jk

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.

Pat the Rat was perfectly fine as an announcer ... he complimented UND throughout the game. That guy could play. Pretty much hated him.

In the "modern era", beginning when Blais took over as head coach, I can only think of one group in the conversation, Greene, Jones, Schneider, Fuher and Smaby in 2005. They just willed a battered roster to the national title game. They had a couple NHL regulars at forward in Zajac and Stafford, and a folk hero in Spirko, but they were pretty thin after that, and then really shorthanded due to injury. I only listed five defensemen above because that was the rotation after Bina went down in the Final Five. They obviously played a different game than this group, not as much fun to watch if you like offense, but more fun if you're a bit of a sadist.

Just a reminder that Stecher committed at a young age to UNO, then reopened his recruitment and ended up at UND. He would help them a ton, and his absence would hurt UND just as much. IMO the heart and soul of this team.

Really? I have a hard time even reading those words. Most of his assists were THE play that made the goal happen. There's no doubt goaltending was poorer then, and as a result scoring higher, but you can't really compare eras. I do know Hrkac made more opponents look silly than anyone I've ever seen. That oughtta count for something.

They're loaded and have the horses this year, and I think they'd be 14-2-2 either way. The coaching staff has been innovative for years, it just hasn't been recognized in a few places, like here for instance.

The power in college hockey has shifted decidedly to the East. It'll be interesting to see how UND and SCSU, both of which look to be really good, and UMD and UNO, who probably are also but who I haven't seen, will match up with BC, Providence and Q. Without checking, I think Q swept SCSU already this year. So it might be tricky. Also, UND's window with this group is exactly one year long, I fear. Not that they can't do it again with another group, but there're a bunch of guys on this team too good to be in college again next year.

I attribute this weekend's results to Denver's inability to adjust to the low altitude.

I haven't spent much time following the nickname issue (thank God), but I popped over to see what's going on. My suggestion on this issue is: read the agreement. I thought this thread was silly. (Of course no nickname is fine, as it is plainly not offensive.) I was surprised to see the agreement clearly state that UND must transition to a new nickname and logo which do not violate the policy. Wow, who drafted and signed off on this thing? I'm not a lawyer but it seems to me UND would at a minimum need a legal opinion or some kind of formal no-action letter from the NCAA stating that "no nickname and logo" would not violate the agreement. Perhaps the NCAA has some rule requiring all member schools to have a nickname and logo. If not, UND may be in the unique position of being the only member school legally required to have them. Hilarious. For the record, I'd love UND to permanently have no nickname and logo.

I won't be at all surprised if Murphy breaks out, wherever he goes. He was right on the edge at the end of last year. Really one of the most notable forwards in the last few games. Hope he does well.

Out of many outstanding posts over the years, maybe your best.