jk

The downside of throwing someone new in is a ton of rust. For the freshmen, that's compounded by a lack of on-the-job development for the last two months. The upside is fresh legs and a body that's not beat to heck, along with a strong desire to prove worthy of the task. This also provides at least two weeks (maybe three) to get up to speed before elimination games.

The 2005 team lost guy after guy down the stretch (including Murray and Bina), was even more shorthanded than the Mario team that won the Final Five, and still romped to the title game. It's about the collective belief Pattyn talked about being present at that Final Five game. If Mac is in fact out, that is terrible for him, but the team can overcome it. There are no excuses at this point.

The coaches may go with the player they feel most comfortable with, in terms of effort, keeping it simple, getting the puck deep ... Panzarella.

I can't be upset with him about last night's penalty because he didn't actually make a brain-dead move. They could have called that against anyone. If they're scoring at a 43% clip when he's in the box, he must be the key to the PK.

Maybe you just have to be older to realize the glorious outcomes are their dreams, the lofty goals are ones they have set in their own lives. Seriously, they want to win more than the fans want them to. I've been as disappointed (crushed sometimes) as the next guy at seasons' ends, but I try then to remember they're living their lives, and I should live mine. If I want to experience greatness and success, I should try to accomplish it myself. I think I now feel worse for the players and coaches than I do for myself when they fall short of their goals. Maybe that's why the witch-hunting rubs me the wrong way. One other thing: The seniors at pretty much all the other schools are basically cut from the same cloth. As with all groups of people, there are good guys and not-so-good guys, but they all had to commit and sacrifice to make it this far. They're all high achievers. Except the Gophers. (kidding).

That's ginger beer.

Sorry I wasn't clear. Combined second and third period shots were 43-10. My poor wording.

I find it hard to cheer for Denver.

At the end of regulation, WMU is outshooting CC 50-24, including 43-10 after the first period. Wow.

St. Cloud is good. If they make it in the tournament, they could do some damage. Faceoffs were the big problem in this game. So many clean wins led to possession and chances. Two chances late right in front were the ones you have to have. Mac to Parks (right before the penalty) and the OD chance in his skates.

It sounds like you're talking about the Parise and Frattin teams. 2004, a great team. It felt like they were a little tight, although they were still miles better than Denver that day. 2011, another great team, and another game where it looked like the pressure got to them. They still out-possessed and out-chanced Michigan, but it didn't feel like we saw their best. On the other hand, 2005, shorthanded and beaten up, they appeared to welcome adversity and played brilliantly in the Frozen Four, with an unfortunate result. 2014 was another underdog year where they played a very nice last game, and didn't quite get the result they deserved. Unfortunately, this looks like a year where they have again played a great season, with high expectations to follow, which raises the risk of tightening up. I guess we will see how it goes.

After another last night, he's a genuine Cy Young candidate with his 26-10 record. Burying the puck when there's an opening should be easy, but a lot of guys miss. I think UND has only had two guys in the last ten years reach 30 goals, Duncan and Frattin, so I'll welcome goal scorers. As an aside, those two guys also acted like they'd done it before when they scored ... no wild celebrations.

While his numbers suffer in comparison to most on the list, he's in pretty good company if those are the comparables.

This is a "split" league this year. Unless one of the teams is CC or WMU (sometimes), you can usually count on each team leaving with three points. As sick as I am of losing to SC, I have to expect another split.

Age-wise, Keaton Thompson, but I get that he wasn't in high school.

I just watched the highlights, and watched all of Friday night's game, and I think WMU is a good, solid team that played well enough to earn points this weekend. In the future, if people ask when a Sioux goalie has ever stolen a game, the road trips to WMU the last two years are a good answer.

I agree, but it's also important to realize some guys are being brought in to fill specific roles, not necessarily to score. Pattyn and Gaarder will be terribly missed next year, and I hope some of the new guys bring some heart and soul with them, even if they don't score a ton. In addition, while I don't want to go back to the bruiser days, a little beef doesn't seem like a terrible idea after watching WMU push the Sioux around a bit this weekend.

jjensen, Thanks for everything. It's a lot of work.

I think UNO's captain didn't make the trip (mono?), which might be a killer for a super-young team.

Signing at your peak makes sense when you are stepping into big money -- that is, into NHL money, not AHL money. While AHL money is good money to most of us, it so pales to NHL pay as to not even be worth considering in the decision. The goal should be to choose the path most likely to result in an NHL career. Given his age and size, Caggiula's a few years from the NHL, so the question is: where are those years best spend in trying to get to the NHL? If it's the AHL, so be it. But that's a tough league full of grown men chasing the same dream. A year of getting stronger might not be a bad idea. I've been on record this year thinking both he and Stecher have a shot at being two of the rare small guys who might actually make it in the NHL. I hope they do, after getting draped in some green and white glory.

I'd hate to play them in the playoffs because the injury risk would be through the roof.

How are you all able to climb back on the bandwagon after breaking ankles jumping off? Quite a feat.

I think WMU is built to win a playoff series. Wear them down the first few games, then take over down the stretch. I felt Hak built his teams that way for a while. It would have worked like a charm, too, if they actually played seven-game series. In fact, the Spartans owe Hak at least a little for that title game win over BC, as the Sioux softened BC up (and got sent to the box for it), and MSU continued the tight checking game (but managed to avoid the box).

We appear to be in a small group on this one, and I hope we're wrong.

MacWilliam was a great heart and soul leader at UND. Hope he gets a chance to shine.