Jump to content
SiouxSports.com Forum

Sioux/Denver Friday Night


dagies

Recommended Posts

Here we were talking up Prpich this week then he goes out and loses his head.

We really could use him on the ice tonite and he'll be in street clothes. Hope he learns a lesson from this.

Hope the guys can dig down and find one in them for tonite. I think it is a given Brandt will start tonite. Let's see if we can get out of the first period without giving up a goal for once. Maybe if our guys weren't continually playing from behind their psyche's wouldn't be all messed up.

Gotta fight through the crap and the ice and be better than the other team. We can beat Denver. Let's show it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I went to the game with my wife last night and Frankly it was depressing, there were some good things to come out of the game. Fylling got his 6 point in 3 games, any points anyone gets right now is a bonus. So that is a plus. Matt Greene went another game without taking a bunch of penalities... Good for him. Matt played a pretty good game and will only get better as he gets more ice time. I still want him to pop someone. Maybe tonight.

I think I am about ready to give up on UND much like I think the players have themselves, it is apparent by the way they are playing on the ice, they went through the motions. If they don't win this weekend they might not get into the NCAA tourney. Some will say that the players were being held, all night long from the drop of the first puck it was ugly. The other team did a lot of holding and it worked, I wish the refs would call that stuff. They are going to have to fight through it. Or the season is done. Denver University makes hockey an awesome sport look ugly. That aint hockey. The minute Bochenski realized that he was going to have a tough night his feet stop moving. Granted its hard to skate when you are being tackled...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Goon, you are right that there was far more tackling and holding going on than ever should have been allowed. But I can't help noticing that there's been a fundamental change in the team since the loss to Michigan Tech. Last night, I expected to see the Sioux play like they knew it was a new season, like they knew Denver was not going to beat them in their own building, like they knew they were a better team than they've been lately.

From the drop of the puck, I didn't see that. I saw a team that looked as if it wanted the season to be over. I didn't see any fire or desire. Worse, I saw a lot of frustration in the form of dumb penalties.

Coming from two goals down on Denver should not be a huge obstable, bad ice or not. The teams that are contending for a shot at the Frozen Four have done it. The Sioux I saw Friday night didn't look like one of those teams.

I expected the Sioux to prove me wrong in the third period. I wanted to see them come out and play with the heart and determination that brought them so much success in the first half of the season. But I didn't see that. Down by one goal, they looked as flat and lifeless as they did in the first period.

Something has changed. I don't know what it is, but we're not seeing the same team any more.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

PCM, that's the best post I have seen on the second half of the season.

I will have to agree with that statement. Hey just another possitive. UND is still 11th in the PWR ranking but dont' anyone tell so UND will come out firing on all cylinders.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Something has changed. I don't know what it is, but we're not seeing the same team any more.

While discussing the post-season with some friends in Madison last weekend, I made the claim that if the Sioux lost one more game our season was over. It was not a popular claim in the room and was met with mathematical rebuttals and suspicion of my loyalties ;) My point was not the obvious, that a loss in the NCAA tourney clearly ends your season. Rather, a loss to Denver or in the WCHA tourney, while not necessarily mathematically season-ending, reveals that this team just doesn't have the spirit to get the needed wins against competitive opponents. I didn't see how UND could lose even one tournament game, and then turn it around to follow that up with a series of wins against tough opponents.

I thought there was a chance that the Wisconsin series might have been a turning point to reenergize the team and give them some needed confidence and hunger. This loss tells me the team still isn't mentally ready to win games. Bad bounces, a questionable call, or hot goaltending can cost you a close game, but not 10 in two months. There's something else going on.

In that same conversation, I predicted that this game of musical goalies would be what cost us that game that I claimed would end the season (questioning UND's coaching strategy also proved unpopular, for what it's worth). While it's not conclusive that musical goalies cost us the game last night (where was the offense?), it sure didn't save the game for us, either. I guess here's UND's chance to prove me wrong on my first point and grind out two revenge wins against Denver. It would sure surprise me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

PCM, that's the best post I have seen on the second half of the season.

I must agree....the only comment of PCM's I disagree with is that it hasn't been the same team since the loss to Michigan Tech, when in fact it was the 8-0 win against Tech (I think you may have meant it this way)...AFTER that, the team went back to last year's ways

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As I've stated before, I think the team effectively peaked in January at Mariucci. A few wins here and there, a few ties, a few losses and a general lack of stepping it up to match the opposition this time of year. If the team had the same fire and desire they displayed in Mpls throughout February and to the present, their season wouldn't be dependent on how they played this weekend.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...