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UNO '13-'14 Season Thread: Barnstorming Through a New League and Raising a New Barn

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  • #16
    Re: UNO '13-'14 Season Thread: Barnstorming Through a New League and Raising a New Ba

    Originally posted by Red Cows View Post
    To some degree.

    This has become an issue that is being debated now at Mavpuck:

    http://www.mavpuck.com/mpboard/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=9450

    Hard to argue with the thread starter's assertions (which is not me, by the way).

    I am not entirely happy with what I am seeing, either.
    I am certainly not an expert on UNO hockey, but I can tell you going into the season it was easy to see that this team was going to have a problem stopping the other team. The defense was 43rd in the country last year in team defense, so they weren't good to begin with. They lost Faulkner, who was the best of a bad lot of goalies (Not sure why Stolarz left). They lost Sustr and Aneloski who were probably their two best defensemen. So I don't know how you could expect them to come out of the gates this season and be a good defensive team. I don't think they will be at any point of the season, but with time and good coaching, who knows?

    Offensively, they are scoring at the same clip as last year. So no surprises there either. I understand that as a fan you would like your team to be above .500 and have hopes of the playoffs, but I don't know anyone who foresaw that for UNO this year.
    Originally posted by SJHovey
    Pretty sure this post, made on January 3, 2016, when UNO was 14-3-1 and #2 in the pairwise, will go down in USCHO lore as The Curse of Tipsy McStagger.
    Originally posted by Brenthoven
    We mourn for days after a loss, puff out our chests for a week or more after we win. We brave the cold for tailgates, our friends know not to ask about the game after a tough loss, we laugh, we cry, we BLEED hockey, specifically the maroon'n'gold. Many of us have a tattoo waiting in the wings, WHEN (not IF) the Gophers are champions again.

    Comment


    • #17
      Re: UNO '13-'14 Season Thread: Barnstorming Through a New League and Raising a New Ba

      Originally posted by Tipsy McStagger View Post
      I am certainly not an expert on UNO hockey, but I can tell you going into the season it was easy to see that this team was going to have a problem stopping the other team. The defense was 43rd in the country last year in team defense, so they weren't good to begin with. They lost Faulkner, who was the best of a bad lot of goalies (Not sure why Stolarz left). They lost Sustr and Aneloski who were probably their two best defensemen. So I don't know how you could expect them to come out of the gates this season and be a good defensive team. I don't think they will be at any point of the season, but with time and good coaching, who knows?

      Offensively, they are scoring at the same clip as last year. So no surprises there either. I understand that as a fan you would like your team to be above .500 and have hopes of the playoffs, but I don't know anyone who foresaw that for UNO this year.
      I agree, defense and goaltending were my biggest concerns as well.

      FWIW, I think Sustr was the most overrated player in program history. Yeah, I know he's playing in the NHL. If he wasn't 6' 8" I don't know if he would be and I don't know how long that keeps him there, either.

      As far as Aneloski is concerned, I always thought he was a big stiff. From day one. He's playing with the ECHL Orlando Solar Bears, last I heard.

      I certainly have never thought (nor dared to say) they'd come out of the gates this season and be a good defensive team. In fact, I don't know how much they can or will improve, and, didn't and still don't have high hopes in this regard.

      The concern here is how a supposed big name conference school gets themselves into the goaltending situation they are currently in in the first place and why is the defense SO poor in Coach Blais 5th season? His big success here has come with Mike Kemp's players in his first two seasons here. It hasn't been a pretty ride, since. And, the fanbase here is starting to wonder about why all this is, now.

      My gut feel is that Coach Blais coaches until we complete one season in our new arena and he then retires. I look at this team and I don't see a very motivated or disciplined bunch of guys at all and that is a headscratcher. Losing is one thing, and losing and looking like you aren't being well led is another, and we seem to be getting into the realm of the latter and not the former.

      My guess is that this team will improve as the season progresses as long as nobody gets kicked off it, quits and goes pro, or the injury bug bites, all of which have happened with a vengeance, to one degree or another, each of the last 3 seasons.

      Comment


      • #18
        Re: UNO '13-'14 Season Thread: Barnstorming Through a New League and Raising a New Ba

        UNO follows up it's first ever win at Magness last night (on their 11th attempt), 3-2 in overtime, with a repeat performance tonight, another 3-2 win in overtime and the sweep of the Pioneers.

        Go figure. Looks like we might be in for a Jekyl and Hyde season with this team. DU fans must be pulling out their hair what with this being the 4th loss for them, by the same 3-2 final score, in overtime this season.

        North Dakota up next for UNO next weekend as the schedule gauntlet continues for them.

        Comment


        • #19
          Re: UNO '13-'14 Season Thread: Barnstorming Through a New League and Raising a New Ba

          Probably nothing sums up UNO's season so far any better than did Matt Semisch's USCHO recap of the game last night with North Dakota:

          The difference between Nebraska-Omaha so far this month — three games, three wins — and how the Mavericks looked in October borders on staggering.
          And, in a completely unrelated note, if anybody from UNO's program reads this thread, "game emcee" Lester St. James has to go. He is an absolute embarrassment to this program. Besides knowing next to nothing about hockey and spouting every hockey cliche he has ever heard in a desperate attempt to sound like he does, last night he sank to insulting contestants (and, frankly, every UNO fan in the building) on the arena video board during breaks in play with the schtick that emanated forth from his idiot piehole. If you were in the building, my guess is that you know specifically what I am referring to. If that isn't bad enough, because our play-by-play man, Dave Ahlers, is also UNO's Director of Media Relations, that means that he is unavailable for post game duties on the air (which is a whole 'nother story of it's own) and they give this complete goombah a mike and let him do the post game along with UNO color man Terry Leahy. What then transpires is some of the most insipid and uniformed blathering you are ever likely to hear about hockey. You can almost "see" Terry Leahy (who is a color man with few peers) cringe every time Lester opens his mouth and spews forth something else that is yet again laughably stupid.

          Get rid of this guy. Now.

          His presence in the arena is embarrassing. What he said last night to the girls that were the contest contestants last night was fodder for discussion last night in the Lexus Club between periods, even.

          That's a problem when your fans are more concerned about and talking about their disdain and contempt for this guy than they are about what is going on at the actual game, between periods.

          Free us from this cretin.
          Last edited by Red Cows; 11-10-2013, 11:58 PM.

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          • #20
            Re: UNO '13-'14 Season Thread: Barnstorming Through a New League and Raising a New Ba

            I wish I knew what you were referring too but I was probably in the john at the time. But I'll go one further and say that Kemp and Albers have fallen down on the job when it comes to marketing and game day experience. No pep band, no tunnel, no school run fan website, a hokie radio commercial, just call me maverick LOL, crappie play by play, (Please bring back Greg).... Then there's a red army cheer that mentions microwaving a cat which should only be used when we play a team with "cat" in their name. It's embarrassing when visiting fans say "what the hell are they talking about" during that cheer as well as some others yet the school won't put forth the effort to publicize the words to the school's fight song.

            This explains a lot though:
            https://www.facebook.com/lester.s.ja...8514605&type=3
            his "likes" include Lincoln Stars hockey but not UNO athletics.
            His LinkedIn profile doesn't mention him being the emcee.
            http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view...cmpt%3Aprimary


            Originally posted by Red Cows View Post
            Probably nothing sums up UNO's season so far any better than did Matt Semisch's USCHO recap of the game last night with North Dakota:



            And, in a completely unrelated note, if anybody from UNO's program reads this thread, "game emcee" Lester St. James has to go. He is an absolute embarrassment to this program. Besides knowing next to nothing about hockey and spouting every hockey cliche he has ever heard in a desperate attempt to sound like he does, last night he sank to insulting contestants (and, frankly, every UNO fan in the building) on the arena video board during breaks in play with the schtick that emanated forth from his idiot piehole. If you were in the building, my guess is that you know specifically what I am referring to, If that isn't bad enough, because our play-by-play man, Dave Ahlers, is also UNO's Director of Media Relations, that means that he is unavailable for post game duties on the air (which is a whole 'nother story of it's own) and they give this complete goombah a mike and let him do the post game along with UNO color man Terry Leahy. What then transpires is some of the most insipid and uniformed blathering you are ever likely to hear about hockey. You can almost "see" Terry Leahy (who is a color man with few peers) cringe every time Lester opens his mouth and spews forth something else that is yet again laughably stupid.

            Get rid of this guy. Now.

            His presence in the arena is embarrassing. What he said last night to the girls that were the contest contestants last night was fodder for discussion last night in the Lexus Club between periods, even.

            That's a problem when your fans are more concerned about and talking about their disdain and contempt for this guy than they are about what is going on at the actual game, between periods.

            Free us from this cretin.
            UNLEASH THE FURY!!!!!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLMMx3MRi0s

            Comment


            • #21
              Re: UNO '13-'14 Season Thread: Barnstorming Through a New League and Raising a New Ba

              During Coach Blais interview on USCHO Live yesterday:

              http://www.blogtalkradio.com/uscholi...-h-hendrickson

              ...........Coach Blais let loose that the groundbreaking for UNO's new arena is coming up in December. That it is a tidbit that local media has not reported on, to-date, which is not surprising since UNO hockey doesn't get near the scrutiny from local media that it deserves/merits. UNO is sort of an afterthought around here. As opposed to the insane preoccupation with the mediocre Husker football program at the expense of other school activities around here.

              Comment


              • #22
                Re: UNO '13-'14 Season Thread: Barnstorming Through a New League and Raising a New Ba

                Various musings:

                1. This team has undergone big time improvements from the first 6 games to the last 6 games. I think goaltending is still something of an issue and our power play is not very good at all, nor is the penalty kill, but the overall defense has improved.

                2. This team has drawn very well compared to past seasons, pre-holiday. I readily admit this has probably been helped out quite a bit by who has come to town so far. To say our schedule has been marquee is an understatement. Attendance on Saturdays has taken hits from Huskers home games even though we have yet to play against any actual night time Huskers games. Attendance is also hurt by all the home Lancers games that have been scheduled against UNO games. There were 3,113 at Ralston Arena Friday night for the Lancers game and I bet a lot of these fans would have been at the UNO game, otherwise, particulalrly considering UNO's opponent. This has been such a big issue that I haven't been able to go to any Lancers games, myself, as yet, even. And, the Lancers season is off to a blazing, perhaps historical beginning and that isn't helping when we compete with them for fans. UNO is currently ranked 6th in the NCAA in attendance.

                3. Red Berenson became the 3rd Head Coach in a row to say in the press that his team had a hard time skating with us. It will be interesting to see if Enrico Blasi becomes #4 in a row or not.

                4. Right now, if we keep playing like we are right now and/or improve even further, we sure don't look like a team that's going to be finishing last in the NCHC. That said, I am not altogether sure we played a vintage North Dakota or Denver team and, after seeing Michigan in the flesh, I tend to think their #2 ranking is on the high side. I think playing Miami this weekend is much more of a litmus test. They do look like title contenders to me. And, aside from the DU series, all these marquee games have been at home.

                5. One thing that has concerned me the past couple seasons is that this team seems to have a lot of poor puck handlers and guys that don't shoot the puck very well, either. We get more shots on goal with less results than anybody I have ever seen. I say this despite the fact that we have scored quite a few goals. With as many shots as we get, it just seems that we ought to be a bit more prolific.

                6. Ryan Walters, while leading the team in scoring (actually, he's tied with Archibald) is sure doing it in a very quiet way. He has yet to really "go off".

                7. I honestly feel that if Matt White were still on this team UNO might have another win or two. His loss was/is huge,

                8. Given the way Ryan Massa played in goal the past two Friday nights, I am astounded that Coach Blais sat him on the bench the next night after, in each case, in favor of Kirk Thompson last weekend against North Dakota and Reed Peters this weekend against Michigan. In each case I though the Saturday night goalies were noticeably worse than Massa had been the night before (who up until his last 3 games, hasn't been so stellar himself). I think sitting a guy after an outstanding performance in each case doesn't instill a lot of confidence in your goalie and I don't like the musical goalie thing Coach Blais is doing very much. I mean, Coach Blais was on the local news here on Friday night, before we even played that night's game saying that Massa would start that night, which he did, and that either Thompson or Peters would be in goal on Saturday night. What kind of message does that send to Massa, I ask you?

                9. Advance ticket sales for this weekend's series with Miami pale in comparison with the recent North Dakota and Michigan series, which is goofy to me, since they are a former league rival for us and might very well be the best opposing team that will visit our building this year (or St. Cloud State, who I have not yet seen).

                10. Loved all the 3-25-11 signs in the arena this past weekend.

                Comment


                • #23
                  Re: UNO '13-'14 Season Thread: Barnstorming Through a New League and Raising a New Ba

                  Point#3: Michigan's defense is slow save Bennett and DeJong. The bigger problem was the backchecking by Michigan's forwards that constantly got trapped in transition. Berenson's comments were a compliment to UNO, which is accurate, but our own execution had a role in amplifying it.

                  Point #4: Michigan fans agree, said it from the time they got ranked top 5 out of the gate. It is a top 10 team, capable on any given night to play with the best teams in the NCAA, but from suffers more deficiencies than some other top teams. Their goaltending has hidden a good deal of the blemishes and the roster is the youngest in D1 hockey. As far as UNO, there is no way they will finish at the bottom if they play the same way they have the last three weekends. But, come playoff time, the goaltending and defensive lapses will be exposed if those do not improve.

                  Point #6: Can we put that to bed, now? I mean, it's been three seasons, this series is over... move on.

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Re: UNO '13-'14 Season Thread: Barnstorming Through a New League and Raising a New Ba

                    Originally posted by streaker View Post

                    Point #6: Can we put that to bed, now? I mean, it's been three seasons, this series is over... move on.
                    thank you.

                    Your goalies looked pretty good. The rest of your team looked a little rusty and inexperienced like ours. Mav fans want a national ranking but I think it will go to their heads (the players) and they'll play like crap.
                    UNLEASH THE FURY!!!!!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLMMx3MRi0s

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Re: UNO '13-'14 Season Thread: Barnstorming Through a New League and Raising a New Ba

                      Originally posted by MAVFANJEFF View Post
                      thank you.

                      Your goalies looked pretty good. The rest of your team looked a little rusty and inexperienced like ours. Mav fans want a national ranking but I think it will go to their heads (the players) and they'll play like crap.
                      Playing on the road isn't easy especially with a large freshmen class that gets a ton of ice time. They were coming off a bye, so yes, perhaps a bit slow on Friday. But, they have hung with UNH, BC, BU, UML etc. all good teams cut out of the same cloth- fast, offensive type teams. No excuse for Michigan to not expect the same from UNO. I thought they were ready to take the game over Friday, but the third period was a disaster and Saturday was deja vu. Our defense is slow afoot and it showed when they were killing so many penalties and 4x4. I thought the officiating was tight for both teams.

                      Goaltending is good..has carried them. Lost a good, big d-man for the season also which hurt.

                      Rankings, schmankings. UNO fans have been around enough to know that doesn't mean much. But, for a good chunk of the fan base still playing the "we don't get any respect" card, I guess it does.

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Re: UNO '13-'14 Season Thread: Barnstorming Through a New League and Raising a New Ba

                        UNO's recruiting class:

                        http://www.omaha.com/article/2013112...131129642/1707

                        Omaha Lancers Head Coach and GM Brian Kaufman (Miami of Ohio alum) has proclaimed Vesel and Randolph as "The Goods" and two of the bigger reasons behind the Lancers 17-13-3 start this season.

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Re: UNO '13-'14 Season Thread: Barnstorming Through a New League and Raising a New Ba

                          Well that was an interesting night of hockey and although many seem to think the first period was controlled by Miami, I had a slightly different view. Miami had more scoring chances through that period and definitely deserved a lead, but the Mavs were out blocking shots, testing the waters and speed of Miami.

                          The Mavs flew through the second, from the quick start on and I think Miami was caught off guard a bit. Ian Brady made a great decision on the first break-away for Czarnik to slash and draw the penalty shot. Massa was retreating fast and looked poised to make a move which may have opened up the net. When the penalty shot came he waited Czarnik out and his patience was rewarded. Montpetit, Ortega and Guentzel had the entire Redhawks teams' numbers tonight. But they did so with hard work and some great passing. On Ortega's second Montpetit could have tried stuffing home a rebound but instead had the where-with-all to push it loose for Austin.

                          The defensive collapse at the end of the second left the door wide-open and midway through the third the Mavs were being outshot 27-23 which led me to poise the question, when was the last time that happened in our barn? We had to have been outshot by UND at TD, but inside it doesn't seem to happen. And as if to answer the Mavs outshot the Hawks 12-2 over the next five minutes, highlighted by Arch's back-hander.

                          Other notes:
                          Arch's extra gear has something special about it this season, but he is also a smart player. Earlier in the game, Arch could have pulled it out heading up the boards but seemed to hold up, getting by the defender but not exploding on net, making me wonder if the injury from last weekend had slowed him some. Instead he proved to be just waiting for his moment and when the defender made the first moved kicked it in gear blowing by the Hawks and finishing it off with an NHL quality back-hand.

                          Although Aaron Pearce didn't get on the scoring sheet (12 Mavs did) he seemed to be heavily relied upon by Blais in the dot. Notably, on several penalties Pearce would come in for the defensive zone draw get the win and as soon as the puck was cleared he'd head off. He finished 11 of 17 on the draw.

                          Brian O'Rourke, in my opinion, is the most improved player on this team. Again today he was out blocking shots (3) and found his way to another assist. He isn't making the mistakes he made last year and is becoming a defensive anchor.

                          One thing I would like to see a little more out of is the rush offense. Again tonight there were several instances where the Mavs attempted a cross-ice pass on the rush to have it tipped aside. One particular instance Searfoss tried to get it across and a trailing player dove to break up the pass, would like to see a little more of the shoot to pass mentality get the redirect off the net-minder to the teammate. That said, this may be a bi-product of the opponents of late, very good goaltenders and perhaps the Mavs have felt they have a better chance to beat them laterally than in trying to play the rebound. Tonight the lateral movement was the best I've seen and it led to many of the goals.
                          University of Wisconsin - River Falls Men's and Women's Hockey Broadcaster 2007-2012
                          University of Nebraska at Omaha Intermission/Post Game Host and Statistician 2012-2014
                          https://***********/SilversSports

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Re: UNO '13-'14 Season Thread: Barnstorming Through a New League and Raising a New Ba

                            UNO's season continues down the enigma path, but in a great way, obviously. This team clearly is, and is going to be, better than I thought it was. Quantum leap in Pairwise this weekend, to #18. Question is, does UNO debut in the poll tomorrow and if so, where? I'd say yes and while I think UNO is a top 15 team, they probably aren't going to debut that high.

                            My guess is that RPI, North Dakota, and UMD (edit, ugh-wrote this before I saw they beat Minny on Sunday) disappear from the rankings entirely, for starters. Cornell is the most underanked team in the entire poll at 18, currently (10th in Pairwise), they move up, I would think, so, my guess is the UNO debuts at 16, 17, or 18, despite my belief they probably deserve a bit better than that.

                            Our power play continues to not be very good (#31) and the penalty kill (#56), while a tad improved, isn't what it needs to be, either. We look better skating 5 on 5 than we do with a man advantage. I'm not kidding.

                            Even though we've drawn pretty well, pre-holiday, UNO continues to be cannibalized by Husker games and Lancer games. They had over 3,500 at the Lancer game at Ralston Arena last night. And, we left for the hockey game long before the Husker game was even over. Throw Creighton's game in there right before the hockey game (attended by over 18,000--played while the Huskers were playing) and that is why attendance last night was less than Friday night, even. I bet UNO has 7,000 or better in the building for every home game remaining on the schedule, now, since we don't have another home game until January 10th.

                            Right now, we are all about basically outscoring the other team. UNO is 8th, nationally, in goals scored and no NCHC team is among those 8 teams in front of them, while at the same time, no NCHC team has given up as many goals as UNO (and only 8 teams, nationally, have given up more). That is not a prescription for continued success unless the defense and penalty kill improves a lot more.

                            Ryan Walters continues to basically be a non-factor, at least, to the degree he was last season. He has just 4 goals this year, total, and all are on the power play, although he is the co-team leader in scoring, which underscores just how spread around the scoring has been this season for us.

                            UNO is off until December 6th & 7th at Colorado College, the only games on the schedule for us the entire month of December.
                            Last edited by Red Cows; 11-25-2013, 09:50 AM.

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                            • #29
                              Re: UNO '13-'14 Season Thread: Barnstorming Through a New League and Raising a New Ba

                              Originally posted by streaker View Post
                              Playing on the road isn't easy especially with a large freshmen class that gets a ton of ice time. They were coming off a bye, so yes, perhaps a bit slow on Friday. But, they have hung with UNH, BC, BU, UML etc. all good teams cut out of the same cloth- fast, offensive type teams. No excuse for Michigan to not expect the same from UNO. I thought they were ready to take the game over Friday, but the third period was a disaster and Saturday was deja vu. Our defense is slow afoot and it showed when they were killing so many penalties and 4x4. I thought the officiating was tight for both teams.

                              Goaltending is good..has carried them. Lost a good, big d-man for the season also which hurt.

                              Rankings, schmankings. UNO fans have been around enough to know that doesn't mean much. But, for a good chunk of the fan base still playing the "we don't get any respect" card, I guess it does.
                              Mich seems to have plenty of talent no doubt. After seeing UNO play Mich and Miami it seems like UNO is knocking the rust off a little quicker. That and Massa is getting it together. We don't have another home game until Jan 7 I think so I hope the boys get some work outs in over the holidays.
                              UNLEASH THE FURY!!!!!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLMMx3MRi0s

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Re: UNO '13-'14 Season Thread: Barnstorming Through a New League and Raising a New Ba

                                UNO's recruiting class:

                                http://www.omavs.com/ViewArticle.dbm...B_OEM_ID=31400

                                And we all have the pleasure of driving over to Ralston Arena and watching Randolph (1st in the USHL in scoring) and Vesel (2nd in the USHL in scoring) terrorize the league while the Lancers sport the best record in the USHL.

                                Lancers Head Coach Brian Kaufman refers to Randolph and Vesel as "The Goods".

                                Amazingly, the Lancers also have the 3rd leading scorer in the league on their team as well in Gage Hough, who has yet to commit to a college (and who is Omaha born and raised).

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