NCHC Semifinals-Here come the Dawgs

[fightingsioux4life]

12 minutes ago, Sweethockey said:

I have faith!

That's putting your money where your mouth is! Kudos to you sir.

[UND69er]

59 minutes ago, fightingsioux4life said:

It's ALWAYS "very tough" to win a natty in this sport. That's something that is well known by anyone who follows the college game.

What I find very disheartening is that our own fan base has gone incredibly soft and complacent and seemingly resigned to our status as a stepping stone for other teams and also-rans in college hockey who cannot be expected to compete for nattys anymore.

The idea that everything is based on "luck" has become almost Biblical law around here and it is absolutely infuriating. Denver hasn't won 3 nattys since 2017 because they are "lucky". It's because they have recruited well and have had outstanding coaches guiding the program. We now have an outstanding coaching staff of our own who cleaned up a toxic dumpster fire in a few short months last year. And I think the future is way brighter for this program as a result.

It is NOT "unrealistic" to expect this program to annually compete for nattys, it should be a reasonable expectation. And I think Jackson and his excellent staff are in position to do just that.

Now it's time for our fan base to shrug off our self-doubt and PTSD from recent playoff failures and start believing again.

I think it's realistic to be in contention for a natty every year. I don't think giving up 3+ goals in 11 of the last 14 games is realistic for a team that has 3 coaches with defensive credentials. It's also not an anomaly that the team has lost 5 NCHC semifinals in recent years. I know Sandy may not grab as much overall talent, but UMD took 3 of 5 this year and he seems to have a magic ability to peak during tournament time. UND needs to figure it out. I am assuming this talented coaching staff can do that.

[InHeavenThereIsNoBeer]

27 minutes ago, UND69er said:

Did the team get flu shots? If they have symptoms do they wear a mask when near roomates etc.? Do the team doctors advise them on protocols? There are ways to stay well if you follow them.

Dude I just work here

[Oxbow6]

Per Brad since NCHC started 11 years ago UND has lost in the tournament semifinals 9 times. 

[.357]

48 minutes ago, UND69er said:

I think it's realistic to be in contention for a natty every year. I don't think giving up 3+ goals in 11 of the last 14 games is realistic for a team that has 3 coaches with defensive credentials. It's also not an anomaly that the team has lost 5 NCHC semifinals in recent years. I know Sandy may not grab as much overall talent, but UMD took 3 of 5 this year and he seems to have a magic ability to peak during tournament time. UND needs to figure it out. I am assuming this talented coaching staff can do that.

If an illness is making the rounds & the team was lethargic as a result, then great, better now than in 2 weeks. But if not, it's disconcerting that, 37 games into the season, the team is still making fundamental mistakes on defense that should have been cleared up by the new year at the latest. 12 days off can do wonders for healing; but if the team defense is still making pee wee mistakes after 37 games, not so sure another 12 days of lessons will fix whatever the issue is.

Would consider activating Jubenvill in the playoffs & giving him more minutes than KV. UND is lucky to have KV & he'll no doubt elevate his game next year; but he's only 17 and very raw, whereas JJ is 22 & a lot more stable on the backend. Those 5 extra years of experience on defense mean a lot in 1-&-done playoffs. It wouldn't be a good look for KV, but winning championships is about doing what's right for the team, not the individual. 

Jackson is a great recruiter, now fans will get to see if he is a great playoff coach.

 

[hockeytherapy13]

10 hours ago, Stack said:

Every time we play Duluth late in the season, they take out one of our guys. Goes back to when older brother Pionk took out Tucker Poolman right before regionals. They are a dirty team. The refs went " Old time hip check" and then when they show the replay the young Pionk just hit Ollie's knee and nothing else. 

This game was a good learning lesson and now they need to win 4 in a row to win it all. It's doable if they play like they did against Western. Still Number 2 in the NPI and no one will move ahead of us. We'll be in Sioux Falls for the regionals. We will most likely get a Hockey East team (U Mass or Connecticut) in the first round or Mankato if they end up beating St Thomas. 

It was Kotyk that took the cheap shot on Poolman that resulted in him being out that game and the NCAAs. It was a hit from behind that didn’t even get called for a 2. But your point stands that Duluth was definitely taking their cheap shots again before the tourney while they can get away with it. 

[fightingsioux4life]

12 hours ago, Godsmack said:

To your point, many years ago, I recall CC upsetting DU at Magness in the first round and the time off seemed to benefit them as they marched on to a national title. 

I believe that was in 2004.

[Dustin]

22 minutes ago, .357 said:

activating Jubenvill in the playoffs

Haven’t been paying attention to the lines- has Jubenville been a healthy scratch?

[hockeytherapy13]

Regarding Verhoeff. Jax has taken the approach that Sandelin has done very well and that Berry often failed to do with young players. He put KV in big roles all year to let him fail and grow. It’s made him a better player. BUT- he cannot have top-4 minutes in the tourney in a do-or-die scenario, He’s got to be on the 3rd pairing.  He’s 17 and just not ready the big-time moments  against more mature players. Those little mistakes he makes regularly will end up in our net in a tight game. Throw a thousand tomatoes at me for saying this but I would rather see a boring but steady defenseman like Jubenvil make smart simple plays, a good breakout pass, and let the forwards do their thing. 

[cberkas]

2 minutes ago, Dustin said:

Haven’t been paying attention to the lines- has Jubenville been a healthy scratch?

yes

[hockeytherapy13]

2 minutes ago, Dustin said:

Haven’t been paying attention to the lines- has Jubenville been a healthy scratch?

Yes. Our defensive depth has pushed him down. I’m worried he’ll transfer which is too bad because he’s a solid defender. 

[Dustin]

3 minutes ago, fightingsioux4life said:

I believe that was in 2005.

Without looking it up, I was going to guess 2004 

[hockeytherapy13]

52 minutes ago, .357 said:

If an illness is making the rounds & the team was lethargic as a result, then great, better now than in 2 weeks. But if not, it's disconcerting that, 37 games into the season, the team is still making fundamental mistakes on defense that should have been cleared up by the new year at the latest. 12 days off can do wonders for healing; but if the team defense is still making pee wee mistakes after 37 games, not so sure another 12 days of lessons will fix whatever the issue is.

Would consider activating Jubenvill in the playoffs & giving him more minutes than KV. UND is lucky to have KV & he'll no doubt elevate his game next year; but he's only 17 and very raw, whereas JJ is 22 & a lot more stable on the backend. Those 5 extra years of experience on defense mean a lot in 1-&-done playoffs. It wouldn't be a good look for KV, but winning championships is about doing what's right for the team, not the individual. 

Jackson is a great recruiter, now fans will get to see if he is a great playoff coach.

 

Looks like I pretty much just plagiarized what you said. Appears we are very much on the same page haha.

[.357]

30 minutes ago, hockeytherapy13 said:

Regarding Verhoeff. Jax has taken the approach that Sandelin has done very well and that Berry often failed to do with young players. He put KV in big roles all year to let him fail and grow. It’s made him a better player. BUT- he cannot have top-4 minutes in the tourney in a do-or-die scenario, He’s got to be on the 3rd pairing.  He’s 17 and just not ready the big-time moments  against more mature players. Those little mistakes he makes regularly will end up in our net in a tight game. Throw a thousand tomatoes at me for saying this but I would rather see a boring but steady defenseman like Jubenvil make smart simple plays, a good breakout pass, and let the forwards do their thing. 

Would be interesting to know if the coaching staff sees this situation like we do, or if it's a giant blind spot in their perception & they'll continue to roll KV with big minutes in the regionals. {when I say 'blind spot', am referring to a situation or problem that a coach may not even be aware of because of personal biases or a lack of insight that don't allow him to see something that is obvious to others; making him figuratively blind. That's why it's important for HCes to have assistants who will challenge them; not 'yes' men}.

Sometimes coaches can become tunnel-visioned with certain players & better options don't even cross their mind (ie, like Croal being healthy-scratched last year for no sane reason). Great coaches are great because they see the big picture & they're willing to make unpopular decisions.

Let KV grow with top-4 during the regular season, but the playoffs are a different animal.