What's new
By:
USCHO Fan Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • The USCHO Fan Forum has migrated to a new plaform, xenForo. Most of the function of the forum should work in familiar ways. Please note that you can switch between light and dark modes by clicking on the gear icon in the upper right of the main menu bar. We are hoping that this new platform will prove to be faster and more reliable. Please feel free to explore its features.

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

Status
Not open for further replies.
Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

ne7minder said:
Meh, I don't think they played as badly as you do. Then they owned the second period and played well enough into the third that it was didn't matter they gave up a couple PPGs.
Click to expand...

I agree. They didn't seem to have much energy at the start of the game and ND came out with a lot of energy. I was a little worried there for awhile at least until Taylor scored that big goal! Then I think they played one of their best periods of the year in the 2nd. The whole team seemed to be on fire. With a 5 goal lead I guess it was not too surprising that they would slow down some in the 3rd and they did. Some pretty sloppy stretches there. On the whole they played a good game though and 5 goals from the 2nd line was really nice to see.
 
Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

The game that I was at saw Robinson taking a couple of shifts at forward. Haley took several shifts at defense. Piazza centering a fourth line which meant someone had to take her spot on the second, usually Keller. Lots of Gunderson. Skarzynski taking shifts on defense.

And it is going to be really hard for me to not like FIVE goals from the second line.

The Gophers played well and deserved the victory.
 
Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

bluffrinkrat said:
I agree. They didn't seem to have much energy at the start of the game and ND came out with a lot of energy. I was a little worried there for awhile at least until Taylor scored that big goal! Then I think they played one of their best periods of the year in the 2nd. The whole team seemed to be on fire. With a 5 goal lead I guess it was not too surprising that they would slow down some in the 3rd and they did. Some pretty sloppy stretches there. On the whole they played a good game though and 5 goals from the 2nd line was really nice to see.
Click to expand...

I'm not convinced MN was flat as ND came out flying and just overwhelmed the Gophers at the start. The Mrs was really concerned about it and I kept telling her all that they had to do was weather the initial attack and things would calm down. They did that very well, playing solidly under intense pressure and when Williamson scored the Sparrows dialed it back. I thought her second goal, early in the 2nd broke NDs back and the pep was gone from their step. As they did on Friday the Sparrows tried storming back in the 3rd and again it looked to me like the Gophers did not step up as they has in the 1st period.
 
Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

ne7minder said:
I'm not convinced MN was flat as ND came out flying and just overwhelmed the Gophers at the start. The Mrs was really concerned about it and I kept telling her all that they had to do was weather the initial attack and things would calm down. They did that very well, playing solidly under intense pressure and when Williamson scored the Sparrows dialed it back. I thought her second goal, early in the 2nd broke NDs back and the pep was gone from their step. As they did on Friday the Sparrows tried storming back in the 3rd and again it looked to me like the Gophers did not step up as they has in the 1st period.
Click to expand...

This is how I saw it as well.

For me, I felt this weekend I was watching the Minnesota Gophers that I had was accustomed to watching before the ups and downs and challenges of this season. I figure UND felt if they shut down the top line of the Gophers they would have a very good chance of winning. Best laid plans often go awry!
 
Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

I thought the first period was more continually flat than others do. North Dakota was as aggressive on the forecheck as they were on Friday, and the Gophers still didn't seem to know how to respond. As I said above, I thought they were very fortunate to come out of the period with a two goal lead.

They were tremendous in the second, though some of that was UND going flat after the third goal. It was the best period they've played since the first one in Boston.

I'm not usually concerned with how they play after building a huge lead, but given the magnitude of the game and where they've been recently, I really wanted them to come out and play one of the smothering third periods they have mustered so often in recent years, and that didn't happen. I don't know if it means anything, but it was less than I was hoping for, though the lineup shuffles may have contributed.

Still, any weekend in which you sweep the Whioux is, by definition, a good weekend. A split next week against Wisconsin should leave them in good shape in the Pairwise.

Edit: Also, Lee Stecklein is starting to look like Lee Stecklein, and that's 100% good news.
 
Last edited:
Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

Eeyore said:
I don't know if it means anything, but it was less than I was hoping for, though the lineup shuffles may have contributed.
Click to expand...
You think? It's always been the case that in seasons where the fourth line doesn't play regularly, once they start rolling all 12 forwards for regular shifts, the team as a whole relaxes and some of the intensity disappears. We've seen it on a regular basis in recent weeks. Part of that is either the fourth line comes out as a unit and it doesn't have the speed of the other lines, or its members are parceled out and the cohesion up to that point is gone. Plus, people get in a rhythm of coming out every third shift, and now it is every fourth.

But in the big picture, I think it is more important to save a little extra life in the legs of the top of the rotation. Also, if this program really believes all of the values it preaches, then it is more important that the kids who work hard every day in practice are rewarded with some game time when the opportunity is there. Could the Gophers have played a better third period? Yes. Would they have done so had it really mattered? They did on Friday. I was happy with what I saw from everyone in the third period. Gunderson blew a tire when she tried a quick turn and lost an edge, but Pannek did roughly the same thing a few minutes earlier. Other than that, Gunderson handled the puck well, put some passes on her wings' tape, and caught passes thrown her way. If her role in the seasons to come is to be a reliable option off the bench, she looks like she has the potential to do what she is asked in spot duty at least. As for the regulars, they answered immediately when UND got within three, and at no time did it look like they were in panic mode.

I also had no problem with Saturday's first period. In just about any series matching teams from the top half of the WCHA, the team that loses the first game comes out flying to start the second. You will get outplayed at times; it's all about the response.
 
Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

Eeyore said:
Edit:[/B] Also, Lee Stecklein is starting to look like Lee Stecklein, and that's 100% good news.
Click to expand...

I've been wondering for awhile if Lee hasn't been thinking she has to do it all; 1. Provide more leadership as a captain, 2. create more offence than she has in the past and yet still be that 3. rock solid player on defense that she has always been. The first two are fine and needed, but being that third thing is something that no other Gopher has ever done any better and she did that this weekend.
 
Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

Badgers trounce a depleted UMD squad today 8-0 and clinch the regular season title. Obviously next weekend's Gophers/Badgers series still has huge implications for NCAA seeding purposes. The Gophers will need to be at their very best in all phases of the game to get points and gain ground on (or possibly move ahead of) Duluth in the PairWise.

Also, should UMD sweep St. Cloud and pick up 6 points in their final series, which is by no means assured but fairly likely, coupled with a possible Badgers sweep over the Gophers, Minnesota-Duluth and Minnesota would finish in a tie for 2nd with 66 points.

Question: If that were to happen, which one would win the tie-breaker and get the 2nd seed in the league playoffs?
 
Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

D2D said:
Question: If that were to happen, which one would win the tie-breaker and get the 2nd seed in the league playoffs?
Click to expand...
UMD. Both teams would have 19 conference wins, so it would come down to fewest league losses. Minnesota would have 6, the Bulldogs would have 5.
 
Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

ARM said:
UMD. Both teams would have 19 conference wins, so it would come down to fewest league losses. Minnesota would have 6, the Bulldogs would have 5.
Click to expand...

IOW, earning points by a shootout win take a back seat to earning them the old fashioned way
 
Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

Apparently we are lucky we aren't playing the Badgers in a best of 7, cuz after winning the opening game we would lose in 5, and lose game 5 by infinity :eek:
 
Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

KTDC said:
Apparently we are lucky we aren't playing the Badgers in a best of 7, cuz after winning the opening game we would lose in 5, and lose game 5 by infinity :eek:
Click to expand...

I'm Timothy A and I approve this message.
 
Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

KTDC said:
This is how I saw it as well.

For me, I felt this weekend I was watching the Minnesota Gophers that I had was accustomed to watching before the ups and downs and challenges of this season. I figure UND felt if they shut down the top line of the Gophers they would have a very good chance of winning. Best laid plans often go awry!
Click to expand...

I don't see UND being a threat down the stretch, when the going gets tough the seem to think talking trash and saying things that would make a sailer blush is more important than focusing on the task at hand of winning a game. If you stay after the game and they can get one good chop in and win the insult battle, you will find several of them skipping all the way to the bus even after getting swept.
 
Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

HockeyThumper said:
I don't see UND being a threat down the stretch, when the going gets tough the seem to think talking trash and saying things that would make a sailer blush is more important than focusing on the task at hand of winning a game. If you stay after the game and they can get one good chop in and win the insult battle, you will find several of them skipping all the way to the bus even after getting swept.
Click to expand...

So what you're saying is none of them are in the running for the Patty Kazmaier award this year? Maybe the Chicken Hawks should have a Sam LaShomb award given to the biggest goon of the year. Guess I still haven't quite let it go.
 
Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

I believe Mark Johnson called her the best player on the ice every time she was on the ice.
 
Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

D2D said:
With sectional play in girls hockey now complete, and with the Gophers hosting their biggest rival, I expect Ridder to be pretty full this afternoon.

Gophers women end hockey season vs. Wisconsin at Ridder
http://www.startribune.com/gophers-women-end-hockey-season-vs-wisconsin-at-ridder/414141263/
Click to expand...

Yes, but is there room for any Gopher fans. Word is Timothy A Jr has a lot of friends and we haven't heard how many tickets he actually bought!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top