jk

Making a good impression for the next round of recruiting, out of the portal in a few years.

Lesson from 1984: Try not to get hot goalied by Jon Casey.

Wait a sec. Who were you cheering for when RPI brought their powerhouse into the WSC over Thanksgiving weekend in 1984 for a titanic series? The one with Chris Jensen's OT game-winner.

Is that Carson's wife and kid in the commitment pic? He's ahead of the curve.

As for the narrative of the upcoming season, I think it's the dawn of a new era. I view the last era as one that followed the 2016 title and was ultimately dominated by the Kawaguchi, Adams, Mismash class and Pinto up front. I think the upcoming era will be highlighted and led by the Blake class and some of the talent arriving this fall. The last two years were a bumpy transition between the two, with either a shortage of elite talent, or talent that just wasn't ready yet. I also continue to believe that a healthy Sanderson could have taken the team two years ago on a run. He was already an NHL defender and was the best player in the country. And the team was pretty scrappy.

In the interest of full disclosure, I was optimistic, and wrong, last summer. My reasoning was that you were starting with a solid, if unspectacular, conference championship team, losing very little of it, and adding some much needed offensive flair. I think where I was mainly wrong is that the conference championship was a mirage. It was the product of scrounging out some early season splits despite being outplayed, and then going on a run of low-scoring wins in February that was a product of tight defense, good goaltending and great coaching. It was a heck of an accomplishment, but it wasn't built on a foundation of talent that would necessarily translate to the next year.

It's the time of the year to be optimistic. I only remember the promising moments from returning players, not the gaffes. Incoming players, freshmen and transfers, are the sum of the glowing attributes in their scouting reports, and nothing less. Given all that, with the program earning an A plus plus plus in the portal (see scouting reports comment above), I think this is going to be a fun bounceback year.

I do feel for MN, it was right there. But they were getting worked, and weren't the best team that night. As for the Cooley penalty, Maine 2002 would like a word.

Ideal use of the portal would be to get a D with one year left (Pyke), with two, and maybe even with three, to balance out the classes a bit.

It would be a good opportunity for a western conference reboot, with conferences that make more geographic sense. Get Miami and WMU back to their neighborhood. Somehow bring BSU and Mankato in. Perhaps end up with an additional conference, so you'd have the Summit, CCHA and a watered down NCHC (call it the WCHA).

I hope Wisconsin gets just good enough to beat MN, but that's their major accomplishment each year.

Right, Croal could be fighting for a fourth line spot or playing a ton of minutes in all situations in the USHL. I know which I choose.

It's not so easy to have a pipeline where everyone can be deferred if needed. If guys are good enough to come in, they may leave if there's no room. As for MI and MN, their devoid of fifth-year player rosters were beaten by a team with seven. There's no one right way to win. One thing I haven't seen brought up is the possibility this is part of a plan. If you're in a four-year window where older players from any team may be available to you, should you leave room to add guys that you may think can make the team better? I haven't seen much of Berg besides the games at the end of the year, but he may have more of an impact than all but a handful of freshmen around the country. Or a few handfuls. I know the comeback: how's the plan working? Not well last year, check back in a year. I just fundamentally disagree that the program is broken at all. I really like last year's freshmen, and the pipeline looks like one that is going to produce some very exciting teams over the next few years.

Hate to mention it, but that finishing move also brought back Kolanos memories.

Everyone has their thing. UND has unfortunately made losing in the last second their own specialty, so much so they tried to do it again last year against Notre Dame. But MN has chosen to make "lose on the first rush in OT" their own. Sports can suck, not sure why we do it.

If UND was playing this third period like MN is, Sioux fans would be losing their minds.

Two really good teams but kind of a boring game. Not much in the way of scoring chances either way.

I'm sure some are more well versed on this, but I think he was not pleased to have to play UND in the Fargo regional a few years earlier. I also think he was complimentary after the title game, saying it's unusual to have guys with the NHL skill the top line had who also played as hard as they did.

One thing I'm taking away is there's more than one way to assemble a team, as these two couldn't be more different. Q has seven fifth-year players and I don't think MN has any, though I haven't checked. One is younger and is going to end up with a lot of NHL games played, while the other is older and has seen a few things along the way.

Someone pointed out to me before the second game that Q is a lot like Mankato, the older team that can handle the young phenoms. Two years ago, Mankato ended MN's season and it wasn't close. Then when a much better MN team drew Mankato in last year's tournament, I expected a reverse result, but again it wasn't close. So perhaps this is a tough draw for MN after all, contrary to my earlier hope for MI to take them out.

This is each person's own preference, but I'll have to pull for MI now, as they're probably the only team that can keep up with MN. Sorry for disrespecting Q, but they pretty much got worked by OSU in the regionals. The cost is high, a potential additional title for MI, but it's one I would pay.

I have thought of that team when looking ahead to the upcoming year, in this unfortunate way. That team probably had the best top 6 UND has seen since the early 80s, but the young defense was not ready and as a result they fell short of a title. This year should have a very good forward group, but will history repeat itself on the back end? Not that this year's forwards will compare to 2005-06. Zajac, Oshie, Spirko and Stafford, Toews, Duncan. Ridiculous, even if young.

Some Badgers might be hitting the portal soon also. Just a guess. If the Mavs displace some guys.

I'm sorry but this is incredibly sad. I'm totally on board with Hastings movin on up in the world, but does he have to tear the program apart on his way out the door?

They probably decided they wanted him after that one-man PK shift. It has to be in a very particular role, but there can be room for a big guy who can skate. Hopefully he can carve out that niche.