NCHC 2018-2019 Season: Quest to put 4+ into Late March-April Dance

[Deleted member 3166]

Well...this sure aged well. I believe on the most recent podcast, it was something to the effect of, "UMD's consistency was a result of great goaltending, strong defense, and good depth across all four lines". I'm sure you'll have some crackpot excuse, but nothing I said here was wrong and in the end was proven accurate.

St. Cloud reminds me a lot of the Washington Capitals before they won their cup. A perennial powerhouse in the regular season because they've got quality talent across their top lines. They lack depth, strong defense, and strong goaltending though, and those things tend to come back to bite them in the playoffs. I'm guessing Larson will slowly correct that in the coming years.

Nothing you said was right. We had depth in all areas and Hrenak was fine. This is mental. But hey...pat yourself on the back there fella.

 

[cetihcra]

Re: NCHC 2018-2019 Season: Quest to put 4+ into Late March-April Dance

Nothing you said was right. We had depth in all areas and Hrenak was fine. This is mental. But hey...pat yourself on the back there fella.

Agree, except maybe the goaltending. A .906 SV%, 47th in the nation, generally isn't going to get it done on the national stage. They're plenty deep, play good-enough defense....i agree that there seems to be a mental block or hurdle that they need to get over. Hopefully some new blood will push them over the hump next year.

r

 

[St. Clown]

Re: NCHC 2018-2019 Season: Quest to put 4+ into Late March-April Dance

Nothing you said was right. We had depth in all areas and Hrenak was fine. This is mental. But hey...pat yourself on the back there fella.

Hrenak has stretches of being really good, even making some flashy saves, but he's also been shaky at times. Really shaky at times, IMO. If we'd had a truly stable goalie in net, I think this could've been the season. As it was, it's like most seasons for SCSU lately - a lot of fun during the season, then frustration in the tournament.

 

[SCSUBlackandRed]

Re: NCHC 2018-2019 Season: Quest to put 4+ into Late March-April Dance

Agree, except maybe the goaltending. A .906 SV%, 47th in the nation, generally isn't going to get it done on the national stage. They're plenty deep, play good-enough defense....i agree that there seems to be a mental block or hurdle that they need to get over. Hopefully some new blood will push them over the hump next year.

r

Well, a .906 would have gotten it done against AIC. Unfortunately the Huskies didn't score like they normally do. Outshoot a team 34-13 and you will win a lot of games. Ran into a few of the players at the hotel after the game and they said as much. Not blaming this one on Hrenak at all. My thoughts on him, he's good enough with the talent around him but just can't think of too many games that he "stole" for the Huskies to this point.

To the other posters comment of lacking depth, that's just incredibly wrong. They got scoring and quality minutes all the way up and down this lineup. Lacking strong defense? How did they only give up 7 more goals than UMD this year in one less game?

The only thing he was right about was the comment on strong goaltending. And I only agree to a point as the statistics that really matter at the end of the day don't prove that out.

Good luck to both Denver and UMD in the Frozen Four. Both really good teams. Just wish one of these years SCSU could figure out a way to carry over what they do in the regular season to the NCAA's and join or take the place of one of them on the big stage/pond.

 

[dogs2012]

Re: NCHC 2018-2019 Season: Quest to put 4+ into Late March-April Dance

Nothing you said was right. We had depth in all areas and Hrenak was fine. This is mental. But hey...pat yourself on the back there fella.

Still a little hurt from the loss? Keep lying to yourself. I never said there wasn't a mental aspect to it, and would have pushed that point hard if the original post wasn't about winning the regular season title. It didn't apply.

I stated that UMD had a better goaltender, better defensemen, and more depth across all four lines. After the regionals, I feel even more strongly that we had a better goaltender, better defense, and more depth across all four lines. I'm not patting myself on the back. I'm finding it comical looking back on my post and the subsequent bashing of my post, when pretty much everybody now with hindsight is stating the same thing I said. You can lie to yourself and say it's all mental the same way I lie to myself and say the Vikings are an O-Lineman away from the Super Bowl. Doesn't do anybody any good, and ignores your real problems.

 

[Deleted member 3166]

Still a little hurt from the loss? Keep lying to yourself. I never said there wasn't a mental aspect to it, and would have pushed that point hard if the original post wasn't about winning the regular season title. It didn't apply.

I stated that UMD had a better goaltender, better defensemen, and more depth across all four lines. After the regionals, I feel even more strongly that we had a better goaltender, better defense, and more depth across all four lines. I'm not patting myself on the back. I'm finding it comical looking back on my post and the subsequent bashing of my post, when pretty much everybody now with hindsight is stating the same thing I said. You can lie to yourself and say it's all mental the same way I lie to myself and say the Vikings are an O-Lineman away from the Super Bowl. Doesn't do anybody any good, and ignores your real problems.

Again...good for you. You're still wrong.

 

[dogs2012]

Re: NCHC 2018-2019 Season: Quest to put 4+ into Late March-April Dance

Again...good for you. You're still wrong.

Okay, I'll bite. How so? How am I wrong? If you can't actually provide anything to prove me wrong, it's you that's wrong my friend.

 

[Biddco]

Re: NCHC 2018-2019 Season: Quest to put 4+ into Late March-April Dance

And congrats to the Bulldogs on a return to the Frozen Four. Who needs a regular season title, right?

Haven't won a regular season title since 1993 and yet have made 5 Frozen Fours and won two national championships in that timespan. It's the "Golden Age of UMD Hockey" and we are lucky lucky lucky UMD fans.



As for SCSU depth or not they sure do have a "curse" on themselves. They're like the Red Sox pre-2004 or Cubs pre-2012 where doubt would creep in and they'd find a way to lose first round NCAA tournament games.

 

[Deleted member 3166]

Okay, I'll bite. How so? How am I wrong? If you can't actually provide anything to prove me wrong, it's you that's wrong my friend.

You actually think we were beaten by AIC because they somehow exposed our lack of depth...lack of strong D and lack of goaltending?
That isn't why we lost. We lost because they played tight knowing a loss meant 0-3. It's all in their heads not a lack of talent.
You have your opinion...but us losing doesn't make you right.

 

[cetihcra]

Re: NCHC 2018-2019 Season: Quest to put 4+ into Late March-April Dance

Well, a .906 would have gotten it done against AIC. Unfortunately the Huskies didn't score like they normally do. Outshoot a team 34-13 and you will win a lot of games. Ran into a few of the players at the hotel after the game and they said as much. Not blaming this one on Hrenak at all. My thoughts on him, he's good enough with the talent around him but just can't think of too many games that he "stole" for the Huskies to this point.

To the other posters comment of lacking depth, that's just incredibly wrong. They got scoring and quality minutes all the way up and down this lineup. Lacking strong defense? How did they only give up 7 more goals than UMD this year in one less game?

The only thing he was right about was the comment on strong goaltending. And I only agree to a point as the statistics that really matter at the end of the day don't prove that out.

Good luck to both Denver and UMD in the Frozen Four. Both really good teams. Just wish one of these years SCSU could figure out a way to carry over what they do in the regular season to the NCAA's and join or take the place of one of them on the big stage/pond.

Agreed, Hrenak was not the reason they lost. My statement was more about the entire team for this entire season.

r

 

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: NCHC 2018-2019 Season: Quest to put 4+ into Late March-April Dance

Okay, I didn’t see something right away when I searched, but…

What’s the story on the new arena for CC? Evidently it’s going to be only a 3,000 seater?

 

[cetihcra]

Re: NCHC 2018-2019 Season: Quest to put 4+ into Late March-April Dance

Okay, I didn’t see something right away when I searched, but…

What’s the story on the new arena for CC? Evidently it’s going to be only a 3,000 seater?

Yeah, 3000-3500 max capacity. JLG Architects out of MSP is working on it. It's kinda crazy to think of eliminating half of the season ticket holder population, but given the size of the school and the available land, I guess this makes some sense?

Here's the latest presentation.

Breaking ground in early 2020, with a fall 2021 completion expected.

r

 

[dogs2012]

Re: NCHC 2018-2019 Season: Quest to put 4+ into Late March-April Dance

You actually think we were beaten by AIC because they somehow exposed our lack of depth...lack of strong D and lack of goaltending?
That isn't why we lost. We lost because they played tight knowing a loss meant 0-3. It's all in their heads not a lack of talent.
You have your opinion...but us losing doesn't make you right.

So, if weeks ago when this discussion happened, if I would have said, "St. Cloud is going to lose because they can't win in the playoffs" you would have been all "YUP! YOU'RE RIGHT!". That's crap. You would have told me none of that stuff matters, this is a new year, yada yada. Yes, of course I had it in my mind that if St. Cloud lost in the playoffs, it'd have a lot to do with the proverbial monkey that you can't seem to get off your backs. But that isn't an argument, it's subjective. That's the nice thing about stats, they don't tend to lie. And the stats told me at that point in the season that UMD had stronger goaltending and defense. In my mind, those things win championships, not having 10 guys with more than 30 points or whatever you had. Your team scored points, lots of them. If you played all season the way you did for the first 10 minutes of the NCHC Championship game, you would have given the Minnesota Wild a run for their money (not saying much now). But I had an assumption that bubble would pop come playoff time, at which point you'd need to fall back on...goaltending and defense. I feared those areas weren't strong enough WITH bad luck/jinx to keep SCSU afloat.

We all do better when SCSU is competitive. I don't want to see you fail. But Motzko kept building the same types of teams, and kept getting the same type of results. I'm hoping Larson will build off the offenses that Motzko had and bring a more team defense mentality to the program. He does, and we won't be having these conversations in April. You'll be heading to the Frozen Four.

 

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: NCHC 2018-2019 Season: Quest to put 4+ into Late March-April Dance

The reduced capacity is definitely a big surprise.

 

[Deleted member 3166]

So, if weeks ago when this discussion happened, if I would have said, "St. Cloud is going to lose because they can't win in the playoffs" you would have been all "YUP! YOU'RE RIGHT!". That's crap. You would have told me none of that stuff matters, this is a new year, yada yada. Yes, of course I had it in my mind that if St. Cloud lost in the playoffs, it'd have a lot to do with the proverbial monkey that you can't seem to get off your backs. But that isn't an argument, it's subjective. That's the nice thing about stats, they don't tend to lie. And the stats told me at that point in the season that UMD had stronger goaltending and defense. In my mind, those things win championships, not having 10 guys with more than 30 points or whatever you had. Your team scored points, lots of them. If you played all season the way you did for the first 10 minutes of the NCHC Championship game, you would have given the Minnesota Wild a run for their money (not saying much now). But I had an assumption that bubble would pop come playoff time, at which point you'd need to fall back on...goaltending and defense. I feared those areas weren't strong enough WITH bad luck/jinx to keep SCSU afloat.

We all do better when SCSU is competitive. I don't want to see you fail. But Motzko kept building the same types of teams, and kept getting the same type of results. I'm hoping Larson will build off the offenses that Motzko had and bring a more team defense mentality to the program. He does, and we won't be having these conversations in April. You'll be heading to the Frozen Four.

Love how you put words in my mouth...
Id have said we need to win game one and we are capable of doing so if we can get over the mental hurdle. We didn't...And it wasn't because of the depth or talent or even recruiting or coaching. It was mental...
I'll give you better goaltending because Shepard is a stud...but that's it. If you need to feel UMD is so much deeper at every position...do so. I honestly don't care what your opinion of us is. But if you are so smart with your predictions...you really shouldnt be wasting your time spouting off on a message board.

 

[ThePowerConference]

Re: NCHC 2018-2019 Season: Quest to put 4+ into Late March-April Dance

Ok, I'm going to chime in on the St Cloud loss-related conversation. Their overall defense this year was a lot better than it was when Bob was the coach. That was a result of Larson's integration from UMD. I think it was a top 10 team defense (and maybe top 5). So the issue wasn't defense. We already know the offense wasn't a problem (until you only score 1 goal) because their body of work this season showed how many goals they regularly scored, even against good teams. Goaltending? I don't think anyone would say that Hrenak is a sieve or Hunter Shepard is worse. The stats don't back up either one of those. The goaltending against AIC was not very good though. The 2 goals they scored were weak. The first one was a bank in and the second one was a leaker. However, they did hit a post and had a goal disallowed after the horn, so maybe that balances it out. UMD knows how to win these late season, low-scoring, one goal games. St Cloud does not. St Cloud is not built to play like that. This time of year you HAVE to play defense first. All of these teams are so close in parity now and the games are on a smaller sheet of ice. Until they learn how to do that, nothing is going to change. They'll continue to rack up wins at home on the big sheet and build a nice looking regular season resume and then take the risk of another early exit in the NCAAs.

 

[Bonin21]

Re: NCHC 2018-2019 Season: Quest to put 4+ into Late March-April Dance

Talk about overanalysis.

SCSU CHOKED and played like **** in an extremely winnable game, in a tournament where one bad game knocks you out. That's it.

 

[dogs2012]

Re: NCHC 2018-2019 Season: Quest to put 4+ into Late March-April Dance

UMD knows how to win these late season, low-scoring, one goal games. St Cloud does not. St Cloud is not built to play like that. This time of year you HAVE to play defense first.

Literally my entire point in four sentences. Thanks.

Talk about overanalysis.

SCSU CHOKED and played like **** in an extremely winnable game, in a tournament where one bad game knocks you out. That's it.

Thing is...UMD played like **** against Bowling Green in our first game too. But strong team defense and goaltending kept us in it until our legs got under us.

 

[Deleted member 3166]

Literally my entire point in four sentences. Thanks.



Thing is...UMD played like **** against Bowling Green in our first game too. But strong team defense and goaltending kept us in it until our legs got under us.

So we give up 2 you give up 1...but you have strong defense and goaltending and we don't...
Yeah makes sense...

 

[UMD21]

Literally my entire point in four sentences. Thanks.



Thing is...UMD played like **** against Bowling Green in our first game too. But strong team defense and goaltending kept us in it until our legs got under us.

I was happy with our first period which is good given how bad the first tends to be for the Dogs. But when they fell behind and the game was winding down, they were not giving me much feeling that they would tie it back up. Even in the championship vs Denver in ‘17 you knew they were coming back and could win it, was just a race against the clock which just ran out. They needed the luck vs BGSU