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Minnesota Women's Hockey 2015-2016: Confection Free

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Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2015-2016: Confection Free

That was not the series I expected. I thought the first period today was god hockey played at a high level by both teams. The Gophers got sloppy with the puck a few times (I suggest that the drop pass to no one be removed from the playbook), but also generated a lot of pressure. They deserved to be up 1-0 at the break; Bemidji played well but didn't have many offensive chances aside from the Anderson breakaway, and Leveille snuffed out the ones they had.

For the second day in a row, it all collapsed for the Beavers in the second. Today was different than yesterday, though. There was no specific catalyst for the breakdown like the Mowat fumble last night. The Gophers just put it into another gear and Bemidji couldn't join them.

The Gophers went to sleep to start the third, including Leveille, and let the Beavers close to within three goals. One timeout later, they had their heads back in the game and closed it out from there. The lapse doesn't really worry me. If you wait until you have a five goal lead to take a breather, and can put an end to it that dramatically, you'll do okay.

The Brandt/Cameranesi/Potomak line had a great weekend. Even before Brandt's explosion today, they were playing much better defense than they did in Grand Forks and before. All told, save for the ten minute nap, they played much tighter than they had been. If they play like that in the big games and don't win, all you can do is congratulate the teams that can beat them on those nights.
 
Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2015-2016: Confection Free

Eeyore said:
The Gophers went to sleep to start the third, including Leveille,
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Apparently the Gophers thought the game was only 20 minutes long. To BSUs credit they did not think that and they piled on 3 goals to wake Minnesota up & make them play the second half of the third period. I am still very impressed with the Beavers willingness to play the game they do, those are some dedicated and quality players. What they don't have is the ability to score. Anderson and Tortuga are good but not good enough to carry the team exclusively. The most complete game so far for Minnesota, they just need to remember that BSU never quits and they should remember that.
 
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Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2015-2016: Confection Free

I'm pretty sure the Beavers have Minnesota's full attention at this point.
 
Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2015-2016: Confection Free

Everyone will concede that it is not as easy to maintain a burning intensity after you have gained a 5-0 lead.

Granting that Minnesota may have been a little below full concentration I still thought all three of the BSU goals were good goals. For example, if you can pick the top corner from that spot you can score. And from where I was sitting that is what BSU was doing. I am sure the Minnesota goaler would want another look at each of those shots but those were all quality goals.

Unfortunately for BSU they were behind 5-0 before getting the first and even after getting two more it was still 6-3.

With their style of play I think Bemidji expects to win most games in which they score 3 goals. Tonight they got 3 goals, not a one of which they need to apologize for and yet they were never in a position where it looked like they could win. The Gophers scored first and then second and third and fourth and fifth.

It was nice to go through the whole weekend against an opponent in green and come out the other side with the two victories.
 
Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2015-2016: Confection Free

CrazyDave said:
I've heard he's tuckered out after playing at the game at Ridder and then going over to the volleyball match and playing there as well. ;)
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But he's lucky he went there (a 3 set win over No. 1 Penn State!) rather than the Gopher men's game, a 2-3 overtime loss! :mad:
 
Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2015-2016: Confection Free

ManBehindTheCurtain said:
I am sure the Minnesota goaler would want another look at each of those shots but those were all quality goals.
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On a couple, I think that would be her first look at the shot; it looked like she was screened on the last two.

Over the course of most seasons of GWH, one constant seems to be that when the coaches decide that the game is under control and the fourth line starts to get a regular shift, the level of play drops. Partly, I think the team sees what we all see and does relax a bit. But also, that means that the rest of the players aren't getting out there in the same rotation that they were as the lead was being built. Women's hockey isn't like men's hockey where a team needs the break that a fourth line can provide, in part because they don't have to absorb body checks all game, and also because they are used to playing heavy minutes throughout their careers. I think fourth lines play to develop depth for the future and to build team morale. It doesn't make a team better in that moment. It's not the fourth line's fault, but the team usually won't look as sharp skating four lines as they do skating three. The one year where I thought that was not the case was 2008-09, when the fourth line was pretty good and always brought good energy. There were periods that I thought it was the team's best line. There will be games where the opposition is so defeated that they are just waiting for the final buzzer and don't seem to know what Minnesota line is out there.

Today, even when BSU was rallying, it wasn't like they were suddenly taking it to the Gophers. There were shifts earlier in the game where the Beavers had Minnesota trapped in their own end the whole time, but the Gophers often had the majority of the puck possession even the. Bemidji has some very good players; they will make teams look bad at times. But the BSU goals came on a nice shot in transition after most of the shift was spent in Bemidji's zone, a PP goal, and a goal where the Minn. fourth line was out.

I was very encouraged today. Having watched The Line for a season plus a month of another, I know what having a dominant top line can do for a team's chances. The PK where Potomak kept setting up Brandt only to have Mowat rob her a couple of times showed me just how dominant they might be if everything clicks. I'm not worried about Cameranesi. She was able to excel playing with two vastly different centers in Terry and Brandt. I think she'll have success with anyone. But if 22 and 26 start to instinctively know what the other one is going to do, then look out, because there will be a lot of third periods where the Gophers don't look as good protecting a big lead as they did in building it.
 
Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2015-2016: Confection Free

ARM said:
On a couple, I think that would be her first look at the shot; it looked like she was screened on the last two.
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I was sitting right on the line from Bailey Wright to Leveille on the last goal and I'm pretty sure that the screen had cleared before the shot was made. It was nicely targeted, but I think the Leveille of the weekend's first five periods would have had it.

In the bigger picture, I totally agree with you. Great weekend and today's third period doesn't really concern me. If they play like that in the first half of a third period that they start ahead 2-0, then we'll talk.
 
Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2015-2016: Confection Free

ARM said:
. . . But if 22 and 26 start to instinctively know what the other one is going to do, then look out, because there will be a lot of third periods where the Gophers don't look as good protecting a big lead as they did in building it.
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So you saw that 'not clicking' thing too! I thought 22/26 started to really come together Saturday against Duluth but yesterday looked fully functional. Maybe that was in part due to the opponent but I doubt it. You are right about 3rd periods when that line fully clicks.
 
Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2015-2016: Confection Free

ARM said:
I think fourth lines play to develop depth for the future and to build team morale...Bemidji has some very good players; they will make teams look bad at times. But the BSU goals came on a nice shot in transition after most of the shift was spent in Bemidji's zone, a PP goal, and a goal where the Minn. fourth line was out.
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Overall, the 4th line did not have a great game yesterday, but I was really happy to see them get that power play opportunity - and the team's last goal - at the end of the game. With the game firmly in hand, I thought it a great move by the coach. The players were SO excited! Having #20 bury that last goal had to not only have helped restore the line's confidence but did something positive for the entire team's morale. A fitting way to close out the game.

Also, a big congrats to Taylor Williamson on getting her first goal. Having had so many chances that didn't go in up until now scoring that first goal had to be a relief for her. Now that one finally did find the back of the net I think we'll see more consistent scoring from her from here on out.
 
Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2015-2016: Confection Free

D2D said:
Overall, the 4th line did not have a great game yesterday, but I was really happy to see them get that power play opportunity - and the team's last goal - at the end of the game. With the game firmly in hand, I thought it a great move by the coach. The players were SO excited! Having #20 bury that last goal had to not only have helped restore the line's confidence but did something positive for the entire team's morale.
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I believe that was the team's third or "white" power-play unit. It has Rogers plus two members of the third line, and the two D who aren't on either the "maroon" or "gold" PP units. They started that back when Coach O was here, and IMO it works better than putting out a line that has never practiced being on the PP together.
 
Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2015-2016: Confection Free

ARM said:
I believe that was the team's third or "white" power-play unit. It has Rogers plus two members of the third line, and the two D who aren't on either the "maroon" or "gold" PP units. They started that back when Coach O was here, and IMO it works better than putting out a line that has never practiced being on the PP together.
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Thanks for setting me straight, ARM. When I saw Rodgers score and a bunch of unusual suspects all hugging her, I just assumed they gave the 4th line a chance to score at the end of the game. Still a fun scene to witness!
 
Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2015-2016: Confection Free

Coach Tom Osiecki, St Thomas, class of '64, not to be confused with The Big O, Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati, class of '60. Both truly great in their own sports.
 
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