Another win at home EVER?

[Kuhninca]

This game was CRAZY!

Did we win?  What the #### happened?

[Kuhninca]

Okay, as I originally expected to post, UND again lost at home.  So, they are now 0-4-1 in the last 5 games at home.  Way to go Sioux.

I don't give a rat's ass about how many freshmen are in the lineup.  That argument is OLD AS CAN BE after 25+ games.

Fact is, we have the worst home record in the WCHA and we are becoming the laughing stock of the league.  WE WERE THE TEAM that UM used to break their Friday night jinx.

AAAAAAGGGH!

[dagies]

No doubt, that sucks.  But I was more depressed after the 2nd period than I was after the 3rd.

I agree, it is time this team stepped up.  I was hoping to see a more consistent effort in all 3 periods and that didn't seem to happen tonite.  I think we also have to give credit to the goofs because I am willing to guess that was one of their better games all season.

Our team speed is just not that impressive.  Spiewak obviously stands out.  And Skarp, and R Connelly.  But other than that we get beat to the puck ALL the time.  That bothers me more than just about anything.  That's what I remember about Sioux teams inthe early nineties and it became difficult to watch them.  This team has much more character though, than those did.  

This team will come around, but maybe not next year.  There is hope though.  The Sioux were really flying in the first, and managed to sustain pressure in the 3rd.  Let's see what happens tomorrow.  Though I expected to win tonite, I still was not realistically hoping for more than a split.  If we get beat again tomorrow, then I will be depressed.

I also think that we have to start playing more than 2.5 lines all night long.  Throw 'em out there, roll 'em, and keep the boys fresh.

How about Bayda's effort in the 3rd on the goal that Skarp scored?  WOW.  I didn't think Ryan had one of his better games but he sure was there in the 3rd.

Good action up and down the ice.  I was happy to see how physical the boys were tonite.  Lots of good hitting.

Had Spiewak's first shot gone in, maybe this game would have turned out differently.

Note to the PK, take the man in front of the net, not the puck.

[Kuhninca]

Sad fact is:

[ScottM]

The first period was generally encouraging, the second was rotten and the third period was "too little, too late."  They were going for the net, which is always encouraging.  However, I thought the team stood around in our own end, no aggressiveness and porous defense.  Somebody needs to tie a leash to Brandt.  The guy spent more time behind the net, than in front of it.  I don't think it contributed to the loss, but he got knocked on his can a few times as a result.  It was nice to see DeMarchi get knocked around by Hale, Jones and Canady.  

Minnesota came to play, and executed well.  I'll give the guys credit for not giving up, but overall consistency was pretty poor.  A few nice rushes, than back to the "stand around." The whole team needs to move its feet and get after  the puck.  I couldn't believe how poor we played in our own end, standing around, soft checking and stupid turnovers.  Hopefully, they worked the rust off and go at it harder tonight.  If we lose tonight, break out the fork.

[Kuhninca]

Nice game, Canady.

[dagies]

Oh, this one hurts.  This one hurts bad.

A team that loses deserves to lose.  But in a way the Sioux didn't deserve to lose this one.  But in the last few minutes the gophers found their skates and the Sioux lost theirs.  The tables have turned from a few years ago.

Someone needs to bench Canady until he learns to take just good penalties.  I like Canady, but tonite he was a big liability.

Siembida, stand up.

Notermann, good hard effort, but pleeeaaaase put the puck on net.

Penalties were missed both ways tonite.  What the #### kind of game were the refs watching?   icing???

I am still proud of the Sioux tonite.  They did play well enough to win, but couldn't hold off the gophers quite long enough.  I hope they don't lose heart.  I have.  I will be better tomorrow.

Much better offensive flow tonite.  The boys played very physical again.  I think it really took the goofs out of their game.  We're still better than an 8th place team I think, but not better than middle of the pack.  ####, I hate to admit that.

Go Sioux.

[sprig]

Sioux played great when whey were aggressive and checking gophs all over the ice. Once again, the third period prevent kills them. Gophers totally uncontested from their own end to the Sioux blue line for the last 10 minutes, resulting in three goals.

Sioux still can't play third period with a lead, their biggest downfall in games where they've played hard and got the lead. Maybe by next year.

The icing should have been waived well before the linesemen had to make a decision whether it was touched by the goph D before it crossed the goal line. The d man definitely slowed up to try and let it get to the goal line, which should have been an instant waveoff. Riddle's dragging down the Sioux dman (don't know who it was) from behind to free up the puck then led to the GWG. Game was lost long before that, however, when the Sioux decided to play the prevent in their own end.

[ScottM]

Okay, deep breath ...

That was the most disgusting way to lose a game I have seen in a very long time.  Playing well for 50 minutes, only to piss it away, again, in the third.  This team is an utter disappointment in that they do not know how to win, and lack the desire to win when they have a lead.  What happened to the great back checking and clearing that developed late Friday and early Saturday night?  Couple that with stupid, stupid penalties and a completely dismal effort in the gopher's end in the third.  

I would have posted last night, but I was so angry at the complete collapse and clock-watching ... I had to get out of the house.

Chalk this season up to lack of fortitude and desire.  Leadership is non-existent and a killer instinct is not part of this team's DNA.  Unreal.  Maybe next season when the deadwood is gone.

[sprig]

Have no idea why the Sioux turn soft with leads in the third, but hope they figure it out by next year.

As for back-checking, when you don't leave your own end, not even when the puck does, there is no one outside your own end to back check. Goph end through neutral ice looked like a practice session since no opponent was there, only Gopher players.

[jk]

Just got back from GF.

[ScottM]

JK, I have a great deal of respect for the young guys, McMahon and Canady are probably my favorite frosh, primarily because they do play smash mouth hockey, which is my favorite theme.  They generally have good raw talent, and once they grow into the game, they will be formidible, same with Bochenski and Massen.  Jones and Schneider are great, and I think better all-around players than Ballard.  

I thought the team played beautifully late Friday, and most of Saturday.  But for whatever reason, they just got lazy, complacent or scared to take the game to the gophers again.  The momentum swing after Minnesota's goal was was felt all the way to Mpls.  That's when they should have stepped it up.

The deadwood I'm referring to, and I'll push "Replay" again, goes back to my views on the lack of leadership shown by the upperclassmen throughout the season.  There was absolutely no reason they should have collapsed in the last minutes of the game.  Blais can coach and yell till he's blue, but the captains and others need to prod themselves and the other guys to finish the enemy.  The team needs to close the deal, no matter how much/little time is left, or how big/small the lead is.  The "leaders" on the team should have led the way and buzzed Hauser the entire third period.  7 shots on goal is not a good way to close it out, especially given Minnesota's overall talent.  I think the younger guys have great potential to lead the way and play an entire 60 minutes, but I think they have poor examples right now.

I think the team's future is quite bright, in spite of the bumps and disappointments this season, but we really should have turned a corner for good by now.  Blais expected the same by Christmas, and beyond.  We're not there, yet.  The next series with MTU should be a good way to see if the team is going to wilt or step it up and play they way they have when they have won.

[sprig]

Last night was the toughest to take, especially since it was the Goofs. In all games starting with the GLI in which the Sioux looked good until the third, this was the game they looked the best.

Super forechecking, great transition, short, crisp passes breaking out; could have been any one of the last four Sioux teams, every bit as good as any of them. Don't agree with Goph fans saying they (the goofs) played like crap until the third; the Sioux caused the bad play, goofs were trying as hard as they did in the third but just couldn't get anywhere against the solid checking all over the ice.

All of which makes another third period cave in harder to take. Don't remember how many of those third periods there have been now but it started in the GLI (although both games were won in OT), or was it before that? Hope last night was the last.

Think the goofs would prefer not to play us in the post season, although I don't expect the Sioux to be in the final five no matter who they play. Hope I'm wrong.

[jk]

Thanks for the feedback.  I can't disagree with much that you write.  Scott, of lazy, complacent or scared, I choose scared.  It's like:  How about if one of you just try to get the puck down behind Hauser and kick it around back there for a few seconds.  

Anyway, on another note, the arena is going to be an asset to the program, school and community for decades.  I arrived at the rink Saturday at 5:30, and I could have spent a lot more time there than I did.  The beauty of it is not the much-discussed brick, marble and leather, but instead the history of the program that is displayed all over the place.  It is like a museum of Sioux hockey.  A lot of love went into the place.

The nice thing about the brick and marble, though, is that they will help the structure endure.  I would not be at all surprised if fifty years from now the REA is the proud old home of Sioux hockey, still beautiful, with the only real additions to the structure made of cloth rather than steel and brick.

[Goon]

I think that in the Saturday night game Reffing was the difference, there is no question about it. Minnesota and North

[Kuhninca]

Okay, I'm the first to admit that I am a huge brat this season.  I've been totally spoiled with 20 years of excellent Sioux hockey.  Never in that span has there been a year this poor at home, and it kills me, since I'm forever a fan.

You're probably right about negativity not helping anything, except myself.  Just want to get those frustrations out.  It was an incredibly stressful week and I was in need of a Sioux win.

On the other side of the coin, Canady deserved to get ripped because he took a 5 min. major that wore the team out.  He speared a guy in the neck and got called for it.  Dumb!

Then he took ANOTHER penalty.  He should be benched for a game at least.

Sheppard really blew the non-call with 10 seconds to go, because it resulted in the GWG.  Blais had the good judgement not to lash out in public.  Maybe he should post here on the boards!

Finally, there is something to be said for the "Tech factor."  By that, I mean that often a team that is down stays down and never develops the winning edge.  All the comments about a lack of leadership and not knowing how to pull out wins has real validity.  We don't want to become a program where 0-fer-6 in a row at home is ACCEPTABLE.  Forget that.

[Ghost of Smith]

I watched the game at a bar in St Paul on Friday and after the Gophers scored yet again on the power play I asked the bartender for a drink.  He asked what I will have and I replied with, "a penalty kill".  He then stated, "I don't know how to make one of those".  Which then prompted me to say, "neither do the Sioux".  Frustrating how the Sioux just let guys skate in front of the net!!!!!

[dagies]

There is so much to say and so little time.

Sat's loss was in the top 3-4 all-time for me.

I don't think the Sioux "don't want to win".  I think they don't know quite how to yet.  Or they are running a bit scared.

I think the score was 3-2, maybe even 3-1 in the 3rd.  There was a face of to Siembida's right.  There was a bit of a delay in getting the teams positioned.  The TV did a close-up of Schneider looking at the replay screen.  I thought to myself right there his eyes looked scared.  He stared up there for quite some time.  I thought that a player who was confident and ready for the challenge wouldn't stand there looking very long.  Would probably glide around waiting for the face-off.

Now, maybe he was looking at something else, and maybe I misread this whole situation from the safety of my TV screen.  But I wonder if that is what happened.  The boys got a bit worried, tensed up.  And of course they were tired.

I just hope they can end the season on a pretty positive run.  Even if they lose in the first round of the playoffs, to finish at 7-3 and take the first round play-off against a top team to 3 games, maybe scaring them the whole way.  I think that would help this team mentally over the summer.

[dagies]

I thought a couple of bright spots for the weekend were Leinweber playing well in place of Schneekloth (though he fell down again behind the goal.  Gotta tie those skates, Chris).

And Lundbohm played really strong, I thought.

ICE.

No one has mentioned anything about the ice.  I thought the Sioux showed much better flow and transition than against AA when I was up there.   Could this be because of the ice?  Also thought MN was able to move the puck and skate well.  To me the ice looked like it was pretty good.  Any other thoughts or impressions?

[diggerdan]

I hate losing to the Gophers; more than any other loss, the ones to UM hurt the most.  Nevertheless, I was not suicidal after this weekend.   I took alot of positive out of these games.  I had a great time, the games were good, the crowd was great and the gopher fans I visited with were very jealous of our new digs!  This team is not going to be a good team, they are a good team now and they are getting better.  Some thoughts:

1) Despite what Gophers fans say, the talent gap between the two teams is not that big and if you throw Leopold out, the teams are very close.  The bigger difference is in experience.  Schneider, Fuhrer and Jones are as good as Ballard, Stevens and Martin and our d-men's offensive skills are improving more rapidly than the gophs d-men's defensive skills are.  Tallackson and Welch are very good players but they, and the other young gopher forwards, haven't been asked to do what the Sioux freshman have.  The responsibility put on Connelly, Canady, Bochenski, McMahon, etc. this year will pay dividends.  I wouldn't trade our freshman class for their freshmen and sophs.  

2) Our team can't close, obviously.  That will come.  Many have alluded to the team lacking leadership.  I don't see how you can say that without spending time in the locker room.  What the Sioux don't have is a player who can take over the game late, like Leopold or Jeff Panzer.  I don't know who will step up into this role, but it won't be an upperclassman.  

3) The Sioux overachieved last year and, in a way, set us up for this year's disappointment.  Jeff Panzer carried that team on his back and what has happened since is Exhibit A in the case WCHA vs. the Decathlon Athletic Club for the theft of the Hobey Baker award.  (Exhibit B is Steve Reinprecht and I fear Exhibit C will be Leopold).

4) I disagree that the Sioux played lazy or scared in the third.  I think they were dead tired.  I sat behind the bench in the second and when the 5 minute major ended, Spiewak and Notermann were spent.  I knew then that the 3rd would not be kind to UND.  

I know many are frustrated, I am too.  But this was not the Anchorage or Mankato series.  The boys really put forth the effort, they just fell short against a very good hockey club.  I think Blais' hope for a 6-2 finish is still very possible.

[jk]

Ddan, thank you.  At least I know I'm not crazy for feeling some optimism.  Or, if I am, at least I'm not alone.  

I agree on many points.  5-on-5, the Sioux are right there with MN.  I'd love to see the even-strength SOG for these games, since I can't recall UND recording a PP shot on Saturday (ugh), and I'm sure MN was active on its PPs.

Until you mentioned the major PK, I forgot how proud I was of the team for that successful PK.  They cleared the zone often, and changed at least two guys on every clearing.  Each new set seemed to be on a mission.  That was really great.

I thought Brandt and Siembida played about the same game - made a lot of big saves, but four or five goals is a lot to give up.  I wish they could have made a few of those miracle saves that Siembida made in Mariucci.

Come on Sioux, turn the corner.  Turn the 1-goal losses into wins.  It seems highly unlikely, but nothing would be sweeter than pulling a couple miracles out of Mariucci next month.

PS - Apparently Pohl said on KFAN today that Canady pulled the Slap Shot move of stick-slapping the Gophers leaning forward on the bench as he skated by.  That was the unsportsmanlike conduct in the third on Saturday.  I couldn't see it very well from my seat.  Obviously it was very stupid at a terrible time, but I wish I could have seen it.  Looks like Mr. Canady might be trying to generate the next generation of ill will between these programs.

[dagies]

Whereas it is a stupid penalty to take and I don't condone it, I do think Canady's Slap Shot penalty is humorous, and adds some color to the game.

diggerdan, I can see where you are coming from with the tired thing.  That could easily explain the comments I made earlier about looking scared.  Good point and I am sorry I did not think of that.

I also seem some positives.  This loss hurt #### bad because, like you say, it is the Gophers and we dominated them pretty much for most of the game.

But I do think the team is getting better. More slowly than anyone hoped, but getting better.

The team must really have been exhausted or really thinking they got one stolen from them for both Bayda and Skarp to take penalities at the end of the game.

Is Skarp's penalty a DQ?

diggerdan, after getting over my funk on Friday night, I also thought that Sioux still had a chance to finish 6-2.  Of course, that means they have to sweep out the rest of the way and that will be tough, with Denver coming in, and Duluth playing much better hockey.  But if the team does not lose heart after this weekend's games, and continue to come to play like they did Sat. anything could happen.  We'll see.