Dave Berger

The other thing to keep in mind is that both Johnny and his younger brother Matthew (a freshman on this year's Eagles squad) committed to the same school on purpose. Not sure if that outweighs the other factors, but he's got to at least consider playing with his younger bro for one more year. Dave

For Both Minnesota And North Dakota, The Future Is Bright Discuss. Dave

For Both Minnesota And North Dakota, The Future Is Bright Discuss. Dave

Maybe this has been discussed before, but since there are only four teams left playing, who are the early departure risks for each of them? For North Dakota, I've got Rocco Grimaldi and Jordan Schmaltz both at <10% chance of leaving. Everybody else would be a complete shock. Any idea about Minnesota, BC, or Union? Dave

From this article: Minnesota/North Dakota: A Hockey Rivalry Like No Other Wisconsin joined the WCHA in 1969 and was a part of some of the most intense extra-curricular activities in UND hockey history – the pre-game brawl, the water bottle incident, and the line brawl in Madison. Dave

I need some more dice. Dave

This is what I loved about Brandon Bochenski. Shot all the time but was always on target. I think I counted him miss the net four times total in his three seasons at North Dakota. Dave

Ha ha, good call! Dave

The University of Minnesota has 21 Minnesotans on their current roster. The other four are from Colorado (Tom Serratore), Florida (Gabe Guertler), Missouri (Sam Warning), and Wisconsin (captain Nate Condon). The University of North Dakota has 3 North Dakotans on their current roster. Luke Johnson and Paul LaDue are from Grand Forks, and Keaton Thompson is from Devils Lake. UND has only four Minnesotans, the lowest total in recent memory. Two are Twin Cities kids: Conner Gaarder (Edina) and Nick Mattson (Chanhassen). Zane Gothberg hails from Thief River Falls, and Gage Ausmus is from right across the river in East Grand Forks. Minnesota population (2013 estimate): 5,420,000 North Dakota population (2013 estimate): 723,000 Discuss. Dave

So after all of those years of making such a big deal about recruiting only in state (and being "Minnesota's Pride On Ice"), now the Gophers are "America's Team"? I don't think it works that way. You're not the Cowboys. Come to think of it, can North Dakota be #NorthAmerica'sTeam since Thomas Vanek played at Minnesota? Dave

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