Minnesota Women's Hockey 2015-2016 (Part 2) -- Amanda Kessel Enhanced

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[vicb]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2015-2016 (Part 2) -- Amanda Kessel Enhanced

From the previous thread: Ted Knight: I have a theory but need confirmation.
does the band show up to all of the MN WI games? I believe that the more chaotic the atmosphere is the more fans you will attract.
college kids aren't looking for someplace to plant their butts for 2 hours on a Friday night or Saturday. they want action.
2pm games on Friday don't help anyone for attendance...parents or student fans.

At Clarkson the band goes on the road with the men's team. There is usually a few kids who come in and bring their instruments and play. My guess is these are band members that cannot travel for whatever reason. When the men and women are home on the same weekend, the women play at 4 and the band is there. I am wondering how many of the Eastern women's programs charge admission? I know Clarkson does. Last year it was $5.00. I know Princeton is free. Other than that I don't know.

[bluffrinkrat]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2015-2016 (Part 2) -- Amanda Kessel Enhanced

To continue on with the pre-Kessel forum topic. We have probably brought around 20 different friends and family to the Gopher women's hockey games in the past 15 years. In each instance it was the first time any of them had ever attended a women's game. Six of those 20 attended this past weekend. We bought the tickets, provided the transportation and they bought us dinner at the Playoffs after the game. All six want to go again and if not this weekend certainly for the finals in two weeks. One of them (he coaches boy's sports in Woodbury) said he had no idea women's hockey could be so exciting. Unfortunately, he and two others were wearing red and sitting between us. Another was a former neighbor of Mark Johnson in Madison. I haven't heard that loud of an opponent fan's cheering since the ND's goalie's family was standing behind us. It was a little disconcerting. But of the other 15 people we have brought only one (the daughter) has come with us again and she does that once or twice a year. Her husband doesn't attend because of issues he has with all college sports. I think that the quality of the games attended probably has a lot to do with getting someone hooked on women's hockey. This weekend did that.

As for the band, several people said they loved it, but I do remember my cousin asking me a couple of years ago, "Why the h... don't they march around the arena like they do at Mariucci?" The former UM band member that sit's next to me said it's a lack of space thing and something else (type of instruments, maybe?).

Anyway, it was a great couple of days for hockey!

[ne7minder]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2015-2016 (Part 2) -- Amanda Kessel Enhanced

To continue on with the pre-Kessel forum topic. We have probably brought around 20 different friends and family to the Gopher women's hockey games in the past 15 years. In each instance it was the first time any of them had ever attended a women's game. Six of those 20 attended this past weekend. . . .

As for the band, several people said they loved it, but I do remember my cousin asking me a couple of years ago, "Why the h... don't they march around the arena like they do at Mariucci?" The former UM band member that sit's next to me said it's a lack of space thing and something else (type of instruments, maybe?).

Anyway, it was a great couple of days for hockey!

We have brought about a dozen people to games over the years, only our Son & his family make a regular thing out of it now though. Not sure what the problem is with the others.

The band did a walk around at a couple of tourney games I remember. Mrs. Minder often asks them to & always gets the same answer, "We have been told we can't" Ridder concourse is a bit narrow and the ceiling might crowd the sousaphone players a bit but it has been done. The UMD band did one when they showed up an AmSoil a couple weekends ago, that was a first.

Two great games but I can't remember the last WI/MN game that was not a great game even if they didn't all end the way they were supposed to (like the two earlier this year for instance)

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Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2015-2016 (Part 2) -- Amanda Kessel Enhanced

Minnesota's top four are good although a little penalty prone (McMillen) and turnover prone (Wolfe and Baldwin) for me.

Moving this here because my comment is Gopher-related. McMillen has done a nice job of cutting her penalties this season. The D have played heavy minutes in recent weeks when they've gone to playing only four much of the time, so they handle the puck a lot, and what we remember are the times they mishandle it. I think that the best thing any of the Minnesota players can do is graduate, because once they do, we remember them much more fondly. For years, many of the comments on Ramsey were negative: she gets beat, she turns it over, her shot gets blocked, she misses the net. Once she graduated, the comments were, we sure miss Ramsey. My biggest worry is that we'll realize how great a goalie Leveille was next season.

[bluffrinkrat]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2015-2016 (Part 2) -- Amanda Kessel Enhanced

Yes to both the comments on Ramsey and Leveille. Like Raty, Leveille has had one shaky game in the NCAAs, but has been usually solid and seems to play best in most big games, especially against the Badgers. We both miss Ramsey, but hopefully will be watching her brother play for another 3 years. Her parents sat a few feet to the right of us at Ridder and now sit a few feet in front of us at Mariucci.

[ne7minder]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2015-2016 (Part 2) -- Amanda Kessel Enhanced

Moving this here because my comment is Gopher-related. McMillen has done a nice job of cutting her penalties this season. The D have played heavy minutes in recent weeks when they've gone to playing only four much of the time, so they handle the puck a lot, and what we remember are the times they mishandle it. I think that the best thing any of the Minnesota players can do is graduate, because once they do, we remember them much more fondly. For years, many of the comments on Ramsey were negative: she gets beat, she turns it over, her shot gets blocked, she misses the net. Once she graduated, the comments were, we sure miss Ramsey. My biggest worry is that we'll realize how great a goalie Leveille was next season.

I Don't think my opinion on Ramsey has changed, she was very good but not perfect (I don't think anyone is perfect but we all have some tendency to gauge current performance to perfect). We saw 13 play in high school and she took lazy penalties. I attributed them to self preservation given the amount of time she was on the ice (in the state final the only time she was not on the ice were the 2 minute breaks she got when penalized!). I kept hoping she would grow out of that at the U. She is too good a player to be reaching out with her stick instead of turning & chasing. This year she really has cut down on that stuff but is stuck with a reputation and, as we saw Friday, plays the role of protector which every team needs.

Lev looked fabulous last year. She had a stinker in the NCAAs but so did Raty one year, stuff happens. When it happens to a goalie it is way more noticeable. I thought Lev was having a lot of trouble controlling her rebounds early this year & making a lot of extra work for the skaters but that all changed about 6 weeks ago. The last few games the puck has been doing what she tells it to do so that has lightened the load for the rest of the team. That has to be great for her mental state which just makes her that much better. We get to see a number of well above average goalies and I would be hard pressed to say swapping the top 3-4 between teams would make a significant difference in outcomes, they are all very good.

[CrazyDave]

On a tangent...

Leveille has had one shaky game in the NCAAs...

I would say two. I was much more nervous at the 2014 semifinal than I was at the championship game. I had been to the 2009 FF in Boston where the Gophers laid an egg against Mercyhurst, and I was sweating bullets again. The Gopher offense pulled it out, thankfully.

At the championship game two days later, entering the third period, the score was tied 3-3 after Minnesota scored the last two goals. The Gophers had the momentum. I was feeling really good. But alas, it was not to be.

[bluffrinkrat]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2015-2016 (Part 2) -- Amanda Kessel Enhanced

Giving up 3 goals to Wisconsin on 34 shots I wouldn't call shaky in the 2014 semifinal, but 5 on 28 against Clarkson, sure. The next year the second time around she sure was stellar.

[pokechecker]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2015-2016 (Part 2) -- Amanda Kessel Enhanced

Moving this here because my comment is Gopher-related. McMillen has done a nice job of cutting her penalties this season. The D have played heavy minutes in recent weeks when they've gone to playing only four much of the time, so they handle the puck a lot, and what we remember are the times they mishandle it. I think that the best thing any of the Minnesota players can do is graduate, because once they do, we remember them much more fondly. For years, many of the comments on Ramsey were negative: she gets beat, she turns it over, her shot gets blocked, she misses the net. Once she graduated, the comments were, we sure miss Ramsey. My biggest worry is that we'll realize how great a goalie Leveille was next season. I would think we'd hope to appreciate her more next year, I'm sure the Badgers will be glad she's gone, despite the claims of a couple Badger fans

must have been the first two years, #5 & #13 sure came thru in 2013/14
#5 gave up fewer goals than every D in 2012/13 (tied with Mira) and her ratio of goals scored to given up was second only to Gillanders

you are certainly correct, our memory is selective and bad at recalling what really happened

Player-Goals-Goals scored/goals given up
27 6 12
5 5 10.2
19 8 8.6
7 5 8.6
2 10 4.5
13 7 4.3

not surprisingly, the two freshmen were at the bottom, # 2 gave up more goals than any other player

now that the regular season is over I should probably publish the goal ratios for this year, I know you are all waiting in anticipation for it

[KTDC]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2015-2016 (Part 2) -- Amanda Kessel Enhanced

they simply are not calling very obvious penalties.

Was anybody listening, did Dan Hamann have anything to say about the hook on Milica McMillen that wasn't called?

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Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2015-2016 (Part 2) -- Amanda Kessel Enhanced

Was anybody listening, did Dan Hamann have anything to say about the hook on Milica McMillen that wasn't called?

I know which one you mean. That would get called in the NHL, but not the women's WCHA. I'm not sure these officials even know what half of the infractions are.

[D2D]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2015-2016 (Part 2) -- Amanda Kessel Enhanced

After attending the first half of the women's game I walked across the alley to Mariucci to watch the men play Michigan. The Wolverines have a very good sophomore defenseman named Sam Piazza, from Darien, Illinois. Would I be correct to assume that he's the brother of our Cara Piazza, also of Darien, Illinois?

[ARM]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2015-2016 (Part 2) -- Amanda Kessel Enhanced

After attending the first half of the women's game I walked across the alley to Mariucci to watch the men play Michigan. The Wolverines have a very good sophomore defenseman named Sam Piazza, from Darien, Illinois. Would I be correct to assume that he's the brother of our Cara Piazza, also of Darien, Illinois?

Yes. BTN showed her sitting in the stands tonight (no, she didn't bail on the women's game when you did, I saw her in the 3rd when I got home ).

[bluffrinkrat]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2015-2016 (Part 2) -- Amanda Kessel Enhanced

Yes, Sam is Cara's brother. We had sold our tickets to the men's game (we always do if there is a conflict with the women's game) and went to a bar after we left Ridder to watch the 3rd period and overtime of the men's game. No sound, but there was an interview with Cara and whom I assume was their mother. We went to the men's game Thursday night, a real clinker.

Added this after I watched the replay of the men's game on BTN this morning: The interview with Cara and her parents (Tom and Sue) is with about 9 minutes to go in the 3rd period. Her father was asked about the difference in the two games and he mentioned the speed in the women's game and said it's all about strength in the men's.