Ranks and pairwise are good for measures against current opponents, but they really won't mean anything until January.
Regardless, this will be a great series against two opponents who were just getting to know each other before conferences split. Here's to hoping this remains a non-conference series respectively.
Sure I understand that but all those computer models are a bit week with such little data. I agree that in January it becomes a lot more relevant. I guess I just get sick about hearing about rankings when it is a little early in the season, though I understand it is fun to look at. Winning will make all those numbers work out. Playing the Gophers out of conference would be nice but it seems they will probably be doing most of their non-conference games vs the other Minnesota schools which I understand as they want to support the local area.
There is also the fact that they were a final four team last year and didn't lose much from that team, beyond the goalie and a couple 3rd, 4th liners. And now the goalie situation seems to be stable and positive so that is not the concern it might have been.
Well the way the Pohl's seem to work is that at the start of the season, teams are ranked on expectations. After that they are shuffled around based on how the teams on either side of them did the previous couple weeks. And while MN hasn't had a phenomenal record against the sub-par opponents, they haven't given up a bunch of points and all the other teams around them in the poles have had enough losses and ties so there haven't been a bunch of teams whose play clearly justifies displacing MN from the top half of the rankings. I don't think it is more complicated than that, this early in the season. MN will eventually play Denver, NoDak etc., so then the rankings will better reflect the talent. Until then, who really cares?
I'm hoping I finally have a weekend where I get the big screen for both games and we can eat before the games start so I can fully enjoy them! Hope the Gophs put together a full weekend of effort!
I thought it was because we were so concerned about justifying the Gopher's high ranking?
I suppose psychologically for the players there may be some merit for them to prove to themselves they deserve their high ranking. Sweeping UNO would definitely be a confidence builder.
Does UNO play physical at all? Last weekend it seemed like Vermont, once they were down big on Friday and pretty much the whole game Saturday, went to the physical game. Not cheap shots, just physical hockey. While the Gophers definitely have the big bodies to "play that game", it did seem to wear them down in the Saturday game, especially in the 3rd period it became evident.
"It ain't over, baby! And that took only six seconds!"
USCHO gives me another reason to not do work while I am at work.
Rau can be that guy, which is why I think he's destined for captaincy if he sticks around.
Not a dis on Rau but I really don't think there is a comparison. Rau is more of the superstar type of player while Matson was closer to the middle. Matson really made you want to pull for him because of his leadership and work ethic so when he came through it was huge. Rau is more expected to do this type of thing on a regular basis. Not that Rau couldn't be a great captain, but I think Matson will win out.
UNO can be. Sustr is 6-8, Megna 6-6. They can be physical at times, but can also can get lazy and rely on reaching and trying to poke check. The smaller forward lines actually tend to throw their weight around a bit more. What I would look for from UNO as a sign they are on their game is if they send guys to the net early. If they keep trying to make the extra pass its bad. But a lot of this team's goals are effort goals where they'll buzz the net and a pass, deflection, or rebound gets through and put home. From an effort perspective...watch our captain Brent Gwidt # 25. He's a great C, typically on the third line and is our best penalty killer. He's got a way of sneaking through the defense because he'll out work his man and next thing you know he's one on one with the goaltender.
Does UNO play physical at all? Last weekend it seemed like Vermont, once they were down big on Friday and pretty much the whole game Saturday, went to the physical game. Not cheap shots, just physical hockey. While the Gophers definitely have the big bodies to "play that game", it did seem to wear them down in the Saturday game, especially in the 3rd period it became evident.
Yes, to the extent that we can. I'll explain.
UNO is the biggest team in all of college hockey (taken right from a recent blog article by Roman Augustoviz of the Star Tribune--something I didn't really know). We have 13 guys 6' 2" or taller on our team. 5 of those are 6' 4" or better (3 of those guys are defensemen).
Rumor has it that, during faceoffs, UNO defenseman Andres Sustr, who is 6' 8" and looks and sounds like Ivan Drago's son, skates around the faceoff circle prior to faceoffs saying "I must break you".
I think other teams have been a little reluctant to really take us on because we are so big. Just my humble impression. We are a physically imposing team and, as an aside, the only team that has really skated with us so far this season is Notre Dame. Fast, too. We haven't had to be real physical since, if the opponent can't skate with you, why bother?
At the Icebreaker in Kansas City, I heard BOTH Army and Notre Dame fans sitting around me making some "those guys are huge" comments. They weren't talking about their guys.
I expect this series to be physical, though, since it is a big, important conference series. Plus, we have a couple of tough, bitter 3-2 losses in the back of our minds late last season to the Gophers as well that are still being stewed about here. If you Gopher fans see either Tony Turgeon or Alex Simonson getting any meaningful ice team this weekend you'll know that Coach Blais has decided we're are going to play "old time hockey". Those guys are the goons on our team and they don't play a lot. The way Coach Blais uses them, I somewhat seriously see that as their actual roles on the squad. Brock Montpetit is the other player kinda in that category except he plays regularly.
I doubt that we get worn down by anybody, either. Coach Blais' offseason conditioning program is supposedly right out of the book of Bear Bryant's in intensity and he proudly thinks there is nobody in college hockey that is in any better shape than we are. It's one of the few things he ever really comes close to bragging about when talking about our program. You hear the players talking about it, too.
Another thing to watch for, UNO has already been whistled down an uber-ridiculous 6 times this season for too-many-men-on-the-ice penalties! More than the last two seasons combined. Maybe we are stupid and big and fast. We don't seem to be able to count to 5, that's for sure.
I think this is going to be a war. I just have that feeling. I don't see either team backing down from the other. There is a lot at stake. On paper, these are remarkably similar teams if you look at team and individual numbers. That said, you don't play on paper, you play on ice. And, we have two head coaches squaring off here that have been here, done this, many times before, with great success. Lucia has a little advantage there in having Guentzel on his bench since he could hardly have better a scouting info source than what he could provide.
It will be an interesting weekend and will set the tone for the remainder of BOTH these team's seasons.
I mentioned that the Gophers haven't really backed down from physical play so far this year(even though it almost burned them on Saturday last weekend). It's worth mentioning, though, that the Gophers will probably have an advantage playing on the big ice at Mariucci in terms of physicality.
"It ain't over, baby! And that took only six seconds!"
USCHO gives me another reason to not do work while I am at work.
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