Sunday Thoughts: November 18

UMD Gains One Point in a Pair of OT Games

UMD is getting closer, but still has a long way to go.

Mired in last place in the WCHA, they gave two valiant efforts this weekend in Grand Forks against North Dakota.

Friday night the team fought back in the third to gain the game tying goal and a precious point on the road in a 4-4 game.  It definitely looked as though the team was making a statement and was poised to take the next step.

Saturday saw an apparent continuation of a statement started by the Bulldogs Friday night as they roared to a 3-0 lead.  Then the problems of old entered in demonstrated by UMD allowing the next 4 goals en route to a 4-3 OT loss.

Even though play seems to be getting better for UMD, there is no moral victory here.  Time is ticking and the season is moving by.  Next week at this time UMD will have finished the first third, or period, of the regular season and we will be working on the first report card for the team.

In our staff discussions last week, we were looking two weeks ahead, at UND and home against SCSU.  We talked about playing two good teams and how UMD needed to get at least two points somewhere in those four games.  Now being halfway there in both game and points we have three thoughts:

1. Scoring needs to be spread out.  Our preview for this past weekend talked about how freshman heavy scoring is for UMD.  This weekend didn’t change that much if at all.  Farley and Cameranesi teamed for three goals and two assists.  Look for Cameranesi to be in consideration if not a front-runner for WCHA Rookie of the Week.
2. Holding leads.  The Bulldogs have lead in their last three games and have only one point to show for their efforts.
3. Talent abounds and the future is bright.  Good, but bad.  Fans want to win now and this team should be in the W column more than they are now, zero for November.

Up Next.  As mentioned above, Saint Cloud State is the Thanksgiving leftovers for UMD in Duluth this Friday and Saturday.  The Huskies were off this past weekend and are currently 6-4-0 overall and tied for 4^th in the WCHA.

Elsewhere in the WCHA:

Michigan Tech travelled to Bemidji State and played two OT games just like the UMD-UND series.  Except here, the Huskies took both games in the extra session.  Great for MTU, but devastating for the Beavers moving forward.  

The Gophers still are showing they are a team building towards something, we think.  I know that Wisconsin is a rival, but they are down especially with Zengerle out and UMTC should have had four points.

Denver is on a roll after sweeping CC this weekend in part one of the Goldpan series.  It will be a hard climb for CC to take the Pan.  Denver certainly looks to be in the driver seat of the WCHA right now.

Searching for Answers in Grand Forks

Bulldogs Travel to North Dakota for Series

Bulldogs need to pull together.  Pictured above is the well
rounded team in 2011 prior to playing Notre Dame in the
Frozen Four.  College Hockey HighHorse: Andrew Fiskness

The Bulldogs find themselves in a place they are not accustomed to in the WCHA, last.  Two years removed form the national championship, UMD is struggling to find consistency in defense and upperclassmen scoring.  The result is a dismal 2-5-1 overall record with 0-3-1 in WCHA play.

Dismal may be strong, but the opponents have not been the really good teams of the NCAA.  The highest regarded team the Bulldogs have played thus far is Notre Dame and they found a way to go 1-1-0 against them in South Bend.

This weekend’s travel brings UMD to Grand Forks to face the North Dakota Hockey Team.  North Dakota is 4-3-1, 2-1-1 good for 6^th in the WCHA, the highest team with four conference games played.

Defense for 60.  The defense’s struggles this season have been talk about by many and on full display for those in attendance.  At times they look great, but it is the mental letdowns, turnovers, and bad positioning that is occurring that really has UMD in a hole.

The question that needs to be answered here is can the defense play a solid 60?  Even with the scoring ups and downs, the team has managed to out score opponents in the first and second periods.  The third period is where UMD is getting destroyed scoring three goals for and allowing seven against.

The Bulldogs have prided themselves on their third period dominance in recent years and that attitude and effort needs to be rediscovered.

Looking for Scoring Leaders.  UMD is a young team and a talented team.  Nine freshman is quite a few, but the seven seniors and four juniors should help even that out, right?  Not really.  The seniors (7) have tallied 17 points (7 goals 11 assists) and the freshman (9) have the exact same number of goals and assists.  That tells me the freshman are carrying this team even though they have more of them, the experience up top should be doing more.

Individually, senior Mike Seidel leads the team in scoring followed by freshmen Tony Cameranesi and Austin Farley with senior Wade Bergman rounding out.  Seidel and Bergman combine for 5-10-15 of the 17 senior points!  Meanwhile Cameranesi and Farley are 5-8-13 of the freshman 17.  Where is everyone else and who is going to lead this team?  The numbers are low and they come from only a few and that will present a problem as UMD goes through the season if it doesn’t change.

As an alarming side note, the four juniors, none of whom are goalies, have three points.  All three points have come on goals form Joe Basaraba.

Weekend by the Stats.  The StatPack for UMD and UND:

Images via Wikipedia: Bulldog, WCHA, North Dakota

 Of note:

• UMD saves percentage now has fallen below 0.900 for the first time in weeks.
• The Bulldogs take the most penalty minutes per game in the nation.  UND's PP isn't staler, but they will likely get many chances this weekend.
• UMD opponents have earned WCHA Defensive Player of the Week for the Bulldog's last two series.  Both are goaltenders.

Around the WCHA and Picks by Fiskness.  The Bulldogs struggles continued last weekend and are hoping for a big turn around this weekend in Grand Forks.  It is hard to say must win in November, but these games are must wins (at least a split) if the Bulldogs want to fininsh in the top half at the end of the season.  All of the WCHA games this weekend should show exactly how good is each team.

Wisconsin at Minnesota – Twin Cities:  This series is a great rivalry and will be a nice benchmark to see where the two teams stand in the conference.  The loss of Zengerle will hurt the Badgers scoring in these games.  I think we will finally see the Gopher team the everyone had hyped in the off season, Gophers sweep. 

Minnesota – Duluth at North Dakota:  The is a good rivalry with North Dakota having a large advantage all time in the series.  I don't think a whole lot of analysis is needed in this series. The Bulldogs continue to take penalties and do not have enough talent to overcome penalty kill goals.  I don't see why that will change this weekend.  UMD gets swept by North Dakota. 

Michigan Tech at Bemidji State:  Both teams have been up and down so far this season.  The home ice should help the Beavers, but I think the talent leans towards the Huskies.  I will go with a split. 

Denver and Colorado College (home and home):  This is another great rivalry.  Both teams are playing well and are in the top 10 overall in team scoring.  The defense advantage goes to Denver, with the Pioneers near the top averaging just 1.88 goals against per game so far this season.  The home and home should make for a split.

Sunday Thoughts on a Monday

UMD Swept Out of Omaha

What was thought to be a reloading season has quickly moved to a big time rebuilding season for the Bulldogs.  The pair of losses to Omaha displayed the struggles and inconsistencies for UMD.

The now frequently maligned defense was thought to be the stronghold for the young front liners and they are.  Yes, turnovers have lead to goals, some of which were really bad turnovers, but giving up two or three goals per game should not be a killer in college hockey.  In the five UMD losses, they have allowed two goals twice and three goals once.

The main problem coming to light with UMD is the lack of scoring from the upperclassmen.  Mike Seidel was expected to be a leader and he is tops in scoring for the team.  Players that the Bulldogs are waiting to get on track are surprises like Herbert, Flaherty, Hendrickson, and team captain Cody Danberg.

The Bulldogs have dug themselves a hole and they really have nowhere to go but up…or maybe stay at the same level.

Up Next.  North Dakota fresh off a split at Saint Cloud is the next opponent for UMD in Grand Forks.  North Dakota is a team with lots of talent and firepower that has yet to sweep a series this season.  This weekend may be their next best chance.

Run in Saint Cloud.  The Huskies are night and day better than last year.  That is what getting good, experienced players to return will get you.  SCSU is a team that is playing at a high level this year after going 17-17-2 a season ago.  Look for the Huskies to stay in the top half of the league and do well behind the play of upperclassmen Hanowski, LeBlanc, and Dowd.  

Oh and UMD hosts the Huskies after playing in North Dakota.

UMD Back to Work at Omaha

Saturday/Sunday Series on Tap for Bulldogs

UMD will try to get back on track after a week off when they get to work against Nebraska - Omaha.  The series is a Saturday/Sunday series as UMD looks for their first WCHA win of the season.

UMD is currently tied for 11th and last in the WCHA with Alaska - Anchorage with one point.

StatPack.  The current statistic analysis for UNO and UMD:

Images via Wikipedia: Bulldog, WCHA, Maverick

Of note:

• UMD's defense is good, at least on paper.  It is the offense that is lagging behind.
• The amount of penalty minutes is still putting UMD in a bad situation most nights.  maybe that isn't as dangerous this weekend looking at UNO's power play numbers.

Missing Offense.  Don't go looking on the sides of milk cartons for the offense for the Bulldogs.  It is there, but it needs to be primed again.  The first game of the season against Ohio State showed what the scorers are capable of.  Now they need to find the scoring groove again and take the pressure off the defense to be perfect.

Around the WCHA and Picks by Fiskness.
UMD is looking to get back into the winning ways as UMD is currently in a very unfamiliar spot in the standings.  This year has the appearance of parity across the league.  It is important for UMD to get some wins and stay in the hunt.  A week off should help steady the team, now the veteran defense needs to stand strong and play they way they have in the past.

WCHA Conference:
University of Minnesota Duluth at University of Nebraska Omaha: This is a good series for UMD to figure out who they are as a team.  The last few years the Bulldogs have been a good road team and they hope to continue that trend.  The Mavericks have been up and down this season so far.  I am picking a split.

University of North Dakota at St. Cloud State University:  This should be a great series with lots of hitting and probably a good bit of scoring.  If there is an advantage to one team it is for the home ice.  I will pick a split.

Denver University at Minnesota State University Mankato: The Mavericks played the Gophers well the previous week showing they might have more than expected.  Denver had a tough series at home that resulted in a split.  I think the Mavericks played up for the Gophers and there will be a let down this weekend.  Pioneers sweep.

Bemidji State University at Colorado College:  This is the Beavers first real test of the season and I think the Tigers at home will hold off Bemidji resulting in taking 3 of the 4 points.  Tigers win and tie.

University of Minnesota Twin Cities at University of Alaska Anchorage:  This is always a tough road trip for any team.  If the Gophers had be playing better I would say a sweep without hesitation, but The Seawolves seem to have enough spunk along with lack of rhythm for the Gophers will result in a 3 point Gopher weekend.  Gophers win and tie.

Off Weekend for UMD Welcomed

UMD Gets Time; WCHA Has Four Conference Series

This weekend UMD is off.  The punch line some may insert here is that they have been “off” their game all season.  And that is why having time to fix things early in the season may likely get the Bulldogs on track.

The hope is that time off, extra coaching, and relaxation will get the players ready for the grueling road series coming up at Omaha and North Dakota before coming back to Duluth to face Saint Cloud State right after Thanksgiving.

Around the WCHA and Picks by Fiskness.  The bye week for the Bulldog’s couldn’t come at a better time. This statement on the fourth weekend of the season is a little unsettling for Bulldog fans, but true. Last weekend UMD hosted the Badgers and after two games the Bulldogs were able to hold on for a 1 point weekend. The Bulldogs continue to have issues scoring and giving consistent play for a whole game. Another problem seems to be the rate at which UMD is taking penalties. The Bulldogs will need to be more disciplined if they want to finish in the top half of the standings. A weekend off should help the Bulldogs regroup after this past disappointing weekend.

It is still early in the season and teams are still trying to get an identity. More analysis can be made after a few more series are played.

WCHA Conference:

Nebraska – Omaha at Michigan Tech: The huskies have played some good hockey on their home ice and the Mavericks will have to be ready for a tough weekend. I still am skeptical that Tech can put together 2 solid games back to back so I will pick a split.

Minnesota State Mankato and Minnesota Twin Cities (home and home): The Gophers barely got past the Golden Griffins last weekend meanwhile the Mavericks got run over in St. Cloud. The Gophers are a much more talented team, but this series always ends up being very physical. I think the Mavericks will be able to do enough to earn 1 point as the Gopher will win one and the other game will be a tie.

Colorado College at Wisconsin: The Badgers had an impressive weekend against Duluth and appear to have gained positive momentum back after being swept the first weekend of the season. The Tigers come into this series trying to get the ship back upright after giving up 5 power play goals and getting swept by the Big Red of Cornell. If the Tigers defense and special teams play good enough they will be able to get a split, but they are very suspect right now. Split.

Saint Cloud State at Denver: The Huskies put up a bunch of goals against the Mavericks last weekend and may now be playing with the potential that many expected. Going to Denver will not be easy for the Huskies though as the Pioneers appear to be in mid-season form this early in the season. Two hard fought games resulting in a split.

Non-Conference:

Boston University at North Dakota: This should be a good matchup for both teams. The advantage goes to North Dakota on the home ice, but the Terriers should have enough to earn a split in this series.

Sunday Thoughts: Week III

Bulldogs Struggle While Gaining One Point

A frightful Halloween weekend for the maroon and gold of Minnesota Duluth.  The Bulldogs lost and tied the Badgers in Duluth and the one point “earned” is of little consolation.  I use the word earned, but really it is stumbled upon that would be more fitting.

Friday night displayed all of UMD’s weaknesses and struggles on offense where is was at times like keystone cops on ice.  Saturday brought scoring, but limited in only scoring two goals before letting UW tie it up in the third en route to the tie.

And it was the same thing that UMD has struggled with the whole young season, keeping the defense from making bad, really bad, plays that allow scoring chances.   What really hurts the team is that the defense is what was supposed to anchor the team and give the young forwards a chance to get their legs under them.  But now it just looks like the whole team is not cut out to challenge in the WCHA.

I did say that the forwards are young, but not all of them.  And really no forward is consistent or really even a threat that the other team needs to pay close attention to.  The closest UMD has to a threat is Mike Seidel, but he was held to one point on the weekend, an assist.  To look at the lineup and how they are playing, it may be that UMD ahs the most “third liners” in the nation.  It has been said here and it may be like beating the dead horse, but no player like a Connolly, Brown, or Oleksuk is going to walk in and take over the game.  This team needs to understand that and step up, end of rant.

What is going right is the goaltending position.  Granted the team isn’t winning, but the goalie is doing his part to keep the team in the game.  McNeely over the weekend did everything you can expect a young goalie to do.  He gave up two goals each night which is not a game killer in college hockey and similar to a baseball “quality start.”   McNeely’s overall GAA is a terrific 1.64 with a phenomenal 0.935 save percent.

Bemidji Owns Omaha.  It is amazing how the Beavers can dominate game after game now for the three seasons each have been members of the WCHA.  BSU has gone 7-1-4 against the red Mavs over the past three seasons.  Lucky for Omaha, there is likely one more series with the Beavers before they part when the WCHA breaks up next season.

WCHA Still the Best?  It is early in the season, but indicators are setting up.  How do the Gophers tie the US U18 team and come back to beat mighty Canisius 1-0 earlier today.  And both games  were played by their main players in the lineup.  Additionally, Colorado College traveled to Cornell and was swept back to Colorado Springs.

On the other hand, Denver looks good in their first four games and will be pressing for the league title.

Next Up.  The Bulldogs are looking at a weekend off that may be coming at an excellent time so Sandelin can circle the wagons and rally the team.  The goal is always to get better, but UMD is also looking at a trip to Omaha in two weeks and will need to be ready for the red Mavs.

Badgers Come to Duluth to Start WCHA Schedule

Final WCHA Season for UW and UMD Starts Friday

Badgers are back and UMD may very well be thankful for it.  UMD is 5-1-1 in their last seven against Wisconsin, but the recurring theme for this year’s Bulldogs is that this is a new team that is freshman heavy.  So what does the last seven meetings mean?  Not much ever in college sports where team rosters are changing year to year, but this season, even less than other years.  UMD has 26 rostered players, 15 of them are freshman or sophomores.

What we have seen so far is indicative to young teams, inconsistent play.   In each series it is Jekyll/Hyde thing going.  The Bulldogs look good one night and come in flat the next.  The highs and lows will be worked out at some point, but the sooner the better for the well being of the team.

The main items that will help shake the inconsistency are confidence coupled with good coaching.  UMD one of the best coaching staffs that have pushed teams to be better and now they have their work cut out for them again.

The Badgers are still an enigma.  Going 0-2-0 against Northern Michigan was not impressive, but it is also a small sample size.  This will be one of those early weekends where we will just have to see what happens.

StatPack.  One way we can differentiate the teams is by the stats.  Our first installment of the StatPack is as follows:

Images via Wikipedia: Bulldog, WCHA, Badger

Of note:

• UMD’s power play is doing well, but it has been aided by many chances afforded by CCHA officiating and
• The Bulldogs need to cut down on the penalties if they plan on winning and completing for home ice at the end of the season.

Puck is Being Stopped Here.  The team save percentage is really good for UMD, but it still feels so unsettled at goalie.  Crandall does not seem like the only answer and McNeely has only had one shot so far.  So what can we expect?  One has to think that the weekend will be split and who knows, maybe even Fons will get some time.  Number one goalie is not even close to being settled, but this weekend hopefully shed some (positive) results.

Off We Go!  It is the beginning of the last season for each of these teams in the WCHA.  One last shot at the MacNaughton Cup and the title in arguably the best conference in the nation.

Around the WCHA and Picks by Fiskness.   Last weekend started early with the Bulldogs taking on the Fighting Irish in South Bend on Thursday night.  The Thursday/Friday series was due to a home football game on Saturday.  Viewers of the Thursday night game saw a UMD team that played great defense and blocked many shoots, just like an experienced defense should.  The Saturday game was a different story, as there was numerous turnovers by the defense of which several immediately turned into goals.  A very disappointing effort from the team and especially the defense.  In our opinion it seemed as if the players were actually trying to do too much and make a play instead of sticking with fundamentals and playing hockey. 

We are a little concerned that some of the veteran players might not be used to carrying the load as in years past they could rely on the Jack or JT to pick up the slack.  This team is going to need to learn their roles and not try to be something they are not.  It is a talented team that does look like they can beat anybody, but they will have their struggles.  One positive is the play from Mike Seidel.  He showed much improved overall play and strength, reminding me of MacGregor Sharp.  If he continues to give the same effort and gets some help from others this team will be a contender.

WCHA Conference Games:

Michigan Tech at Denver:  Tech split with the Gophers last weekend at home and now have to go on the road.  Denver got two wins at home and they are looking to continue their streak.  The Huskies will have some troubles this weekend resulting in a Denver win and a tie. 

Minnesota State Mankato at Saint Cloud State:  This is a good matchup to see where the teams are at early in the season.  The Huskies seemed to turn things around against the Chargers, who played the Mavericks tough the week before.  The Mavericks come off a win and a tie at home against the Engineers from Troy, NY.  Mike Hastings should get his first WCHA win against his alma mater, as this series will be a split. 

Wisconsin at Minnesota Duluth:  This is another good matchup to see where the teams are at early in the season, probably the best of the weekend.  UMD has played well in the first game and poor in the second game of their two series so far this season.  Meanwhile Bucky played on a neutral site and didn't find it's offense resulting in getting swept by the Wildcats from Marquette, MI.  Until UMD shows evidence otherwise I have to go with a split. 

Alaska – Anchorage at North Dakota:  UND will be getting the suspended players back and will be too much for the Seawolves this weekend, UND sweep. 

Bemidji State at Nebraska – Omaha:  The Beavers own this series.  Both teams are coming off a weekend of split and that will continue as the Mavericks will finally get their first win (0-4-2) in almost two years against the Beavers.

Non-Conference:

Colorado College at Cornell:  After the UMD vs. UW series this is probably the best series of the weekend.  The Tigers are 3-1 so far this season and face the Big Red in Ithaca, NY.  Cornell has yet to play a NCAA game so the advantage should go to CC, but the Big Red hometown hero Andy Iles in net could be the difference this weekend.  I see a split. 

Canisius at Minnesota Twin Cities (Sunday):  The Golden Griffins from Buffalo, NY come into Minneapolis with a win on the Road in the Kendall classic against the Nanooks and a couple of close losses to the Broncos of Western Michigan, but the Gophers have too much talent and will get the win.