Providence @ UND

[siouxfaninseattle]

My take on the game. First 5 minutes looked an awful lot like last weekend - very slow start. Second period was exactly what we want to see the rest of the season. The third period was reminiscent of the third period against Michigan last spring, although not as bad. Lots of players with a very strong game. Not the much desired 60 minute game. They will be real hard to beat when they get it together for 60 minutes.

[farce poobah]

7 hours ago, .357 said:

It's not relevant to the thread, but then again, Gino is synonymous with Sioux hockey, so ...

From a Schlossman article in 2013, quoting Dave Hakstol: “The things that stand out to me: He was very prepared but he demanded that his players were very prepared. And he demanded that his players competed at a high level. He was able to motivate people within a program to be able to do that. I think that’s why he was so successful.”

Gino had that natural elixir that got the most out of his players, he demanded excellence & his players responded with 3 national championships; it easily could have been a few more. He is the benchmark by which all other coaches at UND are & will continue to be measured.

Gino was an amazing judge of people and talent. Winning conference and national titles in the first two seasons, combines his skill in recruiting players and bringing in excellent assistant coaches.   Rick Wilson wasn’t here long, but he went on to 30 seasons in the NHL. Dean Blais joined for the 1981-82 season.  The coaching tree is long indeed.

As athletic director, Gino hired some great coaches who revived other key sports on campus.  Roger Thomas in 1986, Rich Glas in 1988, Gene Roebuck in 1987.  

While he was leading the USHL, from 1994-2009, (as both Commissioner and later President). the league experienced growth and was set up for future success.

I will stop now, but will say I was excited when we hired him as head coach some 46 years ago, and my admiration has only grown over time. 

[The Sicatoka]

13 hours ago, brianvf said:

We had to shut the Sioux Sports forums down for like a week during that time.
It just got too out of control.

Because of a Presidential order signed by Pres Teddy Roosevelt no less. 

[The Sicatoka]

6 hours ago, siouxfaninseattle said:

My take on the game. First 5 minutes looked an awful lot like last weekend - very slow start. 

Watching it I had that "oh boy" feeling.

What flipped it?

A shot after a whistle. 

Croal's reaction to that (and the ensuing support by his teammates) woke them up. 

I consider that Croal's first self-nomination for a letter one day. 

[Kab]

14 hours ago, brianvf said:

We had to shut the Sioux Sports forums down for like a week during that time.
It just got too out of control.

There was a Sioux sports forum back then ?

or letters to the editor and calls to Knox 

[stoneySIOUX]

Outside of the first 5 minutes where Providence came out firing, that was a pretty dominant performance. Glad to see the bounce back.

I LOVED the lines. Strinden on the top line is a perfect fit for Berg and OMac. Sasha's line had tremendous balance of skill and size. The bottom two grind and set pace. Thought the pairings were smart and helped guys like Strathmann play their game. I hope Bubs keeps this lineup again

Croal was a man on Saturday and he'll be a big-time contributor if that continues. 

MacDonald and Emery are both very, very good defensemen. Glad to have them on our team. 

T.J. looked the part. 

Perron continues to, unfortunately, go invisible for long stretches in games. I do love the line combo with Kunz and Sasha, though. Those three could build some chemistry, IMO. 

All-in-all, that was good stuff. Lots of great puck movement on the offensive side and smart, responsible play in the defensive end. Great start to the season.

[Goon]

3 hours ago, The Sicatoka said:

Watching it I had that "oh boy" feeling.

What flipped it?

A shot after a whistle. 

Croal's reaction to that (and the ensuing support by his teammates) woke them up. 

I consider that Croal's first self-nomination for a letter one day. 

Berry said the shot after the whistle played a role. 

[stoneySIOUX]

3 hours ago, The Sicatoka said:

Watching it I had that "oh boy" feeling.

What flipped it?

A shot after a whistle. 

Croal's reaction to that (and the ensuing support by his teammates) woke them up. 

I consider that Croal's first self-nomination for a letter one day. 

Reminds me of the "Who do you play for?" scene in Miracle.

*Shot gets past T.J. ... Croal charges Friar d-bag*

"I play for..... the University of North Dakota!"

*Camera pans to Bubs* "That'll be all, gentlemen"

[.357]

10 hours ago, siouxfaninseattle said:

My take on the game. First 5 minutes looked an awful lot like last weekend - very slow start.

This is what concerns me. It seems like the team as a whole is unable to be self-motivated & requires an external circumstance to kick it into higher gear .. like the late shot by a Friar player. It baffles me to no end how this can happen, not just by a couple of players but by most of the team. It's as if they're in a trance for long stretches.

Clearly what Berry is telling them in the locker room is not translating to the ice. Part of the reason I included that quote on Gasparini earlier was to highlight what should be expected of a coach at UND: to always have your team competing at the highest level, something Gino was a master of & which Berry is still trying to figure out.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that this team will never go far in the tourney if they can't be self-motivated to play a full 60. The win against Providence felt good, but one swallow does not make a summer. They simply cannot have that lackadaisical approach, because every team they face will be playing at a higher level to try & beat them. Having that ho-hum attitude against PWR-killers like Robert Morris or Bemidji St. will put a serious dent in their playoff hopes. Showing up to play every night for the entire game should be a given.

An off night here & there happens, but the repeated pattern of non-urgency for long stretches is a legitimate concern. The team will not be hanging #9 by playing only 40-50 minutes/game.

 

[fightingsioux4life]

3 minutes ago, .357 said:

An off night here & there happens, but the repeated pattern of non-urgency for long stretches is a legitimate concern. The team will not be hanging #9 by playing only 40-50 minutes/game.

This is what must change this season. A slow, but steady, improvement in being ready to play at the opening faceoff must happen or we'll have the same putrid postseason results.

[stoneySIOUX]

1 hour ago, .357 said:

This is what concerns me. It seems like the team as a whole is unable to be self-motivated & requires an external circumstance to kick it into higher gear .. like the late shot by a Friar player. It baffles me to no end how this can happen, not just by a couple of players but by most of the team. It's as if they're in a trance for long stretches.

Clearly what Berry is telling them in the locker room is not translating to the ice. Part of the reason I included that quote on Gasparini earlier was to highlight what should be expected of a coach at UND: to always have your team competing at the highest level, something Gino was a master of & which Berry is still trying to figure out.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that this team will never go far in the tourney if they can't be self-motivated to play a full 60. The win against Providence felt good, but one swallow does not make a summer. They simply cannot have that lackadaisical approach, because every team they face will be playing at a higher level to try & beat them. Having that ho-hum attitude against PWR-killers like Robert Morris or Bemidji St. will put a serious dent in their playoff hopes. Showing up to play every night for the entire game should be a given.

An off night here & there happens, but the repeated pattern of non-urgency for long stretches is a legitimate concern. The team will not be hanging #9 by playing only 40-50 minutes/game.

 

I think it goes without saying that every team wants to start fast. But to make large, sweeping statements like a team is unable to be self-motivated based on an exhibition and one real game feels incredibly short sighted. UND gets EVERY team's best from the drop of the puck every night, especially when we're at home. 

The second paragraph.... you're saying Gino always had his teams playing from the drop of the puck and Berry doesn't get this out of his team, correct? So, we're saying players on Gino's team never lost the first five minutes? Always delivered in the clutch? Also, can we also realize the difference in the world of hockey we're in? Why do this to ourselves? Comparing Gino and Bubs is just a waste of energy.

Losing the first five minutes is not a good thing, but clearly we were able to rebound. I am not sure I understand the undue stress about this. Sometimes a team punches the other in the mouth. 

1 hour ago, fightingsioux4life said:

This is what must change this season. A slow, but steady, improvement in being ready to play at the opening faceoff must happen or we'll have the same putrid postseason results.

I think what FS4L said makes more sense.... I think it's fair to say that we've had runs of in the recent past where we didn't play well at the drop or lulled during the game. To be a champion, we have to be as near as close to perfect in this area as possible

[fightingsioux4life]

7 minutes ago, stoneySIOUX said:

I think what FS4L said makes more sense.... I think it's fair to say that we've had runs of in the recent past where we didn't play well at the drop or lulled during the game. To be a champion, we have to be as near as close to perfect in this area as possible

This has to be instilled by playoff time. You can lay some eggs during the regular season (most teams do), but that has to be ironed out before the postseason starts.

[brianvf]

41 minutes ago, stoneySIOUX said:

Losing the first five minutes is not a good thing, but clearly we were able to rebound. I am not sure I understand the undue stress about this.

+1

[brianvf]

Some good nuggets from the Providence game:

https://www.grandforksherald.com/sports/und-hockey/und-will-go-a-full-calendar-year-without-losing-at-home-in-regulation

Quote

UND will go a full calendar year without losing in Ralph Engelstad Arena in regulation.
Since losing to Minnesota 4-0 on Oct. 20, 2023, the Fighting Hawks are 18-3-1 in The Ralph. All three losses came in overtime.

Maintaining that dominance in The Ralph won't be easy.
UND's next two home series are against No. 3 Boston University (Oct. 25-26) and No. 1 Denver (Nov. 15-16).

Quote

One measure of a player's effectiveness is by tracking how many chances are generated when he's on the ice vs. how many chances are allowed.
Advanced analytics use expected goals to measure it.

While UND's entire team graded out well in that area, one line in particular stood out — Louis Jamernik V, Jake Schmaltz and Cody Croal. All three had even-strength scores better than 96 percent. It's rare to score that high for skaters who play more than 10 minutes. That line tilted the ice more than any other line for either team Saturday night.

Providence barely even attempted an even-strength shot when Jamernik, Schmaltz and Croal were on the ice, and had no scoring chances.

Quote

• Midco Sports had a surprise guest on the season-opening broadcast. Former analyst Jake Brandt, who stepped down after last season, came back to join Taylor Budge at the desk for Game 1. Midco is expected to use a rotating set of panelists at the desk, including former UND players Monique Lamoureux-Morando, Erik Fabian, Dean Barsness and Brett Hextall. Jim Scanlan took over for Brandt as the analyst alongside play-by-play man Alex Heinert this season.

Brett Hextall will be fun to have as a panelist...

[stoneySIOUX]

4 minutes ago, brianvf said:

Some good nuggets from the Providence game:

https://www.grandforksherald.com/sports/und-hockey/und-will-go-a-full-calendar-year-without-losing-at-home-in-regulation

Brett Hextall will be fun to have as a panelist...

OH NO! NOT ANALYTICS!!!!!!!!!!! 

[sioux rube]

Hope he sticks around for more than 2 years 

 

 

[AJS]

3 hours ago, stoneySIOUX said:

I LOVED the lines. Strinden on the top line is a perfect fit for Berg and OMac. Sasha's line had tremendous balance of skill and size. The bottom two grind and set pace. Thought the pairings were smart and helped guys like Strathmann play their game. I hope Bubs keeps this lineup again

Loved them when they were posted pre-game, loved them even more after the fact. You get the feeling that any one of the four lines can score at any time, that's rare. 

[.357]

34 minutes ago, stoneySIOUX said:

I think it goes without saying that a team wants to start fast. But to make large, sweeping statements like a team is unable to be self-motivated based on an exhibition and one real game feels incredibly short sighted. UND gets EVERY team's best from the drop of the puck every night, especially when we're at home. 

 

It goes beyond this season & extends into the last month of the last season. Technically, the poor performances & lapses go back for a good chunk of the previous 8 years; it's not exactly a new development. 

 

37 minutes ago, stoneySIOUX said:

The second paragraph.... you're saying Gino always had his teams playing from the drop of the puck and Berry doesn't get this out of his team, correct? So, we're saying players on Gino's team never lost the first five minutes? Always delivered in the clutch? Also, can we also realize the difference in the world of hockey we're in? Why do this to ourselves? Comparing Gino and Bubs is just a waste of energy.

Gasparini had some stinkers for games, but for his first 8 years compared to Berry's, he almost always had his teams clicking in the playoffs. As does Carle in the modern era, who may be a world apart from Gasparini in terms of changed attitudes, but his teams still "bring it" every March/April. Therein lies the difference.

So comparisons are not good? To not compare a previous era to the current one leaves no standard by which to judge your program. Especially when a certain window within that previous era ('79 - '87) was the shining star of the program's history. Comparisons are natural in sports & life, that's how we gain perspective, establish a baseline & improve. It also serves as a model to today's players on how they're expected to perform. Like you mentioned previously, nothing happens in a void.

Looking forward to this team playing like they're capable of & going deep in the playoffs this year. Berry certainly deserves #9 based on his endless hours of work & his obvious passion for the program; whether he actually achieves it is another hand-wringing, nail-biting matter.

[stoneySIOUX]

2 minutes ago, AJS said:

Loved them when they were posted pre-game, loved them even more after the fact. You get the feeling that any one of the four lines can score at any time, that's rare. 

100% agree with you. Fun stuff. Love the construction of the team.

[stoneySIOUX]

18 minutes ago, .357 said:

It goes beyond this season & extends into the last month of the last season. Technically, the poor performances & lapses go back for a good chunk of the previous 8 years; it's not exactly a new development. 

 

Gasparini had some stinkers for games, but for his first 8 years compared to Berry's, he almost always had his teams clicking in the playoffs. As does Carle in the modern era, who may be a world apart from Gasparini in terms of changed attitudes, but his teams still "bring it" every March/April. Therein lies the difference.

So comparisons are not good? To not compare a previous era to the current one leaves no standard by which to judge your program. Especially when a certain window within that previous era ('79 - '87) was the shining star of the program's history. Comparisons are natural in sports & life, that's how we gain perspective, establish a baseline & improve. It also serves as a model to today's players on how they're expected to perform. Like you mentioned previously, nothing happens in a void.

Looking forward to this team playing like they're capable of & going deep in the playoffs this year. Berry certainly deserves #9 based on his endless hours of work & his obvious passion for the program; whether he actually achieves it is another hand-wringing, nail-biting matter.

I'll have to agree to disagree that it's a big pattern than Bubs' teams don't start fast. I did acknowledge that I think we've, at times in recent history, have had let downs. Last year and not finishing down the stretch felt different than any other situation. 

No, I absolutely do not think a comparison to now and how and what Gino did 40 years ago is a good comparison. It's a completely different game, with completely different depth of teams, style of play, and construction. 

Carle's teams have won. Can anyone quantify why? Give me an actual reason why they won a title last year and we lost in the first round. Tangible, actual things. No one can. It's magic fairy dust that Carle possesses. 

[.357]

1 minute ago, stoneySIOUX said:

Carle's teams have won. Can anyone quantify it? Give me an actual reason why they won a title last year and we lost in the first round. Tangible, actual things. No one can. It's magic fairy dust that Carle possesses. 

You saying that all coaches are the same & some aren't inherently more talented than others? 

Tangible things..hmmm, how about his team scoring more goals than the opposition? That's an actual, quantifiable reason why his team went all the way last year. I think you meant what intangibles does Carle possess..who knows what he tells his players behind closed doors or how he prepares them, all I know is that he gets it done.

[burd]

20 hours ago, iramurphy said:

That was Murray Armstrong. He was our first choice, supposedly his wife vetoed the move. 

Yeah, I can't imagine Harkness would seriously consider UND once he got the Cornell roll started (Dryden).   No one has matched his amazing run there, much less won multiple Natties in two separate sports, one of which UND does not have.   

[AJS]

I'm making a lot of assumptions based on one game, but the way Berry constructed the lines was different than he has in the past. There's a lot of reason for optimism. The keys for me.

• Boisvert as a Top 6 C (which then would move Wilkie to 3C). They are going with a high-end / high-ceiling FR over 5th year transfer. 
• Schmaltz / Jamernik on the 4th line

The way these lines are constructed are what I've been asking. What line-up / lines will give this team the highest ceiling at the end of the year. Both F / D lines accomplish that. That has not been the case in recent years. 

[stoneySIOUX]

12 minutes ago, .357 said:

You saying that all coaches are the same & some aren't inherently more talented than others? 

Tangible things..hmmm, how about his team scoring more goals than the opposition? That's an actual, quantifiable reason why his team went all the way last year. I think you meant what intangibles does Carle possess..who knows what he tells his players behind closed doors or how he prepares them, all I know is that he gets it done.

I'm saying Carle and Bubs are equally as talented. You can disagree, that's fine. I have no problem with that. Scoring more goals lol, ok. No... I mean tangible. What did Carle do differently to make his team score those goals?

My overall point is that I absolutely do not think Carle is doing anything different than Bubs down the stretch over the past few years. The bolded part is my point. The overall supposition of the argument is that Carle is a better coach because his team has gotten the bounces to win in a one-and-done.... I think that's nonsense.

Sorry, I got us off on a tangent. 

[Sweethockey]

Right now, we should focus on the here and now. The team took a step in the right direction considering how they played against Auggie. Let's be thankful for that and hope they take another positive step this coming weekend. 

Can't compare Gino to Brad, it is a completely different set of circumstances from then to now.

Carle didn't have the best players last spring, a few were elite. His team played like a team should, they played for each other..... and of course there's a bit of luck involved.

My $0.02