UNO 2012-13 Season Thread - Blaising To An Xcellent Season?

[BCat]

Re: UNO 2012-13 Season Thread - Blaising To An Xcellent Season?

This year has been a pleasant surprise after last year, combined with low expectations for this year. UNO needed to step up this series and they did, which hopefully bodes well for the rest of December. I think the team should feel pretty good going into Saint Cloud next weekend.

The sweep of Minnesota or Michigan probably still top this, but still a great showing, for me anyway during the past 5 years going to games.

[Stauber1]

Re: UNO 2012-13 Season Thread - Blaising To An Xcellent Season?

Well, that was interesting.

If the Gophers are truly one of the best teams in college hockey, then, so are we, and I, for one, am not afraid of anybody left on our schedule.

When Searfoss scored with the extra attacker at the 17:58 mark of the third period tonight to make it 3-2, that sound you heard was the collective sphincters puckering of 10,103 Gopher fans.

We didn't really play all that well tonight and they still struggled to put us away. And just like last night, the longer the game went on the more the tide turned in our direction. They didn't score again over the 2nd half + of the game for the 2nd night in a row and we continue to lead the NCAA with only 4 third period goals given up all season.

Minnesota is a pretty good team. You know what? So are we. I've already read a bunch of "I don't want to play them again anytime soon" comments here and in other places made by Gopher fans. Yeah, they won tonight, but, physically, we manhandled those guys both nights. We just gooned it up a little too much tonight and it cost us. I doubt the Gophers care to see any more of Tony Turgeon anytime soon since I am sure several Gophers have various aches and pains inflicted by him.
It was funny how the theme of the weekend, watching these games on FOX Sports North, all of a sudden became how gigantic and imposing a team we are along with the palpable fear we instilled in the Gopher broadcast team, too. The weekend evolved from "What's wrong with the Gophers?" during the game last night to "We're fortunate we got a split-- please leave and take your "trees" with you" tonight.

I've never felt better after seeing our guys lose. Our glass is lot more than half full. You're a good team when you lose and still look scary doing it and the opposition is left going "Whew, thank god".

Considering the competition and the venue, I'm pretty hard pressed to think of a finer weekend of hockey in UNO history than the one we just witnessed. Definitely on the short list. Onward to St. Cloud where we hopefully don't have a letdown after they had a VERY shaky weekend in Anchorage.

I'm guessing you are referencing something I said among those comments. I think you are attributing too much respect to them. I was trying to be diplomatic. I don't want to see UNO again. There was a lot of chippy stuff after the whistle, in front of the net, before face-offs, skating up and down in front of the MN bench at TV timeouts, etc etc. It wasn't all one-sided, but midway through the 2nd it was pretty clear MN was trying to stay out of the box, and UNO was trying to draw people into it. But more than that, the last 35 minutes tonight I was truly worried that someone was going to be seriously injured. The refs let it get out of hand, and a few players ran with it. Good physical play is one thing. Being a punishing physical team can fall into that. But laying reckless and dangerous hits has NO place in the game, at any level.
I said the same thing after Rau's hit on Zucker last year in Denver, and I'm saying after this game tonight.

Cue the sue fans whining about Gopher fans being pansies and the "sissification" of hockey........I don't think MN backed down from hits tonight, and they threw a good number of their own (a couple over the top). But a few players on UNO looked like they were intent on hurting someone. And I honestly think it cost them the game. I'm just glad it didn't cost anyone their season.

[Red Cows]

Re: UNO 2012-13 Season Thread - Blaising To An Xcellent Season?

I'm guessing you are referencing something I said among those comments. I think you are attributing too much respect to them. I was trying to be diplomatic. I don't want to see UNO again. There was a lot of chippy stuff after the whistle, in front of the net, before face-offs, skating up and down in front of the MN bench at TV timeouts, etc etc. It wasn't all one-sided, but midway through the 2nd it was pretty clear MN was trying to stay out of the box, and UNO was trying to draw people into it. But more than that, the last 35 minutes tonight I was truly worried that someone was going to be seriously injured. The refs let it get out of hand, and a few players ran with it. Good physical play is one thing. Being a punishing physical team can fall into that. But laying reckless and dangerous hits has NO place in the game, at any level.
I said the same thing after Rau's hit on Zucker last year in Denver, and I'm saying after this game tonight.

Cue the sue fans whining about Gopher fans being pansies and the "sissification" of hockey........I don't think MN backed down from hits tonight, and they threw a good number of their own (a couple over the top). But a few players on UNO looked like they were intent on hurting someone. And I honestly think it cost them the game. I'm just glad it didn't cost anyone their season.

I wasn't referencing you, specifically, but yours were some comments that I saw.

The game was a LOT chippier Saturday night. Once I saw that we left two defenseman home, which necessitated Tony Turgeon seeing by far the most ice team he has had this season, I knew it was going to be "game on" in the physicality department. He and Alex Simonson (who also doesn't play much) are the goons on our team and when either is playing I expect (particularly Turgeon) to see them doing time in the penalty box. He did, and also got away with the one that was maybe the most egregious, too.

I think Coach Blais is most definitely not above playing "old time hockey" and I think that was the modus operandi almost from the outset Saturday night.

I can't argue with you. Since power play goals by Minnesota were the difference in the game it, in fact, did cost us the game. That said, I think the loss might be worth the message sent, both to Minnesota and other teams watching film of these two games. That's one of the reasons why I said above "I have never felt better after seeing our guys lose" (but not the only one). Our team and our program want to, for lack of a better way to put it, "belong" in a very big way, and I think you saw that last night.

Let's not forget that we are relative newcomers to D-1 College Hockey, certainly to the WCHA, with little legacy and almost no storied history, playing one of if not the pre-eminent program in college hockey. As a result of who we are and who you are it doesn't surprise me at all that there is some, ahem, "added effort" from time to time used against you guys and not just by us, either. Let's not forget where our head coach played as well. Nobody is hurt that I know of as a result of all the banging that went on Saturday night and if we get you guys in March (or heck, even in April) it would sure make for an interesting rematch since I am sure everybody will have long memories.

Too bad we're both switching conferences. I could get used to series like that one.

[gopher wes]

Re: UNO 2012-13 Season Thread - Blaising To An Xcellent Season?

UNO could have easily swept that series over the weekend. Minnesota had early leads in both games and decided to mail them both in. Luckily for the Gophers they were able to hang on to win the Saturday game.

UNO is big AND fast. Fun team to watch. Good luck the rest of the way!

[Red Cows]

Re: UNO 2012-13 Season Thread - Blaising To An Xcellent Season?

Naturally.

UNO outplays Minnesota for something like 4 1/2 periods out of 6 this weekend, in their building, where they went into the weekend as the #3 team in the country in the USCHO poll, and they, by their own admission, were lucky to get a split.

UNO's reward for a pretty magnificent weekend of hockey that had Gopher fans happy to see us leave town? Drop one place in the USCHO poll from #13 to #14.

And the Gophers dropped from #3 to all of #4. Never mind that they are #15 in Pairwise and that the only Tuc they have played is us.

How they are ranked higher than us when anybody who saw last weekend's series, at worst, would have said that the two teams looked pretty even or even given the edge to UNO, I don't know. I can only say that, right now, I wouldn't trade what I think our future is this season for theirs. They might have a load of "talent" (to the extent you personally believe that they are laden with it) but we sure as heck looked like we had a lot more team chemistry than they do. We've got 8 NHL draft choices on our team--we're not exactly chopped liver in that area, either, by the way. They looked like a team that couldn't get out of its own way a lot. They keep talking about "getting it turned around" all the while the season is happening while they are waiting for it to happen.

That's O.K., though, we just need to keep matriculating the ball down the field, as Hank Stram used to say, and the rankings (and our season) will take care of itself.

Right now we look like one of the most underrated teams in the country. If you don't think so, ask Jeff Jackson, Scott Sandelin, or Don Lucia what they think.

Whether we deserve a spot as high in the rankings as they, I don't know. What I do know is that, right now, there is NO way they are 10 spots in the poll better than us.

They are but about a half dozen or so teams that get the benefit of the doubt, no matter how overrated they might be as a result of getting that benefit of the doubt, and Minnesota is one of those teams.

The price you pay for being relative newbies. Sigh............

[Pants]

Re: UNO 2012-13 Season Thread - Blaising To An Xcellent Season?

I think at this point, UNO deserves right where it is in the polls. ~14 is right for what has happened so far. I don't think Minny or UND deserve to be how high they are, but again, we just need to keep getting the W's and the rest will happen. More importantly, every WCHA point is huge, gotta keep going!!

[HoosierBBall_GopherHockey]

Re: UNO 2012-13 Season Thread - Blaising To An Xcellent Season?

Naturally.

UNO outplays Minnesota for something like 4 1/2 periods out of 6 this weekend, in their building, where they went into the weekend as the #3 team in the country in the USCHO poll, and they, by their own admission, were lucky to get a split.

UNO's reward for a pretty magnificent weekend of hockey that had Gopher fans happy to see us leave town? Drop one place in the USCHO poll from #13 to #14.

And the Gophers dropped from #3 to all of #4. Never mind that they are #15 in Pairwise and that the only Tuc they have played is us.

How they are ranked higher than us when anybody who saw last weekend's series, at worst, would have said that the two teams looked pretty even or even given the edge to UNO, I don't know. I can only say that, right now, I wouldn't trade what I think our future is this season for theirs. They might have a load of "talent" (to the extent you personally believe that they are laden with it) but we sure as heck looked like we had a lot more team chemistry than they do. We've got 8 NHL draft choices on our team--we're not exactly chopped liver in that area, either, by the way. They looked like a team that couldn't get out of its own way a lot. They keep talking about "getting it turned around" all the while the season is happening while they are waiting for it to happen.

That's O.K., though, we just need to keep matriculating the ball down the field, as Hank Stram used to say, and the rankings (and our season) will take care of itself.

Right now we look like one of the most underrated teams in the country. If you don't think so, ask Jeff Jackson, Scott Sandelin, or Don Lucia what they think.

Whether we deserve a spot as high in the rankings as they, I don't know. What I do know is that, right now, there is NO way they are 10 spots in the poll better than us.

They are but about a half dozen or so teams that get the benefit of the doubt, no matter how overrated they might be as a result of getting that benefit of the doubt, and Minnesota is one of those teams.

The price you pay for being relative newbies. Sigh............

Again...what is your obsession with the rankings? It makes you look like a novice college hockey fan. UNO can be #4, and Minnesota will be #14. That is fine with me. Please, take that high ranking. They are so **** worthless, it is laughable that someone gets as upset about them as you do. UNO has a very solid team with a great coach. If your guys keep playing like they did at Mariucci, they'll stay in the MacNaughton hunt throughout the year, and they'll make noise in the NCAA tournament come March/April. Isn't that the most important thing anyways? Forget the rankings.

[Red Cows]

Re: UNO 2012-13 Season Thread - Blaising To An Xcellent Season?

Again...what is your obsession with the rankings? It makes you look like a novice college hockey fan. UNO can be #4, and Minnesota will be #14. That is fine with me. Please, take that high ranking. They are so **** worthless, it is laughable that someone gets as upset about them as you do. UNO has a very solid team with a great coach. If your guys keep playing like they did at Mariucci, they'll stay in the MacNaughton hunt throughout the year, and they'll make noise in the NCAA tournament come March/April. Isn't that the most important thing anyways? Forget the rankings.

I'm not really upset with the specific ranking per se, but with the inequity of it, when comparing our lot in life to yours.

Perceptions count. Both from a street cred standpoint when another team comes to town or you go to theirs and it darn sure impacts recruiting perceptions of guys looking at your school.

That said, you are probably right and my thinking is somewhat indoctrinated by near obsession here in Huskerland of football polls, which is a beauty contest that counts whereas the polls are only a bragging contest in college hockey, where Pairwise rules the day.

That doesn't mean I have like it, though

[BCat]

Re: UNO 2012-13 Season Thread - Blaising To An Xcellent Season?

We'll have a lot better idea where UNO is at after this month. Hopefully they start by taking care of SCSU. I want to see UNO finish strong down the stretch and not limp. A good December will set that up well.

[gopher wes]

Re: UNO 2012-13 Season Thread - Blaising To An Xcellent Season?

I'm not really upset with the specific ranking per se, but with the inequity of it, when comparing our lot in life to yours.

Perceptions count. Both from a street cred standpoint when another team comes to town or you go to theirs and it darn sure impacts recruiting perceptions of guys looking at your school.

That said, you are probably right and my thinking is somewhat indoctrinated by near obsession here in Huskerland of football polls, which is a beauty contest that counts whereas the polls are only a bragging contest in college hockey, where Pairwise rules the day.

That doesn't mean I have like it, though

I agree with what HBB_GH said. To be honest, I'd rather be laying low in the polls be cause they do not matter. I'd rather fly under the radar all year and make the tourney and do some damage then. Who cares if your team is top 5 in the nation or unranked? All it takes is to get hot at the end of the year and those rankings don't mean crap. I understand you may not think it is "fair"(for lack of a better word) but I really don't understand why you get so worked up about rankings....especially at this point of the season.

[Red Cows]

Re: UNO 2012-13 Season Thread - Blaising To An Xcellent Season?

We'll have a lot better idea where UNO is at after this month. Hopefully they start by taking care of SCSU. I want to see UNO finish strong down the stretch and not limp. A good December will set that up well.

I think if we go at least 4-2 the rest of the month, or 3-2-1, we are going to make the NCAA tournament this year. 3-3 might even be O.K. I've seen plenty enough now to know that we definitely do NOT suck.

[BCat]

Re: UNO 2012-13 Season Thread - Blaising To An Xcellent Season?

I think if we go at least 4-2 the rest of the month, or 3-2-1, we are going to make the NCAA tournament this year. 3-3 might even be O.K. I've seen plenty enough now to know that we definitely do NOT suck.

The couple of times we have made the NCAA tournament, we kind of backed in (still happy to be there though) so I am more concerned about coming down the stretch confident. Things are looking good so far. I absolutely think we can play with anyone at the moment. Scoring from lots of players and the goal tending has been good so far.

[Red Cows]

Re: UNO 2012-13 Season Thread - Blaising To An Xcellent Season?

UNO's Ryan Walters named the Hockey Commissioners' Association National Division I Player of the Month for November:

http://www.omavs.com/news/2012/12/5/...x?path=mhockey

http://www.wcha.com/men/pres1213/201212/dec5wcm.php

Jeez, do we dare start the chant?

Hobey, Hobey, Hobey...............

He keeps this up, he's in the mix.

[Red Cows]

Re: UNO 2012-13 Season Thread - Blaising To An Xcellent Season?

After Walters 4 point night last night, he is now taking his season into uncharted waters for an individual player at UNO.

UNO has, at minimum, 24 games remaining. He is now on a pace to score 63 points this season. That would break Scott Parse's single season team record set in '05-'06 of 61.

He's also on a pace to record 42 assists. That would also break the team record of 41, held by Parse in the same season noted above.

He is not currently a threat to the single season goals scored record, however. His current pace would only get him to #5 or #6 on that list, right now.

Interestingly, Parse's single season assist record is held by him to the tune of 11 assists. Nobody in school history has ever gotten more than 30 in a season before or since Parse got 41 that year. Walters is a shoe-in for at least 2nd place on that list, now.

Walters is now tied for 2nd in the country in scoring. He did improve his scoring numbers from his Freshman to his Sophomore season last season. That said, who saw this coming? Having a difference maker on your team like this is going to help UNO immensely in going where it wants to go. What a start he is off to. Arguably, the best in school history or on a par with anything done previously. The only real comparisons to anybody, prior, is to the aforementioned Parse, and also to one of his contemporaries, Bill Thomas, with honorable mention to Bryan Marshall and maybe a couple others.

Let's get a sweep tonight and get back here next weekend for some home cooking.

[hockeykrazy]

Re: UNO 2012-13 Season Thread - Blaising To An Xcellent Season?

The other side of being ranked high is everyone is going to try just a little harder to knock you off. The same for awarding the Hobey this early, teams are going to want to target him and shut him down or hurt him. Just like Hano's concussion earlier and the nice slash last night. It's a two edged sword.

Blais has a history of sending the old school statement. I specifically remember about 3 UNO players chopping at the back of Hano's legs when he skated off by their bench after a whistle after last years playoff gamewinner.