UND beat writer Brad Schlossman reports that freshman forward Brendan O'Donnell is out for the season with a shoulder injury. Surgery is soon to come. This means that we've now lost three for the season: 2 freshmen (O'Donnell and Grimaldi) and 1 sophomore (Rodwell).
What it also means is that we have exactly ZERO depth as UND will dress EVERY healthy skater they have. They will only have one healthy scratch overall: Tate Maris. What does this mean?
For me, as a realist (ok cynic), it means that everything we do in the second half that is positive comes with added bonus. It also means that the chance of a "Fire Hakstol" thread appearing on SS.com and other message boards will increase exponentially. The haters will start appearing in force and demanding change. No, I don't think the masses will rise up, but the haters always become more vocal (and therefore more visible) when bad news rears its ugly head.
Which leads me to wonder:
1. Can they convince the Lamoreaux twins to get boy cuts and certain cosmetic alterations so as to boost our depth?
2. Is there a way that UND could go out and hold tryouts for depth players? If we get further injuries, things could get worse!
3. If we make the NCAAs this year with all the adversity behind the nickname distraction and all the injuries, would Hakstol be considered for coach of the year (haters need not answer this one. We already know what you'd say).
4. If we stop being able to dress 4 lines of forwards and 3 lines of D, how will expectations for this team be affected?
5. What about physical play? If we start dropping like flies, will our playing style have to change? I'd think it'd have to...
Showing posts with label Analysis - College hockey - UND Hockey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Analysis - College hockey - UND Hockey. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
Monday, January 02, 2012
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Redwing77's Draft Roundup and perhaps other stuff
UND's Draftees:
JT Miller - 1st Round (15th Overall) - NY Rangers
Rocco Grimaldi - 2nd Round (33rd Overall) - Florida Panthers
Dillon Simpson - 4th Round (92nd Overall) - Edmonton Oilers
Not Drafted but Eligible:
Colton St. Clair
WCHA Draft Standings:
Minnesota - 5
UW - 4
DU - 4
UND - 3
UNO - 3
CC - 1
MTU -1
Draft Grades:
It's hard not to give Minnesota, UW, and DU high marks on the draft. They beat the field with numbers. Minnesota leads all NCAA schools with 5. UW and DU are tied with Miami and, incredibly, Harvard for second most.
Most of the drafted players in this year's NCAA crop were drafted in the 5th to 7th rounds, though it is only a slight majority. 28 NCAA players went in rounds 1-4 while 33 went in the 5th to 7th Rounds. The school that got the most top 3 round draft picks is Miami, with 3 of their 4 drafted players going in these rounds (2 were first rounders).
Overall, 75% of UND's draft eligible players (not counting the overagers, of which UND has 3) got drafted and all of them before the 5th round. Not bad. I thought Simpson would have gone higher, though. Perhaps Anaheim or even Winnipeg would've used their 3rd round picks on Dillon.
In any case, Colton St. Clair had a disappointing weekend, but that's alright. I hope he uses it as incentive to work hard. I'm sure he'll get invited to a prospect camp somewhere, maybe Winnipeg or Minnesota would give a regional player a look-see.
Miller's Status
It's widely published that JT Miller hasn't cast aside the Major Junior route (Plymouth of the OHL owns his rights). I would say there is a higher than average chance that Miller reports. The chance would be higher if the trifecta of evil (Moncton of the QMJHL, Red Deer of the WHL, or London of the OHL) owned Miller's rights. It's hard to say what Rangers GM Glen Sather will want JT to do. I don't know which camp he sits in, be it Pro-NCAA (such as Lamoriello of the Devils) or Pro-MJ (Yzerman of TB Lightning... or if any of the Sutters are still GMing), but here's my prediction:
I predict Miller attends UND in the fall. After his freshman season, however, all bets are off. He has stated that he wants to give UND a shot for a year and reevaluate after his freshman season. Because of the financial freedom the OHL has over the NCAA, it's going to be hard to ignore. We're just lucky Miller's rights aren't owned by a more aggressive OHL team.
JT Miller - 1st Round (15th Overall) - NY Rangers
Rocco Grimaldi - 2nd Round (33rd Overall) - Florida Panthers
Dillon Simpson - 4th Round (92nd Overall) - Edmonton Oilers
Not Drafted but Eligible:
Colton St. Clair
WCHA Draft Standings:
Minnesota - 5
UW - 4
DU - 4
UND - 3
UNO - 3
CC - 1
MTU -1
Draft Grades:
It's hard not to give Minnesota, UW, and DU high marks on the draft. They beat the field with numbers. Minnesota leads all NCAA schools with 5. UW and DU are tied with Miami and, incredibly, Harvard for second most.
Most of the drafted players in this year's NCAA crop were drafted in the 5th to 7th rounds, though it is only a slight majority. 28 NCAA players went in rounds 1-4 while 33 went in the 5th to 7th Rounds. The school that got the most top 3 round draft picks is Miami, with 3 of their 4 drafted players going in these rounds (2 were first rounders).
Overall, 75% of UND's draft eligible players (not counting the overagers, of which UND has 3) got drafted and all of them before the 5th round. Not bad. I thought Simpson would have gone higher, though. Perhaps Anaheim or even Winnipeg would've used their 3rd round picks on Dillon.
In any case, Colton St. Clair had a disappointing weekend, but that's alright. I hope he uses it as incentive to work hard. I'm sure he'll get invited to a prospect camp somewhere, maybe Winnipeg or Minnesota would give a regional player a look-see.
Miller's Status
It's widely published that JT Miller hasn't cast aside the Major Junior route (Plymouth of the OHL owns his rights). I would say there is a higher than average chance that Miller reports. The chance would be higher if the trifecta of evil (Moncton of the QMJHL, Red Deer of the WHL, or London of the OHL) owned Miller's rights. It's hard to say what Rangers GM Glen Sather will want JT to do. I don't know which camp he sits in, be it Pro-NCAA (such as Lamoriello of the Devils) or Pro-MJ (Yzerman of TB Lightning... or if any of the Sutters are still GMing), but here's my prediction:
I predict Miller attends UND in the fall. After his freshman season, however, all bets are off. He has stated that he wants to give UND a shot for a year and reevaluate after his freshman season. Because of the financial freedom the OHL has over the NCAA, it's going to be hard to ignore. We're just lucky Miller's rights aren't owned by a more aggressive OHL team.
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
Redwing77's MSUM vs. UND Pontifications
Instead of simply making this a comment on the previous blog post, I decided to react to it AND give my thoughts on the upcoming series.
The Mav Sweep Video React
This is what I saw when I watched the video:
1. Most of the Mav goals came out of Gopher defensive breakdowns. Good teams capitalize on opposition mistakes and the Mavs did that. However, our defense is much better than Minnesota's. Jutting won't have the ability to walk into the arena on Friday knowing that John "Sucks at all things Hockey" Hill will not be there. If Jutting plays us like they played Minnesota, we'll beat them hands down.
2. 2 of the goals that were scored were flat out weak. The one on Friday where Kangas(?) was hugging the post was weak as all get out and the one on Saturday where Patterson decided not to simply smother the puck but rather attempt to pick it up simply elevated the puck enough for the Mavs player to lift it over his shoulder and into the net. W-E-A-K. Hopefully Patterson at least got an assist on the goal.
3. MSUM came into the season with the media convinced that their defense and goaltending are going to be average and their offense nonexistent. I was convinced of this as well. I don't feel like they'll be competing for home ice by the end of the season. However, they're not as bad as what was forecast...at least at this time.
UND SHOULD sweep MSUM but that doesn't mean much. UND has had tendencies the past few years to not take "bottom dwellers" all that seriously. UAA has gotten the better of UND several times because of this. And MSUM could benefit from that this weekend if UND isn't careful. The matter will be made easier by Gregoire and Hextall being out.
If Nelson and Genoway are also out, things will get a bit rocky. You can't sit here and say that losing your top D, top F, top gritty forward, and an up and coming freshman won't affect the team. However, if we do lose, it won't be because of injuries. Our team is too stacked for that excuse.
Assuming Nelson and Genoway are out, here's what I'd expect:
19 Evan Trupp–22 Brad Malone–21 Matt Frattin
11 Derek Rodwell*–10 Corban Knight–7 Danny Kristo
15 Brent Davidson–9 Mario Lamoureux–27 Carter Rowney
13 Brett Bruneteau*-8 Mike Cichy*-20 Joe Gleason
24 Ben Blood - 4 Derek Forbort
3 Derrick LaPoint - 25 Jake Marto
2 Andrew MacWilliam - 18 Dillon Simpson
32 Aaron Dell
31 Brad Eidsness
* - Note: Ok, I'm not really sure who would play left wing on the second line. It would either be Cichy or they'd fit someone in. I like Rodwell and I think he'd be a good fit if he can play left wing. Since Cichy played left wing this season in the past, it would be an easy fit. If Cichy did move up to the 2nd line, then 4th line center would be a question mark. I thought Cichy and Bruneteau have played center in the past (either at UND or in juniors) but I can't remember. So, it just as easily could be either of the two taking faceoffs.
I have no information about Nelson or Genoway and I'm optimistic (while being in the dark) that both will play. However, I'm not sure how strong our 4th line will be if Nelson is out. Yeah, his offensive numbers haven't been outstanding, but he's played solid.
My prediction: Too variable at this time to guess. however, like I said, we should be able to sweep them. However, MSUM's home arena has given us fits in the past and MSUM is playing very well right now.
Thoughts?
The Mav Sweep Video React
This is what I saw when I watched the video:
1. Most of the Mav goals came out of Gopher defensive breakdowns. Good teams capitalize on opposition mistakes and the Mavs did that. However, our defense is much better than Minnesota's. Jutting won't have the ability to walk into the arena on Friday knowing that John "Sucks at all things Hockey" Hill will not be there. If Jutting plays us like they played Minnesota, we'll beat them hands down.
2. 2 of the goals that were scored were flat out weak. The one on Friday where Kangas(?) was hugging the post was weak as all get out and the one on Saturday where Patterson decided not to simply smother the puck but rather attempt to pick it up simply elevated the puck enough for the Mavs player to lift it over his shoulder and into the net. W-E-A-K. Hopefully Patterson at least got an assist on the goal.
3. MSUM came into the season with the media convinced that their defense and goaltending are going to be average and their offense nonexistent. I was convinced of this as well. I don't feel like they'll be competing for home ice by the end of the season. However, they're not as bad as what was forecast...at least at this time.
UND SHOULD sweep MSUM but that doesn't mean much. UND has had tendencies the past few years to not take "bottom dwellers" all that seriously. UAA has gotten the better of UND several times because of this. And MSUM could benefit from that this weekend if UND isn't careful. The matter will be made easier by Gregoire and Hextall being out.
If Nelson and Genoway are also out, things will get a bit rocky. You can't sit here and say that losing your top D, top F, top gritty forward, and an up and coming freshman won't affect the team. However, if we do lose, it won't be because of injuries. Our team is too stacked for that excuse.
Assuming Nelson and Genoway are out, here's what I'd expect:
19 Evan Trupp–22 Brad Malone–21 Matt Frattin
11 Derek Rodwell*–10 Corban Knight–7 Danny Kristo
15 Brent Davidson–9 Mario Lamoureux–27 Carter Rowney
13 Brett Bruneteau*-8 Mike Cichy*-20 Joe Gleason
24 Ben Blood - 4 Derek Forbort
3 Derrick LaPoint - 25 Jake Marto
2 Andrew MacWilliam - 18 Dillon Simpson
32 Aaron Dell
31 Brad Eidsness
* - Note: Ok, I'm not really sure who would play left wing on the second line. It would either be Cichy or they'd fit someone in. I like Rodwell and I think he'd be a good fit if he can play left wing. Since Cichy played left wing this season in the past, it would be an easy fit. If Cichy did move up to the 2nd line, then 4th line center would be a question mark. I thought Cichy and Bruneteau have played center in the past (either at UND or in juniors) but I can't remember. So, it just as easily could be either of the two taking faceoffs.
I have no information about Nelson or Genoway and I'm optimistic (while being in the dark) that both will play. However, I'm not sure how strong our 4th line will be if Nelson is out. Yeah, his offensive numbers haven't been outstanding, but he's played solid.
My prediction: Too variable at this time to guess. however, like I said, we should be able to sweep them. However, MSUM's home arena has given us fits in the past and MSUM is playing very well right now.
Thoughts?
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Game 2 vs. UNO: The Attack of the Moronic ARs (RW77)
Well... we lost.
The Game
Funny, they didn't show the replay of the goal at the Qwest... at least not without removing the clock. So I was left with the impression that we were going to overtime. Judging on the fact that Campion only reviewed the goal for about 5-10 seconds made me wonder if he even looked at the time. I guess he did.
UND played great... for 59 minutes and 47 seconds. With about 12 seconds left in the game, the puck was tucked behind the UNO goal and I thought "well, OT here we come. We better not tie." And the rush for UNO began. UND bottled up the outside and I thought they would waste enough time to force OT, but... The Red Light went on and the crowd went nuts. It was truly dramatic. And it was scored by a UNO player that gave us fits all weekend, imo.
Alex Hudson (#26 aka last night's 3rd star of the game imo) was again all over the ice and again in the position one needs to be in to capitolize on a rebound. He was there and he made no mistake.
Aaron Dell played well. Matt Frattin can't find a stick that can stay intact for longer than a game. He broke at least 2 this weekend, maybe 3. I can honestly say that we were just beaten by opportunity. We didn't beat ourselves in this one.
My Three Stars:
First Star: Faulkner (UNO)
Second Star: Hudson (UNO)
Third Star: Aaron Dell (UND)
The media went with Hudson as the first star, and I couldn't blame them, but I think it was the UNO goaltender that stole the game for UNO. There were some incredible saves he made on UND down low.
The Experience
I sat near more UND fans this game, but not immediately so. Once again, I sat in front of an incredibly nice UNO family who were great fun to talk to. They were courteous. At one point in the game, UND was dominating (we were on the PK) and he told his wife how UND was a team UNO hasn't played before in terms of talent and ability. "Everything was smooth" according to him. And I agree. Fundamentally, we were MUCH better last night than Friday.
The Officiating
Nope. Not going to rag on Campion and Mason because I think they actually called a decent game. However, Dane Jackson was right. The ARs were atrocious all weekend long. Once again, UND was offsides a few times and got away with it. They once again didn't know how to call hybrid icing. They had a bear of a time trying to stay out of the way. As for the final rush and that offsides, looking at the replay, they couldn't have gotten that one right. If they had, the crowd would have seriously been upset. And they have a right to be. Up until that point, UNO was offsides and got the whistle. UND had been offsides 2 times (3 times this weekend at least) without the whistle going off.
If I were Hakstol and Blais, I'd see if I could get those plays on video and submit them to Sheptard. Then file a copy away for the post season meetings. This was a screw job that affected both UND and UNO.... but at least they didn't get as screwed by the officials as the Husker football team.
The Weekend
UND played well enough to get 4 points offensively, 2 points defensively, and got 2 points despite it all. They were trying to accomplish 3 straight WCHA Sweeps, something they haven't done since '98-'99. Oh well.
I think Dell is the man for now. His numbers are mind blowing. Eidsness' confidence is wandering somewhere between Grand Forks and Minot in that wasteland known as Highway 2. He is the key, imo. We need two goaltenders on their game to make #8, even if it is Dell in the Title game...or Dell taking most of the games as #1.
The only thing I question is: It would have been nice to see Bruneteau play instead of Gleason this weekend. Gleason was invisible (at least from where I was sitting).
Oh yeah, Brock Nelson needs to find away to use his weight. He got thrown around like a rag doll this weekend.
The Game
Funny, they didn't show the replay of the goal at the Qwest... at least not without removing the clock. So I was left with the impression that we were going to overtime. Judging on the fact that Campion only reviewed the goal for about 5-10 seconds made me wonder if he even looked at the time. I guess he did.
UND played great... for 59 minutes and 47 seconds. With about 12 seconds left in the game, the puck was tucked behind the UNO goal and I thought "well, OT here we come. We better not tie." And the rush for UNO began. UND bottled up the outside and I thought they would waste enough time to force OT, but... The Red Light went on and the crowd went nuts. It was truly dramatic. And it was scored by a UNO player that gave us fits all weekend, imo.
Alex Hudson (#26 aka last night's 3rd star of the game imo) was again all over the ice and again in the position one needs to be in to capitolize on a rebound. He was there and he made no mistake.
Aaron Dell played well. Matt Frattin can't find a stick that can stay intact for longer than a game. He broke at least 2 this weekend, maybe 3. I can honestly say that we were just beaten by opportunity. We didn't beat ourselves in this one.
My Three Stars:
First Star: Faulkner (UNO)
Second Star: Hudson (UNO)
Third Star: Aaron Dell (UND)
The media went with Hudson as the first star, and I couldn't blame them, but I think it was the UNO goaltender that stole the game for UNO. There were some incredible saves he made on UND down low.
The Experience
I sat near more UND fans this game, but not immediately so. Once again, I sat in front of an incredibly nice UNO family who were great fun to talk to. They were courteous. At one point in the game, UND was dominating (we were on the PK) and he told his wife how UND was a team UNO hasn't played before in terms of talent and ability. "Everything was smooth" according to him. And I agree. Fundamentally, we were MUCH better last night than Friday.
The Officiating
Nope. Not going to rag on Campion and Mason because I think they actually called a decent game. However, Dane Jackson was right. The ARs were atrocious all weekend long. Once again, UND was offsides a few times and got away with it. They once again didn't know how to call hybrid icing. They had a bear of a time trying to stay out of the way. As for the final rush and that offsides, looking at the replay, they couldn't have gotten that one right. If they had, the crowd would have seriously been upset. And they have a right to be. Up until that point, UNO was offsides and got the whistle. UND had been offsides 2 times (3 times this weekend at least) without the whistle going off.
If I were Hakstol and Blais, I'd see if I could get those plays on video and submit them to Sheptard. Then file a copy away for the post season meetings. This was a screw job that affected both UND and UNO.... but at least they didn't get as screwed by the officials as the Husker football team.
The Weekend
UND played well enough to get 4 points offensively, 2 points defensively, and got 2 points despite it all. They were trying to accomplish 3 straight WCHA Sweeps, something they haven't done since '98-'99. Oh well.
I think Dell is the man for now. His numbers are mind blowing. Eidsness' confidence is wandering somewhere between Grand Forks and Minot in that wasteland known as Highway 2. He is the key, imo. We need two goaltenders on their game to make #8, even if it is Dell in the Title game...or Dell taking most of the games as #1.
The only thing I question is: It would have been nice to see Bruneteau play instead of Gleason this weekend. Gleason was invisible (at least from where I was sitting).
Oh yeah, Brock Nelson needs to find away to use his weight. He got thrown around like a rag doll this weekend.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
UND 4, UW 2 SIOOOOOUXWEEEP!!!!!
I've said before that a good team can overcome bad officiating. Today, UND proved me right. They absolutely dominated UW almost all game long.
Before I break things down, I'm going to give you my Weekend Three Stars:
Third Star: Chay Genoway (0g 3a) - Points aren't the only reason why he gets the 2nd Star. He was the icing on the cake of absolutely dominant defensive and offensive performance.
Second Star: Scott Gudbrandson - Looking back at where Gudbrandson came from (at one point he was in danger of losing his schollie at UW in a similar situation that former UW/current tUMD goaltender Aaron Crandall went through) and having watched him play last year.... Gudbrandson never has shown the capability of playing like he has this weekend. He was simply the ONLY UW player that came to play.
First Star: Aaron Dell - Almost 150 minutes of shutout time vs. UW. Can't argue with this.
Honorable Mentions: Jake Gardiner (seriously 40 minutes a game? Nuts), Derrick LaPoint (suck it haters), Corbin Knight, Jason Gregoire, Matt Frattin, and Danny Kristo
Next, to get it off my chest: UW got to see tonight just what we're complaining about when it comes to officiating... sorta.
Tonight, DShep and Hunt were consistent.... AWFUL. They managed to find every penalty UW committed all night and called most of them...some of them... it was hard to figure out their formula on which overt penalties they were going to call and which they'd let slide. At one point, Eaves whined and DShep found a way to put UND in the box. It mattered little because Craig Smith had a blackout when his brain shut down and he went berserk. Unfortunately for him (and lucky for Blood) the pesky net got in the way. Blood apparently laughed it off. UND was only really screwed over once when a sympathetic officiating crew decided to use the old version of the NHL rule about skaters in the crease to overturn Kristo's goal.
UPDATE: Ok, I watched some of the game on the Wisconsin Public Television reweb broadcast... I think that's what they called it. Anyways, I'm going to rescind what I said about Eaves convincing DShep to put UND in the box. Hennessey was wrong when he said that they invented a reason to put Trupp in the box. Trupp went to the box for Charging. It probably wasn't Charging, I'll grant TH that. However, Trupp left his skates to make the hit... to Craig Smith's head/shoulders area. This should have been a 2 minute minor for Contact to the Head- Roughing. It was definitely a penalty though. And about Craig Smith.... Seriously, I'm flabbergasted at his run of the UND net. He didn't try to check Dell. No one seems to have any clue on why in the world he did what he did. The net goes flying and ends up against the end boards upside down! What was he trying to accomplish? Dell didn't even move. He just flew by Dell and wham. Wow.
Also, saw the Kristo goal. And I'm now further enraged. That was a goal. NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. Rodwell's skate was CLEARLY in the crease, but it was nowhere near Gudmandson. Gudmandson would have had to skate up and to his left to run into Rodwell's skate... Kristo's shot came from Up and Right. So yeah, in order for it to be goaltender interference, Gudbrandson would have had to skate AWAY from the incoming shot. IF that's his idea of good goaltending, then I'll take away his second star status.
The WCHA is a lot like an NHRA Top Fuel Drag Race Team (Great schools, great coaches and players, great (for the most part) fans, great facilities) whose pit crewmembers in charge of the tires cannot seem to get to the track on time and when they do, always seem a bit lazy or uninspired. So, the league's race team could beat ANYONE in the amateur ranks but they keep on having blowouts off the starting line because there's no one to ensure tire quality. How's that analogy?
-----------------------------------------------------
Anyways, it is strange sitting here post game, post sweep. I thought that UW series now would be a split and the series vs UMD would be the sweep. Strike that, reverse it.
UND played like the hype surrounding this team expected them to play. UW looked slow, tired, uninspired.
Frattin scored first on a shot from the point.
Kristo scored seco... no, he didn't. Rodwell stepped in the crease and Sheptard overturned it.
UW scored next on the powerplay. John Ramage scored from the point. UW would end the game with the best PP percentage: 1 for 2.
UND would then score 3 unanswered goals, two in a row by Corbin Knight and the final one by Frattin.
Schultz would pot the final goal of the game when UND actually showed laziness.
I'll post the video if there is one that shows up.
Before I break things down, I'm going to give you my Weekend Three Stars:
Third Star: Chay Genoway (0g 3a) - Points aren't the only reason why he gets the 2nd Star. He was the icing on the cake of absolutely dominant defensive and offensive performance.
Second Star: Scott Gudbrandson - Looking back at where Gudbrandson came from (at one point he was in danger of losing his schollie at UW in a similar situation that former UW/current tUMD goaltender Aaron Crandall went through) and having watched him play last year.... Gudbrandson never has shown the capability of playing like he has this weekend. He was simply the ONLY UW player that came to play.
First Star: Aaron Dell - Almost 150 minutes of shutout time vs. UW. Can't argue with this.
Honorable Mentions: Jake Gardiner (seriously 40 minutes a game? Nuts), Derrick LaPoint (suck it haters), Corbin Knight, Jason Gregoire, Matt Frattin, and Danny Kristo
Next, to get it off my chest: UW got to see tonight just what we're complaining about when it comes to officiating... sorta.
Tonight, DShep and Hunt were consistent.... AWFUL. They managed to find every penalty UW committed all night and called most of them...some of them... it was hard to figure out their formula on which overt penalties they were going to call and which they'd let slide. At one point, Eaves whined and DShep found a way to put UND in the box. It mattered little because Craig Smith had a blackout when his brain shut down and he went berserk. Unfortunately for him (and lucky for Blood) the pesky net got in the way. Blood apparently laughed it off. UND was only really screwed over once when a sympathetic officiating crew decided to use the old version of the NHL rule about skaters in the crease to overturn Kristo's goal.
UPDATE: Ok, I watched some of the game on the Wisconsin Public Television reweb broadcast... I think that's what they called it. Anyways, I'm going to rescind what I said about Eaves convincing DShep to put UND in the box. Hennessey was wrong when he said that they invented a reason to put Trupp in the box. Trupp went to the box for Charging. It probably wasn't Charging, I'll grant TH that. However, Trupp left his skates to make the hit... to Craig Smith's head/shoulders area. This should have been a 2 minute minor for Contact to the Head- Roughing. It was definitely a penalty though. And about Craig Smith.... Seriously, I'm flabbergasted at his run of the UND net. He didn't try to check Dell. No one seems to have any clue on why in the world he did what he did. The net goes flying and ends up against the end boards upside down! What was he trying to accomplish? Dell didn't even move. He just flew by Dell and wham. Wow.
Also, saw the Kristo goal. And I'm now further enraged. That was a goal. NO DOUBT ABOUT IT. Rodwell's skate was CLEARLY in the crease, but it was nowhere near Gudmandson. Gudmandson would have had to skate up and to his left to run into Rodwell's skate... Kristo's shot came from Up and Right. So yeah, in order for it to be goaltender interference, Gudbrandson would have had to skate AWAY from the incoming shot. IF that's his idea of good goaltending, then I'll take away his second star status.
The WCHA is a lot like an NHRA Top Fuel Drag Race Team (Great schools, great coaches and players, great (for the most part) fans, great facilities) whose pit crewmembers in charge of the tires cannot seem to get to the track on time and when they do, always seem a bit lazy or uninspired. So, the league's race team could beat ANYONE in the amateur ranks but they keep on having blowouts off the starting line because there's no one to ensure tire quality. How's that analogy?
-----------------------------------------------------
Anyways, it is strange sitting here post game, post sweep. I thought that UW series now would be a split and the series vs UMD would be the sweep. Strike that, reverse it.
UND played like the hype surrounding this team expected them to play. UW looked slow, tired, uninspired.
Frattin scored first on a shot from the point.
Kristo scored seco... no, he didn't. Rodwell stepped in the crease and Sheptard overturned it.
UW scored next on the powerplay. John Ramage scored from the point. UW would end the game with the best PP percentage: 1 for 2.
UND would then score 3 unanswered goals, two in a row by Corbin Knight and the final one by Frattin.
Schultz would pot the final goal of the game when UND actually showed laziness.
I'll post the video if there is one that shows up.
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