We are off to an ugly start and are looking heavily to Bemidji to "right the ship." Goon cited some statistics and you can take them any way you want, but I think it comes down to three factors: Special Teams, Depth, and Youth.
Special Teams
Green Glasses are off on this one. The Sioux are just terrible on the Power Play. Just... Just Terrible. It's amazing to see BSU be actually worse than the Sioux because the best way to describe the Sioux Powerplay is: Point shot and Time Killer Together Forever. We are back to the endless cycle to point shot routine.
Goon cited another interesting quote that I agree with, but I'm drawing a blank as to whether this quote is in reference to the Power Play but I think it is 150% accurate when used in the Power Play context. The quote was: "It seems like the entire team stands around watching Kristo make plays." I'd love to say that Kristo is too shot prone but take him off the ice and it seems like it takes pulling teeth to get a shot off and when the shot does come, it comes from the point in one of two areas that are usually Kristo shot locations anyways. When the Power Play becomes that predictable it almost seems like the PK team has 8 skaters and a goaltender on the ice and the PP team is basically 1 player.
To beat a dead horse: I wouldn't be too scared of going down a man vs. UND right now.
PK is better and I'm not all too concerned about this. It mostly comes down to bad timing and bad penalties being more a concern than bad PK.
Depth
Brad Schlossman pines for more 3rd and 4th line scoring. But... When you are dressing Senkbeil as a forward, a man (again according to Schlossman) who readily admits that he's never played forward at a high level before, you know you have no depth at forward.
Add into the mix that O'Donnell has been missing time and Grimaldi has what... 4 games or so under his belt and now he's out for at best 12 games (assuming no more bye weeks) and St. Clair can't qualify academically or screwed up somewhere in that path... Well. The Sioux are in trouble.
Yes, the top line is dynamic and great but this isn't the DOT line. They cannot carry the team. In fact, the DOT line couldn't even carry the team.
Youth
They look young and nervous on the ice. They seem to also have deer in the headlights looks to them when they face experienced high end teams. They're desperate early and fall apart late. It's also like the falling apart comes because they put too much into the first period and seem to fade halfway through the second due to fatigue.
Where does Coaching fall into this?
Ok, I'm going to continue to stand up for Hakstol. You can't judge the youth on this team's future by the first half of their freshman year, but it can tell you what is being set up and what to prepare for down the stretch. I think Hakstol is being firm, but realistic with the troops. He's not pressing... yet. Like him or not, he may be due for an off year. Throw out the NC aspect and Hak has led some dynamite teams as of late but even the best of teams have occasional down years. I hope this isn't one of them.
However, I have said this over and over again: In Hak I trust. I will trust him even when we do lose. Even if we lose to teams like UAA or BSU or MSUM.
I also think that these players will improve and they will be good. I'm not sure if there are any great players on the team (even Grimaldi gets a question mark due to health) outside of the first line. But I will forever be optimistic. I will forever bleed Kelly Green. And I will forever yell GO SIOUX!
