farce poobah

Duluth plays like they have been together for 100 games. We still need to get there.

Did someone say Dive? Geez

Jandric back out to start PP

Ends at 189 minutes

Great execution of 2x1!

Thanks for forwarding. The Badger rivalry has always been one to strap your pads on tight, and usually play right on the edge ( or way over like a pregame brawl or one just after opening face off). And then after the game, go out to the same bar as the Badger fans and learn each other’s songs. (I might still know most of the words to their Varsity song.) Wish i had video of Carl Miller and Crazy Legs Hirsch singing and ribbing each other. But during the Barry Alvarez era, it’s almost like he doesn’t want hockey to distract from FB and BB. Poor oversight of coaching staffs and lack of guts to make tough changes.

I saw Tate Maris had been on the coaching staff. Hope he is okay.

Agree. And If I am leading the University, or with any prominent voice, I want a better hiring process. Something is not right there.

Yeah the Penn State game might eventually be classified as a "bad loss". (Thankfully the NCAA Selection Committee for hockey doesn't go for such nonsense. But the math is still there.) But the split at Quinnipiac may eventually be very helpful to our PWR - UND still the only team to beat them. in any scenario, UND's strength of schedule is shaping up to be really strong. 27 of 35 games vs the top-third of the nation, using this morning's KRACH ratings from CHN: UND sits at #5. 4 games each vs #2 UMD, #4 St Cloud and #6 Western Michigan 2 games each vs #7 Quinnipiac, #8 Minnesota, #10 Bemidji, and #12 Denver 4 games vs #17 Omaha, 2 games vs #20 Cornell 1 vs #21 Penn State Versus the bottom two-thirds of the KRACH rankings, just 8 games (2 vs #38 Miami and #47 Niagara, and 4 vs #40 CC).

Keys to the weekend, IMHO: 1. Play as much 5x5 as possible. Especially don't give PP's in the second period, with the long change. Sticks stay on the ice, please. 2. Be aggressive in pressuring the UMD breakout, and force bad passes especially in the neutral zone. Get transition opportunities. 3. Get some good minutes early for the 3rd D pair and 4th line, because a high intensity game can create fatigue at the end. 4. Use last change to create mismatches. I expect Duluth to: * Goad us into penalties, driven by emotion. We've crossed over that edge a couple times this season, and our top guys especially can't get baited into taking majors. * Try to get scoring lines out against UND's weakest plus-minus guys (yeah the stat can be misleading but patterns can be observed already). * Traffic in front of Driscoll. Prediction: The stretches of solid team play will get longer and come more often; the disconnected play continues to shrink. UND 4-3. UMD 3-2 ot.

HEA is 11-3-1 vs Atlantic Hockey. HEA is 9-17-2 vs everyone else.

Calder reminds me of Perry Berezan. Power forward with enough strength and speed to turn the corner on a D. Good shot. Plays 200 foot game. or more recently, Chris Porter.

And the StCloud announcers booing at the call. Seriously. Then clapping at a zone clearance. Holy unprofessional Batman.

Two guys were plus-5 on the weekend. Costantini and Calder.

Gophers send 1200 fans into the evening relieved . 2-0 over tOSU.

I still get chills, literally, thinking about metal bleachers at Memorial Stadium, on a cold day. Great incentive to stand!

Meanwhile, over on the Illinois State fan forum… ”Fire everyone!”

Carle also got a 5 minute timeout for his guys, who were getting worked over by UND at that part of the game. (Side note: not sure we've yet struck a good balance between "getting the call right" and "stopping the game too long".)

League can add discipline after the fact. It’s been done before, so yeah it is how college hockey works.

Savior should be suspended for a few games. He led with the elbow and targeted the head. NHL that’s 5 games.

We are playing better all the time. Right now, we’re playing like the middle of next month. very good third period. So far.

Hope Ford can go tomorrow. He’s already gotten to be top pick for face offs, and we really missed him. for one night at least, I will enjoy UND in first place and UMD and Denver in last.

Exceptional game by Driscoll so far. If not for some acrobatic saves, we are down 1 or 2.

Great question. If memory serves, once upon a time 25% of NHL games were ending tied. (and that percentage was increasing as overall scoring fell from the elevated levels of the 1980's and 1990's). Fans disliked ties, and so the NHL changed its overtime procedures to what's landed on 3x3 followed by shootout. At about the same time, the IIHF adopted their current standard of 3x3 OT. Within college hockey, the NCHC is perhaps the most tuned into giving players the best shot at success in the next level, so its not surprising that NCHC was an early adopter of 3x3 followed by shootout in the college ranks. That met with resistance from elsewhere, notably eastern schools (I recall a while back where a Committee, chaired by someone from out East) wanted to prohibit 3x3 and prohibit shootouts, which didn't get adopted after NCHC (and Big Ten I think) objected to that proposal. Lingering discomfort among coaches about missing NCAA's because of 3x3 losses has led to the (feeble) 55-45 value assigned to an overtime win. Long story short ... I'm not a fan either of "playing a different game". However, it seems to be the current fad in ice hockey, globally.

I think assessing the head coach has to consider that all the upperclassmen joined a team in the Big Sky or an independent. That's tough to join, and had to hurt recruiting. (and with only 11 seniors and 8 fifth-years on the roster, it would seem so) The underclassmen were recruited into an unproven program, but one that had announced they would join MVFC. Plus MVFC road trips are much closer for friends and family than our prior conference. All this has to have helped recruiting, and it seems like it has - given we have a lot of underclassmen playing key roles. Next fall is the first recruiting class where we could pitch UND football as MVFC champs last spring. That has to help our credibility and recruiting, for fall 2022 and beyond. Point being, I think our coaching staff has had an uphill battle for a while now. If the underclass develop (or don't) that's a big indicator of need to change, as would be ongoing failings to get talent in (with the wind now at their back). In game management, the last month, has been enormously frustrating. But switching out a head coach (and much of the staff) sets the timeline back for being competitive too. Recruits decommit, the transfer portal opens and some of our best talent heads out. I'm not convinced that's a better path.