burd

In what way, exactly, AZ?

We shoulda been Hawks earlier.

Be nice if we could play Providence or BC in a holiday tournament or nc game just where we are at. Damn good, but how damn good.

Somebody posted before the game that Denver would probably be coming at Boeser harder in this game. Look for teams to start hitting CBS as much as possible.

good call.

While we are pouring praise on this team, another thing I like about them is their ability to keep cool heads. LJ sometimes takes bad penalties, but we don't have guys you know are going to get the gate once or twice a game by being boneheads. I know guys like Prpich were big crowd favorites, but I really like the culture of this team.

When is the last time UND has had a class with four defensemen like Ausmus, Stecher, LaDue, and Thompson?

Exactly. Elite talent on display in the O zone, but much much more. Great back checking by all forwards, shutdown D, and goose egg in goal. Chicago takes defensive responsibility very seriously, and you can tell Schmaltz is focusing on that.

sideways, no less. Smart

We've been talking about the CBS line, but Poganski has had a fantastic series so far. Mostly from hustle.

Hawks have three penalties to none and outshoot DU 19-3.

Great play by LJ

Agreed, Fetch. And not wanting to go down that road, but I'd like to add that we should be watching this special talent play whenever we can not because they might win a banner in April but because of what they show us night in and night out. Because it is the hockey we love and the way it can be played.

I'd say we got some calls last night.

I recall that very clearly. It's gotten to the point where opponents are giving all three of those guys space on the PP (and even 5 on 5), knowing each one of them can get out just about any one-man pressure and dish the puck. There's three guys who can maintain possession on the ice at one time (and two top notch Dmen behind them). Oshie and Toews could maintain possession, and Duncan could snipe, but those guys as a threesome could not maintain like these three. I'd say Toews could use his reach and skills to maintain better than any of them, but as a threesome I'll take CBS. Schmaltz is getting to look more like P Kane every game. There's a world of difference between D1 hockey and the NHL, I know, but he's certainly getting there. Of the three, Boeser might have the most to learn on defense, but they excel on D as well. As was the case with DOT, you better enjoy what you are seeing while you can, because this doesn't come around that often.

Got it. My bad.

I'd agree. And I'd also say that with the D we have, this is as talented a team as they have had in a long time. Goal is still under review.

I get what you feel, Barn, but I think you are missing Abe's point. He was basically channeling Shakespeare, whose Juliet said "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." It doesn't matter whether you call them Sioux or Hawks, they are the same hockey team--our team.

agree completely. Nice player for UND but definitely not NHL

is Gardner the new Gaarder?

That's a decent question, but if you want to make change, get votes on whatever board makes these decisions. I have no idea how that happens or whether it is even possible, but pairwise rankings are a rapidly changing dynamic and should have nothing to do with this political issue. It is true that schools like UND and Denver would put pressure on fan-bases like Wisconsin and, to a lesser degree, Minnesota, if UND boycotted those schools but I'm just not ready to boycott UW yet. And you can be very sure that the quality of plat in Big Ten schools will improve pretty quickly, even if there are no changes. When I was an undergrad, St. Cloud and Mankato didn't even have programs, and now they (SCSU at least) can compete at the highest level.

Not me.

UND hockey is great stuff, and the coaches and team represent the school well, but UND distinguishes itself by graduating people who serve their country by giving generously to charities, working to develop solutions to problems that plague the hungry and underrepresented, growing businesses that will support families, and, in general, improving the lives of others. Want UND to be associated with creativity? Teach your students or children to read and understand Yeats; design a software program or a widget that improves lives. Create art that people will respond to. What happens in the rink is something all of us on this site take a great deal of pleasure in, but its importance pales in comparison to the other work that is ongoing at UND. I understand that all of that is pretty obvious, but I think we sometimes place a little too much significance on this game. Because of who we are as hockey fans, we tend to see more of what comes out of Engelstad than we do what comes out of Merrifield or Leonard, but the world does not. And it shouldn't. This came out preachy and artificial, which is not at all what I intended. I don't see very many games at the Ralph anymore, but when I do I notice the cheers too and wince at some of them and wonder what kind of airhead could find them funny. But more inventive cheers will bubble up naturally, and the boorish ones will die if the students lose interest in them. And it's just a hockey game. Besides, bad cheers are just a therapeutic alternative to chanting over and over "F*ck the Gophers, F*ck the gophers," which is all that any hockey fan really needs to say.

I'll join that yzer. I am grateful that whether you call us Sioux or Hawks or Pinheads, UND will always deliver college hockey that is second to none. Along with other things that are more important.