Omaha at St. Cloud State 12/7-12/8

[GopherFan89]

How does the fact that they have only one win against a team with a winning record NOT apply? Because they are big and fast? You never really explained that.

I am not trying to convince anybody of anything. If you think UNO is a better team than SCSU, great. We will find out this weekend.

BTW, the Huskies played UMD on the road. UNO played them at home. Not exactly comparing apples to apples.

Sorry, let me clarify. It doesn't really matter because in general, I believe UNO has proven themselves more than SCSU. Sure, as I mentioned, St. Cloud picked up W's against two (supposedly) tough teams in UND and Denver. They also got handled in the other games (3-0 and 6-1). Splitting is fine against good teams and if State has swept the teams they were supposed to, then I would agree with your point about "playing no one" and give the nod to SCSU. However since SCSU hasn't been able to take care of the teams they probably should sweep (UMD and UAA) I have to argue that UNO has the advantage (with the exception of BSU) in the last few weeks because they managed a split, and kept it close against a tough team (Minnesota) and handled the teams they should have by sweeping (UMD, Michigan Tech and UA-H). Furthermore UNO is hot at the moment while SCSU has been playing slightly below average the last 4 games. And sometimes it's not who you play, but when you play them.

[GopherFan89]

Re: Omaha at St. Cloud State 12/7-12/8

To sum it all up in a concise point, yes UNO has only 1 win against an opponent with a winning record, but they've also been able to take care of the business that they should have been able to. And the fact that their only loss in the last 8 games is from a 10-3-2 team says a lot.

[GopherFan89]

I've seen both SCSU and UNO play this season and they are pretty evenly matched. Both can stretch the ice offensively with their speed, and both are pretty solid defensively.

Should be a good series.

I agree, I went to both games in the series where SCSU played UND and Gophers played UNO. All four teams impressed me. That's why it's too bad the WCHA as we know it will be done after this year.

[Pants]

Re: Omaha at St. Cloud State 12/7-12/8

I honestly think UNO is right where they should be right now at 14th in the polls. I think it's where they deserve. And if they keep winning these series and grabbing points, that's all that matters. As far as beating teams over .500 goes, if we somehow get a sweep at St. Cloud, they'll be another one of those teams right at .500, so these wins will mean nothing too, right?

[First Time, Long Time]

Re: Omaha at St. Cloud State 12/7-12/8

Sorry, let me clarify. It doesn't really matter because in general, I believe UNO has proven themselves more than SCSU. Sure, as I mentioned, St. Cloud picked up W's against two (supposedly) tough teams in UND and Denver. They also got handled in the other games (3-0 and 6-1). Splitting is fine against good teams and if State has swept the teams they were supposed to, then I would agree with your point about "playing no one" and give the nod to SCSU. However since SCSU hasn't been able to take care of the teams they probably should sweep (UMD and UAA) I have to argue that UNO has the advantage (with the exception of BSU) in the last few weeks because they managed a split, and kept it close against a tough team (Minnesota) and handled the teams they should have by sweeping (UMD, Michigan Tech and UA-H). Furthermore UNO is hot at the moment while SCSU has been playing slightly below average the last 4 games. And sometimes it's not who you play, but when you play them.

We weren't handled by UND, Saunders had a horseshoe up his ***.
The DU game looks bad, but it was closer than that, both Faragher and Reijola had 2 soft ones each in that game.
And where you play a team does matter IMO, and I think had we played UMD and UAA at home, they are both sweeps, not splits and we look a lot better heading into this series.
I know that's all in the past, but again the big thing for us is going to be getting back to work, especially the guys we count on (Hano, Dowd, LeBlanc, Jensen, Prochno) to lead us every night.

[GopherFan89]

We weren't handled by UND, Saunders had a horseshoe up his ***.
The DU game looks bad, but it was closer than that, both Faragher and Reijola had 2 soft ones each in that game.
And where you play a team does matter IMO, and I think had we played UMD and UAA at home, they are both sweeps, not splits and we look a lot better heading into this series.
I know that's all in the past, but again the big thing for us is going to be getting back to work, especially the guys we count on (Hano, Dowd, LeBlanc, Jensen, Prochno) to lead us every night.

I agree with what you're saying about where you play someone having an impact. Sure playing in front of a hometown crowd and not traveling can leave a team rested and fired up. However I think we disagree on HOW MUCH it makes a difference. Would have being at home against UMD made that 2-1 loss a 3-2 win? Maybe. How about the 6-1 loss at DU or the 3-1 loss at UAA? It's certainly debatable, but I believe the outcomes would had been similar. And if that's the case, could it be said that UND might have swept SCSU if that series was at the Ralph? Or that UNO would've swept Minnesota if it had been in Omaha.

Since it's impossible to see what life is like in a land of hypotheticals where all teams play on completely neutral grounds, we'll just have to use the results we have. Unless you have a time machine and we can go back and change the past...or future...or I don't know. Where we're going, we don't need roads.

[SCSU Euro]

Re: Omaha at St. Cloud State 12/7-12/8

If UNO can throw out their two games against BSU I nominate we throw out our losses to UMD and UAA. And beating the living **** out of Mankato 5-1, 5-1 looks more impressive since they've gone on a tear and even the Gophers couldn't sweep them

[Tipsy McStagger]

Re: Omaha at St. Cloud State 12/7-12/8

As far as beating teams over .500 goes, if we somehow get a sweep at St. Cloud, they'll be another one of those teams right at .500, so these wins will mean nothing too, right?

Keep dreaming. You guys pulled this same crap last year when you thought your team was hot stuff, then you fell apart at the end of the season, lost home ice, and then we sent your squad home for the summer with little difficulty. Since then, you lost your top 3 scorers and brought back the worst goalie of the 3 on your team, who had a .886 SV%.

Either Dean Blais has performed the coaching job of the century, or UNO is going to be exposed this weekend.

[Pants]

Re: Omaha at St. Cloud State 12/7-12/8

I have been going to games for years and posting and lurking on various forms for years. No one I had ever talked to was happy about our performance last year. Not even at the end of December. Anyone who watched last year's team would know why. ****ty power play, not great goaltending, forwards weren't getting it all done. It was not the best team last year.There were consistently .500 the whole season then had four straight losses to end it out. It was not the Mavs best team and I don't remember anyone saying so.

Secondly, this IS a team I am happy about and have a lot of hope for after watching. You also didn't answer my question

If UNO somehow pulls a sweep, SCSU would be one of those .500 teams that UNO had beat...so would the wins still mean nothing?

It's all in spirited debate, sir! If you're not mistaken, I also said, and still believe, that this team is right where it deserves and has earned at #14, I don't think they have proved themselves any better yet. But as a fan, I have seen a lot to cheer and be hopeful about.

[Tipsy McStagger]

Re: Omaha at St. Cloud State 12/7-12/8

I have been going to games for years and posting and lurking on various forms for years. No one I had ever talked to was happy about our performance last year. Not even at the end of December. Anyone who watched last year's team would know why. ****ty power play, not great goaltending, forwards weren't getting it all done. It was not the best team last year.There were consistently .500 the whole season then had four straight losses to end it out. It was not the Mavs best team and I don't remember anyone saying so.

Secondly, this IS a team I am happy about and have a lot of hope for after watching. You also didn't answer my question

If UNO somehow pulls a sweep, SCSU would be one of those .500 teams that UNO had beat...so would the wins still mean nothing?

It's all in spirited debate, sir! If you're not mistaken, I also said, and still believe, that this team is right where it deserves and has earned at #14, I don't think they have proved themselves any better yet. But as a fan, I have seen a lot to cheer and be hopeful about.

I don't think UNO has beaten any .500 teams from what I saw. One above .500, the rest below. I will definitely give UNO credit if they sweep. This is a very good SCSU team. Before the UAA series, most people in the weekly rankings thread had SCSU somewhere 5th-8th. They looked horrible in that series, but still got 2 points. I think at the end of the season SCSU will be in the top 10 of the polls, pairwise and any other ranking system.

[SCSU Euro]

Re: Omaha at St. Cloud State 12/7-12/8

I have been going to games for years and posting and lurking on various forms for years. No one I had ever talked to was happy about our performance last year. Not even at the end of December. Anyone who watched last year's team would know why. ****ty power play, not great goaltending, forwards weren't getting it all done. It was not the best team last year.There were consistently .500 the whole season then had four straight losses to end it out. It was not the Mavs best team and I don't remember anyone saying so.

Secondly, this IS a team I am happy about and have a lot of hope for after watching. You also didn't answer my question

If UNO somehow pulls a sweep, SCSU would be one of those .500 teams that UNO had beat...so would the wins still mean nothing?

It's all in spirited debate, sir! If you're not mistaken, I also said, and still believe, that this team is right where it deserves and has earned at #14, I don't think they have proved themselves any better yet. But as a fan, I have seen a lot to cheer and be hopeful about.

No, it wouldn't mean nothing, because first off, you'd be the reason we were at .500, and secondly, we have had a real schedule... UNH and DU on the road, UND and UNO (if you sweep us, I'd put you in a much better light than I consider you in right now).

[GopherFan89]

Re: Omaha at St. Cloud State 12/7-12/8

Asking this as a serious question: What exactly does a team have to do (who do they have to beat, do splits count or only sweeps) to be considered a "tough" or "good" team in your eyes? What makes a team "unproven"?

[SCSU Euro]

Re: Omaha at St. Cloud State 12/7-12/8

Asking this as a serious question: What exactly does a team have to do (who do they have to beat, do splits count or only sweeps) to be considered a "tough" or "good" team in your eyes? What makes a team "unproven"?

UNO before last week had played no TUCs. I guess splitting with both MN and SCSU would prove some legitimacy, but I would say a better testament would be coming away with points in both series against the Colorado teams.

[Skeeterman]

Sure that'll make Skeets happy.

Just wait and watch what happens if he ever gets back into a big game. A championship game or the like.

[Red Cows]

Re: Omaha at St. Cloud State 12/7-12/8

I'll just weigh in by saying that I have already "argued" the "whose resume' is better" scrum with Euro in the UNO thread. I think we agreed to disagree.

We're still at the point that arguments can be made either way. Yup, SCSU has more wins against Tucs. UNO is #14 in the poll and #18 in Pairwise. SCSU is #17 and #20. To the extent that you lend any credence, particularly to pairwise, to either so early on in the season. That said, what more, really, do you have to go on to this point? Before last weekend, I had not seen SCSU play. Not any more. I saw both their games, wire to wire, online, against UAA. Those were unimpressive performances, to say the least, just like our series with Bemidji was. Except, that series was our low water mark and we have looked better and better and better with each successive weekend since. We aren't coming off a headscratching weekend. If we don't play well this weekend I'll be pretty surprised.

Article in today's Omaha World Herald about the way the junior class players on our team are absolutely tearing it up:

http://www.omaha.com/article/2012120...-for-mavericks

Coach Blais addresses the whole "losing the two Broadhursts and Megna in the off season thing" in the article, too.

Our season last year can be summed up by two things (somebody raised the issue earlier in the thread). Horrific power play (the author of which is now the head coach at Mankato), and the booting off the team of the most popular player on the team with both the fans and with the players. How well would you guys fare if your captain was kicked off the team right now? Alex Hudson was suspended for a while, returned, and then kicked off for good.

UNO had a winning record with him and losing record without him. It's that simple. I don't know of a single UNO fan that doesn't find last season to be an aberration. The teams' heart and soul was gutted as it's leader was gone. And, he was one of only 3 seniors on the team last year as well. UNO never recovered from that. We didn't look anything like the same team without him.

Gopher Wes's buddy that considers Mankato to be the "real" Mavericks apparently doesn't know his history. UNO adopted this mascot nickname in 1971. Mankato did not until 1977. The irony there is that BOTH schools were the "Indians" prior to that.

Possession is 9/10th of the law. They were obviously udderly envious of us.