siouxfan512

Its easy to look at incoming players and think, "we are going to have some serious skill". It's kind of like signing day for college football or the NFL draft .... We're all excited for the shiny new toys that are going to bring home the hardware. Of course, there are never any guarantees .... Cichy, Hoff, Wilkie; but if you look at the whole of that list and think we have 4 guys that could potentially come in the same year, all putting up that kind of production (and there is some great company on that list) it is tough not to be excited. Especially given what UND is returning. No guarantees in college hockey, as has previously been discussed with SCSU's let down season, but I'll admit I am pretty hopeful and pretty positive on our chances next year. We had a rough stretch for a few year in missing the tourney and the Covid year where we had a team that had almost no NCAA tourney experience, which seems almost impossible with this program. Hopefully this team is rebuilding to being that contender that is not only in tourney every year, but a legitimate Frozen Four contender ever year (even as a lower seed). NCAA tourney experience definitely helps, and I think you could see that as a factor in the DU/Mankato game. Looking forward to seeing a final roster and hoping that some of these new kids can really hit the ground running at UND. Winning another title would be fun, but winning a couple would be great!

Absolutely! There were a lot of dumb penalties at dumb times. Those were just a few that stood out to me.

Bummer. The kid had some potential. If I recall we were excited to get him when he was recruited, and if think back I want to say he had an offer from a little school called Cornell (maybe you've heard of it) which certainly would have been a nice route to go from and education standpoint. It will be interesting to see where he lands.

Go Mavs! Would love to see them get a title. Especially over DU.

The player I want to see play smarter next year is Jandric. Maybe I'm being petty, but I go back to two points on the season with him. The spearing call against SCSU, which was obvious and deliberate. That is the kind of crap I hate seeing in hockey, especially from UND. When I saw it I was actually hoping he would get 5 and the game because I hate that kind of stuff. Glad it was called the right way. Then there was the penalty in OT against Notre Dame. Have to use your head a bit and consider the timing of the game. I'm not going to put it all on him and say that cost us the game, but it certainly didn't help us.

I think it was also pointed out that some of his limited offense was due to him having to cover a lot for a younger more offensive minded defenseman. Depending who you pair him with, may he will have a little more opportunity to contribute on the stat sheet.

Absolutely! The portal shouldn't be our primary source of getting players, but it is there, and there will always be some talent out there. Fortunately, UND is a perennial power with top notch facilities and is a nice landing spot for top transfers who are looking for a new home. When we need to fill some spots, it will be a good tool. Is it October yet? The team we have, the players we are returning, the new players that are coming and the other teams that are turning over; UND could be poised for a pretty strong season. Definite contenders to win the NCHC again. Hopefully a team that can win another championship; but I'd really like to see us back at the Frozen Four on a fairly regular basis. That was definitely the fun part with the Hak years, was you always had a great chance to at least get to the FF. Berry has had some unfortunate losses (The BU BS, The UMD Game, and of course Covid ending one of our best teams in recent years). Time to get it done next season! Really hoping to see some freshman contribute with nice numbers.

What a baller!

Agree and disagree with some of the different points you make. It's always nice to see conference rivals go through some of the same pain points as you. Even when it was the Gophers; you didn't want to see them dominate, but you didn't want to see them as bottom feeders either. Not as fun to beat a terrible rival team. B1G will certainly have its share of success, but to say they will dominate hockey ... I'm not buying it yet. They may have a strong team or two, maybe even 3 on a good year, but I don't see them getting 5 teams in the tourney on a regular basis. Here is the problem with loading up with Blue Chippahs ... it isn't sustainable for anyone. Michigan brought in a absolutely ridiculous freshman class, who will likely all be gone next season. Nobody can restock that many 1st rounders every single year. College teams need to be balanced. Blue chip guys are great, but they need to be surrounded by playmakers and grinders as well. Always good to have a shut down line. It isn't always getting the best high end guys, but the right combination. That being said, only time will tell.

Is it hockey season yet? No, the rest of this season doesn't count if UND is playing .... Is it real hockey season yet? .... seriously, I was talking with my wife about all of the crazy good teams UND has had since like 2003, and only 1 championship is so frustrating. Would be great to see this program go get a couple within a handful of years ... it has certainly been done. That being said, I'll be happy just to see us get back to the Frozen Four on a regular basis. Go back to the Hak days and it seemed like we were there every year. I know we weren't, but wow, that was a great stretch of tournament hockey for this program. Can't wait for next season!

Only after they sneak Pionk onto the ice and send him barreling into Driscoll.

ok Fanti is playing ridiculous.

always!

Yep, if we score more goals than whoever we play, I think we will have a good chance to win.

Shocker, Mottau just picked Notre Dame to beat us. Now of course this could happen, and UND team isn't as dominant as some years, but there is plenty of talent. Pretty sure Mottau would pick a Jamaican HS hockey team to beat UND; the guy is just that predictable. UND is 8-2 in the last 10, and if they show up, they can beat anyone. Hopefully the boys are ready to got from the puck drop tonight!

Anyone know which teams will be there watching?

FWIW, I wasn't saying he should be fired. When this conversation started, we were discussing whether or not Sather should be extended. As mentioned, I'm not a huge basketball guy, so I'll listen to what most of you have to say. Though I know it has been stated that everyone is dealing with transfer portal issues, we seem to be the ones at the bottom of the league. The other Dakota schools seem to be competing within the Summit just fine. If we keep losing our top guys after just one year, maybe we have a flaw in our recruiting process. I do get the budget conversation more. Money can certainly play a factor here in terms of who we hire and what we provide the athletes (though the accommodations give to athletes these days are beyond ridiculous, to then have kids still not satisfied and looking for better. So many of these athletes have turned into entitled whiny babies - I think they often forget they get the opportunity to play a college sport and get an education.) Serious question though ... what do you think a realistic timeline is for a rebuild? I always though that was one of the benefits of college programs, is that if a new coach comes in, he has the potential to be successful and start showing improvement within 3-4 years. At that point he has recruited, developed and coach all of his own players. Of course that is assuming there haven't been a bunch of issues within that rebuild. Sather has had some time to start that process and has brought some nice talent in, only to see it walk out the door. So is that a product of he coaching of the kids, managing of the team, recruiting the wrong players? Can it really all be attributed to bad luck? Seems like a combo of bad luck and bad decisions, but I could be wrong. So a follow up to my last questions; How much more time should Sather be given to show some sort of progress with this rebuild? If you look at where this team is, we only seem to be moving backwards. Given were we are right now (with a lot of rebuilding left to go); can Sather turn it around in 1 more year? Does he get an extension for another 3-4 years to try to keep that rebuild going? That seems like a risky gamble for a guy who hasn't exactly made any progress year over year. I'm completely open to the opinion that Sather should stay and get extended and is doing the right things, just looking for a little more context ..... Why? How long should he get? What is he doing right to justify it? What does he need to fix that he has yet to show and progress towards being competitive?

I won't say Sather should got immediately, because again, I'm not the best person when it comes to basketball. But what has he done to deserve a few more years. Glad to eat crow if I'm wrong, just doesn't seem like he has built anything and really moved the program forward since he has been here.

It went to UND's committee factories. I'm guess a committee was needed to decide if we should hand out extensions to some of these coaches. UND loves its committees. FWIW, I'm not crazy about the idea of extending Bubba yet, but he has earned it far more than Sather. To me, the most impressive thing Sather has done is make Brian Jones look like a decent coach.

Have to say I haven't followed UND basketball closely since Hooker and Crandell were playing. Anytime we seem to get a guy with some potential, we can't hold on to him. Is this a product of coaching, lack of team success, transfer rules, a combo? FWIW I know transfer rules don't help, but seems to be hurting UND more than the other Dakota schools, so I'm not sure that is the most valid reason. Enjoy the 1 year we get of Eaglestaff, because unless he comes in an is magically surrounded by talent, I can't see him or anyone else wanting to stay. There seems to be a major lack of culture within the program. There seems to be an ongoing discussion around football as to if the program is in the right place and how do we get more talent, how do we become competitive every year. Football seems to be a non-issue compared to basketball. Just seems like this entire program has been circling the drain for a little while now. Then again, I'm no great basketball mind. Maybe I'm way off base, but a 6-25 team (2-16 conf) losing Bruns doesn't get me overly excited for what is to come. Open to thoughts and opinions from people who are more in the know with basketball and this program.

I heard some guy say something once about not always having the best players, but having the right ones. I think he was an okay hockey guy too.

Can Tommy throw it that far?

Sounds like it really came together when they put this top line together too.

Wish I had taken my son out of school to watch this one; he's a PL mite. Go Lakers!

I heard that as well, but I haven't seen his name on the Wiki. What position does he play?