Pod style game 5-Duluth, and I hate Duluth.

[TheFlop]

2 minutes ago, siouxforce19 said:

I think we shot outselves in the foot against both of those top 5 teams. Which is annoying. 

Yeah it's annoying because Scheel can let in a softy and most games will still turn out ok.  Kierstad can get his pocket picked late deep in his own zone in the 3rd and often things will still be ok.  Unfortunately they both happened in the same game last night and most nights neither of those will happen.  

[Wilbur]

That second period last night was fantastic.  Minus the physicality part (which I don't think you will see much from this team), that was Sioux hockey.  They bury their chances and its 3 or 4-1 heading to the third period.

Scheel reminds me of Zane.  Just air tight and then a softie.  I didn't get a great look at goal #2 he gave up so I'll give him a pass on that one.  

If you asked me if I'd take 3-1-1 through our first five with Denver twice and Duluth with a Western sprinkled in I probably would take it most times, but feeling a bit upset at this point.

[crb1]

1 hour ago, InHeavenThereIsNoBeer said:

Surprised people are so down on UND after a tie(disappointing albeit) to a good UMD team without 2 of our best(yes even thought they're freshies) dmen.  This team has more skill than last year. We replaced Johnson, Yon, Bowen with Gaber(already one of the best players on the team), Budy, Ness(last 2 will take a little time, Budy alreading showing promise). And replaced Peski and Poolman with Sanderson and Kleven who have already both shown to be big time players(Sanderson bomb slapshot and Kleven toe drag snipe).  

It will sound like an excuse but a lot of those skill plays are getting cancelled out playing on ice that's getting destroyed by 2-3 games/day, 18 games in a 10 day span.  It is what it is, and it beats not having college hockey but it's a real factor. Did anyone pay attention to how many players(UMD and UND) just fell over without explanation yesterday?  It seemed like the guys that tried to play on their edges fell over more times than not, and that's where a player like Kawaguchi lives.  I think the team started to understand that as the game went on and as a result made more straightforward plays, UMD's game seemed to suit the ice better and they are a good team as it is with good systems.  I truly believe UND will be a better team than UMD by end of year. Denver seemed like a better opponent that Duluth did. 

Lastly, I'd like to see the goalies get rotated more consistently.  Scheel played solid yesterday but that 1st goal put us on our heels instantly and UMD is good at shutting down those types of games. I'd like Thome to get a shot and see who takes the reins.  Just my 2 cents.

One last comment: I believe this pod will increase the NCHC team's advantage come NCAA tournament time.  It's basically a giant super regional where the team we play changes every game. 

EDIT: Not sure how the hell I forgot Michaud and Cole Smith up front. They are sorely missed as they provided a ton of energy and were playmakers. My point still stands.

I appreciate this post, I do feel like we miss Cole Smith and what he brought defensively and offensively, Michaud was also a good player both ends.

I have been saying since the pod started how horrible the ice conditions look. I have watched most games (not just UND) and you see players blowing tires all over the rink. I understand the volume of games being played on any given day but it is really unfortunate. So your point about the ice conditions, in my opinion, is spot on.

[UNDColorado]

We are 3-1-1. If we win Saturday we are on the right track. A loss will lead to questions that need answers. I try to keep things in perspective.

[siouxforce19]

4 minutes ago, crb1 said:

I appreciate this post, I do feel like we miss Cole Smith and what he brought defensively and offensively, Michaud was also a good player both ends.

I have been saying since the pod started how horrible the ice conditions look. I have watched most games (not just UND) and you see players blowing tires all over the rink. I understand the volume of games being played on any given day but it is really unfortunate. So your point about the ice conditions, in my opinion, is spot on.

Also, Smith and Michaud were probably the most hated players on our team. Other teams just hated them. And I’m not sure we have a guy like that this year. I was watching the game last night and I kept thinking I wish we were meaner. 
 

As a side note, if we were scoring more goals at even strength some of the mistakes wouldn’t be as prevalent because they wouldn’t be costing us games. Defensively, I’m okay with how we have played. Pop a couple more goals and we should be in good shape. 

[fightingsioux4life]

3 hours ago, AJS said:

I don't want this to seem like an overreaction. It is clear that I had unrealistic expectations for this team. You look at what they had last year and I truly felt there was more talent on this roster. In that sense, I'm shocked really, that the reality is they are no better or worse than Duluth / Denver. What I mean is I thought they would look a step ahead. You aren't going to win every game, but it's clear they aren't better. A lot of games left, hoping there is an extra gear. There going to win a lot of games if this is what they are, could still win it all, but they really have to buckle down. 

This is an overreaction. We are 3-1-1 in the first 5 games. And that is in the best college hockey conference in the country. Let's wait until the pod is over to judge where this team is or isn't.

[dustnyou]

1 hour ago, TheFlop said:

Yeah it's annoying because Scheel can let in a softy and most games will still turn out ok.  Kierstad can get his pocket picked late deep in his own zone in the 3rd and often things will still be ok.  Unfortunately they both happened in the same game last night and most nights neither of those will happen.  

+ Kawa missed a wide open net on the doorstep. He puts this away 99.9 % of the time. 

[brianvf]

3-1-1 through the first 5 all while playing one of the toughest schedules in the nation?
1-1-1 against two top 5 teams (and some of the best teams that they'll face all year).  Yes, it's disappointing being that they could have won all three of those games.  And coincidentally, the loss and tie were when the team was without Sanderson and Kleven.

This team will be good.  And continue to only get better.  The NCHC league title might be hard with how much easier of a path UMD has with their post-pod schedule, but I wouldn't count this team out for NCHC playoff or NCAA playoff runs.

[tnt]

2 hours ago, TheFlop said:

League titles?  Sounds like something St Cloud State would say.  Natty's or bust #gfhockey

That's my point.  Duluth has shown you can barely make it into the tournament, so why do people go nuts when it is basically meaningless unless you are on the bubble of not getting into the tournament.   

[Nodaker]

Soft goals and untimely penalties need to get cleaned up.  Nodak usually does.  What I am really getting tired of is hearing "he shot it wide"  over and over.  Make the goalie make a save!

[UNDMOORHEAD]

11 minutes ago, dustnyou said:

+ Kawa missed a wide open net on the doorstep. He puts this away 99.9 % of the time. 

Mismash had a nice setup to Adams who missed the net. I thought Adams, Gooch, and Mismash would be a formidable top line this year. They didn't play together against UMD, but who would've thought the Pinto line would be the most productive line thus far. We'll see how the lines shake out, but I can't wait for the seniors to get going.

[Wilbur]

19 minutes ago, UNDMOORHEAD said:

Mismash had a nice setup to Adams who missed the net. I thought Adams, Gooch, and Mismash would be a formidable top line this year. They didn't play together against UMD, but who would've thought the Pinto line would be the most productive line thus far. We'll see how the lines shake out, but I can't wait for the seniors to get going.

I think the coaches keep 29-22-17 together.  Then again, anyone can play with 22-17.

Hain and Senden are great together, gotta find the third guy.  Cole Smith mentality please.

Didn't get on the score sheet, but 21-14-28 was for 60 minutes our best line.  Might have been Keane's best game.  Don't have a finisher on that line, but they can grind away shifts in the offensive zone.

[jk]

40 minutes ago, tnt said:

That's my point.  Duluth has shown you can barely make it into the tournament, so why do people go nuts when it is basically meaningless unless you are on the bubble of not getting into the tournament.   

We have no idea how they're even picking the tournament field, so I'd prefer they win a lot of games between now and then.  I'm not freaking out, but the cushion we're usually afforded by the conference's outperformance may not be there this year. 

[SiouxFanatic]

46 minutes ago, tnt said:

That's my point.  Duluth has shown you can barely make it into the tournament, so why do people go nuts when it is basically meaningless unless you are on the bubble of not getting into the tournament.   

Because we are North Dakota not Duluth. We expect more and want it all. The players have the same exact mentality and know the expectations from fans as well. Are the majority of fans overzealous? Definitely. That is UND fandom.

[fightingsioux4life]

46 minutes ago, SiouxFanatic said:

Because we are North Dakota not Duluth. We expect more and want it all. The players have the same exact mentality and know the expectations from fans as well. Are the majority of fans overzealous? Definitely. That is UND fandom.

Amen. And a lot of players come here because of those expectations. They want to be part of something special and that is what we have here.

[siouxfaninseattle]

This is good team. They will win a lot of games, but I think Duluth has a more favorable schedule, and a better shot at the Penrose. But we play CC 6 times after the pod and one or two against Miami so we'll see. 

[tnt]

1 hour ago, jk said:

We have no idea how they're even picking the tournament field, so I'd prefer they win a lot of games between now and then.  I'm not freaking out, but the cushion we're usually afforded by the conference's outperformance may not be there this year. 

But I don't think a tie against Duluth is going to create a lot of doubt in the people picking the field.  

[yzerman19]

3 of the Top 5 teams in the country...all playing each other to ties or 1 goal wins...that’s just flat out good hockey played by 3 good teams

[petey23]

2 hours ago, tnt said:

That's my point.  Duluth has shown you can barely make it into the tournament, so why do people go nuts when it is basically meaningless unless you are on the bubble of not getting into the tournament.   

In normal years this is true. and I am not in the camp of panic that some in this thread like to live in.

If the NCAA tournament is a 16 team tournament as usual and the use of the pairwise is limited you definitely do not want to be a 3rd or 4th place team in the regular season standings, even if it is by a point or two.

They have not announced how the tournament field will be set this season but I would make a strong guess it will be the 6 regular season champions and the 6 conference tournament champions that will take up between 6 and 12 spots leaving anywhere from 4-10 spots for at large berths.....now imagine worst case scenario in the other conferences where you have the regular season champion not win the tournament and the team that does win the tournament is not the regular season runnerup(especially if the top 2 were close in points). So now you have 4 spots left and justified or not, the B10 and Hockey East 2nd place teams and the NCHC 2nd place team are in...so  now you have one spot left. Would they take a 3rd place NCHC team over the WCHA runner up or ECAC runner up....sure they should but I wouldn't want to count on it.

[petey23]

5 hours ago, AlphaMikeFoxtrot said:

Feels like we've struggled with Duluth ever since that OT penalty shot however many years ago. On the plus side, no egregious dives on their part.

define egregious? Quinn Olson(#15) had one to draw the Frisch penalty and tried it again a second time on Frisch again in overtime where Frisch just backed away and let him fall down by himself....he also set a nice little subtle  pick on the faceoff after the Adams penalty to start overtime.

[AlphaMikeFoxtrot]

33 minutes ago, petey23 said:

define egregious? Quinn Olson(#15) had one to draw the Frisch penalty and tried it again a second time on Frisch again in overtime where Frisch just backed away and let him fall down by himself....he also set a nice little subtle  pick on the faceoff after the Adams penalty to start overtime.

I saw the pick but not the first two. Sounds like they have their new Osterberg.

[scpa0305]

1 hour ago, yzerman19 said:

3 of the Top 5 teams in the country...all playing each other to ties or 1 goal wins...that’s just flat out good hockey played by 3 good teams

I agree, but watching the game...the boys have looked a bit flat the past two games. Also, besides the PP, we just aren’t getting the chances I had expected given the players that returned from last year.

[yzerman19]

4 minutes ago, scpa0305 said:

I agree, but watching the game...the boys have looked a bit flat the past two games. Also, besides the PP, we just aren’t getting the chances I had expected given the players that returned from last year.

I think there is something to the ice conditions that was mentioned before.  Boys all night need to check their hollows.  

[Sodbuster]

Three out of the five games they scored 2 goals........need to do better.

[Old Barn Guy at Home]

I want to make a comment about the play-by-play of UND hockey games.  Does anyone else get tired of the constant babbling of both the guys in the booth?  I ended up muting the game for a while after one of them started to comment on someone being on vacation in Italy and going to the top of a mountain......all this while play is going on!  Someone in management needs to give some direction to these guys so they can do the job for which they are hired.  Namely, a play-by-play announcer should do mostly just that.  The color guy should make comments related to the game, but do it mostly when play is stopped.

If I thought I could get Hennessy on the radio and synch it with the tv video, it would solve the problem, but I don't think I have that possibility available to me.

If Alex or Jake read this:  Please make a self-evaluation of the way you cover the games.  You are both knowledgeable about the sport of hockey and could really add a lot to the enjoyment of the the audience watching the game.  Getting into a gab-fest with each other while the game is in progress only detracts from your performance.