Minnesota hosts Penn State: 3/13 & 3/14

[Stauber1]

Re: Minnesota hosts Penn State: 3/13 & 3/14

Couple of thoughts...

While the first period was good for the team, it wasn't super stellar...its just that the goals came. The second and third periods we were either asleep or playing a great defensive game...oddly I'm not sure.

I don't know. I thought they were handing PSU a pretty thorough ***-whooping in the first. PSU just had zero response for the pace and speed the Gophers brought (both on and off the puck). I thought the 2nd and 3rd, PSU made some adjustments but still weren't able to deal with the speed in which MN was putting pressure on the puck. A lot of bad passes and rushed decisions, and they were all with a Gopher right in their grill. So I give the boys a lot of credit for that.

Michigan is looking hard to beat tonight. Its a shame that the Gophers may miss the title by any one of a dozen small missteps (tie with UW, dropping games to MSU at home or OSU, C Reilly going down for the season, etc).

Just to reiterate, if MN wins tonight they will not miss on the title. But point taken that their were a lot of missteps this season and a lot of missed opportunities against some very average clubs, and that's the reason I said in a thread last week that this team doesn't really deserve to hang the RS banner.


I'm going to come out and say (and risk severe criticism, I know) that I think this team doesn't miss C Reilly much. If his linemates found him in time and space he had a lethal shot, but he never brought much else. I think the 1st line has looked better up and down the ice with Bristedt, and while C Reilly was a big piece to the PP they have adjusted and Boyd has stepped up to fill that role well. I don't mean to disparage the kid, but if he came back tomorrow at 100% health, I'm not sure where I would insert him into the line-up. Maybe on the 4th line just so he is available on the PP, but I think that makes your 4th line more vulnerable defensively and forces you to shorten your bench more often than you would like.

An opinion not many other people share, I'm sure.

[Go4PuckFan2.0]

Re: Minnesota hosts Penn State: 3/13 & 3/14

Sparty beats the ugly helmets.

Will the Gophers grab the ring or take the night off?

[captain beefheart]

Re: Minnesota hosts Penn State: 3/13 & 3/14

God bless, Mr. Hildebrand. For someone who acts like he does not care too much about conference hardware, I was on the edge of my seat during the end of the Sparty/Uglies game. Let's bring'er home, boys.

[section16rowA]

Re: Minnesota hosts Penn State: 3/13 & 3/14

Pretty sure they can take most of the night off and still beat Penn State. These are the almighty Golden Gophers....Minnesota's Pride on Ice with a couple of Swedes mixed in. Just remember, Leon took a job from some Minnesota kid.

[Go4PuckFan2.0]

Pretty sure they can take most of the night off and still beat Penn State. These are the almighty Golden Gophers....Minnesota's Pride on Ice with a couple of Swedes mixed in. Just remember, Leon took a job from some Minnesota kid.

Just remember, the Gophers take fewer jobs from in-state kids than any other D1 collegiate hockey program.

[Koho]

Re: Minnesota hosts Penn State: 3/13 & 3/14

Fasching must have finally gotten around to reading the posts saying he hasn't performed as expected this year. Trying to make up for it in one night.

Still need points for Warning and Marshall. Thought Warning had it on his breakaway.

Glad to hear Bishchoff getting props for his play this year, and amount of improvement. Think he is going to be an integral part of the team next year.

[Spartanforlife4]

Re: Minnesota hosts Penn State: 3/13 & 3/14

You guys are no fun. You only allowed for two minutes of hope for us after the PSU goal.

[HarleyMC]

Re: Minnesota hosts Penn State: 3/13 & 3/14

Congratulations to the 2014-15 Big Ten Conference Regular Season Champions: the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers!

The Gophers kicked all facets of their game into playoff mode for Senior Weekend outscoring the Nittany Lions 11-2 for the 6-2 W tonight and the weekend sweep. Penn State were outplayed and outskated, chasing the Gophers around the olympic sheet all weekend. With 13 points for the weekend clash, the Bristedt/Rau/Fasching top line led the way giving the Gophers their 4th straight regular season title. Captain Kyle Rau with 2 Gs tonight is having a career season scoring 6 goals in the last 5 games for 19 Gs for the season. Adam Wilcox played strong again between the pipes and the Gopher D played shutdown defense in front of him.

Before the season started most fans compared this team to last year. Then the Gophers hit the wall, plunged to 21st in PWR, dropped out of the polls for a time and dropped to 4th in the B1G. But the Gophers turned their season around after losing two straight games in the North Star College Cup and closed the regular season out tonight with a record of 10-3-1 in the last 14 B1G games. Credit the senior class which became the highest scoring senior class in the NCAA during their latest run.

How does this finish compare with last season? Against the same opponents in the last 14 games, last year the Gophers closed out the season with a 9-3-2 record. This team is peaking in playoff mode at just the right time and earned a first round bye in the B1G tourney next week. We may see Penn State again as the Gophers play the winner of the OSU/PSU game next weekend at the Joe. Go Gophers! RAH!

[Greyeagle]

Re: Minnesota hosts Penn State: 3/13 & 3/14

So that was fun.

[Stauber1]

Re: Minnesota hosts Penn State: 3/13 & 3/14

OK, maybe I was just being a bit jaded when I said I didn't give a flip about the RS title. Or maybe it was that I gave in and went to both games, after boycotting all season for the way the U jacked up single-game ticket prices. Whatever it was, it was really good seeing the guys celebrate with the eyesore...er...trophy.

Hats off to the seniors. Being able to say you won your league's title every year you played is pretty darn cool.

[The Rube]

Re: Minnesota hosts Penn State: 3/13 & 3/14

Next.

[HarleyMC]

Re: Minnesota hosts Penn State: 3/13 & 3/14

Lookout America there's Gophers on the loose! Haha.

Gopher Highlights

[D2D]

Re: Minnesota hosts Penn State: 3/13 & 3/14

Captain Kyle Rau with 2 Gs tonight is having a career season scoring 6 goals in the last 5 games for 19 Gs for the season.

And it's a shame he didn't slam his 3rd one home on that open net. In any case, I give him all the credit in the world for really riding to the occasion with just some outstanding play both nights. On one hand it's sad to think that tonight was the last time I'll get to see him play at Mariucci, but on the other had I'll always have fond memories with the way he finished his career here at home.

[Slap Shot]

Re: Minnesota hosts Penn State: 3/13 & 3/14

I still don't see how the 3rd goal was given to Rau, but alas it counts either way.

[HarleyMC]

Re: Minnesota hosts Penn State: 3/13 & 3/14

I still don't see how the 3rd goal was given to Rau, but alas it counts either way.

It deflected off his hockey pants.