burd

The boys are working hard, but it looks like Montgomery has a better plan in place for this game, to be honest. DU is anticipating along the boards and creating room in the middle of the ice for their rushes. This is a good DU team.

That's a fair statement.

He's been great, but I don't think it is fair to imply that most of the players do not have a lot of drive.

I liked our play and really enjoyed that game. Cam came up huge on the breakaways. The boys looked good against a very good team. There is a reason last year's team got swept by these guys in the second half of the season. We need to get on top of taking penalties, of course, and it's not just the kill. They can play aggressive and stay out of the box. Penalties is one reason why I cringe a little when I hear fans ask for old school hockey. The staff has that figured out, though. Look for another great game tonight.

This is why we love college hockey so much. Two very good hockey teams going full speed.

I have to disagree. Cam proved last year in March and April that he can handle pressure. And we all knew last year that a huge part of our success was due to the defense, including goaltending and success at the offensive end of the ice. He just has a more difficult job this year because our young team has a lot to learn. Not rocket science. And there os no guarantee that the boys will reach a level where they are a threat in March. That's the way the game works. For everybody. I personally think they will be in the hunt, but I don't think they will just turn a switch. There are some difficult lessons ahead, IMO. The NCHC is too good to expect otherwise, and I wouldn't have it any other way,

Isn't that as certain as death and taxes?

I hope the players don't fold as easily as some fans.

It sounds like this is an atypical team for Minnesota in that they are going down to block a lot of shots.

Actually, that is not at all what Hennessey is saying. He's saying our boys are playing well but obviously not getting the puck in the net.

Sounds like the boys are playing very well.

If Gopher fans are passionate about their football program, even I feel sad. I'll bet they're real jacked up to see some high school level play from Purdue.

You should wait for the oxy fog to clear before you try to explain yourself, John.

This isn't last year's team. They will be good in the end, but those of us fans who do not handle adversity well will have many opportunities to vent.

I'm feeling intimidated by UMinn. They have such a famous tradition going all the way back to John Mariuchi, plus all those high school players.

A good ouch.

And I think even Berry and our boys acknowledged that Friday's effort could have been better. I'm just saying that what looks like lack of effort can be a matter of being out of rhythm, poor positioning, and just being outplayed. Once you lose the position battles (not always due to lack of effort), then just skating harder does not fix things-it can even further complicate things from WORSE positioning. Last year's D men knew exactly what they were doing and usually did not seem to be racing to positions. A team that is outmatched by a team with a lot of skill and more experience will often be chasing, and you always get beat to pucks when that happens till you tire and really get in trouble. Fans tend to see them getting to pucks late and automatically think its lack of effort. I'm not saying you are doing this, Oxbow--you probably know the game and this team a lot better than I do. But a lot of fans make that mistake, imo. But I ain't no expert, as they say. I AM confident out staff knows lack of effort whe it sees it and will handle it. Position play is a longer learning curve, since it requires some on-ice adjustment to the other team

This might sound disloyal, but I have no problem with the boys getting spanked this weekend in Duluth. Unlike many others, I don't think it's lack of effort. I think this is a difficult league, and they have a lot to learn. The woodshed can be a classroom. I like what the coaches have proven they can do, and I like the kind of boys they bring in. They are not what they were last year (you could argue no other Und team has been), and they are not currently as good as Duluth. Big deal. Last night was not the last game of the year.

I just look for these guys to get better each weekend--not necessarily get better results. We improve our positioning and timing each weekend it will be a fun team to watch and we will be right there in the mix in Mar/Apr. Just the same, if we get swept by lameazz Sandelin, someone better get the ax.

One of the youngest teams in college hockey which had lost most of what might fairly be considered the best D corp in program history, in addition to its senior leader. Playing a talented, experienced #2-ranked team in their own barn. You didn't expect hard lessons? There will be more. This team is a work in progress--we knew that. We aren't a work in progress, thank Parise. We know even more than we did last year.

It's the same dynamic you see on the Blackhawk game threads on HFBoards. Those fans are pretty good entertainment when they are losing. They just lose it.

I can't believe I used to cheer for this team.

A split would probably be a satisfactory result this weekend. I wouldn't be surprised to see us lose one by 2 or more, but it wouldn't be such a bad thing for this young team to get spanked once by a highly rated team. Such lessons can be very valuable down the road, and they need to know how to carry a chip on their shoulder. Two shutout wins would be better, of course.

He looks 16 there.

Some NFL, NBA, and MLB stars make as much from endorsements as the do in salary. I'd guess Brady makes three times what Toews does in endorsements