARGH! I got owned.