2022-23 University of North Dakota Hockey Season

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

13 hours ago, brianvf said:

I think it is hard to say that a freshman is regressing, being that they have no collegiate body of work to compare them to.
What would we call Blake then?  Since he is playing better than expected...is he getting better under Berry's leadership?   

No, that's not how it works.  You only use the data points that further your argument and stick your head in the sand on anything to the contrary.

[Siouxfancrazy92]

17 minutes ago, The Sicatoka said:

And 5 of the 6 are from MA, NY, or NJ. (The other is IL.) 

So we should only expect to get kids from MN…Grand Forks and Western Canada.  My bad….I thought every kid in the country wants to play for UND. 

[The Sicatoka]

3 hours ago, Siouxfancrazy92 said:

So we should only expect to get kids from MN…Grand Forks and Western Canada. 

No, but the odds of getting a kid from a 5xxxx zip code are better than getting one from a 0xxxx or 1xxxx zip code. 

https://www.unitedstateszipcodes.org/images/zip-codes/zip-codes.png

[GDPritch]

On 2/12/2023 at 12:45 PM, R_Schneider_4 said:

Umm

That looks like the Ralph? Was that COVID year?  Alright but put an asterisk by that one.

[stoneySIOUX]

17 minutes ago, GDPritch said:

That looks like the Ralph? Was that COVID year?  Alright but put an asterisk by that one.

Why? We won the tournament lol. 

[The Sicatoka]

23 minutes ago, stoneySIOUX said:

Why? We won the tournament lol. 

Home cookin'.   

[Walsh Hall]

15 hours ago, fightingsioux4life said:

NDSU wouldn't have had the success they have had in FB if the climate was such a big problem. We are complaining about things that have been in place forever, but it didn't stop us from hanging lots of green and white banners. Berry and company need to figure it out and fast.

Recruiting for FCS football and D1 hockey are two completely different animals.  It's my thought that recruiting for FCS has to be one of the hardest jobs in college sports.

The geographic pool of top hockey talent has changed quite dramatically over the last 40 years.  Being a small rural northern town can be a draw for some, but it can also be a massive negative.   By percentage, moving from the Minneapolis Metro area to the GF Metro area would be the equivalent of moving from Grand Forks to Beulah.  

[The Sicatoka]

4 minutes ago, Walsh Hall said:

By percentage, moving from the Minneapolis Metro area to the GF Metro area would be the equivalent of moving from Grand Forks to Beulah.  

Beulah is too big.

MSP::GFK --> factor of 50
GFK::Beulah --> factor of 25
GFK::Tioga or Cando --> factor of 50 

What this is exposing is why UND needs to keep getting top end prairie province kids: GFK feels comfortable and 'big' to them for the most part. And WPG should always be a focus because of simple proximity. 

[fightingsioux4life]

Just now, Walsh Hall said:

Recruiting for FCS football and D1 hockey are two completely different animals.  It's my thought that recruiting for FCS has to be one of the hardest jobs in college sports.

The geographic pool of top hockey talent has changed quite dramatically over the last 40 years.  Being a small rural northern town can be a draw for some, but it can also be a massive negative.   By percentage, moving from the Minneapolis Metro area to the GF Metro area would be the equivalent of moving from Grand Forks to Beulah.  

So we are just screwed from now on? Our days of contending for championships are over? I don't buy that for one second.

Blais had no problem recruiting the Twin Cities. And having to live in the climate doesn't change depending on what sport you play. Cold is cold.

Some people here will do anything to defend the current regime. I care more about defending the program.

[tnt]

10 hours ago, Irish said:

Here's the million dollar question - Does hockey Bubba have the introspection to question why we are losing Blue Chippers who want to play under a better system, why we have the worst goaltending in the country, why many players have regressed during the offseason, why we seem to rely on the portal instead of getting top recruits, why we play with absolutely no discipline - from lack of defensive positioning to lazy passes to giving up leads to our studs taking horrible 5 penalties without regard to the team?  Can he look at himself and staff and make changes?  Or is he more like Football Bubba who doubles down for more of the same.  I hope he can take a hard look at things or we need to strap in for a bumpy ride.  And expect no help from our absent AD.  There is absolutely no reason we should miss the playoffs or expect St. Clown to come in and kick our A**.  Time to get it done or move on.

I agree, introspection is needed.  You need only look at Omaha who everyone thought would be a cellar dweller with all the guys they lost, and not having the same recruiting edge, and the fact that they most likely will finish ahead of us requires a deep look in the mirror.   Our prime time games where the rest of the country is watching have not been great lately, and down the road if potential recruits aren't seeing North Dakota in the NCAA playoffs, that is going to hurt recruiting even more.  

[Walsh Hall]

4 minutes ago, fightingsioux4life said:

So we are just screwed from now on? Our days of contending for championships are over? I don't buy that for one second.

Blais had no problem recruiting the Twin Cities. And having to live in the climate doesn't change depending on what sport you play. Cold is cold.

Some people here will do anything to defend the current regime. I care more about defending the program.

We are not screwed.  We will contend for and win championships.  All programs/businesses, etc have issues and have to deal with the practical realities of the current set of strengths and weaknesses.   I don't see us being the next Blockbuster.

[siouxvblove]

I think it all depends on what the recruits are looking for. Minneapolis has the draw of a big city, but not every athlete is looking for that. There are so many factors going into recruiting including the players preference. Gophers have lots of big name sports that fans get divided over. Their football/volleyball are well known and big sports that divide attention. There are also so many other schools in the twin cities that people root for. 

If a recruit is looking for a big city, then Grand Forks is not exactly the spot for them, but if they want to be in a smaller town with a passion for the sport, Grand Forks is it HANDS DOWN!!! 

UND is a hockey school, that is what we are known for. They have the top facilities in the school and the entire city is invested in the success of the program. That is a draw for some recruits, knowing you are a ‘top dog’ at your school and won’t be second place to football/basketball. 

[burd]

2 hours ago, The Sicatoka said:

Beulah is too big.

MSP::GFK --> factor of 50
GFK::Beulah --> factor of 25
GFK::Tioga or Cando --> factor of 50 

What this is exposing is why UND needs to keep getting top end prairie province kids: GFK feels comfortable and 'big' to them for the most part. And WPG should always be a focus because of simple proximity. 

I agree, and that is complicated somewhat by the fact that a lot of players are no longer coming to college directly from their hometown programs anymore.   They live and play in another, usually larger, city to play hockey that is more competitive than they would see in HS.  

[1972]

21 hours ago, fightingsioux4life said:

NDSU wouldn't have had the success they have had in FB if the climate was such a big problem. We are complaining about things that have been in place forever, but it didn't stop us from hanging lots of green and white banners. Berry and company need to figure it out and fast.

not saying that there isnt any blame to be put on coaching, but, the overall recruit isnt the same kind of kid they were10-15 years ago...its just different, and that may be a problem we cant geographicly overcome moving forward.  the best U.S. born players have a ton of options now, compared to only a decade ago.

[skateshattrick]

15 minutes ago, 1972 said:

not saying that there isnt any blame to be put on coaching, but, the overall recruit isnt the same kind of kid they were10-15 years ago...its just different, and that may be a problem we cant geographicly overcome moving forward.  the best U.S. born players have a ton of options now, compared to only a decade ago.

I'm calling BS on this entire conversation about geography. It is no different than it was when UND landed Parise, Toews and Oshie who were all heavily recruited. Last year, Cooley from Pennsylvania was down to U of M and UND, but unfortunately chose U of M. Kent Johnson was down to UND and Michigan, but chose Michigan. Jake Sanderson chose UND. Isaac Howard chose UMD over higher profile schools and Duluth is the butthole capital of America. If you think Grand Forks is bad, try living in Duluth for a winter. UND has the advantage of facilities and getting players to the NHL. That has not changed. 

If it was about geography, Arizona State would already be a hockey power. Why is Knies at U of M?

[1972]

8 minutes ago, skateshattrick said:

It is no different than it was when UND landed Parise, Toews and Oshie

it is different now, compared to then.  it just is.  time marches on  

and as far as duluth, i much rather spend a winter there than here...at least there is things to do there, compared to here

[Godsmack]

1 minute ago, skateshattrick said:

I'm calling BS on this entire conversation about geography. It is no different than it was when UND landed Parise, Toews and Oshie who were all heavily recruited. Last year, Cooley from Pennsylvania was down to U of M and UND, but unfortunately chose U of M. Kent Johnson was down to UND and Michigan, but chose Michigan. Jake Sanderson chose UND. Isaac Howard chose UMD over higher profile schools and Duluth is the butthole capital of America. If you think Grand Forks is bad, try living in Duluth for a winter. UND has the advantage of facilities and getting players to the NHL. That has not changed. 

If it was about geography, Arizona State would already be a hockey power. Why is Knies at U of M?

Hell, in addition to ASU, I’d also throw CC in there as well. Sunny days 300 days a year, campus with direct views of Pikes Peak, and a brand new on-campus arena. But to your point, there’s gotta be more to recruiting talent than climate. 

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

10 minutes ago, Godsmack said:

Hell, in addition to ASU, I’d also throw CC in there as well. Sunny days 300 days a year, campus with direct views of Pikes Peak, and a brand new on-campus arena. But to your point, there’s gotta be more to recruiting talent than climate. 

Correct me if I'm wrong but CC is quite a bit more strict as to who is accepted in, which could work against them in getting the best players.  Also, not like it's a full on campus experience being a small liberal arts college.  

[Godsmack]

6 minutes ago, InHeavenThereIsNoBeer said:

Correct me if I'm wrong but CC is quite a bit more strict as to who is accepted in, which could work against them in getting the best players.  Also, not like it's a full on campus experience being a small liberal arts college.  

Perhaps. Although I remember having some classes with some of the hockey players and based on my experiences, I sometimes wonder the legitimacy of that reason/excuse for why they can’t recruit better players. Point being, there are CC apologists who accept their place in the NCHC pecking order based on the so-called tough academic standards. If that’s the case, how did they have that nice run from about 96 to 2011 where they were competing for league championships and national tournament berths? 

[skateshattrick]

28 minutes ago, 1972 said:

it is different now, compared to then.  it just is.  time marches on  

and as far as duluth, i much rather spend a winter there than here...at least there is things to do there, compared to here

What is there to do in Duluth short of getting mugged by a drunken sailor from Superior? Duluth is the equivalent of Siberia, only worse because Drunk Hockey Guy and Bruce Ciskie live there. I can't think of a worse place to live in the country. 

[brianvf]

34 minutes ago, 1972 said:

and as far as duluth, i much rather spend a winter there than here...at least there is things to do there, compared to here

You can only go to the SS William A. Irvin museum so many times, though. 

 

[The Sicatoka]

9 minutes ago, skateshattrick said:

What is there to do in Duluth short of getting mugged by a drunken sailor from Superior? Duluth is the equivalent of Siberia, only worse because Drunk Hockey Guy and Bruce Ciskie live there. I can't think of a worse place to live in the country. 

Greeley CO on line one ... or are we just talking hockey. 

I'd say East Palestine OH but it's too soon. 

[Godsmack]

5 minutes ago, The Sicatoka said:

Greeley CO on line one ... or are we just talking hockey. 

I'd say East Palestine OH but it's too soon. 

Greeley. Man, that town smells! 

[skateshattrick]

7 minutes ago, The Sicatoka said:

Greeley CO on line one ... or are we just talking hockey. 

I'd say East Palestine OH but it's too soon. 

You're not wrong, but at least Bruce Ciskie and Drunk Hockey Guy don't live in either of those places 

[scpa0305]

20 hours ago, tnt said:

This is definitely not the year to be questioning our pp.

Who’s putting up the pp points?