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Minnesota Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2013-14 Season

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Eeyore

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Because, really, it's time.

I suppose that this also means that I should offer my annual worry about the possibility of injuries being a serious issue with a small roster. It isn't just that they have only five D and a D/F; they also have only twelve forwards on the roster. Any injury at all means playing with a short bench.

And put me on the list that doesn't think scoring will be a big issue.
 
Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2013-14 Season

Eeyore said:
I suppose that this also means that I should offer my annual worry about the possibility of injuries being a serious issue with a small roster.
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The biggest injury problem last season wasn't running out of bodies, it was running out of players wearing #8, and that will be an issue all season, even if the roster included healthy scratches. It should have been a big issue versus Colgate when Davis and Terry were gone and Kessel was limited; kudos to the team that the players dressed made it a non issue. They came through the games where some didn't dress due to coach's decisions very well. The game where absences had the biggest impact was the NCAA quarterfinal. Once McMillen got tossed and Brausen was held out, only 14 players were skating. Kessel was still trying to get back into game shape, and Garzone looked like a rookie who hadn't seen a lot of ice time trying to navigate her way through her first win-or-go-home game. However, I don't know that the presence of a few more walk-ons would have made much of a difference.
 
Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2013-14 Season

Let's remember they don't have the best player in the world at each position, like they did last year. I know I'm Debbie Downer, but scoring will be a problem should #22 go down. I wish the best for the Goph's. I really do.
 
Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2013-14 Season

123kidd said:
... scoring will be a problem should #22 go down.
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I agree that if you remove a kid capable of putting up 80 points in a season from any roster, that loss will be felt. We saw that in 2002-03 and 2003-04 when Wendell and Darwitz respectively were injured.
 
Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2013-14 Season

In the big picture it wouldn't necessarily be walk-ons that would fill out the roster with more depth. Most schools actually recruit enough players to have some reserves. For some reason, Frost recruits an extremely lean roster. Maybe there are benefits to that, possibly getting better recruits because they know that there's going to be playing time available. I wouldn't know. The downside to weigh against it is that it doesn't take much of an injury run (or Canadian national team commitments) to put you in a real hole. I don't know the net value of doing it this way. All I know is that I worry that two significant injuries could spell major problems.
 
Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2013-14 Season

A team can only give 18 scholarships. A coach can divide these up as he wishes and give partial scholarships, but it typically requires a full scholarship or nearly so to attract a national-team caliber player. Some teams will have 30 players listed on a roster, but that is accomplished either by having a large number of walk-on players or few with full rides. So Frost could increase roster size by putting a premium on quantity over quality.

The econ-like curve is complicated in an Olympic year. Kessel and Stecklein will return in a year, so you can't use their scholarships to attract new players without severely limiting the recruiting class for the following year. Because the Gophers have already committed to a number of players, Frost typically uses the money freed up by Olympic sabbaticals to increase the scholarship money for students already on the roster not receiving full rides.

The problem that concerns you can be solved to an extent, but at a cost.
 
Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2013-14 Season

Women European Hockey Tournament. Yesterday Fin vs RUS. Noora shotout and Mira slapshot goal from blue line.
Result 1-0 to FIN. Former Gophers first game for season 2013-2014.
 
Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2013-14 Season

Habs said:
Women European Hockey Tournament. Yesterday Fin vs RUS. Noora shotout and Mira slapshot goal from blue line.
Result 1-0 to FIN. Former Gophers first game for season 2013-2014.
Click to expand...
Some things never change. ;)
 
Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2013-14 Season

Habs said:
Saturday game Fin 3 - SWE 0. Noora between pipes.
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I'm surprised the Finns have figured out how to score three goals in one game. The team that showed up at the world championships back in April scored five goals in six games, including one goal in their last four games.
 
Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2013-14 Season

Eeyore said:
I'm surprised the Finns have figured out how to score three goals in one game. The team that showed up at the world championships back in April scored five goals in six games, including one goal in their last four games.
Click to expand...

Just stating the obvious: when your goaltender continues to post shutouts you only need to score once to win.
 
Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2013-14 Season

Hockey on the snow / ice covered TCF gridiron...:cool:
 
Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2013-14 Season

Note from OS Hockey on Alum Winny Brodt Brown

"On Thursday, September 5th, Winny (Os Hockey Director) and Justin Brown welcomed another member to their wolf pack. Weston Emerson Brown was born at 3:36 am at 7lbs 7oz and 21 inches. Both mom and baby are doing well. Thank you everyone for your support and well wishes!"
 
Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Women's Hockey 2013-14 Season

And fresh off of Twitter and Facebook... The Gopher women's hockey team will be honored at this Saturday's Gopher football game.

It's highly probably they'll be receiving their NCAA Championship rings. Looking forward to it.
 
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