A recurring theme this season has been UND’s failure to play a full 60-minute game. At times, we have heard players say, we weren’t ready to play at the drop of the first puck. For whatever reason, UND wasn’t giving a full 60-minute effort and it was showing in the box scores. At the halfway point, UND is 9-6-3 and 3-4-1 in the NCHC.
“We didn’t come with the right mindset,” senior captain Gage Ausmus said after losing to the Michigan State Spartans. “We kind of looked past them and that’s the thing with a young team, any team. In college, any team can you beat you no matter what their record is. I think we kind of came into this game not focused and prepared for what they had to bring.
“Obviously, we have to come with a different mindset. I think that’s pretty easy with our group. Last weekend, we played in St. Cloud, we put together two 60-minutes games and that’s what we need to do to win the game with the group we have this year. We need to play the first, second, and third periods. I think we only put together one good period tonight. Obviously, tomorrow we need to realize we need to bring it from the start.”
Earlier in the season, during a six-game stretch, the Hawks went 0-4-2 (.166). During those six games, they were outscored 10-19. Obviously, it’s very hard to win hockey games with goal differentials like that. UND was struggling, and having trouble cashing in on offensive opportunities.
No Panic in the Hawks
During the rough patch in question, the Fighting Hawks said all of the right things. They know what they have to do and they haven’t played that bad. They just need to play a 60-minute game and clean up a few minor mistakes that get magnified when a team is struggling for wins. Even with the consistent first half, the Hawks’ players aren’t panicking.
“I wouldn’t say panic,” junior forward Austin Poganski said during a recent press conference. “I would say more urgency. I wouldn’t say desperation mode but we can’t really afford too many mishaps. We’ve got to keep improving as a team and building as a team and just get a few wins.”
Sophomore defenseman Christian Wolanin echoed his fellow teammate’s comments.
“Saturday night’s post-game losses are always a little bit edgy,” Wolanin said. “We have a good staff, we have a good group of guys. We know what we need to do. Obviously, this is a little frustrating. But there’s no panic. We know what we need to do to get back on track.”
Finally, throughout the first half, UND hasn’t played all that bad. Inconsistency aside, the Hawks are close to being a very good hockey team. Most of the mistakes they’ve made are fundamental and if they can clean these mistakes up, they will have success in the season half of the season. Recently after a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to the Denver Pioneers, head coach Brad Berry explained.
“You can look back through the game, it’s those lapses in games where you give up one goal or two goals.” coach Berry said “Whether it’s having a lead or chasing a game, there are lapses in games where you’re leaving Cam (Johnson) stranded back there and having to make good saves. You can’t do that. We’re playing good teams and we’re playing a good team next weekend.”
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