jk

First, this thread is a reminder of how many total losers post here. second, players of the game for me Ladue and Poolman. Just amazing defensive performances.

UND is going to play really well and carry the play, but at some point Denver is going to push back. Keeping the puck out of the net when they do is going to be the key to this game.

The point isn't that they should talk about UND, it's that they should have talked about college hockey and especially how the regional teams did, with an emphasis on the MN teams. It's a two-hour show about hockey, and it usually covers high school, college and the NHL. The high school season is over. That's a lot of time, with a short list of topics. I'm just glad this came up here, because I was going to track down the podcast to hear what they had to say about the NCAA tournament. Now I don't have to bother. Thanks!

Because it was away from the pl ... Uh, because it wasn't on a scoring chan ... If that non-call had gone against UND, there would be a 200-post thread here on it.

Not a big fan of the revenge tour concept, or playing for the guys who've come through the program, or any other storylines. Just go out and play with and for your teammates. There has never been a better storyline than the 2005 final. It was set up perfectly. The crappy 2004 Pioneer team lucked into beating the Parise/Bucks group -- total domination, goalposts, tackling, and a lucky bounce. Then you had the Bina injury, and the Sioux physically dominating the Beanpot then the Gophers to reach the final. It would have avenged 2004 and seemed like small payback for the Bina injury. And they played well enough to win, but the bounces weren't meant to be. If ever there was a time for a storybook ending, that was it. So I really don't need to invoke the past. Win your next game.

I'm shortening the defensive rotation here. By 33%.

Two goals will not be enough. They somehow need to get it in the net. The point of lopsided possession and shot attempts is that sometimes not-dangerous plays turn into goals due to deflections and rebounds. In 2011, it never happened. Last night it did. Today, not yet. Michigan is dangerous because they won't see the offensive zone for three minutes, then get a rush that turns into a great chance. And they have the skill to finish.

Just an incredibly entertaining third period between SCSU and FSU. After SC tied it, FSU woke up and it was chance city for both teams.

Not only that, but they killed most of those bad teams. That says a lot. There's hardly a close game in there. Looking at it in that detail, I'm a bit more concerned than I was.

To be fair, the East has won seven of the last eight titles. Really, until a Western team goes out and actually wins, it's not unreasonable to conclude Eastern hockey is best right now. Given recent results, perhaps the ECAC has the best argument against Hockey East.

This Sioux team is just not good enough to win by playing like everyone else plays. They have to find that special pace that is nearly unique to this program. Way on their toes, all over the opposing puck-carrier, hard to play against. If they can find it (and we've seen it at times this year), they can do it. If not, it will be the end of an awesome ride, against really anyone in the tournament, even Ferris or RIT. (I realize we're not likely to see them. The point is that everyone is good.)

Denver was the best team I saw today, the one I'd least like to face next week. I thought Lindgren dodged a bunch of bullets in the third period. Rebounds that hopped Denver sticks, etc.

UND got shelled at Duluth this year and came away with two shutout wins. Outshot 40-22 and 38-20. Those are the type of games that go against UND occasionally, and I guarantee people post then: "why doesn't a UND goalie ever do that?" Well, he did. Just stole the six points.

This UND team is very good and could win it all. There are three other teams in the NCHC, two in Hockey East and one in the ECAC about which the same could be said. Any matchup among those seven teams could go either way, even if both teams were playing at their peak. And that's not even counting a bunch of other teams that could step up and beat the frontrunners with a bounce or a hot goalie. Sioux fans rightfully feel this might be the year. But think about St. Cloud fans ... they really feel that way. And Quinnipiac fans. And BC fans have seen this movie before, and they know it usually ends with York adding to his legacy. Tonight was just a taste of what it'll be like for (hopefully) the next two weekends of play.

choyt3, you have fought the good fight on the board tonight. It's mostly thankless, but thanks.

Spring break is just ending in Mankato, so crowds have been light. Also, the pep band is on a bus heading back from a road basketball game, so they're not at the hockey game tonight. (I have a contact on the bus.)

About the list, again with the caveat that I just copied it over, it's not meant to include every team, just every team that falls into one of those categories. Duluth is not "in," not eliminated, and doesn't necessarily need the AQ to get in. They can win one next weekend and potentially get in without winning the autobid. So they're not listed in any of those categories. I suppose a "bubble" category would include those few teams in their situation. As for teams being listed twice (almost all of tonight's participants are), they qualify for those multiple categories. They (teams in Mankato's situation) each need the AQ to get in (one list), and they each are eliminated with a loss tonight (another list).

I've stolen this from a post by ticapnews on USCHO. Please afford he/she full credit for the work. I appreciate this perspective on the current status of the season. About half the NCAA division 1 hockey players are looking for their golf clubs. In the tournament:Boston CollegeBoston UniversityDenverMassachusetts-LowellMichiganNorth DakotaProvidenceQuinnipiacSt CloudEliminated:Alabama-HuntsvilleAlaskaAlaska-AnchorageAmerican InternationalArizona StateBrownCanisiusClarksonColgateColorado CollegeConnecticutHoly CrossMaineMassachusettsMercyhurstMerrimackMiamiNebraska-OmahaNew HampshireNiagaraNorthern MichiganPrincetonRensselaerSacred HeartUnionWestern MichiganNeed AQ:Air ForceArmyBemidji StateBentleyBowling GreenDartmouthFerris StateLake SuperiorMichigan StateMinnesotaMinnesota StateOhio StateRITRobert MorrisSt. LawrenceVermontWisconsinEliminated with loss:Bemidji StateBentleyBowling GreenCornellLake SuperiorMinnesota StateRobert MorrisVermont

It looks to me like the 1998-99 team went 32-6-2.

Get this. Northeastern started the year 1-11-2. In its last 19 games, it's 17-1-1. THAT is the type of team you don't want to see as a four seed in the NCAA tournament. (They're currently PWR #14.)

Probably at any level of hockey.

While I agree with your general concept, I think Wisconsin is, like MN, one of the exceptions. I don't think Wisconsin will be down for long, as it is in a nice spot geographically, is a fantastic school, in a fun town, with a great game experience (I think this will return with winning), and also has facilities, tradition and a long history of developing NHL players. If they hadn't managed to screw up a couple layup recruits, the Badgers are rolling the KBS line this year, Kunin, Boeser, Schmaltz.

I oppose any combined conference tournament because the tournament (even the existing one, and the Final Five in the past) is a mechanism to distribute UND fan wealth to other schools. To be fair, the Final Five also spread MN fan money as well, but the MN and UND fanbases were the only funds providers, and the other schools were takers. Now UND fans are the only net providers in the NCHC tournament. It's one thing to give money away to your fellow conference schools, and another thing altogether to pass it out to members of other conferences.

It's clear that right now SCSU is playing extremely well. They're just pouring pucks into the net. Really only Denver seems about as hot and able to challenge them as the best team in the west. It remains to be seen whether any western team can compete with the best from the east, but that'll be seen soon enough. My point here is that the season is long, teams go through stretches where things seem off, and poor results sometimes follow. We can all trot out examples from title years, but this one has stuck with me over the years. On February 4th and 5th of 2000, the Sioux went to St. Cloud and scored zero goals in the first 119:46 of the series, losing 3-0 on Friday and only scoring the tying goal in Saturday's 1-1 tie with 13 seconds left in the third period with six attackers on the ice. Listening to the games, you would think they'd never score again. Sometimes you can't get the puck across the line no matter what, and sometimes it's a piece of cake, like it was for the CBS line earlier and for SCSU and Denver right now. But the UND team that was filling the net earlier this year didn't just forget how to do it. It's still there, and we'll see it again. It's a different era and especially a different league, but that 2000 UND team did score 77 goals in its remaining 16 games after the trip to St. Cloud. Mainly because the defense is so smooth with the puck and the forwards have a nice mix of grit and skill, I think we'll see a fair bit of offense from this team yet this year.

This player fits the profile of someone Motzko locks up early. Lock him up now and hope he learns the rest of the game in juniors. Although I didn't see him in HS, I wouldn't be surprised if Benik was far from complete at that age ... all he did was score. And I haven't seen this one either, so I have no idea if I should be mentioning him with Benik.