brianvf

And Senden won the NCHC Sportsmanship Award too. Congrats to Berry, Ford, Frisch, and Senden!

https://www.grandforksherald.com/sports/und-hockey/connor-ford-says-high-stakes-games-are-the-promise-that-north-dakota-brings?fbclid=IwAR18ubosdTUOdrmVCf7Y7FkxQmrsS8wkJCMoS7xWkYplhqiSgw-Ajznyjtk

Zero? Man, I'd say that's pretty far off. Many on this forum (and elsewhere) expected this team to be decent...maybe not title contenders due to all their losses, but certainly not .500 or less. That's easy to pick the last Sioux team to overcome a big roster turnover and dealt with a ton of injuries. The 2011/12 team, no question. The season before 2010/11 was one of the best recent Sioux teams (Frattin's senior year) that was a favorite to win the title before the little goalie from Michigan stole a game from them in the regional final. That offseason, they lost Hextall, Marto, Malone, Frattin, Trupp, Davidson, Cichy, Genoway, and LaPoint. Entering the 11/12 season, UND's star recruit Grimaldi was injured and only played 4 games all season. By New Year's they were barely a .500 team. Then the injuries starting piling up and they played most games in the 2nd half without even a full roster, but still went on a run to win the Final Five (Timeout Game, anyone?). They ended up falling in the regional final.

https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2022/03/snapshots-kubalik-giordano-sanderson.html#comments

Geez, didn't he hit like 3 pipes himself in that UMD regional game last year? Man, he took that game over.

I'd love to be able to make it again to this event. Maybe next year...it's a bit longer travel from AZ compared to when I lived in GF in my younger days.

It's like when Chay Genoway got injured and missed a ton of games (forget which season) and everyone posted nonstop in the Schloss game chats asking when he was returning. For like two seasons after that, I jokingly commented on those game chats asking Schloss for a Genoway injury update.

Was that on here? Or elsewhere? My comments are more in jest (I was a sarcasm major) and maybe wishing he'd stick around one more year (we can dream, right?). I think his commitment to this team was evident in the video showing what caused the injury against CC. You can see him diving across the crease into a pile of skates and players to try to keep the tying goal out of the net. Someone posted it on Twitter. I think that speaks to his level of commitment to this team, for sure.

I wouldn't say he's injury prone, but his lack of luck (or whatever you want to call it) is crazy this season. Three separate unrelated injuries and an illness in one 30(ish) game season. As I said earlier, I'm more just bummed that we missed out on seeing him on the ice more in his final season in a UND sweater. He's a special talent...it's rare that those players choose college hockey and even more rare that we see them for our home team.

Yeah, the NHL has a few professionals as well, I've heard. Sounds like he might want to stay away from them for at least another year and toughen up in the NCHC. The kid has massive talent and it's evident every time he hits the ice. I just wish we could have seen him on the ice more this season.

It'll be exciting in a couple years when Gaber is a strong candidate for the award.

And with Covid.

He's gone for sure. The Sens GM (?) tweeted that he would be in Ottawa the second that UND's season was over.

I know he's not coming back for another year...but geez if he's injured this frequently playing against collegiate athletes, what's going to happen when he's playing against bigger/stronger/faster players in the NHL?

Oh for sure. When you miss half the season (or more), it's easy to be excluded from awards. Just shows how great UND did in his absence that they were still successful despite him missing so many games. Now we just have to hope he's not injured again...

Yeah the Richter award.

Best player in college hockey wasn't even in the Top 10. Huge snub.

Kid can't catch a break this season. The team has done well without him this season, but it's hard to replace his skill on the ice for sure. That said, it's playoff hockey. Wrap it in gauze and get out on the ice.

I didn't realize that LetsGoDU was still around.

Resembles their non-conference schedule from this year. They didn't play a single NC opponent that will make it in the NCAA tourney field.

On the flip side, I played around with it a little, and the lowest I could get UND (if they lose the first game to WMU), is #8 in the PWR. Maybe there's other arrangements that get them lower. I could get them as high as #3 and as low as #8.

Yeah that took me a second to figure out. Not as intuitive as years past.

Especially since Michigan will have a bye for game one, they'd be rested. Mel already sent the email...two games in two days is just too much for his squad. Want to avoid their regional for sure.

I feel like that is bound to happen no matter the outcome of the games this upcoming weekend.

There it is. Alright, how can we get UND to a #1 seed?