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dj_hoime

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Oops. You beat me to it. :silly:

EDIT: Apparently there's no way for me to delete my thread. Maybe a moderator will do it for me.

From The Concord Online Monitor:

'Cats up against a large obstacle

Fighting Sioux brings size, talent, attitude

UNH opens its home schedule tonight with the first game of a two-game series against the University of North Dakota, the 2004 NCAA runner-up and a perennial power in college hockey. With seven national titles to their credit, the Fighting Sioux have a long-established record of success, and with 11 NHL draft picks - including five first rounders - on the current roster, they've got legit designs on delivering Grand Forks its eighth banner in April.
Further in Parise's favor is the presence of several menacing monsters in front of him. The North Dakota defensive corps consists of six blue-liners standing at least six feet tall, and eight who weigh at least 187 pounds. Compare that with the Wildcats, who started five forwards who were shorter and five who were lighter than those standards against Nebraska, and it could be difficult to do much in the corners.

On the oversized ice surface of the Whittemore Center, the Wildcats' speed could prove a significant edge. So might experience. With only two seniors, the roster of the sixth-ranked Sioux includes five sophomores and 13 freshmen, and in a packed house against the nation's No. 12 team, Micflikier is hoping the atmosphere will be too hyped to handle.
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It will be interesting to see how the young Sioux perform in their first foray of the season on an Olympic ice sheet. This team has the skating ability and puck skills to do very well on big ice, but Sioux teams often struggle a bit on the larger surface. Duncan, Kozek, and Watkins should like the space very much. Lee and Chorney are ideally suited for the big ice too, but it will be a tough test chasing a bunch of quick little forwards around.

I expect a split and I think that would represent a very successful trip for the Sioux.

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I also think a split will be a good weekend for the Sioux but I am excited because I finally get to see this team play even though it is only on TV. It sure beats listening to it over the internet though. I am thinking if Zajac and Stafford break out this weekend a sweep is a possibility.

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I'm still waiting for this team to establish an identity. Maybe this will be the weekend.

As Hakstol said on this week's coaches' show, the series at Durham will be a good test of how the team performs on the road in a hostile environment. It would be nice to see Stafford and Zajac play like the veterans they are and have a good series in which they contribute significantly to the scoring. We can't expect the goalies and freshman to carry this team for too long.

I'm not as worried about the "big ice" as others. But then, I never am. :silly:

A split is a realistic expectation. However, I'd really like to see the Souix put together a solid team effort heading into the series with Denver next week.

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From PCM's link:

"They've always been pretty good," said UNH Coach Dick Umile, whose team enters at 1-1. "They think they're pretty good. Most people think they're pretty good. Most people think they're better than us, and I told exactly that to the team (Tuesday). We better be ready to play."

Sounds like Umile has his team thinking that they're the underdogs up against the big, mighty Sioux. Smart on his part, no doubt wanting his players to be the hungier team.

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From Billy Jaffe at CSTV:

Three Keys to the Game: North Dakota at New Hampshire

At North Dakota, youth is king thus far.  Fighting Sioux head coach Dave Hakstol has played 10 freshmen this year, and has a total of 13 on the roster.  So far, so good, but all four of North Dakota's games have been at either at a neutral site or within the friendly confines of Ralph Engelstad Arena. We have yet to see how the Sioux freshmen will respond to playing on the road, especially in front of a fired-up crowd at the Whittemore Center.
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Is Parise starting both nights or just tonight.

Hak is sticking with the rotation so far. I guess we'll see.

Do you really think an Olympic size ice will be our disadvantage?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I don't see it hurting us or helping us. Remember, the Sioux probably spent this week practicing on their Olympic sheet.

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I think the game will all depend on the penalties. If we get lots of penalties hopefully we'll continue to kill the power plays. We could use some power play goals (and regular goals) from the upper classmen. I'd really like to see Stafford and Zajac have a big weekend.... along with the freshman.

I read in the paper today that we've been practicing on the Olympic Ice all week, so hopefully the size won't be that big of a deal. Should be a good weekend of hockey and great preparation for next weekend.

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Is Parise starting both nights or just tonight. Do you really think an Olympic size ice will be our disadvantage?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Where the Sioux do have an Olympic practice rink, it always seems to take a little time to adjust to the larger ice service. UNH plays on this size rink on a regular basis, so it may help them more than we like, especially this early in the season when conditioning isn't the forte of any team.

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The practice rink between the Main Ice at the Ralph and the Betty is olympic size... it's called the Olympic Ice... I just assumed from the name, that it is olympic size.

I'm trying to connect to the radio station from the UND website, to catch some pregame, but I'm having trouble... says it can't connect. Anyone else getting this?

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