jk

It's funny that people complain the coaches won't sit someone, then the coaches sit someone, but it's not the someone they want, so they complain about that too. Is it possible that the coaches see everything, or at least much, much more than the feverishly imagining masses do, on which to base that decision?

Just for anyone flying by, not everyone has torches and pitchforks. Even if they miss the tournament, which is probably likely at this point, the future is bright. When the same staff has them rolling in the next few years, we'll see how selective the memories are of the bandwagon jumpers.

More than 15 years ago, I used to spend time here defending the program, as it had stumbled after Mr. Blais's two titles. Then I defended Mr. Hakstol, who was a terrific GM and coach who just barely failed to win national titles. I feel that Mr. Hakstol's main problem was that he built teams to win seven-game series, rather than a single-game elimination tournament. With a different format, he probably wins titles in 2004, 2005 and 2011, perhaps also 2006 and 2007, and maybe a few others. But it's tiring defending the program on the internet, so I haven't lately. Now I feel the need again, and it's comical that some of the detractors are the same ones who were on Mr. Hakstol's case, and who probably were Mr. Berry's biggest fans almost three years ago. Also, sadly, some current detractors are long-time reasonable fans that have surprised me. I feel that the state of the program is not materially different than it was under Mr. Hakstol. UND had a run of NHL first-round talent at forward from 2002-2008, and again from 2014-2017. In between, the teams usually looked a lot like this one, with more skill up front but less at defense, but with a similar tight-checking style of play. But "two missed NCAAs!" 2018 was basically no different from a number of seasons under Mr. Hakstol. Pairwise #14 usually gets in, and last year it didn't. From a rational evaluation standpoint, that's the same kind of season UND had a few times during the NCAA streak. This season, although they may still qualify, it seems more likely that they actually miss with a Pairwise finish between 15-20. But a top 20 Pairwise is not a sign of a program in disarray. How has the team played at the end of the year for Mr. Berry? In 2016, but for 25 minutes against Denver, they put on a four-game clinic. In 2017, they absolutely dominated BU and suffered a fate that is exhibit A for how dumb this sport can be. They didn't allow a shot on goal for the entire first overtime period, they actually scored in overtime but had the goal dubiously reversed, and ultimately two future NHL stars combined to score a goal against them. In 2018, they played a very good St. Cloud team into overtime before losing, then beat Duluth in a game that Duluth felt it needed to win to get into the NCAA tournament, which it won three weeks later. UND was basically playing as well as the best teams in the country in March. This season, it just finished four weeks against teams ranked something like #1,3,5 and 9 nationally. They split with SCSU, dominating them 5-1 one night; Lost a "hot goalie" game 2-1, with Denver's goalie stopping 45 of 46, before tying the next night; Split with WMU, dominating them 5-1 one night. Split with Duluth, dominating them 4-1 once. That was in Denver without Poolman, and against Duluth without their goalie and essentially what would have been one of their two scoring lines in Jones, Mismash and JJ. With the "hot goalie" and injuries, you can say "excuses." Whatever word you want to use, a level-headed analysis considers the actual facts of the situation, and those are occurrences that likely affected the outcomes. To be fair, St. Cloud had ill players when they got waxed, and all teams deal with injuries. Even setting aside these mitigating circumstances, the truth, both from the results and the play on the ice, is that UND is playing just as well as the top teams in the country. Could a program in disarray do that? The main things I read here are: 1) They are much less talented than nearly everyone. 2) They are poorly coached. 3) They don't show up. Given that they are playing as well as the best teams in the country, those three things cannot all be true. All of those deficiencies would doom a team, they would be like Canisius (!). In fact, even just one of them probably makes a team uncompetitive against top opponents. Which suggests that actually none of them are accurate. Of course Canisius will ultimately be the reason they fail to qualify for the tournament, if that happens. It is unfortunately another one of those things that happen in hockey. The much-derided shots on goal actually do usually reflect play, and if you drop two games when you outshoot the opponent 82-30, you just shake your head and try to make up for it the next week. I'm personally proud of how they have persevered, the coaches and players. My timing for this post may be off, because I suspect next weekend maybe as tough or tougher than the last four. CC has been consistently good, and at times excellent, since Christmas, and they are hungry and playing at altitude. I still expect another strong effort from UND, both this weekend and for the rest of the year. I also think the next three or four years look to continue the run of excellence that started in about 1996, with only a few dips along the way.

Watching Michigan OSU. Q. Hughes looks like Hrkac carrying the puck. Same wide base, same little lateral shifts with the puck when moving up ice. Deja vu.

There's always a reason to complain about recruiting. Missing the local guys, too many local guys, too many Minnesotans, not enough from MN, not going for the top national guys, getting burned by going for the top guys and having them skip up to major juniors. Maybe recruiting has changed because that's where they think the right guys are. UND killed it with Shattuck, and then stopped. After UND's run of NHLers and a Hobey, did a bunch of Shattuck players shine elsewhere? I think the school had its run and UND was there at the right time. Looking at the committed recruits, I mainly see an overweight position in the GF and Fargo area. But that might just make sense, as some of those committed players are very good prospects, and the program has had some great players from that pipeline in the last five years. Of course Penticton has provided a lot, but they are a factory for all of Division 1 and UND's Penticton players have generally been good. The coaches have also branched out to national recruits, some very highly regarded, from outside the footprint. It doesn't really scream lazy to me.

Mountains of detailed speculation, based on nothing. Shoulda done this or that, because of some imagined fact-set.

Just to be clear on people wanting coaches fired. You actually have no idea what you're talking about. These people are near the top of their profession, almost certainly more accomplished at their jobs than most of us are at ours. They know what they're doing.

At least we have a thread to look back at later in the year where everyone looks stupid for breaking their ankles jumping off the bandwagon eight days into the season.

It may not get the players to the NHL, but it may help some players decide to go the NCAA route. This is an easy one to me. Do what the NHL does.

Probably the guy who stayed at UND longer than he had to by the greatest margin. He was ready for a regular NHL shift that last year. So, very glad he won it.

No offense, but does your memory extend back two years? Four of those guys have already played in the NHL. They were also mostly older, which is a huge plus in the college game. I'm optimistic as well, but I haven't even seen the new guys play yet.

Here's all I need to know about young prospects. Two years in a row, the top forward prospect in his age group at the USA hockey festivals, according to USHR, was Colten St. Clair. He turned out to be a good heart-and-soul teammate and player and a credit to the program, but he didn't end up being a difference maker. Perhaps it was the injuries, but more likely it was just that guys plateau where they're destined to, and it's hard to know in advance where that will be. A guy like Kleven, who just had a great camp, may end up a top ten NHL draft pick or he may see other guys on his team zoom past him as their skills blossom. On the flip side, guys like LaDue and Poolman went from near anonymity as youths to the NHL. So I won't get bent out of shape when we "miss" a youngster, or too excited when we land the next bantam superstar.

I couldn't disagree more. What even is a high ranked recruit? Does that mean a lot of NHL draft picks? If so, there was a team stuffed with them at BU that's done, and there have been plenty of very successful teams recently, even national champs, that had few, if any. Or does highly ranked mean they were included on a list on the internet somewhere? Those lists are generally worth the paper they're printed on ...

Congratulations to Gersich. He can skate like the wind, which is not a bad place to start if you want to reach the NHL.

With the dual crippling deficiencies of a stark lack of talent and pathetic effort, it should have been clear they didn't belong on the ice with the league's best teams. But they took DU and SCSU to OT in six of the last seven meetings. They lost most of those games, which is how you miss the NCAAs, but it means they were close. You can't be close if the program is terrible in either its talent or effort, let alone both. Let's review. They headed to the Twin Cities, lost the semifinal game, and won the third place game, finishing 14th in the Pairwise. Then they went on to beat Wisconsin and Ferris State in the NCAA regional, advancing to the Frozen Four. Oh, you thought I meant 2018. That was the Spring of 2014. Seems just about identical, up until the autobid difference.

Disagree about a goal celebration. We say: act like you've been there before, we're proud when Boeser gives the most modest fist pump imaginable after his many goals, we decry the jersey pop. If he wants to low-key it, I have no issue.

Wade through the Friday SC game thread, but wear waders.

Honestly, the people here are out of their fucking minds.

burd, take your well-adjusted grownup-ness somewhere else. You're out of place.

When they've only won four games since December 2, it seems preposterous to think they could go on a little run. But I think it's possible. Since a very poor showing against Duluth, they went 2-4-4 to close the season. The four losses included two in overtime and two trailing by one late in the third, until empty netters put them away. The leads coughed up, and the inability to finish, have been real factors and I understand they can't be ignored. But it's also true that they played very good teams Denver and St. Cloud to regulation draws in four out of four games. They certainly deserved a better fate tonight, as did the aching goalposts. What happens if they continue to play well, and actually catch a break? Maybe a tight game falls the right way for once. Or twice.

The point is that a lack of drafted players need not keep a team from succeeding. It was true in 1997, and it was proven to still be true recently in the revenge of the smart kids. It doesn't make it a preferred approach to team-building perennially, but then that's not the situation UND is in. I suspect UND's coaches try for a balance of older character guys (to keep the hotshots honest and humble and keep them from getting ground into dust by the WMUs of the world) and younger kids with world-class athleticism. The current mix may not suit some of the faithful.

Without checking, I doubt Union and Yale, recent champions, had more than a very few drafted players between them.

A number of years ago now (time flies), a few forward recruits plateaued early and the coaches reached into the AJHL for late recruits in Rodwell and Rowney. Their level of success both at UND and afterward differed, but they were important members of the program. Rowney paraded around with the Stanley Cup about eight months ago. We really won't know what we've got in these recruits until next fall at the earliest, and more likely a few years down the road. For the lamentations about the lack of high-enders and the denigrations of overagers, if I recall correctly the 1997 team was without an NHL draft pick and stuffed full of overagers. Did I love watching Schmaltz and Boeser? Of course, but there's more than one way to compete.

I see 3-1-1 the rest of the way, with the two weekends after that determining which side of the bubble they land on. I think Cam plays well, Mismash and Kawaguchi continue to increase their impact on the game, and reinforcements help the team turn the corner.

I thought they looked good for most of the game and deserved a better fate. Earlier in the year it was discouraging because they'd lose but also look like the worse team. Now they're back to the good old days of outplaying the opponent but taking the tough luck loss. I think their play is rounding into form and they can still make a run, but I'm also realistic about the playoff math and their dwindling chances. LOL at the longing for Hak. I haven't had a bad thing to say about either him or Berry, but you gotta love the SS forum and its loyal, patient fans. Knowledgeable, too, downright all-knowing.