jk

One small point. Strictly from a travel cost standpoint, remaining in a league with Bemidji, Duluth, St. Cloud and Mankato makes sense.

Was thinking during Saturday's game that UND needed some of its forwards back. The whole roster has stepped up in the absence of injured players, but we started to see during games against better teams that the injured players are missed. Getting Gregoire back would be big of course, but also Rowney and /or Rodwell would help round out the lower lines. I have no idea of their status, but it would be nice to get at least one of them back.

The Sioux are now, and for the next few games, taking a journey to a place where the climate is perfect for the cultivation of bad habits. Provided the Sioux advance to the Final Five, the first period of play there will be a huge eyeopener for the team.

What scores are you predicting for the second and third periods?

Agree wholeheartedly.

I want to agree, but I don't think things like that should be written or said aloud. I remember when Goehring got hurt the week of the NCAA regional at Yost and the team just wasn't the same with the backup in there (despite the backup being the defending national champion goalie). So officially I'm going with: Dell is an OK goalie.

I'm shocked, shocked I say, to find UND's outstanding play attributed to Genoway's absence. Actually it's true that both Genoway and Kristo are somewhat responsible for the team playing so well, because their absence is an adverse situation, and Hak's teams respond to adversity in the Spring by coming together. Going back to Brady Murray and then Robbie Bina going down, when the going gets tough, Hak's teams get going. Did the other 18 guys catch passes they've been bobbling lately because Genoway made the team unbalanced? No. They were intense and focused because they were in a tough spot, missing two of their most talented teammates. Brock Nelson showed his growth Saturday, when at least twice he was back covering when the puck came back the other way with Marto caught deep. It was outstanding for a freshman to recognize when his offensive defenseman was doing what he is supposed to do, push the play forward. Marto is playing as well as I've seen him play; just a wonderful senior defenseman. I'd say he was the best player on the ice, but not with Frattin there. Frattin's playing at a level that I have to go back to Jeff Panzer to see in a Sioux uniform. Earlier this year, it was the shot. Now it's seeing the ice and making the pass. And all the way through has been the physicality and speed.

One other reason to keep Blais on a pedestal: He was instrumental in getting UND the gift that keeps on giving - REA. I'm not sure the arena would have been built if he hadn't revived the program as he did. As to this weekend, UND may be just what Omaha needed, a team that will skate with you, rather than play conservatively. I expect both teams to get up and down the ice. Omaha will pressure the Sioux defense, but in doing so they will also leave opportunities the other way. At the very least the games should be extremely entertaining. I think UND sweeps, but I wouldn't be surprised or offended if they didn't.

Normally when a player skates a long shift, it's selfish. But when Robert Morris stays on the ice for 60 minutes, it's OK because he doesn't have any teammates. Also, he must have been the number one recruiting class the year he started, what with his immense versatility and stamina.

Texas-sized cowboy axe to grind.

He committed last fall around the time Taylor Holst first committed, then failed to get through the NCAA clearinghouse. He had something like 22 points as a 19 year old in the MJHL, so he must be a late bloomer. Having never seen him play, I wonder if he may have a Davidson-like college career (Brent, not Lee ... though Lee would be nice). One fact that isn't speculation: he attended Toronto's summer prospect camp this year as an undrafted free agent.

Yeah, sorry, I left out the emoticon. I think Genoway's mistakes and weaknesses (on display seemingly frequently because of his many touches) are far, far outweighed by his strengths: his extremely dynamic play, high compete level, and leadership.

I'm still an Eidsness fan, but I'm not sure there's much room for improvement in net. This last stretch of games has featured the best goaltending we've seen from the Sioux in several years, IMO. Aside from the obvious problem of Genoway sucking so bad, the main flaw on the team right now is the power play. I'm pleased they're often able to set it up and generate good chances, but eventually that needs to translate into goals. The numbers weren't great even with Gregoire and Hextall, so their return won't necessarily fix it, but it may help. Three conference road sweeps in the first half is impressive. The Sioux have not been blowing people away, but solid goaltending has kept them in games when they're not at their best, and strong play from the seniors plus strong third periods have turned close games into wins.

If someone on the board has been on the Genoway=Liability thing for a couple years now, they should know: 1) we get it, you don't like him, 2) it looked stupid then, and 3) it still looks stupid.

At least on TV, the black vs red matchup was practically unwatchable if you're red-green colorblind. I'll take it though for a 6-2 win.

Sorry, I was busy. That's the last six games played, in order. In the Friday WI game, UND outshot WI 12-7 in the third period and outscored them 1-0. In the Saturday Notre Dame game, UND outshot them 14-12 and tied them 1-1 in goals. In each of the last three weekends, UND outshot the opponent by larger margins in Saturday's third period than Friday's third period. There's nothing conclusive here, but I have felt that UND is a better third-period team this year than in recent years.

Last six games: shots: 12-7 16-7 10-10 15-10 13-18 14-12 goals: 1-0 3-2 3-1 0-1 2-1 1-1

That is pretty much the story for every college hockey team. With the exception of a few guys who were brought in because of their talent for playing physically (Malone, Mario, Rodwell) most forwards on UND and throughout college hockey were big scorers throughout their high school and junior careers. Of that big group, only so many are put in scoring roles in college, and even then it's so hard to score at the college level. I would guess in the WCHA it's even harder, given the style of play. Seeing Heavy Metal Hockey played during intermission this weekend was a reminder that goaltending has changed much more than any aspect of the sport since the glory days. All that said, you may get your 30-goal man this year.

At least one of Chuck's points is among the stupidest ever posted here: His idea that it's all about Genoway, and not the team. This guy has bled green. Did his teammates overlook his selfishness when they voted him captain? Twice? Was that what they were thinking when they pushed him out to accept the Broadmoor last year? It absolutely took Genoway a while to get going this year. Physically he was a step behind his normal self, and he wasn't able to get away with things he had in the past. That resulted in some turnovers, some of which ended up in the net. It looked like he was trying to do too much. But he started to look like himself when the home schedule opened, and he has been great for a while now. As for long shifts, the only thing I care about is the coaches' opinion. If he's doing what they ask, your beef is with them. And I can't imagine he's had any 2+ minute shifts, unless a group has gotten caught out there, unable to change.

Nice Sunday for a few recruits. Rocco with a pair of goals, while Penticton forwards MacMillan and O'Donnell each had hat tricks.

Just my opinion here, but when Blais came to UND, his approach to conditioning was beyond the norm and essentially gave UND a competitive advantage for several years. As in all sports, successful methods are imitated, and college hockey "caught up." I doubt any program stresses conditioning more than most others. Not materially anyway.

Is that your cousin-girlfriend, or cousin and girlfriend? jk

If Rowney has a concussion, was it caused by Bennett's flying elbow? If so (and that's a lot of ifs), where's the outrage? Malone's hit had a terrible outcome, but elbow and stick were down, feet were on the ice. From what I recall of Bennett's hit, he was off the ice, and he led with the elbow. Were they considering a suspension for an intentional hit to the head? Now, if Rowney's injury has nothing to do with that hit, in the immortal words of Emily Litella, "Nevermind."

It really depends on what their potential is. Just because someone was a first-rounder doesn't mean he's destined to play in the NHL unless he's coached out of it. Sometimes they're drafting mistakes. Chorney's small by NHL D standards and not a puck wizard; that's not a good combo for being an NHL regular, and there's nothing a program can do about it. Finley got a lot better in his time at UND (consider where he was his first year and how well he played post-concussion as a senior), but his big limitation is footspeed. Washington took a flyer in a year they had two first-round picks, hoping for the next Chara, but that doesn't mean he didn't develop a lot at UND. Lee has good hands, feet and size, and if there's one guy who didn't reach his potential here it would be him. Maybe he should have stayed another year. His brother is sure a nice defensive d-man at Denver. The current group of defensemen has developed nicely. Genoway, LaPoint, Marto and Blood are much better players than when they arrived. It's hard to get a read on Mac and Gleason yet.