Brett0909

I won’t keep belaboring my disbelief with the “some teams just have all the luck” crowd (and we’d be great / competing for championships if only we weren’t so damn unlucky every single year). What I saw? DU was composed and confident throughout. Psychologically they were rock solid even under intense pressure. Their goalie and team D bought in and made the right decisions in nearly every play, with no major breakdowns. They had a game plan and executed it. They showed up repeatedly in OT through the FF and when the game was on the line, even against greater talent. They got some luck, but played well enough to capitalize on it and/or overcome the bad bounces. They quoted you go to DU to win championships and I believed they believed. Felt the same under Sandelin for a while. This seems to be the contrast to UND teams lately..it feels like they don’t believe, and need things to go their way or else they start to break (not bend). I know many of us fans don’t believe right now. Players under Hakstol talked about believing in the curse of getting over the FF hump, so you know players pay attention. Some coaches get their team to believe and others don’t. I honestly wonder at this point if Berry and the staff believes they will win or if they’re trying to play not to lose? Just speculation and I’m sure it’s a lot more complicated than that, but whatever a “winning culture” is.. Anyway, kudos to DU and congrats on bringing home another title to the NCHC. May you lose all your top players and have a down year in 2024.

Wellness check time for Bucci. Sounded like someone kicked his puppy the longer it went and his superstars didn’t score..

Respectfully disagree (in part), but it’s cool that we have both sides of the debate here. If we were to talk to the other teams fans or coaches in all those same games, or take off our green-tinted glasses, they’d point out their own bad luck/bounces and be just as right (several waived off goals, their own key injuries, things that came to light after the season ended, TWO empty netters to tie it, UND having home ice and/or crowd advantage, talent, facilities, resources, all the bad calls or breaks other end that we didn’t notice because that’s how sports go, etc.). Cherry picking the things that weren’t perfect for UND and connecting that to defend the ongoing string of losses can mostly be chalked up to we were unlucky a lot continues to imply these things are just happening to one team. They happen on both sides, but are now a TREND for UND, not a bad luck bounce. I can almost guarantee Berry and the staff aren’t sitting around moaning about 8 years of bad bounces that always go against them (and if they are, count me in the fire Berry crowd). Michigan came out FLAT. UND had an incredible opportunity to capitalize for a big chunk of that game, against a team that even when they’re not flat, aren’t a world-beater by any stretch. And in my book, had the easiest 1 seed to go through this year, despite blowing the end of the season and a home crowd and #1 seed that were almost guarantees at one point. But they managed again to find a way to lose, instead of win. UMD, Notre Dame, etc. as have been pointed out…we had more than our share of breaks. BU? Well, that one just flat out sucked and UND was as close to deserving a win in a game they lost there as I’ve seen. Would have been the best game/crowd atmosphere I’d ever been to if a bounce went the other way, and I’m onboard with that just being an unlucky one. BU would argue playing in Fargo in front of a packed and RABID UND fan base when they were the higher seed was pretty unlucky I bet, and no doubt influenced their play. I’m not sure what the answer is here, but do believe the coaching staff has to figure something out vs “have better luck next year”. And I’m also pretty sure (and hope) they would say the same thing.

It’s always going to be “something”, right? Every NCAA tourney on this streak of losing can be picked apart and excuses made for why UND just had “bad luck”. Yes, some luck’s required at times to win it all…and most of these teams have been competitive, making for some close games at least. But despite their seeding, makeup, etc. for nearly a decade they’ve all been in the position that they needed bounces to go their way and couldn’t overcome any that went against them. You’re not going to win many postseason games (and certainly not four in a row) when every game is dependent on things going your way vs. controlling. And we can’t make the same “bad luck” excuse year after year; turns out all the other teams winning or losing all play the same game and face the same bounces. You need to dominate a few games, dig deep in others (winners find a way to win), AND likely get a little puck luck at the right time. Some teams right now have it..and UND clearly doesn’t. This isn’t doom and gloom from me, we’ll all be hoping they figure it out next year. It’s just hard to hear the bad luck excuses year after year as if every other team just gets lucky in their wins. Most on here would be making fun of any of our rival fan bases making excuses every year about being the better team but losing because of luck. I’d like to think we’re better than making those same excuses. UND hasn’t been good enough to win without luck, for whatever reason…and winning the luck-battle isn’t a great strategy. Hopefully they figure it out soon.

All goalies will give up a few…felt his bad game was just at the worst time. He won the Richter and was UND’s all-time leader in career goals against and save percentage after all…I guess in my book that makes him pretty good.

While I can enjoy this as much as anyone here…really sucks we’re relegated to celebrating other teams losing, especially Gofers only winning one game in the tourney after back to back frozen fours and a championship appearance - while we’ve continued the losing streak or not even making it. I don’t think I’ll be getting in their face anytime soon about Motzko not getting it done, at least until Brad can prove he can win any games again in March or April.

My bad, I was thinking of McIntyre who was great all season…until those softies to BU.

I get it. And don’t disagree that the extremes of the argument on both sides get ridiculous and tiring. My guess is you feel the need to over-index on defending the team to balance out all the negative crap; I appreciate that and am sure it gets old for you too. Last point on the concocted blame (bubs magic whisperings). I can tell when my car, appliance, etc isn’t performing when I need it to. I may not know why, but that shouldn’t be required of me as a consumer. It’s up to the engineer to figure out and address if they want my business. Fans are just trying to rationalize why the postseason result is SO consistently not matching the expectation. To argue the opposite side and defend as if a coach has no say in this ( parity, prep/strategy, game/psychological readiness, culture, etc) implies that the best coaches out there really don’t do anything differently than the good. I don’t agree; even if I don’t have access and/or expertise to tell you the difference.

Both? It’s on Berry to ultimately build and coach a squad to go out and win; something that we haven’t seen much at all of, in the playoffs for nearly a decade. Passionate fan loyalty and dedication is earned. And while it’s great to have thousands of fans supporting you wherever you go, giving you and the athletes travel destination opp’s and taking away much of their home advantage even when you're on the road, fans don’t OWE you that. Keeping in mind many fans have spent thousands of dollars lately to support the team only to routinely see them lose (destinations, NCHC and NCAA tourney), often in very lackluster fashion and when they were the better team on paper…you can’t really fault them for some pessimism or frustration in my book. I also don’t think the teams owes fans wins, or that it’s realistic to not lose. But you can’t have it both ways. Analytically, I’d love to see UND’s record in the post-season vs expectation (KRACH or similar), under Berry. I could be wrong, but I expect it would show drastic underperformance vs expectation, which is what many fans struggle to understand. Most people I’ve talked to just expect UND to lose today, because that’s what keeps happening. I’m still holding out hope and like the bracket overall, but if I’m honest and had to bet my house one way or the other..I’d have to take the underdog in this one. Hopefully Berry and the boys can prove the naysayers wrong and start winning the games that matter. I’ll be cheering (and possibly some griping) for the team for as many games as they have this year and beyond, regardless.

Thank you for taking the time to compile these updates; really appreciate it!

Normally I’m focused on UND, but I think this week will be a really interesting tell for Mankato’s season. I expected it to be a dumpster fire after the offseason exodus, but sweeping St. Cloud and being swept by a likely pretty good UMass team isn’t too bad of a start. Of course, St. Cloud is looking so far like they may be pretty bad, definitely the outlier dragging down the NCHC’s OOC record. Have to think it would be pretty huge for the Purple Cows confidence to have a good showing. I’m actually rooting for Mankato to find success this year after how Hastings handled things…just not this weekend. Sweep!

Not at all. I (and everyone here) fully acknowledge YOU choose not to consider it a rivalry. And some others do too. Good on you, that’s your choice. The difference is you continue telling everyone else that it’s not a rivalry or they’re wrong to consider it a rivalry. In spite of the team, most of the fan base, and objective measures like ticket demand disagreeing.

Two top teams with a ton of speed, I thought UND managed to stay very disciplined and surprisingly structured (given all the roster turnover). Only taking two penalties, and one of those being a clear even-up, is a huge improvement over the chasing, reaching, and panic penalties that plagued the team last year. Talk about a fun start to the season. I can’t fully argue that there’s some gamesmanship going on with Blake making sure the refs see he’s being tripped or hooked. They were all good calls in my eyes, but suspect he could’ve skated through one or two..but while I thought the refs missed a few overall, I appreciated them letting the guys play on both sides…each team had some collisions with goalies, etc but they kept the game under control. Also have to say I wasn’t sure what to make out of the coaching decisions on roster last year and heading into this. Great to see the team is just getting to work and aren’t nearly as worried as I was!

First thought was man, I miss Pinto…we were lucky to have him for a couple years and great to see him still repping UND…get that guy the contract he deserves! Followed quickly by…don’t let siouxkid see this or he’ll be calling Shane up to make sure to correct him that it’s not a rivalry. (Tongue in cheek my man, but maybe try to limit the telling everyone else whether they should consider it a rivalry or not). We all miss what it once was, but most still consider it a big one.

Transfer portal seems the most likely for remaining 2+ D needs, but given the limited pool (would have to knock it out of the park on all remaining)…one variable I haven’t heard being talked about is could the coaches be exploring a freshman or two also? Not sure there’s much uncommitted talent out there who would be more college-ready than someone like Strathmann, but a flip could be exciting. Preferably not a depth over-ager somewhere…any thoughts on possible targets?

Have to think 5th place finish is most likely hope. Who do we want for the 4 seed matchup, playing in their barn? I have to think Omaha, although we’d get whoever plays worst down the stretch which is okay. If it was neutral, I’d likely take the clowns, but don’t really want them on the Olympic sheet. Really don’t want to play in Lawson and WMU is scary, and I’d be shocked if DU isn’t the 1-seed (not that I’d want them for the matchup).

Just one perspective… 1) I’m frustrated, scratching my head at this season, and wondering where the blame should be. Like most. 2) I’m disappointed we’re not winning more of the big recruiting battles. Like everyone. Add a Fantilli or a Cooley to this team and look out. 3) This team loses games they should win and while they’ve looked bad at times and inconsistent, they’ve looked electric at times. Part of my frustration is I (and they) know they’re better than their record. 4) Goaltending. If it was even average, this team would still be locked into the NCAAs and have a chance against anyone. They’d likely have confidence they can hold leads and not be holding the sticks so tight, playing to not lose instead of win. Has to be frustrating and demoralizing playing knowing your backbone is unlikely to bail you out when you need a big save. 5) “Who’s better than Berry then, huh?” Lots of coaches based on what I prefer to see (elite recruiting, speed, exciting style). Refer to NHL, AHL, those picked for WJCs over him, and top NCAA coaches (I’d say Motzko, Carlisle, Pat…WMU’s(not going to try to spell from memory right now) etc). I’m sure Berry doesn’t think he’s the best at everything, but he does epitomize what UND coaching is about. Both good and bad. And with a proven track record of great regular seasons and disappointing exits. Are there better fits for what UND needs that they could feasibly land? I’m not sure, have to weigh the trade-offs. And I wouldn’t be at all surprised for Berry to have a great rebound season next year. He’s earned the right to prove this season and the early tourney exits are the anomaly’s in my book (and no doubt in the AD’s). 6) There’s usually been something to elite forwards hesitating to come to UND because of their “hard skill” style vs speed/creativity. Personally, I think it sucks. I hope they can change it because the game has changed and those players are elite at the NCAA AND NHL levels these days. Our slower/systems/accountability style has merit but there’s a reason our elite players don’t win Hobey’s, many other teams let their players “cook” while UND values control and when we buzz we can look amazing but we’re otherwise playing at an average speed. 7) Berry’s not going anywhere soon, not taking advice from any of us, cares more about this program than all of us, and has had an awful season, personally and professionally. Maybe we can give him a break? I still enjoyed last night’s win and who knows? I’m holding out a sliver of hope they can make things interesting here. Besides, a not-so-great team’s season ending might hurt less than the recent heartbreakers, right? Trying to stay optimistic about the future for my favorite team. Hope everyone on here is doing well - times are tough and there’s more common ground then it may feel like. After all, we all love UND/SIOUX hockey right?

Agreed…Interesting on here how we justify not having “loaded teams” by reminding how they didn’t win it all. Ie, a loaded team HAS to be a champion or they’re a failure. Just my perspective, but I’d LOVE to watch a team full of first round talent doing ridiculous things on the ice and PP all year who has as good a chance as anyone to win it all, then enjoy as those men go on to be stars in the NHL and provide brand recognition for the next 20 years. Not saying that should be our strategy or is the only way to try to win, but doesn’t sound half bad to me. I don’t think Michigan or BU fans are complaining too much, even if they had sky high expectations that ultimately fell short (just like UND fans do many years when we don’t win it all). Boo on not getting Eiserman and double boo that the Goph’s did.

Not at all, but it appears you’re intentionally conflating issues to support your narrative. I’m saying lots of athletes (his peers) egregiously abuse AAS and banned substances. We know this. But our testing protocol is penalizing Dryden in spite of his proof that he was unknowingly subjected to a compound because of the manufacturer’s wrongdoing...while those peers continue benefiting from an unfair and intentional performance enhancement benefit. If you don’t see why that sucks for him as one of the only athletes being penalized and uncovers a serious flaw in how the NCAA and governing bodies enforce their drug protocols, I don’t know what to tell you.

Now this is common ground I can agree with. Yes, the supplement industry is out of control and buyers should beware and be well informed so they’re not misled. We may disagree on the severity of the consequence and whether this was poor judgment or just a crappy twist of fate, but fair enough! I can guarantee there are many college puck players who knowingly ingested SARMS or AAS on the banned list for an extended time to give them an edge, who never faced any consequences as well, which is what imo stinks for Dryden here.

Ok, you don’t believe in supplements. We get it. Anyone that uses them deserves to have their career tanked? Sure, seems reasonable… Having supplemented quite a few things under doctors supervision with before and after labs proving their effectiveness (Vit D, iron, Vit B, and optimizing hormones and lipids) and many hours reading clinical studies (bio hacking/optimization is a hobby) I would say anyone who thinks supplementation is strictly a gimmick and almost always unnecessary is wrong. Is it a silver bullet or a replacement for peak nutrition? Definitely not. Is it an effective tool in the right circumstances? Yes.

Quercetin is a mainstream supplement. It’s common in “immune boosters”, available everywhere and not banned in any federation. And ostarine was NOT disclosed. How do we know that? It’s illegal to sell for human use stateside, labeled as a research chemical, and NOBODY would reasonably expect it to be in an immune booster sold in the US. Yes, we now know it was contaminated (and he proved his case because he won his arbitration appeal) with something that’s illegal to sell because, but he should’ve somehow expected it and now deserves his fate? If you want to crap all over a kids phenomenal career because he took an OTC immune supplement, just in case it could help him avoid missing a once-in-a-lifetime Olympic chance, go ahead. Just don’t expect too many people without some odd axe to grind, to agree.

Assuming Dryden is being honest, and he’s very specific so I’d be shocked if he wasn’t, he took Vitamin D and unknowingly had a negligible amount of a SARM in his system. This has happened to others before, also with independent labs verifying their story. I take Vitamin D, and I’m sure nearly every collegiate athlete takes some supplements. Nobody tests their supplements without cause, who knows what any of us have been subjected to. This is a failing on our systems allowing drug companies to do this. Calling him a “doper”, taking away awards or similar is completely irresponsible discussion imo. If anything, the NCAA and other governing bodies should nullify the suspension based on this evidence. They knowingly have countries doping repeatedly with ACTUAL and intentional PED usage getting caught, with only a slap on the wrist, then take a stance like this? I’m not excusing anyone who legitimately abused steroid, but we’d be kidding ourselves if we believe the Olympics are PED free. Whether you agree with it or not, PEDs usage is rampant in the Olympics, NHL, and to a lesser extent college. Dryden is likely an unfortunate bystander here of an arbitrary and intentionally poor PED testing protocol (one designed to give illusion of being drug-free, only). Feel bad for the kid getting caught up in this.

Dude, I’d finally come to grips that at least it was the right call, why you gotta bring this variable in to make me doubt again??

We’ll never know what angles the refs had, but the broadcast eventually showed a zoomed in view from the opposite goal/end that showed (to me at least, and I’m as biased as they come) that it was offsides. It was still a no-win call, but I would have had to rule it offsides conclusively if I saw that angle and had to make the call…despite the heartbreak.