Before we dive into the hockey games, a quick word of thanks to John Leahy and Mike Machnik and the folks at Merrimack College for their cooperation. It was not an easy decision to sit out this road trip, but it was one made much easier knowing that John and Mike are extremely talented broadcasters and better human beings.
For those who don't know, I'm not sick, nor is anyone close to me (thank heavens). We made this call back in the summer so I could stay back during my son's final holiday hockey tournament (he's a senior with no plans of playing beyond this season). When I saw Merrimack on the schedule, I knew I could count on their broadcast team to deliver the games and not be reviled by the UMD fanbase (lol).
Anyway, it was extremely strange to stay home, but it was a move that I'm happy was made. No ragrets (© We're The Millers).
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The games? Oh, yeah. With Scott Sandelin at the World Juniors, it was associate coach Jason Herter manning the bench at Merrimack. Sandelin has been gone since Dec. 14, a week after the Omaha series ended, so Herter and assistant coach Adam Krause handled the game-planning and the practices before the series, which didn't begin until the day after Christmas.
While Herter's disappointment in Sunday's performance — despite the 4-1 scoreline — was obvious, even without listening to his actual words, he was much happier with what he saw in Monday's 5-1 victory that completed a key sweep.
Yes, two wins over a four-win outfit that's ranked in the 50s in the PairWise is a key sweep. It allows the Bulldogs to finish non-conference play at a break-even 5-5, and UMD also hoisted its record against two of the three conferences faced to .500 or better (3-1 against Hockey East, 2-2 against the Big Ten, 0-2 vs the WCHA).
Beyond that, however, Monday was a step forward in UMD's process. We talk all the time about that seven-letter word. A sport like football runs on a short season, very few games compared to the others. Results are a must at all times. In hockey, where teams are measured on their 34-plus game body of work, it's more about the process. Can a team take a step forward on a consistent basis? Will it get better, or will it remain stagnant?
Herter felt the Bulldogs didn't take a step on Sunday. He didn't think UMD was a hard team to play against, thus making life tougher on goalie Hunter Shepard — for example — than it would have been if the game plan been followed for 60 minutes.
That wasn't the story on Monday. From start to finish, the Bulldogs were better. They blocked shots, disrupted rushes, got in the way of passes, and worked to grind down the Warriors. UMD posted 38 shots on Sunday and only 26 Monday, but it was about the quality and not the quantity, and it was about generating puck possession, which the Bulldogs did a good job of. It was a quieter and more efficient performance from the visitors.
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Along the way, Herter and Krause likely saw the start of a new and improved second line for UMD.
Because of injuries and struggles finding the right chemistry, the forward lines hadn't experienced much stability through the first 16 games. It felt all along like Justin Richards and Cole Koepke were meant to skate on the same line. Same for Jackson and Noah Cates, and same for Jade Miller and Kobe Roth. Sandelin is a believer in two-thirds of a line, a concept that's been pretty darn effective (think Dominic Toninato-Alex Iafallo for basically four full years).
Insert Quinn Olson with Richards and Koepke. After a few up and down shifts Sunday, boy howdy were the three of them good Monday. Koepke scored in each game and had a five-point weekend (three points Monday). Richards had two points in each game. Olson got on the scoresheet Monday with two assists, including a very good zone entry to set up Koepke's goal. But beyond that, they gave Herter quality shifts on a consistent basis. Richards was somewhat uneven during the first half, uncharacteristically so, but I think his last four or five games have been pretty darn good. Probably not a coincidence he's starting to heat up in terms of production, even though his all-around game is about much more than just points. As Herter told me Monday, Richards is back to being Justin Richards, and the total package has tremendous value to this UMD team.
Nick Swaney has been effective with the Cates brothers. Tanner Laderoute can almost literally play with anyone. And Ben Almquist showed some promise on the fourth line in his debut games.
As Lou Brown once said, “Startin' to come together, Pepper. Startin' to come together.”
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Another weekend off. We'll be back on the blog the week of the Western Michigan series, which starts Jan. 10.
Hope you all have a great New Year. Please don't celebrate the end of the decade. Still one more year to go on that.
