Mercyhurst visits the Ralph - Jan 2/3

[Scratch]

1 hour ago, Vegas_Sioux said:

It’s a good wake up after break, Michigan will not travel, so it’s not that they want to avoid playing them it’s just we aren’t going to Ann Arbor all the time. We have MSU next year and then a home and home with Wisconsin the following 2 years. BC/hockey east et al I think stems from the lack of consistency in hockey east officials. You can’t go there because you get penalties like Brendan O’Donnell’s two minutes for getting slashed.  

 

I get that it doesn’t help financially, but going to Ann Arbor all the time would be awesome for fans. This weekend was your typical regular season bison game, pointless and boring. I don’t see why another blue blood wouldn’t enter into a reciprocal schedule with us for this weekend when either team would be equally likely to be missing wjc players 

[tnt]

1 hour ago, AJS said:

First game back after break. Not sure how many key players will not be in the lineup?

Smart scheduling 

Exactly, and if we play a grueling non conference besides the daunting NCHC and go a little above .500 in non conference, and miss the tournament, people will be calling for the coach to be fired.  If we can lose to Clarkson and Minnesota, playing tougher teams could end your season quick if you get swept.  We’re fine this year, but a lot of years we would still be on the bubble.  

[tnt]

1 hour ago, Scratch said:

I get that it doesn’t help financially, but going to Ann Arbor all the time would be awesome for fans. This weekend was your typical regular season bison game, pointless and boring. I don’t see why another blue blood wouldn’t enter into a reciprocal schedule with us for this weekend when either team would be equally likely to be missing wjc players 

Would much rather be playing these teams in the National tournament than possibly be watching from the sidelines.  One or two really tough non conference series is enough when you are playing in the NCHC, and we thought Minnesota would be one of those, but turned out not to be the case this year.  We’ll have Minnesota and Wisconsin on the schedule and I’m sure will get a home and home scheduled on consecutive years like we did with Quinnipiac and BU.

i do find it amusing that a lot of fans want to play the blue bloods all the time, but then when we have to match up with one like we did with Michigan in the first round, lament that we weren’t a higher seed to get an easier opponent.

[hawksfan12]

im sick of the "Michigan won't travel" stuff. 

They literally traveled to SCSU for a series. They've been to Duluth. They regularly go to the east coast. Its on our coaches to build relationships with these other programs.

But I guess we can make excuses while ignoring the obvious that our coaches sandbag the NC schedule with a bunch of no-names.

[brianvf]

3 minutes ago, hawksfan12 said:

im sick of the "Michigan won't travel" stuff. 

They literally traveled to SCSU for a series. They've been to Duluth. They regularly go to the east coast. Its on our coaches to build relationships with these other programs.

But I guess we can make excuses while ignoring the obvious that our coaches sandbag the NC schedule with a bunch of no-names.

All of our games this season were scheduled with Berry at the helm.  Probably most of next season's too.
It'll take a couple seasons for us to see what Dane can do with the scheduling.

And I would hardly call our NC schedule this year "sandbagged".

UST, UMN, Clarkson, BSU, and Mercyhurst.  UMN and Clarkson were obviously supposed to be better this year, but hard to predict that 2-3 years in advance when schedules are decided.

[tnt]

9 minutes ago, brianvf said:

All of our games this season were scheduled with Berry at the helm.  Probably most of next season's too.
It'll take a couple seasons for us to see what Dane can do with the scheduling.

And I would hardly call our NC schedule this year "sandbagged".

UST, UMN, Clarkson, BSU, and Mercyhurst.  UMN and Clarkson were obviously supposed to be better this year, but hard to predict that 2-3 years in advance when schedules are decided.

Exactly.  Denver had Bentley, Air Force, and Lindenwood on their non-conference, and Michigan had Mercyhurst and Robert Morris, so I think they know you need a few games that are less stressful and you can give some depth guys some love and playing time.

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

Guess we gotta complain about something when we’ve won 12 of 13 and are #2 in the country

[tnt]

6 minutes ago, InHeavenThereIsNoBeer said:

Guess we gotta complain about something when we’ve won 12 of 13 and are #2 in the country

…and like I said, when we get to the National tournament will we be hoping to face Michigan State, Denver, Wisconsin and Michigan to win #9?   

[atxsioux]

The Clarkson series is currently set for January 1st and 2nd next year at home. Will be interesting to see if the coaching staff looks to move that series to a different date.

 

Safe to assume we'd be missing a good chunk of players next year for the WJC again.

[Godsmack]

45 minutes ago, hawksfan12 said:

im sick of the "Michigan won't travel" stuff. 

They literally traveled to SCSU for a series. They've been to Duluth. They regularly go to the east coast. Its on our coaches to build relationships with these other programs.

But I guess we can make excuses while ignoring the obvious that our coaches sandbag the NC schedule with a bunch of no-names.

I’ve also heard that in the years’ past, Red Berenson supposedly had some animosity towards UND. Maybe some other fans can opine on this and perhaps with a different coach at Michigan now we could possibly see some NC match ups at each others’ barns.

[Snake]

In the radio pregame yesterday Tim asked Jax about scheduling this series and Jax said that they’d gotten to know and respect Gotkin over the past several years at the coaches meetings down in Florida. Gotkin had never played UND so they decided to get them on the schedule. Sounds like a nice agreement amongst guys that mutually respect each other and their programs.  
 

Also…they are well aware of everyone wanting the “blue bloods” on the schedule. 

[gfhockey]

But we need the cakes on the schedule too to boost revords

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

1 hour ago, tnt said:

…and like I said, when we get to the National tournament will we be hoping to face Michigan State, Denver, Wisconsin and Michigan to win #9?   

Not sure I follow. In 15-16 we played Lake Superior, Bemidji, and Huntsville. Didn’t seem to hurt being prepared for the blue bloods in NCAAs…

[SIOUXFAN97]

boston must be heaven for college hockey fans....d1 teams in all directions every weekend...bluebloods and youngbloods everywhere!

and the beanpot

[tnt]

1 hour ago, InHeavenThereIsNoBeer said:

Not sure I follow. In 15-16 we played Lake Superior, Bemidji, and Huntsville. Didn’t seem to hurt being prepared for the blue bloods in NCAAs…

No, just saying everyone seems to want to play the blue bloods in the regular season, but would say we got screwed if we had to go through a gauntlet in the National Tournament. In other words they want to play cupcakes in the tournament but not in the regular season.

[gfhockey]

Plus, we need to pay other teams to come to make more money instead of just doing home at home

[hawksfan12]

2 hours ago, Snake said:

 

Also…they are well aware of everyone wanting the “blue bloods” on the schedule. 

Who is "they?'

And what is your source for this assertion?

[Snake]

3 hours ago, hawksfan12 said:

Who is "they?'

And what is your source for this assertion?

Ummm…what part of “Jax said…” from my post didn’t you understand?

[cberkas]

5 hours ago, SIOUXFAN97 said:

boston must be heaven for college hockey fans....d1 teams in all directions every weekend...bluebloods and youngbloods everywhere!

and the beanpot

Yet they can't drive the 2 hours max to a regional. 

[stoneySIOUX]

20 hours ago, InHeavenThereIsNoBeer said:

Guess we gotta complain about something when we’ve won 12 of 13 and are #2 in the country

Shoulda been 13 straight 😏

[SIOUXFAN97]

18 hours ago, cberkas said:

Yet they can't drive the 2 hours max to a regional. 

by that point their licenses are probably suspended from all the dui's rolling up from boston

[nodakvindy]

On 1/4/2026 at 10:41 AM, hawksfan12 said:

im sick of the "Michigan won't travel" stuff. 

They literally traveled to SCSU for a series. They've been to Duluth. They regularly go to the east coast. Its on our coaches to build relationships with these other programs.

But I guess we can make excuses while ignoring the obvious that our coaches sandbag the NC schedule with a bunch of no-names.

What BS. UND plays anyone. MIichigan has a vendetta against UND and Denver. They won't play at either one and haven't since leaving the wcha in 1981. There has been bad blood for 60 years or more. UND has tried to approach things and Michigan said pound sand. No need to grovel, plenty of other great teams to play. 

[AlphaMikeFoxtrot]

Is it true Yost is underwhelming? The appeal to me is proximity to a major airport and what seems like a cathedral of the sport, but I've heard it's nothing special in person.

[Blackheart]

1 hour ago, AlphaMikeFoxtrot said:

Is it true Yost is underwhelming? The appeal to me is proximity to a major airport and what seems like a cathedral of the sport, but I've heard it's nothing special in person.

Well the locker room situation when they hosted the regional back in 1998 was less than stellar.  I had heard that UND had to dress in a tent put up outside the building.  When Michigan came to play in the regional in GF in March 2006 the fans really let Red Berenson hear about it.  That and the fact Holy Cross beat Minnesota probably had the team a little fired up.