Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

[5mn_Major]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

Frankly UW and MN being in the semi's due to StL being top seed (if of course they get there), might work in MN's favor. Recently UW seems to have an advantage on the second night after MN starts to run out of steam.

 

[rangersrule]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

St. Lawrence will not be the #1 seed in March. They will be #3 or # 4. The 2 best teams in the country played in Madison this past weekend.. With all due respect to the ECAC or Hockey East!

 

[Timothy A]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

Just wish it would have happened in the WCHA final. Doubt the next game will see the ice tilted like that.

Well thought out scenario. The bottom line is UM needs to win out til the last week of the regular season to ensure they get the 2 seed. It would be asinine to see UM and UW in the semi's again. The 2 best teams need to set up to meet in the finals.

 

[Puckdrop14]

Well thought out scenario. The bottom line is UM needs to win out til the last week of the regular season to ensure they get the 2 seed. It would be asinine to see UM and UW in the semi's again. The 2 best teams need to set up to meet in the finals.

They may not be the 2 best teams by the end of the season. I would have to guess that UW will be there but not so sure UM will be. Clarkson are hitting their stride at the right time and did play UW tough earlier in the season.

 

[FiveHoleFrenzy]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

They may not be the 2 best teams by the end of the season. I would have to guess that UW will be there but not so sure UM will be. Clarkson are hitting their stride at the right time and did play UW tough earlier in the season.

It would be interesting to see Minnesota as a lower seed to create quite the first round tournament matchup, especially if it was for someone out East.

 

[KTDC]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

It would be interesting to see Minnesota as a lower seed to create quite the first round tournament matchup, especially if it was for someone out East.

Are we going to Duluth to the quarterfinals? Too bad we couldn't go out east for a quarterfinal game, although I want it at Ridder because I want to go to the game

 

[KTDC]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

They may not be the 2 best teams by the end of the season. I would have to guess that UW will be there but not so sure UM will be. Clarkson are hitting their stride at the right time and did play UW tough earlier in the season.

Yeah maybe Minnesota will go away by the end of the season. I am worried about what I consider to be an achilles heal in our team. An 8-2 loss to Wisconsin is a huge pain in the a**.

But a little wake up call and some breathing room away from the number 1 ranking could be very good for this team, like it was for last year's team. We have a whole bunch of forwards that could easily play a lot better. Wouldn't be at all surprising if some of these players started to score in the second half and get some confidence. Cara Piazza is a key part of this team and I think she played better last year than this year. That could turn around. Cameranesi needs to get healthy and we need to stop getting injuries to key players. And the Gophers tend to get better as the season goes on (admittedly we don't tend to lose 8-2).

Clarkson played a fundamentally rock solid first period against St Lawrence in their first game and a bad defensive mistake that led to the first St Lawrence goal set them on their heals and they didn't look at all the same for a long spell after that. That's part of what happened to us Sunday but we did it against a rabid Wisconsin team smelling blood against a rival that has been keeping them from what they want for years.

Clarkson's a good team that usually gets better as well as the season goes on and is very well coached. Ah, but what about BC? BC could be better than Clarkson at the end of the year if they aren'y already.

 

[ARM]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

No challenge by the Minnesota coaches?

I don't know that offside is even something that can be challenged in the women's college game, because most games don't have a camera angle that shows the blue line. Yesterday's obviously did, but I don't know that is a shot that the replay official can dial up. Not that it mattered at the point -- the horse was long since out of the barn.

 

[Hockeyhub]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

The Penguins lost their first 3 games last year, got destroyed by the Bruins 6-2 and 5-1 in a couple of games, and won the Stanley Cup. I don't think one bad game defines your season.

 

[knight7]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

The Penguins lost their first 3 games last year, got destroyed by the Bruins 6-2 and 5-1 in a couple of games, and won the Stanley Cup. I don't think one bad game defines your season.

I don't think one game does. I do think that lack of scoring depth does. 90 points on top line, the next player has 8-9 points. Inconsistent goaltending does.

 

[bluffrinkrat]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

The Penguins lost their first 3 games last year, got destroyed by the Bruins 6-2 and 5-1 in a couple of games, and won the Stanley Cup. I don't think one bad game defines your season.

The game I was reminded of Sunday was in the 04/05 season when the Gophers gave up 7 goals to Dartmouth out east in a loss and then scored 7 against them in the semifinals before winning it all in that great game against Harvard.

 

[5mn_Major]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

Yeah maybe Minnesota will go away by the end of the season. I am worried about what I consider to be an achilles heal in our team. An 8-2 loss to Wisconsin is a huge pain in the a**.

But a little wake up call and some breathing room away from the number 1 ranking could be very good for this team, like it was for last year's team.

Of course, we don't know. But much of this could be answered by Dani. Its hard to downplay the potential of her loss. The country's top goal generator on the top scoring line in the country out. You move up someone from another line (which affect both point production and chemistry)...which raids the second line (affecting their point production and chemistry)...which raids the third (affecting their chemistry). In the end, the ice time from the country's top scorer is replaced by somebody who has no points and typically sits affecting chemistry across the rest of the team. Whether its all that or not is hard to say...but its quite possible.

 

[ne7minder]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

Of course, we don't know. But much of this could be answered by Dani. Its hard to downplay the potential of her loss. The country's top goal generator on the top scoring line in the country out. You move up someone from another line (which affect both point production and chemistry)...which raids the second line (affecting their point production and chemistry)...which raids the third (affecting their chemistry). In the end, the ice time from the country's top scorer is replaced by somebody who has no points and typically sits affecting chemistry across the rest of the team. Whether its all that or not is hard to say...but its quite possible.

I love Dani but she is not a 8 goal differential. Heck, Kessel was not a 8 goal differential and as good as Dani is she is not Amanda (NOBODY is). I think MN had a let down on Sunday and Wisconsin was embarrassed & angry at being shutout at home and made an emphatic statement. Can the Gophers beat the Badgers without #21? Maybe, maybe not, but I know if they played next weekend WI would not beat them by 6. We know that both teams have their issues but every team always does (12-13 maybe the exception, if they had an issue nobody found it!). This season is a lot more interesting so I am OK with that.

 

[KTDC]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

Kate Schipper won WCHA co-offensive player of them week. Claim it with a capital "C"! Hahaha, maybe that means we have more than 3 forwards after all!

After the distraction of 8-2 we're left with a split with the number one team while somebody other than a first liner gets an award, good for you Kate!

 

[KTDC]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

I don't think it's been mentioned here. In Sunday's pregame interview Coach Frost talked about Dani Cameranesi. He said he was hoping to have her back for BU and he was hoping she could go to Michigan right after that to the national camp.

It was uncertain and far from definitive but much more hopeful than I was fearing after Saturday's game.

 

[5mn_Major]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

I love Dani but she is not a 8 goal differential. Heck, Kessel was not a 8 goal differential and as good as Dani is she is not Amanda (NOBODY is). I think MN had a let down on Sunday and Wisconsin was embarrassed & angry at being shutout at home and made an emphatic statement. Can the Gophers beat the Badgers without #21? Maybe, maybe not, but I know if they played next weekend WI would not beat them by 6. We know that both teams have their issues but every team always does (12-13 maybe the exception, if they had an issue nobody found it!). This season is a lot more interesting so I am OK with that.

There were numerous factors for what happened on Sunday. UW was many of them. And the Gophers were just bushed. They ran out of steam by the time we reached the halfway point and it wouldn't be the first time (I believe it played a role against Clarkson in the third). The Gophers can play at the top of their game like no other team. But Sunday was not the season.

Its easy to underestimate the impact of someone like her on the team. One third of all Gopher goals are coming from Dani. Will someone else step up? I hope so. But I also buy into the belief that she makes others around her better...and without the puck on her stick in the O zone, its going to be on someone else's and more likely in the D zone. With the wrong opponents on the schedule, a third of our goal production missing could cost this team a shot at the big prize.

 

[ARM]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

It's not just Cameranesi who was out on Sunday. Woken is a recent loss as well, and she's been in the top 9 all season. So now you're playing two people who have been less that regulars up front with little time to rework the rotation.

The strength of this Minnesota team has been its forwards. Yes, they don't score after the first line, but they have done a good job of keeping the puck in the other end and at least generating chances. With some more practices with new combinations, they can get better. W/o #21, will they be good enough to beat Wisconsin? It'll be tough -- not impossible, but very unlikely. It's a little like 2010-11 when they lost Emily West. There was a big difference with versus without her because of a trickle-down effect. Last year when Kessel was added, we saw it in the other direction.

Cameranesi hit 200 pts in her career before Christmas of her senior season. It's a short list of Gophers who have done that: Brandt, Kessel, Wendel, Darwitz, Muzerall. Other than Desbiens, I don't think anyone on Wisconsin's current roster makes a similar impact. Dani is on pace for her third straight season of 60+ points, and she did it playing injured last year. Nobody for Wisconsin has hit 60 points since 2012.

With or without her, they've got to figure out how to compete the best that they can. But if she can't go, it will take more than 24 hours for them to adjust. That's not to excuse Sunday. A team has to play better no matter who is or isn't dressed.

 

[5mn_Major]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

Well said ARM.

I was thinking...potentially Dani is as important to the Gophers as ARD is to UW. The reason is specifically that...the Gophers win with forwards. You pull out the most important brick in the foundation and the stress in terms of points, chemistry and endurance is spread across the team as everyone else tries to step up with fewer jersey's on the ice. But I would say they are an equivalent loss...a goal a game either way.

 

[D2D]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

In Sunday's pregame interview Coach Frost talked about Dani Cameranesi. He said he was hoping to have her back for BU and he was hoping she could go to Michigan right after that to the national camp.

I see where she was named to the camp roster. Hopefully she can work her way back to top form by then and make the team.

 

[ne7minder]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

There were numerous factors for what happened on Sunday. UW was many of them. And the Gophers were just bushed. They ran out of steam by the time we reached the halfway point and it wouldn't be the first time (I believe it played a role against Clarkson in the third). The Gophers can play at the top of their game like no other team. But Sunday was not the season.

Its easy to underestimate the impact of someone like her on the team. One third of all Gopher goals are coming from Dani. Will someone else step up? I hope so. But I also buy into the belief that she makes others around her better...and without the puck on her stick in the O zone, its going to be on someone else's and more likely in the D zone. With the wrong opponents on the schedule, a third of our goal production missing could cost this team a shot at the big prize.

I don't doubt that they missed 21 but I don't see them making up that 6 goal deficit with her in there at 100%. That was all I was saying.