So my analysis of the NoDak game is

[Capt28]

1. They were just better than us to start with.

2. The same mistakes we made all year, and the same things we were poor at all year, cost us the chance to beat a better team.

One thing this weekend makes quite clear is that 4 months of playing B1G teams, at least at the league's current overall quality level, doesn't prepare you to play good HE and NCHC teams at the end of the year.

That noted, we were 4th in the PWR at one point in the second half of the season. We frittered away our chance to be a #1 seed in a regional, and potentially have an easier path to the FF, with poor games against MSU, Wisconsin, OSU (3) and Minny.

Well - let's see who is enrolled in school when practice starts next fall, and who it is that's coaching 'em.

 

[alfadriver]

No comment about the fact that our "best" line was on the ice for most of UND's goals???

Or that our captain got a nice assist to them even though he got our two goals?

Our top line was terrible all weekend. Just awful. Lucky that they got the GW in OT last night, as they tanked tonight, badly.

You say we got out played by a better team- the other lines didn't play that badly.

 

[mgobob]

If you cannot get the puck out of your own end, you can't score! This had to be the most one sided game I have ever seen them play. If it wasn't for Racine being the man, it would have been a total blowout. Did we see the final game for the CCM line and Red?

 

[alfadriver]

So a night without much sleep (thanks to the vodka and rum...) I'm calmer this morning.

It's hard to watch such a talented team not handle the puck well all night. Especially when they do well during the season. Yes UND played well, but our passes were off all night- many of the turn overs were just poor passes.

And when we panic, then all breakouts struggle. Compher's turn over made the team more desperate to get the puck out and it showed by the randomness what they did- pass around the net to nobody, or up and one the glass to just give it back to UND. Then getting into the zone- dump, chase, hope for a shot, and normally let UND come out easily.

That wasn't the team we saw many times this season dominate the other team, this was the team we saw struggle against Robert Morris. Perhaps UND is that much of a better team, but I don't thinks so- and that's what makes it so hard to take.

 

[ugenious]

und is pretty fair. that's the best defense i have seen.

 

[Capt28]

Well everything everyone says above falls into the category of the things we did poorly all year hurt us yesterday. Including the CCM line turning the puck over in the D-zone.

I don't want to diminish Conner's season or his abilities, he obviously has a huge amount of skill. and he might be wearing an NHL jersey by this time next weekend, but after watching the last 2 games against probably the 2 best, or at worst 2 of the 3 best, teams we played this year, I have to discount a bit all the goals and points he piled up against B1G teams.

 

[maize_in_losgatos]

UND has been playing at a very highly level the entire year, they had one weekend where they got swept at Denver but still were in the top-4 of the PWR after that weekend. I thought they would be the toughest matchup for UM along with Qunnipiac and was hoping once UM was locked into a two seed that they would get Providence or SCSU. And that would have happened if NoDak won the conf tourney but scsu won it and got the overall 2 seed, leaving 3 seed NoDak with 10 seeded Michigan.

I wouldn't be so hard on the CCM line, things tighten up defensively in the tournament, there are less power plays, and it would have been good if they had gotten into the tourney last year to get some experience.