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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!)

It's exciting to see three next generation players coming in about the same time.
 
Re: 2011-12 Minnesota Season Thread (Pride On Ice Returns!)

Koho said:
Haven't seen him this year (only played 1 game) but saw him a handful of times last year. First, there will be no personality problems with him. He is a great kid who leads by example, not by being loud. He is somewhat hard to judge because he is one of the least selfish players you'll see. He is very smart defensively and doesn't get beat very often nor make bad passes. But when he does hold the puck, he also has good offensive skills. He runs the powerplay for GR. He isn't flashy but I think he has a ton of potential. Strong on his feet, smart and good hands. Not blazing speed like dad, but a good skater. I plan to watch him Friday and in some other games. I think a number of pro scouts have also been watching him. In all likelihood will play one year of Juniors after HS. He just looks like a kid with a ton of talent that hasn't all shown itself yet. As with any kid this age, you never can tell when they will stop progressing, but he has a good work ethic (got that from Mom) and lots of help from local talent. I am glad they got him. If he continues to progress, he'll be a solid player.
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Thanks for the info, sounds like a solid recruit for the Gophers.
 
Re: 2011-12 Minnesota Season Thread (Pride On Ice Returns!)

Driftryder said:
I don't know much about him, is he a stay at home type D or an offensive puck moving D?
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My other post didn't seem to take. I'll write it again if it doesn't show up. BUt look at the link above and follow the link to the UMD story for some description. Also, UMD and Notre Dame were pushing hard for him. I think UND showed some interest but didn't figure they had much chance.
 
Re: 2011-12 Minnesota Season Thread (Pride On Ice Returns!)

ScoobyDoo said:
It's exciting to see three next generation players coming in about the same time.
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He has a younger brother that is reportedly quite a player too, but that is probably because he is pretty big for his age so has a size advantage. Might try to watch him once this year too. Too young to predict anything yet, but who knows...
 
Koho said:
He is very smart defensively and doesn't get beat very often nor make bad passes. But when he does hold the puck, he also has good offensive skills. He runs the powerplay for GR. He isn't flashy but I think he has a ton of potential. Strong on his feet, smart and good hands.
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So he is Alex Goligoski. I am okay with that if it is true. :)
 
Re: 2011-12 Minnesota Season Thread (Pride On Ice Returns!)

state of hockey said:
So he is Alex Goligoski. I am okay with that if it is true. :)
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I'm not promising that. Can't say I remember what Alex looked like as a Sophomore.

JaKe Guentzel's team up by 1. ANyone know if LaValle is going anywhere?
 
Re: 2011-12 Minnesota Season Thread (Pride On Ice Returns!)

Vinni Lettieri with an assist so far for Minnetonka. They are tied with Burnsville 2-2 after 1st.

EDIT: Lettieri with 1 goal and 2 assists now. Tonka leads 5-2.

Spinner for Eden Prairie already with a hat trick in the second vs Jefferson.
 
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Re: 2011-12 Minnesota Season Thread (Pride On Ice Returns!)

JDUBBS1280 said:
Vinni Lettieri with an assist so far for Minnetonka. They are tied with Burnsville 2-2 after 1st.

EDIT: Lettieri with 1 goal and 2 assists now. Tonka leads 5-2.

Spinner for Eden Prairie already with a hat trick in the second vs Jefferson.
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Yep, he looks good so far.

Edit: Lettieri with a shorthanded goal (2)
 
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Re: 2011-12 Minnesota Season Thread (Pride On Ice Returns!)

In today's PP.

Nice to hear they are working on their D issues.

The University of Minnesota men's hockey team had a video session earlier in the week with coach Don Lucia to point out defensive issues that led to a loss and tie last weekend at Michigan State.

Gophers associate head coach Mike Guentzel set up another video session for today, primarily for Minnesota's defensemen. With Guentzel responsible for much of the defensive strategy, a push is being made to sharpen the team's performance in front of goalie Kent Patterson.

In three of the Gophers' past four games, St. Cloud State and Michigan State combined to score 16 goals. Eight of the goals slipped past Patterson in East Lansing, contributing to the Gophers' 1-2-1 record in the four-game stretch.

"We had an off weekend," Gophers defenseman Mark Alt said of the Michigan State trip. "It was kind of a wake-up call for us to let us know what we have to work on."

Gophers defenseman Seth Helgelson said the defensive issues are an "easy fix." To prepare the Gophers (11-4-1, 8-2-0 WCHA) for this weekend's two-game series against Minnesota State Mankato (3-10-1, 2-7-1) at Mariucci Arena, Helgelson said the team spent extra time on its rush defense.

Michigan State took advantage of several rush opportunities to score on Patterson. The alarming factor for the Gophers in Friday's 4-3 loss was that the Spartans had only 23 shots on goal, just six in the third period. But the Spartans scored twice in the third to pull out a victory. They also scored a late goal in the third
period Saturday night to help earn a 4-4 tie.

"We could have prevented some of the situations that hurt us," Helgelson said. "Kent is good, but he can't stop every shot. As defensemen, we know we have to pick it up and play for him as well. We're on our way to fixing things. We've proven we can be a pretty good defensive team with the amount of shots we've given up."

The Gophers have allowed an average of 25-1/2 shots in their past four games. St. Cloud State had only 18 shots but still managed to beat the Gophers 4-3 on Nov. 18.

"Normally in games like that, where we don't have that many shots, we don't give up a lot of goals," Alt said.

The Gophers still have a respectable 2.0 goals-against average, fifth in the nation. Patterson's five shutouts have helped keep the average down despite the defensive slump. Minnesota's defensive struggles have led to the Gophers falling from No. 1 in the nation three weeks ago to fourth by USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine and fifth by U.S. College Hockey Online (USCHO.com).

Lucia remains confident in his defense, believing the mental errors will be corrected.

"Our defense was a big question mark coming into the season, but I'm happy with where we're at right now," Lucia said. "We just had confusion in some rush situations at Michigan State. Those things can be overcome with better communication. It's something we've been stressing since the beginning of the season. You're not going to win a lot of games giving up four goals a night. I know that much."
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Re: 2011-12 Minnesota Season Thread (Pride On Ice Returns!)

JDUBBS1280 said:
Bischoff said that atmosphere along with the school was what he wanted to be a part of.

"It's pretty cool and amazing," Bischoff said. "I was down in the Cities for hockey and was at the Gophers and Sioux hockey game. The Gophers scored with a minute left and the atmosphere was unbelievable. I was like this would be awesome."

Bischoff had the decision narrowed down to three schools before deciding on the Gophers. He made visits to the University of Minnesota-Duluth, Notre Dame as well as Minnesota.

Bischoff continues a trend of Thunderhawk hockey players joining the University of Minnesota. Patrick White was the most recent Thunderhawk player to join the Gophers and prior to that Dallas Stars defenseman Alex Goligoski.

Bischoff will be coached by Marble native Mike Guentzel, who serves as an assistant coach as well as Grand Rapids native, Don Lucia.

The Gophers have enjoyed a resurgence this year as they sit at 11-4-1 overall on the season and 8-2-0 in the WCHA heading into a weekend series with Minnesota State-Mankato.

"Mike Guentzel is back this year and I have heard only good things about him. He is a defensive coach," Bischoff said. "Head Coach Don Lucia is a really nice guy as well and I like Grant Potulny."
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That's a pretty cool story that he was here for the UND series.:D UND is the main rivalry that got me hooked on Gopher Hockey and I love the atmosphere at Mariucci when it gets rockin'. It's kinda cool that the players appreciate that and are attracted to it!
 
gopher wes said:
That's a pretty cool story that he was here for the UND series.:D UND is the main rivalry that got me hooked on Gopher Hockey and I love the atmosphere at Mariucci when it gets rockin'. It's kinda cool that the players appreciate that and are attracted to it!
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I'm guessing no one told him that we won't play them while he is here.
 
Re: 2011-12 Minnesota Season Thread (Pride On Ice Returns!)

state of hockey said:
I'm guessing no one told him that we won't play them while he is here.
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I am sure he is well aware of the situation. His dad knows a thing or two and he has lots of experienced hockey people around him. Besides, Lucia has mentioned an interest in playing them as often as possible. And the atmosphere he was talking about wasn't only the fact it was UND, just the atmosphere of a big game at the U.

His dad still has tickets and they watch games whenever they can, so it would have been tough for one of the other teams to have lured him away anyways.

I will predict now that we will be more pleased with how he develops than most were with White. (I know, not really going out on a limb given White's expectations by most fans following a first round pick. Interesting to see where Bisch goes in the draft. Given his young age I wonder how much teams will take a chance based so much on potential.
 
Re: 2011-12 Minnesota Season Thread (Pride On Ice Returns!)

Many of us have grown to feel a surprising amount of affection for gopher fans in recent years. Because of that, we are concerned about how you will suffer when the boys on the ice revert to their old underperforming ways. So be careful in your expectations--we really do care. When it comes, try to think of all the other wonderful things you have, like good walleye, clean snow, and all those great high school players.
 
Re: 2011-12 Minnesota Season Thread (Pride On Ice Returns!)

Watched Bischoff play last night. Nothing spectacular to report, but he did appear to be the most mature player on the ice. He seems to play with a lot of confidence this year. He is involved more in the offense, not that he was strictly defensive last year. But seems to want the puck more, calling for it at times. It is hard to judge from one game, but he does seem to be progressing nicely. (I think he had 2 assists in a 6-0 win over Forest Lake and nearly scored a couple times.) If he can keep up this pace of development, he's going to be pretty good. If the Gophs loose a D or two early, I have a feeling he'd be able to make the jump after next year if necessary. He is clearly the leader on the team.
 
Koho said:
Watched Bischoff play last night. Nothing spectacular to report, but he did appear to be the most mature player on the ice. He seems to play with a lot of confidence this year. He is involved more in the offense, not that he was strictly defensive last year. But seems to want the puck more, calling for it at times. It is hard to judge from one game, but he does seem to be progressing nicely. (I think he had 2 assists in a 6-0 win over Forest Lake and nearly scored a couple times.) If he can keep up this pace of development, he's going to be pretty good. If the Gophs loose a D or two early, I have a feeling he'd be able to make the jump after next year if necessary. He is clearly the leader on the team.
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Great to hear. Thanks for the report Koho!
 
Re: 2011-12 Minnesota Season Thread (Pride On Ice Returns!)

Haula looked pretty in control of things last night. Hopefully he keeps that up.

Interesting to see where the boys are rated iwht everybody above them but Duluth losing this weekend. Pretty sure Merrimack won't be on top. Not that I really care st this point, but they could be back up as high as #2. I am more concerned about them finding a way to play full games than where they are ranked.
 
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