Godsmack

https://letsgodu.com/2018/01/23/ralph-engelstad-arena-redesign-creates-a-lifestyle-destination/

Everyone needs to step off the ledge and go watch one of MafiaMan’s broom ball games....that’ll take your mind off UND Hockey and make you feel better about sports!

Nursing a 3 goal lead with 12 minutes to go, D man Adam Plant hustles out to the point and just went down and blocked an Omaha slap shot. That’s what I remember UND hockey from two seasons ago.

Maybe earlier in the season we were masking our deficiencies against lesser teams and now that we’re in the meat of conference play against some really tough competition, our deficiencies are more glaring.

I’m watching the DU game on tv and they have zone entries that are simply a work of art. UND seems to come through neutral ice too slowly whereas teams like Denver attack attack attack. Granted, this is against a not very good Omaha team but DU consistently has great zone entry. So glad I didn’t buy a ticket and drive all the way up to Maggot Arena to watch them get what will likely be their second consecutive shut out.

Not going to rag on Hennessy but he just mentioned that Duluth benefitted from a fluky goal but I’d argue that teams that hustle and out play their opponent will typically get those kinds of breaks.

When I heard the announcer say 32-12 in shots, that’s when I had to turn it off.

I can’t recall seeing a UND team look as discombobulated as that second period. Duluth has definitely gotten in their heads.

Anyone know if Cole O’Connell has committed anywhere yet? His dad was a helluva hockey player at GF Central and his uncle Timmy was a D man at UND and won a Natty.

Dumb penalty on Bast.

Kalamazoo is on my bucket list. I’m trying to see a game at every arena in the country. However, it gets expensive and time consuming so I only get to one or two trips a season. Hopefully next season when UND travels there!

http://www.uscho.com/2018/01/16/arizona-state-getting-details-finalized-announce-new-campus-rink/ ASU Head Coach Powers is quoted as saying the eventual plan is for ASU to play in a PAC 12 hockey conference....so if that’s the case, why in the world would the WCHA, or the NCHC for that matter, even consider inviting them to join knowing it’s not in ASU’s long-term plans to stick around?

Yah, CC’s next series is a trip to Kalamazoo. I write a weekly column on the Colorado College Hockey discussion page on FB and I’m dreading writing this week’s piece. CC’s players all looked about a head shorter than Duluth’s, it’ll be even worse against Western’s monsters.

I went to the CC/Duluth series this past weekend and what struck me was how freakin big the Duluth players are. I looked up their roster and I believe I counted about a dozen players who are over six feet tall and 200+ pounds. Yet, they’re fleet of foot and highly skilled.

Just read on uscho that Gornall is now with RPI.

CC’s top line is out-producing UND’s.

So proud of the team and the way they did it against a quality opponent!

BTW, I loved JJ’s responses in the Herald yesterday....first ever concert-Iron Maiden and walk up song if he were a baseball player-Here Comes the Boom by P.O.D. My respect for the guy just jumped even higher!

Does anyone have video highlights? My pops was at the game but would like to see replays of the goals.

Yah, it looked like our forward and their D man were tied up and the D man got pushed into the Western goalie. I thought it was the right call waiving off the goal. Unfortunate but the right call nonetheless.

MafiaMan, strike up the Simpsons pitch fork and fire gif!

Turn this into a positive kinda like the team from a few seasons back when they had that bad loss at home to St. Lawrence I believe, and went on a roll by playing much better hockey.

Sounds like Union came in playing with house money; no expectations that they’d be successful (at least from no one outside the Union locker room) and just went out and out-worked UND. Sometimes when we have bad losses like this, I wonder if all the plush accommodations of the Ralph work against the players?

Yes I noticed it too. This was my first weekend seeing him live and I commented to my wife how overly aggressive he appeared in his crease. He slides around a lot and he oftentimes rests on his pillows. Terry’s goal on Friday went upstairs and I wonder if he would’ve scored had Thome been standing up? Kid’s got a lot of natural talent but he seems raw at times and inexperienced compared to Johnson. Give Peter Thome a ton of credit though-the circumstances in which he was thrust into the starting position, talk about being thrown to the wolves. Kudos to Thome!

Two things: DU will come out H-A-R-D tonight. Based on Monty’s post-game comments last night, you can count on it. However, the pressure is also on DU tonight. Would UND love to get a sweep? -Of course. But UND is now playing with house money after getting points last night. DU and their faithful know that should they lose tonight, there will be a lot of finger pointing and doubt in that locker room. On the flip side, what a huge confidence booster for North Dakota-storming back from the dead against the defending champs and #1 team in the nation, in their own barn no less.