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Minnesota Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2012-2013

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Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2012-2013

Wisconsin played well, especially in the first. This was not the same team I watched up in Duluth back in October. Nevertheless, they lean too heavily on Decker to be successful at this level. Rigsby left a lot of big rebounds but the Gophers couldn't convert.

Then what the Gophers did to them in the second is something that can't have happened to them in years. Wisconsin had a power play early in the period that looked good and Noora had to make an astonishing save from her back to keep them off the board. That was the last breath the Badgers got in the middle stanza. For the next 12 minutes they really struggled to get the puck out of their zone. Rigsby was probably better than she was in the first. Minnesota's first goal was a brilliant passing play amongst Brandt, Kessel and Menefee who finished on a shot that gave Rigsby no chance. The third goal was Sarah Davis roofing a backhand from in close with someone draped on her back. The fourth saw Davis and Bona play demolition derby around the crease, getting tangled up with both defensemen and Rigsby; Kortum found a lonely puck sitting there and gave it a home.

It'll be interesting to see what happens tomorrow, but if the Gophers muster the same effort I expect the same outcome.
 
Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2012-2013

ARM said:
The Bruce Brothers of the Pioneer Press was in the house:
http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_22107531/gophers-put-show-full-house

"She's as good as I've had," Johnson said of (Brianna) Decker.
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I admit to not fully appreciating Decker as long as Knight was there. Personally I was ALWAYS dazzled by Knight. But this year Decker is the unquestioned gem at the heart of what is a VERY good team. Wisconsin is without doubt the best opponent we have seen at Ridder this season. I defer judgment until later on whether they are the best team the Gophers have faced. There is, after all, another game tomorrow and that team up in Grand Forks is also very, very good.

The PairWise is all over the place and Ohio State is a deserved holder of second place in the conference. But somehow I think that someone who at this point in the season thinks they are pretty good is going to have to beat Wisconsin to get to the Frozen Four.
 
After watching Gophers play several times, I can't envision anyone beating them this year. They have no weak areas. They are so dominant, that by the middle of game, there is no suspense or drama as to the outcome of the game.
 
Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2012-2013

xwildfan said:
After watching Gophers play several times, I can't envision anyone beating them this year. They have no weak areas. They are so dominant, that by the middle of game, there is no suspense or drama as to the outcome of the game.
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They'll have off nights. Every team does. At this point, I'd give them somewhere between a 5% and a 10% chance of going undefeated this year. When you think about it, that means they have to win 24 more games in a row, so I think that's really high praise at this point.

Watching the Minnesota men's team on TV tonight, I think I figured out what makes the women's team this year so special. They both play very aggressively and are very responsible in their own end. Psychologically, that's a hard combination to instill in a team. Having both the physical talent to do both and the mental talent to stick with both is something you won't see very often. I said during the New Hampshire series that this team can sometimes react to an opposing goalie looking shaky early by forgetting their defensive responsibilities and I stand by that. However, I'm not very worried about it showing up in a game that bites them, since a goalie having a bad night is going to get eaten up by this team. When they have an off night, and it will happen, I expect it to be more comprehensive than that. Of the team's on their schedule, though, I think they can beat half of them even on a bad night so it's going to be a quest5ion of timing.
 
Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2012-2013

CrazyDave said:
How the h-e-double-hockey-sticks did Noora's save not make the game highlight video? :confused: That play easily jump started the team in that game.
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Consider the placement of the camera that is being used for all of the on-ice action. Noora's save in the 2nd wouldn't have shown up well from 200 feet away at a low angle, and it may have even been blocked by bodies. You'll have to relive it in your mind. :)
 
Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2012-2013

Personally I am pretty happy about 1 GA in 6 periods against what looks to me to be a very good Wisconsin team.

Special kudos to the defense.
 
Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2012-2013

Noora certainly played well and had that huge save on Saturday but today was more about the defense. She got beat a couple of times in the first but Wisconsin hit the pipe twice. After the puck dropped for the second, it was the total team defense that took over. It wasn't just the Wisconsin had only eight total shots in the second and third periods; they also didn't have any good chances not reflected in the shot totals. I thought Ramsey had a couple of weak moments in the third period in the first game, but she was tremendous on Sunday. Gillanders and Stecklein played solid D all weekend and it was nice to see Jalosuo score on Sunday because she deserved it after a hard weekend of play. Megan Bozek was, of course, Megan Bozek.

Also a shout out to a couple of the other Canadians. Sarah Davis was rewarded on the score sheet this weekend after a lot of hard play that didn't. It was good to see and her goal on Saturday was a ridiculously good shot. Kelly Terry was everywhere in both games. I don't think she had a point in either game, but could have been one of the three stars today.
 
Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2012-2013

Eeyore said:
Noora ... got beat a couple of times in the first but Wisconsin hit the pipe twice.
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I only saw one (Packer on a rebound hit the base of the pipe on the left) and officially, that's all that was shown. Noora also made a couple of great saves off of deflections and scramble plays.

Eeyore said:
After the puck dropped for the second, it was the total team defense that took over.
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Much of that in the second period was Wisconsin couldn't get out of its own zone for long stretches. The Gophers didn't have to play too much defense because they had Wisconsin back on its heels.

Eeyore said:
I thought Ramsey had a couple of weak moments in the third period in the first game, but she was tremendous on Sunday.
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The one that stood out was IMO more of a great effort by Courtney Burke. Our players do that to opponents all of the time and make them look silly, and it isn't always that the person on 'D' played it poorly. Ramsey was at the end of her shift because we'd had sustained pressure in the zone for a long time, so that may have contributed to her getting beat.

Eeyore said:
Gillanders and Stecklein played solid D all weekend and it was nice to see Jalosuo score on Sunday because she deserved it after a hard weekend of play.
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Yesterday was the best I've ever seen Gillanders play. She seemed more aggressive, and when she did get beat for a moment, she recovered very well. I'm very impressed by how advanced Stecklein is at this stage. Yes, she played solidly, but she also showed some things that we haven't seen from her before to protect the puck from pressure, and she keeps making such good decisions with it. I'm a big fan.

Eeyore said:
Megan Bozek was, of course, Megan Bozek.
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Props to her for staying out of the box; not an easy task when matched up against Decker so often.

Eeyore said:
Sarah Davis was rewarded on the score sheet this weekend after a lot of hard play that didn't.
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It's probably a chicken/egg thing, but Davis played at a higher level this weekend beyond her scoring contributions. She does such a good job causing turnovers and then helping us retain possession once she does. The extra this week was that she was able to get the puck to the net against an opponent that never makes that easy.

Eeyore said:
Kelly Terry was everywhere in both games.
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I wonder if "I'm tired" is in her vocabulary?

I also thought Brausen was really flying to the puck. Yesterday was probably her best game of the year, and she created some nice offense and let a couple of good shots go that had a chance against a lesser goalie than Rigsby. Kortum also had a strong weekend. Thinking back, it seems that many of her best efforts over her career have come versus Bucky. Maybe she doesn't like the color red? An excellent quality to possess.

Well done by the whole team! Now carry that same level into Bemidji, because the Beavers are going to be hungry for that first home win of the season. It's time to get a sweep in their new barn.
 
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Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2012-2013

ARM, can you give us some clarification on the two streaks going here...consecutive victories and consecutive road victories. Thanks in advance!

Are these all NCAA Div I streaks or only related to women's hockey? I kind of recall a UCLA basketball team
coached by Wooden and a UConn womens basketball team that had some great runs. What is the hockey streak (men or women).
 
Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2012-2013

They're streaks for women's hockey, and only since it became an NCAA sport in 2000-01, I believe.
 
Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2012-2013

The streaks pertain to women's D-I hockey, and that only dates back to 2000-2001. It is hard to compare streaks across sports. Didn't Penn State volleyball have one that went on for years? Sports like basketball and volleyball have so many scoring plays per contest that a better team can easily survive a few bad calls or bounces. It is harder in hockey, where a good goalie and flukey bounce or two can swing a result.
 
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