How SIOUX-eep it is! (RW77)

Well, call me impressed!

We came into this series a defensive, low scoring team and we leave Thanksgiving weekend as a goal scoring not so defensive team. Ok, that's a bit harsh but...

This weekend we saw huge weekends from Danny Kristo, Derek Forbert, Corbin Knight, Brock Nelson, and Nick Mattson on the UND side.

Danny Kristo is something else. Brock Nelson is right behind him. Corbin Knight is pretty much unbeatable in the faceoff circle.

My 3 stars for tonight's game:

3rd Star: Corbin Knight
2nd Star: Danny Kristo
1st Star: Rylan Schwartz

My 3 stars for the weekend:

3rd Star: Brock Nelson
2nd Star: Danny Kristo
1st Star: Rylan Schwartz

May the Schwartz be with CC... until UND faces them again.

Yeah, by the end of the first period tonight, I was hoping that Rylan Schwartz's NHL team would sign him before the second period began... Now I look it up and... He's a free agent! It's JADEN who is the "star." Well.... Jaden did do a stellar job this weekend but Rylan... WOW. I think there's a team about 5 hours drive SE of Grand Forks that could use some more offense.... just sayin'.

To put it bluntly: I don't want any more of Rylan Schwartz.

Here are some more thoughts:

1. Again, the ice was crap tonight. The puck didn't sit well at all, skaters slipping and sliding without being touched, and more whiffs.

2. The officials were meh. UND finally benefitted from the refs. I felt at times, UND did definitely get away with a few. The refs didn't call everything, but I felt that there were times where CC was held by tighter regs than we were. In an unethical way, I'm happy we finally got the benefit of it. In an ethical manner, once again: I'll be happy to be rid of the WCHA officials.

3. O'Donnell was the unsung hero tonight. He SERIOUSLY looked GREAT out there. The only thing missing was a goal. His poise, patience, aggressiveness... I loved it all.

4. I noticed Gaarder but Hennessey had to tell me Pattyn and Panzarella were on the ice. I guess that's a good thing for Panzarella but we are seriously shallow in forward depth (but that's just beating a dead horse).

5. If Rylan Schwartz goes cold, CC is in trouble. This weekend, CC scored 9 goals. All but 3 were scored by Rylan Schwartz. He's fantastic and, if he continues lighting it up like this, will surely be the WCHA MVP. However, if he goes cold, they may be in the same trouble as UND.

6. Defensively, tonight's game was a much better game than last night's game (at least through the first half of the game)

7. Our Powerplay looks A LOT A LOT A LOT Better. I finally saw us moving the puck down low and trying to work the puck in close for the tap in. There were still a lot of perimeter bombs but we were now in the right position to use it and we didn't rely solely upon it.

8. Garbage Goals? THERE YOU ARE!!! Unlike last night, only one of our goals (Kristo's shortie) was of the non-garbage goal variety. Highlight reel goals are highlight reel goes because not every goal is a highlight reel goal. Games are won through garbage goals. We won this game because we owned the front of the CC net.

9. I'm not sure, but... I think we may be better in the faceoff circle now than we were with Vandevelde...and crew.

Hennessey suggests that this series might be the turning point for UND. Maybe it will be, but we won't know until later in the season. Even so, I do hope it is.

The First WTF Game of the year for UND (RW77)

Image via WikipediaWhat the [BLEEP]

Ok, I admit that family engagements took me away for half the game. I came into the picture just after Kristo scored the game tying goal and both goaltenders were replaced. And when Hennessey said "6-6" on the radio, I assumed he was talking about some player's height. Later, on I-29 at the I-29/I-94 Interchange when he restated that it was the score, I almost crashed (ok, I didn't but I was shocked).

What the BLEEP happened in this game? Where did our D go? Where did our goaltending go? Where did our offense come from? Where did CC's D and goaltending come from? Why did Thrombert (sp?) start this game and not Howe?

I thought I was in bizarro world because our D took a break and our offense showed up... unlike previous contests where our D was the only positive aspect of our gameplay.

So I get home as the second period ends and it appeared (as much as the radio can tell me) that it was pretty much blah hockey after the sixth UND goal until the third period began.

Anyways, I was able to get online to watch the third period and here are a few things I noticed:

1. CC was atrocious with the puck. I've never seen more whiffs in my life! Was this because the ice was bad or were they seriously NOT paying enough attention toward handling the puck?

2. CC was disorganized at times and seemed to be lost. CC better thank Howe big time tonight because he bailed out their backsides many many times.

3. Eidsness was solid but not great. He did not give up a goal and he did make a few great saves, but there were plenty of instances where CC took themselves out of the equation when they had a clear shot. I am a Eidsness supporter and I do believe he played well enough tonight to earn a start tomorrow, but who knows what Hakstol has in mind. I could see Hakstol going back to Dell to see if he gets a good game on the rebound.

4. Forbert was amazing in the third period. I thought he played incredibly well and saved Eidsness' hide a few times.

5. Kristo ends the night with 2 goals and 1 assist. Although he may end up with it anyways, if he scores one more point this weekend, there's no way Kristo isn't the WCHA Offensive POTW. No way.

6. This is not the format we need to win. Once again, it was almost exclusively first and second liners scoring the goals. The only exception was Nick Mattson's goal and Michael Parks' goal. That's something like the 2nd or 3rd goal this year from the 3rd or 4th line. Not very balanced still.

7. Howe is clearly better than Thrombert. I don't need to elaborate other than the game winner was a goal that Howe had ZERO chance of saving... without super powers anyways.

8. Gleason looks a lot better.

9. I definitely like this look better than dressing a D as a forward. Sorry "Big Jim" but I do not like Senkbeil as a forward. He doesn't add anything and he even said he's never played forward until recently.

10. My three stars: 3rd Star: Brock Nelson (2g, 1a; solid night overall). 2nd Star: Rylan Schwartz (3 goals). 1st Star: Danny Kristo (2g, 1a). Honorable mentions to Corbin Knight, Nick Mattson, Nick Dineen

I think Eidsness gets the nod tomorrow (my hunch). I also think all the offense we saw tonight will be gone tomorrow. I say no more than 5 goals combined tomorrow.

Tigers 4 Sioux 2 --- Let's get off the ledge...

There wasn’t a lot to be positives that can be taken from last night’s game, the two goals by Jason Gregoire give me reason to remain positive going forward, as I said on the radio on Friday (KNOX 1310) when asked by R.J. Richards who I thought was due to have a big series I said, "that Jason Gregoire is due to break out this weekend" and with his two goals last night Jason Gregoire has 5 goals in the last three games.

I thought that the Fighting Sioux dominated the Tigers to start the game but took an ill advised penalty and as they finished killing Brad Malone’s boarding penalty the Sioux gave up an even strength goal to the Tigers Dakota Eveland. The Sioux put 20 shots on goal in the first period they couldn’t put anything past Joe Howe. I guess we can cue the hot proverbial hot goalie cliché. Later in the game the Sioux missed many great opportunities in the slot as well.

Players standing around

One area of concern was the play of the Brock Nelson, Michael Cichy and Danny Kristo line, that line was a combined -5 last night and that has to improve. Michael Chicy had an opportunity to clear the puck on the Jeff Collet goal and just watched it being shot into the Sioux goal. That has to drive a coach nuts and that cannot happen. Personally, I can see why he was sitting in the stand now, you have to be able to play both ways to be successful.

The Springs a hard place to play?!?

Also before we throw the coach and the players under the bus you might want to consider this blurb from Brad Schlossman. The 1997 NCAA title team didn't sweep in Colorado Springs either. They won 3-0 the first night and lost 8-3 on night two.

World Arena, located in the shadows of Cheyenne Mountain, has typically been a difficult place to play for the Sioux. Last season, UND earned its first sweep in the building since January 1999 thanks to a stirring comeback win in the series opener.

[Box Score]

UND Men's Hockey Travel Blog

Sioux men lose Genoway, game to Colorado College [Grand Forks Herald]

UND Head Hockey Coach Dave Hakstol post game press conference; it's not pretty folks...

CC holds on for 4-2 win over Sioux; Colorado Gazette Springs