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Minnesota Gopher 2012 offseason thread

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Re: Minnesota Gopher 2012 offseason thread

HarleyMC said:
Lucia on replacing Kent Patterson in net (2012 State Fair interview)...



Kent will not only be hard to replace, but the question is can we even come close to Kent's ability? Sounds like Shiby and Wilcox might end up sharing net time. The Gophers look solid with a lot of depth at every position, but goalie is obviously the weakest link in the chain.

Wilcox was middle of the pack among 21 goalies in the USHL last season...not very impressive. Shiby has only played 3 WCHA games (2G/34 Svs/CC, 1G/5 Svs/UMN) for a total of 95 min. of playing time. Aside from all the hype about this coming season, with the ? in net, it's very possible the Gophers could fail to hang any banners at all this season (channeling Scooby this evening).
Click to expand...

Ya...the concerning thing is that Shibrowski got pretty much no ice last year. And that with the expectation that he might be needed this year to carry the load. I've been banking on Wilcox..pretty darn important recruit in the scheme of things.

Having said that. Not every team in the league has a top flight goalie. We just need to be close to the other side in goal. The experienced D will be built into the plan...and forwards should be in another class than most other teams.
 
Re: Minnesota Gopher 2012 offseason thread

http://www.gophersports.com/blog/2012/08/gophers-host-qa-session-with-fans-at-state-fair.html

Q & A with the Gophers from Gophersports


Fans crowded the stage outside the University of Minnesota building on Tuesday afternoon at the Minnesota State Fair to interact with members of the Gopher men's hockey program.

Head coach Don Lucia was joined by team captain Seth Helgeson and assistant captains Zach Budish and Nick Bjugstad for a Q&A session with Gopher fans.

You gave us the questions, the Gophers gave us the answers. Here are some of our favorites:

Lucia on Minnesota's final year in the WCHA...
"Obviously we have a lot of history with the WCHA, and we want to celebrate that history in our final year in the league. That being said, we're excited about our future in the Big Ten and developing new rivalries while hopefully keeping some of our classic ones as well. We like our team, and we're excited for this season."

Helgeson on expectations for the 2012-13 season...
"We've got a lot of solid guys coming back on the blue line and up front, and you probably can't find two big guys like these two (Bjugstad and Budish), wheeling and dealing, anywhere else. It's definitely going to be exciting out there this year."

Bjugstad on his decision to return to the Gophers for his junior season...
"It was a tough decision, but my heart stayed here. We have a great group of guys, and we are excited about this season."

Budish on his favorite game from last season...
"Definitely the regional final against North Dakota. They kind of embarrassed us a week before, and it was nice to get back at them. It was just a great game for us...so much fun and such a great atmosphere."

Lucia on the 10th anniversary of the 2003 NCAA title...
"That was a special year...repeating as national champions hadn't happened for a long time, and it was a lot of fun. We had a great group of guys, and it will be nice to honor them later this year for their success."

Lucia on replacing Kent Patterson in net...
"It's going to be tough replacing an All-American like Kent, but we're confident in the guys on our roster. Michael Shibrowski will be a junior this year, and Adam Wilcox is coming in as a freshman out of South St. Paul. Those guys will both have a chance to see the ice, and they'll battle for playing time."

Helgeson on what food he was looking forward to eating at the fair...
"This is honestly my first time at the state fair to tell you the truth. I think I'm going to have the turkey leg...I've heard it's a big portion, and I'm a fan of having a lot of food at one time."
Click to expand...
 
HarleyMC said:
Lucia on replacing Kent Patterson in net (2012 State Fair interview)...



Kent will not only be hard to replace, but the question is can we even come close to Kent's ability? Sounds like Shiby and Wilcox might end up sharing net time. The Gophers look solid with a lot of depth at every position, but goalie is obviously the weakest link in the chain.

Wilcox was middle of the pack among 21 goalies in the USHL last season...not very impressive. Shiby has only played 3 WCHA games (2G/34 Svs/CC, 1G/5 Svs/UMN) for a total of 95 min. of playing time. Aside from all the hype about this coming season, with the ? in net, it's very possible the Gophers could fail to hang any banners at all this season (channeling Scooby this evening).
Click to expand...

Wilcox had the 3rd best save percentage in the USHL last season.
 
Re: Minnesota Gopher 2012 offseason thread

HarleyMC said:
Kent will not only be hard to replace, but the question is can we even come close to Kent's ability? Sounds like Shiby and Wilcox might end up sharing net time. The Gophers look solid with a lot of depth at every position, but goalie is obviously the weakest link in the chain.

Wilcox was middle of the pack among 21 goalies in the USHL last season...not very impressive. Shiby has only played 3 WCHA games (2G/34 Svs/CC, 1G/5 Svs/UMN) for a total of 95 min. of playing time. Aside from all the hype about this coming season, with the ? in net, it's very possible the Gophers could fail to hang any banners at all this season (channeling Scooby this evening).
Click to expand...

While I agree that goaltending will be a question mark for the Gophers this season, I don't think they need anyone to play at a Patterson-like level. Minnesota will likely give up more goals than they did a season ago, but I also think they score more goals than they did a season ago. What's the old adage "the best defense is a good offense?" Well, Minnesota has offensive power in spades. Given that the Gophers are in a pretty weak pod (Wisconsin, Anchorage, and Mankato), I think they will have to be considered the odds-on favorites to win the MacNaughton again. They should also be able to make a strong run at both the Broadmoor and the National title. Of course, if your goalies give up 5-6+ goals/game it won't matter how good your offense is, but even $hitBrick and Wilcox aren't that bad.
 
Re: Minnesota Gopher 2012 offseason thread

Yeah it will be interesting to see how goaltending shakes out this year for the Gophers, like others have said I don't think they (Shibrowski Wilcox) will have to put up Patterson like numbers for the Maroon and Gold to be successful this year.
 
Re: Minnesota Gopher 2012 offseason thread

Driftryder said:
Yeah it will be interesting to see how goaltending shakes out this year for the Gophers, like others have said I don't think they (Shibrowski Wilcox) will have to put up Patterson like numbers for the Maroon and Gold to be successful this year.
Click to expand...

Hopefully the competition leads to solid goaltending from both.
 
Re: Minnesota Gopher 2012 offseason thread

MinnesotaNorthStar said:
Wrong. I saw him at Springfest in college one year.
Click to expand...
Funny you should mention that. I ran into him at about 2:00 in the morning at a little joint on Royal Street at Jazz Fest in 1995. Before that, I had no idea he played clarinet. So maybe it takes a small amount of good paint thinner or a large amount of something else.
 
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Re: Minnesota Gopher 2012 offseason thread

mnstate0fhockey said:
Wilcox had the 3rd best save percentage in the USHL last season.
Click to expand...

While that may be true and SV% is a reasonable indicator of skill level, his GAA was very close to 3 (2.77). IIRC tDon mentioned repeatedly over the past 3-4 years, 3 GA is the threshold of a W or L in the WCHA and that has proven to be true. Nevertheless, I hold the opinion that it's statistically inaccurate to make comparisons between the USHL and NCAA D1 based upon these raw stats published on the internet alone anyway. There are too many latent and confounding covariants in differing aspects of the two leagues and league play.

Therefore, IMO there is no empirically statistical basis for predicting whether Shiby or Wilcox will have a successful, mediocre or failed season in nets for the Gophers this season. All I'm saying is this "unknown factor" in net could potentially disrupt the lofty projections a lot of us Gopher fans have for hanging any banners this year or fulfill reasonable expectations. We simply don't know and those who think they know...don't, they can only ramble on and speculate.

Driftryder said:
Yeah it will be interesting to see how goaltending shakes out this year for the Gophers, like others have said I don't think they (Shibrowski Wilcox) will have to put up Patterson like numbers for the Maroon and Gold to be successful this year.
Click to expand...

I guess it all comes down to how you define success DR. Is success winning an NCAA title or having a decent W/L record and losing in the F5 and/or playoffs? What is indeed interesting is the Gophers have not had a situation with a goalie(s) coming in with virtually NO experience in WCHA or NCAA D1, for 5 years since Alex Kangas in 2007-08. Alex came to the Gophers following a mediocre .500 season with the Indiana Ice where he logged an awful 3.31 GAA and .899 SV% in 43 GP. But he elevated his game and had an phenomenal freshman season with the Gophers, posting an amazing 1.98 GAA and .093 SV%. I think every Gopher fan remembers his outstanding post season run, including 5 OT series with MSUM, on their way to the championship game with Den. in the F5.

I don't think we can rely on lots of goals or an experienced defense to offset a mediocre goalie performance in nets. For the past 4-5 years the Gophers have been known to hit scoring slumps and overall inconsistent play.

I'm not an enthusiastic fan of goalie rotations (if that's how Lucia rolls this season out) as it limits ice time and real time skill development. But the upside is it does allow time for self regulated evaluation which can lead to positive outcomes. IMHO, given the difficulty of winning an NCAA title, either Shiby or Wilcox or both need to surprise everyone with a "freshman Kangas-like" season (and yep, "near" Patterson like numbers) if success is defined as winning an NCAA National Championship.
 
HarleyMC said:
While that may be true and SV% is a reasonable indicator of skill level, his GAA was very close to 3 (2.77). IIRC tDon mentioned repeatedly over the past 3-4 years, 3 GA is the threshold of a W or L in the WCHA and that has proven to be true. Nevertheless, I hold the opinion that it's statistically inaccurate to make comparisons between the USHL and NCAA D1 based upon these raw stats published on the internet alone anyway. There are too many latent and confounding covariants in differing aspects of the two leagues and league play.

Therefore, IMO there is no empirically statistical basis for predicting whether Shiby or Wilcox will have a successful, mediocre or failed season in nets for the Gophers this season. All I'm saying is this "unknown factor" in net could potentially disrupt the lofty projections a lot of us Gopher fans have for hanging any banners this year or fulfill reasonable expectations. We simply don't know and those who think they know...don't, they can only ramble on and speculate.



I guess it all comes down to how you define success DR. Is success winning an NCAA title or having a decent W/L record and losing in the F5 and/or playoffs? What is indeed interesting is the Gophers have not had a situation with a goalie(s) coming in with virtually NO experience in WCHA or NCAA D1, for 5 years since Alex Kangas in 2007-08. Alex came to the Gophers following a mediocre .500 season with the Indiana Ice where he logged an awful 3.31 GAA and .899 SV% in 43 GP. But he elevated his game and had an phenomenal freshman season with the Gophers, posting an amazing 1.98 GAA and .093 SV%. I think every Gopher fan remembers his outstanding post season run, including 5 OT series with MSUM, on their way to the championship game with Den. in the F5.

I don't think we can rely on lots of goals or an experienced defense to offset a mediocre goalie performance in nets. For the past 4-5 years the Gophers have been known to hit scoring slumps and overall inconsistent play.

I'm not an enthusiastic fan of goalie rotations (if that's how Lucia rolls this season out) as it limits ice time and real time skill development. But the upside is it does allow time for self regulated evaluation which can lead to positive outcomes. IMHO, given the difficulty of winning an NCAA title, either Shiby or Wilcox or both need to surprise everyone with a "freshman Kangas-like" season (and yep, "near" Patterson like numbers) if success is defined as winning an NCAA National Championship.
Click to expand...

Save Percentage is a much better indicator of goalie performance. It's a stat that is isolated on goalie ability whereas GAA is influenced by such things as the quality of the defense. It's more of a team stat than a goalie stat.

I completely agree though, it is impossible to translate what a guy did in the USHL to college hockey. Two very different leagues. I am optimistic Wilcox will play well enough though.
 
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Re: Minnesota Gopher 2012 offseason thread

mnstate0fhockey said:
Save Percentage is a much better indicator of goalie performance. It's a stat that is isolated on goalie ability whereas GAA is influenced by such things as the quality of the defense. It's more of a team stat than a goalie stat.

I completely agree though, it is impossible to translate what a guy did in the USHL to college hockey. Two very different leagues. I am optimistic Wilcox will play well enough though.
Click to expand...

This.

If a guy has a 5 GAA, but faces 200 shots a game (yes, I'm going extreme!), sign him immediately. ;)
 
Re: Minnesota Gopher 2012 offseason thread

I'm fine with goalie rotation and I believe the competition between the two of them will produce a good goaltender for the playoffs. Maybe even two good goaltenders. Minnesota has never been known for their goaltending anyway. We practically threw Hauser under a bus and he won a national championship.
 
Re: Minnesota Gopher 2012 offseason thread

ScoobyDoo said:
I'm fine with goalie rotation and I believe the competition between the two of them will produce a good goaltender for the playoffs. Maybe even two good goaltenders. Minnesota has never been known for their goaltending anyway. We practically threw Hauser under a bus and he won a national championship.
Click to expand...

"We" parked the tire on his neck and peed on him. He was bitter and I do not blame him.
 
Re: Minnesota Gopher 2012 offseason thread

HarleyMC said:
I guess it all comes down to how you define success DR. Is success winning an NCAA title or having a decent W/L record and losing in the F5 and/or playoffs? What is indeed interesting is the Gophers have not had a situation with a goalie(s) coming in with virtually NO experience in WCHA or NCAA D1, for 5 years since Alex Kangas in 2007-08. Alex came to the Gophers following a mediocre .500 season with the Indiana Ice where he logged an awful 3.31 GAA and .899 SV% in 43 GP. But he elevated his game and had an phenomenal freshman season with the Gophers, posting an amazing 1.98 GAA and .093 SV%. I think every Gopher fan remembers his outstanding post season run, including 5 OT series with MSUM, on their way to the championship game with Den. in the F5.

I don't think we can rely on lots of goals or an experienced defense to offset a mediocre goalie performance in nets. For the past 4-5 years the Gophers have been known to hit scoring slumps and overall inconsistent play.

I'm not an enthusiastic fan of goalie rotations (if that's how Lucia rolls this season out) as it limits ice time and real time skill development. But the upside is it does allow time for self regulated evaluation which can lead to positive outcomes. IMHO, given the difficulty of winning an NCAA title, either Shiby or Wilcox or both need to surprise everyone with a "freshman Kangas-like" season (and yep, "near" Patterson like numbers) if success is defined as winning an NCAA National Championship.
Click to expand...

Good question Harley.

I think for me (as of Aug 30th, subject to change) :) it would be top 2 WCHA finish, playing in a F5 championship game and returning to the Frozen Four.

What do others view as a success this year as of now anyway?
 
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