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Re: UNO 2015-16 Season Thread: Frozen Four, New Barn, What Next?
Random thoughts/predictions/ideas about this season at the half way point.
1. We really haven't played anybody, yet (but, neither have you, North Dakota).
2. Sorry to say it, but, I really don't give 2 sh*ts about the conference title. All I care about is making the NCAA tourney and obtaining as high a seed as possible.
3. Even though Avery Peterson was not playing well, I think we'll miss him, down the road. Nobody on the current roster that is going to get his minutes has his hockey pedigree.
4. I sincerely believe that we have NOW seen the "last" of Kirk Thompson. We would have beaten ASU both nights with him in goal. I'd bet some mighty big money that Alex Blankenberg is in goal for UNO against Trinity Western on January 2nd. Thompson's 4 wins in goal this season have come against teams with a cumulative 24-37-8 record and his shut-out came against what is arguably the worst team in college hockey. With Kris Oldham (currently on leave from the Omaha Lancers playing in the World Junior A Challenge) arriving next year and with Weninger already on the scene (along with Alex Blankenberg) I have a real wonder about his future here after this season. His career (to-date) numbers are an .893 SV% and a 2.85 GAA average. Awful. He has a 14-12-2 record in his career (a minor miracle with his numbers, a testament to the team playing in front of him). UNO's record in games he did not play, to-date, for his career? 37-22-7.
5. My guess on UNO's record in it's final 16 games (after beating Trinity Western on 1-2-16)? I could see us winning 10 of them. I can also see us going .500 or something like that the rest of the way, too. Either way, barring some sort of utter collapse, we're going back to the tourney. At worst, I see us being a 2 or 3 seed. Worth mentioning is that 10 of those 16 remaining games are at home. The only games that concern me much on the road are at North Dakota and that is a place we have acquitted ourselves pretty well at. Speaking of UNO/North Dakota, for somebody that we've played only 16 games against, ever, they have been a pretty epic 16 games that have featured some crazy stuff.
6. Somebody else besides UNO is going to finally find a way to win in Baxter Arena.
7. If UNO wins 10 (or more) games the rest of the way that isn't happening without Austin Ortega being a Hobey Baker finalist or outright winning it, methinks.
8. Baxter Arena has literally turned UNO into one of the "haves" in college hockey today. Our coach and that facility puts UNO in play to to recruit just about anybody, anywhere, now.
9. This is the first time in Coach Blais career that he has coached a team that went undefeated in non-conference. None of his North Dakota teams ever did this and, needless to say, no UNO team, Blais coached or otherwise has, either.
10. UNO has followed up the best season in the history of the program with the best start to a season in the history of the program. Everything (mostly) is beautiful in the neighborhood.
Random thoughts/predictions/ideas about this season at the half way point.
1. We really haven't played anybody, yet (but, neither have you, North Dakota).
2. Sorry to say it, but, I really don't give 2 sh*ts about the conference title. All I care about is making the NCAA tourney and obtaining as high a seed as possible.
3. Even though Avery Peterson was not playing well, I think we'll miss him, down the road. Nobody on the current roster that is going to get his minutes has his hockey pedigree.
4. I sincerely believe that we have NOW seen the "last" of Kirk Thompson. We would have beaten ASU both nights with him in goal. I'd bet some mighty big money that Alex Blankenberg is in goal for UNO against Trinity Western on January 2nd. Thompson's 4 wins in goal this season have come against teams with a cumulative 24-37-8 record and his shut-out came against what is arguably the worst team in college hockey. With Kris Oldham (currently on leave from the Omaha Lancers playing in the World Junior A Challenge) arriving next year and with Weninger already on the scene (along with Alex Blankenberg) I have a real wonder about his future here after this season. His career (to-date) numbers are an .893 SV% and a 2.85 GAA average. Awful. He has a 14-12-2 record in his career (a minor miracle with his numbers, a testament to the team playing in front of him). UNO's record in games he did not play, to-date, for his career? 37-22-7.
5. My guess on UNO's record in it's final 16 games (after beating Trinity Western on 1-2-16)? I could see us winning 10 of them. I can also see us going .500 or something like that the rest of the way, too. Either way, barring some sort of utter collapse, we're going back to the tourney. At worst, I see us being a 2 or 3 seed. Worth mentioning is that 10 of those 16 remaining games are at home. The only games that concern me much on the road are at North Dakota and that is a place we have acquitted ourselves pretty well at. Speaking of UNO/North Dakota, for somebody that we've played only 16 games against, ever, they have been a pretty epic 16 games that have featured some crazy stuff.
6. Somebody else besides UNO is going to finally find a way to win in Baxter Arena.
7. If UNO wins 10 (or more) games the rest of the way that isn't happening without Austin Ortega being a Hobey Baker finalist or outright winning it, methinks.
8. Baxter Arena has literally turned UNO into one of the "haves" in college hockey today. Our coach and that facility puts UNO in play to to recruit just about anybody, anywhere, now.
9. This is the first time in Coach Blais career that he has coached a team that went undefeated in non-conference. None of his North Dakota teams ever did this and, needless to say, no UNO team, Blais coached or otherwise has, either.
10. UNO has followed up the best season in the history of the program with the best start to a season in the history of the program. Everything (mostly) is beautiful in the neighborhood.
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