2023-24 University of North Dakota Hockey Season

[Oxbow6]

1 hour ago, The Sicatoka said:

Does our coaching staff have the balls to play like we've seen the B1G play during the last 48 hours? 

B1G teams got a three goal lead and pulled the stops, threw open the throttles, and went 8, no, 8, no, 9, no, 11! 

UND plays from the "Lennon-Schweigert-Berry" mindset: Get up two scores and "manage" your way to victory. Notice has been served; that game is gone. 

UND needs to see, realize, learn, and act. Speed kills. Defensive responsibility now means the puck on your stick in the offensive zone or busting ass to reacquire the puck. "Managing" a lead is dead.

And most importantly, dismantling an opponent is not only acceptable, it's now expected.

Michigan had PP1 out with an eight-goal lead in the third. Berry puts out the fourth line for a PP with a three goal lead in the third. Frankly, ... no, no longer acceptable. 

Mercy died this weekend. The mindset going forward must be kill shot, then as many as you can hang on the board. 

When the team wins by 7, the question must be: why not 8 or 10. 

Can Berry coach that?
Does he have the stones to do that?
If he's too nice for that I can find someone who'll play by the new rules. (Same for Schweigert.) 

So can Berry do it?
He'd better; I know at least four coaches that'd do it to him in a heartbeat after this NCAA opening round. 

New Rules, and they don't include "managing" leads or mercy. 

If UND rolls out 28 27 13 early on next season like we saw 10 27 19 you'll have your answer.

Imagine what 26 and 22 (and I'll throw in 18 and 21) would have looked like in February if they would have had the opportunity to grow and develop their college games from day 1 this past season.

[Oxbow6]

Career season high point total while at UND for four players....17, 18, 20 and 21.

Now match the four players with their career season high point total....Hain, Constantini, Senden and Caulfield.

Now I'll ask @The Sicatoka to give my betting odds if BB's game management style will change next year.

 

[AJS]

Anyone else looking forward to UND’s release announcing Albrecht will be back? Preseason #1 team in the Culture rankings?

[The Sicatoka]

1 hour ago, scpa0305 said:

When did we have a three goal lead?  

At Miami x2, last game at Omaha. 

[The Sicatoka]

51 minutes ago, Oxbow6 said:

If UND rolls out 28 27 13 early on next season like we saw 10 27 19 you'll have your answer.

I'll tolerate that trio if they are the "three" of a "top nine - bottom three" forwards alignment, instead of the traditional "top six - bottom six". 

[The Sicatoka]

34 minutes ago, Oxbow6 said:

Now I'll ask @The Sicatoka to give my betting odds if BB's game management style will change next year.

Slim and none. 
And here's Slim leaving town.

 

[jk]

2 hours ago, The Sicatoka said:

Does our coaching staff have the balls to play like we've seen the B1G play during the last 48 hours? 

B1G teams got a three goal lead and pulled the stops, threw open the throttles, and went 8, no, 8, no, 9, no, 11! 

UND plays from the "Lennon-Schweigert-Berry" mindset: Get up two scores and "manage" your way to victory. Notice has been served; that game is gone. 

UND needs to see, realize, learn, and act. Speed kills. Defensive responsibility now means the puck on your stick in the offensive zone or busting ass to reacquire the puck. "Managing" a lead is dead.

And most importantly, dismantling an opponent is not only acceptable, it's now expected.

Michigan had PP1 out with an eight-goal lead in the third. Berry puts out the fourth line for a PP with a three goal lead in the third. Frankly, ... no, no longer acceptable. 

Mercy died this weekend. The mindset going forward must be kill shot, then as many as you can hang on the board. 

When the team wins by 7, the question must be: why not 8 or 10. 

Can Berry coach that?
Does he have the stones to do that?
If he's too nice for that I can find someone who'll play by the new rules. (Same for Schweigert.) 

So can Berry do it?
He'd better; I know at least four coaches that'd do it to him in a heartbeat after this NCAA opening round. 

New Rules, and they don't include "managing" leads or mercy. 

This seems a little hysterical, and brings forth hypotheticals that a coach is not likely to experience more than a few times in a career.

If my team is up by seven in the third against a team that is clearly overmatched, I'm skating out the game.  There's still a place for decency.  

[LuvHockey]

1 hour ago, jk said:

If my team is up by seven in the third against a team that is clearly overmatched, I'm skating out the game.  There's still a place for decency.  

Agree fully. Amen.

[The Sicatoka]

1 hour ago, jk said:

If my team is up by seven in the third against a team that is clearly overmatched, I'm skating out the game.  There's still a place for decency.  

The B1G has just invited you to join their conference call. 

[petey23]

12 hours ago, burd said:

It's good to hear Judd express confidence in the blue line talent they are bringing in, but D is a steep learning curve for freshmen in D-1 hockey.    

True......However

UMD won the National title in 2017-18 with 1 sophomore and 5 freshmen playing D and a Sophomore Goalie they found in the NAHL who had played in 2 games as a freshman(1 start) and gave up 2,1,1,and 1 in the NCAA tournament after UND beat them for the NCHC title.

[Blackheart]

3 hours ago, scpa0305 said:

When did we have a three goal lead?  

Against the Clowns...then lost.

[skateshattrick]

18 minutes ago, Blackheart said:

Against the Clowns...then lost.

Western Michigan also

[Benny Baker]

1 hour ago, petey23 said:

True......However

UMD won the National title in 2017-18 with 1 sophomore and 5 freshmen playing D and a Sophomore Goalie they found in the NAHL who had played in 2 games as a freshman(1 start) and gave up 2,1,1,and 1 in the NCAA tournament after UND beat them for the NCHC title.

It was actually the NCHC third place game, and perhaps Duluth was already looking ahead to that NCAA tournament. 

But I get your point.

[siouxforce19]

1 minute ago, Benny Baker said:

It was actually the NCHC third place game, and perhaps Duluth was already looking ahead to that NCAA tournament. 

But I get your point.

That was the NCAA tournament they only got in by like 0.0000001 or something. 

[Benny Baker]

3 minutes ago, siouxforce19 said:

That was the NCAA tournament they only got in by like 0.0000001 or something. 

Yup. They won as the final 3rd seed (12th in pairwise) that year. 

[petey23]

1 hour ago, Benny Baker said:

It was actually the NCHC third place game, and perhaps Duluth was already looking ahead to that NCAA tournament. 

But I get your point.

Good catch, but they actually thought they were in a do or die situation to get into tournament that game.

[The Sicatoka]

3 hours ago, jk said:

This seems a little hysterical, and brings forth hypotheticals that a coach is not likely to experience more than a few times in a career.

If my team is up by seven in the third against a team that is clearly overmatched, I'm skating out the game.  There's still a place for decency.  

From the Saturday at DU to through the Saturday at CC it took UND five games* to score 10 goals.
Michigan rolled 11 in three periods in an NCAA game. 
* 5-2 L, 4-3 W, 2-2 T, 2-1 W, 0-0 T 

Decency? Dead.
It was killed by the B1G outscoring opponents 36-4 in four opening round games.
It was killed when Michigan put out PP1 when up eight. 
New Rules. Adapt or die. 

I do not want to be on the bloody end of "36-4".
I didn't make the rules.
Adapt or die. 

[Kevin G]

6 hours ago, The Sicatoka said:

Does our coaching staff have the balls to play like we've seen the B1G play during the last 48 hours? 

B1G teams got a three goal lead and pulled the stops, threw open the throttles, and went 8, no, 8, no, 9, no, 11! 

UND plays from the "Lennon-Schweigert-Berry" mindset: Get up two scores and "manage" your way to victory. Notice has been served; that game is gone. 

UND needs to see, realize, learn, and act. Speed kills. Defensive responsibility now means the puck on your stick in the offensive zone or busting ass to reacquire the puck. "Managing" a lead is dead.

And most importantly, dismantling an opponent is not only acceptable, it's now expected.

Michigan had PP1 out with an eight-goal lead in the third. Berry puts out the fourth line for a PP with a three goal lead in the third. Frankly, ... no, no longer acceptable. 

Mercy died this weekend. The mindset going forward must be kill shot, then as many as you can hang on the board. 

When the team wins by 7, the question must be: why not 8 or 10. 

Can Berry coach that?
Does he have the stones to do that?
If he's too nice for that I can find someone who'll play by the new rules. (Same for Schweigert.) 

So can Berry do it?
He'd better; I know at least four coaches that'd do it to him in a heartbeat after this NCAA opening round. 

New Rules, and they don't include "managing" leads or mercy. 

When the game changes, you have to change your mindset and adapt. For example, former Vikings coach Mike Zimmer came from a defensive era of NFL football. Defense was his mindset. He preferred to lose 14-13 than win 45-42, because defense. (Only a slight exaggeration.) But the game passed him by. Now the game favors skill and speed while punishing certain kinds of physicality, so more offensively-minded coaches are succeeding. 

A similar evolution seems to be occurring in college hockey. Adapt in order to thrive. 

[burd]

2 hours ago, petey23 said:

True......However

UMD won the National title in 2017-18 with 1 sophomore and 5 freshmen playing D and a Sophomore Goalie they found in the NAHL who had played in 2 games as a freshman(1 start) and gave up 2,1,1,and 1 in the NCAA tournament after UND beat them for the NCHC title.

Also true . . . .  But,

we all know they bought the refs.  

[The Sicatoka]

1 minute ago, burd said:

Also true . . . .  But,

we all know they bought the refs.  

NIL money?
gfhockey break out the bankroll? 

 

[tnt]

22 minutes ago, The Sicatoka said:

From the Saturday at DU to through the Saturday at CC it took UND five games* to score 10 goals.
Michigan rolled 11 in three periods in an NCAA game. 
* 5-2 L, 4-3 W, 2-2 T, 2-1 W, 0-0 T 

Decency? Dead.
It was killed by the B1G outscoring opponents 36-4 in four opening round games.
It was killed when Michigan put out PP1 when up eight. 
New Rules. Adapt or die. 

I do not want to be on the bloody end of "36-4".
I didn't make the rules.
Adapt or die. 

…and if Quinnipiac wins it all, do we adapt or die by going even further into the portal with 5th year seniors.  I guess we aren’t saying why can’t we be more like Duluth anymore.  Why can’t we be more like that high flying team Denver that didn’t score in the last two games?  Yes, yesterday was eye opening, but so was the drop off of Denver.

[The Sicatoka]

1 minute ago, tnt said:

…and if Quinnipiac wins it all, do we adapt or die by going even further into the portal with 5th year seniors.  I guess we aren’t saying why can’t we be more like Duluth anymore.  Why can’t we be more like that high flying team Denver that didn’t score in the last two games?  Yes, yesterday was eye opening, but so was the drop off of Denver.

 

Play to score and score again, not score and try to sit on a lead. 

[The Sicatoka]

We used to go to "three step hockey*" with a three goal lead.
We got so good at it we went to it with a two goal lead, and then a one goal lead. 

But these days opponents don't quit, skills are better, and you have to be perfect playing "three step" with a one goal lead. I'd rather leave the offense active and add to a lead than have to try to restart the offense after the lead is given up. 

 

*Three step hockey:
1. Get it over the defensive blue by any means, skate, pass, glass, but get it out.
2. Get it over the red by skate or pass.
3. Dump it deep; make them come 200 feet. 
Watch the last eight minutes of UNDvQU in 2016 for a clinic. 

[tnt]

2 minutes ago, The Sicatoka said:

 

Play to score and score again, not score and try to sit on a lead. 

Agree, UND needs to be way more aggressive when they get up, but you can still be aggressive and not play wide open giving up a ton of odd man rushes.  They need to keep forechecking, not go conservative.  I would say that is going to be really necessary next year, because they will need to be staying out of our end as much as possible, like Caulfield suggested.

[brianvf]

45 minutes ago, The Sicatoka said:

Decency? Dead.
It was killed by the B1G outscoring opponents 36-4 in four opening round games.
It was killed when Michigan put out PP1 when up eight. 
New Rules. Adapt or die. 

I do not want to be on the bloody end of "36-4".
I didn't make the rules.
Adapt or die. 

We'll see how things go in the regional finals and for the next couple years I suppose. 
From what I watched yesterday, their opponents giving up had a lot to do with it.  It was like watching the 8-0 game when UND beat Miami this year...you could actually see when Miami gave up and was just allowing UND to do anything they wanted.
It's not like the B10 just invented "going for the jugular" this weekend.