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Minnesota Gophers 2018-2019

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Re: Minnesota Gophers 2018-2019

pokechecker said:
If GWH have ever played a worse period than Friday’s 3rd period, I wasn’t there to see it.
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At times in both the Halldorson era and now the Gophers have had a tendency to let up on the gas peddle when they have a big lead, especially if the big lead is early in a game. After the 6-1 lead on Friday they did seem to go into at least cruise control for most of the rest of the way. Is this a tendency of their 2 head coaches to not want to embarrass their opponents or is it something else? I have no idea.

In a side note, I really liked #13's play again this weekend.

In another side note I was informed by an insider during today's game that yesterday's Gopher goalie was using a new glove which may have explained a few dropped pucks at times.
 
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Re: Minnesota Gophers 2018-2019

I only saw the Saturday game this weekend, but it's hard not to like what the Gophers are putting on the ice now. Robert Morris is no pushover, and I could easily see them being the CHA team in the NCAA tourney, and could they could definitely pull the upset if they don't get stuck playing either of the top 2 seeds. Beating them by 5 two days in a row is nothing to scoff at. I have not seen Wisconsin play this year, but it's hard to see any teams besides them matching the depth the Gophers bring. The only real weakness I see is goaltending, and if the D can clean up the rebounds like they did today, that won't be an issue over the course of a 60 minute game.

You can question the lines and individual production all you want, but what I saw today was impressive. Heise does not look like a 4th line player, Pannek's shorty showed some serious awareness/patience, and any time Schammel and Zumwinkle have no points in a blowout win, that's the sign of a deep team. It's only December, but Minnesota has the look of a real contender in March.
 
Re: Minnesota Gophers 2018-2019

Yes ChickHicks86, we Gopher fans are very spoiled and will find the oddest things to complain about. Guilty as charged.:o
 
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Re: Minnesota Gophers 2018-2019

I still think this team has some significant defensive issues, but:

1) Despite that, they aren't giving up many goals; they rank 4th in the country at 1.60 per game. Maybe top teams will be able to exploit that more, but maybe not;

2) The offense may be good enough to win a shootout even if the defense has a bad game. I'd like to see us have a really good offensive game against a team better than the ones we've been playing lately (Robert Morris might win the CHA, but they're a below average team by both winning percentage and KRACH, and is in the bottom twelve nationally in goals allowed per game), but there are certainly good signs, especially the depth on the forward lines;

3) There's no evidence that there's a team without holes out there. Wisconsin comes the closest, but the Gophers have already shown they can play with them.

So, I like our chances. We'll see what the second half brings.
 
Re: Minnesota Gophers 2018-2019

bluffrinkrat said:
In a side note, I really liked #13's play again this weekend.
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#13 is a gem. Saw her play in HS & thought she was OK but I was not expecting the quality of play I have seen this year. I am excited as heck to see how high her upside is
 
Re: Minnesota Gophers 2018-2019

ne7minder said:
#13 is a gem. Saw her play in HS & thought she was OK but I was not expecting the quality of play I have seen this year. I am excited as heck to see how high her upside is
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Saw her a few times as well and the thing was, she was on the ice most of the time for EP. You could definitely see flashes of the good passing and decision making plus some very good offensive skill. Does wonders for her to be part of a 6 or 7 deep defensive rotation with the Gophers.

Skaja and her (and Boreen as well) have been pleasant surprises in this freshmen class.
 
Re: Minnesota Gophers 2018-2019

FiveHoleFrenzy said:
Skaja and her (and Boreen as well) have been pleasant surprises in this freshmen class.
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Usually with a class this size, there will be someone who you can tell is not quite up to the caliber of the others. Or else they look good in the early exhibitions but fall victim to the numbers game, confidence takes a beating, and they're never able to catch back up. I was impressed by how both Boreen and Hengler handled not being dressed for opening night. Both did what they could when in the lineup to force the coaches to play them. I hope 22 is okay; didn't see the collision, just the aftermath, but it is never good when the building suddenly gets that quiet. I didn't know what to expect from Skaja or Oden this season either, and I'm impressed by how quickly they've adjusted to D-I, despite being in constant flux on the line chart. A great first semester of college hockey by all seven! :)
 
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Re: Minnesota Gophers 2018-2019

ARM said:
Usually with a class this size, there will be someone who you can tell is not quite up to the caliber of the others. Or else they look good in the early exhibitions but fall victim to the numbers game, confidence takes a beating, and they're never able to catch back up. I was impressed by how both Boreen and Hengler handled not being dressed for opening night. Both did what they could when in the lineup to force the coaches to play them. I hope 22 is okay; didn't see the collision, just the aftermath, but it is never good when the building suddenly gets that quiet. I didn't know what to expect from Skaja or Odin this season either, and I'm impressed by how quickly they've adjusted to D-I, despite being in constant flux on the line chart. A great first semester of college hockey by all seven! :)
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Really this incoming class has been amazing & is the real reason they can roll four lines. The future is golden.
Seems nobody saw the collision but you sure could hear it. That was not a good sign. OTOH, she did not go directly to the training room so I am hoping she is a bit beaten up and 2 weeks of R&R is all she needs.

FiveHoleFrenzy said:
Saw her a few times as well and the thing was, she was on the ice most of the time for EP. You could definitely see flashes of the good passing and decision making plus some very good offensive skill. Does wonders for her to be part of a 6 or 7 deep defensive rotation with the Gophers.

Skaja and her (and Boreen as well) have been pleasant surprises in this freshmen class.
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The thing I noticed was she didn't loaf despite the ice time But i never thought she would adjust to D-I speed this quickly. Having eliet linemates certainly has made her soar. She is smart, quick & has great hands but sometimes what looks like that in HS takes time to develop in college
 
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Re: Minnesota Gophers 2018-2019

Well I'll be, the Gophers sweep a good Robert Morris team but still lose the number two spot in the PairWise to Saint Anselm. Who the heck did they play? :rolleyes::confused:;)
 
Re: Minnesota Gophers 2018-2019

D2D said:
Well I'll be, the Gophers sweep a good Robert Morris team but still lose the number two spot in the PairWise to Saint Anselm. Who the heck did they play? :rolleyes::confused:;)
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Should we be worried about St Anselm? Could they really get into the NCAA tournament? They play few games, and against cupcake teams. They aren't even in Division 1! Googled them, they're in NCAA Div 2. Just wondering.....Are the rankings messed up? I remember seeing them highly ranked in past years, but nothing ever came of it.
 
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Re: Minnesota Gophers 2018-2019

drewkal said:
Should we be worried about St Anselm? Could they really get into the NCAA tournament? They play few games, and against cupcake teams. They aren't even in Division 1! Googled them, they're in NCAA Div 2. Just wondering.....Are the rankings messed up? I remember seeing them highly ranked in past years, but nothing ever came of it.
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Technically, the NCAA tournament is Div I/Div II, so that doesn't make them ineligible. What does, right now, is that St Anselm won't play the twenty games against DI or DII opponents that's required to be eligible for the tournament. This likely will change in the near future.
 
Re: Minnesota Gophers 2018-2019

Still Eeyore said:
Technically, the NCAA tournament is Div I/Div II, so that doesn't make them ineligible. What does, right now, is that St Anselm won't play the twenty games against DI or DII opponents that's required to be eligible for the tournament. This likely will change in the near future.
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My post above was in jest as I knew they're not eligible, but I wasn't sure exactly why. Thanks for the clarification!
 
Re: Minnesota Gophers 2018-2019

With respect to the goaltending situation following the break, with Sydney Scobee's solid 30 save shutout performance on Saturday in mind, what do Gopher fans think the plan should be going forward?

a) Stay the course, with Alex Gulstene as the main tender - give her most of the starts until she falters, or simply could use a rest.
b) Reward Scobee by giving her more starting opportunities. Maybe not alternating each and every series, but increasing her playing time from what it's been up to this point (35% of the minutes played).
c) Go to a strict alternating strategy each series until one of them earns the clear No. 1, and stick with that person the remainder of the season (in which case the other would assume a true backup role from that point forward).

My opinion is that the team would be fine with any of these because each of them, for the most part, has played well. But maybe one of the three strategies stands out as the smartest way to proceed? Or maybe there's a forth option that makes the most sense?

Have at it, coaches! ;)

Full stats here: https://gophersports.com/cumestats.aspx?path=whockey
 
Re: Minnesota Gophers 2018-2019

I think that they've generally been in a rotation when Scobee has been healthy.
 
Re: Minnesota Gophers 2018-2019

Iv'e never been a coach, but my instinct tells me that generally coaches like to go with one goalie if they can and an occasional game to a backup. Although, when I think of tandems I always remember Pietrangelo and Blue of the Gopher men in the mid-80's and that worked out fairly well. So, I vote for alternating the 2 goalies, unless Gulstene can't seem to get her new glove softened up and then try Scobee to see what she can do.
 
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Re: Minnesota Gophers 2018-2019

bluffrinkrat said:
So, I vote for alternating the 2 goalies, unless Gulstene can't seem to get her new glove softened up and then try Scobee to see what she can do.
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I assume somebody has told Gulstene to soak the glove in water, then put a baseball in it, wrap it in rubber bands and put it under her pillow. Guaranteed to work.
 
Re: Minnesota Gophers 2018-2019

ARM said:
I think that they've generally been in a rotation when Scobee has been healthy.
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I didn't know she's been injured off and on. I think she's played well when called upon, and I hope she's 100% and in a regular rotation when the 2nd half begins (Option "c" above).
 
Re: Minnesota Gophers 2018-2019

Looking at the first-half stats, it's not surprising that 25-28-12 have three of the top five +/- totals among the forwards. It is a less expected that Skaja and Woken are up there with them. Woken also has the highest shooting percentage.
 
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