Responding to Jim Rich’s Rant, the Students Weren’t the Problem

This past weekend, the University of North Dakota hockey team traveled to St. Cloud, Minnesota, to take on the St. Cloud State in a critical NCHC matchup. It was a fantastic weekend of hockey. The games were available on Midco Sports Net via Fox 9+ and NCHC.TV. 

For the most part, the video feed was pretty good; during the two broadcasts, there were a couple of kerfuffles. In the first period of Friday's game, the person running the camera missed Garrett Pyke's goal. Only after a replay were we able to watch the goal. The people doing the graphics also messed up a few of the UND players' schools by putting NDSU instead of UND. That's a big mistake, even for a student on the broadcast team.  

“Jackson Blake-NDSU”

Just when this broadcast couldn’t be more of a clown show pic.twitter.com/de1odfRedW

— UND Hockey Recruits (@UNDPuckCommits) January 20, 2024

Let's take a look at the men in the announcer's booth who had a tough weekend. Play-by-play announcer Jim Rich couldn't pronounce at least three of UND's players. Rich regularly screwed up Jake Livanavage, Carson Albrecht, and Riese Gaber. Rich is a veteran announcer and should be able to read a pronunciation guide from the game notes. His color guy, Geno Parrish, could pronounce all of the UND players' names. Try it; it's not complicated. I took this from the pronunciation guide from the UND hockey notes: LIVE-an-AH-vidge, gay-burr, ALL-breckt. 

Perusing X during the games, UND fans pointed out the broadcast's shortcomings all weekend. We're spoiled with who we have producing UND sports. It's no contest; they're the best in the business and have set the bar very high. 

SCSU broadcast crew has called Blake-Black and Gaber-Garber…maybe hire some professionals? My god it’s bad

— PT (@PThomas19) January 21, 2024

During one of the breaks in the first period, SCSU play-by-play announcer Jim Rich started a rant. 

"We have Midco Sports Net joining us again tonight, along with Fox Nine Plus," Rich said. "We'd like to remind all the viewers that this is a student production. All these kids are learning on the fly, just like the players. They make mistakes once in a while, but they all want to get to the next level. These guys want to get to the NHL. These kids are behind the camera and running graphics, TD, you name it. These guys are all going to be pros as well in this business." 

His Color guy, Geno Parrish, replied. 

"And they have they've done that," Parrish said. "I know Mark Parrish (NHL Analyst) and Kristen Kroll are there. A Katie Storm may also work in the National Hockey League and the NBA." 

Rich replied.

"Exactly," Rich replied. They may be a little green here, but they turn out to be dynamic just because this program does such a wonderful job." 

Look, there's no question that St. Cloud State puts out some great media people. Midco Sports has Taylor Budge, who reports for UND sports on Midco. She's a graduate of SCSU. Also, for the most part, the students weren't the problem this weekend despite a few minor mistakes that were cleaned up on Saturday night. During the Saturday night broadcast, no NDSU hockey players played for UND. The problem was the veteran TV guy in the announcer's booth. 

Finally, Jordan Schmaltz was not a member of the famed CBS Line. His brother Nick was. 

Goon’s Takeaways: UND Takes 4 of 6 Points From SCSU With 3-3 Tie

On Saturday, the University of North Dakota hockey team took four of six points against St. Cloud State to vault them to the top of the NCHC standings. In the upcoming weeks, UND has an excellent opportunity to solidify its spot at the top of the NCHC standings. It starts this weekend against the Denver Pioneers. 

UND is on an impressive run; this was another weekend without a regulation loss. UND hasn't lost in regulation since November 3, 2023, at Boston University. That's a 17-game streak. Yes, UND is 2-4-2 in overtime, but the team is working on getting better in the 3-on-3 overtime. Last night, UND possessed the puck for most of the five-minute 3-on-3 overtime. 

"We're the only NCHC team that hasn't lost in regulation," UND head coach Brad Berry said. "We haven't lost in regulation since early November. That tells me a lot." 

 It's still a work in progress, but UND is focused on closing out games in regulation. 

"We've got to do a better job of closing the game in 60 minutes to win games," Berry said. "When we're trailing in games, we find a way to get points. That's a huge deal, coming out of here with the series win, knowing we don't play them again until the playoffs. It's the resiliency of our group." 

A few weeks ago, I told Virg foss that freshman forward Jayden Perron is about to break out. After making this bold prediction, Perron went pointless in four games. Perron ended his four-game pointless streak on Saturday by recording two assists for his first-ever multi-point game. 

Saturday, SCSU outshot UND 35-27; this was the first time this season that UND has been outshot in both games in a series. Speaking of shots. Against the Huskies, UND goalie Ludvig Persson was on top of his game. In both games combined, he stopped 66 of 72 shots for a .916 save percentage. On Saturday, Persson finished with 32 saves and improved his record to 13-6-2 (2.40 GAA and a .905 save percentage).  

What can we say about sophomore forward Jackson Blake? He continued his magical season with another solid weekend and extended his point streak to six games with his goal in the first period. He's scored (4g-4a--8pts) during that six-game streak. Blake has (15g-15a--30pts) for the season, and he's a plus-four.

NCHC.TV Revisited: What Are We Going to Get When the Entire NCHC Playoffs Are on Campus?

Today, I read a comment from a reader that inspired me to post. It read like this: 

St. Cloud TV graphic people were terrible. They showed a graphic listing Blake as from NDSU and another spelling Persson's last name as Pehrson, as like our defenseman by that spelling. Rough.

This is a fear that I have when the NCHC playoffs go entirely to home sites. It's no mystery not every team has the infrastructure that UND has. I get it; we're lucky to have the media partners that we have. I also think the conference needs to find a way to hold on to CBS Sports Network. Their broadcasts are very professional and done the right way. 

Great game at Robson last night! A really enjoyable crew to work alongside at the rink in Colorado and in the control room in Connecticut. Thanks to everyone with @CCTigerHKY and @MiamiOH_Hockey for their help this week! Two college hockey programs moving in the right direction. pic.twitter.com/petcGQkZ3u

— Alex Heinert - Midco Sports (@AlexHeinert) January 20, 2024

On this subject, I am broken record, but Midco Sports outshines every other school's webcasts. It's not even close. The video feed for Saint Cloud State's webcasts is good, but their play-by-play team could be better. Frankly, last night, they were atrocious. 

The broadcast team (Fox 9 and or Huskies Productions) needed help identifying the right North Dakota school their favorite team was playing. NDSU doesn't have college hockey; from what I hear, they don't plan on having a hockey team. Ever. Do your prep; it's goalie Ludvig Persson and defenseman Keaton Pehrson. 

Jim Rich has been doing this for a long time, you'd think he'd be able to read a pronunciation guide and be able to pronounce Jake Livanavage's name. It's harder to spell it than it is to say it. The color guy, Geno Parrish, was an absolute cheerleader. It was hard to listen to these two call the game. Is it okay to be homers in the booth? Probably, but there's taking it too far. 

I've already discussed this in NCHC TV: The Conference Can Do Better. I've had people ask me if the conference going to push for a higher standard or if we are going to be stuck with good enough is good enough. How do we hold the other schools accountable? I am sure we will hear some excuse about how they can't afford to up their game and we are just lucky to have the games webcast. 

It's all about the Benjamins. The conference is making money off NCHC.TV, regardless of whether they hold the schools with the substandard webcasts accountable. My question to fans is, is the product we have seen this season worth paying $115 a year? I don't think so.   

Florida's William Lockwood Takes Out Wild Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, Lockwood has a hearing with the Department of Players Safety

Last night the Minnesota Wild took on the Florida Panthers in a non-conference game in South Florida. The game started out with a bang, literally. 

At the 2:15 mark of the first period, Wild goalie Mark Andre Fleury went behind the net to play a puck, at the same time, Panters forward William Lockwood interfered with Fleury knocking him to the ice. If you watch the video, you will see that Fleury absorbed a vicious hit. 

For those that are wondering, Lockwood isn't a skilled player and was probably on the ice to cause havoic. Look at his stats, he's not known for his skill, in 51 NHL games, he's scored (0g-2-a--2pts). What was his purpose for being on the ice? Yes, he's in the NHL, but I don't see a lot of teams trying to pick him up in free agency. 

Midway through the game Fleury would leave the game and no return. The Panthers are notorious for being a dirty team.

Wild start to this game 👀 pic.twitter.com/GvUoz4GLe3

— Bally Sports Florida: Panthers (@BallyPanthers) January 20, 2024

Lockwood will have a hearing with the NHL's Department of Player Safety. I won't even try to predict how they will rule, George Parros has natoriously been soft on offending players.

Florida’s William Lockwood will have a hearing today for goalie interference on Minnesota’s Marc-Andre Fleury.

— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) January 20, 2024

At the 5:58 mark of the first period, Lockwood fought Minnesota Wild forward Brandon Duhaime. The proper response for attempting to decapitate the Wild's goalie Fleury.

Goon's Takeaways: UND Beats SCSU, 5-3

Last season, the University of North Dakota hockey team didn't do very well against the St. Cloud State Huskies. In five games against UND, the Huskies dominated the Hawks 3-1-1 and ended their season. UND looked to right the ship on Friday against SCSU. Revenge was on the UND player's minds. 

This week in practice, the UND players kept that in the back of their minds as they traveled to St. Cloud to take on the Huskies. 

"I didn't have to talk about it during the week," head coach Brad Berry said. "I mentioned it once, and it kept coming back in conversations as a group. That's always a tough pill to swallow; when your season gets ended by the team you're playing, there's a little revenge there. The biggest thing for us, we got to stay hungry. We won a game tonight. There can't be any complacency. We got to make sure we're hungry, and we come out hard, just like we did this evening." 

"The first period gave us momentum throughout the game," Blake said. "There will be ups and downs, but we stayed with it and played well tonight."

The players know the importance of this series. It's the only regular season series between the two teams, and the importance of getting a good start and winning in regulation wasn't lost on the UND players. UND would race to a 2-0 lead in the first period with goals from Jackson Blake and Garrett Pyke.

SCSU and UND would exchange goals in the second period. In the back of their minds, UND fans had to wonder if the Hawks could hang on to the lead. In the third period, UND and SCSU scored two more goals, and when the final horn sounded, UND ended the night on top, winning the game 5-3. 

With the win, UND vaulted into first place in the NCHC standings. 

 "You want to be up there -- you don't want to be chasing," Jake Livanavage said. "Now we're in first place. We've earned it. We had a good first half. We just got to keep it rolling."

Embed below are the highlights from last night's game. It was one of the better games of the 2023-24 season. 

Here are some things that stuck out for me during Friday's game. 

UND goalie Ludvig Persson finished with a season-high 34 saves to improve to 13-6-1. After not being 100 percent a week prior, in game one against the Huskies, Persson was on top of his game, making 14 saves on 15 shots in the second period. In 20 games this season, Ludvig has a 2.38 GAA and a .904 save percentage. He also has three shutouts.

"Ludvig (Persson) was outstanding tonight," Berry said. "When he was called upon, he made some huge saves for us." 

Sophomore forward Jackson Blake had another multi-point game, his seventh of the season. That was also his sixth three-point game of the season. Blake has hit the 30-goal threshold for his career with his two-goal game. 

With his two-point game (two assists), sophomore forward Owen McLaughlin extended his point streak to five straight games. McLaughlin has scored four goals and six assists for 10 points in those five games. In 22 games, he's scored (8g-17a--25pts), and he's also plus-six. 

Junior forward Cameron Berg continued his torrid pace. He has points in 12 of his last 15 games, including 10 goals. Last night, Berg scored his 11th goal of the season, a career-high. In 23 games, Berg has scored (11g-11a--22pts), and he's also a plus-10.

Goon’s Takeaways: UND Sweeps Alaska With 6-2 Win

Entering the weekend, UND juggled their forward lines to spark offensive output. Head coach Brad Berry put Hunter Johannes, Cameron Berg, and Riese Gaber on the top line. That line got hot and sparked UND. When the weekend was over, the Hawks had scored 12 goals. 
For the weekend, the top line scored (7g-4a--11pts). 

Mission Accomplished.

UND swept the Nanooks in a convincing fashion (6-4 W and 6-2 W). UND finishes the non-conference portion of their schedule with a 9-2-1 record, its best mark since the 2019-20 season (9-1-1). 

UND captain Riese Gaber racked up (3g-3a--6pts); he also scored two of his three goals on the power play. After this weekend's play, Gaber now has six multi-point games and recorded back-to-back games with at least three points for the first time in his career. 

Junior forward Cameron Berg is getting hot at the right time. He has scored (8g-6a--14pts) in the last 12 games. Berg is fourth on the team in points with (9g-10a--19pts). 

Another player who had an outstanding weekend was sophomore forward Owen McLaughlin; he had a five-point weekend scoring (2g-3a--5pts). In 20 games, McLaughlin has scored (7g-13a--20pts), and he's a plus-six. 

Last night, grad student defenseman Garrett Pyke extended his point streak to seven games with an assist. This past weekend, he had three assists against his former team. Pyke has points in eight of the last nine games (2g-7a--9pts). In 20 games with UND, Pyke has (2g-15a--17pts). 

UND has now gone 13 straight games without a regulation loss, dating back to the 3-2 loss on November 3, 2023, at Boston University. 

 

Goon's Takeaways: UND beats, Alaska 6-4

Entering Friday's non-conference game against the University of Alaska, the University of North Dakota hockey changed their lines around to get more offense production out of their lineup. The new line combinations appeared to add a spark.

UND also started freshman goalie Hobie Hedquist after their starting goalie, Ludvig Persson, came down with an illness. Hedquist stopped 23 of 27 shots and recorded his first collegiate win. 

"I found out in our morning meetings that Luds (Ludvig Persson) was around the rink, and he ended up being too sick," Hedquist said. "Karl Goehring (KG) called me over and said that I'd be going in tonight."

UND didn't start out as quickly as they would've liked. The Hawks ended the first period down 1-0. UND took over in the second period, scoring five goals (Owen McLaughlin X2, Riese Gaber, Cameron Berg, and Louis Jamernik) and chased Nanooks goalie Pierce Charleson from the game. That was the most goals UND had scored in a single period since UND scored five goals in the third period on Oct. 12, 2019, vs. Canisius. 

"First period, not how we have to play," UND head coach Brad Berry said. "I got to commend the way they played. We knew through video and watching how they play. They are an older team. Everybody's over 20 years old; they look like it. They play like men. They played a hard, heavy game early, and our puck management wasn't the greatest. We didn't give ourselves a chance consistently to play in their end of the rink. We did a better job of that in the second period of playing more direct and more simple."

On Friday night, UND's power play cashed in twice on six power play chances. 

Sophomore forward Owen McLaughlin is heating up; he notched his fourth game with three points this season. McLaughlin now is tied for second in points with junior forward Cameron Berg. Finally, McLaughlin has five multi-point games. 

UND has gone 12 straight games without losing in regulation; their last regulation loss was on November 3, 2023, at Boston University. 

Tonight, senior forward Riese Gaber broke a three-game scoreless streak when he scored two goals against the Nanooks. It was the first time since November 18, 2023, Gaber had scored two goals in a game. Gaber now has five multi-point games. 

Sometimes I Have to Pinch Myself; My Sister’s Kid Plays in the NHL (Bobby Brink)

It's hard not to be a fanboy when my little sister's kid plays in the National Hockey League. Sometimes, I have to pinch myself and wonder if this is happening. It is. I wouldn't classify myself as a Flyers fan, but I've watched most of their games. 

The Flyers have a good young team, and they're starting to figure it out. The Flyers front office has drafted well and is developing a good team. This team is different from your father's favorite Broadstreet Bullies hockey team. They spend more time scoring goals than beating people up. 

How did we get here? Bobby Brink was the second-round pick (No. 34) of the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2019 NHL Draft. 

During the 2021-22 season, Brink was the NCAA's leading points scorer with (14g-43a-57pts); he was also a plus 27. He wasn't the strongest in the faceoff dot going 2 for 6 or 33%. However, that wasn't his role. The Pioneers would win their 9th NCAA title, and Brink would sign with the Flyers after the championship game. Brink would finish his collegiate career with (27g-65a--92pts)in 84 games.  

Following his final collegiate season, Brink would play the Flyers last 10 games, recording four assists. In the offseason, Brink would have offseason hip surgery and miss the first half of the season. He'd play the entire 2022-23 season with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League. In 41 games with the Phantoms, he scored (12g-16-28pts) in 41 games. He was also a minus-seven. 

So far this season, Brink has scored (6g-10a--16pts), and he's also a plus-five. He scored the first goal of his NHL career on October 26, 2023. Brink wasn't satisfied with one; he scored his second goal of the game. 

Here's Brink's latest goal.

Bobby Brink (6) gets us right back into the game
pic.twitter.com/s8F66eO0fe

— TLY (@TheLibertyYell) December 23, 2023

Here's his assist from Thursday night.

Bobby Brink's pass deflects off the leg of Morgan Frost, over the net, off the back of Saros, and in... insane!#LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/3PecAiL3wQ

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) December 22, 2023

If I could give my nephew any advice, I would tell him to enjoy it as long as he can. You never know how long your playing career will last. Enjoy those charter flights and excellent hotels. Live the dream.

Hockey East Suspends BC Eagles D-Man Aram Minnetian One Game

It's not just the NHL's Department of Player Safety; now Hockey East appears to go lightly on a player. Why? I've been doing some digging. There are a few possible factors in this decision. 

Saturday, at the 1:35 mark of the second period, Boston College freshman defenseman Aram Minnetian was assessed a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for cross-checking. Call it what you want; it was a dangerous play. 

Today, Minnetian was given a one-game suspension for his actions. Looking at the video, it would appear to be a light suspension. 

AMESBURY, Mass. – Hockey East announced today that Boston College freshman defenseman Aram Minnetian (Woodcliff Lake, N.J.) has been suspended for one game stemming from an incident at 1:25 of the second period on Saturday, December 9 against Providence. Minnetian is ineligible to play Friday, January 12, against the Friars and is able to return to the Eagles' lineup on Saturday, January 13, at Providence.

Having seen the one angle that the broadcast showed, that might be light https://t.co/H3WVoLb2th pic.twitter.com/XbOk8Pd9yR

— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) December 11, 2023

There's a twist to this: Minnetian has a chance to make Team USA and play in the World Junior Championship. Because of his suspension, he might have to sit a game if he makes the team. Did Hockey East go lightly on him because of the possibility that he might be on Team USA? From the sounds, he has a good chance of making the team. 

Minnetian is a candidate for Team USA at the World Juniors. Notably, BC does not play any games between now and the WJC. If Minnetian makes USA, likely has to sit a game. An OHL suspension once cost Stefan Noesen a spot on Team USA, though that was a 10-gamer. https://t.co/Utd1tLcjWe pic.twitter.com/gxsfdNTcr4

— Chris Peters (@chrismpeters) December 11, 2023

Here's what happened through the eyes of a BC hockey blog.

From BC Interupted: The second period opened with BC taking a major penalty of their own, with Aram Minnetian getting five minutes and a game misconduct for a taking a pretty nasty looking swing at a Providence player after a whistle behind the Friars’s net.

I am open to hearing why he was only given a one-game suspension. 

Goon's Takeaways: CC Beat UND 3-2 in OT

Friday night in Grand Forks, the University of North Dakota hockey team opened their two-game conference series against the Colorado College Tigers. This is the last series before the new year. UND would take a two-goal lead with goals from Dylan James and Louis Jamernik V. Then the momentum swung in CC's favor. 

At the 18:10 mark of the second period, UND was the power play when graduate forward Hunter Johannes took an ill-advised, undisciplined penalty in the O-Zone to negate UND's power play. Head coach Brad Berry was unhappy with the undisciplined play in the post-game press conference. It was a bad penalty to take. 

"When you're on a power play trying to score a goal, that's not the time to take a penalty," Berry said. "That's not being team first." It was a bad night for the hometown team; they were a step slow and looked out of sorts. 

"We got away from our game, our identity at North Dakota, Louis Jamernick V said. "That's playing hard, fast, winning puck battles."

 "It kind of got away from us as far as our game," Berry said. "It crept into the second for sure. Not enough guys going tonight. The Jamernik, Schmaltz, and James line were very good for us; they were our top line tonight and played a simple north game. They played fast and played direct, and I didn't think enough of our guys did." 

The Tigers scored three unanswered goals by Noah Laba and Max Burkholder to win 3-2 in OT. It was UND's second straight 3-2 loss in overtime and the first time this season they've dropped back-to-back games. The frustrating thing for the UND players and their fans is that UND held CC to zero shots in the final 22 minutes of the contest (third period and OT) until CC's Laba scored the game-winning goal. 

The Tigers 3-2 OT win snapped a 15-game unbeaten streak for UND, who hadn't lost to the Tigers since Mar. 1, 2019. 

You can watch the highlights below if you haven't seen the game. 

             

NCHC TV: The Conference Can Do Better

Saturday night, during the UND and DU game, UofHockeyblog tweeted out: 

"Credit where it’s due; these DU announcers are pretty funny." 

UofHockeyblog was referring to the Denver Pioneers radio play-by-play announcer. Jay Stickney is funny. In some cases, he goes over the line. A few years back, he compared Sioux fans to ISIS during the pre-game radio broadcast, which was also the UND and DU NCHC audio for their webcast. He didn’t care that NoDak Nation might hear his comments during the break. 

During their broadcast, they now mute the mics during breaks. Later in the game, DU radio voice Jay Stickney and his broadcast partner took a shot at UND graduate forward Hunter Johannes because he had attended three schools in three years. The play-by-play host referred to his choices as a “Bastion of Academy.” 

I imagine Lindenwood and American International College would also take issue with those comments. Also, Johannes couldn't transfer without penalty if he hadn't graduated, but why destroy a good argument. It was all in good fun, right?

Was that petty quip really necessary? It was unprofessional and unnecessary. We get it; both teams hate each other, and it’s a heated rivalry. 

I interviewed Hunter Johannes during the UND Hockey Media Day, and he’s an impressive young man. He’s positive and seems well-grounded. When I asked him about attending UND, his eyes lit up. 

"It's a tradition for my family," Johannes said during an interview on UND hockey media day. "My family was raised in North Dakota. My grandparents went to UND. My uncle went here. I have cousins that currently go here. Now I'm here. It's tradition, and it's family for me. When I came here, it felt like a home for me." 

Johannes, on his decision to come to North Dakota, "Honestly, it wasn't hard for me. This is where I've always wanted to go. So, when you don't get the chance right away, you work your ass off until you do, and that's just what I did." 

This is where Johannes wanted to be, and hard work paid off for him in the end. 

During a recent post-game press conference, Johannes was asked what he liked about playing at UND. 

“I wouldn't want to be in another arena,” Johannes said. “I wouldn’t want to be on another team. I wouldn't want to be next to another teammate. This place everything about is amazing. I love it here.”

I can't imagine a scenario where Midco Sports play-by-play and color hosts Alex Heinert and Jake Brandt would ever make those comments about an opposition player or their institutions. I’ve never heard them do that. 

The Midco hosts interview opposition players and give the other team props. Finally, I’ve never seen any of the NCHC schools conduct an interview of a player and accidentally show it again. I guess I'd expect more from one of the standard bearers in the NCHC. That’s a mistake a college television production might make, but probably not. Someone suggested bringing back the studio one. I know they did a better job than this. 

You would think if you’re going to produce a hockey broadcast that thousands of fans from the opposition schools listen to, you might not want to insult the players, fans, or other institutions. Maybe these players want to be here. Remember, not everyone in your audience is from the school you represent. 

 I know I’ve been hard on some of the member schools in our conference, but it’s year 11, and some of the schools are producing webcasts on NCHC.TV that aren’t up to standard. 

From an earlier post this week. I wrote about Ben Strinden checking at No. 3 in the NCHC Top-5 plays of the week. This was my rant about the quality of work that’s still showing up in year 11. This isn’t year one or two. True to form, in this week's NCHC Top 5 Plays of the Week, Miami University's goalie Logan Neaton's amazing save against Mercyhurst was in fifth place in the Top 5 Plays of the Week. It was hard to see to see his magnificent save because Miami’s highlight video was blurry. Miami University should be embarrassed for putting out this substandard product, but no one is going to hold them accountable.

Think about it. Many of us, including me, reupped our NCHC.TV subscription for $112.00. Is this video worthy of that price? Apparently, they didn't get the memo in Oxford, OH. I've talked about this subject extensively, and the webcast quality from some member schools hasn't improved in some instances. We didn’t have a play-by-play voice to start the second period, so I should’ve counted my blessings. 

I tweeted this out: 

Now, we don’t have any play by play. Which might not be a bad thing. Again, year 11 and we still haven’t figured it out. @TheNCHC

— Eric J. Burton (@goon48) December 3, 2023

Again, it's year 11, and we still haven’t figured it out. We still have blurry images, poor camera angles, no replays of opposition teams, only having one camera at center ice, standard definition instead of high definition. I could go on. You know that when CBS Sports Network does the broadcasts, the product will be awesome and well-produced. The next night, we went back to the same substandard webcast. Is it too much to ask to have a watchable webcast. NCHC hockey fans pay a lot of money to watch these webcasts, and one school has set the standard very high. None of the other schools in the NCHC have been able to meet these very high standards. 

Maybe the NCHC should contract Midco Sports to help them with webcasts. In August, the Summit League Conference made this announcement: 

"The Summit League is ecstatic to announce a new relationship with CBS Sports and an expanded partnership with Midco. This is a historic moment for the League, and these relationships will give fans a better experience to consume Summit League content, with more national exposure on CBS Sports Network and enhanced digital content through Midco," said Summit League Commissioner Josh Fenton. "In an ever-changing and complicated landscape of media rights, we believe the unique combination of CBS Sports and Midco helps the League and membership align with these established priorities." (Link to Release)

Midco Sports is top-notch and very professional. Yes, we're spoiled and lucky to have what we have in Grand Forks, ND. No one in the NCHC comes close to them. Is it fair to compare the other schools to UND? I think it is.

We are spoiled with @AHeinertMidco and @JakeBrandt30 and @TheREA media team. Was just watching the WMU Lindenwood game. It was the radio feed. Ooof.

— Zamboni (@zamboni81) December 3, 2023

As a major consumer of streaming services. I pay hundreds of dollars a year for streaming services: ESPN+ and NCHC.TV, Dirtvision, Flo Sports, AHL.TV, DirecTV. Just off the top of my head, I am also subscribed to other services not listed here. I can confidently say that outside two or three of these NCHC schools, none of them can compare to the productivity produced by Flo Sports and ESPN+. That’s unacceptable. 

 My question is, are fans just supposed to accept mediocrity while they’re paying a significant fee for this product? I am not the only one that is seeing this. I know, watching a lot of college football and basketball on ESPN+ haven’t seen any of these issues pop up.

Goon's Takeaways: DU Beats UND 3-2 in OT to Get the Series Split

When the weekend started, many in NoDak would have agreed that a series split with Denver (7-5 W, 3-2 OT L) would've been an acceptable result. The Hawks hadn't swept in Denver for 20 years, and taking 4-of-6 points would be a great result, considering that point. 

Not so fast. The loss ended an eight-game winning streak by UND. In the post-game press conference, the UND players weren't satisfied with taking 4-of-6 points. 

 "They weren't too happy about last night, so we knew they were going to bring it and there were going to be some emotions out there tonight," UND defenseman Keaton Pehrson told the media following Saturday's game. "We expected that."

If you didn't see Saturday's game, no problem; the highlights are embedded in the YouTube video below.

 

Here are some of the things that stuck out for me this weekend. After watching both games,  I think it was a good hockey weekend for UND. Obviously, a much better for UND would have been a sweep, but that is a very tall task. You could see the guys were a little tired at the end of the second and third periods. 

The players UND acquired through the NCAA Transfer Portal have paid big dividends through the first half of the season. It's not an understatement to say that junior forward Cameron Berg had a big weekend for UND against the Pioneers. Berg scored three goals on the weekend and five goals in his last four games. That translates to seven points during those four games (4g-3a--7pts). He also has five multi-point games. In 16 games, Berg has scored (7g-9a--16-pts), he's also a plus-seven. Four of Berg's 7 goals have come on the power play. Berg is second in the NCHC in faceoff wins 169-101 (.626). 

Another NCAA Transfer Portal acquisition, Hunter Johannes, has scored (7g-5a--12pts) in 16 games. He is a plus-10. Until Saturday night, he hadn't scored a goal on the road. He finally broke through at the 3:08 mark of the third period.  

Sophomore forward Jackson Blake is on fire. He is on a seven-game scoring streak (5g-7a--12pts). In 16 games, Blake has scored (11g-11a--22pts), which leads UND. He is a plus-six. Blake is tied for fourth in the NCHC in points with 22.  

UND closes out the 2023 part of the schedule this weekend against Colorado College. They play the next six games at home (seven if you count the exhibition game against the U18 team). UND has 20 regular season games, 12 at home and eight on the road. UND is 8-1-1 at home and 4-2 on the road. 

They Said what?

With Nick back at the helm at Let's Go DU. Much better. 

The Grand Forks Herald: UND Drops Series Finale in Overtime

Goon's Takeaways: UND Beats DU in Denver, 7-5

Last night in Magness Arena, after the game, when game officials posted the final box score read UND 7 DU 5. It was a tale of two games. UND would score first with a goal from forward Dylan James. Then the momentum would shift, and then it was all Denver as they raced to a 4-1 lead. In the first period, UND looked like deer in the headlights. UND also came out on their heels and a step slow. Maybe a little nervous. UND didn't panic. 

In the second period, UND picked up momentum, got a rhythm, and started chipping away at the Pioneer's 4-1 lead. UND would score six of the last seven goals to beat the Pioneers. I know this sounds cliche, but this game may end up being one for the ages. You can see the highlights below if you didn't watch Friday's game. 

Entering Friday's game against DU, UND goalie Ludvig Persson had played in 12 games, going 1-11-0, 4.69 GAA, and a .879 save percentage, snapped an 11-game losing streak to the Pioneers. The last time Persson had beaten DU was on December 17, 2020, in the pod at Baxter Arena. Persson struggled in the first period, stopping 6/10 shots. He would finish the game with 27 saves on 32 shots.  Persson is now (12-2-1, 2.06 GAA, .917 save percentage). He also has three shutouts. 

With the win, UND is now on an eight-game winning streak. That's the longest in the nation. With the win, UND also vaulted to the top of the Pairwise rankings. Yes, I still think it's too early to worry, but it was mentioned somewhere else.  

UND freshman forward Jayden Perron recorded his first assist of the season. He now has (7g--1a--8pts), he's also a plus-four. 

Sophomore forward Jackson Blake continues to shine; he notched his fifth three-point game of the season, which leads, UND. He's also scored in five straight games; that's a career-high. In 15 games this season, Blake has scored (11g-10a--21pts); he's also a plus-nine. Two of his 11 goals have come on the power play. Blake has six multi-point games this season. That leads UND. In 54 games, Blake has scored (27g-36a--63pts).

After missing four games due to injury, sophomore forward Jake Schmaltz returned to the lineup and added a pair of assists. In 10 games, Schmaltz has recorded six assists and is a plus-one. 

Sophomore forward Owen McLaughlin also recorded three points for the third time this year. In 14 games this season, he's scored (4g-11a--15pts), and he's also a plus-seven. The Spring City, PA., native has recorded four multi-point games this season. McLaughlin has equaled his point total of last season.   

Some in the college hockey world made a big deal about UND using the NCAA Transfer Portal to fill in their roster holes. UND hit the jackpot with junior forward Cameron Berg. The Fargo native now has four multi-point contests in his last seven games.  Speaking of faceoffs, the Hawks finished with a 33-25 advantage over the Pioneers. Berg led the way for UND, going 13-6 (.684).  In 15 games, Berg has (6g-8a--14pts); he's also a plus-seven. 

They Said

You can get the Let's Go DU perspective on last night's game. 

The Grand Forks Herald Gamer 

"I get it, they're a high-emotion team," Louis Jamernik V told the Grand Forks Herald following the game. "They can get a little cocky sometimes. We just said, 'All right, we'll match it. If you want to put your stick up in front of our bench, we'll do the same to you.'"

"We knew, and we thought there were going to be growing pains at certain points through the year," DU Head Coach David Carle said. "This hurts; this needs to hurt. We can't forget how this feels and go about it the same way we always do. We'll teach and try and get better."

UND Forward Ben Strinden Checks in at Number Three in NCHC Top 5 Plays of the Week

Last Saturday, in the third period of UND's non-conference tilt against the Bemidji State Beavers, sophomore forward Ben Strinden scored his third goal of the season giving UND a comfortable 3-0 lead. It was a backhand finish, he faked the goalie and put the puck in the net. UND would win the game 5-0, and sweep the Beavers, (3-2 W and 5-0 W). Strinden has really picked up his game and it has shown on the score sheet, too. He's tied for sixth on the team in blocked shots.

   

True to form, in this week's NCHC Top 5 Plays of the week, Miami University's goalie Logan Neaton amazing save against Mercyhurst was fifth in the Top 5 Plays of the Week, and it was hard to see to see his magnificent save, because Maimi's highlight video was blurry. Miami University should be embarrassed for putting out such a substandard product. Think about it. Many of us, including me, reupped our NCHC.TV subscription for $112.00. Is this video worthy of that price? Apparently, they didn't get the memo in Oxford, OH. I've talked about this subject extensively, and in some instances the webcast quality from some member schools hasn't improved.  

During the sprint of 2022, the NCHC tweeted this out.

We will work with select schools to improve their stream quality

Staying with @SIDEARMSports allows https://t.co/ZyUdpPrI2J to be accessed worldwide (ESPN+ is U.S. only), allows us to combine our 2 sites into 1, & all our teams also have SIDEARM sites so we can share data/video

— The NCHC (@TheNCHC) May 19, 2022

During the 2023-24 college hockey season, fans who purchase the NCHC's Annual Pass will pay $112.00. In this economy, that is a lot of money. I am not expecting a lot of improvement from the usual suspects that have put out a subpar product. Again, there is supposed to be a minimum standard. I'm betting that Arizona State will have a decent product; if their PAC12 hockey videos are any indication.

Did the Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov Get Away With One?

Last night, the Minnesota Wild won their second game in a row with an impressive 6-1 win against the Nashville Predators. The Wild played like a team possessed. However, there might be an unexpected twist; a Minnesota Wild's star player could be getting a call from the NHL's Department of Players Safety. At the present moment, there hasn't been a call from the NHL's Department of Players Safety, but I wouldn't be shocked if it happened.  

During last night's game, Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov might have gotten away with a dirty hit. See the video below. In the first period, Kaprizov hit Predators defenseman Alexandre Carrier in the head when he didn't have the puck. Predators Nation is unhappy with Kirill. 

 "This is exactly what the NHL is trying to get out of the game, Predators Puck Analyst Hall Gill said after the first period. The hits to the head, this is this is embarrassing that this was not a five-minute major. Kaprizov should be out. Carrier doesn't have the puck and he finishes through on his head. 

"This is highly illegal. This is what the NHL has been getting rid of for how many years now? This is old school. I hate to see Carrier going off the ice. It's just such a dirty hit. As a hockey player, you have an obligation to protect someone. If they don't have the puck. You can't hit them. And if they don't have the puck, you certainly can't hit them in the head. The rest should have made this call; this is embarrassing."

.@Skillsy75 is not happy about the referees not calling the Kaprizov hit on Carrier a major penalty.

"This is exactly what the NHL is trying to get out of the game..." pic.twitter.com/pCCExZjjzk

— Alex Daugherty (@AlexDaugherty1) December 1, 2023

"I didn't see the hit but I was talking to the refs, Predators forward Ryan O'Reilly told the Tennessean after the game. They said there was head contact. It should have been reviewed. I asked them to review it. I don't know if they made a mistake or not. Obviously, a dangerous play." As of right now, there's no hearing scheduled, but that doesn't mean the league won't take a look at the hit. If they do, Kaprizov could be in trouble.

As of now, no hearing announced for Kirill Kaprizov, so at least in terms of a suspension, Dept of Player Safety may have decided on nothing or a fine after considering his head contact on Carrier

If that’s the case, the #mnwild & Hynes will have a full lineup (Hartman) Sunday

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) December 1, 2023

Russo has a point with this tweet if the roles were reversed., Wild fans would be upset. Yes, the Wild's star players have seen opposition players take runs at their star players, but Kaprizov has put a target on himself the next time he plays the Predators. 

The forensic expert fans on my mentions today are such hypocrites. It’s so funny to me. Imagine if the roles were reversed here

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) December 1, 2023

What's the Difference Between Hathaway's and Smith's Hits?

Tonight in Boston, at the 13:57 mark of the second period, San Jose Sharks forward Givani Smith boarded Brad Marchand, and for his efforts, Smith was assessed a two-minute minor penalty for boarding. Smith wasn't awarded any extra penalty minutes for his extracurricular activity, post-hit. Boston Bruins defenseman Derek Forbort took notice and grabbed Smith. Derek Forbort was assessed a two-minute minor for roughing.

Givani Smith hits Brad Marchand from behind and the Bruins immediately come to Marchand’s defense: pic.twitter.com/3NsHLU9q6N

— Evan Marinofsky (@EvanMarinofsky) December 1, 2023

About five minutes later, at the 19:06 mark of the second period, Bruins forward Trent Frederic and Givani Smith engaged in hand-to-hand combat. This was a direct response to Smith's dirty hit on Brad Marchand. Since the on-ice officials aren't going to protect the players, the players will have to take matters into their own hands. 

Trent Frederic and Givani Smith drop the gloves. pic.twitter.com/psGaKCdk0O

— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) December 1, 2023

Meanwhile in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the 16:15 mark of the first period, Flyers forward Garnet Hathaway earned himself an early shower with this dirty hit. Why was this a penalty? It was going to be an icing call. When the final box score is posted it will read Garnet Hathaway Boarding against Luke Hughes, five-minute major, and a game misconduct. I wonder if he will get a call from the NHL's Department of Player Safety. Probably not. 

Garnet Hathaway gets a game misconduct for boarding Luke Hughes... pic.twitter.com/nx2iONNErW

— Broad Street Hockey (@BroadStHockey) December 1, 2023

If you put these two plays side-by-side why is one a minor and the other a major? Both plays are dangerous and seem worthy of a five-minute major and a game misconduct.  You can see for yourself.

If you had to guess which one got a major and which didn’t who would you pick? Smith on the left or Hathaway on the right? This leagues a joke pic.twitter.com/sstxysXpkX

— OnlyBruins (@OnlyBruinsPod) December 1, 2023