redwing77

Like I said, I'm not worried by the loss in the slightest. I'm worried about our passengers being on the PP while the short handed team scores...twice. THAT is not good.

It's a plan that would work against a team like Minnesota (sorry Gopher fans, but your D suck this year in their own zone). However, UW has never been passengers in their own zone that I can remember.

In some ways, they remind me of the Cubs. They blow away the field in the first half of the year, build a great lead, and then sluff off. Now, I don't know if the Bruins have locked up a postseason berth (clinched, as they say) regardless of their position or record from here on out, but when the Cubs clinched the NL Central, they simply sluffed off and then failed to show up at all for the second year in a row in the postseason. What will the Bruins do?

I didn't get a chance to listen to the game, but I looked over what the circumstances were for the scores tonight and I have only this to say: When a team who is down a man scores two goals on you while down a man you have to sit back and reevaluate the PP. It shouldn't be that hard to figure out who has the upper hand in those situations. Simply unacceptable. Every UND player on the ice for those two shorties, regardless of how well Stepan had been playing shorthanded should feel ashamed of themselves for allowing 4 skaters to out play them OFFENSIVELY. Just to clarify, I'm not hard on a PP that fails to score. They say a PP that scores around 30% of the time is a very good powerplay. That means 70% of the time they don't. I'm saying that a good PP team, even when they fail to score, is good enough to not allow the short handed team to score. It happens on occasion, but twice in a game? REALLY? How sad. Simply unacceptable. Losses happen, so I'm not too concerned about dropping the game itself. I'd still say this if we won 3-2. I'd say it about UW if we were the ones scoring twice shorthanded in the game. It is simply the mark of a truly terrible PP squad. Now, this isn't a regular occurance so it may be anomalous, but I seriously would be hopping mad over it if I were Hakstol. Oh, and if it was all Stepan, then know this: 1 player just beat 5 skaters and a goalie...TWICE. That makes it even worse. END RANT

Heh. I was going to say: "Whatta ya think of em now!" Bah. I still think Finley should be benched, Eidsness only plays because he's drafted, and Hakstol should have been fired months ago.

I dunno. I think the main difference is that we seem to sluff off a bit at the beginning of the season whereas the opposite is true for them.

I love the idea of the Fighting Ojibwe. By the way, how is that spelled? I've seen it spelled Ojibwe, Ojibwa, and Ojibway before. All of them accepted enough to put on the cover of non-fiction books.

He'll go to CC

I am indeed curious as to where Oshie was ranked prior to the draft. I don't remember where that was at all.

I agree with Goon. I know we are used to big, mean, physical defensemen tearing people up, but I also know that they aren't worth a damn if they're continuously going to the box for their big hits. Remember this: Wasn't Commodore in the dog house for much of his freshman year because of this? Greene, at one point, was told that if he got another penalty, he'd sit the rest of the game. IIRC it was in Mankato. He got the penalty, skated to the lockerroom and intended to stay there. The official made him sit the penalty, to which he returned to the bench and stayed there until intermission. I don't recall what period that was in or if he played the rest of the game. Smaby got bashed here on occasion for untimely penalties too. At one point, posters called for him to be benched. Actually, I think Greene was also being called for benching at one point or another. So, when they left college, what happens? Posters, many of them the ones calling them out, pine for another just like them. Really. Looks like Finley did just fine.

That logo would only work if the feathers were removed.

I think Brad Schlossman was right on during the game. VV and Zajac's lines were amazing today. Kozek was all over the place. Malone was a one man wrecking crew out there. However, there was a point where Malone powered through the CC D and made a run with the puck to get a great scoring chance. I think Malone needs to develop this more. He seems to be pretty fast for a kid his size and very much a power forward. He needs to learn how to use that to his advantage at this level. It's odd this year special teams wise. We go from atrocious PP to ok to pretty good PP and back to atrocious. Our PK, imo, has regressed. It started out ok, then got really really good, and now is starting to slip back down into crapsville. It's not crap yet, but it's slipping. THAT worries me, especially with WCHA officiating being as inconsistent (and incompetent) as it has been.

He didn't look too comfortable out there. Especially in the first period. He didn't play poorly, but he wasn't nearly as effective. I'm saying I'd rather have a healthy Miller for the playoffs and have him miss out on Madison than have him in Madison and potentially miss the playoffs.

That's my point too. I wouldn't say that we're failing, but we didn't exactly play well with the lead.

I wish the season ended today. I like our bracket. ND is the only team in that bracket that really would give us trouble. Yale can't keep up with our speed. Air Force will be a non-factor (though I'd LOVE for them to knock off ND). Not sure which bracket would be considered the easiest path to the FF. Perhaps MN. DU could beat anyone in that bracket. Northeastern would give them the most trouble, but that's about it.

I'm guessing #7... only because someone said it in the UND vs. CC Sunday Game thread.

I was told that it comes from Gopher fans. They always are trying to do what Minnesota is trying to do but not doing it very well. They then turn to the jealous younger sister, if you will... Hence Jan Brady State. Others might know it better. But that's what I was told.

I say win Game 1 and then rest every banged up player we can in game two. Oh and Miller looked like he was playing hurt. Team first, Miller. He takes a weekend off if things look the same next week.

True enough. Just seemed like we eked out the win today by getting lucky.

My two game headlines and sub-headlines: Saturday: UND EKES OUT TIE: Plays well at times but CC almost edges Sioux anyways Sunday: UND ESCAPES WITH WIN: Zajac OT goal edges Tigers Seriously, Eidsness was huge, but my Sunday POTG is Zajac. He had a huge weekend even though Hextall out scored him. Folks, if TH is right and this is what playoff hockey is truly going to be like we're in trouble. They converted on nearly 35% of their PP and they were something like 2 for 6 today. That doesn't look too bad, but 2 of their PPs were negated by CC penalties. That's awful. We don't shoot enough on the powerplay when we do have them, even though Brad Schlossman is correct that you can't just blast away if you don't have a lane. HOWEVER, if you pass yourselves into the next century, you'll get your first shot in the closing seconds of the PP if at all. You RARELY score goals off the pass. Passes can set up goals, but you have to shoot the puck to score. This is the second week in a row that we've looked dominant one minute and atrocious the next. Also, 2nd periods have been just brutal. Need to fix that. FAST. Good win, but not very satisfying to me.

I'm almost willing to say that Lou will let Elias go before he lets Zach go.

CC looked really good today. Their PP was VERY solid. Our PK was shoddy. Our PP was scary.... BAD. I was about ready to start yelling "Shoot!" every 3 seconds when TH said "The Sioux enter the CC zone." Seriously... shoot the puck. Cycling is ok as long as it leads to a shot. We were cycling so much that CC basically allowed it to become a 9 man on the ice PK unit. BE was good. He didn't give up much for the goals that were allowed. I just wished we played as well with the lead as we did with the game tied or when we were down a goal. Hextall did great. I was really impressed with Malone too. Didn't score, but was certainly all over the ice. Genoway pulled a Hextall at one point. Good for him. Not too happy with only 1 point but relieved that we didn't lose.

What the EFF? Who's fault is it that Wheeler was drafted #5 overall? It's UND's fault! DUH! Everything that goes wrong in the WCHA is UND's fault! What rock have you been hiding under? I ate crow on Wheeler. Up until this season, I thought he was Gretzky's version of Alexandre Daigle (first round talent taken WAY TOO EARLY). His rookie season has been remarkable. I don't know if he'll bring home the Calder, but he does deserve consideration for it.

Sorry. That's what I meant. Not the play in game.

Toews had another waved off. It was a good call by the official. And Huet has sieved out. 3 of 4 goals were of the "How did he not make the save?" variety.