WCHA Thread V

[KTDC]

Re: WCHA Thread V

Three through six- UMD, UND, Ohio State, Bemidji State- all capable of playing some pretty good, tough hockey. Pretty cool.

[CrankIt]

Three through six- UMD, UND, Ohio State, Bemidji State- all capable of playing some pretty good, tough hockey. Pretty cool.

It's been a while since we've seen this much parity in the WCHA. Exciting hockey every weekend guaranteed

[pgb-ohio]

Re: WCHA Thread V

Final Score From Friday, February 6th
Ohio State 3
Minnesota State 2

Perfect Response

Sometimes you give a solid effort, but wind up facing a little adversity. That was certainly the case Friday night in the Ice Rink. The Buckeyes kept the Mavericks penned up in their own end for much of the game, outshooting the visitors 34-14. But the Mavs never gave up, finally scoring two third period goals on the counter-attack. The first came just 19 seconds after the conclusion of a successful PK. The second was the shortie that knotted the score at 2 with just 4:07 left in regulation time.

The Buckeyes could have gotten frustrated and lost their cool. Or, they could have lost their nerve and gone into a shell. Instead, they had a perfect response. They resumed the power play with intense focus, and wound up bagging the GWG just 39 seconds later. The decisive sequence was thrilling to behold. You could just feel the Buckeyes' steely determination to will the puck into the net.

The 3 Stars of the Game: Decidedly Unofficial and Just For Fun

Honorable Mention: Kathleen Rogan, Minnesota State
No spectacular stats dictate this selection. OK, Kathleen did put the first Maverick scoring play in motion, bagging the second assist. But equally relevant is the senior leadership #13 provides. Whenever she's on the ice she keeps her teammates calm; makes them better. It's been a pleasure watching Rogan compete over the years.

#3 Star: Kendall Curtis, Ohio State
Kendall opened the scoring with a fine shot from the high slot. Curtis fed Kari Schmitt the puck on Kari's second effort goal. Nice all around game from Kendall.

#2 Star: Nicole Schammel, Minnesota State
Nicole provided the finishing touch on both Maverick goals. In both cases she opted to go high. On the first, she beat the Buckeye keeper to the upper right hand corner. The second was a tough-to-watch melon shot that went off the goalie's helmet and wound up in the back of the net. But hey. In a game where quality shots were hard to come by for the Mavericks, Schammel got the job done twice.

#1 Star: Lauren Spring, Ohio State
Lauren's blazing slap shot won the game for Ohio State. With crisp passing around the perimeter, the play went Kepler-Ranahan-Spring. Lauren launched her rocket from the right face-off circle.

Spring also played a key role on the second Buckeye goal. Keeping a Maverick defender fully occupied and the Maverick goalie more than a little distracted, Lauren's hard work opened the door for Kari Schmitt to finish.


Next Up: The Saturday Afternoon Rematch. Face-Off at 2:07 PM EST.

Postscript: During tonight's game the Buckeyes took two minor penalties for a total of four minutes. Because you wanted to know.

[L268]

Re: WCHA Thread V

Thank you for your game recaps and stars, pgb-ohio. They're always interesting and informative - and your balanced reporting for both teams is very appreciated. Rogen hasn't put up quite the numbers this year as we hoped, but came back strong from an injury that took a good chunk of her senior season. She is a steadying influence for her teammates and will be greatly missed next year.

Just a quick note, Nicole's last name ends in an "L." Schammel . She's starting to rev the engines with scoring and picks up a (second) nice nod as WCHA Rookie of the Week last week. Our D played well (at least it seemed so in the video feed - the camera was behind on many of the rushes) overall, and the power play is improving. Looking forward to today's game!

Edit: A nod, too, to the OSU game announcers. They seemed to know quite a bit about women's hockey and were offering good insights about both teams. It was a pleasure to listen to them.

[pgb-ohio]

Re: WCHA Thread V

Thank you for your game recaps and stars, pgb-ohio. They're always interesting and informative - and your balanced reporting for both teams is very appreciated.

You're welcome, and thanks for the feedback.

Rogen hasn't put up quite the numbers this year as we hoped, but came back strong from an injury that took a good chunk of her senior season. She is a steadying influence for her teammates and will be greatly missed next year.

No doubt about it.

Just a quick note, Nicole's last name ends in an "L." Schammel .

Got it; fixed. The scoresheet I had truncated her name by dropping the "L." Still, I should have known better...

Edit: A nod, too, to the OSU game announcers. They seemed to know quite a bit about women's hockey and were offering good insights about both teams. It was a pleasure to listen to them.

Good to hear. I've literally never listened to them work. If I'm available at all, I'm at the rink!

[pgb-ohio]

Re: WCHA Thread V

Final Score From Saturday, February 7th
Ohio State 6
Minnesota State 0

Fourth Line Shines

The Mavericks started strong, taking the first four shots on goal. OK, it wasn't exactly a full moon Rocky Mountain blizzard, but the Buckeyes did a good job riding the storm out. Once the initial squall passed, the Buckeye offense was a veritable speed wagon, taking 25 of the next 28 shots. And OSU's fourth line? Not missing a thing. Details below.

The 3 Stars of the Game: Decidedly Unofficial and Just For Fun

Honorable Mention: Katie Johnson, Minnesota State
Katie probably isn't going to be too excited about this mention given the final score. But the Anoka Tornado led all Mavericks with 4 shots on goal. Also, her plus/minus of -1 is more than respectable in the context of a six goal loss.

#3 Star: Bryanna Neuwald, Ohio State
The Left Wing bagged a hat trick of assists. Bryanna was certainly tough in transition tonight.

#2 Star: Katie Matheny, Ohio State
The Center struck like a frightening wind in the second period, scoring two goals in 18 seconds. For the record, those were Katie's first two goals of the season. Now that's a breakthrough shift!

#1 Star: Maggie Rothgery, Ohio State
The Right Wing both opened and closed the scoring. In between, she collected two assists. End result? A four point night and a +4 rating, both of which led all players. Whether making passes or pulling the trigger, Maggie had the magic touch tonight, guiding the Buckeyes to victory.


Next Up: Buckeyes Host The Badgers. Face-Off at 6:07 PM EST on Friday; 4:00 PM EST on Saturday.

Postscript: During tonight's game the Buckeyes took two minor penalties for a total of four minutes. Yup, same totals on both nights.

[brookyone]

Re: WCHA Thread V

Regular season winding down:

Bemidji State @ Minnesota State

Wisconsin @ Ohio State

North Dakota @ St. Cloud State

Minnesota-Duluth @ Minnesota

Bold prediction: NoDak grabs 3rd at weekend's conclusion. Bemidji, 5th.

[shelfit]

JMO but there's no way this league should have more than 6 teams in the playoffs. Waste of time for top 2 teams to play the bottom 2 teams and possibly risk injury against teams that have to play an overly physical style of hockey just to compete.

[brookyone]

Re: WCHA Thread V

JMO but there's no way this league should have more than 6 teams in the playoffs. Waste of time for top 2 teams to play the bottom 2 teams and possibly risk injury against teams that have to play an overly physical style of hockey just to compete.

What format could they use to go from 6 teams to a champion?

[CrankIt]

What format could they use to go from 6 teams to a champion?

Top 2 teams get a first round bye. 3 plays 6, 4 plays 5. Winner of 3v6 plays 2, winner of 4v5 plays 1

[ARM]

Re: WCHA Thread V

That's what the CHA does. I'm not a big fan. Kids want to play; after all, that's the point of varsity hockey. So the reward for finishing first and second is you sit and watch while others get to play a series. No thanks.

[brookyone]

Re: WCHA Thread V

Top 2 teams get a first round bye. 3 plays 6, 4 plays 5. Winner of 3v6 plays 2, winner of 4v5 plays 1

You could do that. I don't like the idea of a bye in conference tournament myself. Plus, with 6...you're still likely not uh...removing all teams that have to play an overly physical style just to compete.

If you know what I mean.

[pgb-ohio]

Re: WCHA Thread V

Good arguments on both sides, but I believe ARM has the stronger case. Note that a large separation between 6th and 7th, while clearly present this year, isn't really the typical pattern.

Now, those of us who favor the status quo need to keep our voices down. Otherwise a bean counter is going to overhear us and say: "Aha! A way to cut travel expenses!"

[96IllinoisDad]

Re: WCHA Thread V

Good arguments on both sides, but I believe ARM has the stronger case. Note that a large separation between 6th and 7th, while clearly present this year, isn't really the typical pattern.

Now, those of us who favor the status quo need to keep our voices down. Otherwise a bean counter is going to overhear us and say: "Aha! A way to cut travel expenses!"

Hockey East just went from 6 to 8 a year or so ago. I seem to recall most coaches said they kinda favored 6 because they wanted the season to mean something, but they felt the "bye" actually hurt the top 2 teams in the playoffs. So, #1 and #2 would rather play #7 and #8 - I think that was the main reason they went to 8.

Also, we are talking about UM and UW getting 2 extra games that will be sellouts. That is something like 5000 extra tickets, extra video stream revenue, parking sales, extra vending sales and merchandise sales. In addition, it is good for the local communities - restaurants, hotels, etc. Extra $50,000 of revenue to your budget maybe? (-- for the bean counters out there - haha)

[ARM]

Re: WCHA Thread V

Also, we are talking about UM and UW getting 2 extra games that will be sellouts.

I wish. The WCHA quarters historically don't draw well in Minneapolis, because they lack the group outings from youth teams that are a big part of the well-attended games.