Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2009-2010

[D2D]

Re: Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2009-2010

http://www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=38864&SPID=3323&DB_OEM_ID=8400&ATCLID=204865988

GO GOPHERS!

"Between the two teams, four players will be missing from this series as they compete for their national team. The Gophers will be without Noora Räty and Mira Jalosuo, while OSU will be missing Natalie Spooner and Minttu Tuominen. They are all competing at the MLP Cup in Germany, but will return to their respective teams following this weekend."

Should be a pretty even trade as long as Grogan and/or Lura play well.

 

[CrazyDave]

Re: Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2009-2010

Okay, so the first period was plain you-gly. You could tell that the whole team was still shaking off the holiday break (after Ohio State had restarted last weekend).

It was also obvious that Alyssa hadn't seen serious action in net in a while -- her only action since November 1st (her last start before tonight) was when she faced 6 shots in mop-up action against UND four weeks ago (Dec. 13). Not only did she not stop the bouncing puck that went in for the first Buckeye goal (though I had a feeling it might go in when it bounced a second time several feet in front of her), but she had trouble passing/handing the puck off to her teammates all three times she went behind the net in the first period. Just not good.

But thankfully the rust seemed to go away during the first intermission. At one point, the shots on goal in the second period were 10-1 in the Gophers' favor, and the final shot totals for the period were 14-4. The Gopher power play also converted their second opportunity when Megan Bozek tied the game at 2-2.

Congrats to Jaimie Horton for her first-star performance in tonight's game, scoring the first Gopher goal -- her first of the season -- and assisting on the all-important insurance goal that made the score 4-2 early in the third period. Sarah Erickson also came up big with 3 assists. Emily West, Brittany Francis, and Kelli Blankenship also had multi-point nights.

It did look like stuff was starting to get rough in the third period. Coincidental penalties were called on OSU's Kelly Wild and Gopher Sarah Erickson for holding, and I was surprised that there weren't others. It will be interesting to see how much of that aggressiveness will carry over to Saturday's game.

Here are a couple of links:
-- Box Score
-- GopherSports.com game recap with interview video
-- ARM's recap on PowerPlayClub.org

 

[D2D]

Re: Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2009-2010

It wasn't pretty during the 1st period, but I was happy to see they came out and took charge in the 2nd. Hopefully Miss Grogan, after a very shaky start, got her confidence back and the team's momentum will carry over tomorrow.

 

[ARM]

Re: Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2009-2010

A good night for the Gophs in the standings, w/ UMD idle, UW and OSU losing, and BSU dropping the shootout, they gained on all of their closest pursuers.

 

[CrazyDave]

Re: Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2009-2010

A good night for the Gophs in the standings, w/ UMD idle, UW and OSU losing, and BSU dropping the shootout, they gained on all of their closest pursuers.

I fully concur. With another win tonight, the Gophers will have a 7-point lead on UMD and at least that big a lead on Wisconsin.

 

[high slot]

Re: Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2009-2010

"Between the two teams, four players will be missing from this series as they compete for their national team. The Gophers will be without Noora Räty and Mira Jalosuo, while OSU will be missing Natalie Spooner and Minttu Tuominen. They are all competing at the MLP Cup in Germany, but will return to their respective teams following this weekend."

Should be a pretty even trade as long as Grogan and/or Lura play well.

There's a local radio show that has the preposterous statement of the day, and I think this qualifies. If Grogan and Lura play well, it would mean that you didn't miss your world class goalie too much. On the other hand, when the other team is missing two of their top six forwards, it sends shock waves thru the entire lineup. Non-dressers become 4th liners, 4th liners become 3rd liners, and so on.

Again, using your words, "if Grogan and Lura play well", the Gophers would take the trade-off of Jalosuo for Spooner and Minttu every single time. I'm pretty sure the Gophers are deep enough to be without Jalosuo in the lineup for a weekend. If Grogan and Lura don't play well, maybe then it's a more even trade.

This isn't meant as an excuse for the loss, just a rebuttal to an illogical comment.

 

[D2D]

Re: Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2009-2010

This isn't meant as an excuse for the loss, just a rebuttal to an illogical comment.

I don't think it was illogical, but in hindsight I'll admit that what I said was overstating the obvious. As I witnessed the first two soft goals, I was beginning to think that OSU got the better 'trade', but Grogan settled down and played well the rest of the way. It's hard to fault her for being rusty (nervous?) because she's had very little ice time since the beginning of the season.

 

[ARM]

Re: Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2009-2010

There's a local radio show that has the preposterous statement of the day, and I think this qualifies.

You can disagree with the original statement, but that doesn't make it preposterous. We are talking hockey, and in hockey, goaltender is by far the most important position. So playing w/o the goaltender who has had the best numbers in the country to date is a concern. Even if the replacement plays "well", there can be different levels of effective play in net. Last night, it was obvious that the Gopher goalie and her D weren't in synch.

I do understand where you are coming from, in that Spooner is a special player and any team would struggle to deal with her loss, as well as that of Touminen. Wisconsin falling to UND w/o Deluce and Prévost is a good example, although the Badgers have been so up and down that it is hard to point to a single reason.

 

[CrazyDave]

Re: Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2009-2010

The Gophers get a solid 6-0 shutout victory over the Buckeyes in the second game of the weekend series, and now head to Bemidji. The Gophers have a 7-point lead on UMD in the WCHA standings and will have at least a 7-point lead on Wisconsin as well.

It appeared to be quite a physical game throughout, punctuated by the coincidental penalties on Kelly Seeler and OSU's Kelly Wild early in the second period and the double minor-misconduct combination by OSU's Kim Theut in the third period. I thought that the refs let a bunch of stuff slide early, setting up for the more aggressive play as the game wore on.

Still, the Gophers got to Buckeye goaltender Chelsey Knapp early with Emily West's goal just 1:08 into the game. But I really thought the back-breaker for OSU was Brittany Francis' goal with less than 9 seconds left in the first period to make it a 3-0 at that point.

That was a great solid effort by Alyssa Grogan in net, stopping 26 shots. That gives her 5 scoreless periods in net after shutting down the Buckeyes in the final 40 minutes on Friday. The Gophers are probably going to need that kind of effort up in Bemidji given the stinginess of Beaver 'tender Zuzana Tomcikova at the other end.

With the exception of the first period on Friday, I'd call it a good weekend.

Brooky -- missed you at the games. Hope you're doing okay.

Links of the night:
-- Box score
-- GopherSports.com game summary with postgame interview video

 

[D2D]

Re: Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2009-2010

Thanks for the summary, Dave, I couldn't make it today as I took a guest to the mens' game at 7:00.

I am really happy for Grogan - getting the shutout over 5 periods of play has to be a real confidence builder, both for her and the whole team. They are now clearly in charge of their own destiny when it comes to winning the regular season title. But BSU - easily the most improved team in the league - also has to be feeling really good about what they've done, especially after their 3-0 win tonight.

It certainly won't be easy up there next weekend.

 

[high slot]

Re: Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2009-2010

You can disagree with the original statement, but that doesn't make it preposterous. We are talking hockey, and in hockey, goaltender is by far the most important position. So playing w/o the goaltender who has had the best numbers in the country to date is a concern. Even if the replacement plays "well", there can be different levels of effective play in net.

I do understand where you are coming from, in that Spooner is a special player and any team would struggle to deal with her loss, as well as that of Touminen. Wisconsin falling to UND w/o Deluce and Prévost is a good example, although the Badgers have been so up and down that it is hard to point to a single reason.

I'll admit that preposterous may have been over the top, I was trying to capitalize on someone else's bit. That way I don't have to rack my brain trying to come up with my own.

My point remains the same. The comment read "Should be a pretty even trade as long as Grogan/Lura play well." That is exactly what makes it an uneven trade. That comment jumped off my computer screen and I couldn't let it go unchallenged.

You're right, there are different levels of effective play in net. I don't, however, think that D2D was getting that fine. In the context of his post, it is reasonable to think playing well would mean helping your team to wins vs. stinking up the joint.

At any rate, Grogan did play very well for 5 periods and the Gophers pounded OSU -- especially yesterday. I think it's fair to say that they were embarrassing losses for the Buckeyes. OSU had just made the top ten and really, as of late, were playing pretty well. They were coming to MPLS to play well and just plain didn't. Maybe it's simply that the Gophs, with their superiority, didn't let them play well.

The kids spent 11 hours at the Columbus airport on Thursday. Hardly an ideal way to start the weekend. Maybe they should have found a way to use that inconvenience as motivation. Obviously, they didn't.

 

[ARM]

Re: Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2009-2010

That comment jumped off my computer screen and I couldn't let it go unchallenged.

That's fair.

... the Gophers pounded OSU -- especially yesterday. I think it's fair to say that they were embarrassing losses for the Buckeyes. OSU had just made the top ten and really, as of late, were playing pretty well. They were coming to MPLS to play well and just plain didn't. Maybe it's simply that the Gophs, with their superiority, didn't let them play well.

I thought the OSU goalie was a bit off from the drop of the puck on Saturday, not catching shots cleanly or controlling the rebounds. Sometimes on the road, your goalie has to steal a few minutes until the skaters can settle in, and she was unable to do that yesterday. It's tough when a favored host scores on the 2nd shift of the game to come back.

We've talked many times on this forum about how the WCHA schedule prepares a team for an NCAA title run. The flip side is that it doesn't do the teams who are in that 4th, 5th, 6th range in the conference any favors. I think the perception nationally is that these teams aren't that good. Actually, I think that they usually have fairly decent levels of talent. But it is hard for them to build any momentum with the WCHA schedule. They get on a bit of a roll, start to feel pretty positive about their game, and then they have to play one of the bullies. Three years ago the Gophers came out of the break ranked about 4th in the country and hosted Wisconsin. We scored the first goal of the weekend, got trounced thereafter, and went into a several-week tailspin. It damages a theam's psyche when the opponent delivers a message that says, "You think you're good? We'll show you good."

The kids spent 11 hours at the Columbus airport on Thursday. Hardly an ideal way to start the weekend.

I think that travel is a bigger problem for OSU than any other program in the country. Maybe I'm wrong -- perhaps it is as bad or worse for a Wayne State, St. Lawrence, or Maine. But the Buckeyes are either at home or they are getting on a plane and flying somewhere, and destinations like Bemidji and Mankato just aren't that easy to reach from Columbus. Over the course of the season, I believe that it takes a toll.

 

[high slot]

Re: Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2009-2010

That's fair.
I think the perception nationally is that these teams aren't that good. Actually, I think that they usually have fairly decent levels of talent. But it is hard for them to build any momentum with the WCHA schedule. They get on a bit of a roll, start to feel pretty positive about their game, and then they have to play one of the bullies.


Darn bullies.

Interesting. Last week a RMU parent, who I know knows hockey, said OSU was the best team they had seen all year and that includes UMD and WISCO. OSU played very, very well. Contrast that with what the national perception that's likely based on this weekend's results. As you said, they probably don't think OSU is very good. The Buckeyes obviously aren't as good as Minnesota, and despite how they played this weekend, they are a pretty decent team. You couldn't be more right. The top dogs in the WCHA, year in and year out, make it extremely difficult for the middle teams.

I just got through watching the Friday night game on the BTN. It's the first time I've seen women's hockey in HD. Very nice. OSU won the first period of the weekend. Does that count for anything?

One last thing. My D and I went to the Wild game Sat. night. Watched a monumental Wild comeback. It was a very good tonic after an otherwise disappointing weekend.

 

[LLL]

Re: Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2009-2010

I just got through watching the Friday night game on the BTN. It's the first time I've seen women's hockey in HD. Very nice. OSU won the first period of the weekend. Does that count for anything?

One last thing. My D and I went to the Wild game Sat. night. Watched a monumental Wild comeback. It was a very good tonic after an otherwise disappointing weekend.

OSU certainly won the first period. Who was the gal talking during the game? She did not seem very familiar with hockey. It was GREAT to watch women's hockey on TV though. Looks like there are a few more Gopher women's games coming up on the BTN.

Have to say a bit jealous that you got to watch that Wild game in person. The arena must have been rocking! We had a bunch of hockey kids here and I finally went down to watch with them on the big TV. Crazy game!

 

[xwildfan]

Re: Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2009-2010

Gophers looked about as good as they have all season (not counting 1st period 1st game). They looked much quicker and more physical. OSU definitely not same team without Spooner. Her size and strength would help against the big MN defenders. Also, some of top scorers nursing fairly significant injuries doesn't help. Hopefully they can get everyone healthy for playoffs and make a better showing.

 

[CrazyDave]

Re: Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2009-2010

It was GREAT to watch women's hockey on TV though. Looks like there are a few more Gopher women's games coming up on the BTN.

Having received a journalism minor from when I was an undergrad student at the U., I have to give big props to the student-run production team. Probably like many, I was completely unaware that the webcasts -- and now the associated BTN rebroadcasts -- were produced by U. students until the first of the rebroadcasts on Sunday morning. Fantastic job and many kudos.

 

[ARM]

Re: Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2009-2010

Coach Frost said his message to his charges for tonight's exhibition would be, "Don't get hurt; and don't hurt any of them." That said, I hope we see some good hockey. It will be odd to see Gigi skating off of the "away" bench; I've already seen that a few times from Natalie.

Other random thoughts ...

The Gophs allowed 9 goals in 2 games in a Madison series that concluded on November 1st; they've only allowed 9 goals in 12 games since that time.

The color commentator for the BTN Gopher broadcasts is one of the most novice announcers I've ever heard, both in terms of speaking into a live mic and watching a hockey game. However, the picture quality and overall competency of the camera operators has made the end product enjoyable and valuable for me.

I discussed with someone during Friday's game the possibility that Anne Schleper is the most talented player to skate on the Gopher blue line in the 13 years of the program. We have had some very, very good players on D, such as Courtney Kennedy, Winny Brodt, Ronda Curtin, Lyndsay Wall, etc., but #22 does a lot of things well. And she seems to be improving. Opinions?

 

[brookyone]

Re: Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2009-2010

The color commentator for the BTN Gopher broadcasts is one of the most novice announcers I've ever heard, both in terms of speaking into a live mic and watching a hockey game. However, the picture quality and overall competency of the camera operators has made the end product enjoyable and valuable for me.

Agree with your thoughts on the color commentary for the BTN. Clearly early in the broadcast careers. The picture was great...I thought the camera person was having trouble following the puck into the corner to their right, which would be the SW corner of the Ridder ice sheet by the lockerroom entrances. When play was deep in that corner, you didn't see it...until the play advanced back out to that circle and beyond. I had the same complaint...same corner, different building, during the webstream from OSU. I'm thinking it's probably an obstructed view condition from the camera location at Ridder where you wouldn't see the actual ice surface even with the camera panned further to the right. The ice level shots were nice...taken right from where I normally sit during the 2nd period. None of this dampens my enthusiasm for the opportunity to watch the games on the tube though.[/QUOTE]

I discussed with someone during Friday's game the possibility that Anne Schleper is the most talented player to skate on the Gopher blue line in the 13 years of the program. We have had some very, very good players on D, such as Courtney Kennedy, Winny Brodt, Ronda Curtin, Lyndsay Wall, etc., but #22 does a lot of things well. And she seems to be improving. Opinions?

It's a little spooky...I wasn't there, but was contemplating and thinking the very same thing while I watched. Anne Schleper clearly deserves complete consideration in this respect IMO. I think we may just have to give the same consideration to another current blueliner before long.

#19

 

[ARM]

Re: Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2009-2010

I think we may just have to give the same consideration to another current blueliner before long.

Definitely. I think #22 may have been a little more up and down as a rookie than #19 is this year. I guess that is understandable when making the jump from HS instead of club. I also think that Bozek has helped the development of both Schleper and Seeler offensively. Seeing the success that she has rushing the puck, they seem a little quicker to do so when the situation dictates. Of course one can't fall in love with that either, because it will always be faster to pass the puck up the rink rather than skate it. Overall, I'm very happy with how the blue line is playing. (and no matter the results, tonight won't change that )

 

[Hckysk8tr8]

Re: Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2009-2010

End of the 2nd period -- USA (4) vs Gophers (4) - Downey (1 goal), West (1 goal), Blankenship (2 goals).