Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-19: The Motzko Era Begins!
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Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-19: The Motzko Era Begins!
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Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-19: The Motzko Era Begins!
It is amazing how similar this thread and those for BC, BU and UND are. 'Team is not consistent, poor, under-performing in most games, and boy is attendance poor.' And in most other cases, someone questioning the coach.
I hope last night's game is a sign they are moving in the right direction. I went on Friday and it seemed like 3 guys were trying. A lot of passes to backhands, in feet or complete misses, with the receiver making little effort to catch it in some cases. They lost many puck battles to a less talented team. Last night the effort definitely improved. Time will tell. Most of these players were on the team last year, that at times, looked like they could beat anyone, when they all hustled, and at other times, especially in the last 4 games, many of the players didn't show up and they looked like a team anyone could beat.
It is amazing how similar this thread and those for BC, BU and UND are. 'Team is not consistent, poor, under-performing in most games, and boy is attendance poor.' And in most other cases, someone questioning the coach.
I hope last night's game is a sign they are moving in the right direction. I went on Friday and it seemed like 3 guys were trying. A lot of passes to backhands, in feet or complete misses, with the receiver making little effort to catch it in some cases. They lost many puck battles to a less talented team. Last night the effort definitely improved. Time will tell. Most of these players were on the team last year, that at times, looked like they could beat anyone, when they all hustled, and at other times, especially in the last 4 games, many of the players didn't show up and they looked like a team anyone could beat.
Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-19: The Motzko Era Begins!
The kid line - McLaughlin, Burke, & Walker - was fantastic all night.
Ranta is not meshing with Novak & Sheehy. Not sure what's up with those two but they are struggling and mostly invisible. Especially Sheehy.
Because I'm goofy I always find it interesting to see who takes the initiative to grab the puck after someone scores their first goal as a Gopher. No shock to me it was Romanko last night.
I know Nanne gets a lot of abuse from fans - some deserved - but he really doesn't take off many shifts and his hustle & aggressiveness seems contagious.
The kid line - McLaughlin, Burke, & Walker - was fantastic all night.
Ranta is not meshing with Novak & Sheehy. Not sure what's up with those two but they are struggling and mostly invisible. Especially Sheehy.
Because I'm goofy I always find it interesting to see who takes the initiative to grab the puck after someone scores their first goal as a Gopher. No shock to me it was Romanko last night.
I know Nanne gets a lot of abuse from fans - some deserved - but he really doesn't take off many shifts and his hustle & aggressiveness seems contagious.
Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-19: The Motzko Era Begins!
I do think he's making progress in cutting down on those "moments" and lately the good has begun to far outweigh the bad.
Here's one who loves his offensive skill, which I think is the best from a defenseman on the team - very fun to watch! But he does still have those inexplicable "moments" defensively which makes me scratch my head and ask myself, "What the he!! was he thinking?"
I do think he's making progress in cutting down on those "moments" and lately the good has begun to far outweigh the bad.
Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-19: The Motzko Era Begins!
It's amazing to think that Sheehy was 2017 Big Ten player of the Year, First Team Big Ten and conference co-scoring champion (20-33-53). Then hampered with an injury and an overall poor team performance last season, his numbers fell off a cliff. Sheehy's stats are currently 1-2-3, worse than last season at this time (1-3-4/2017-18).
Justin Kloos had more assists on Sheehy's goals (10) and Kloos had more assists from Sheehy (11) than any other Gopher in 2017. Both Pitlick (5 assists) and Novak (4 assists) worked well with Sheehy in 2017, but Kloos' skill set made a huge difference that season.
Novak is more of a setup guy not a goal scorer, but he's having a bad start (0-3-3) compared to last season. Ranta is a power forward with a big cannon, yet he's not getting enough good feeds to match his skill set. I'd like to see more scoring opportunities for Ranta.
The other lines seem to be developing some chemistry, so I can't see breaking those up now. So as senior leaders on this team Sheehy and Novak have to dig deeper and improve their game asap.
It's amazing to think that Sheehy was 2017 Big Ten player of the Year, First Team Big Ten and conference co-scoring champion (20-33-53). Then hampered with an injury and an overall poor team performance last season, his numbers fell off a cliff. Sheehy's stats are currently 1-2-3, worse than last season at this time (1-3-4/2017-18).
Justin Kloos had more assists on Sheehy's goals (10) and Kloos had more assists from Sheehy (11) than any other Gopher in 2017. Both Pitlick (5 assists) and Novak (4 assists) worked well with Sheehy in 2017, but Kloos' skill set made a huge difference that season.
Novak is more of a setup guy not a goal scorer, but he's having a bad start (0-3-3) compared to last season. Ranta is a power forward with a big cannon, yet he's not getting enough good feeds to match his skill set. I'd like to see more scoring opportunities for Ranta.
The other lines seem to be developing some chemistry, so I can't see breaking those up now. So as senior leaders on this team Sheehy and Novak have to dig deeper and improve their game asap.
gopher wes
Dammit, Gorilla!!
Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-19: The Motzko Era Begins!
So who would you guys put Ranta with to help his production?
Serious question.
So who would you guys put Ranta with to help his production?
Serious question.
trixR4kids
New member
I think Walker should ideally stay at center and maybe you can have Ranta play with him. Both are pretty fast I believe so they could compliment each other in that sense.
Slap Shot
I got nothing
Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-19: The Motzko Era Begins!
Are there really some questioning Motzko? Yes there's always a few extremists but is there a % of sane fans doing that? Because unless fans think his results at SCSU were all because of his assistants (one of which he brought with him) how exactly are they putting any of this on Motzko?
Are there really some questioning Motzko? Yes there's always a few extremists but is there a % of sane fans doing that? Because unless fans think his results at SCSU were all because of his assistants (one of which he brought with him) how exactly are they putting any of this on Motzko?
St. Clown
Ideas Posted are Likely Not My Own
Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-19: The Motzko Era Begins!
People like to blame a fully grown man, and not young men who are often not fully developed emotionally even when the young men are the responsible parties. If he's coaching in any matter like he did at SCSU, he's not asking players to go out and be thumpers; he wants guys who will play hard along the board to dig our pucks, in the slot to work for ugly goals, and just to generally beat their opponents to an open puck. Are the players doing that? If not, they either lack the motivation, the simple will, the right skills, or a combination of the three. From comments read, it looks like Motzko is questioning his players' collective will.
People like to blame a fully grown man, and not young men who are often not fully developed emotionally even when the young men are the responsible parties. If he's coaching in any matter like he did at SCSU, he's not asking players to go out and be thumpers; he wants guys who will play hard along the board to dig our pucks, in the slot to work for ugly goals, and just to generally beat their opponents to an open puck. Are the players doing that? If not, they either lack the motivation, the simple will, the right skills, or a combination of the three. From comments read, it looks like Motzko is questioning his players' collective will.
Rabid Gopher
Craving Championchips
Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-19: The Motzko Era Begins!
tBob is not the problem. tPlayers are the problem.
tBob is not the problem. tPlayers are the problem.
Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-19: The Motzko Era Begins!
Well we were getting reports last year of Lucia and Guentzel being frustrated that they could not get through to the group of players no matter what they tried to motivate them, and it was all Lucia's fault then.
Well we were getting reports last year of Lucia and Guentzel being frustrated that they could not get through to the group of players no matter what they tried to motivate them, and it was all Lucia's fault then.
Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-19: The Motzko Era Begins!
Not many yet. A few have mentioned he is in no better shape than Lucia. My point wasn't so much about the coaching, but that these powerhouse programs are all facing adversity and inconsistency, as well as declining fan interest to some degree (nothing to do in NoDak so they don't have quite the same problem there). The reference to questioning the coaches was made to point out the frustration of the fan bases with their teams performances. Fans from each seem to think their program is falling apart and many aren't aware how similar their team's circumstance is to others. It seems more prevalent with major programs this year than others.
I think it is not complete coincidence that these are all programs that have a competitive edge in recruiting projected blue-chippers at a young age. First, many of the recruits will come back to the pack in ability as they get close to college age, so the teams might not have the same level of skill advantage that recruiting advantages afforded them when kids were mainly recruited at 18. Second, they are often younger teams because they have players who skip Juniors or play one year and therefore have more trouble finding consistency when playing against teams with older players. And that isn't to say that anyone of these teams can't pull together at make it a very good season, although time is running out to insure a NCAA appearance. With only 16 teams making it, gotta think a couple of these teams might not make it.
Not many yet. A few have mentioned he is in no better shape than Lucia. My point wasn't so much about the coaching, but that these powerhouse programs are all facing adversity and inconsistency, as well as declining fan interest to some degree (nothing to do in NoDak so they don't have quite the same problem there). The reference to questioning the coaches was made to point out the frustration of the fan bases with their teams performances. Fans from each seem to think their program is falling apart and many aren't aware how similar their team's circumstance is to others. It seems more prevalent with major programs this year than others.
I think it is not complete coincidence that these are all programs that have a competitive edge in recruiting projected blue-chippers at a young age. First, many of the recruits will come back to the pack in ability as they get close to college age, so the teams might not have the same level of skill advantage that recruiting advantages afforded them when kids were mainly recruited at 18. Second, they are often younger teams because they have players who skip Juniors or play one year and therefore have more trouble finding consistency when playing against teams with older players. And that isn't to say that anyone of these teams can't pull together at make it a very good season, although time is running out to insure a NCAA appearance. With only 16 teams making it, gotta think a couple of these teams might not make it.
Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-19: The Motzko Era Begins!
IMHO I think the seniors Sheehy and Novak need to step up and figure out a way to work Ranta in more. Power forwards usually have the ability to get close to the net with their skill and strength to score goals. I'd like to see Ranta use his size in front and around the net more.
Burke-Walker-McLaughlin was the only line that scored on Sat (3-3-6). I wouldn't tamper with that line...yet.
IMHO I think the seniors Sheehy and Novak need to step up and figure out a way to work Ranta in more. Power forwards usually have the ability to get close to the net with their skill and strength to score goals. I'd like to see Ranta use his size in front and around the net more.
Burke-Walker-McLaughlin was the only line that scored on Sat (3-3-6). I wouldn't tamper with that line...yet.
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Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-19: The Motzko Era Begins!
The team has moved up from third to last...to 44th out of 50 teams in terms of scoring. The worst plus/minus on the team is Novak, Sheehy, Wait (a freshman), and Gates in that order.
IMO Bob deserves no blame for this team - he recruited just Ranta and maybe another freshman. This was a Lucia creation.
The team has moved up from third to last...to 44th out of 50 teams in terms of scoring. The worst plus/minus on the team is Novak, Sheehy, Wait (a freshman), and Gates in that order.
IMO Bob deserves no blame for this team - he recruited just Ranta and maybe another freshman. This was a Lucia creation.
Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-19: The Motzko Era Begins!
Good to know, thanks for sharing 5mn Major. If those three seniors would only jump on board and consistently play up to their ability it would change the whole dynamic of this team. And for all the criticism our D get, it's interesting that the bottom four in plus/minus are all forwards, which to me is no surprise.
St. Clown
Ideas Posted are Likely Not My Own
Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-19: The Motzko Era Begins!
If the players you recruit won't put in the effort, it's your fault, or that of your recruiting staff.
If the players recruited by your predecessor won't put in the effort, then either the blame placed upon the prior staff was misplaced and it should fall entirely onto the student players, or it furthers the point that the prior staff did a poor job of vetting and recruiting those players to the team.
If the players you recruit won't put in the effort, it's your fault, or that of your recruiting staff.
If the players recruited by your predecessor won't put in the effort, then either the blame placed upon the prior staff was misplaced and it should fall entirely onto the student players, or it furthers the point that the prior staff did a poor job of vetting and recruiting those players to the team.
gopher wes
Dammit, Gorilla!!
Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-19: The Motzko Era Begins!
Seems like kind of a lose lose, darned if you do and darned if you don't kind of deal to me when it comes to recruiting. Especially at a place like Minnesota where you should theoretically have the pick of the high school litter.
I know the narrative right now is a lot of fans think the Gophers need some older, grinder type of players with some grit and toughness. Not unlike some of the recruits I'm guessing Motzko had to go after in his years at SCSU because he wasn't getting the blue chippers that, say, a Minnesota or a UND were getting. It kind of sounds like that's the kind of recruits Hastings is getting down in Mankato. Yeah, he gets a lot of good Minnesota recruits but he's got a few foreign players mixed in too. They probably weren't highly recruited, but ended up being a good fit for that program.
Sorry for going off on a tangent there. I just don't feel like it's as simple as saying that Lucia recruited poorly. Like I said, in some cases maybe he did but in other cases he was going after guys who were highly sought after. They just didn't work/aren't working at Minnesota for whatever the reason.
In some cases I agree. In other cases I think that when recruiting players as young as they do now, some of these kids may just plateau in development. Now, is some of that on the coaching/recruitment? Sure. But at the same time if they don't recruit that early and they miss out on some young kid who goes off to another school and blows up, they're going to get crucified.
Seems like kind of a lose lose, darned if you do and darned if you don't kind of deal to me when it comes to recruiting. Especially at a place like Minnesota where you should theoretically have the pick of the high school litter.
I know the narrative right now is a lot of fans think the Gophers need some older, grinder type of players with some grit and toughness. Not unlike some of the recruits I'm guessing Motzko had to go after in his years at SCSU because he wasn't getting the blue chippers that, say, a Minnesota or a UND were getting. It kind of sounds like that's the kind of recruits Hastings is getting down in Mankato. Yeah, he gets a lot of good Minnesota recruits but he's got a few foreign players mixed in too. They probably weren't highly recruited, but ended up being a good fit for that program.
Sorry for going off on a tangent there. I just don't feel like it's as simple as saying that Lucia recruited poorly. Like I said, in some cases maybe he did but in other cases he was going after guys who were highly sought after. They just didn't work/aren't working at Minnesota for whatever the reason.
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