Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)
Goaltending isn't this team's only problem.
I agree with what you say.
After seven seasons of extremely high quality goaltending the Gophers have finally rediscovered the anxiety of having an unproven goaler.
There were lots of times tonight when I thought Peters made really good plays, lots and lots of flashes of good.
But the other was there for everyone to see.
I think coach said she has earned the right to be there at the start of this season. The freshman would have to have been Räty-esque for there be any other choice than to give the four years in the program goaltender the first shot. Serena is apparently not Nora. Sidney has earned her shot.
I think Peters has to start being better immediately to retain her spot. She probably knows that as well as anyone.
There were too many times that defensemen reached for the puck with their stick and were then flat-footed when a Bulldog won the battle. There seem to be some issues with forwards releasing opponents skating into the slot without a defenseman picking them up. And there were a couple of really bad penalties tonight.
The team has three D back who played substantial minutes last season. Stecklein continues to be routinely all-World. We are really going to miss Wolfe when she is gone. Baldwin is going to inherit the mantle of senior D and she looks like she is going to be everything that Gopher fans want from that person. The two other returning D are both taking a step up from what was expected of them last year. Last year Cline was mostly the 6th D on a team that mostly played only 5. This season she has to play and to me, at least so far, she has taken a giant step. She is a senior and is playing like a senior, I am comfortable with Cline on the ice. Skarzynski missed that first weekend and seems a little behind but I am comfortable with Skarzynski on the ice. Both of those returning players are stepping up. That leaves Marshall the frosh D and I think most of us are happy with her play.
I think the talent level of the Gopher forwards is plenty high enough, what is missing so far is the continuity of having had a couple of dozen games playing together. I think the talent is there. I said this before but those two freshman forwards are keepers.
WAY too many penalties.
The goaltending is the biggest issue, though. At least two of tonight's goals were really soft; I thought Peters should have had the third as well, though my look at it wasn't great and I could be convinced otherwise. Her body language over the last seven minutes of the second period was awful; she seemed to look behind herself every time Duluth wound up.
I agree on the first two, on the third I thought it was just one of those puck hits something in front and then just sort of jumps over her right shoulder.
I still think it is her job and I still think there is room for her to prove that she is the one.
Hey, the Gophers won the game.