Minnesota hosts Boston College, 10/25 & 10/27

[mnstate0fhockey]

Really great game. The pace all night long was neck-breaking. BC is always impressive with their speed of play; not just in skating speed but especially in decision making.

I think we started to see some of the Gophers' limitations in the 2nd period there, as BC was getting the better of the scoring opportunities and carried the play despite losing the period 1-0.
This Gopher team is great on the transition, solid in their own end, have D who like to jump up in the offensive zone, but vulnerable on the counter attack. They also struggle to put together sustained pressure in the offensive zone, and that was true tonight as well until late in the 3rd period when BC seemed to be wearing down.

I'm sure people will call me crazy for this given the history between Kloos and Cammarata, but I won't be surprised if that line gets broken up in the not-to-distant future. The reason being that they just don't seem to have the size and strength needed to put together those dominating "puck possession" shifts in the offensive zone. They are great moving up the ice and entering zones, but not so great holding zones. So seeing something like Boyd move to center that 2nd line seems pretty plausible to me. I don't think it was coincidence that late in the 3rd period tonight when the Rau line spent their whole shift in the BC zone that the next shift to come on to try to keep the play in there was the 3rd line.

The shoot-out was a great example of what is wrong with shoot-outs. Not only was it meaningless (no conference points, no PWR implication, no Big/HE significance, not counted in the record for either team = totally meaningless), but after the first shot we got to sit there and wait for a goal review...a great way to drum up excitement

I was disappointed when I first saw this was a Fri-Sun series, but after tonight I'm sure both teams will be happy for the extra day of recovery.

Gophers also picked up the physicality in the 3rd period, which I think was also an important factor in generating some sustained pressure. BC really had the better of that aspect thru the first two periods. Really impressed with both teams. Great game.

 

[Hammy]

Re: Minnesota hosts Boston College, 10/25 & 10/27

No thanks to Boyd on the second line. And I say that with the personal bias of the kid growing up a few blocks away from where I did as a youth (so I obviously want him to do well). But no thanks...

Boyd is not nearly as dynamic of a center as Kloos. That would be a colossal error to push Kloos down to the 3rd line for a guy who isn't his equal offensively. 3rd line is fine for Travis.

I'll be excited to see what Guertler can add to the mix in a few weeks. The kid will do the dirty work and can score goals. I'm sure he'll be chomping at the bit too.

 

[Stauber1]

Re: Minnesota hosts Boston College, 10/25 & 10/27

No thanks to Boyd on the second line. And I say that with the personal bias of the kid growing up a few blocks away from where I did as a youth (so I obviously want him to do well). But no thanks...

Boyd is not nearly as dynamic of a center as Kloos and I'd rather Boyd stay at center. 3rd line is fine for Travis.

I'll be excited to see what Guertler can add to the mix in a few weeks. The kid will do the dirty work and can score goals. I'm sure he'll be chomping at the bit too.

Fair enough. I'd posit that between Condon and Cammarata there is enough dynamism, and moving Kloos to the 3rd line would give us 3 with serious scoring potential.
I think Boyd is much improved this season, but I was just kinda spitballing with throwing his name out there. I'm not saying I think Boyd will move to center that line, more that I won't be surprised if that line gets broken up in the near future. Harley, point taken about perhaps it being a little soon and the value of giving the two youngsters time to adjust and excel. My thinking isn't so much about what they offer in goals-for, more about the intangible worth of having multiple lines that can hem a team in and wear them down. That signature "puck possession" play that the U of M is known for.

 

[HarleyMC]

Re: Minnesota hosts Boston College, 10/25 & 10/27

No thanks to Boyd on the second line. And I say that with the personal bias of the kid growing up a few blocks away from where I did as a youth (so I obviously want him to do well). But no thanks...

Boyd is not nearly as dynamic of a center as Kloos. That would be a colossal error to push Kloos down to the 3rd line for a guy who isn't his equal offensively. 3rd line is fine for Travis.

I'll be excited to see what Guertler can add to the mix in a few weeks. The kid will do the dirty work and can score goals. I'm sure he'll be chomping at the bit too.

Kloos was horrible on FOs tonight with a dismal 22% vs. Boyd at 57%. Kloos tends to get too cute with the puck and needs to cut back on the behind the back passes. I was much more impressed with Boyd's performance at C tonight.

 

[Stauber1]

Re: Minnesota hosts Boston College, 10/25 & 10/27

Also - the WCHA used to post the official score sheets of every game including things like face-off wins, +/- count, etc. Wondering if anyone knows another site that offers that now that MN has moved to the Big 10.

 

[Bonin21]

Re: Minnesota hosts Boston College, 10/25 & 10/27

I'll be excited to see what Guertler can add to the mix in a few weeks.

As long as he can settle the Isackson/Michaelson debate by trumping both, he's cool with me!

 

[5mn_Major]

Re: Minnesota hosts Boston College, 10/25 & 10/27

Great game tonight was really fun to watch. A tie is probably the right outcome.

Was at the game. I felt the gophers should have won. No disrespect...BC's a great team...just the gophers had the best of the play most of the second half of the game.

 

[5mn_Major]

Re: Minnesota hosts Boston College, 10/25 & 10/27

Kloos was horrible on FOs tonight with a dismal 22% vs. Boyd at 57%. Kloos tends to get too cute with the puck and needs to cut back on the behind the back passes. I was much more impressed with Boyd's performance at C tonight.

Kloos is two serious D1 hockey games in (and he's already one of the top scoring frosh in the country). Its a little early and tonight he's going up against one of the best teams in the country...give em some time.

Again being at the game, Fasching was awesome at this stage of his development. He belongs on the first line.

 

[Slap Shot]

Re: Minnesota hosts Boston College, 10/25 & 10/27

-Don't care about the refs, mistakes happen
-Perhaps the best back and forth hockey game I've seen since the 2004 WCHA final against UND
-Once the game settled in after the first five goals, I was really impressed with how the young Gophers team kept their composure and IMHO continued to get better as the game went on, all the way until the end
-BC is fun as hell to watch
-How you know you're watching something special: Whenever the Gophers had the puck in the BC zone I was giddy, whenever a BC player had the puck in the Gophers zone I winced. That kind of anticipation comes only from watching two very skilled teams.

 

[Hammy]

Re: Minnesota hosts Boston College, 10/25 & 10/27

Kloos was horrible on FOs tonight with a dismal 22% vs. Boyd at 57%. Kloos tends to get too cute with the puck and needs to cut back on the behind the back passes. I was much more impressed with Boyd's performance at C tonight.

Kloos is already a better offensive player as a frosh than Boyd as a junior so I don't care too deeply about any one game. All these guys have off games. The long term prospects of the two aren't all that close.

Considering Kloos was coming into the series at close to 50% on face offs for the year, I'm not sure I'm going to be too upset about faceoffs. Especially when we are talking about a game in which he only took nine faceoffs out of the 60+ the team had to take.

 

[Hammy]

Re: Minnesota hosts Boston College, 10/25 & 10/27

As long as he can settle the Isackson/Michaelson debate by trumping both, he's cool with me!

I like AJ in the role he is in. Isackson was right where he should be tonight (IMO).

 

[D2D]

Re: Minnesota hosts Boston College, 10/25 & 10/27

-Don't care about the refs, mistakes happen
-Perhaps the best back and forth hockey game I've seen since the 2004 WCHA final against UND
-Once the game settled in after the first five goals, I was really impressed with how the young Gophers team kept their composure and IMHO continued to get better as the game went on, all the way until the end
-BC is fun as hell to watch
-How you know you're watching something special: Whenever the Gophers had the puck in the BC zone I was giddy, whenever a BC player had the puck in the Gophers zone I winced. That kind of anticipation comes only from watching two very skilled teams.

^ This. If you thought it was exciting while sitting on the couch and watching on TV, you should have been there. Wow, college hockey doesn't get any better - both teams were outstanding.

 

[state of hockey]

Re: Minnesota hosts Boston College, 10/25 & 10/27

I, for the most part, have been happy with the line combos. Like Hammy said, it is awfully early and a lot of these boys are very green. Let it ride for a bit and see what happens.

 

[Stauber1]

Re: Minnesota hosts Boston College, 10/25 & 10/27

I, for the most part, have been happy with the line combos. Like Hammy said, it is awfully early and a lot of these boys are very green. Let it ride for a bit and see what happens.

That's a fair point, and I would agree that I have been pretty darn happy with not just the line combos but the overall team chemistry and performance. That doesn't mean that there aren't signs of some limitations and/or weaknesses in specific areas. I don't think the coaching staff being proactive and making a couple minor changes to try to be even better than they already have been is a bad thing. Maybe not Sunday, maybe not next week, or maybe even not at all. But like I said, I won't be surprised if that's a change we see in the not-too-distant future. Just because you're winning and playing well it doesn't mean you can't be even better.

I'd also suggest that if the Kloos line was out there for only 9/60 face-offs, there was probably a reason why. So I think some of the line's limitations (not to ignore the things they do so well) are at least on the coaching staff's radar.

 

[80Miracle]

Re: Minnesota hosts Boston College, 10/25 & 10/27

These were two evenly matched teams. Minnesota had the better of the play the last half of the game, but that is be to expected playing at home. Wouldn't be surprised to see both teams in Philadelphia in April.

 

[HarleyMC]

Re: Minnesota hosts Boston College, 10/25 & 10/27

That's a fair point, and I would agree that I have been pretty darn happy with not just the line combos but the overall team chemistry and performance. That doesn't mean that there aren't signs of some limitations and/or weaknesses in specific areas. I don't think the coaching staff being proactive and making a couple minor changes to try to be even better than they already have been is a bad thing. Maybe not Sunday, maybe not next week, or maybe even not at all. But like I said, I won't be surprised if that's a change we see in the not-too-distant future. Just because you're winning and playing well it doesn't mean you can't be even better.

I'd also suggest that if the Kloos line was out there for only 9/60 face-offs, there was probably a reason why. So I think some of the line's limitations (not to ignore the things they do so well) are at least on the coaching staff's radar.

Just to reiterate, changing lines based upon performance and stats thus far is premature. I agree with everyone here that we need more time to test the lines out. But your point is well taken Stauber.

Is Kloos a better C "right now" than Boyd? Not according to two key categories in which both centers Bjugstad and Haula led the Gophers last season: SOG and FO% (actually Boyd finished slightly better in FO% than Haula).

Granted the SOG variable is a metric that carries a significant amount of variance in shot quality, but nevertheless it's an important offensive marker and the basis for other important stats like shooting%, SV%, etc. After 5 games Boyd currently leads all Gophers in SOG/game at 3.40 (Kloos - 2.40)

An immediate point of concern for Kloos is FO% which typically translates into puck possession. Kloos is dead last among Gopher Cs with 42%/50 FOs behind A.J. Michaelson's 54.2%/48 FOs. Travis Boyd currently leads all Gopher Cs at 56.5%/69 FOs. Although it's still early, anything below 50% is a serious matter of concern and Kloos needs to make positive adjustments in the FO circles.

My main concern with Boyd is consistency. tDon talked about how he rededicated himself in the offseason after a relatively disappointing performance on the score sheet last season. He's had a good start so far, but there's a lot of hockey ahead. If he works hard and shows signs of a breakout season and Kloos struggles, I can see Boyd moving up.

 

[Gurtholfin]

Re: Minnesota hosts Boston College, 10/25 & 10/27

Here's a slightly different take, if I can get between you two felating each other.

It was fun to watch. Firewagon hockey. My old DirectTV package used to have channels that would show junior hockey and this game reminded me a lot of that. End to end with very little defensive responsibility. Offensive chances galore. As a fan of the sport and with no horse in the race, I loved it.

The coach in me was cringing though with each defensive lapse and breakdown. You can say all you want that that was how the game should be played, but not too many coaches would agree with you.


Now before anyone accuse me of not liking this because my team traps blah, blah, blah. Not true. How many of you Gopher fans have enjoyed the Wild's style of play over the years? But they're your team, so you endure.

The Blackhawks are what I enjoy. Very good defensively (I like defense, not the trap) and a puck possession team with some scoring punch. The Badgers drive me nuts at times, but they're my team, so I endure.


Back to this game. As a fan of a team that hopes to contend with you two - assuming we get our heads out of our butts after our trip to Boston - I saw things that give me hope.

You simply can't play that open and hope to get away with it over the long term. Guarantee you that the Gophers will be working on defensive responsibilities and puck possession.

Clearly, BC got tired or worn down. They're scary quick and really made the Gopher defensemen look like orange cones out there for about half the game. I'm sure that Guentzel (sp?) was not pleased although it wasn't all on the d-men as the forwards gave up turnovers that led to transition. If Wilcox doesn't come up with some big saves, the game gets out of hand by halfway through the second.

But you can't always maintain that hyper-effort over 60 minutes and Minnesota dominated the 3rd.


I know, takes some guts (or stupidity) to come in here after last weekend, and I was ready to crown BC after the first 30 last night, but it's a long season, so we'll see where we all are late February. I believe we'll match up well with the Gophers and if they can outplay BC, so can we. At some point. Down the road.

I'm in a better place than I was a week ago.

Fun game though and hope Sunday's is as well. Go ahead and tie again.


And you all know I'm right on everything I just typed.

 

[HarleyMC]

Re: Minnesota hosts Boston College, 10/25 & 10/27

And you all know I'm right on everything I just typed.

That's a lot more Girth than I'll give you credit for. Agreed on the defensive lapse comment. The Gophers got caught up in the pace and opened up some shooting lanes in the Gopher's zone on Sits two goals. They settled down defensively though in the second, blocked a lot of shots and Wilcox was very good between the pipes.

 

[The Rube]

Re: Minnesota hosts Boston College, 10/25 & 10/27

Wilcox wasn't Wilcox in the first. The general consensus was that first goal spooked him. After that? Twocox came back, and was awesome.

 

[goldy_331]

Re: Minnesota hosts Boston College, 10/25 & 10/27

That was a fun game to attend. Wold like to see the Gophers being a little more disciplined defensively and Wilcox not have a few minutes of total horse**** play. But otherwise a fun game between two high end teams.