Ohio State @ Minnesota-Duluth 1/29 - 1/30

[osualum86]

The Buckeyes ended a five-game skid last weekend as they took five of the six available points at Minnesota State. This weekend it gets tougher as the Bucks travel to Duluth to take on the Bulldogs. UMD swept the Buckeyes in Columbus back in December by scores of 4-2 and 5-2. The Bulldogs are in unfamiliar territory this season as they set one spot above the Buckeyes in 6th place with 19 points in the WCHA. For those that are unfamiliar with our league or wonder about my statement, UMD is normally a fixture in the top three or four teams in the league, not to mention all the National Titles they have won, thus my statement about the Bulldogs being in unfamiliar territory. Ohio State has 14 points and is in 7th place. Both teams will be hungry for points, but the Bulldogs will be very motivated as they are in the midst of a six-game losing streak. UMD's last wins were when they defeated Ohio State in Columbus. It should be a very interesting series between two programs with new coaches. UMD fans, let us know your thoughts on the season so far and what you expect this weekend. I know for Buckeye fans, we are trusting the process and just looking for improvement, which most of us believe the team has improved as the season has progressed. It's hard to believe there are only four more home games. We are going to miss our seniors.

 

[Blackbeard]

Re: Ohio State @ Minnesota-Duluth 1/29 - 1/30

This sounds like the Consolation Game for those teams that didn't accomplish enough to qualify for the Consolation Game.

Two disastrous seasons...at least your team has some valid explanations/excuses.

UMD is plumb out of excuses. "Unfamiliar territory" is being uber kind! I wonder if the administration has contemplated on how the shake up is working out for them? (No need for anyone to read anything into that other than the simple question that it is).

I guess we'll have to see how the new coach does at recruiting in the next year or two.

Wish I could add to your comments but my opportunities to watch 'Dog games this season kind of matches the 'Dogs ability to win games...doesn't seem to be happening. Intended to correct that in early January but that didn't happen either. Friday may be possible. I hope that works because I have always enjoyed the series between these two teams.

Good luck.

 

[osualum86]

Re: Ohio State @ Minnesota-Duluth 1/29 - 1/30

Hey Blackbeard! I thought I could count on you to provide some discussion on this thread. Your situation reminds me of a quote from a friend of mine years ago when my old high school non-renewed a highly successful girls basketball coach. The next year and most years since have been a dumpster fire. The year after he was let go and the team was going through a rough season, my friend said, "They wanted change. They got change." That statement seems like it might be applicable to UMD's situation as they went from a National Championship-caliber coach to 6th place in the WCHA. Then again, I guess there will always be a transition period when you change coaches. If your new coach can recruit the same caliber of players that you have recruited in the past, your program should be fine. I guess time will tell.

 

[brookyone]

Re: Ohio State @ Minnesota-Duluth 1/29 - 1/30

That statement seems like it might be applicable to UMD's situation as they went from a National Championship-caliber coach to 6th place in the WCHA.

My gosh...you're right! She was indeed. I found a reference to her National Championship caliber days here:

http://i.imgur.com/wRfCZpd.jpg

 

[charlieconway]

This sounds like the Consolation Game for those teams that didn't accomplish enough to qualify for the Consolation Game.

Two disastrous seasons...at least your team has some valid explanations/excuses.

UMD is plumb out of excuses. "Unfamiliar territory" is being uber kind! I wonder if the administration has contemplated on how the shake up is working out for them? (No need for anyone to read anything into that other than the simple question that it is).

I guess we'll have to see how the new coach does at recruiting in the next year or two.

Wish I could add to your comments but my opportunities to watch 'Dog games this season kind of matches the 'Dogs ability to win games...doesn't seem to be happening. Intended to correct that in early January but that didn't happen either. Friday may be possible. I hope that works because I have always enjoyed the series between these two teams.

Good luck.

Out of excuses for a supposed disaster season according to you, a person who doesn't watch UMD games?

After the last four games I say Bemidji and UND aren't far ahead. UMD has probably the toughest schedule in the country and already scores more than both of those teams.

 

[Blackbeard]

Re: Ohio State @ Minnesota-Duluth 1/29 - 1/30

Out of excuses for a supposed disaster season according to you, a person who doesn't watch UMD games?

After the last four games I say Bemidji and UND aren't far ahead. UMD has probably the toughest schedule in the country and already scores more than both of those teams.

Not that I wasn't interested in watching but one doesn't need to watch the games in order to be able to view a team's stats.

Seems like you're enamoured with one side of the ledger. If you cared to look at the other side you would see that they get scored on a lot more than BSU and UND and overall they've allowed almost 25% more goals than they have registered. Not exactly a recipe for success. The spread between the two stats is substantially negative for UMD and slightly positive for BSU and UND...so, so much for your argument.

And in Conference play, which would be a more apples to apples comparison, UMD has allowed almost 30% more goals than it has scored while BSU's number is half that while UND's is slightly positive. So, that's even worse for UMD, relatively speaking.

Sure those games you cited were close and one can voice all kinds of platitudes and fill themselves with hope as a result because that's all that is available to you in a situation like that but in the end coming close doesn't get you the brass ring...a loss is still a loss...T-Cubed can tell you about that...and so can the UM fans after they played that Canadian team from the US University a few years ago in the big dance.

Hopefully, UMD will improve with recruiting as previously mentioned.

I think osualum86 got it right.

 

[charlieconway]

Not that I wasn't interested in watching but one doesn't need to watch the games in order to be able to view a team's stats.

Seems like you're enamoured with one side of the ledger. If you cared to look at the other side you would see that they get scored on a lot more than BSU and UND and overall they've allowed almost 25% more goals than they have registered. Not exactly a recipe for success. The spread between the two stats is substantially negative for UMD and slightly positive for BSU and UND...so, so much for your argument.

And in Conference play, which would be a more apples to apples comparison, UMD has allowed almost 30% more goals than it has scored while BSU's number is half that while UND's is slightly positive. So, that's even worse for UMD, relatively speaking.

Sure those games you cited were close and one can voice all kinds of platitudes and fill themselves with hope as a result because that's all that is available to you in a situation like that but in the end coming close doesn't get you the brass ring...a loss is still a loss...T-Cubed can tell you about that...and so can the UM fans after they played that Canadian team from the US University a few years ago in the big dance.

Hopefully, UMD will improve with recruiting as previously mentioned.

I think osualum86 got it right.

The sporting world is pretty funny these days. Readily available stats give many people the impression that they can figure out everything about where a team or individual stands on paper.

The "it only counts if you get the W" speech misses the point. This team is sticking with pretty much every opponent and has had a chance in almost every game this year. Someone in college hockey mentioned how much firepower they lost from a year ago, and they bring back all but one skater next year. Far from a disastrous situation.

 

[Blackbeard]

Re: Ohio State @ Minnesota-Duluth 1/29 - 1/30

The "it only counts if you get the W" speech misses the point. This team is sticking with pretty much every opponent and has had a chance in almost every game this year. Someone in college hockey mentioned how much firepower they lost from a year ago, and they bring back all but one skater next year. Far from a disastrous situation.

Your initial point wasn't lost on me, I get it. It was a valid point...that prompts the "hope" part that I mentioned. My point beyond that was that all that doesn't mean anything if you don't start converting some of those opportunities into wins.

And the disaster that I alluded to was where they are in this season's standings relative to where they have been accustomed to being for many years. I didn't state that improvement was impossible. As a matter of fact, I left that door open with respect to my comment about the coach's recruiting efforts in the next couple of years.

 

[charlieconway]

Your initial point wasn't lost on me, I get it. It was a valid point...that prompts the "hope" part that I mentioned. My point beyond that was that all that doesn't mean anything if you don't start converting some of those opportunities into wins.

And the disaster that I alluded to was where they are in this season's standings relative to where they have been accustomed to being for many years. I didn't state that improvement was impossible. As a matter of fact, I left that door open with respect to my comment about the coach's recruiting efforts in the next couple of years.

And on that note I think there's definitely reason for optimism. UMD had two future Bulldogs at that most recent U-18 tournament, and that alone should be exciting for a team that graduates just one skater.

 

[osualum86]

Re: Ohio State @ Minnesota-Duluth 1/29 - 1/30

my gosh...you're right! She was indeed. I found a reference to her national championship caliber days here:

http://i.imgur.com/wrfczpd.jpg

Too funny!

 

[pgb-ohio]

Re: Ohio State @ Minnesota-Duluth 1/29 - 1/30

Buckeyes @ Bulldogs, or... The Flyer Water Bottle Series

Touche! I will say that my understanding of the legendary Watergate incident is that while water flew, the bottle didn't. The key factors were the Chancellor's athletic grip on the bottle, and her precision aim. Of course oral histories can vary from one telling to the next, as the legend grows...

 

[ARM]

Re: Ohio State @ Minnesota-Duluth 1/29 - 1/30

Two disastrous seasons...at least your team has some valid explanations/excuses.

UMD is plumb out of excuses. "Unfamiliar territory" is being uber kind! I wonder if the administration has contemplated on how the shake up is working out for them? (No need for anyone to read anything into that other than the simple question that it is).

What we don't know, and will never know, is how this season would have unfolded in Duluth had Miller still been the coach. One of the problems that I see with the Bulldogs is that there is a big drop off in talent after the first line. I get that most teams have that, but the second and third lines not only don't score, they have been at a disadvantage territorially when I've watched UMD. Perhaps Miller could have come up with some better scheme to compensate for this. OTOH, one could compare the outgoing senior class to the incoming freshmen and see that there wasn't much coming in to provide much impact up front, and the roster left behind wasn't exactly well-stocked. Having Mrázová out all year just exacerbates that problem. So I'd say that at least part of the problem was going to exist at UMD no matter who was coaching. The problem for Crowell is most of the remaining impact will be seniors next year, so she doesn't have a lot of time to find recruits before the program will really drop.

 

[Blackbeard]

Re: Ohio State @ Minnesota-Duluth 1/29 - 1/30

What we don't know, and will never know, is how this season would have unfolded in Duluth had Miller still been the coach. One of the problems that I see with the Bulldogs is that there is a big drop off in talent after the first line. I get that most teams have that, but the second and third lines not only don't score, they have been at a disadvantage territorially when I've watched UMD. Perhaps Miller could have come up with some better scheme to compensate for this. OTOH, one could compare the outgoing senior class to the incoming freshmen and see that there wasn't much coming in to provide much impact up front, and the roster left behind wasn't exactly well-stocked. Having Mrázová out all year just exacerbates that problem. So I'd say that at least part of the problem was going to exist at UMD no matter who was coaching. The problem for Crowell is most of the remaining impact will be seniors next year, so she doesn't have a lot of time to find recruits before the program will really drop.

I remember thinking immediately after having read that Idalski/UND had hired Elander that Miller's monopoly/advantage had come to an end. Other coaches had gone to school on her and at first slowly started encroaching on her recruiting turf which she pretty much had had free rein over for a number of years. I think that, UND's hiring Elander, was in 2010 right around when UMD won the epic 2 game FF Championship Game over Cornell...their 5th. It's been downhill for UMD ever since. Not saying that's the only factor but I think it was the biggest piece of her success puzzle...then the competition came fast and heavy from many quarters...OSU, UND, UM, BSU etc..

 

[ARM]

Re: Ohio State @ Minnesota-Duluth 1/29 - 1/30

I remember thinking immediately after having read that Idalski/UND had hired Elander that Miller's monopoly/advantage had come to an end.

NoDak's rise also hurt UMD's recruiting in certain Canadian provinces, providing another attractive option that's closer to home than the eastern schools.

 

[bluffrinkrat]

Re: Ohio State @ Minnesota-Duluth 1/29 - 1/30

We're still laughing about a reference on the tablets to Shannon Miller's championship days.

Several years ago we were at a dinner where we got to meet the new Gopher hockey players since we were season ticket holders. One of the players at our table (not from around these parts shall we say) said she had been recruited by Miller. When she talked to her the conversation was all about Shannon and what Shannon had done and what Shannon would do in the future. It was as if the player should be honored to play for her so end of story. She talked to coach Frost and afterwards she said it was an easy decision to come to Minnesota. I mentioned to her that her story reminded me that when we were in Duluth for a couple of games they had a photo of Shannon on the cover of UMD's hockey yearbook surrounded by her championship trophies. When the Gophers had their 10 year anniversary they handed out a large sheet with photos of all ten Gopher teams and photos of several different gopher jerseys showing how they had changed over the years. The focus was on the teams and not the coach.

Could be once Shannon stopped winning championships her main selling point on coming to Duluth from far away places started to sound a little dated.

 

[Blackbeard]

Re: Ohio State @ Minnesota-Duluth 1/29 - 1/30

NoDak's rise also hurt UMD's recruiting in certain Canadian provinces, providing another attractive option that's closer to home than the eastern schools.

True.

And there is another major part of her recruiting puzzle that is not well known. Her mother and the former head scout for Team Canada (all levels) grew up in the same town and went to school together. She used to be on the phone to him virtually every week. A close contact like that certainly can't hurt the flow of information. It wasn't long after he ceased to be Team Canada's head scout that her recruiting difficulties began which was also about the time when she started facing stiff competition in Europe.

 

[osualum86]

Re: Ohio State @ Minnesota-Duluth 1/29 - 1/30

Ohio State took game one of this series earlier tonight by a final score of 6-4. The Buckeye goals were scored by Lauren Boyle, Kendall Curtis, Claudia Kepler, Melani Moylan, Dani Sadek, and Lauren Spring. UMD's goals were scored by Ashleigh Brykaliuk, Michela Cava (2), and Morgan Morse. Ohio State outshot UMD 33-32 with Alex LaMere getting 28 saves and Kayla Black getting 27 saves for the Bulldogs. UMD won the faceoff battle 29-22. The difference in the game appears to be the power play where Ohio State was 4-5 and the Bulldogs were 2-2. According to livestats, UMD was penalized 6 times for 23 minutes. Someone who was at the game or has an accurate box score will need to fill in the blank on that. The two teams return to action tomorrow at 5:07 pm EST.

Ok, when in doubt, go to the home team's website and box score. Apparently, Laura Stalder received a five-minute checking from behind penalty and a ten-minute game misconduct penalty. I did not get the video feed tonight so I am not going to comment on the those calls. If someone who was there wants to comment on what happened, feel free. Hopefully, no one was hurt.

 

[ARM]

Re: Ohio State @ Minnesota-Duluth 1/29 - 1/30

Ohio State outshot UMD 33-32 with Alex LaMere getting 28 saves and Kayla Black getting 27 saves for the Bulldogs.

Black was the third goalie for UMD, and she stopped all 12 shots she faced. Karissa Grapp started the second period and allowed 3 goals on 6 shots in 6:12. That likely was the difference in the game.

 

[Blackbeard]

Re: Ohio State @ Minnesota-Duluth 1/29 - 1/30

Ohio State took game one of this series earlier tonight by a final score of 6-4. The Buckeye goals were scored by Lauren Boyle, Kendall Curtis, Claudia Kepler, Melani Moylan, Dani Sadek, and Lauren Spring. UMD's goals were scored by Ashleigh Brykaliuk, Michela Cava (2), and Morgan Morse. Ohio State outshot UMD 33-32 with Alex LaMere getting 28 saves and Kayla Black getting 27 saves for the Bulldogs. UMD won the faceoff battle 29-22. The difference in the game appears to be the power play where Ohio State was 4-5 and the Bulldogs were 2-2. According to livestats, UMD was penalized 6 times for 23 minutes. Someone who was at the game or has an accurate box score will need to fill in the blank on that. The two teams return to action tomorrow at 5:07 pm EST.

Ok, when in doubt, go to the home team's website and box score. Apparently, Laura Stalder received a five-minute checking from behind penalty and a ten-minute game misconduct penalty. I did not get the video feed tonight so I am not going to comment on the those calls. If someone who was there wants to comment on what happened, feel free. Hopefully, no one was hurt.

It was a shootout! 6 goals in the first period!

According to the box score Rooney was chased after one period in which she allowed 3 goals then Grapp allowed 3 in the second period in 6 minutes and got the hook!

Either OSU was on fire or the 'Dog's choolies had a melt down or both.

 

[pgb-ohio]

Re: Ohio State @ Minnesota-Duluth 1/29 - 1/30

... Apparently, Laura Stalder received a five-minute checking from behind penalty and a ten-minute game misconduct penalty.

As I'm sure you know, in this scenario the 10 minutes is for statistical purposes only. The penalized player goes to the locker room. A teammate serves the five minute major. But no one has to sit in the box for the misconduct minutes.

Surprised to read that Stalder was the penalized player. Seems out of character for her.

Black was the third goalie for UMD, and she stopped all 12 shots she faced. Karissa Grapp started the second period and allowed 3 goals on 6 shots in 6:12. That likely was the difference in the game.

No doubt. And yet it's impossible to know how things might have gone for Black had she gotten the call in the 2nd, during the offensive explosion. While it's very easy to believe that Kayla played well in the 3rd, she was also facing an offense whose first job was to protect a three goal lead. Obviously that's going to change the strategy/tactics employed. Particularly for a team that's making protecting leads a point of emphasis.

Congratulations, Buckeyes! Keep it going in Saturday's game.