jk

22 PWR on December 3 is not out of it. Now if you're projecting that this play will continue all year, then I understand where you're coming from. I've seen enough over the years to believe they can play better, but I recognize they need to be a lot better.

Mankato swept at home for the first time in seven years, despite outshooting Ferris 73-26 on the weekend. Having trouble moving on from McKay.

The funny thing is he actually made some huge saves, and I don't think he let in any softies. I think he's just too small. My kingdom for a large goalie.

Disagree. It's hockey, and weird things happen all the time. Who cares if you lose by more?

Before the ENG, SC had 3 goals on 4 shots In the third.

Those are the kinds of passes that killed the second DU game. The team has played well tonight so far overall, but with how the season has gone, fairly nervous about third. Especially since the marbles need to be evened out with a few SC PPs.

McLaughlin with the rookie giveaway earlier, but you can tell he's going to be really dynamic. He's gotten more explosive since the season started.

This might be Costantini's most active game this year. Would be good to get him going.

He didn't just stand on his head, he did all the break dancing moves. Flying all over the blue paint. But it was not sustainable, finding yourself too often flat on your back ten feet from the crease.

I just completely disagree that the season is over, which I recognize places me in a small group. I have thought about a comparison to 2001-02 myself though. It turned out that Andy Kollar was not ready to be a starting goaltender, and Blais brought in Sembieda as a hail Mary. Unfortunately, that pass fell incomplete, as he did not stabilize the position. That's the main issue with this team. Yes, they make mistakes, blow their own chances and give up good ones, but every team does every game. You just can't have an 0.870 save percentage and expect to be good. Super predictable message board response to the xG data. Of course wins are what ultimately matter, but the advanced stats aren't meaningless. They give an indication of how the team is actually playing. Given equal goaltending and an assumption that bounces eventually even out, it tells you this team is not playing poorly. Back to 2002, this team is more talented and experienced and is playing better than that team did. It had four freshmen D who would go on to be great and play in a national title game, but their first year was full of growing pains. The only hope here is that DeRidder finds his form. If he becomes a 0.920 guy, this team can play with and beat anyone

Pretty much the best 10 minutes of the season.

Blake looks the part to me. Needs to get stronger on the puck, but he's one of the slipperiest, most deceptive guys I've seen in a long time. And it sounds like Perron is cut from the same cloth.

I don't think it was a second period last night thing. I think they bottomed out against Denver and have been slowly improving since. Last year they struggled in the first half, getting dominated Friday and scrounging out miraculous close wins Saturday. Driscoll struggled. In the second half, Driscoll found his game and they went on their run. They're getting close to going on a run now, but it won't happen without better goaltending. I still think DeRidder is the most likely to find that level of play.

So points will be put up by someone when they're on the ice.

I'd personally like to see DeRidder back soon. I suspect he will be the guy at the end of the year. But I may be wrong.

I had thought Slipec was potentially a big timer. Surprised at his slow start.

Yeah, just messing around.

It's the old, I can get all kinds of ice time here. I could step into the lineup tonight.

Schlossman has it now.

Worth noting the other three teams in the frozen four last year were coached by old guys.

Anything in particular here?

It is just an established fact that a rested team has a huge advantage over a team on the back end of a back-to-back. Thanks to UMD's unearned bye the previous day, they were fresher. That's not coaching, that's incredible good fortune.

I'm not sure where to find the information, but I think I've seen that UND is one of the smaller teams in the country now, so it's not that the roster is big and lumbering. In the 00s, Hakstol seemingly built teams to win seven-game series, and I have no doubt he would have had a run of titles if the system was built that way. Instead UND just wore BC out so Michigan State could beat them in the next game. But the staff adjusted, especially on the back end, and you just don't see the three Matt's back there anymore. The only big defenseman on the team is Kleven, and he can skate. I would also suggest that Calder was the odd man out last summer because he was the slowest skater up front, to my eyes anyway. Now the slowest, again, to me, is Kunz, and that's complicated because he was a local phenom. To summarize, I don't feel the coaches are stuck in the past. With perhaps one exception, and that's in their affection for small goalies. I understand where that comes from, but please give me another Scheel. They just take up more space.

I realize this doesn't help their development, which is important as they will be relied upon next year, but Moore (last week) and Johnson have been liabilities in the defensive zone. If Bast was healthy, I would have them as 7 and 8 right now. Up front, it's harder to find guys to take out to get McLaughlin and Portz back in. Maybe Albrecht, Costantini and Kunz. Albrecht did not look like the same player as last year, but that may take reps after the injury. As for who stays in, the top line can be electric, the old men are still effective, and I don't want to mess with 21-26-28. Or Ness, who is consistently making things happen.

It is odd that they haven't been better, considering they brought back nearly everyone and added some good pieces. In fact, the additions have been the bright spots, as Farmer may have been the best D so far and the frosh have been at least ok. In the last series, getting caved in for much of the weekend is discouraging, as that just makes you feel the whole team is worse than the opponent. You can still win those games, though, by keeping them to the outside and capitalizing. And they were in fact in position to do that Saturday until the terrible giveaways that led to their third and fifth goals. You just cannot pass the puck to the other team. As for the fourth goal, Denver intercepted a hundred passes that night and we just needed Frisch to nab that one, but it snuck through. I'm hoping Bast can come in and help just by not making terrible mistakes.