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2011-12 Minnesota Season Thread (Pride On Ice Returns!)

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Re: 2011-12 Minnesota Season Thread (Pride On Ice Returns!)

Would M. Gardiner have been an everyday type player this year? Or was leaving for the USHL his only shot at getting ice time? Also, was someone brought in earlier than expected to fill his spot? Thx.
 
Re: 2011-12 Minnesota Season Thread (Pride On Ice Returns!)

After this series against MSU on the road(which we will have played 5 road games in the last 6) the next road games won't be until January 13th against the Sioux, with 7 games straight being played at home during this stretch.

Found it interesting.
 
Re: 2011-12 Minnesota Season Thread (Pride On Ice Returns!)

Ice Spatter said:
Would M. Gardiner have been an everyday type player this year?
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Considering he is hardly kicking butt in the USHL, I think it is safe to say he wouldn't have been an every day player on a top end college team.
 
Re: 2011-12 Minnesota Season Thread (Pride On Ice Returns!)

Handyman said:
Guys, he didnt say Boyd should sit he seems to be saying if someone was going to sit for Nico it would be Boyd in his opinion. (I disagree) His reasoning is that he prefers the big guy like Ambroz in the lineup for various reasons. I don't think that is as controversial as you guys are making it ;)
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This with one exception. While I agree Boyd has outplayed Ambroz so far, you can't teach the size Ambroz brings to the table. Sitting him on the bench would not allow him to work through his penalty issues and his game in general. Once he figures things out, I really think Ambroz will be a much different and much more productive player once the calendar turns to 2012. This is not an indictment on Boyd because I think he's been a huge asset. I just think that Ambroz's upside is higher provided he gains a little experience and learns from his early season mistakes. Either way, it's a nice problem to have. For completely different reasons, I like both players even though Ambroz hasn't measured up so far. I feel for Nico though. Being a senior and sitting on the bench must be very difficult to accept.
 
Re: 2011-12 Minnesota Season Thread (Pride On Ice Returns!)

skiumah2 said:
This with one exception. While I agree Boyd has outplayed Ambroz so far, you can't teach the size Ambroz brings to the table. Sitting him on the bench would not allow him to work through his penalty issues and his game in general. Once he figures things out, I really think Ambroz will be a much different and much more productive player once the calendar turns to 2012. This is not an indictment on Boyd because I think he's been a huge asset. I just think that Ambroz's upside is higher provided he gains a little experience and learns from his early season mistakes. Either way, it's a nice problem to have. For completely different reasons, I like both players even though Ambroz hasn't measured up so far. I feel for Nico though. Being a senior and sitting on the bench must be very difficult to accept.
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I couldn't have said it better, my thoughts exactly.. Seth will have to earn that ice time and I think he will, until then I hope Boyd keeps playing as well as he has been.
 
Re: 2011-12 Minnesota Season Thread (Pride On Ice Returns!)

With this gopher team, which has a ton of promise, everything is about developing them for March and April. The gophs will be in the tournament, and they can afford to be patient with development. In the recent past, it seems, they have had to deal with serious game-readiness, intensity kinds of issues that must be addressed immediately. Also, like UND this year, they needed to win now to avoid getting into too deep a hole. You can be patient with kids who are focused, dedicated, and want to win. This team appears to have that.
 
Re: 2011-12 Minnesota Season Thread (Pride On Ice Returns!)

burd said:
With this gopher team, which has a ton of promise, everything is about developing them for March and April. The gophs will be in the tournament, and they can afford to be patient with development. In the recent past, it seems, they have had to deal with serious game-readiness, intensity kinds of issues that must be addressed immediately. Also, like UND this year, they needed to win now to avoid getting into too deep a hole. You can be patient with kids who are focused, dedicated, and want to win. This team appears to have that.
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Yeah Burd that intensity all but vanished during the Hill era. As a Goph fan I dont expect a ton of banners, I just want to see a competitive team. Theres the down years to be expected but in my young 42yrs the last few seasons were the worst i've ever seen and it did a number on the fanbase (which I think is a sleeping giant, slowly waking up)...

As far as UND goes, young kinda sums it up, but also one of the smaller squads i've seen them have in a while. UND usually owns the neutral zone resulting in alot of ZT.. I think the fire is there tho and heck its not even Dec yet, without looking at the sched im sure there will be a hot streak coming just in time to p1ss off a few fanbases.
 
Re: 2011-12 Minnesota Season Thread (Pride On Ice Returns!)

skiumah2 said:
This with one exception. While I agree Boyd has outplayed Ambroz so far, you can't teach the size Ambroz brings to the table. Sitting him on the bench would not allow him to work through his penalty issues and his game in general. Once he figures things out, I really think Ambroz will be a much different and much more productive player once the calendar turns to 2012. This is not an indictment on Boyd because I think he's been a huge asset. I just think that Ambroz's upside is higher provided he gains a little experience and learns from his early season mistakes. Either way, it's a nice problem to have. For completely different reasons, I like both players even though Ambroz hasn't measured up so far. I feel for Nico though. Being a senior and sitting on the bench must be very difficult to accept.
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Thank you ski - I could not of said it better myself
 
Re: 2011-12 Minnesota Season Thread (Pride On Ice Returns!)

jerryj said:
outside of rau, boyd might be the freshman that has performed best so far this season. he wont be sitting anytime soon, nor should he.
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After Rau, I'd take Ben Marshall. The guy has serious tools.
 
du78 said:
Is Armageddon upon us??? The Don recruiting in Canada, but alas, not too successful, even with Mario on the team.

http://letsgodu.blogspot.com/2011/11/pentictons-cody-depourcq-commits-to-du.html
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I heard Hammy say on the GPL Podcast say that we cooled in our pursuit of this kid. He's a smaller kid, and we have plenty of smaller, skilled forwards coming in. Likely we're looking for more size up front at the moment (ahem... Paging Mr. Fasching).

And it wouldn't have been the first time tDon recruited in Canada (see Kris Chucko and Peter Kennedy). He just doesn't do it very often.
 
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Re: 2011-12 Minnesota Season Thread (Pride On Ice Returns!)

Grats to Bjugstad


Sophomore Nick Bjugstad was named the Red Baron® WCHA Offensive Player of the Week for Nov. 22. This is the first time that Bjugstad has been honored by the WCHA this year. He was recognized twice last season as the WCHA Rookie of the Week.

Bjugstad had a hand in five of the eight goals that Minnesota scored in a home-and-home split with St. Cloud State this past weekend. On Friday, he scored Minnesota's first goal to tie the game 1-1 and then assisted on Kyle Rau's goal that pulled the Gophers to within 4-3 late in the third period.

On Saturday, he notched the first hat trick of his career, as he scored on all three of his shots in a 5-0 home win. Bjugstad scored Minnesota's first (game-winning goal), third and fifth goals of the game. It was the Gophers first hat trick since Jay Barriball scored three times in a win against Massachusetts on Oct. 9, 2010.

Bjugstad is tied for first in the nation with 21 points and is second in the nation with 13 goals.

The Blaine, Minn., native joins linemate Kyle Rau and goaltender Kent Patterson in being honored by the WCHA this season. Rau was named WCHA Rookie of the Week for Oct. 18, while Patterson was named WCHA Co-Defensive Player of the Week for Oct. 11 and Nov. 1.
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Re: 2011-12 Minnesota Season Thread (Pride On Ice Returns!)

JDUBBS1280 said:
I heard Hammy say on the GPL Podcast say that we cooled in our pursuit of this kid. He's a smaller kid, and we have plenty of smaller, skilled forwards coming in. .
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That fits the steroptype gopher response to a lost recruitment so well that it just has to be tongue-in-cheek. :)
 
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burd said:
That fits the steroptype gopher response to a lost recruitment that it just has to be tongue-in-cheek. :)
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I don't know, makes sense to me. Look at the forward recruits they have coming in. Not a lot of size there. Add Rau and Warning to the picture and remove Bjugstad and Budish and we don't have much size at all up front.

I think the change in recruiting philosophy is great in some respects as I think tDon is adjusting to the changes in the college hockey landscape and aiming for more players that will likely stick around longer. However, you still need some size.

And no disrespect to Denver or this kid, but the Gophers probably weren't in a position to offer him as much as Denver likely did. Good get for Denver for sure, but you have to pick your battles.
 
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Re: 2011-12 Minnesota Season Thread (Pride On Ice Returns!)

burd said:
That fits the steroptype gopher response to a lost recruitment so well that it just has to be tongue-in-cheek. :)
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Impossible. There are no lost recruits. The recruits don't choose the Gophers, the Gophers choose them. The Gophers allow other teams to recruit some decent talent just to keep things interesting, otherwise they would just get bored.
 
Re: 2011-12 Minnesota Season Thread (Pride On Ice Returns!)

Tiggsy said:
Impossible. There are no lost recruits. The recruits don't choose the Gophers, the Gophers choose them. The Gophers allow other teams to recruit some decent talent just to keep things interesting, otherwise they would just get bored.
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The last three years of Gopher hockey: just to make things interesting. IALTO
 
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