NoDak Fan Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 As we gear up for the NCAA Tournament I'm thinking back to some of the great UND teams that never did reach the pinnacle. I apologize if this has been kicked around before, but I was curious to get others' feedback on some of the great UND teams that didn't win the title. As we know you sometimes need some good fortune to win a title. I think of the 1997 team not having to face Michigan in the title that year as an example. Or the 1999-2000 team that faced Niagara instead of New Hampshire in the region final in Minneapolis. But there is always some misfortune that goes along way. Like the 1997-98 team that had Karl Goehring sidelined and the tough task of facing Michigan on its home ice in the West Regional. Or, the 2003-04 team that couldn't get a goal over Denver in the West Regional in Colorado Springs. But I digress. Here is my top four UND teams not to win a title (in no particular order). 1998-99: Didn't lose more than a handful of games. Perhaps ran out of steam in the final few weeks. Lost to BC in the regional, 3-1 in Madison (That team was loaded: Jason Blake, Jay Panzer, Jeff Panzer, Lee Goren, Brad Williamson, Mike Commordore, Karl Goehring and had great depth in Ulmer, DeFauw, Armburst to name a few. 2000-01: A year after winning in 2000. The cupboard wasn't completely bare. Had Jeff Panzer, Ryan Bayda, David Hale, Travis Roche, Bryan Lundbohm and Karl Goehring. Didn't have the scoring depth as other Blais' teams, but were entertaining. Rallied to force OT vs. BC in the title game. Had some great scoring chances early (I believe Lundbohm had a breakaway) in the first. 2003-04: Zach Parise's 2nd year. Brandon Bochenski. Of the games lost that year, not many were my more than one goal. 2010-11: The Pony Express. Chay Genoway. Danny Kristo. Had to face Denver in back-to-back weekends to get to the Frozen Four in St. Paul. Could play fast, could play heavy. Outshot and mostly outplayed Michigan in the semifinals, but couldn't score. Ran into another hot goalie. Honorable Mention: 2006-07: The DOT line. Rallied from a miserable start against Michigan in the region semifinal. Defeated rival Minnesota a week after the Blake Wheeler game. Had a second period lead over BC in the semifinals, but couldn't close it out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Green Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 32 minutes ago, NoDak Fan said: As we gear up for the NCAA Tournament I'm thinking back to some of the great UND teams that never did reach the pinnacle. I apologize if this has been kicked around before, but I was curious to get others' feedback on some of the great UND teams that didn't win the title. As we know you sometimes need some good fortune to win a title. I think of the 1997 team not having to face Michigan in the title that year as an example. Or the 1999-2000 team that faced Niagara instead of New Hampshire in the region final in Minneapolis. But there is always some misfortune that goes along way. Like the 1997-98 team that had Karl Goehring sidelined and the tough task of facing Michigan on its home ice in the West Regional. Or, the 2003-04 team that couldn't get a goal over Denver in the West Regional in Colorado Springs. But I digress. Here is my top four UND teams not to win a title (in no particular order). 1998-99: Didn't lose more than a handful of games. Perhaps ran out of steam in the final few weeks. Lost to BC in the regional, 3-1 in Madison (That team was loaded: Jason Blake, Jay Panzer, Jeff Panzer, Lee Goren, Brad Williamson, Mike Commordore, Karl Goehring and had great depth in Ulmer, DeFauw, Armburst to name a few. 2000-01: A year after winning in 2000. The cupboard wasn't completely bare. Had Jeff Panzer, Ryan Bayda, David Hale, Travis Roche, Bryan Lundbohm and Karl Goehring. Didn't have the scoring depth as other Blais' teams, but were entertaining. Rallied to force OT vs. BC in the title game. Had some great scoring chances early (I believe Lundbohm had a breakaway) in the first. 2003-04: Zach Parise's 2nd year. Brandon Bochenski. Of the games lost that year, not many were my more than one goal. 2010-11: The Pony Express. Chay Genoway. Danny Kristo. Had to face Denver in back-to-back weekends to get to the Frozen Four in St. Paul. Could play fast, could play heavy. Outshot and mostly outplayed Michigan in the semifinals, but couldn't score. Ran into another hot goalie. Honorable Mention: 2006-07: The DOT line. Rallied from a miserable start against Michigan in the region semifinal. Defeated rival Minnesota a week after the Blake Wheeler game. Had a second period lead over BC in the semifinals, but couldn't close it out. Agree with 3 out of the 4. Don't think the 2000-01 belongs in there. I would put the 2019-20 in the top 4 along with the other 3 your have. #5 would be the 1997-98 team. I would guess the 1979 team would be up there but i was 4 at the time so don't remember. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crb1 Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 2013 year with Frattin and company. Team was good and we got beat against Yale who went on to win the NC. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoDak Fan Posted March 21, 2022 Author Share Posted March 21, 2022 Yes, that 2019-20 team was a good one and cheated out of a chance to win a title. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Oxbow6 Posted March 21, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted March 21, 2022 2010-11 team with top line of Malone Trupp and Frattin....plus they had depth. Top to bottom one of UND's best rosters. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Siouxperfan7 Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 2010-2011. That team was 14-0-1 leading up to that Michigan game in their last 15 games. Averaging 5 goals per game in that stretch. ?And we couldn't get in the net in that Michigan game and hot like 20 posts it feels like. What mad it even worse is that Frozen Four was in St Paul. Many were there or on there way there had UND played in the Championship game. Pair that with the thousands at the Ralph at the viewing party. Everyone was so hyped for that team, that year, that team. Still the best team I think that didn't win it all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crb1 Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 12 minutes ago, Siouxperfan7 said: 2010-2011. That team was 14-0-1 leading up to that Michigan game in their last 15 games. Averaging 5 goals per game in that stretch. ?And we couldn't get in the net in that Michigan game and hot like 20 posts it feels like. What mad it even worse is that Frozen Four was in St Paul. Many were there or on there way there had UND played in the Championship game. Pair that with the thousands at the Ralph at the viewing party. Everyone was so hyped for that team, that year, that team. Still the best team I think that didn't win it all. Shawn Hunwick-Guy had the game of his life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fightingsioux4life Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 23 minutes ago, crb1 said: Shawn Hunwick-Guy had the game of his life. I was there (unfortunately) and most of our shots were from the outside (easy to see and stop). We didn't adjust to Michigan packing it in around the net, which makes those long shots useless. Thank God Michigan lost to Duluth in the title game, that made it a little easier to swallow. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fightingsioux4life Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 Btw, this is a very negative topic to post days before the NCAA tournament begins. I thought we weren't going to talk about 2011 anymore after winning it all in 2016. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siouxweet Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 1999 2011 1998 2004 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fightingsioux4life Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 Don't forget the 1997-98 and 1998-99 teams. They both belong in the Top 5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fightingsioux4life Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 Hakstol and his staff changed their philosophy on recruiting defensemen based on what happened in 2011. They realized they needed defensemen with more offensive ability to take pressure off the forwards. The Heraldo had a article about it after the 2016 title. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowboys5xsbs Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 2020 team is up there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fightingsioux4life Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 3 minutes ago, cowboys5xsbs said: 2020 team is up there That should have an asterisk beside it, since there were no playoffs at all. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I Ranger Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 1 hour ago, Siouxperfan7 said: 2010-2011. That team was 14-0-1 leading up to that Michigan game in their last 15 games. Averaging 5 goals per game in that stretch. ?And we couldn't get in the net in that Michigan game and hot like 20 posts it feels like. What mad it even worse is that Frozen Four was in St Paul. Many were there or on there way there had UND played in the Championship game. Pair that with the thousands at the Ralph at the viewing party. Everyone was so hyped for that team, that year, that team. Still the best team I think that didn't win it all. For me it is easily the 2010-11 team. That team was easily the best in college hockey that year, loaded with top end talent and very deep both offensively and defensively. And solid goaltending. The 2003-04 year is second in my mind because I was in school at the time and again I think that team was the best in college hockey that year and another shutout loss to an inferior team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoneySIOUX Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 51 minutes ago, cowboys5xsbs said: 2020 team is up there I think the 20-21 team was better overall. I felt like 2020 we were playing with house money because a lot of guys exploded in their development. 20-21, basically everyone came back and we added Sandy, Kleven, and Gaber. All in all, is 2010-11 to me and it's not close. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoneySIOUX Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 1 hour ago, fightingsioux4life said: Btw, this is a very negative topic to post days before the NCAA tournament begins. I thought we weren't going to talk about 2011 anymore after winning it all in 2016. Meh. 2016 exercised all the demons, for me. Now it's all about the whole of the program and recognizing how great some of those teams really were. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustin Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 2 hours ago, NoDak Fan said: Yes, that 2019-20 team was a good one and cheated out of a chance to win a title. Yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustin Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 28 minutes ago, stoneySIOUX said: 2016 exercised all the demons That team exorcised all of the Frozen Four failures between 2005 to 2015. 2016 was the sweetest of them all. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dustin Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 Here's a weird topic - what's the worst UND team that did win a national title? Would have to be 1997, right? I guess I don't know much about the 1959 and 1963 teams, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Green Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 6 minutes ago, Dustin said: Here's a weird topic - what's the worst UND team that did win a national title? Would have to be 1997, right? I guess I don't know much about the 1959 and 1963 teams, though. Very Weird Topic. For me it is 2000. 1997 Lucked out with Michigan losing but that Sophomore class was loaded, and a very good team. Interesting that IMO the 1998 and 1999 teams were the best in the country, but didn't win the NC and the teams before and after them did. 2 NC in four year is what the Program deserved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sicatoka Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 I invite some of you to investigate the 1978-79 and 1982-83 squads. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Fighting Sioux 23 Posted March 21, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted March 21, 2022 I actually created a formula for ranking individual teams that made the NCAA Tournament across eras. I had a thread on it over at USCHO for quite some time. In any event, for the curious, here are where UND's teams stack up amongst the top 100 all time according to that formula (for the purposes of this thread, bolded are non-champions): 4. 1986-1987 North Dakota - 233.8107 Points 15. 2015-2016 North Dakota - 206.293 Points 19.2003-2004 North Dakota - 201.94 Points 24. 2010-2011 North Dakota - 192.042 Points 26. 1979-1980 North Dakota - 189.704 Points 34. 1996-1997 North Dakota - 186.5734 Points 50. 2000-2001 North Dakota - 170.5025 Points 57. 1998-1999 North Dakota - 164.72 Points 63. 1999-2000 North Dakota - 160.6462 Points 69. 2020-2021 North Dakota - 158.5835 Points 72. 1981-1982 North Dakota - 156.235 Points 74. 2014-2015 North Dakota - 155.409 Points 95. 1978-1979 North Dakota - 145.8522 Points 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oxbow6 Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 20 minutes ago, Fighting Sioux 23 said: I actually created a formula for ranking individual teams that made the NCAA Tournament across eras. I had a thread on it over at USCHO for quite some time. In any event, for the curious, here are where UND's teams stack up amongst the top 100 all time according to that formula (for the purposes of this thread, bolded are non-champions): 4. 1986-1987 North Dakota - 233.8107 Points 15. 2015-2016 North Dakota - 206.293 Points 19.2003-2004 North Dakota - 201.94 Points 24. 2010-2011 North Dakota - 192.042 Points 26. 1979-1980 North Dakota - 189.704 Points 34. 1996-1997 North Dakota - 186.5734 Points 50. 2000-2001 North Dakota - 170.5025 Points 57. 1998-1999 North Dakota - 164.72 Points 63. 1999-2000 North Dakota - 160.6462 Points 69. 2020-2021 North Dakota - 158.5835 Points 72. 1981-1982 North Dakota - 156.235 Points 74. 2014-2015 North Dakota - 155.409 Points 95. 1978-1979 North Dakota - 145.8522 Points 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilbur Posted March 21, 2022 Share Posted March 21, 2022 5 hours ago, Oxbow6 said: 2010-11 team with top line of Malone Trupp and Frattin....plus they had depth. Top to bottom one of UND's best rosters. Pony Express.....sigh. The other ones hurt, but that team was just robbed by the Hunwick out of body goaltending performance. Sadly those players will take that one to their grave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.