Re: UMD 2019-20 Season Thread
I think as fans, we all slant our observations to our point. If the D turn the puck over three times that result in scoring chances, we say, "The D were terrible; they couldn't make a pass and just threw the puck away." They may have broken out successfully 90 percent of the time, but what we remember are those glaring giveaways, especially if they wound up in our net. Four of the D might not have had any bad turnovers at all. Doesn't matter, they were terrible. If nothing else, they were wearing the same uniform as somebody who was.
The better the opponent, the more terrible our players get. Less time to react against the forecheck and a smaller window in which to complete a pass, but it doesn't matter, "We're terrible!"
We can just as easily go too far the other way. "We have six of the top ten forwards in the country!" No. There may be six top-line caliber forwards on the team, but other teams have those type of players, too.
I think that the Bulldogs and Buckeyes make for an interesting clash stylistically. IMO, OSU is as good as any team that I've seen at being at a territorial disadvantage but being ready to convert when there is a chance to counter. UMD is very similar in that it has players who are dangerous in transition, but they seem to do better when the scoring chances start to build on each other. When playing the Bulldogs, a fan starts to get an uneasy feeling, because you can sense disaster coming. With the Buckeyes, life seems good, and then it isn't. Maybe I'm totally wrong about this, because Gabby Hughes seems perfectly capable of scoring at any moment when she's on the ice versus UM.
Anyway, Bulldogs/Gophers this weekend. I remember 15 to 20 years ago, when it just didn't get any bigger than that. A very small part of me misses that, but I certainly don't miss all of the animosity that went with it.
I think as fans, we all slant our observations to our point. If the D turn the puck over three times that result in scoring chances, we say, "The D were terrible; they couldn't make a pass and just threw the puck away." They may have broken out successfully 90 percent of the time, but what we remember are those glaring giveaways, especially if they wound up in our net. Four of the D might not have had any bad turnovers at all. Doesn't matter, they were terrible. If nothing else, they were wearing the same uniform as somebody who was.
The better the opponent, the more terrible our players get. Less time to react against the forecheck and a smaller window in which to complete a pass, but it doesn't matter, "We're terrible!"
We can just as easily go too far the other way. "We have six of the top ten forwards in the country!" No. There may be six top-line caliber forwards on the team, but other teams have those type of players, too.
I think that the Bulldogs and Buckeyes make for an interesting clash stylistically. IMO, OSU is as good as any team that I've seen at being at a territorial disadvantage but being ready to convert when there is a chance to counter. UMD is very similar in that it has players who are dangerous in transition, but they seem to do better when the scoring chances start to build on each other. When playing the Bulldogs, a fan starts to get an uneasy feeling, because you can sense disaster coming. With the Buckeyes, life seems good, and then it isn't. Maybe I'm totally wrong about this, because Gabby Hughes seems perfectly capable of scoring at any moment when she's on the ice versus UM.
Anyway, Bulldogs/Gophers this weekend. I remember 15 to 20 years ago, when it just didn't get any bigger than that. A very small part of me misses that, but I certainly don't miss all of the animosity that went with it.
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