fightingsioux4life

Just because Berry isn't criticizing the team in public doesn't mean he doesn't recognize that there are problems. Berry knows that this program is about hanging both white AND green banners and I think he and his staff are looking for solutions.

You don't win 26 games without talent. The problem is from the neck up. And it's up to the coaching staff to figure out how to get the most out of the talent they have to work with.

Better people being upset than being indifferent. Apathy is the real enemy, not outrage.

Conferences ebb and flow. A few years back, the B1G and Hockey East were struggling mightily. Programs ebb and flow too. Our program is not far away from winning multiple nattys to go along with the Penrose Cups. And recruiting has picked up after a few lean years. Berry and his staff need to figure out what is causing the late season slumps (2022 and 2024). We have too much talent to not capitalize on it.

Do we even know what the coaches are looking for?

I thought our additions for 2023-2024 were solid.

BU winning it wouldn't bother me that much. The others, not so much.

I agree with you, but it's the end of the year now.

This is a bit of a dilemma for me. Should we as fans hope for a fourth place finish in the NCHC to set up a national title run? It seems like a false choice to me.

Good for them. The best thing that happened to schools like Mankato was the Dakota 4 moving up to Division I. Maybe Mankato's athletic director would be interested in moving to Grand Forks and injecting some life into our underachieving, underperforming athletic department?

I don't think a bunch of close NCAA tournament games that didn't go our way is proof of the NCHC "falling back". Both the B1G and the NCHC got 4 teams in this year. The NCHC is not going to become the CCHA. Having said all that, I am very bullish on St. Thomas like you are and they would add a lot to the NCHC. Miami will leave for the CCHA eventually. I don't think we should have anymore than 10 teams. We don't want to get watered-down like the old WCHA did.

That is 100% unacceptable. The idea that hockey will regress to what FB and MBB are is simply unacceptable. Period. There is no good reason this has to happen or should be considered "inevitable".

Please don't drink the B1G Kool-Aid. They were bound to get their act together at some point. But the NCHC is not going away, no matter what some people on here think. And eastern schools like BC, BU and Quinnipiac aren't going away either. If the B1G made an offer to UND that made it worth our while financially, I would not oppose a move there. But until that day comes, I have no problem staying in the NCHC.

We aren't the only team with a title drought: UM Go Blow: 26 years Goofs: 21 years Bucky: 18 years Michigan State: 17 years BU: 15 years BC: 12 years Ours is at 8 years. I am frustrated like everyone else, but we are in the same boat as a lot of other programs.

That's all bad luck! (sarcasm)

It is fair to ask if Berry’s handling of the team late in the year is working. Everytime we win the Penrose (a great accomplishment), I am ready for a letdown. This was a carboncopy of 2022. As soon as I saw us lose the zone on a 5x3 PP on Friday night in Omaha because the puck went under someone's freaking skate, deep down, I knew this team wasn't going to get it done. It is frustrating. And it cannot be explained away by pointing out the single elimination format all the time. Nor can it be explained away by "bad luck". I really hope the players don't read this forum and internalize that crap. I hope last night sits in the stomachs of these guys all off-season and they are motivated to make next season end on a winning note in April. And I hope Berry and his staff can figure out what happened and fix it so all of us don't have to feel like this every freaking March.

The whole thing is a crapshoot.

You get what you pay for.

That's the last thing we need.

This whole tournament is so wide open, you could throw darts at a board and get some of them right.

That was one frustrating year.

I picked Quinnipiac to repeat.

If, and that's a big if, this year's team reaches the Frozen Four, will you put on a special edition of the Hoggsbreath Brunch? And maybe a victory party after hanging #9?

Exactly what I was thinking. We should play a heavy game vs. Michigan. The offense will come with our talent and depth up front.

But they haven't done anything special in recent years, so I think that may be part of it.