Jump to content
SiouxSports.com Forum

Michigan is doing it...what happened to UND?


Kuhninca

Recommended Posts

This is not a slam on UND.  Blais has had a fantastic run as coach and this school's tradition speaks for itself.

However, Michigan is going to the Frozen Four.  A team that has zero seniors among it's top scorers.  A team that has freshmen that have scored 30,26,22,19,18,15 and so on.

People say we expected too much out of our freshmen this year.  I wonder if that is true, or if we expected too little?

Thoughts?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kuhninca,

Glad to see you back. Thought you changed your name.

A lot of things come into play every year & maybe we didn't have the team chemistry that we had in past years.

Trying to get 10-12 new players into the line-up has to be tough, even for Dean.

We should be all right for next year with some game experience & tough loses that we all had to put up with.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Speez, can I field this one?

Actually Michigan had a couple of big time players in the line up mainly the Goalie, Ortmeiyer, Calimari and Blackburn is a #### of a good goal tender...

So should we just fire Blaiser? Send him on his way?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kuhninca does make a good point.  It can happen for a team so loaded with freshmen.

On the other hand, there's no accounting for chance.  We all have discussed over and over what a crap shoot it is for freshmen contributions.  

If Blais team gels next year and is a solid NCAA team I will not look back and think that this year was somehow a screw-up.

If next years sophomores do not step up the way they ought to, then Kuhninca may have been a year ahead of the rest of us.

For now, I choose to believe we'll see some exciting improvement in many of our young players.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Obviously Blais doesn't get ousted after a single poor season.  Not when a dozen freshmen were in the lineup.  That's not the point here.

Rather, I'm wondering what people think is the difference between what is happening for them vs. what happened to UND.  Their team is loaded with freshmen who contributed greatly.  Goaltending didn't do that.

I hear that Blais is "Hitting the recruiting trail very hard" these days.  Perhaps playing far into the Spring actually hindered bringing in some kids who could contribute right away?  

I think we need another Bayda-type player and another kid who can really be a play maker with great passing skills.  Can we pull in a couple of guys out of Canada?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If he is I hope he is looking for offense in the D corp.  I'm personally more concerned with that than forward talent.  And I'm an expert.   ;)

I believe I read that MI got the regional because they were about the only people to bid on it.

If so, REA should be hosting plenty in the future.  Go REA.  :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What is the difference here is the Heart of the Junior Class at Michigan and they are John Shouneyia 10-40 = 50 Points, Mike Cammalleri 23-20=43 points and Jed Ortmeyer 15-22-37 Points.  Actually our Junior Class had done more than these guys up until this year, I mean we all know their accomplishments winning a Broadmore, NCAA and NCAA runner-up WCHA title. Michgan I believe has won 1-2 league titles with a final four appearance.

I believe the difference this season was Blackburn, if we had gotten more consistent goaltending we could been right in the thick of it. UND actually beat 3-4 teams in the final four, mind you we did get beat 6-7 times to minnesota but their day will come soon again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A few years ago Wisconsin hosted the West Region tourney in the, then, new Kohl center. Wisconsin was not in the tournament and it didn't draw spit!  Coach Sauer was extremely embarrassed because of the horrible turn out and, as I recall, didn't hesitate to vent his feelings.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Let's face it, the CCHA really isn't as loaded as the WCHA is this year.  We managed to beat Michigan and Michigan State, but get smoked by Mankato in our own barn.  It's not a knock on Michigan, which just seems to turn it to the next level this time of year, but I think they have a very real shot at another Title.

Too many green freshmen, not enough leadership from the upper-classmen and iffy defense and goaltending does not a Title contender make, especially in this league. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Both Sicatoka and Kiork have provided some insightful analysis.

I definitely agree.  I have wanted an offensive D man because I think that may help move the puck out of our zone and help on the power play.  Maybe with a year of exp our existing D men will not have so much trouble moving the puck out.  And our young forwards........

Just keeping the puck out of our zone a bit more and sustaining a forecheck would probably result in fewer frustration and desperation penalties.  In turn the puck would be in our own end much less, and we would have to kill fewer penalties.

Does this seem like a recipe for 1 less goal per game?  Or is that too much to expect....?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kuchina,

Michigan had a much more veteran Defense.. Schneeks and Mazzy didn't have bad years but are not killers like Komisarek and Vanek.  They are more like O'Connell and Commie.. Enforcers around so the youngster feel comfortable.. We had killers the problem was they were freshman too!  They couldn't help make others comfortable when they weren't yet.. David Hale suffered thru a tough summer with illness and then the loss of his mother.  I look for this next season to be a great one for him.

I think it is obvious that Freshman dmen do not adjust as fast as forwards do..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Most of the year UND allowed the opposition to free wheel through the neutral zone.  Our D kept backing up and giving ground deep into our zone.  The teams we played did their homework and for the most part took the neutral zone away from the Sioux, stacked the blue line and forced UND to dump and chase knowing that we did not have the size needed in a muckers game. We, on the other hand, really struggled getting the neutral zone under control and did not force the blue line.  Your defense absolutely cannot force the blue line if the forwards are not back checking hard. That was a problem for most of the season. Clearing our defensive zone has been a problem for the past couple of years. Teams piled up "time of possesion" counts on the Sioux all year. Most of the above did improve the last week or two of the season.  Lets hope that trend continues into next season.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

UND was 1, maybe 2 key players away from getting into the NCAA tourney.  I truly think they were that close.  Look at the way they took on Denver and Minnesota at the end of the season.  Aside from the "I'm drunk and I can't get up" Friday in Gooferville, they looked as good as any other team in the nation.

This is a team with dangerous talent.  They just need the right on-ice leadership to get to the next level.  A lot of those 1 goal games start to turn in their favor, and they'll find themselves right back in the top 10.

This is a good chance for Blais to re-shape his team and build another 3 or 4 year powerhouse.  Time to reload, baybay.

taz digs da Hockey Sioux

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Okay - so the consensus seems to be that Michigan had better defense, goaltending and better upperclass leadership and that is why they are in the Frozen Four.  That's logical.

The big unanswered question is...if UND's freshmen are truly as talented as people say, why did only one of them (Bo) break the 15 pt barrier?  As I posted earlier, Mich. freshmen scored 30, 26, 22, 19, 18, 15, etc.

Is it that the WCHA is really that much harder to assert oneself as a freshman?  Are none of UND's returning Soph's "special" players?  

I'm curious to know why we've had multiple freshmen that contributed strongly in many a recent season, yet it just didn't happen recently.  When I get back from vacation in a week, I'll be interested in seeing people,s thoughts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here is what I found for freshmen offense in the several years.

1993-1994

Kevin Hoogsteen   8  12 = 20

Dane Litke           0   14 = 14

Mark Pivetz          2    5 = 7

1994-1995

Curtis Murphy       6   10 = 16

Matt Henderson    1    3  =  4

Tyler Rice            1    8  =  9

Mitch Vig             0    2  =  2

1995-1996

David Hoogsteen  10  10 = 20

Ian Kallay            23  22 = 45

Jay Panzer            3    7 = 10

Adam Calder          6   8  = 14

Jesse Bull              1   0  = 1

Brad Williamson       1   3 = 4

Jeff Ulmer              5   3  = 8

Tom Philion            6   3 = 9

1996-1997

Peter Armbrust     10  6 = 16

Brad Defauw         7   6 = 13

Jason Ulmer          3   5 = 8

Tim  Oconnell        0   1 = 1

Joe Blake              0000000

1997-1998

Jeff Panzer       14  23 = 37

Wes Dorey        11  11 = 22

Lee Goren         3    13 = 16

Trevor Hammer   1    8 = 9

Mike Commodore 0    5 = 5

Aaron Murphy     00000000

1998-1999

Bryan Lundbohm   2  9 = 11

Schneekloth         2 4 = 6

Mazurak

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...