Minnesota Gopher Season Thread: 2014-15 (Continued)

[Stauber1]

Re: Minnesota Gopher Season Thread: 2014-15 (Continued)

That Ferris-Mankato game is one of the big pieces to give MN a margin for error, especially so if BGSU beats Tech that afternoon.

It would be great to see a boat load of Gopher fans at the X Friday night to cheer on the purple cows.

 

[Hammy]

Re: Minnesota Gopher Season Thread: 2014-15 (Continued)

7-3 in the last 10 games. Yes, starting to click.

The Gophers have played two games since November against teams that are currently in the top 20 of the pairwise. Given the competition quality, I am not sure how much stock I'm willing to put in to the "starting to click" stuff. Especially after getting beaten by a weak OSU team the week prior and splitting at home vs Michigan State the week before that.

 

[SanTropez]

Re: Minnesota Gopher Season Thread: 2014-15 (Continued)

Michigan State has 5 losses since January 1st, I actually think they are a decent team with a great goalie. Losing to them isn't the end of the world.


I know the cool thing to do on that other site (gpl) is to bash the Gophers every time they don't win 10-0. And god forbid if they only win 3-2 or 2-1 over a seemingly "inferior" opponent, may as well shut that site down after that. Though I do love reading all the "world is coming to an end" posts on there. Amusing and sad really.

This isn't the 80's or 90's college hockey where the gap between the haves and have nots was huge. Parity runs through college hockey today, yes even in the B1G.

 

[D2D]

Re: Minnesota Gopher Season Thread: 2014-15 (Continued)

This isn't the 80's or 90's college hockey where the gap between the haves and have nots was huge.

Explained in part by the vast improvement of each team's 3rd and 4th lines, relative to the level they were at in the 80's and 90's. And maybe most important is the drastically improved goaltending - more quality tenders to spread around.

 

[Hammy]

Re: Minnesota Gopher Season Thread: 2014-15 (Continued)

Michigan State has 5 losses since January 1st, I actually think they are a decent team with a great goalie. Losing to them isn't the end of the world.

Losing to them on home ice during a key stretch is not excusable in my book. Outshot, etc. Not good.

I know the cool thing to do on that other site (gpl) is to bash the Gophers every time they don't win 10-0. And god forbid if they only win 3-2 or 2-1 over a seemingly "inferior" opponent, may as well shut that site down after that. Though I do love reading all the "world is coming to an end" posts on there. Amusing and sad really.

It'd be amusing if the criticism wasn't typically warranted this year. This is a team that has too much ability on it to be sitting on the bubble right now (or having to sweat it out in the final game of the season to win the B1G). If you think this team hasn't underachieved for the bulk of this season, then you must have had rather low expectations for them coming into it. This is a team that was the NCAA runner up last season and was returning the vast majority of its key players.

This isn't the 80's or 90's college hockey where the gap between the haves and have nots was huge. Parity runs through college hockey today, yes even in the B1G.

The "parity" in the B1G this year has been more like a bad comedy.

 

[Happy]

Re: Minnesota Gopher Season Thread: 2014-15 (Continued)

Losing to them on home ice during a key stretch is not excusable in my book. Outshot, etc. Not good.



It'd be amusing if the criticism wasn't typically warranted this year. This is a team that has too much ability on it to be sitting on the bubble right now (or having to sweat it out in the final game of the season to win the B1G). If you think this team hasn't underachieved for the bulk of this season, then you must have had rather low expectations for them coming into it. This is a team that was the NCAA runner up last season and was returning the vast majority of its key players.



The "parity" in the B1G this year has been more like a bad comedy.

I laugh every time I look at Wisconsin.

 

[5mn_Major]

Re: Minnesota Gopher Season Thread: 2014-15 (Continued)

I know the cool thing to do on that other site (gpl) is to bash the Gophers every time they don't win 10-0. And god forbid if they only win 3-2 or 2-1 over a seemingly "inferior" opponent, may as well shut that site down after that. Though I do love reading all the "world is coming to an end" posts on there. Amusing and sad really.

Holy smokes was I crucified for suggesting we consider playing a defenseman at forward early in the year. We should ask Glover how that turned out.

Love the running of the site, Jup is an all star...but the poster criticisms are ceaseless.

 

[The Rube]

Re: Minnesota Gopher Season Thread: 2014-15 (Continued)

Holy smokes was I crucified for suggesting we consider playing a defenseman at forward early in the year. We should ask Glover how that turned out.

Love the running of the site, Jup is an all star...but the poster criticisms are ceaseless.

Most of the "bigger" posters laugh at the criticism as well.

 

[D2D]

Re: Minnesota Gopher Season Thread: 2014-15 (Continued)

Congrats to Mike Reilly on winning the Big Ten hockey Defensive Player of the Year award. Other Gopher award winners are named here:
http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/296461671.html#commentHere

 

[Stauber1]

Re: Minnesota Gopher Season Thread: 2014-15 (Continued)

Holy smokes was I crucified for suggesting we consider playing a defenseman at forward early in the year. We should ask Glover how that turned out.

Love the running of the site, Jup is an all star...but the poster criticisms are ceaseless.

That whole line has been looking pretty good. Glover has definitely been a part of that.
I'm a big fan of R Reilly and the energy he brings, and was a little dubious when he continued to be left out of the line-up after his brother went down. But the coaching staff clearly knows what they are doing.

I also thought Michaelson had his best game that I've ever seen from him on Saturday. He showed some flashes of that high-end quality he was recruited for and has struggled to live up to. It's good to see. Both he and Isackson have been subjected to some unfairly harsh criticism in my opinion, so I enjoy seeing them contribute.

 

[Hammy]

Re: Minnesota Gopher Season Thread: 2014-15 (Continued)

I guess I get confused what these boards are good for if all you want are people that regurgitate the same views and there is never any difference in opinion, etc.

Anybody that throws out an opinion should at least be prepared for naysayers, etc. If you expect anything less, then you probably shouldn't spend any time posting because it is inevitably going to happen. You just have to have thick skin about it.

 

[Stauber1]

Re: Minnesota Gopher Season Thread: 2014-15 (Continued)

I guess I get confused what these boards are good for if all you want are people that regurgitate the same views and there is never any difference in opinion, etc.

Anybody that throws out an opinion should at least be prepared for naysayers, etc. If you expect anything less, then you probably shouldn't spend any time posting because it is inevitably going to happen. You just have to have thick skin about it.

Hmm...I don't think disagreement is the issue; it's the way the disagreement is raised and delivered in a manner that seems more interested in shouting down than it does in producing a worthwhile discussion.

 

[The Rube]

Re: Minnesota Gopher Season Thread: 2014-15 (Continued)

Hmm...I don't think disagreement is the issue; it's the way the disagreement is raised and delivered in a manner that seems more interested in shouting down than it does in producing a worthwhile discussion.

^^^^

Yup.

 

[Hammy]

Re: Minnesota Gopher Season Thread: 2014-15 (Continued)

That whole line has been looking pretty good. Glover has definitely been a part of that.
I'm a big fan of R Reilly and the energy he brings, and was a little dubious when he continued to be left out of the line-up after his brother went down. But the coaching staff clearly knows what they are doing.

I think the coaches did the right thing by giving the lower forwards ample opportunity to show what they can provide before going to the measure of playing a D up front. If you put a young D at forward early in the year, it is going to hurt their transition to some extent. Not only will they feel like they weren't given a fair chance to compete for ice time at their "main position" (which never helps in the attitude department) but it will likely hurt the team should injury occur and they need to shuffle that young guy back to D again. At least we know Glover has had ample time to work on D should it be required he go back there in a pinch and now can get some ice time up front where it is needed.

I also thought Michaelson had his best game that I've ever seen from him on Saturday. He showed some flashes of that high-end quality he was recruited for and has struggled to live up to. It's good to see. Both he and Isackson have been subjected to some unfairly harsh criticism in my opinion, so I enjoy seeing them contribute.

They were both recruiting miscues. There is simply no other way to put it. It's not really their fault. They got an offer from their top choice and you can't blame them for taking it. It was just an incorrect assessment (esp. John Hill) at the time. These are guys that were never intended on being 4th line, low scoring types when they were recruited. The vision was for something different and it was miscalculation.

 

[Hammy]

Re: Minnesota Gopher Season Thread: 2014-15 (Continued)

Hmm...I don't think disagreement is the issue; it's the way the disagreement is raised and delivered in a manner that seems more interested in shouting down than it does in producing a worthwhile discussion.

I guess every individual's experience will differ depending on how they carry themselves. I doubt it is simply a one way street. There has been plenty of commentary there from a UND fan lately ("Mafiaman") and obviously he isn't going to see eye to eye with your average Gopher fan. Yet he seems to be doing just fine posting there. If a UND fan can carry himself in pretty decent order there and not feel like he is being "shouted down", I don't see why anybody else shouldn't be capable of the same.

 

[D2D]

Re: Minnesota Gopher Season Thread: 2014-15 (Continued)

They were both recruiting miscues. There is simply no other way to put it. It's not really their fault. They got an offer from their top choice and you can't blame them for taking it. It was just an incorrect assessment (esp. John Hill) at the time. These are guys that were never intended on being 4th line, low scoring types when they were recruited. The vision was for something different and it was miscalculation.

I think this is spot on, but the important thing now is that they, along with Glover, have been filling a critical role with their play as of late. They are finding ways to keep the puck in the other end and are giving up very few good scoring chances when it's in our end, exactly what a good 4th line is supposed to do.

 

[Hammy]

Re: Minnesota Gopher Season Thread: 2014-15 (Continued)

^^^^

Yup.

And this has stopped you from posting 10000+ times over there?

 

[The Rube]

Re: Minnesota Gopher Season Thread: 2014-15 (Continued)

And this has stopped you from posting 10000+ times over there?

Point of order: most of my posts relating to actual hockey are rather small. It's a more knowledgeable board compared to this one, as far as team specifics. I lurk in those threads; read, learn, absorb, speak out when I have something that really needs to be said. Plus, I lurked there MUCH longer than I lurked here, before I started really posting. I prob posted more on GPL in the last couple years than here.

 

[Hammy]

Re: Minnesota Gopher Season Thread: 2014-15 (Continued)

Point of order: most of my posts relating to actual hockey are rather small. It's a more knowledgeable board compared to this one, as far as team specifics. I lurk in those threads; read, learn, absorb, speak out when I have something that really needs to be said. Plus, I lurked there MUCH longer than I lurked here, before I started really posting. I prob posted more on GPL in the last couple years than here.

You must have made up for lost time fast! You have more posts than I have there and I was there on Day 1.

 

[The Rube]

Re: Minnesota Gopher Season Thread: 2014-15 (Continued)

You must have made up for lost time fast! You have more posts than I have there and I was there on Day 1.

I have made up for lost time. Not my intent, but it happens.