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NORTH DAKOTA @ CC - Saturday


AZSIOUX

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couldn't agree more. however, seems like the majoirty around here feel a second half run is a given(including the SID who runs the chat during the games). the only squad under hakstol that seesm to have avoided the first half slump for the most part was the 10-11 squad. this years team seemed to have built for a run like that as well but so far has fallen into mediocrity like other teams in the first half. I say they split with DU, then sweep Tech next weekend for a 10-6-2 first half and sitting somehwere in the top 10 of the PWR. I', not sure this years second half schedule gives us the leeway for huge run. holy cross,cc,minn,scsu,uw, omaha,denver in that order before we get bemidji and msum at the end of the year. I see a lot of splits in there. sure would have been nice to have gotten another two three wins in the first half.

I will say this and maybe I am wrong but it sure seems like more emphasis is put on winning the Final Five versus the big one at the end. it was 2010 and hak made the reference that they could have held back a little in their three day run and 6 games in 9 day stretch to maybe have a little gas left going into the regional but they decided it was important for the fans and the program to go for the win at the final five.

This last paragraph is complete Bull! Hak never said that and never would, they went into the final five to win it, always have, always will....

"Hold back for the next game", ha, never happen!

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For as much as we assume the second half surge is a given, why is the assumption always made that if we win more in the first half the team would automatically be better off come tourney time? Either you're playing your best hockey at the end of the year, or you're not. More often than not, Hak has his teams playing their best hockey at the end - when it counts. Saying they have failed to win a natty because of a few losses in November is a bit ridiculous. He's had regular season WCHA champs fail to win it all, so lets not assume it's all about being able to "manage your fatigue level" at the end.

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Agree for the most part, however, the national championship ends up being about a 4 game tournament. Not only do you need to be playing your best hockey from a team and execution stand point, but also you need to be healthy and you need to be positioned well to maximize your chances: a rink close to home if possible and last line change. Both of which you earn over 40 or so games between October and March.

You also need the psychology of a winner I.e. killer instinct and urgency for 60 minutes.

Lastly you need a little puck luck.

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That's my point. This sure doesn't sound like "hope" just a short time earlier. It's not like the Sioux were playing like crap and all of a sudden caught fire.

Okay, I'll take one more shot at this. Getting swept on the road would have been a big morale killer, and with a much better team coming to Grand Forks the following weekend, it was totally conceivable that we might get swept at home. This team has been up and down all season and you need consistency to sweep teams (even at home). The OT win on Saturday changes the whole dynamic. Now we have some confidence as we face Denver at home, in front of all our fans (including the students, who will want to blow off some steam before finals next week). Every season, you can point to one or more crucial turning points (good and bad) that affected a team's season. Last Saturday's OT win might end up being one of those for this team.

Having said that, it's going to be a tough weekend to watch if we come out and give up 35-40 shots per game like we had been doing before last weekend. Denver will make us pay for it, unlike some of the teams we have been playing. Saunders can't do everything himself. I think this weekend will determine what kind of team we have.

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Having said that, it's going to be a tough weekend to watch if we come out and give up 35-40 shots per game like we had been doing before last weekend. Denver will make us pay for it, unlike some of the teams we have been playing. Saunders can't do everything himself. I think this weekend will determine what kind of team we have.

DU will create lots of scoring chances just because of their speed and skill but so will UND IMO. This will be fastbreak hockey. The series comes down to which team can bury their grade A chances...and to date UND hasn't done that.

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