UND @ UAA: Two teams that desperately need points to move up the WCHA ladder.

[willythekid]

Re: UND @ UAA: Two teams that desperately need points to move up the WCHA ladder.

You ARE new here, aren't you? He DOES mean it and he knows how he comes across. Although I believe he prefers to come across as an areshole rather than as a d!ckhead.

I think everyone knows how he acts around here... for being such a veteran of the board that was a bit of whoosh that went over your head.

[goldy_331]

Re: UND @ UAA: Two teams that desperately need points to move up the WCHA ladder.

I think everyone knows how he acts around here... for being such a veteran of the board that was a bit of whoosh that went over your head.

Guilty. I think I mistook you for cross cheque or some other totally clueless and humorless UND troll.

[uaafanblog]

Re: UND @ UAA: Two teams that desperately need points to move up the WCHA ladder.

Communication is a two-way street ... in other words; each reader has their own set of unique experiences in life which determines their perceptions. As to the statement under examination there are a number of ways people might interpret that. The original intent was essentially to be sarcastic as to the mindlessly obvious, mundane and insipid response to pretty much the most vanilla thing I've ever effing said in a UND/UAA thread.

So yeah ...

[Tiggsy]

Re: UND @ UAA: Two teams that desperately need points to move up the WCHA ladder.

I don't believe, or maybe I can't believe, that the Sioux are this bad. They have to be better than this, right? Rope-a-dope? Usual slow start? No, I'm not kidding. Sioux get 3 points this weekend. If not, then I may re-think my stance. Hell, I'm trying to convince one of my Sioux friends that UND isn't as bad as their record. That's just messed up.

Why bother? Just sit back and enjoy the show. Either one of these teams could be going up or down the tubes at any point.

[Alaska Hockey]

Re: UND @ UAA: Two teams that desperately need points to move up the WCHA ladder.

You ARE new here, aren't you? He DOES mean it and he knows how he comes across. Although I believe he prefers to come across as an areshole rather than as a d!ckhead.

Now that areshole and d!ckhead has been brought up. I was wondering if any of the d!ckhead grand forks locals or the umd alumni aresholes are making the big bad oh so long and brutal trip north?

[Alaska Hockey]

Re: UND @ UAA: Two teams that desperately need points to move up the WCHA ladder.

Anything less than 27 visible fans in the stands will be a disappointment to me.

Dirty you are alive .I was wondering because your blog has nothing since January. No beat downs from the big fish in the little pond. No bragging or rants about various hick county cafés along the ever flooding red river. You must be very busy helping with UMD planning process of the retirement of the nickname and logo.

[goldy_331]

Re: UND @ UAA: Two teams that desperately need points to move up the WCHA ladder.

Dirty you are alive .I was wondering because your blog has nothing since January. No beat downs from the big fish in the little pond. No bragging or rants about various hick county cafés along the ever flooding red river. You must be very busy helping with UMD planning process of the retirement of the nickname and logo.

The Bulldogs are going away too?

[cross cheque]

Now that areshole and d!ckhead has been brought up. I was wondering if any of the d!ckhead grand forks locals or the umd alumni aresholes are making the big bad oh so long and brutal trip north?

Do you even know what team UAA is playing this weekend? Hint: it's not UMD.

[darker98]

Re: UND @ UAA: Two teams that desperately need points to move up the WCHA ladder.

He did it twice. I'm sure he knew what he was doing.

[Goon]

Re: UND @ UAA: Two teams that desperately need points to move up the WCHA ladder.

Now that areshole and d!ckhead has been brought up. I was wondering if any of the d!ckhead grand forks locals or the umd alumni aresholes are making the big bad oh so long and brutal trip north?

I didn't know that Duluth was not Grand Forks, ND? I am sure there will be a few Sioux fans at the games this weekends.

[Goon]

Re: UND @ UAA: Two teams that desperately need points to move up the WCHA ladder.

UND is gonna be hungry and look at UAA as an easy 4 points, but I hope UAA takes it to them like they have done in past years in Anchorage.

Don't think so, Coach Hakstol said today at the press conference that UAA is a good team that plays tough, I am pretty sure that he knows he is going into a buzz-saw this weekend.

[Goon]

Re: UND @ UAA: Two teams that desperately need points to move up the WCHA ladder.

I'm going to disagree with you a bit. On Saturday night North Dakota played pretty decent defense against a very good offensive hockey team. They gave up only 3 goals, one on the pp., and killed off a 5x3 for over a minute. Rylan Schwartz got some good looks, but by and large UND shut down the rest of CC that night.

I am going to agree with SJH here, C.C. has the top rated offense in the country in college hockey and the Sioux played pretty good defense on Saturday night. All three goals scored were pretty good goals.

[Suze]

Re: UND @ UAA: Two teams that desperately need points to move up the WCHA ladder.

Don't think so, Coach Hakstol said today at the press conference that UAA is a good team that plays tough, I am pretty sure that he knows he is going into a buzz-saw this weekend.

Any ideas why the Sioux are off to such a slow start? Have they had injuries? Goalie issues? Anything that sticks out?

[The Rube]

Re: UND @ UAA: Two teams that desperately need points to move up the WCHA ladder.

Any ideas why the Sioux are off to such a slow start? Have they had injuries? Goalie issues? Anything that sticks out?

Defections are what I have heard.

[SJHovey]

Re: UND @ UAA: Two teams that desperately need points to move up the WCHA ladder.

Any ideas why the Sioux are off to such a slow start? Have they had injuries? Goalie issues? Anything that sticks out?

I think it's a combination of two factors. First, the team is young, which everyone knew going in because of the large senior class, and the possibility that always exists that a player or two bolts early for the pros. Young teams take awhile to adjust to the speed of college hockey, and we've seen that with the Sioux.

Second, I personally believe the talent level is down. UND knew they would be losing a lot of scoring and depth with graduation and the possible defections of Gregoire and Hextall, but also expected that Rocco Grimaldi, J.T. Miller, Colten St. Clair, Mark MacMillan, Mike Parks and Brendan O'Donnell would be coming in to replace the departed. Of those, Grimaldi and Miller were clearly the cream of the crop.

But, as everyone knows, Miller decided to go to the Canadian leagues, St. Clair didn't get past the NCAA Clearinghouse, Grimaldi has missed most of the games due to a knee injury, and O'Donnell has missed substantial time due to injury.

As a result, Hak has had to send out a patchwork team with a 4th line, and part of a 3rd line, that has largely consisted of recruited walk-ons out of the NAHL that we picked up late during the summer.

What you will see from UND is they are really just missing their 2nd line. The top line is very good, certainly good enough to help this team achieve a lot of success if the rest of the team is pulling it's weight.

We have a great "4th line" in guys like Lamoureux, Rowney and Rodwell. A mixture of veterans and young guys, players who won't score a lot of goals for you but play with high energy, play physical, kill penalties and can either establish or continue momentum for the team.

We also have a perfect "3rd line" with guys like MacMillan, O'Donnell, and Parks. Young guys with some talent who will be very good college hockey players with some experience under their belts. Guys with the talent to score who just require a little time to let the game "slow down" for them.

Unfortunately, these two lines are not the 3rd and 4th lines on the team, but instead are the 2nd and 3rd lines, for the reasons I've stated above. We're missing that high end 2nd line, kind of a 1A if you will, made up of guys like Grimaldi, Miller, St. Clair, Hextall, or Gregoire, who can be expected to score almost as much as the 1st line.

But Hakstol, to his credit, has always said it's not about the guys who aren't in the lineup, but the guys who are. Openings create opportunities and he expects the guys, whether it's players like MacMillan or a recruited walk-on type like Gaarder or Pattyn to step in play the game the way they're taught, and Hak hasn't made any excuses about early defections to the pros or Canadian Juniors, injuries or otherwise.

I actually like this year's team, even though it's clear they won't have the success of some of those in the more recent past. There is no question we've seen solid improvement since October, and I expect it to continue.