burd

Nice to have you here, Hhound. You obviously know your hockey and your team and know how to be civil, which is much appreciated. With the rivalries we have here with Denver, Wisconsin, and various Minnie schools, we are not always accustomed to civility and can be a little gruff ourselves at times.

That was my thought as well Cratter.

He's a character guy who is good for any team he plays on. Would have been nice in green.

Obey your mother.

I always cringe when fans call for old-time Sioux hockey, as if that will magically bring back the Banner glory. Physical play is important, but the game has changed. In the NCAAs, you go in knowing a lot of hits will get you nothing but a PK and a lost chance to roll 4 lines. Speed, hustle, and smart hockey wins these days, and York's success in the modern game is ample proof. I think this UND team has shown it can play top-notch defensive hockey without relying to big hitting. It's about, as you say, smart simple passes, keeping the feet moving and giving puck support (and back-checking). This team has the tools and has been playing the game. Hopefully, Cam plays well and we get a bounce or two.

The more I think about the early pairing with NE, the more I like it. If we beat them, it will give Cam (and the boys) confidence. If we can't beat them, we don't belong in the frozen four anyway.

Harvard was top 10 nearly all year, I think, which would make three. How many top 10 teams did UND play this year?

True, but he could cycle the puck like no other.

Can't imagine who would, just as the McNaughton brought a lot more respect than the Broadmoor.

I'm good with them starting out against the hottest team. Wouldn't have it any other way.

I'd agree, and it is a mystery sometimes what makes teams seem flat. Sometimes they are just off rhythm. Sometimes they are just chasing because they are outcoached. Sometimes it just isn't working. And yes, sometimes they aren't prepared mentally. I just don't see Berry's teams as being unprepared at this point. But I'm watching from a long ways away.

You are right, I'm sure, but that doesn't mean they didn't see the urgency on Friday night.

Seems like every time any UND team loses a big game, folks come out and say the players don't care or are soft. That is an easy, convenient, and simplistic thing to say and usually just made out of frustration.

Fitting end to a needless game. But I'm sure there are years when this game counts for a bubble team.

I feel the same way.

I know there are all kinds of cliché's about how the team needed to win this tournament, but I'm not very upset about this loss. Call it a bit of superstition or just playing the odds. The burned a loss and got a little reminder today that it's balls to the wall. The ONLY factor that counts, in my opinion, is Cam's confidence. Hope that didn't get shaken today. Four in a row starting next week.

You have to understand, row5, that not everyone evaluates cities according to bowling alley count.

Nicely done, MM.

Sounds tough. You lose to BC when you think you'll win, which is traumatic enough; then you have to drive back through Minnie and risk exposure to a gopher fan. I guess you gas up and use the bathroom in Hudson and hope you can make it to Fargo.

I think you 're right, jk. That was a hell of a team that was eliminated in the first regional game wasn't it?

UND's record is now 30-5-3, I think. They haven't accomplished anything in the NCAAs, but I don't think a UND team has ever lost fewer than 7 games in a season. Among teams that won the banner, the 1963 team lost 7. The Circus lost 8. Among other good teams, the '03-04 team lost 8, and the '10-11 team lost 9. If they do not win their last game, many will say this year was a fail, but it has already been something special.

It's not going to be like this next week, which is a good thing, with regionals around the corner.

Who's Tim's color guy again? Someone message him to quit saying "yup" while Tim's talking. He is good on the color, but he's got to break that habit.

That's the thing. They're due.

Even gfhockey's woody for Blais could use a little medicinal help about now. Simple fact.