State of the Sioux

[jk]

Just a little rambling to do. Most of it's negative, but whaddaya expect tonight.

First, I almost ended up in GF today for something else, and I would have attended the game if I had. Glad that didn't happen.

For a while it has looked like there were six teams capable of winning the national title. Based on recent play, it seems like that group has been split in two. BC, UMD and Michigan seem to have played their way ahead of everyone else, while UND, MN and Maine have played their way back to the trailing pack.

I didn't see this weekend, but it sounded like the Sioux played "well," but ended up on the short side of a 4-1 score. They must not have played that well for the score to be that lopsided. What disappoints me most about a game like tonight is the failure to mount any kind of a threatening comeback. To fade away down the stretch of a lopsided loss on the road is one thing, but to go quietly in the third at home is very disappointing. On the radio it sounded like the Money Line had a boatload of chances in the game but couldn't convert. I hardly heard any other forward names - was the Money Line playing every other shift?

I heard Blais on the radio say that this was not going to be the same as last year, that they will not swoon, and while it was comforting, it also sounded a little like he was trying to convince himself that it was true. MN took four points from MSU, and UMD took three there. A split there would be very disappointing. Considering UND's history with Mankato, though, it's hard to be extremely optimistic about getting four points there. There have been a lot of tests lately - Saturday against Denver (follow-up a big win with another win), Saturday against Wisconsin (bounce back from a tough loss), Saturday against CC (see Denver) - and we haven't seen much for results: a tie, 2-4 loss, 1-4 loss.

I am among the most optimistic of fans; I thought they were going to turn it around last year until the horn sounded to end the Ferris State game. I am starting to worry, though. Regardless of officiating, rink size, opposing and own goaltending, puck possession and shots on goal, there is no denying that the team is 2-4-1 since beating MN on Friday night.

The crowd sounded just plain bad on the radio, so I understand the comments on the game thread. Bigger picture, if there is to be a change in fan behavior, as determined by higher powers (the NCAA, etc.), the process is not going to be quick or pretty. Part of that ugliness was seen with the dead crowd tonight, and it's going to take some time to get the atmosphere back. The one thing that is guaranteed to generate real enthusiasm, real passion, is an extended down time for a program. That keen lust for success that can only come from sucess's absence is what is making the DECC a madhouse this year, what make the Kohl center full and crazy last weekend, and what made the old REA so much fun in Blais' early years. We have gotten fat and lazy as fans (not "we" on this board, but more generally), and it has moved the atmosphere over from raucus to corporate (a la Mariucci). Smaller picture on the crowd tonight, we may eventually find out how costly a weak crowd can be.

UND absolutely still has all the ingredients to play into April this year. But they need to come together a lot better than they have so far, and it's mid-February. On that note, special recognition has to go out to Sandy and the Bulldogs. They look a lot like UND in the mid-90's. Better every year, quick, scrappy, and built with mostly second-tier recruits (not a slam, just the truth).

UND's recipe for success now is to get four points next weekend and have some confidence heading into Duluth. Split there. Get four more points the next weekend, and head into the playoffs having won five of six. That's enough to lock up a top seed in NCAA's and a top-two spot in the WCHA (maybe not the McNaughton). They have to go do it, though. Get outshot, I don't care. Get outplayed, I don't care. Just outscore them. No more lamentations about referees and headstanding goalies, and no more moral victories.

Sorry for the rant. Go Sioux. And go crowd, next time you have a chance.

[mksioux]

Well said jk. My thoughts exactly.

[Goon]

Trying to put a positive spin on things UND is still number one in the PWR rankings, and second in the KRACH rankings. UND is also only one point out of first place, I also think UND can still win the Mcnaughten Anchor, I am not so sure we want it, although another WCHA banner would look good hanging in the rafters. UMD has to play C.C. next weekend and have the harder of the schedules the rest of the way. I am still thinking UND goes 5-1 down the stretch. If UND stays in the top three they will be fine.

Another positve not UND is 5-4-1 the last 10 although not stellar it is not too bad either.

[DAR]

Good post JK. I have not been to a game at the Ralph this year as I live in Mpls. I usually make it up for a couple of series per year but have not been able to get up there this year. Therefore, I cannot comment firsthand on the crowd situation. I can however comment on the good ole days at the old ralph where there was a real college atmosphere and seats were not sold to the highest bidder as I was a college student at that time in the mid 90-s. I think the new arena is great but there are alot of parts about the old Ralph that money cannot buy (ie Atmosphere). The team is at a crossroads, doubt has to be starting to creep into their minds especially after what happened last year. That being said Duluth has a tough schedule and I believe they go to Colorado Springs next weekend. I am sure hoping for a Sioux sweep of Mankato and a CC dogz split. That would be a dead tie going into the big weekend at the DECC. I will be making my first trip to the DECC for that series and sure hope the Sioux can enter that series on a more positive note. Let's Go Sioux, Let's Go Sioux!!

[Goon]

Good post JK. I have not been to a game at the Ralph this year as I live in Mpls. I usually make it up for a couple of series per year but have not been able to get up there this year. Therefore, I cannot comment firsthand on the crowd situation. I can however comment on the good ole days at the old ralph where there was a real college atmosphere and seats were not sold to the highest bidder as I was a college student at that time in the mid 90-s. I think the new arena is great but there are alot of parts about the old Ralph that money cannot buy (ie Atmosphere). The team is at a crossroads, doubt has to be starting to creep into their minds especially after what happened last year. That being said Duluth has a tough schedule and I believe they go to Colorado Springs next weekend. I am sure hoping for a Sioux sweep of Mankato and a CC dogz split. That would be a dead tie going into the big weekend at the DECC. I will be making my first trip to the DECC for that series and sure hope the Sioux can enter that series on a more positive note. Let's Go Sioux, Let's Go Sioux!!

DAR,

Your post seems to have more of a silver lining to it. Time to get serious for UND. Blais needs to tell his players losing is not an option. Keep the faith...

[DAR]

I will say that adversity can bring out the best in a team. That being said I thought that after the debacle in Madison, that would have provided enough incentive to get 4 pts. out of this weekend. That is why tonight's loss is so disappointing. I am a big Dean Blais fan but I still feel that calling out Brandt in the media last weekend was the wrong thing to do. ESPECIALLY since he did not even give him a chance to redeem himself this weekend. IMO the unsettled goaltending situation is the biggest concern for this team and without a solid goaltender there will be zero shot at a NC.

[sioux fan in phoenix]

Nice summary, jk. I would add to your sentiments the responsibility of the head coach to locate this minor problem & remedy it. Something needs tweaking & that's where Blais enters the picture & works his magic. The only tweaking I noticed this weekend was the benching of Brandt & the rolling of 3 lines on Friday night. We fans have been saying the past 2 weekends were "gut checks" for the team & that's true; but I feel they were also reflections on how coach Blais faced adversity with his team & the results were nothin' to write home about. A team is a reflection of their coach, in part. I have faith in Blais because he's a proven winner, but I'll be looking at what he does the next couple of weeks as much as I look at Sioux wins or losses & individual performances. In Blais we Trust...

[UMDDogz]

UND is also only one point out of first place

Not quite...2 points...

[DAR]

congrats on the sweep this weekend UMDDogz. I will be at the DECC in two weeks with my Sioux jersey on, I hope I do not get beer poured on me. Do they serve beer at the DECC?

[sprig]

First of all, CC is much better than a lower half team, they must play inconsistently to be where they are. Can guarantee that noone wants to get CC in the playoffs. And, if they win down the stretch, they'll be waiting with home ice in the regional.

The Sioux are not playing poorly, but they are in a major struggle to put the puck in the net, unlike earlier in the year. I don't believe there has been a game this year that the money line had more good chances than last night.

At this point, if the Sioux can't sweep both Mankato and MTU, I'll be pessimistic about the NCAA's. They also need a win against the (currently) best team in the WCHA, Duluth, to spring them into the playoffs.

[mksioux]

I think the common consensus is that UND has to go 5-1 down the stretch to get some momentum going into the playoffs. Can they? Definitely. Will they? I'm a little doubtful at this point. For some reason I'm optmistic UND can get a split in Duluth, but fear they will run into a "hot goalie" and be unable to score in at least 1 or 2 out of the 4 games against the cupcakes. Unfortunately, I think 4-1-1 or 4-2 is more likely, or even 3-2-1 is not out of the question.

[sagard]

You all are too down reguarding the Sioux's chances. Heck my team is 1-7 against the top WCHA teams, and I haven't written them off despite the recent debacle.

The NCAA draw will determine who from the WCHA has the best chance. As long as UND is the #1 out West, they will be my favorite. The Frozen Four is still almost two full months away.

Speaking of the draw. Maine is losing their grip on the last #1 seed. They are clinging to RPI tie-breaks for both the Michigan and UMD comparisons. I think we could easily end up seeing UND, UMD, UMich and BC as the top seeds.

[mikejm]

Whoa people. Why all the sad sacks?

Yes, Saturday's game was sort of a bummer, and the crowd showed only glimmers of life. But watching CC put the neutral zone trap on the Sioux made it about the most boring college hockey games I've ever seen (31 years and counting!). It was just flat-out a crummy game to watch; kinda like an NHL game.

But the Sioux, as noted elsewhere in this topic, still hold onto the No. 1 spot in both Pairwise and RPI, and No. 2 in KRACH. The NCAAs are in the future, the only question is a No. 1 or a No. 2 seed.

Look what's in the near future: Mankato: sure we were swept there last year, but these are two vastly different teams than 12 months ago, and both lean to the Sioux's favor. Duluth is rolling, but they'll play a game the Sioux can win: not a clutch and grab trapping style, but a skating clinic. I'll say Sioux take 3 points in the DECC. Then Tech to close the regular season.

That looks like 5-0-1 or 5-1-0.

The boys skated well last night; there was frustration that the puck didn't go in the net, and the game got quite chippy. But they skated well.

JPar got beat twice, and the defense hung him out to dry twice (Come on Lee, you can do better!).

I don't see a need for panic, and I don't disagree with Blais' post-game comments: they can still win the WCHA.

[PCM]

Here's what I don't get. On Friday night, Blais praised the line of Lundbohm, Stafford and Porter, saying that they were the best line on the ice. I've heard Blais say on the coaches show that this time of the season, he'd like to be solidifying the lines and not shuffling them as much.

So why is it on Saturday night, Lundbohm was centering a line with McMahon and Prpich, two primarily defensive players? And why, after playing center all season and being praised for his play at that position, was McMahon suddenly changed to playing a wing against CC?

I'm sure Blais had his reasons for these moves. But I don't understand why, when a line played together so well on Friday night, you wouldn't keep them together on Saturday night.

[sioux fan in phoenix]

I'm sure Blais had his reasons for these moves.

Hopefully these reasons were for what he thought was the possible benefit to the team & not personally motivated; especially when it comes to the goalies because I don't understand why Brandt was benched all weekend & I hope there's no friction or animosity between the 2. What's Blais' line-combo strategy? A line goes a period without scoring & should therefore be changed? If my boss shuffled my duties every time I went to work I'd be unproductive, too (ok, I'm unproductive most of the time but I'm trying to make a point here )

[brianvf]

Here's what I don't get. On Friday night, Blais praised the line of Lundbohm, Stafford and Porter, saying that they were the best line on the ice.

So why is it on Saturday night, Lundbohm was centering a line with McMahon and Prpich, two primarily defensive players?

I wondered that as well. The Lundy-Stafford-Porter line was all over the place on Fri, creating chances and cycling the puck freely in the CC zone. Weird that he would choose to split them up for the Sat night game.

I would like to see Brandt play Fri night against Mankato. He needs some playing time to bring his confidence back up after the UW series. I still believe that he should be our goalie through the NCAA's. His solid play through last years WCHA first round playoffs and the Final Five (despite the quick exit) are proof that he can raise the level of his game with alot on the line. I say give him the chance to prove himself again.

[Ghost of Smith]

I live in St Paul and I took my wife to this past weekends series because she said she was tired of hearing about The Ralph and it was time for her to see it. It is one of the nicest places I have ever been to for a sporting event without a doubt. Now for the doom and gloom. When I left Fridays game I said words that didn't make me feel good. My words resembled this thought. Lets shut the new Ralph down and lets go back to old Ralph where the real fans congregated. Between getting the letter about swearing and seeing all the empty seats and to top it off everyone just sitting there acting like they have never seen a hockey game before it was just too much. That place isn't intimidating in the least and I would be shocked to hear a team say that it was a bit too much for them. It has been dead in there everytime I have been there and the teams they were playing were not Tech or AA either. They were games that the fans should have been up for. We need to get that place some atmosphere and we need to do it quickly.

[sioux9]

Why is it week in and week out UND runs into a hot goalie? I am dissapointed. We should be manhandling these teams. I mean for one period CC gets two shots on net and we still lose? Also the big crowds are not helping. They are so complacent.

UND needs to pick it up for the NCAA tourney or it will be a quick exit. I apologize if I sound like I am crying here, hell I damn near did after Saturday nights game. C'mon Sioux! Lets pick it up and sweep this weekend. There is no other alternative.

[ScottM]

I'm going to play "devil's advocate". In my view, while the team is hitting a few rough patches, I don't really think this should be unexpected. Minnesota, UMD and I believe CC were all picked to be top 5-6 teams in the league, with Wisco on the edges. The level of play in this league and the talent, top to bottom, is the best in the country. I was heartened by the Friday victory, as it was very convincing and it seemed the team hit on all cylinders. Saturday's loss was not for lack of effort, so much as failing to solve a hot goaltender and IMO a failure to adjust to the changing tone of the game in the second and third periods. I would submit that one reason Blais is shifting lines around is to solidify in his mind who should be playing with whom down the stretch. We are fortunate in that we have not had the injuries afflicting other teams, Minnesota for example. However, this team needs to focus on winning each night, regardless of who's on their shift or who's in net. I'd like to think this team is starting to peak, a few losses notwithstanding. However, there are still players who should be contributing who are MIA. Perhaps, this was their "last chance" to soldify their place in the lineup. We'll see, but I still think this team has the talent and coaching to take it to the next level. Whether they have the confidence and fortitude to do it ...

As far as REA, a building does not make a team. People bitch and whine about new REA versus old REA, etc. However, people also complained when the team moved into old REA from the barn and there was no "atmoshere" and no "crowd support". A new barn is like a new house, it takes a few years to get used to it and get comfortable with it and its nuances. When Minnesota moved into new Mariucci, it took some seasons for them and their fans to make the place their own. Give it time and let the new REA develop its own atmosphere and spirit.

/gets off soap box

[Fedorov]

I mean for one period CC gets two shots on net and we still lose?

J Par has consistently let in a lot of goals when he doesn't face many shots.

[Fedorov]

When Minnesota moved into new Mariucci, it took some seasons for them and their fans to make the place their own.

I haven't found any Gopher fans happy with the atmosphere yet.

[farce poobah]

J Par has consistently let in a lot of goals when he doesn't face many shots.

And when JPar faced a lot of shots (see Denver Saturday or at Minnesota Saturday), he played excellent ...

[ScottM]

I haven't found any Gopher fans happy with the atmosphere yet.

I'm talking about the people, not snotty students, who have seasons at mid-ice, and don't sell those tickets to go drinking at Sally's when there's an NC game.

[Riverman]

IMHO (I am not a coach) And this should be taken with a grain of salt, but why use a short bench and tire them out when the other team had the horse power going?

CC IMHO skated circles around the D-men! I will not blame the goalie on those two shots that went in and built CC's lead.But IMHO should have pulled JPar!

To send the TEAM a message wake up out there!

On another note I think we need a Goalie Coach!

With all those condos being built maybe we could get J.Casey to move back for the hockey season.

Watched the DU -Mavs(Direct TV) game they can put the puck in the net.Hope the D is ready this weekend!

[Big Lake Vindy]

The blocks of corporate seats at REA are one of the problems that there is no major fan participation. I had season tickets in the old Ralph in Section X and that sections was among the most rabid in the building. There was never a need for a cheerleader-- the fans made their own noise. When we moved to the new REA the big corporates grabbed off all of the good lower bowl seats, unless you paid your tribute. Result, I now sit next to fans I don't know, because they are different every game, using the freebies from the boss. They know nothing about the game, come in late every night, need to get a beer every 10 minutes and totally disrupt the game. I'm so damn sick of hearing "who scored or why is that a penalty." I want to stay home and watch on TV. If 6,000 people at the game every week are there just to say they saw a hockey game at REA and they do it with free tickets, guess what - they are never going to be fans. Give me the old arena and 6,000 screaming hardcores and it will be hockey the way it is supposed to be. I really wonder if this is what Ralph envisioned? I don't think so................