UND vs Team USA Game Thread

[Rabid Ranger]

Mike Brown - I notice he played on the fourth line. Did he have a good game? Is he likely to be benched alternatingly, or is he a mainstay on the fourth line?

Cory Schneider - He played a little bit, I'm told.. how did he play? He didn't allow any goals, so it can't be bad.

Brown will be a mainstay on the fourth line. He'll be used to create energy and probably play against the other team's top line. Schneider played fine, but he's not as polished as Montoya, especially when playing the puck.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

get ready for your spanking usa

Since you're such an authority on the subject............

 

[Rabid Ranger]

UND was missing a bunch of players and playing their 3rd game in three nights. I hope the US won easily.

I don't see it that way. ND was missing some players, and I recognize the fatigue factor, but the U.S. squad was playing their first "game" together, so there was bound to be a bit of rustiness. We'll see how things go against Germany.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

They hardly did.....UND got poor goaltending while USA's goaltending were excellent. UND probably had the advantage in scoring chances, they did have 1 more shot in goal. UND also had a bunch out injured.

Actually, while ND had the advantage in shots (due to a ton of power plays), the U.S. had more scoring chances. I thought the U.S. penalty killers did a nice job keeping much of the ND shots coming from the perimeter, rather than in the prime scoring areas.

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

Actually, while ND had the advantage in shots (due to a ton of power plays), the U.S. had more scoring chances. I thought the U.S. penalty killers did a nice job keeping much of the ND shots coming from the perimeter, rather than in the prime scoring areas.

I'm going by the Sioux site...they are sioux fans though and may be a little biased. You can't deny goaltending was an issue.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

I'm going by the Sioux site...they are sioux fans though and may be a little biased. You can't deny goaltending was an issue.

Well, I watched the game, and I can tell you with a great deal of certainty that the U.S. had more scoring chances. That doesn't mean ND didn't have any, because they did, and Montoya in particular looked very sharp. One thing ND did that I was impressed by was their ability to cycle the puck. That could be an issue with the U.S. team against bigger opponents.

 

[espo*]

Sounds like that Hensick kid you like had a good game.Was he one of the better players?

 

[MePutPuckInNet]

Is Zajac usually that good on face-offs? [don't know much about him]. Cuz, that's highly unusual for O'Sullivan - so I have to think he may have been having some concentration issues last night. Or is Zajac really that good with them?

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

Is Zajac usually that good on face-offs? [don't know much about him]. Cuz, that's highly unusual for O'Sullivan - so I have to think he may have been having some concentration issues last night. Or is Zajac really that good with them?

Zajac is around 58% in the NCAA which is a really high percent.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Sounds like that Hensick kid you like had a good game.Was he one of the better players?

Hensick scored a goal, but other than late didn't do alot. He's there to put up points, and I think he'll do that.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Is Zajac usually that good on face-offs? [don't know much about him]. Cuz, that's highly unusual for O'Sullivan - so I have to think he may have been having some concentration issues last night. Or is Zajac really that good with them?

The U.S. team as a whole (IMO) didn't show alot of intensity last night, especially on defense. I've seen guys like Hagemo and Goligoski play several times, and they play with a lot more spirit then they showed against ND. I don't know if that was because it was an exhibition game or what, but I expect that to change when the games are "for real."

 

[espo*]

Does he leave a little bit to be desired defensively? (Hensick)

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Does he leave a little bit to be desired defensively? (Hensick)

He's not a defensive stalwart by any means. He was benched this season for that very reason. He seems to have turned the corner a bit in that regard though, and wasn't cherry-picking it last night.

 

[espo*]

That's good,he'll have to play at least decent two way hockey in North Dakota or i assume Sandelin will limit his ice time at some point.Like you said,he's there to put points on the board not win the selke trophy but i'm sure Sandelin will demand "get back" effort from him or his offensive contributions could be nullified by goals the other way at bad times.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

That's good,he'll have to play at least decent two way hockey in North Dakota or i assume Sandelin will limit his ice time at some point.Like you said,he's there to put points on the board not win the selke trophy but i'm sure Sandelin will demand "get back" effort from him or his offensive contributions could be nullified by goals the other way at bad times.

Sandelin is a pretty demanding coach (from what I understand). I doubt he'll accept less than 100% effort (in all zones).

 

[Spectacular_Bid]

You don't think it's noteworthy that Lee didn't get beat once one-on-one and displayed excellent passing skills? Considering the jump up in the level of competition for him I think it is.

Don't get me wrong, its good to hear that Lee was sound and it is noteworthy. However, you said he "stood out." I understand he is making a big jump but this is the World Juniors, the defensemen in this tournament are not supossed to get beat one-on-one. Don't get me wrong, I hope this kid has a great tournament, but saying he "stood out" because he did things that he is supossed to do seemed like an overstatment to me.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

Don't get me wrong, its good to hear that Lee was sound and it is noteworthy. However, you said he "stood out." I understand he is making a big jump but this is the World Juniors, the defensemen in this tournament are not supossed to get beat one-on-one. Don't get me wrong, I hope this kid has a great tournament, but saying he "stood out" because he did things that he is supossed to do seemed like an overstatment to me.

We're arguing over semantics here. I think Lee stood-out because he didn't make any mistakes. For a player like Lee (given his age, experience, and level of competition) that's impressive to me. Trust me, I hope he does what he's "supposed to do" all tournament long.