University of North Dakota Hockey 2014-15 season

[Fetch]

Well Zane has to be at his best & we have to be better on the P P & stay out of the box - so he was pretty knowledgeable

[tnt]

Oh, I see he is paying attention, as he fixed it now.

[siouxforce19]

Well Zane has to be at his best & we have to be better on the P P & stay out of the box - so he was pretty knowledgeable

 

Have you read any of his other articles?

 

Just as bad as this one. 

[tnt]

Well Zane has to be at his best & we have to be better on the P P & stay out of the box - so he was pretty knowledgeable

... and other teams don't? Obviously there is no guarantee, but our chances are as good as any other team, probably better. Guess I'll take Andy Murray's opinion over this guy's drivel.

[Big A HG]

So he picked out a few stats that fed his agenda.  Big whoop.  This team really hasn't been head and shoulders above everybody...they just find ways to win.  This past weekend was our most complete weekend of the year.  It's our first time sweeping a decent team in a long time...but in the end, SCSU still leaves the weekend with a losing record, so how great are they really?

 

I like the x-factor or intangibles with this team.  But, they aren't a high-flying, light the lamp type team...for better or for worse.

[siouxforce19]

So he picked out a few stats that fed his agenda.  Big whoop.  This team really hasn't been head and shoulders above everybody...they just find ways to win.  This past weekend was our most complete weekend of the year.  It's our first time sweeping a decent team in a long time...but in the end, SCSU still leaves the weekend with a losing record, so how great are they really?

 

I like the x-factor or intangibles with this team.  But, they aren't a high-flying, light the lamp type team...for better or for worse.

 

I think is why this team doesn't get the respect at times it might deserve. Don't run teams out of the building. Just flat out win games. And that's fine with me. 

[Dead Yedi]

Sure the SOS is good, and they're #1 in both polls and the PairWise but what do they know.... Let's dig a little deeper.. Who wrote that article, jordan leopold daughter? Moron

[brianvf]

I literally laughed out loud twice reading that article.

He's from Boston, what do you expect?  He's probably never even watched UND this season, and yet he's digging into random stats to attempt to back up an argument that doesn't need arguing.

 

Stats don't win games.  As was mentioned earlier, this is not a team that blows other teams out.  They just find a way to win games, plain and simple.  So using the argument that they play a lot of 1 goal games is irrelevant...they still won those games. 

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

I literally laughed out loud twice reading that article.

He's from Boston, what do you expect? He's probably never even watched UND this season, and yet he's digging into random stats to attempt to back up an argument that doesn't need arguing.

Stats don't win games. As was mentioned earlier, this is not a team that blows other teams out. They just find a way to win games, plain and simple. So using the argument that they play a lot of 1 goal games is irrelevant...they still won those games.

Exactly, I chuckled reading it. I put about as much stock into it as the players will.

[GDPritch]

Well Zane has to be at his best & we have to be better on the P P & stay out of the box - so he was pretty knowledgeable

Fetch--I'm as big a Sioux fan as anybody and agree with you. I didn't agree with all the writer said but I have been saying the last several weeks if we had an avg goalie we might be #6 or #11 or #17 in the national rankings (we'd still be good). We really don't overpower anybody, even the lower teams (Bem, AF, W Mich, CC last series,...) but hey, just win baby. In UND's defense, in ref to where the writer rags on our OOC road/neutral site games, admittedly you really can't argue. However, I'm sure the UND schedule makers had had absolutely no clue that when we went on the road to play the BADgers this season (we swept) that they were going to be such a horrible team. And I'm guessing that Providence was a home-and-home deal (?) over two seasons so that's got to be accounted for every other season.

[brianvf]

Exactly, I chuckled reading it. I put about as much stock into it as the players will.

 

And it's not even like I think this year's team is head-and-shoulders above other teams.  Sure, they are currently ranked #1 in polls/PWR, but this is a year where the national tourney could be very wide open.  I was looking at the Bracketology and there are quite a few #2-4 teams that I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if they took home the trophy at the end of the year.

 

Michigan & UMass Lowell (technically #16 right now, which would be out, but ya know) as #4 seeds?

BC and UMN as #3 seeds?  UNO, BU, DU as #2 seeds? 

Could be any of those teams or others.

 

Could be the type of tourney that a hard-working team like UND manages to win four games in a row...maybe similar to 97?

[Cratter]

Is cawlidge hawkey down this year?

[Big A HG]

Our OOC was weak this year, but hard to gauge that years prior to actually playing.  All-in-all, Hak has never backed down from playing good opponents, home or away.  His trademark definitely isn't scheduling bums from October to January.

 

For all we know, Wisconsin could have been a top 10 team, throw in a top 5 Providence team, and Niagara or LSSU could have been a possible playoff team as well....it just didn't work out that way.

[siouxforce19]

The other thing about the schedule is that it was still ranked 8th in Strength of Schedule. I think the super tough conference schedule and the non-conference schedule balanced out. Think about if we had our non-conference schedule and played in like, the Big 10? THEN you could say we had a cake schedule. 

[siouxforce19]

Is cawlidge hawkey down this year?

 

It is out East. 

[Godsmack]

He's an idiot, for sure. He's obsessed with using stats to say who's the best team. He can look at the stats all he wants, we'll take the wins and the trophies.

To your point, Mark Twain once said, "there are liars, damn liars, and statistics." Anyone can selectively choose or bend whichever stats they wish in order to try to solidify or validate their argument.

However, what the author neglected to mention (or failed to recognize) are the intangibles of this UND squad. I think all of us UND fans easily know what those intangible traits are which makes us admire and appreciate what this team has accomplished so far and what we hope to see them do going forward.

[The Sicatoka]

Brendan Morrison quote circa 1997 here. 

[SJHovey]

And it's not even like I think this year's team is head-and-shoulders above other teams.  Sure, they are currently ranked #1 in polls/PWR, but this is a year where the national tourney could be very wide open.  I was looking at the Bracketology and there are quite a few #2-4 teams that I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if they took home the trophy at the end of the year.

 

Michigan & UMass Lowell (technically #16 right now, which would be out, but ya know) as #4 seeds?

BC and UMN as #3 seeds?  UNO, BU, DU as #2 seeds? 

Could be any of those teams or others.

 

Could be the type of tourney that a hard-working team like UND manages to win four games in a row...maybe similar to 97?

That's the thing.  Someone has to have the top PWR number and be ranked number 1.  Right now it's us.  But I don't think anyone has been saying UND is a clear favorite or unquestionably the best team in the country.  They are one of probably 10 teams right now with a legitimate shot to win the tournament.

 

A couple of things to note about Lambert's comments, though.  He basically claims Miami, UMD and DU are all better teams than UND.  May or may not be true.  But UND is 4-3-1 against those teams.  Miami is 5-5, UMD is 5-5 and DU is 5-6-1, so there is that.

 

With respect to the out of conference record, we have played some weak teams.  But we have beaten those weak teams as well.  13-0 against teams ranked from 24-59 in the PWR (BSU is 23, which is why I took that as the cutoff).  If you look at all the other top teams in the PWR, they have had some clunkers against that same group of teams.  BU has lost 3 and tied 5 against PWR teams from 24-59.  Mankato, Miami, UMD, all have dropped a game or two against those teams.

 

This UND team is not a run and gun and put up 40 shots a game type of team.  It's built from the goal out, and has been a very tough team to beat.  Will they win it all?   Hard to say.  Would have liked to gone into the tournament with all hands on deck, but we'll see.

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

That's the thing.  Someone has to have the top PWR number and be ranked number 1.  Right now it's us.  But I don't think anyone has been saying UND is a clear favorite or unquestionably the best team in the country.  They are one of probably 10 teams right now with a legitimate shot to win the tournament.

 

A couple of things to note about Lambert's comments, though.  He basically claims Miami, UMD and DU are all better teams than UND.  May or may not be true.  But UND is 4-3-1 against those teams.  Miami is 5-5, UMD is 5-5 and DU is 5-6-1, so there is that.

 

With respect to the out of conference record, we have played some weak teams.  But we have beaten those weak teams as well.  13-0 against teams ranked from 24-59 in the PWR (BSU is 23, which is why I took that as the cutoff).  If you look at all the other top teams in the PWR, they have had some clunkers against that same group of teams.  BU has lost 3 and tied 5 against PWR teams from 24-59.  Mankato, Miami, UMD, all have dropped a game or two against those teams.

 

This UND team is not a run and gun and put up 40 shots a game type of team.  It's built from the goal out, and has been a very tough team to beat.  Will they win it all?   Hard to say.  Would have liked to gone into the tournament with all hands on deck, but we'll see.

 

Great points here that I was too lazy to put together mostly because I thought the article was so slanted I decided not to.

 

Our one bad loss on the year was the 1st game against BSU and people are finding out quickly that the Beavers are a formidable team this year.  I think you could make a compelling argument for them to make a run in the Final Five. And we don't have a losing record to any team this year, including the strong ones in the stacked NCHC.

 

And yes, we depend on Zane to be as good as he is. Our team is built around him being solid in net and occassionally stealing games. If we hang #8 it will be in large part to him. I don't see that as a weakness. He's a great goalie and probably top 3 all time at UND. If we win the Saturday game in Boston I will entertain him as the best ever.

[jk]

Having seen UND's play and results against the other top NCHC teams, it's easy to imagine UND losing to any of them.  The teams took turns looking impressive, and Zane was the difference more than once.  This is a very good UND team, in a league with other very good teams.

 

Zane and the unusually mobile and skilled defense could set UND apart when it counts.  In MacMillan's absence, though, someone is going to have to win faceoffs, especially on late-game PKs in the defensive zone.  You just cannot repeatedly hand them possession.

[siouxforcefans]

Having seen UND's play and results against the other top NCHC teams, it's easy to imagine UND losing to any of them.  The teams took turns looking impressive, and Zane was the difference more than once.  This is a very good UND team, in a league with other very good teams.

 

Zane and the unusually mobile and skilled defense could set UND apart when it counts.  In MacMillan's absence, though, someone is going to have to win faceoffs, especially on late-game PKs in the defensive zone.  You just cannot repeatedly hand them possession.

Those faceoffs will be huge!  Our PK will need to be in good form for this run.

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

Having seen UND's play and results against the other top NCHC teams, it's easy to imagine UND losing to any of them.  The teams took turns looking impressive, and Zane was the difference more than once.  This is a very good UND team, in a league with other very good teams.

 

Zane and the unusually mobile and skilled defense could set UND apart when it counts.  In MacMillan's absence, though, someone is going to have to win faceoffs, especially on late-game PKs in the defensive zone.  You just cannot repeatedly hand them possession.

 

Yup, faceoffs will be absolutely crucial come NCAA tournament time. Friday was brutal against SCSU as it seemed like we couldn't win a faceoff and allowed their PP to continually set up because of it. But like most every other game this year, we found a way to win.

[MafiaMan]

Our one bad loss on the year was the 1st game against BSU and people are finding out quickly that the Beavers are a formidable team this year. I think you could make a compelling argument for them to make a run in the Final Five.

Didn't someone here say early on that Bemidji would be decent this season?

[burd]

Didn't someone here say early on that Bemidji would be decent this season?

I think so, but as I recall it was a guy who has never been right about anything hockey-related before or since, so no one paid any attention. 

[SJHovey]

Another couple of things that Lambert seemed to have overlooked.  Our penalty kill has been occasionally maligned.  But if you look at our "net" on the penalty kill, we are down 13 goals on a 138 pp opportunities.  This compares very favorably with some of the better penalty kill teams in the country, like Bowling Green and others.

 

Second, I remember a few years ago reading somewhere about a key stat that is often overlooked is the goal differential for each team.  If you go through the stats at the end of the year, the handful of teams that lead the country in the difference between goals scored and goals allowed are always the ones contending for the title, which only makes sense.  But so may teams in the tournament have less than a one goal per game differential, but the elite teams each year hit that 1.2 to 1.5 range.

 

For example, last year the teams with the best differential were BC, Union, Quinnipiac and Minnesota.

 

This year we compare very favorably.  Of the top 16 PWR teams right now, it looks like this:

 

1.  MTU +1.8

2. Mankato 1.61

3. BU 1.4

4. UND 1.3

5. Yale 1.14

6. Michigan 1.1

7-8. Minnesota .91

7-8. Providence .91

9. DU .84

10. Mass-Lowell .79

11. Miami .69

12. UMD .62

13. Quinnipiac .61

14. BC .59

15. Bowling Green .56

16. UNO .37