Just noticed a lot of hand-wringing by the N-Dak faithful. The Sioux were just
exposed a little bit by a young talented team. N-Dak is still a very good team!
N-Dak Strengths: Forwards -- Parise & Murray are the real deal. It will be good to see Parise in the NHL next year. (if not sooner)
Depth: Four solid lines. Keep the "money line" together.
N-Dak Weaknesses: Yes, goaltending will no doubt be your achilles heel in the playoffs. Definitely start Jake Brandt. No-brainer in my opinion. A shorter bench with the defensemen will also help. Jones is a stud, but there seems to be a noticeable dropoff after the top 4. Smaby seems a little shaky at times, but a talented freshman.
As far as last night's game. It appears many were not able to see the game, I can tell you ZP's "goal" was not a goal. He re-directed the puck into the net with his skate.
The shots on goal differential was a result of style of play. The Badger's strengths are goaltending & defense with an opportunistic offense (Freshman Forwards). Bruckler simply made the first save with his defensemen taking care of the rest. Most N-Dak shots coming from outside the box where Bruckler had a clear view. You could see N-Dak's frustration rise as the game went on, with a lot extra stuff after the whistle.
Anyway, hope to see you guys at the Final Five. We look forward to more battles by two evenly matched teams.