The real Champions

[keikla]

Speaking of awards, when do they announce the winner of the Penrose?

[redwing77]

Speaking of awards, when do they announce the winner of the Penrose?

I don't know, but it would be extremely surprising if someone other than York of BC or Eaves of UW won it.

[dagies]

Some of us like both.

Yes, but they have medication to take care of that now.

[Goon]

I don't think the Univerisity should Fire Hak, the team went further than I invisioned. I would say the program is pretty strong and going in the right direction. Calling for Dave's head is a little premature to say the least. Lets play some golf and relax. Before you know it, it's going to be hockey season again and Ducktober.

[Siouxmama]

I don't know, but it would be extremely surprising if someone other than York of BC or Eaves of UW won it.

[Siouxmama]

I think it's given out at an event held in Florida, the end of April.

[siouxnami]

I think it's given out at an event held in Florida, the end of April.

I predict Enrico Blasi will win it.

[NDFAN]

I predict Enrico Blasi will win it.

your kidding me - did he have a good season?

[specifics]

I don't think any of us said they choked and underachieved just because they didn't win a National Title. They choked and underachieved because they lost to St. Cloud, Wisconsin(that one isn't bad at all considering they are national champions), and then HOLY CROSS! 3 games in a row at the end of the year is choking. If you are a 2 team against a 15 team, and you lose, you choked. I don't know how else you can put it. As far as in the Frozen Four, I don't think it's possible to choke. Every team there is good and it's usually a toss-up.

The Gophers didn't show up to play, so in that sense they choked. The Sioux didn't exactly show up to play either (3-0 in the first), so in that sense they choked aswell.

[siouxnami]

The Gophers didn't show up to play, so in that sense they choked. The Sioux didn't exactly show up to play either (3-0 in the first), so in that sense they choked aswell.

Overacheiving team loses in the Frozen Four vs. #1 Jugernaut suffering worst upset in college hockey history... NOT THE SAME

[buckysieve]

Overacheiving team loses in the Frozen Four vs. #1 Jugernaut suffering worst upset in college hockey history... NOT THE SAME

It's a pretty convienent excuse for Sioux fans to say they overachieved. All year long Sioux fans said, and for good reason, that the Sioux were as talented as any team in the nation. Yes they were young but get used to it. Teams like Minnesota, UND, Michigan, BC will always be young. Most of our best players won't stay even for their junior seasons let alone their senior season. Great programs will ALWAYS rely heavily on freshman and sophomores to play main roles. That's the way it is now. Being young is no longer an excuse.

My point is UND DID NOT overachieve. One of the most talented teams in the country with home ice in the regionals is supposed to get to the Frozen Four. If anything, UND underachieved during the regular season.

[PCM]

It's pretty convienent for Sioux fans to say they overachieved.

The Sioux were picked to finish fifth in the WCHA by the league's coaches. Many wrote them off after being swept at home by SCSU. They dropped down to sixth place in the league and out of the top 14 in the PairWise Rankings.

Many picked them to lose the series with Mankato, one of the hottest teams in the WCHA at the time. Remember the Mavs? They were coming right off sweeps of Wisconsin and SCSU. And I don't recall too many people picking UND to win the Broadmoor, do you?

A lot of people picked Michigan to beat UND at the West Regionals. And even if the Sioux got past the Wolverines, many didn't think they had any chance of getting past the Gophers.

It's very easy in hindsight to look back and pretend that you and everybody else knew that UND would make it all the way to the Frozen Four. But the truth is, if the Sioux hadn't finished in the top five of the WCHA, nobody would have been surprised. If they hadn't made it to the WCHA Final Five, nobody would have been surprised. If they hadn't made it out of the West Regional, nobody would have been surprised.

So, yes, I think it's easy for Sioux fans to say that their team overachieved because it did.

[Southernmn]

[redwing77]

It's a pretty convienent excuse for Sioux fans to say they overachieved. All year long Sioux fans said, and for good reason, that the Sioux were as talented as any team in the nation. Yes they were young but get used to it. Teams like Minnesota, UND, Michigan, BC will always be young. Most of our best players won't stay even for their junior seasons let alone their senior season. Great programs will ALWAYS rely heavily on freshman and sophomores to play main roles. That's the way it is now. Being young is no longer an excuse.

My point is UND DID NOT overachieve. One of the most talented teams in the country with home ice in the regionals is supposed to get to the Frozen Four. If anything, UND underachieved during the regular season.

I can agree with most of this. Unlike specifics, who'd rather insult the Sioux because it makes him feel better about the Gophers (or maybe just to spite the Sioux. Who cares), this makes a lot of sense, from a certain perspective.

I would indeed agree with the 'overachieve' angle based upon where we sat at the beginning of the Frozen Four. We barely made the NCAAs (we went into the Final 5 needing to win at least one game to have a solid chance of even making the NCAAs to begin with) to beating a Michigan team that, even with its goaltender issues, could have beat us to make the Frozen Four. Many of us were just happy to see the Sioux make the NCAAs to begin with. From that perspective, one could argue that the Sioux did indeed overachieve.

Looking back on the season from where we sit now, I can agree with your perspective. Judging by when the Sioux started playing well, their talent level, and all, it was no surprise they made it to the Frozen Four. It was surprising that this much talent didn't fare as well during the regular season. Hence, why the perspective could be seen where the Sioux did underachieve.

So, my point is it depends upon which perspective you hold towards the season.

[luckynodak]

1st take this with a grain of salt because I have always been and will continue to remain a big supporter of Dave Hakstol, but I can't help saying the same thing I said after the USA/Belarus game-"Dean Blais would not have lost that game"!!

That said......Go Sioux

[redwing77]

1st take this with a grain of salt because I have always been and will continue to remain a big supporter of Dave Hakstol, but I can't help saying the same thing I said after the USA/Belarus game-"Dean Blais would not have lost that game"!!

That said......Go Sioux

Don't worry. I will.

We didn't lose this game because of coaching. Only one goal was really (debateably) caused by a bad coaching decision. Yeah, that would have tied the game in the end so I suppose you could say that it had an impact, but if 'ifs and buts' were candy and nuts....

[buckysieve]

But the truth is, if the Sioux hadn't finished in the top five of the WCHA, nobody would have been surprised. If they hadn't made it to the WCHA Final Five, nobody would have been surprised.

You're right. Nobody would've been surprised. They would've been shocked. UND had unarguably a top notch roster this year. Talent wise, it stacks up with the best. To say it wouldn't have been surprising to see the Sioux miss the top five of the WCHA is laughable. Quit sandbagging to make it look like the season went better than it did.

[luckynodak]

I think Dean might have thrown fear of God into them earlier and told them that all the newsprint BS they were being inundated with was worth squat! That BC was going to be formidable competition and you don't play Sat unless you win Thurs; again just my opinion,

[PCM]

You're right. Nobody would've been surprised. They would've been shocked. UND had unarguably a top notch roster this year. Talent wise, it stacks up with the best. To say it wouldn't have been surprising to see the Sioux miss the top five of the WCHA is laughable. Quit sandbagging to make it look like the season went better than it did.

Again, you are making these statements with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight. When a team picked to finish fifth in its league ends up as one of the top four teams in the nation, saying that the team overachieved is not a stretch at all.

[MafiaMan]

You're right. Nobody would've been surprised. They would've been shocked. UND had unarguably a top notch roster this year. Talent wise, it stacks up with the best. To say it wouldn't have been surprising to see the Sioux miss the top five of the WCHA is laughable. Quit sandbagging to make it look like the season went better than it did.

The only thing I find laughable is Minnesota's Pride on Ice losing to a team with no athletes on scholarship.

[PCM]

The only thing I find laughable is Minnesota's Pride on Ice losing to a team with no athletes on scholarship.

Simple math:

0 > 18

0 > 13

[buckysieve]

Again, you are making these statements with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight. When a team picked to finish fifth in its league ends up as one of the top four teams in the nation, saying that the team overachieved is not a stretch at all.

I don't care where they were picked to finish. If you asked the 59 division 1 coaches to rank the best rosters in the nation, I bet that most if not all would have UND in the top three or four. I bet that many of them would have UND #1 or #2. That talent along with home ice in the regional is SUPPOSED to equate to a Frozen Four season.

When you simplify it and just say they were picked to finish fifth in the WCHA and they made it to the Frozen Four, then yes it sounds like they overachieved. But we all know how worthless that Grand Forks Herald pre season poll is.

[PCM]

When you simplify it and just say they were picked to finish fifth in the WCHA and they made it to the Frozen Four, then yes it sounds like they overachieved. But we all know how worthless that Grand Forks Herald pre season poll is.

You can only say that a team overachieved or underachived by establishing a realistic base point at the beginning of the season. Do you know of anyone more qualified to do that than the WCHA coaches? I don't.

Every year, there are a number of teams that do better than expected in the league and teams that do worse than expected. UND did slightly better than expected.

So I ask again: How many experts named UND the odds-on favorite to win the Broadmoor Cup? How many experts picked UND as the odds-on favorite to advance to the Frozen Four out of the West Regional?

With the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, you now pretend to know that anything less than a national championship for UND represents underachievement. How convenient.

[The Sicatoka]

... rank the best rosters in the nation, ...

Rosters don't play games.

A team with 13 freshmen, 10 of them (all skaters, no goalies) in the regular line-up, has no business winning a Broadmoor Trophy in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, an upper-classman dominated toughest collegiate league in the country.

Yet, they did.

Rating: Exceeded expectations.

[Sioux_Hab-it]

I don't care where they were picked to finish. If you asked the 59 division 1 coaches to rank the best rosters in the nation, I bet that most if not all would have UND in the top three or four. I bet that many of them would have UND #1 or #2. That talent along with home ice in the regional is SUPPOSED to equate to a Frozen Four season.

When you simplify it and just say they were picked to finish fifth in the WCHA and they made it to the Frozen Four, then yes it sounds like they overachieved. But we all know how worthless that Grand Forks Herald pre season poll is.

So Bucky, by your great logic, I guess you are conceeding that the one move wonder's freshmen season really was a bust. After all he was supposed to come in a dominate games other than the four against Alaska. (or Norway)