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2011-12 MN Gophers Season Thread Pt II: Still Full Of Pride!

Re: 2011-12 MN Gophers Season Thread Pt II: Still Full Of Pride!

HoosierBBall_GopherHockey said:
A Bears/Mets/Montreal/UNLV/Miami fan talking about lack of recent titles? That's rich. I wanted Lucia gone after the end of last season. I never have tasted better crow in my life after this season (which, btw, isn't even over yet).
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I hear crow is excellent with a sour grapes sauce. That is what Whioux fans are eating this week.
 
Re: 2011-12 MN Gophers Season Thread Pt II: Still Full Of Pride!

mnstate0fhockey said:
Hasn't really hurt BC at all.
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Not exactly the case. They have small FORWARDS, but their defensemen are huge. The thing that BC does better than anyone is transition from defense to offense. If you turn the puck over, you're looking at an odd-man rush the other way. And they are unselfish with the puck. I don't know how many times watching my team (BU) this year on an odd-man rush screaming "PASS THE PUCK" only to see him just shoot it into the goalie's pads. BC won't do that - they'll make two or three extra passes to get the goalie out of position, and then they know how to bury it once they do. They FORCE you to play a more conservative style, because if you take too many chances, you're dead. The best way to play them (which, unfortunately, does not seem to be Minnesota's style) is to slow the game down and wait for a good opportunity, but at all costs, protect your net. No third man high or pinching on the blue line. I know you probably don't like to play that way, but I have yet to see anyone "out BC" BC...tough to win when you are playing THEIR game...
 
Re: 2011-12 MN Gophers Season Thread Pt II: Still Full Of Pride!

HoosierBBall_GopherHockey said:
A Bears/Mets/Montreal/UNLV/Miami fan talking about lack of recent titles? That's rich.
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Miami won a title nearly as recently (2001) and had another title stolen from them by OSU paid refs.

But the rest of them have been crap, and they have also had many coaches as they try to find someone to lead them to a title. So really it shows consistency in my argument. If you don't win, you don't stay.
 
Re: 2011-12 MN Gophers Season Thread Pt II: Still Full Of Pride!

Driftryder said:
Yeah I figured that would get a roughing call.
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The refs screwed up...definitely missed a roughing call, but maybe a holding call on Boyd too. It looked like Boyd played the puck with his hand and used the old "hold onto the lumber" tactic on Lamoureux to lock it under his arm to buy time. That's actually a holding the stick penalty. But as soon as you start throwing multiple punches like Lamoureux did that's a roughly call.
 
Re: 2011-12 MN Gophers Season Thread Pt II: Still Full Of Pride!

JDUBBS1280 said:
<a href="http://ndgoon.blogspot.com/2012/03/sioux-close-out-season-with-loss-to.html?m=1">Per Goon</A>: <i>"Congrats to the seniors, Ben Blood, Brad Eidsness and Mario Lamoureux I have enjoyed watching you play for four years at UND. All three are <b>character guys</b> and will be successful in whatever they do in life."</i>

I find it absolutely unfathomable that this guy could possibly believe 90% of the stuff he writes. To call Blood and Lammy "character guys" (regardless of how big of a homer you are) is absolutely laughable.
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Recognizing it's not always easy for MN fans to view UND fans, players, coaches or media objectively, and vice versa, and further recognizing that Goon can be Goon, I don't think his comments regarding Eidsness, Lammy or Blood were out of line or laughable at all.

Eidsness, who had basically lost his job to Dell, and who had already graduated, nevertheless returned to have a very solid season and provide some much needed relief in net for UND.

And it was Lammy and Blood who refused to let this team quit in November, when it might have been very easy to do so. Following the bad loss at BSU, the lowpoint during the season, Lammy and Blood were interviewed. While the actual article in the Herald is archived, their comments were essentially that it didn't matter they were sitting in 10th or 11th place, that they had lost players to injury, defection to the canadian juniors, or that they were playing a bunch of walk ons. Every player in that locker room believed at the end of the season they would be in the NCAA tournament with a chance to win it all. Candidly, I don't think the UND fans, or even the Herald beat writer necessarily believed them. But it's pretty clear they were right, and I think as the seniors on the team they deserve some of the credit for that.
 
Re: 2011-12 MN Gophers Season Thread Pt II: Still Full Of Pride!

chickod said:
BC won't do that - they'll make two or three extra passes to get the goalie out of position, and then they know how to bury it once they do. They FORCE you to play a more conservative style, because if you take too many chances, you're dead. The best way to play them (which, unfortunately, does not seem to be Minnesota's style) is to slow the game down and wait for a good opportunity, but at all costs, protect your net. No third man high or pinching on the blue line. I know you probably don't like to play that way, but I have yet to see anyone "out BC" BC...tough to win when you are playing THEIR game...
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I respect it, but I see many posts as overconfidence in BC. Alot of this IMO is knowing only half the equation...many folks seem to just know BC and infer the rest.

It seems many eastern fans see the UMD score and feel that the defending champs are wcha's best or at least equivalent to MN. That's a mistake. For starters, the UMD game was not nearly as close as it might have been. UMD was carrying the better of the play through until the goal happened and then the second. After the previous day, the Connelly line was juiced and an effective BC counter killed them.

But keep in mind UMD had soften since earlier in the year...and went 8-6 in back part of the year. The gophers swept UMD at home (not in Woosta) for the only time the teams played during a time when against everyone else UMD went 17-2. Likewise we could look at BC's 3Ws and 3Ls with BU...and coupled with our 7-3 win...and say no problem. But I have yet to hear that from anyone...nobody puts credence in that perspective.

The net message is MN is very different from UMD and the teams will play on neutral ice. Aspects of the game like passsing the puck have been a staple of MN hockey forever. And regarding BC's ability to move the puck up the ice? MN's top DMan has as many assists as BC's top two combined. So I would neither think that puck control is a special BC domain...nor have I seen a team beat the gophers via puck control this year. Not this team...not that way.

From what I can tell BC has the most solid team. But believe me, MN has the best talent. This game is a pickem.
 
chickod said:
Not exactly the case. They have small FORWARDS, but their defensemen are huge. The thing that BC does better than anyone is transition from defense to offense. If you turn the puck over, you're looking at an odd-man rush the other way. And they are unselfish with the puck. I don't know how many times watching my team (BU) this year on an odd-man rush screaming "PASS THE PUCK" only to see him just shoot it into the goalie's pads. BC won't do that - they'll make two or three extra passes to get the goalie out of position, and then they know how to bury it once they do. They FORCE you to play a more conservative style, because if you take too many chances, you're dead. The best way to play them (which, unfortunately, does not seem to be Minnesota's style) is to slow the game down and wait for a good opportunity, but at all costs, protect your net. No third man high or pinching on the blue line. I know you probably don't like to play that way, but I have yet to see anyone "out BC" BC...tough to win when you are playing THEIR game...
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:rolleyes: on so many different levels.
 
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Re: 2011-12 MN Gophers Season Thread Pt II: Still Full Of Pride!

firstpusk said:
I hear crow is excellent with a sour grapes sauce. That is what Whioux fans are eating this week.
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Really. I didnt see much boasting or expectation of winning by Sioux fans, nor did I see much of anything except gracious congratulations to the winning gopher team after the outcome that we expected came to fruition. So please explain. Or perhaps it is just schadenfruede you are engaging in, which is fine.
 
Re: 2011-12 MN Gophers Season Thread Pt II: Still Full Of Pride!

wasmania said:
Really. I didnt see much boasting or expectation of winning by Sioux fans, nor did I see much of anything except gracious congratulations to the winning gopher team after the outcome that we expected came to fruition.
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You weren't in St. Paul, were you?
 
Re: 2011-12 MN Gophers Season Thread Pt II: Still Full Of Pride!

chickod said:
Not exactly the case. They have small FORWARDS, but their defensemen are huge. The thing that BC does better than anyone is transition from defense to offense. If you turn the puck over, you're looking at an odd-man rush the other way. And they are unselfish with the puck. I don't know how many times watching my team (BU) this year on an odd-man rush screaming "PASS THE PUCK" only to see him just shoot it into the goalie's pads. BC won't do that - they'll make two or three extra passes to get the goalie out of position, and then they know how to bury it once they do. They FORCE you to play a more conservative style, because if you take too many chances, you're dead. The best way to play them (which, unfortunately, does not seem to be Minnesota's style) is to slow the game down and wait for a good opportunity, but at all costs, protect your net. No third man high or pinching on the blue line. I know you probably don't like to play that way, but I have yet to see anyone "out BC" BC...tough to win when you are playing THEIR game...
Click to expand...

Sometimes what you have to do is throw that type of game back at them. I don't think that MN needs to change their game. They are an up-tempo offense and if they can take the offensive pressure and a good forecheck at BC....who knows....BC might be on the defensive. I am pretty sure that worked for the 80 Olympic team when they tried to emulate some of the Russian and Canadian style of the game and look what happened. I would not call a MN win a "miracle". What if MN just decides to make BC play "their" game? Something to think about. MN won the WCHA....they are not going to be some patsy in the way of a BC national championship.
 
Gphrpkhead said:
Sometimes what you have to do is throw that type of game back at them. I don't think that MN needs to change their game. They are an up-tempo offense and if they can take the offensive pressure and a good forecheck at BC....who knows....BC might be on the defensive. I am pretty sure that worked for the 80 Olympic team when they tried to emulate some of the Russian and Canadian style of the game and look what happened. I would not call a MN win a "miracle". What if MN just decides to make BC play "their" game? Something to think about. MN won the WCHA....they are not going to be some patsy in the way of a BC national championship.
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It's ok, I hope everyone thinks BC is going to roll over the Gophers.
 
Re: 2011-12 MN Gophers Season Thread Pt II: Still Full Of Pride!

I'm fairly sure the Gophers won't even muster the 20 SOG that Air Force had. Any shots they do get will be taken on accident as they dump the puck in from the red line.
 
Re: 2011-12 MN Gophers Season Thread Pt II: Still Full Of Pride!

JF_Gophers said:
I'm fairly sure the Gophers won't even muster the 20 SOG that Air Force had. Any shots they do get will be taken on accident as they dump the puck in from the red line.
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They won't make it within ten feet of the red line.
 
Re: 2011-12 MN Gophers Season Thread Pt II: Still Full Of Pride!

JF_Gophers said:
I'm fairly sure the Gophers won't even muster the 20 SOG that Air Force had. Any shots they do get will be taken on accident as they dump the puck in from the red line.
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The Gophers have the lowest seed in the Frozen Four. I am not sure why they are even showing up for their game with BC...perhaps they won't.
 
Re: 2011-12 MN Gophers Season Thread Pt II: Still Full Of Pride!

I would just like to say something that I want to point out after this past weekend and something I have been noticing over the past couple months. For all the crap that people give Helgeson, he has been, IMO, so solid defensively down the stretch run. I don't think he has gotten enough credit for his efforts in front of Patterson. Early in the year(not to mention over the first two years of his career) I cringed when I saw the Gophers opponent enter the zone with him on the back end. Especially at the regional I began to feel a slight calm when I saw him back there.

Holl catches a lot of heck too but if he could clean up the penalties(some of which I thought he was completely HOSED on during the regional), he has really been ok outside of a few brutal mistakes. I think he gets ripped on more than he deserves, personally.

As for the Frozen Four: BC rolls. I might not even bother watching on Thursday.
 
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