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

[Wilbur]

Thoughts:

-Scheel is so good at times and then one slips that just makes you wonder.  

-Moore had a solid game.  Nice job by the rookie on the back end.

-That second period was fun to watch.  Made Duluth run around a bit, which you don't see that often. 

-Senior forwards have to step up.  Adams, Kawaguchi, Mismash.  Adams and Kawaguchi had superb chances in close that have to end up in the net.

-Hopefully Hain is alright?

-Nobody feels sorry for them, get the boots back on for SCSU on Saturday.  

 

 

[dden3]

Couldn’t have been prouder of those guys on the OT penalty kill if they were my own sons. 

[Username Taken]

It just feels like UND has at least another gear left. Hope they find it. Every game outside of Western has left me wanting/expecting more. 

[SiouxForever]

28 is trying. Uses his body and size etc. Just needs to be much better. I wanted him to take a leap this year.  He needs some sandpaper in him. 

[TheFlop]

Weatherby has to put that away in OT.  Also in SO all 3 UMD players got a shot off.  UND's first two players didn't.  Tough to score that way. 

[tnt]

8 minutes ago, dden3 said:

Couldn’t have been prouder of those guys on the OT penalty kill if they were my own sons. 

That’s the saving grace from this game is that it wasn’t a loss.  Thought for sure Koepke was going to bury one late in the penalty.  I’m thinking Koepke turns out a better pro than Kawaguchi, as he has the size and speed for the next level.  Hope I am wrong.

[Wilbur]

7 minutes ago, dden3 said:

Couldn’t have been prouder of those guys on the OT penalty kill if they were my own sons. 

Yup, well said.  Fantastic job by those three (19, 3, 15) in a tough spot and a long change. 

[bcblues]

That was really a dynamite penalty kill. They certainly deserve kudos for their patience, discipline and hard work.

[Rando39]

Scheel has been really good. Tough loss against Denver. Tough tie today against UMD. Kept UND in both at times. 
 

1st goal today was bad, no doubt. The 2nd goal wasn’t- Pretty sure the puck was deflected over his shoulder bu JBD’s stick. 
 

Wouldn’t be surprised if Bubs let him ride it out but we’ll see. He looks like his old self which is very encouraging. 

[siouxfaninseattle]

Who was it that just skated in and blasted a slapshot to score in a shootout a couple years ago? Seems like if you put it where you want it, it goes in the net.

[siouxforce19]

2 minutes ago, siouxfaninseattle said:

Who was it that just skated in and blasted a slapshot to score in a shootout a couple years ago? Seems like if you put it where you want it, it goes in the net.

Wolanin did that against Miami. 

[Oxbow6]

Thome needs to be in net Saturday 

[108498]

I thought this year's team was supposed to be strong. I am not impressed so far. It could get ugly quickly if we continue the way we are. I say we go 1-2 in the next 3 games.

[GoalieMask]

We miss Cole Smith.  He was valuable and we need a muscle guy.  Hopefully Kleven fits the bill upon return. 

[AJS]

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. 

[scpa0305]

10 hours ago, Username Taken said:

It just feels like UND has at least another gear left. Hope they find it. Every game outside of Western has left me wanting/expecting more. 

Agreed, the past two games they have came out completely flat.

UMD is good but they lost a ton from last year. Even though we are missing a couple guys we have a lot of veterans on this team. Some of those guys simply aren’t doing much. They have the talent to win games, but they aren’t brining it right now. They’ve been outworked. Their even strength game has looked soft and conservative.

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

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.

[gfhockey]

So where do we go from here? Losing lots of ground 

[AlphaMikeFoxtrot]

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.

[SJHovey]

24 minutes 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 think I agree with almost all of this.  That was just a good college hockey game between two good teams last night.  I thought we started slow, but by the second period we had taken over the game.  Sometimes the bounces don't go your way, but I think Duluth is as good a team as we are likely to see this year (outside of maybe a BC team that looks really good) and Duluth certainly isn't a better team than we are.

I think it'll help once it goes back to a more normal schedule and the coaching staff is able to have more practices again to tighten up some of the mistakes.  There has been nothing about this team that has disappointed me yet.

[siouxforce19]

2 minutes 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.

We lost to them all 5 times in 2016-17, but most of our series since then have been splits. 

[tnt]

38 minutes 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.

Are you really surprised people are so down on UND.  It happens every year.   If Duluth fans went by the regular season, don't know if Sandelin would still be there.   What's it been, 30 years since Duluth won a league title?   This could be their year since if they get out of the POD even or better, they won't have to worry about Denver and UND anymore.  

[tnt]

So let me get this straight, two years ago people thought we were terrible and didn't have any talent, and even with two talented freshmen gone to the World Juniors, now people think that games against top 5 teams in the country shouldn't come down to the wire and a bounce here or there?

[TheFlop]

12 minutes ago, tnt said:

Are you really surprised people are so down on UND.  It happens every year.   If Duluth fans went by the regular season, don't know if Sandelin would still be there.   What's it been, 30 years since Duluth won a league title?   This could be their year since if they get out of the POD even or better, they won't have to worry about Denver and UND anymore.  

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

[siouxforce19]

6 minutes ago, tnt said:

So let me get this straight, two years ago people thought we were terrible and didn't have any talent, and even with two talented freshmen gone to the World Juniors, now people think that games against top 5 teams in the country shouldn't come down to the wire and a bounce here or there?

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