Lots of hockey talk

I've been sick and my computer is on the fritz, so updates are scarce. Last night the brakes went out on my car(it's not been my week), so I'm home from work trying to get someone to come tow the car, thus there's time for posting.



Saturday night's hockey game was both exciting and very, very scary. Things definitely aren't peachy with the men's hockey team. Injuries are a big issue, as sophomore scorer Jack Skille took a hit and hyperextended his elbow on Friday. This college hockey news report says he's out until mid-November.

Ross Carlson also left the game Friday. Most reports are saying a lower body injury and the same report as above says he's questionable. Message board buzz is a torn knee ligament, but I think if that were the case, it would have been announced and we'd know that his season is over.

Kyle Klubertanz also suffered an unspecified injury and is listed as questionable. Rumors say a sprained MCL.

Goalie Brian Elliot took a puck where the sun don't shine and was out of at least one practice this week. Of course official reports say it's a leg bruise, but everyone at the game Saturday night saw where he took that puck. Brian was singing soprano.

That being said, with those injuries and last year's defections and graduations, we're now missing the top EIGHT scorers from last year. The guy who was ninth is Jake Dowell, and he is the one who scored Saturday night, so at least we can say he stepped up, right?

Sunday's Capital Times :"Skille hyperextended his right elbow, his father Lee said, on a hit by UND's Finley. Carlson, who has battled knee injuries in his career, has an unspecified lower-body injury and was on crutches Saturday. Klubertanz suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee, his father Ken said.

Eaves said he won't know how long those players will be out until they get examined further this week, but any of the three returning for this weekend's home series against Minnesota-Duluth seems to be an extremely hopeful thought."

As for Saturday's game, the best thing I can say is that we came away with a win, which is basically something not one person in the Kohl Center expected, especially after Skille left the game. We weren't clean. Our passes were beyond sloppy and our puck handling was atrocious. Watching this team in comparison to the team I saw in the Frozen Four is like the difference between the Rangers and a high school team.

That being said, it's still early and we have a (clearly) young team. You cannot go into this season with expectations that are running over from last season. It's not the same team out there.

My biggest worry surrounds the defense. All the hype is that our defense is unstoppable and they're the basis of this team and if we can just put a few pucks in the net, we'll be fine. But the overtime portion of the game on Friday night was a case study in what the defense is doing wrong. (However, over at Wisconsin Hockey Blog, they totally disagree with me, FWIW)

A UND player got the puck dumped onto the boards. We had two guys pounce on him, then just as suddenly back off. He had a straight shot to skate to the side of the net and from there is was nothing to put it in the back of the net. I believe it was Kyle Klubertanz, who skated up to the boards, then started to back off. This just seemed like a bad decision as soon as you saw it happen. I was thinking "why is he... " and before the thought was finished, the game was done.

The biggest frustration out of Saturday's game was what we thought was poor decision making. Often we'd have possession of the puck in the defensive zone or at center ice and then dump it in, which is standard procedure. However, by the end of the first period, it was clear this wasn't working and yet we didn't change tactics. Every time we dumped it, we skated down and got absolutely outplayed along the boards. Within seconds we no longer had possession and it was heading back the other direction. It was disappointing to see this over and over with no other options being worked out. I know North Dakota is no puff opponent, but if we do that sort of thing against BC and Minnesota, the results will be even worse.

There was some excitement on both ends though, as UND was awarded a goal that was then taken back upon review. Then, Wisconsin's goal came off a lot of pushing, shoving, falling and general melee in front of the net and there was a tense moment when it seemed that the refs might call it back.

The power play unit was horrific, but I expect this is one more incarnation of young players trying to make themselves into a team.
Penalty kills didn't look that much better. We fanned and/or muffed quite a few clears (though fanning was a problem all weekend). We gave up our first power play goal in 44 tries, I believe.

Ultimately, it's a young team that's going to need to get it together. I was probably a bit harsh - but that's from disappointment more than anything. We've got a lot of room to learn and grow and it's clear that this team will do just that. Patience may be the name of the game this season.


Not having the injured folks back this weekend against Minnesota-Duluth shouldn't have too much on an impact. That's not to say this isn't a tough team. (there's not really any easy spot on the schedule) But they're young and most of their team has never played in the Kohl Center. The noise and intimidation should help keep them timid for at least the first game.




Finally, click here to see some absolutely spectacular pictures from last weekend's game. This guy is a photog with a media pass. His stuff is spectacular.