NORTH DAKOTA @ MINNESOTA - Friday

[gfhockey]

So who owea me drunks??? Im imevebreavted rite rite.... drinks

[gfhockey]

IIve said it ocne and ill say it again change at the head coaching position???

Bring

Back

Dean

[Taz Boy]

I'm not here to pile on. I appreciate the talent of UND and respect them deeply. This year however, the Gophers are superior in many facets. Aside from top end talent on the first line where I agree it's a push, the Gophers have better 3rd and 4th line depth, better team defense, better special teams, and better goaltending. This year. Things change and I remember getting beat plenty of times by superior Sioux teams of the past. Plus, who knows how a single elimination context goes in the NCAAs. Honestly though, UND will need to pick it up from tonight's effort to ensure they make the NCAAs.

Prior to the game I don't think many of you thought Wilcox was legit. He is, obviously. Saunders was average, and the U is throwing a lot of pucks in the back of the net in the last few weeks against average goaltending. Additionally, I think we can put to rest the refereeing bias conspiracy theories. There were several light calls in both directions early on that no one was happy with.

Overall, it was a clean game that got out of hand. I expect a better team effort from UND tomorrow but I'd honestly be surprised if the U didn't end uf with 3 or 4 points on the weekend.

Gophers are peaking at just the right time.

Fair assessment, I think. UND is struggling right now, so they are ripe for a sweep at Mariucci. But, I also think they can solidify and be a strong team down the stretch, as they have done time and time again. Had UND got a few more lucky bounces tonight, would we be analyzing the death of their season right now?

Too much drama from the naysayers here. The boys are fine. Gophs are really clicking. And hockey is just getting into full swing.

taz

[SIOUXELEVENS]

Why do you think dean would come back? We need to change something

[heavy]

You have lost all respect after your comments tonight after ONE game.

I'm not here to be a dick. That one post was a bit of a flame but it was in response to someone telling me I have no idea what I'm talking about since lines weren't set and the ice is big. Read my posts, I've been pretty fair.

I have not seen UND play besides tonight. That's why I only commented on tonight's performance saying it needs to improve to be a #2 seed.

Apologies about the paycheck thing. That was dumb of me. My paycheck is paltry BTW. Looking forward to a good game tomorrow.

[johnsowe]

Goaile=Average

Forwards=Awful

Defense=OK

Needs alot more and better goaltending and quick but you will not win games if you score only one goal. Well not alot.

[yzerman19]

I disagree on a coaching change. It is January!

Dean will not come back.

Lucia has a losing record against UND.

We failed to establish a forecheck. We failed miserably in our own zone. Our skating was poor, our passes were off, no physicality.

BC got shelled by Minnesota- does anyone doubt that they will be in the mix in March/April?

[siouxweet]

_{tonight is exactly what I was hoping wouldn't happen. we don't have enough horses(corban and kristo can't do it alone) to compete with them. I thought after the loss in the regional and looking forward to this year I really thought we would have them to compete with the big boys. I was wrong. we can't score on a consistent basis and have average goaltending at best. I'm sure we'll see gothberg tomorrow and with that comes zero chance of getting a win. look to be down 3-0 after one.}

_{hats off to the gophers as they are the better team and i hope after tomorrow we don't see the again this season, I'd rather face BC. Rocco looks lost, we are counting on a kid who hasn't played in over year to be a top line winger and this drake kid has hit the freshman wall and is with rocco in lost land. I hate to say it but there looks to be no second half surge this season. only one series left with hopes of getting more than two points and that is bemidji, best guess is .500 rest of the way baby. our cup aspirations went bye, bye with 5 seconds left in the second tonight.}

[yzerman19]

_{tonight is exactly what I was hoping wouldn't happen. we don't have enough horses(corban and kristo can't do it alone) to compete with them. I thought after the loss in the regional and looking forward to this year I really thought we would have them to compete with the big boys. I was wrong. we can't score on a consistent basis and have average goaltending at best. I'm sure we'll see gothberg tomorrow and with that comes zero chance of getting a win. look to be down 3-0 after one.}

_{hats off to the gophers as they are the better team and i hope after tomorrow we don't see the again this season, I'd rather face BC. Rocco looks lost, we are counting on a kid who hasn't played in over year to be a top line winger and this drake kid has hit the freshman wall and is with rocco in lost land. I hate to say it but there looks to be no second half surge this season. only one series left with hopes of getting more than two points and that is bemidji, best guess is .500 rest of the way baby. our cup aspirations went bye, bye with 5 seconds left in the second tonight.}

Ye of little faith...don't give up. We had a bad performance.

[siouxweet]

It is January, not March or April...If I recall, even the Hrkac Circus team lost a game at Mariucci.

The UND coaching staff is known for making late season pushes and getting better as the season wears on. We do not even have our lines set for crying out loud.

Minnesota is a very quality team this year. To get beat on their ice is a great motivator and wake-up call.

I am optimistic that we have not played our best hockey, and I believe that Minnesota is peaking early. I might be wrong, and they might just get better, but I believe that we will definitely get better.

I do agree that we had no puck luck, but we didn't work hard enough to get it. Minnesota did a great job limiting our chances. Rarely did we have flow and good looks with numbers attacking.

Tomorrow is another day

unless this wilcox kid starts to give up 3 or 4 on a nightly basis the gophs aren't going to have a downward slide.

[Wilbur]

Yeah, something just isn't clicking right now with the line combos. Obviously Kristo-Knight need to stick together, but right now 1-4 is anybody's guess.

Pattyn is a fourth liner....plain and simple. Why is a fourth liner centering a line with Rocco? Something just doesn't seem right. I'm a 100% backer of our coaching staff, and I know they have to make tough decisions....but that just doesn't seem like the right fit.

One decision I hope they make is Schmaltz upstairs in a suit tomorrow.

[Brainerd Sioux]

Panz needs to play tomorrow, he brings a much needed element to UND's game they got out played physically by the goofers! nothing else needs to be said about that.

Forbort and Schmaltz were terrible, when the coaches and team watch film on this game they will have alot to discuss with those two.

St Clair should also be on the ice, I like "Jim" and all but doesn't add much for a series like this

Zane plays tomorrow, Saunders has had a tough couple of weeks, I think he is still the #1 guy but needs to sit back and get hungry.

[OETKB]

Yeah, something just isn't clicking right now with the line combos. Obviously Kristo-Knight need to stick together, but right now 1-4 is anybody's guess.

Pattyn is a fourth liner....plain and simple. Why is a fourth liner centering a line with Rocco? Something just doesn't seem right. I'm a 100% backer of our coaching staff, and I know they have to make tough decisions....but that just doesn't seem like the right fit.

One decision I hope they make is Schmaltz upstairs in a suit tomorrow.

I don't normally like jumping on individual players, but I have to agree - Schmaltz was brutal tonight. But this loss was a whole team defensive failure. Even Forbort did not have a good game.

Saunders started well, but finished very poorlly. Forwards could not get any reboud opportunities at all. All together, a weak showing that got worse as the night went on.

[Johnny Five]

Good grief. A win tomorrow night and you guys are likely tied for first in the league right? ENJOY THE SEASON.

Haven't watched your boys much this year but the past 3 games, just to many breakdowns in the D zone. For the life of me I cannot figure out what Schmaltz (correct?) was doing allowing Condon so much space to cut to the middle with less than 10 seconds in the period. Game changing play right there. When have you ever been taught to "force" a guy to drive it the middle? Just a total breakdown and his recovery effort was trash as well.

And I'm sorry...Gleason broke his stick. But you basically should strangle Condon instead of letting him skate by you. And Kristo's effort there was sketchy as well knowing The last man was stickless.

Just my 2 cents. 2 real darn good teams.

[GFG]

Officiating was a non factor tonight. Terrible both ways, so basically a normal WCHA officiating night. The first call on us was almost as weak as Macwilliams call last weekend.

As you learned tonight, Wilcox is for real this year. The kids been an absolute stud all year and his stats back it up.

From what I saw tonight, the major difference was Minnesota's defense and Wilcox. Many of you said both of the numbers were padded by their schedule, but tonight may have changed your mind a little. They're vastly improved.

My take on UND, whom I've watched a lot this year since I live in Grand Forks:

-This is quite possibly the worst defensive team I've seen from UND in the last decade. Seems there's always openings in their defensive zone and they're not very good at clearing in front of the net. This needs to change. Now

-Saunders is pretty good but he really doesn't seem to get much help around the net

-After the top forward line on offense UND just doesn't seem to have much punch, other than Rocco.

[AZSIOUX]

Play Rocco at the top...come on...go sioux!!

[geaux_sioux]

So you think panzarella is the difference between winning and losing?

I think he stays at home and roughs people up and doesn't make anything other than the easy play which makes him very reliable.

What I'm getting at is that Und isn't as physical as years past which is not a good thing when playing the gophers who can go skill for skill with anyone. They don't like being hit in the mouth, which is why we have gotten the better of them in the last 15 years.

[sioux rube]

Play Rocco at the top...come on...go sioux!!

I have said that for awhile now. He is being wasted where he is at now.

[Frozen4sioux]

Welp....

That one was not fun to sit through the last period of..

In reality No not the best game but really to say the d was awfull isn't accurate..

In fact the d played a very good job of stymiing the goofs into the zone, against BC and Notre dame the forwards gained the zone with more ease and where able to set up their offense much better....

The problems came on the clearing of the puck and the real problem came on the one on ones that the goofs scored on..

Those were good goals but I would think Saunders needs to get at least two of those.

The forwards very little chemistry ....all scoring chances came on a zone entry and then a slip pass to the net, they were not able to get anything really set up....they banged it around down on the boards a bunch but it's always just a bump and a bounce and a hope and a prayer from there.

Gophers are a good team....good depth good D.

Wilcox is very impressive....the type of goalie that can win a Nattie...IMHO

To see the score and think Sioux were blown out or "dominated" as the inebriated goof backer behind me stated was simply not the case.

Through two periods it was an even hockey game coulda been 2-1 1-2 1-1....anybody's game, even down 3-1 I thought some good momentum was building....

The breaking point ....literally was the stick breaking and the shorty.

UND can beat this team,...no question about it,,,,Saturday maybe,. March more likely.

I'm now 1-4 on road trips so it's a good thing I'm watching on tv tomorrow

[rlund123]

Tonights game was a great game it was even through the first two periods but the GOPHERS are a better team and it showed in the third period . You guys must have to wish you guys had a goalie as good as Wilcox that can shut a team down and can carry a team. I still don't think the GOPHERS have peaked yet and UND will not peak at all this year and dare I say you guys get knocked out by your favorite team Holy Cross in the NCAA tourney first round, I think that would be a sweet sweet loss for you guys to swallow.

GOPHERS WILL SWEEP tomorrow by a score of 4-0. Have fun watching your team collapse and watch The GOPHERS Win the National title and Nate Schmidt win the Hobey Baker award.

GO GOPHERS SKI-U-Mah

[jodcon]

Ever notice how people who talk a lot of sh^t always have it backfire on them and then they drop off the earth?

[Oxbow6]

One of the biggest isssues last night was UND's complete inability to establish any forecheck. Dump the puck and UND gets to the puck but doesn't get support from the other forwards or dump puck and don't have speed to beat UM Dman to puck 1st. Pattyn and Gaarder weren't fast enough to get to the puck 1st and then UM brought it right out of our offensive zone. Our 4 best centerman are Knight, Rowney, Easy Mac and Rocco...only 2 played center. As much as the RPM line clicked last year, I think with this team Mark Mac is a center specifically if Rocco doesn't play on top line. Parks and Rowney can play with most any one.

Here is what I would like to see tonight:

Kristo Knight Rocco

Parks Rowney St. Clair

Mitch Mark Drake

Gaarder Pattyn Rodwell

This gets Mark at center with two potential scoring wings. Colton adds some speed to that line and he can create offensively. And most importantly Rocco plays with guys of his skill. I just remember the Saturday UAA game late 3rd and OT when those 3 were together...complete mismatch. Granted it was UAA, but without queestion it was the most potent line combo for this team to date.

Defensively...what can you say? Just horrendous! Berry IMO has made no positive impact. Simpson and Mac have been decent most of the year. Forbort has really struggled since the break and the other 3 have almost become liabilities.

Clark hasn't been the before the break Clark, but I don't think Zane can make his 2nd? (or 3rd) road start vs. this team in that setting.

Mid January and IMO way to many questions and uncertainties for this team to have at this point. But as Schloss has referenced many times, 2nd half surge 8 years running with Hak. Will see this season...

[passit_offthegoalie]

Zane came in and beat CC last Saturday. Why didn't we roll with him until we lost a game, at least? We are going to run out of season before we even know who our goalie is.

Practice is just practice. I don't care if Clarke Saunders never lets in a single goal in practice, because he's good for a couple bad goals a game, at least.

[sloppy]

Now granted I missed the first period of this game, but from what I saw I don't think we need to run around like chickens with our heads cut off. I think once we got established in the zone our forwards did an alright job of working the puck around. The trick here is I saw very little effort from the forwards in general to hustle after loose pucks and win battles. Most notably Kristo skating half speed to try to help Gleason who was stickless.

Defense has been a joke over the last three games. Saunders has a tough time with guys in front of him and our defense has done nothing to clear guys from the front of the net. Schmaltz was exceptionally brutal tonight. I kept screaming for Hak to just bench him. He was more liablitly than anything.

The Gophers have a good team. They have been able to build great chemistry playing a weaker schedule and that clearly showed this evening. While not an overwhelming dominant performance they played their game, connected plays together, and kept their feet moving. Something I didn't see much of from the boys in green. I think a lot of that can come from always playing with someone new each week. Pick some lines, and stick with them.

[gfhockey]

Fire hak?