Dave Berger

When the Tigers were coming to town for the first round of the NCHC playoffs last month, I dropped a hint in my game preview that this could happen. Maybe I was too subtle... "The past two seasons have been the most trying of Scott Owens’ coaching career. After 13 winning campaigns behind the bench (299-185-43, .608), Owens’ teams have gone just 24-41-11 (.388) over the past two years. If Colorado College decides to retain their veteran coach, the cupboard is full. The Tigers have only four senior skaters on the roster, and those four have combined for just 17 of Colorado College’s 66 goals (25.8%) and 43 of CC’s 177 points (24.3%) this season. Only forward Alexander Krushelnyski (10-13-23) will be considered an offensive loss." Dave

In Frozen Four, A Rivalry Interrupted Is Rekindled Interesting article from the New York Times about the rivalry and Thursday's game. Great quotes from current and former players, coaches, and some guy named Dave Berger. Discuss. Dave

Thought this might fit here, too: The UND Hockey Family: How Former Players Stay Connected Great quotes here from Mitch Vig, Ryan Duncan, and Joe Gleason about what the North Dakota hockey program means to them. Discuss. Dave

The UND Hockey Family: How Former Players Stay Connected Some great quotes from former players here about how much the program means to them. Discuss. Dave

If Minnesota advances, this will be the only bright spot: with conference realignment, we won't be expected to "close ranks" around the Gophers like we were supposed to in the old WCHA. That was always tough for me. It has been nice to see the tweets this week from other NCHC schools. Miami has gone out of their way to express support for North Dakota. Here's an example from @MiamiOH_Hockey: Congratulations to @UNDMHockey on advancing to the Frozen Four. Great effort this weekend #NCHC Dave

North Dakota/Minnesota: A Hockey Rivalry Like No Other Discuss. Dave

I can pick two others. 1998 and 1999. I've got Frozen Four tickets in hand for both (Boston and Anaheim). This is in the days of the 12 team tournament, and UND secured a first-round bye both years. In other words, North Dakota was one victory away from the Frozen Four in both seasons. 1998 vs. Michigan in Ann Arbor. Came into the game with a record of 30-7-1. Michigan barely squeaked by Princeton 2-1 in the first round. Marty Turco makes a fantastic save on a North Dakota power play, and (Michigan captain) Matt Herr scores a shorthanded backbreaker at the other end. 4-3 final. Wolverines went on to win the title. Remarkably, the entire game is available here. I'm almost tempted to watch it again, and then throw up. 1999 vs. Boston College in Madison. Came into the game with a record of 32-5-2. Scoreless first period. Became a penalty fest (UND 10 penalties for 31 minutes, BC 4 penalties for 8 minutes). Tied 1-1 late in the second when the Eagles score. 2-1 all the way until a Gionta empty-netter with 11 seconds to go. Ugh. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Anaheim and Boston (particularly my double dip in the Harbor), but both trips could have (should have) been so much better.... Dave

This was well worth the read. Thanks for the share! Dave

Really, they'll miss Simpson and Rodwell. And the stability/peace of mind of having a proven backup goaltender (Saunders). The team won't miss Mitch MacMillan. That's just the honest truth. Dave

These look like four year totals to me. And I think Notre Dame has 92 over the past four seasons. Dave

UND's Edina Connection: From Brad Becker to Conner Gaarder Discuss. Dave

Funny you should mention this... here's today's article: UND's Edina Connection: From Brad Becker to Conner Gaarder Discuss. Dave

This is a great post, and I appreciate your comments. It's one of the things that I love about this fan forum, and when I write the word "discuss" after my links, I really mean it. Good, honest dialogue (and even disagreement) makes us all better and more knowledgeable hockey fans. I didn't intend for this article to be an "I told you so" moment, to be honest. I wanted to encourage everyone to look at the big picture and how, despite the changing college hockey landscape, Hakstol has achieved quite a bit. I have always said that great coaches need to be great in three areas: Recruiting Practice/player development Game planning/adjustments Despite the de-commits (and someone alluded to the fact that the coaching staff has mitigated this risk somewhat by recruiting in other areas), the talent continues to come to Grand Forks. I am amazed at this freshman class. Stecher, Thompson, LaDue, and Ausmus have played major minutes on the blueline, and without them we are not in the Frozen Four. And Luke Johnson could put up Frattin-type numbers if he stays and develops. No one questions how Hakstol develops players for the pros. Regrettably, I misspoke on Parise - definitely a Blais player - and I've corrected that in my article. But Travis Zajac was a freshman in Hakstol's first year, and Drew Stafford was a sophomore. There are plenty of examples of Hakstol helping players make it at the next level. They were Blais recruits, yes, but Hakstol had a hand in their development. In Hakstol's early years, he was getting out-coached in games. Jerry York had adjusted to the changing college game - the way it was officiated and the way that smaller, quicker forwards could pounce on mistakes and turnovers - and North Dakota's teams had not. I see growth and change in his coaching in the last three seasons, and that bodes well for the future. UND teams are more skilled on the back end, and that speaks both to recruiting and game planning. Lastly, I think the coaching staff has found the right balance between systems and creativity, and between hard work and a little bit of fun. It seems to be working this year. Admittedly, I didn't make this point very well in my article, but I still think that it's harder to win a title now. It has a bit to do with the field being expanded, but more to do with the fact that there isn't the same disparity between top teams and middle teams as there was twenty or thirty years ago. Goaltending has improved, game tape is available, and the talent pool is deeper than ever before. I know we focus on national titles (and rightly so, as we need to win one sooner rather than later), but for potential recruits, I believe that a track record of success like Hakstol has put together is more impressive than Scott Sandelin's in Duluth (for example), who has an NCAA championship (2011) but only one league playoff title and three NCAA tournament appearances (one Frozen Four) in the last decade. Would Sandelin have won a title here over the past ten years? Maybe. More than one? We'll never know. All we can do is look forward, and I am of the opinion that Hakstol's accomplishments and growth as a coach should afford him the opportunity to see this season's freshman class all the way through. That would take him to 2016-17, and if he hasn't won a title or been given a contract extension by then, we'll be having a far different conversation with one year remaining on his contract. The athletic department wouldn't want an unsettled situation, because that's a killer for recruiting. Discuss. Dave

I understand where you're coming from. I'll have an article coming out every day between now and next Thursday's game, but it's reality that this school of thought has been out there, and I wanted to encourage people to take the long view. After all, either one of UND's regional games could have easily gone the other way, and the conversation would be much different. Do you think a current UND player would have asked the sports information director if he could use the hashtag "#firehak" if it was just one poster on our message boards? I hope you enjoy today's article more than yesterday's, and thanks for reading! Dave

#firehak? Making A Case For Dave Hakstol Discuss. Dave

Does anyone have a guess as to which of the four programs will have the most support in Philly next Thursday? I'm really curious to see which team's fans make the most noise. And will the winner of the early game (Boston College vs. Union) cheer for North Dakota, thinking that they want the Gophers knocked out before the final? For what it's worth, here are the drive times to Philadelphia... From Grand Forks, ND (University of North Dakota): 23 hours From Minneapolis, MN (University of Minnesota): 19 hours From Chestnut Hill, MA (Boston College): 5.5 hours From Schenectady, NY (Union College): 4 hours Discuss. Dave

Lighten up, Francis, it's April Fool's. And the article did say "for the first time in its 34 year history....." In honor of the day, here are my Top 5 April Fool's columns. Dave

^ this. Once in a while, I'd like to see a pass from the half boards to the far point with a quick shot. Doesn't give defenders as much time to block lanes. The shot doesn't even have to be all that fast (in terms of mph), just quick. Dave

As a Wild fan, I'm pumped. Can't play in the playoffs this year but he's already ready already. And with Brodin, Dumba, Olofsson, Spurgeon, and Scandella, that's a nice group of young blueliners. Suter adds the veteran presence. Now Minnesota can look at dropping Heatley (addition by subtraction) and adding some punch up front and another goaltender. Shaping up to a be a good run for a few seasons. Dave

Hobey Baker committee adds Gothberg to list of finalists Discuss. Dave

Predicting the 2014 Hobey Hat Trick Discuss. Dave

Aside from winning a national title and hanging the ultimate banner, Hakstol has had an incredible run in his ten years behind the bench. In this thread, we discussed what the other measures of a successful season are. The unofficial results had these accomplishments as the top five: Winning the Penrose Cup (and formerly, the MacNaughton Cup) is the second most important achievement, and the 15 white banners hanging at REA speak to that - they're the same size as the green banners on the other side. It's a battle every weekend, and to come out on top says a lot about the team's season as a whole. Plus, when was the last time that the league champion from the WCHA (and now, the NCHC) missed the NCAAs? Colorado College in 1994? A Frozen Four appearance ranks highly for most of you. Can't win a national title if you're not one of the last four teams standing. Winning the postseason tournament (insert as-yet-unnamed trophy name here/Broadmoor Trophy): not only is this more hardware, and the year gets listed on the wall inside the Ralph, but it also secures a bid to the NCAA tournament, which is why I think it ranks more highly for many of you. Also, most of us have been there to watch several of these since the WCHA Final Five was in St. Paul for so many years. NCAA tournament appearance. It's nice to be there every year, and a streak of consecutive appearances is pretty impressive. The last time UND wasn't in the tournament field was in 2001-02. National runner-up/2nd place finish: the game is on ESPN, and a green banner is just one victory away. Of course, the "kicked in the gut" feeling is never fun when the season comes up just short, but there's something about being one of the last two teams standing, especially if the game goes to overtime. And after that, the following items were ranked in this order: Producing a Hobey Baker Award winner Making the NCHC Frozen Faceoff (formerly WCHA Final Five) Advancing to the NCAA regional final (winning at least one game in the national tournament) Securing home ice for the first round of the league playoffs Winning at least 20 games in a season And here's how Hak has fared in those categories (remember, he's in his 10th season) #1: WCHA/NCHC regular season championships: 2 (2009, 2011) #2: NCAA Frozen Fours: 6 (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2014) #3: WCHA/NCHC playoff championships 4 (2006, 2010, 2011, 2012) #4: NCAA tournament appearances: 10 consecutive seasons #5: NCAA title game appearances: 1 (2005) #6:Hobey Baker awards: 1 (Ryan Duncan, 2007) #7: WCHA Final Five/NCHC Frozen Faceoff appearances: 10 consecutive seasons #8: NCAA regional final appearances: 8 (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014) #9: WCHA/NCHC first round home ice series: 10 consecutive seasons #10: 20 win seasons: 10 (combined record of 260-132-40, .648)

A great quote from the post-game presser last night: As the players (Gothberg, Simpson, and Gaarder) were dismissed from the press conference, Hakstol looks up at Conner Gaarder and says, "Gaardy, bus will leave when you say it leaves." Dave

I'm one behind you, then. I had Denver and Notre Dame winning yesterday. Who's in your Frozen Four? Dave

Brad Schlossman (@SchlossmanGF) on Twitter: Dillon Simpson blocked 6 shots tonight and now leads the nation with 107 blocks this season. Dave