ITS OVER!!!

[90siouxfan]

1 minute ago, franchise said:

Is this good or bad?

not sure why this is stated as a fact, if I was JBD or ottawa I would be considering things, same with mismash, adams, and tyonchuik.....   those boys want to be in the show and player development is the key, culture only counts if it works....

[The Sicatoka]

Just now, Irish said:

Maybe Chaves can help Berry can iron some things out.  If not, buckle your seat belts -  it's going to be a bumpy ride.  What is the over/under for change to happen?

Let's hope that Chaves gained some insights from working with Kyle Schweigert (and his staff issues) that'll be useful in mentoring another one of his direct reports (i.e. Brad Berry). 

[Shawn-O]

4 minutes ago, Irish said:

Lots of serious issues with the program have been discussed on this board - including but not limited to:  recruiting, the system sucking the scoring out of our team, power play and PP kill, roster issues with dead weight, player development, assistant coaches, and leadership.  Who here thinks Berry will deal with them in the off season (or even some of them)?  Based on his handling of the power play and Captain Gardner during the season I am not optimistic - however, who knows.  Maybe Chaves can help Berry can iron some things out.  If not, buckle your seat belts -  it's going to be a bumpy ride.  What is the over/under for change to happen?

I'd bet he gets another two years of runway, minimum.   

[90siouxfan]

I don't think B-Rad it the man to lead to a ..ship, not at this juncture of his career.  Doubt the program has the patience to let him develope into Sandy....    

[geaux_sioux]

1 hour ago, The Sicatoka said:

< hand in air > 

Excuse me Mr. geaux, but who on this squad can dangle an opposing defenseman? 

We may never know. They could be closeted.

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

43 minutes ago, Siouxdiehard said:

Our last Hobey winner? How long ago was that (yes I know when it was) !! You got to be kidding with that one! How'd the NHL go for him? - is he still in Austria? I don't recall the NHL drooling to get him - want him yes, tempting him - I don't think so. Shots from standing at the top of the right circle and waiting for the puck are not going far in the NHL and that was his complete skill set. The NHL wanted to see more and didn't. Glad he got the award - congratulations to him - but he wasn't going anywhere early.

You've lost all credibility(not that you had any to begin with) with this post. Duncan has had a hell of a hockey career and made more money doing so than guys that are having a cup of coffee in the league and battling it out in the A.

[puck swami]

As a Denver fan who once made a living in the college game and has been a Denver fan for 40 years, I watched UND pretty closely this year as I do every year.  Your team is a very good skating team that plays fundamentally sound, your compete level is higher than most, and your offensive and defensive systems are NHL standard. Your team is solid and essentially the same as everyone else's team in the NCHC with the big exception being the consistent drop in goal scoring in both 5 on 5 and PP that your fans have well pointed out.  But you are not alone, as I think UND is emblematic of some larger trends right now, and I would encourage all of you to see the larger forces that are affecting college hockey. Blue bloods like North Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin are all golfing now, and BC and BU must now win conference tourneys just to get to the dance?  Why is this?  Why is the traditional dominance eroding?

I think it boils down to five reasons:

1) Follow The Money.  In the past, the Blue Bloods traditionally outspent the other schools to get their dominance and build on on their traditions, and now many other D-I programs have since invested in better facilities just to keep up. All of the NCHC schools, for example, have made multi-million dollar commitments to the sport in better facilities and good coaches. At the same time, the decline of cable TV audiences/coverage around the nation and the growth of streaming games have mitigated some of the media advantages one enjoyed by the blue bloods that was once a major selling point to recruits. The resulting flattening of college hockey investment and access, in turn, makes recruiting more competitive, and forces top programs to keep recruiting younger players, raising the risk that some of top-end young talent may not pan out. When you combine that with the grind of the NCHC schedule, you can see how scoring and winning becomes so much tougher.

2)  Player Pool Leakage:  The game of hockey has grown tremendously in terms of registered players and junior teams and development programs, while the number of scholarships available/slots to play college hockey has not grown very much. There are now really good players are available all over North America and from Europe who are flowing into the game and that talent is not just flowing to blue bloods, but flowing to other programs, too, creating more parity. Additionally, having recruiting pipeline advantages in "owning" certain recruiting areas is less important now than it once was. Good players can come from anywhere, and when top college coaches could rely on and became overly loyal to certain geographic areas or to specific junior programs, good players can get missed...

3) Offense is dropping, while defensive systems, scouting and specialized goalie coaching grows. Many programs have realized that if they can't find enough offensive production, the best way to stay competitive is to develop the defensive side of the game with the players they can get.  Defensive systems emanating from the NHL have had a big effect on college coaches and have made gap control is as good as it has ever been, making offensive time and space pretty scarce, especially in the NCHC. You need quick and accurate releases and better net front presence for second chance shots, but most defenses now can keep even good shooters on the perimeter. Good goalies are everywhere now, and a .920 saves percentage is becoming the norm.  Goalies who are positionally sound can now make good saves look very easy and that builds defensive confidence and deflates shooters. Getting 35-40 shots per game is no guarantee of scoring 3-4 goals anymore, and that makes it possible for many more teams to compete. Those teams who excel at shot blocking can often offset high end offenses, but the fact is we just aren't seeing game-breaking offensive players as much, and I think this affects the blue bloods more than anyone else.

4) Chemistry is more elusive: Team chemistry on top programs is more elusive now than it used to be. No one disputes that better players are critical to national success. That said, many teams still over-recruit high-end talent and under-recruit character. The blue bloods have always had greater access to the best players, so its easier to get caught up in stockpiling them, because many of them do leave early for NHL contracts.  Other programs build their rosters on character guys who stay longer and help to mitigate the early talent losses. But beyond that, the character in the locker rooms evolves differently for each team, each year.  You need the right balance and buy in, and that doesn't happen every year. There are a lot of pressures on student athletes today, and social media can make anyone's mistake global in seconds. As result, I think players are wound tighter and that can really be exacerbated in high-end programs where the pressure to perform individually can take its toll on team chemistry.

5) Entitlement mindset:  The high end drafted player now often comes on campus with high expectations from NHL organizations, agents and their families.  They are often coming in under this pressure and demanding top-six forward status or top-4 d-man status, power play time and preferential treatment that can really erode team chemistry from the non-drafted guys who have had to earn it. This often makes for difficult locker rooms and strained coaching relationships that we don't see. Having too many stars is not always a good thing, either. Every team needs good grinders, too. Schools who don't land as many of those high end guys try compensate by making team culture a strength, resulting in greater loyalty, more experience and larger senior classes (teams that win NCAA titles tend to have more seniors).

As I look at these trends, I see it getting much tougher to maintain traditional dominance for any program, even blue bloods, and we are going to see more down cycles (which for Blue Bloods, means stretches of mediocrity will become normal.  We all have to adapt...

[The Sicatoka]

Good to see ya swami.

About your Point 3: I've long said I'm tired of seeing hockey become soccer. Games should be decided on talent, not a bad bounce off the glass. (A mighty sweep-check ability is not a talent.) Bad bounces will happen, but in today's 5 total goals per game world (compared to the 9 total goals per game world of the 20-30 years ago) that bad luck goal is 20% of the game (1/5) and not 11% (1/9) as it was in the past. Again, I want to see talent, not bad bounces, win games. 

The focus on a nominal talent (a mean sweep-check) has negated offensive talent and thereby exacerbated the luck (bad bounce) part of the game's influence. 

[stoneySIOUX]

30 minutes ago, InHeavenThereIsNoBeer said:

You've lost all credibility(not that you had any to begin with) with this post. Duncan has had a hell of a hockey career and made more money doing so than guys that are having a cup of coffee in the league and battling it out in the A.

Not to mention that he had NHL offers after his Soph and junior years.

[Frozen4sioux]

3 minutes ago, stoneySIOUX said:

Not to mention that he had NHL offers after his Soph and junior years.

Have to always remember the lens through which players where viewed was quite different then too. Players of his size had an even bigger stigma associated with them then, still the bruising enforcer era.

The game has changed and for Duncs to have NHL interest coupled with his size at that time was a testement to what they thought of his a abilities.

Duncan was always destined to be a Euro player in my mind and hes had a hell of a career doing it. I'd imagine hes quite comfortable and much better off than toiling in the American or East Coast.

BTW he came BACK to the AHL even and was mildly successful, I credit his wisdom in going to the situation that fit him and his family the best.

[fightingsioux4life]

On 3/17/2019 at 1:20 PM, MafiaMan said:

Given how well you handled playoff losses under Hak’s tenure, I’d imagine the past two years must have you pulling hair out of your head.  

Different situations. Hak's teams would choke on the big stage. The past two years, we never got close to the big stage. Either way, the ultimate goal is not being reached.

I can accept a few bad years sprinkled among the good years. But the trend pointing downward is what I am most worried about.

[burd]

When Swami speaks, people listen.   He earned a stellar rep on college hockey.

[stoneySIOUX]

7 minutes ago, Frozen4sioux said:

Have to always remember the lens through which players where viewed was quite different then too. Players of his size had an even bigger stigma associated with them then, still the bruising enforcer era.

The game has changed and for Duncs to have NHL interest coupled with his size at that time was a testement to what they thought of his a abilities.

Duncan was always destined to be a Euro player in my mind and hes had a hell of a career doing it. I'd imagine hes quite comfortable and much better off than toiling in the American or East Coast.

BTW he came BACK to the AHL even and was mildly successful, I credit his wisdom in going to the situation that fit him and his family the best.

Right, and I was agreeing with IHTINB that Duncan had a wonderful career and that includes having NHL offers after his Soph and Junior years.

[90siouxfan]

great insight, I would humbly add that the success of youngster in the NHL may lead to more talent going that way..   I hardly got to see Duncan as I was in the no coverage / no time double blanket in western ND.  But he became a favorite in short order, including my son wanting to be #16 still to this day...   Got to wonder if Gaudreau & Duncan swapped time frames would Ryan be on the cover of Hockey News?   in the same thought if Toews was 17 today, would UND be on his radar, especially for 2 years?

[Dustin]

3 hours ago, siouxfan512 said:

This resonates so much with me. I used to actually get bummed out when the boys would lose. After the past two seasons it just doesn't impact me as much. Maybe that is getting older, maybe that is from watching boring hockey most nights. Unfortunately, it also harder to get into the games when watching them.

Poor state for the program, and hopefully they can turn it around and start making runs on a regular basis again.

 

I've felt the same way about being numb to the losses and lack of success the last two seasons.  Winning the national championship is what did it for me.  To not have that curse hanging over the program was such a relief for me that  I am a lot more ok with this result than if we didn't have that natty trophy and banner.  

[The Sicatoka]

1 hour ago, franchise said:

Is this good or bad?

Yes. 

[fightingsioux4life]

3 minutes ago, Dustin said:

I've felt the same way about being numb to the losses and lack of success the last two seasons.  Winning the national championship is what did it for me.  To not have that curse hanging over the program was such a relief for me that  I am a lot more ok with this result than if we didn't have that natty trophy and banner.  

I must concur with this. However, we don't want the program to deteriorate to the point where it needs a total rebuilding. If we don't start turning it around the next two seasons, it might be time for a change at the very top.

[choyt3]

22 minutes ago, 90siouxfan said:

great insight, I would humbly add that the success of youngster in the NHL may lead to more talent going that way..   I hardly got to see Duncan as I was in the no coverage / no time double blanket in western ND.  But he became a favorite in short order, including my son wanting to be #16 still to this day...   Got to wonder if Gaudreau & Duncan swapped time frames would Ryan be on the cover of Hockey News?   in the same thought if Toews was 17 today, would UND be on his radar, especially for 2 years?

I also had a son that graduates this year and wore 16 for 8 of the last 10 years for the same reasons. 

[Sioux>Bison]

So how empty will the Xcel be this weekend without UND in the tourney? Will we finally see how pathetic the rest of the NCHC fan base really is? It will be a shame if the tourney flops because UND didn’t make it.

[Siouxperfan7]

23 minutes ago, Sioux>Bison said:

So how empty will the Xcel be this weekend without UND in the tourney? Will we finally see how pathetic the rest of the NCHC fan base really is? It will be a shame if the tourney flops because UND didn’t make it.

St Cloud is the number one team in the nation with a bullet.  The overwhelming favorite to win the National Championship this year.   Their next 3 (likely 4) games are in St Paul and Fargo.  Both a short drive away.  Plenty of tickets available now since UND won't be playing at either cities.  We will see how well the Huskie fans support arguably the best Huskie team they have had in program history.

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

45 minutes ago, Siouxperfan7 said:

St Cloud is the number one team in the nation with a bullet.  The overwhelming favorite to win the National Championship this year.   Their next 3 (likely 4) games are in St Paul and Fargo.  Both a short drive away.  Plenty of tickets available now since UND won't be playing at either cities.  We will see how well the Huskie fans support arguably the best Huskie team they have had in program history.

SCSU has to get by the AHA champion first though. I honestly don't think they are that overwhelming of a favorite.

[UND85]

I live in St.Cloud area and spoke to two season ticket holders who are going to watch the games on TV this weekend instead of going to the X.  I was at both games this past weekend in SC and LOTS of empty seats. Student section had maybe 50 students there. Several weeks ago I did find someone to buy my Regional tickets. 

[franchise]

2 hours ago, 90siouxfan said:

not sure why this is stated as a fact, if I was JBD or ottawa I would be considering things, same with mismash, adams, and tyonchuik.....   those boys want to be in the show and player development is the key, culture only counts if it works....

Agreed. The boys used to make pacts because they wanted to come back for that elusive natty. Probably not a conversation taking place on campus now.

[franchise]

On 3/17/2019 at 8:26 AM, Oxbow6 said:

I'll give you 2 tickets and you can help fill sandbags in the FM when you're not watching hockey.

I might be interested in this offer...if I don't have to take the tickets.

[runaroundsioux]

No Seniors? I can't believe I just read that. Matt Frattin,Evan Trupp, Brad Malone, Chay Genoway, Danny Kristo, Corbin Knight, Carter Rowney, Steph Pattyn and many more may disagree. I swear I get stupider every time I come here.