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

[KTDC]

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

Ohio State scored on their 5th SOG yesterday. That might be the highest number since Lindenwood.
The freshmen are looking good. For early in their first season, Agnew and Woken look solid to me and like they will be able to score their share this season. Patti Marshall has been given a lot of responsibility early and is off to a good start.
13 of 24 goals by the first line and 18 of 43 assists.
It'll be nice when the second line gets untracked and starts making more of a contribution offensively.

 

[pokechecker]

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

Another 1 goal game. Still have a lot of work to do. It would be nice to not give up the first goal in a game.

the good news there is that they are winning these close games and coming from behind for the most part , unlike their mama'a boy brothers over at Mariucci

I cannot ever recall a Gopher getting 4 game winners in a row, that's nice but somebody else has to step up and put the biscuit in the basket when the game is on the line

 

[ARM]

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

Plan B after the first line hasn't really materialized. At least the makeup of that top line seems pretty evident, and that wasn't the case a few weeks ago. Beyond that, it might be time to mix things up even if eventually they wind up coming back to what they have now just in the hopes of getting someone else going. After the first line, four of the next five in scoring are defensemen, and it isn't like the reason is that the blue line is lighting it up. I would ordinarily say that Reilly might be the one to try moving, except she's fourth among the forwards in points.

One option would be to try Schammel at wing in the hope of getting her going. The third line w/ Williams at times hints at taking off, and it has to be harder for them to do so with the constant juggling. Maybe give it one or two more games and then try some other rotation. And I realize that the rotation was slightly different in Columbus, but the main three lines really weren't.

Hopefully, someone else will find her touch in the next couple of series, because I don't remember the last time we were 8 games into the season having held a lead for as few minutes as we have so far. The game becomes a lot harder when you get outscored in the opening 20 minutes.

 

[bluffrinkrat]

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

And it would be nice to get more balanced offensive production. Without the Pannek-Potomak combination our record to date would not be nearly what it is. Getting plenty of shots - well over 50 today - but having a very hard time putting the puck in the net. As you say they have work to do.

I couldn't agree more, but, the 2005 Gopher teams first line scored 70% (if my Harding math is correct) of the goals scored by all forwards and still won 36 games. Now I realize as someone from out east pointed out to me last year you can't really compare teams today to teams from prior decades, but at least at one time it was possible to win with one big line.

Put me down on the side of a balanced attack as being a much better way to go though.

 

[D2D]

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

Put me down on the side of a balanced attack as being a much better way to go though.

Of course the possible downside with going to a more "balanced attack" is that you are then left with none of the lines being able to generate consistent offensive production. Then again, if you leave the "stacked first line" as is you run the risk of less team production should opponents learn ways and gear up to neutralize that top line. And if they're successful in doing just that, then where is reliable goal production going to come from?

Needless to say, the coaching staff is busy at work figuring these things out, as they obviously know way more than us weekend fans who don't watch all of the experimentation that goes on between games.

 

[Eeyore]

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

A line of Reilly/Piazza/Schipper ought to be generating more offense than it has been, or than it did last year. My inclination (recognizing that I'm not at practice or in the dressing room, and might be missing important information) would be that eight games is too small of a sample to give up on it given the past track record, and ought to stay together for now. As ARM said, the Woken/Williamson/Agnew combination showed signs of breaking out this weekend, so I'd stick with that, too.

That leaves Schammel and Keller as spare parts. One way to use them would be to fill in on occasional shifts on the other lines. Another is to have one of the top three centers take some shifts with them on the wing, which the team has done in the past. Or see if there is someone else (Haley? Skarzynski, though I'm not keen on bouncing her back and forth between forward and defense?) who you can use to create a full fourth line.

At this point, I think the lack of secondary scoring is a concern, but well short of a crisis.

 

[pokechecker]

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

... Or see if there is someone else ( Skarzynski, though I'm not keen on bouncing her back and forth between forward and defense?)

At this point, I think the lack of secondary scoring is a concern, but well short of a crisis.

Hey, how about moving Wolfe to center with Skarzynski as one of her wings?

I agree that it isn't a crisis, they are winning, but it is a concern that they are tied for third in scoring in WCHA games, tied with UND!
Two and a half freakin’ goals a game! That's less than half of the recent past.

So let’s see, an assistant coach who was a goal scorer leaves, Gopher goals go down, OSU goals go up.
Coincidence?

statistical anomaly?
well maybe, who would have guessed Stecklein would be -1 after 8 games?
maybe the take away is that parity has finally come to the WCHA, it seems to have come to the ECAC (and Hockey Easy in a perverse way, the bottom hasn't gotten better, the top has gone down)

 

[Hockeysbest]

well maybe, who would have guessed Stecklein would be -1 after 8 games?
maybe the take away is that parity has finally come to the WCHA, it seems to have come to the ECAC (and Hockey Easy in a perverse way, the bottom hasn't gotten better, the top has gone down)

and who would've guessed Keller would be -3 after playing 2 games against a WCHA team

 

[5mn_Major]

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

and who would've guessed Keller would be -3 after playing 2 games against a WCHA team

This and Stecklein's stats should be a red flag for this year's team.

 

[bluffrinkrat]

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

This and Stecklein's stats should be a red flag for this year's team.[/QUOTE

Maybe Lee is trying to do too much on the ice this season. What do some coaches tell their players...slow the game down and let it come to you? Stecklein is as good a defensive player as any we have seen on the Gophers. The -1 stat is probably just an anomaly at this early point. She was +51 last year.

 

[5mn_Major]

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

This and Stecklein's stats should be a red flag for this year's team.[/QUOTE

Maybe Lee is trying to do too much on the ice this season. What do some coaches tell their players...slow the game down and let it come to you? Stecklein is as good a defensive player as any we have seen on the Gophers. The -1 stat is probably just an anomaly at this early point. She was +51 last year.

No question. If anyone is a pro, its her. The question regarding the team is that the group skating with her has only massed a +1.

 

[Puckdrop14]

This and Stecklein's stats should be a red flag for this year's team.[/QUOTE

Maybe Lee is trying to do too much on the ice this season. What do some coaches tell their players...slow the game down and let it come to you? Stecklein is as good a defensive player as any we have seen on the Gophers. The -1 stat is probably just an anomaly at this early point. She was +51 last year.

She's very good and seems to be trying to fill in too many shoes at once. She will be fine if she goes back to what she does well. Wisconsin have similar worries with Pankowski who has not scored in the team's first 8 games. Clark hasn't necessarily been lighting it up either. It is still early in the season.

 

[pokechecker]

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

A line of Reilly/Piazza/Schipper ought to be generating more offense than it has been,

I have only watched the home games, but isn't this line paired for the most part with the other teams #1 line? and hasn't #2 & #12 been the defensive pair against the #1 line?
this would account for lower scoring and the negative +/-


probably accounts for why they aren't scoring that much, and why the two defenders +/- is a lot lower than would be expected

 

[KTDC]

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

I hope Megan Wolfe is back for SCSU series. Especially Friday. Missing Megan and Stecklein would certainly make things tough for our 'D' corp.

 

[FiveHoleFrenzy]

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

I not so sure about red flags for players with - ratings when the goaltender has given up some really soft goals. Scoring more goals, which this team is capable of doing, will help the plus/minus ratings as well.

 

[ne7minder]

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

I hope Megan Wolfe is back for SCSU series. Especially Friday. Missing Megan and Stecklein would certainly make things tough for our 'D' corp.

Saw her at Ridder. In street cloths. On the positive side she was not on crutches or in a sling.

 

[pokechecker]

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

I not so sure about red flags for players with - ratings when the goaltender has given up some really soft goals. Scoring more goals, which this team is capable of doing, will help the plus/minus ratings as well.

FWIW, 8 players are plus, 4 are even, and 10 are minus
the good news about the minus is that all are close to even, so yeah, more goals please

soft goals tonight? not in my opinion when you hand the other team a break-a-way, and part like the Red Sea in front of your own goal
the box score got it right, all six players on the ice are guilty
to their credit, the Huskies cashed in on those opportunities

 

[ManBehindTheCurtain]

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

Saw her at Ridder. In street cloths. On the positive side she was not on crutches or in a sling.

She was just walking around, looking like a spectator.

Peters got better again, I thought. Of course, she only faced 6 shots, but at least she stopped all 6. As for D'Angelo, the first one she maybe could have done better but you really can't blame her for the second, a clean breakaway. She looked like a frosh goalie getting her first look at WCHA play. If I was assigning a grade I would say B- or so. She passed but did not excel.

Wonderful four goal performance from the top line and also a very nice pass from Potomak and a very nice move by Piazza for the shorthanded goal.

The Gophers looked pretty good.

 

[Eeyore]

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

I don't think you can blame D'Angelo for either goal, but we did get to see exactly what she's going to need to work on. Both goals went over her left shoulder, and she'll need to find a way to compensate for being height challenged.

Other than the two moments that led to Husky goals, I thought the Gophers played very well in the second and third periods. Both the second and third lines had chances that they couldn't quite bury, but I feel reasonably good about it.

The first period, on the other hand, was a complete mess despite coming out of it with a lead. The passing was bad, and against a team with more interest in generating offense, they could have been in trouble.

 

[ne7minder]

She was just walking around, looking like a spectator.

Peters got better again, I thought. Of course, she only faced 6 shots, but at least she stopped all 6. As for D'Angelo, the first one she maybe could have done better but you really can't blame her for the second, a clean breakaway. She looked like a frosh goalie getting her first look at WCHA play. If I was assigning a grade I would say B- or so. She passed but did not excel.

Wonderful four goal performance from the top line and also a very nice pass from Potomak and a very nice move by Piazza for the shorthanded goal.

The Gophers looked pretty good.

I do not understand subing Peters at that point. She had a shutout going. I though the first goal was lack of prep but she had just been tossed in there and looked shaky. The second gaol is on the rest of D for the turn over and chase. She had a chance maybe to make a save but the odds are not great snd she should not have needed a miracle if everything eles was right.

But why pull Peters?