Re: UMD - Bulldogs -'11-'12 Season Thread
I'll be watching online from a distance as I'm moving out of state soon, but I still can't wait for the season to start. If the Dogs look like they're going to make the effort this season and have a legitimate Frozen Four shot, I think I'll be back in Duluth for the tournament.
No pressure? There better be pressure. I expect more than what I saw last season. You could say some of it was due to having to learn the torpedo system, and I'll cut them some slack for that. But not enough to account for their early exit from the Big Dance. Fans expect more, the coaches expect more and the players ought to expect more. I'm not going to rag on them too much. They've heard it all already, I'm sure. The team needs some leadership this year that isn't going to settle for anything less than 100% effort on the ice week in and week out. They have a small senior class with Kacy Ambroz, Lana Steck and Haley Irwin. I can see Kacy as a leader. I don't know enough about Lana to speculate too much. Haley? There's always questions. I guess it's up to her. (If I'm not mistaken, Jenny Harss and Mariia Posa are both graduating early after this season, so I suppose that makes them seniors.)
I knew Isabelle Jordansson wasn't going to come, but hadn't heard a thing since then about Enstrom and Grahm. Changed their minds? Thanks for wasting everyone's time. Go hang out with Jenni Asserholt.
I like the idea of Jenny Harss being the #1 goalie again. I always liked Kim in net, of course, but Jenny did so well during her freshman season while Kim was away and already has a national championship ring to show for it.
Last year's newcomers don't get to have the "freshman jitters" anymore. I think Jaakkola can be better and did improve over the season. Maybe it was the hair. Didn't see enough of Gallop to really get much of an impression, but her play looked good from what little I saw. I liked the effort Jamie Kenyon made last year. She's a scrapper. I REALLY liked watching Brienna Gillanders play, especially after Haley got hurt and someone had to step up and provide some muscle around the crease.
Some of the sophomores at least looked like they were making an effort. Cournoyer stepped it up late in the season. I think she's got superstar potential. Thibault with her gritty play (but I wish she'd shoot more often.) Wong working hard anyway when those around her maybe weren't. And of course there's Winberg, who as a junior could play a leadership role being as good as she is. I'm really curious to see how she plays without a mentor like Holmlov was. I think she's ready to have a real breakout season on her own and could bring some of the younger players up to a new level.
The incoming freshmen are the unknowns, as it is every season. The 2009-10 freshmen surprised everybody. It could happen again. The Dogs have the tools to win. They need the leadership and the desire, but nobody can do it for them. Bring it!
