Minnesota hosts Ohio State: 12/2 -12/3

[SanTropez]

The B1G is starting,points are on the line.

Ohio State is 8-1-4 and are currently sitting at #7 in the all important PWR. The Gophers are coming off a split out east and are #12 in the PWR. Crucial games this weekend.

Friday night is at 8pm and is on the BTN. Saturday is on at 7pm and is on FSN plus.

Will we find someone else to put in nets on Friday nights?
Will tHorn show up and play like he does on Saturdays (sundays)?
Will tDon keep the lines together or mix and match like all season?
Does anyone care?


Go

 

[5mn_Major]

Re: Minnesota hosts Ohio State: 12/2 -12/3

For OSU ranked #10 and MN ranked #11 its will be an interesting series. A rock solid decent OSU team vs. the Gophers chaos machine.

 

[gopher wes]

Re: Minnesota hosts Ohio State: 12/2 -12/3

Does anyone care?

I care and I want the green arrow.

Plus I'm going to the game on Saturday.

 

[Slap Shot]

Re: Minnesota hosts Ohio State: 12/2 -12/3

I care man, I care.

 

[D2D]

Re: Minnesota hosts Ohio State: 12/2 -12/3

I care man, I care.

Count me in too. Will be at both games this weekend, cheering our team on vs. a much improved Ohio State squad. I'm hoping for tremendous efforts in BOTH GAMES - including BOTH THIRD PERIODS, no matter what the score might be.
Yes, our team is feeling good - as they should - after a very nice win over highly ranked BC. But with the long break ahead, no reason to let up now, with B1G points at stake.

GO GOPHERS!

 

[klbaum1077]

Re: Minnesota hosts Ohio State: 12/2 -12/3

With this Ohio State team i do expect a split this weekend anything else is a bonus. If they are going to be taken serious they have to beat Minnesota

 

[5mn_Major]

Re: Minnesota hosts Ohio State: 12/2 -12/3

With this Ohio State team i do expect a split this weekend anything else is a bonus. If they are going to be taken serious they have to beat Minnesota

Tough to say. I've been a pessimist this year. I pretty much figured we would go down in flames at NE...its was closer than I thought.

Its not often that a large state school (MI, etc) comes to town that has a much better record than us. When it does the Gophers typically rise to that occasion. The Gophers will not get swept. There's a good chance we sweep.

 

[gopher wes]

Re: Minnesota hosts Ohio State: 12/2 -12/3

There's a good chance we sweep.

With the Friday night struggles that this team/Schierhorn has had....I'd have a hard time predicting a Gopher sweep.

 

[gopher wes]

Re: Minnesota hosts Ohio State: 12/2 -12/3

tOSU fans, what players should we be watching for on your squad?

 

[klbaum1077]

Re: Minnesota hosts Ohio State: 12/2 -12/3

tOSU fans, what players should we be watching for on your squad?

Nick Schilkey is the best player that ohio state has but Freshman Tanner Laczynski has been really impressive. In net both Seniors have played very well i would expect Christian Frey to start Friday night and go from there. Your going to see a team that can get up and down the ice and on the big sheet that could be even more important.

 

[D2D]

Re: Minnesota hosts Ohio State: 12/2 -12/3

Your going to see a team that can get up and down the iceand on the big sheet that could be even more important.

That's probably the Gophers' biggest strength as well. Well, getting UP the ice anyway.

 

[klbaum1077]

Re: Minnesota hosts Ohio State: 12/2 -12/3

That's probably the Gophers' biggest strength as well. Well, getting UP the ice anyway.

Yea i have watched a couple games on TV and this should be a fun series to watch. Good test for the Buckeyes to see where they stand

 

[Slap Shot]

Re: Minnesota hosts Ohio State: 12/2 -12/3

Here's hoping the progress OSU is making bodes well for the B1G the next few years. It's going to take time - and for most fans my age the B1G will never match the WCHA. However for fans that are the age I was when I became a fan 40+ years ago the B1G is what they know. If OSU, PSU can be competitive along with UW and UMi more often than not doing the same the rivalries will build. Gophers-CC was a great rivalry in the 90's and Gophers-DU was always fun as well so the opponent doesn't have to be UND/MN state school to create excitement.

It's still going to come down to the administration realizing that they can earn $$ without it being completely at the expense of the atmosphere, the students and long term non-corpie ticket holders and that remains to be seen. But this program has had blips in the past and the optimist and lover for college hockey in me still has hopes it will circle back up.

 

[gopher wes]

Re: Minnesota hosts Ohio State: 12/2 -12/3

Gophers-CC was a great rivalry in the 90's and Gophers-DU was always fun as well so the opponent doesn't have to be UND/MN state school to create excitement.

I'm not disagreeing with you(I hope you are right) and I'm afraid this will turn into a "How much of a fun suck is Mariucci Arena right now?" discussion but........

I was told if the Gophers are good it won't matter, fans will still show up. So far in the B1G that is not true. While the Gophers haven't been great over the last 2+ years, they have still played some important games at home that have been poorly attended. Conference championship on the line with about 60% attendance....? I know "B1G Hockey sucks" and "winning the B1G is like winning Atlantic Hockey" but I didn't think fans would become this disinterested because of the conference their team plays in. It's like fans were more interested in who the Gophers were playing than they were about the Gophers.

 

[D2D]

Re: Minnesota hosts Ohio State: 12/2 -12/3

I'm not disagreeing with you(I hope you are right) and I'm afraid this will turn into a "How much of a fun suck is Mariucci Arena right now?" discussion but........

I was told if the Gophers are good it won't matter, fans will still show up. So far in the B1G that is not true. While the Gophers haven't been great over the last 2+ years, they have still played some important games at home that have been poorly attended. Conference championship on the line with about 60% attendance....? I know "B1G Hockey sucks" and "winning the B1G is like winning Atlantic Hockey" but I didn't think fans would become this disinterested because of the conference their team plays in. It's like fans were more interested in who the Gophers were playing than they were about the Gophers.

In support of what you're saying, with which I agree 100%, I think that many fans have become discouraged with our abysmal record against the other state schools. Then we pretty much have rolled through the conference (which admittedly HAS been weak, but definitely not this year) which has led those fans to think "B1G Hockey sucks" and "winning the B1G is like winning Atlantic Hockey" as you note. So they long for "the good old WCHA days" which has caused them to either drop their tickets or not use them, letting their seats go empty. But I'm honestly starting to see a shift coming and think it will continue. The B1G schools as a group are turning a corner, and I think the trend will continue. A few weeks ago, who would have thought Michigan State would beat and then tie North Dakota in Grand Forks? That after 13 non-conference games each Ohio State and Penn State would have only one loss each?

Also if relative interest in the teams is loosely tied to average attendance, it's worth knowing that 4 of the Top 10 teams are B1G schools:
http://www.uscho.com/stats/attendance/division-i-men/2016-2017/

So the sky is definitely not falling, and going forward the quality of the teams in the conference should improve further, and interest and attendance should follow.

 

[gopher wes]

Re: Minnesota hosts Ohio State: 12/2 -12/3

In support of what you're saying, with which I agree 100%, I think that many fans have become discouraged with our abysmal record against the other state schools. Then we pretty much have rolled through the conference (which admittedly HAS been weak, but definitely not this year) which has led those fans to think "B1G Hockey sucks" and "winning the B1G is like winning Atlantic Hockey" as you note. So they long for "the good old WCHA days" which has caused them to either drop their tickets or not use them, letting their seats go empty. But I'm honestly starting to see a shift coming and think it will continue. The B1G schools as a group are turning a corner, and I think the trend will continue. A few weeks ago, who would have thought Michigan State would beat and then tie North Dakota in Grand Forks? That after 13 non-conference games each Ohio State and Penn State would have only one loss each?

Also if relative interest in the teams is loosely tied to average attendance, it's worth knowing that 4 of the Top 10 teams are B1G schools:
http://www.uscho.com/stats/attendance/division-i-men/2016-2017/

So the sky is definitely not falling, and going forward the quality of the teams in the conference should improve further, and interest and attendance should follow.

Do you think the upward swing of B1G teams is enough to bring fans back? It doesn't matter to me who the Gophers are playing(to a certain extent, obviously), I'm a fan of the Gophers not a fan of the matchup. Even if you get to a point where the B1G has 2 or 3 teams in the top 10 like right now(and the Gophers sitting just outside at 11), I'm not sure people will suddenly start caring/showing up. Hopefully I'm wrong.

 

[D2D]

Re: Minnesota hosts Ohio State: 12/2 -12/3

Do you think the upward swing of B1G teams is enough to bring fans back? It doesn't matter to me who the Gophers are playing(to a certain extent, obviously), I'm a fan of the Gophers not a fan of the matchup. Even if you get to a point where the B1G has 2 or 3 teams in the top 10 like right now(and the Gophers sitting just outside at 11), I'm not sure people will suddenly start caring/showing up. Hopefully I'm wrong.

The main driver on attendance is how good the Gophers are. If they can get to the point where they are consistently beating the top teams, no matter which conference they're in, the fans will come to watch. Over time being part of the WCHA will fade from memory, and the memories will fade more quickly if the B1G teams get to the point where they are consistently among the country's best.

 

[SanTropez]

Re: Minnesota hosts Ohio State: 12/2 -12/3

I think the reasons that fans are staying away is complex and it's not any one particular thing. The college hockey landscape has changed drastically (even before the B1G) with parity, kids leaving schools early for the NHL etc... MN high school hockey kids bailing on their HS's to go play junior hockey. Fans maybe don't feel as invested as they once did. Then add in the local pro hockey team and the Gophers are fighting for entertainment dollars.

Or, we can just blame it on Alvarez too.

 

[gopher wes]

Re: Minnesota hosts Ohio State: 12/2 -12/3

Or, we can just blame it on Alvarez too.

That's always the easiest thing to do

 

[D2D]

Re: Minnesota hosts Ohio State: 12/2 -12/3

The college hockey landscape has changed drastically (even before the B1G) with parity, kids leaving schools early for the NHL etc... MN high school hockey kids bailing on their HS's to go play junior hockey. Fans maybe don't feel as invested as they once did. Then add in the local pro hockey team and the Gophers are fighting for entertainment dollars.

One of the reasons why I appreciate the D1 women's game. No high school kids leaving early for juniors, and no college players leaving early for the pros. You get to see the very best compete against the very best at each age group and each level. That gives the most talented the best opportunity to shine. As a fan I enjoy that aspect very much. And it's both amazing and surprising how good many of these women are.

That said, males at each level after early youth are obviously better hockey players. And as a former player myself I find it very exciting to watch their much higher talent and compete levels go at it. Night and day above what I ever was in my prime. But I only wish that we were still seeing the best of the best. Too many of the best, both in high school and college, are leaving early for the next level. The result is more parity, which you'd think is good, but in many ways it's simply not as exciting as it used to be, when the very best individuals in high school and college could pretty much be expected to dominate whenever you went to a game. And with the Gopher's women, that's still pretty much the case when the first line is out there.

P.S. Sorry to take this thread off to a tangent, but as an avid Gopher men's and women's fan and season ticket holder of both teams, in the "State of Hockey", that's what I'm feeling.