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WCHA rookie named Hobey Baker finalist


jimdahl

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Although disappointing that he didn't win Rookie of the Year, it's probably a far better honor to be on the Hobey Baker list. Good luck to Zach...although, unfortunately, a freshmen's chances of winning the Hobey are about as good as my chances of making the Sioux squad next year as a 5'7" 170lb defenseman walk-on.

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Sioux fans, I am sure most of us are quite disappointed that Parise didn't win ROY, but can also say that Vanek should be congratulated and is a deserved winner.

However, I am very doubtful that Gopher fans will ever concede that Parise is worthy of being a hobey finalist, which he is, and should be congratulated for the recognition. That is the difference between MOST of our fans and 99.99% of theirs.

That being said would you rather be a finalist for the Heisman trophy or win the freshmen of the year award in Big Ten football? Hmmmm . . . . .

BTW, anybody else wonder if bertibm is relative of Siouxrock? :)

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Strength of Schedules:

North Dakota - .5172 - 24th in the Nation

Minnesota - .5650 - 3rd in the Nation

Parise and Vanek both played the same WCHA schedule (give or take a few due to the unbalanced schedule games), and Vanek won ROTY for the WCHA.

The strength of schedule numbers I put above include the WCHA schedule, which makes up 65-70% of both teams' schedules. So having played virtually the same schedule for 65-70% of your games, it's really quite *interesting* to see that UND's overall schedule is 24th in the Nation, while Minnesota's is 3rd. I guess once you factor in the 30-35% of non-conference games, you really see what a difference the non-conference schedules make.

MINNESOTA Non-Conference Schedule

(sorted toughest to easiest with RPI ranking in parentheses):

at New Hampshire (3)

at New Hampshire (3)

vs. Boston College (7)

vs. Michigan (9)

vs. Ohio State (13)

vs. Michigan State (17)

vs. Yale (24)

vs. Alabama-Huntsville (32)

vs. Alabama-Huntsville (32)

NORTH DAKOTA Non-Conference Schedule:

vs. Michigan (9)

vs. Yale (24)

vs. Brown (28)

vs. Niagara (38)

vs. Niagara (38)

vs. Bemidji State (40)

vs. Canisius (52)

vs. Canisius (52)

vs. Canisius (52)

vs. Princeton (58)

WOW!!! That's all I can say....

Your weak non-conference schedule is a huge reason we were all fooled at the beginning of the season. Once you got into WCHA play you faltered and barely mustered a 5th place finish. Heck, you went SEVEN straight games without a win at one point.

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Your weak non-conference schedule is a huge reason we were all fooled at the beginning of the season. Once you got into WCHA play you faltered and barely mustered a 5th place finish. Heck, you went SEVEN straight games without a win at one point.

We still beat Minnesota at Marriucci :)

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Want a cookie?

We are 3-0-0 at your new building and 8-1-0 overall in the past two seasons vs. you guys.

Also in the last 365 days, we've won a National Title, had a Hobey Baker winner, two All-Americans, a WCHA Rookie of the Year, ......

Our future looks a little bit brighter too! ;):)

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KBG, Do you have nothing better to do than come over here and incite a riot? I post at POI from time to time, but I refrain most of the time when I have a chance to defend UND, because it's a Gopher board.

I was aware of the non-conference schedules. I was aware in December that things would be tougher in the second half. I wasn't aware that David Hale would miss the last 20 games of the year. (I know MN had injury problems in the first half, but how would all those close games down the stretch have gone without Paul Martin? I attended the UND series in Mariucci in January and Hale was the best defenseman on the ice ... for either team.)

As for the seven-game winless streak, you know the last three MN-MSUM games? All in front of a home crowd, all with long stretches of domination by MN, and all went to OT. That's how it was for UND. Except they lost or tied all those close games. They outshot MSUM 52-22 in Mankato and lost.

MN's playing great right now, no doubt. Why don't you enjoy that instead of reminding us of UND's recent troubles?

As for Vanek or Parise, both are great players deserving of accolades. Vanek's a worthy ROY. So would Parise have been. Parise's a worthy Hobey candidate, as well. He does a lot more than score, but he also scores - even more than Vanek (more PPG in your all-important conference games). I love this idea that somehow because UND faltered down the stretch, Parise is all of a sudden not an absolutely amazing freshman, who is one of the best players in the country.

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Ben Eaves is a junior.

KBG, Before last year, MN had not been better than UND for years. You had the good fortune of playing UND 7 times in the first year that MN had a better team. Before that, UND won the season series every year since Blais got the team going. This year you split the series.

Trust me, if the season series had contained seven meetings in any of the preceding four seasons, it would have been just as ugly as last year.

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Want a cookie?

We are 3-0-0 at your new building and 8-1-0 overall in the past two seasons vs. you guys.

Also in the last 365 days, we've won a National Title, had a Hobey Baker winner, two All-Americans, a WCHA Rookie of the Year, ......

Our future looks a little bit brighter too! ;):)

KGB,

In 1987 UND won a national championship, had the hobey baker winner, had that same player set the season point record which stands to this day and had four All-Americans, 3 first team, one second team!

Who cares, you say? It is in the past, you say? You are right, it is in the past, just like last year. Move on.

As for your future being brighter, we would expect a Gopher fan to say nothing but; it is the same thing the Gopher fans said each of the 23 years between championships.

As for the cookie, you've will certainly have your fill with the Final Five and the Regional in your backyard!!!

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