UMD 2019-20 Season Thread

[Blackbeard]

Re: UMD 2019-20 Season Thread

'Dogs down Colgate 3-1.

https://chawomenshockey.com/sidearmstats/whockey/summary

https://umdbulldogs.com/news/2019/1...ker-champions-after-3-1-win-over-colgate.aspx

 

[Blackbeard]

Re: UMD 2019-20 Season Thread

'Dogs sweep SCSU...and start scoring some goals:

https://umdbulldogs.com/news/2019/1...offensively-unload-on-st-cloud-state-6-0.aspx

 

[Blackbeard]

Re: UMD 2019-20 Season Thread

OSU 1 - UMD 0 after two.

Neither team looking very much like they had ever played together before until about 30 seconds before OSU's goal.

They caught the 'Dogs on a change and had an open net to Rooney's right and I thought it was in but Rooney made a great save.

About 30 seconds later they made no mistake and took the lead.

Until then neither team could mount anything that resembled a flowing offensive attack...mostly choppy broken play.

The 'Dogs spent about 30 seconds of a power play trying to get out of the neutral zone. Not too impressive. This is the middle of November.

Klein had a nice individual effort getting passed two OSU defenders in close and rang it off the post/crossbar. Another similar play occurred earlier.

And OSU hit the post once as well.

 

[Blackbeard]

Re: UMD 2019-20 Season Thread

OSU 3 - UMD 1 final.

The 'Dogs came alive in the third and their second power play was substantially better than the first but although they created multiple opportunities they failed to capitalize...other than once with both teams at full strength when I had walked away for about 30 seconds so I don't know what lead to their goal and OSU doesn't have replays...or is it that Flo Hockey doesn't have replays?

So, where were the third period 'Dogs in the first two?

With about 7 minutes left in the game after finally scoring UMD took a seemingly unnecessary penalty and OSU took advantage of it 7 seconds in.

They later scored an EN with Rooney on the bench for the extra attacker.

Really good sized crowd and the place looks like it has had a face lift with the help of a few buckets of paint.

Lookin' good.

(Forgot to mention...Skaggs with both goals for OSU).

 

[pgb-ohio]

Re: UMD 2019-20 Season Thread

OSU 1 - UMD 0 after two.

Neither team looking very much like they had ever played together before until about 30 seconds before OSU's goal.

They caught the 'Dogs on a change and had an open net to Rooney's right and I thought it was in but Rooney made a great save.

About 30 seconds later they made no mistake and took the lead.

Until then neither team could mount anything that resembled a flowing offensive attack...mostly choppy broken play.

I was a bit more generous over in the Buckeye thread. Could be that most of my Bulldog memories are based on the third period...

The 'Dogs spent about 30 seconds of a power play trying to get out of the neutral zone. Not too impressive. This is the middle of November.

Also, keep in the mind that when one team is bottled up in the neutral zone, that can be perceived as great defense & a great kill from the opponent's point of view.

Klein had a nice individual effort getting passed two OSU defenders in close and rang it off the post/crossbar. Another similar play occurred earlier.

And OSU hit the post once as well.

Which I'd cite as evidence of a tightly contested game, one that was genuinely fun to watch. The Bulldog forwards, especially the top line, looked plenty dangerous to me. Maybe Hockey is always better in person?

 

[Blackbeard]

Re: UMD 2019-20 Season Thread

Also, keep in the mind that when one team is bottled up in the neutral zone, that can be perceived as great defense & a great kill from the opponent's point of view.

Yes, that wasn't lost on me but with UMD's lack of consistency over the last couple of years and with some of the individual talent that they have I consciously chose to focus on that end of the ice, with all due respect to OSU.

Which I'd cite as evidence of a tightly contested game, one that was genuinely fun to watch. The Bulldog forwards, especially the top line, looked plenty dangerous to me. Maybe Hockey is always better in person?

I agree that it was a tightly contested game but from where I sat during the first two periods it was at a very low level. (One could argue that that was due to each team's defensive play at breaking up the other team's efforts in the middle of the rink). The third period was completely different and that one, I thought, was fun to watch. More like a hockey game.

So, tell me, did the place get a face lift or was it just my imagination?

And forgot to mention, really decent play by play, too.

 

[mnwis]

Yes, that wasn't lost on me but with UMD's lack of consistency over the last couple of years and with some of the individual talent that they have I consciously chose to focus on that end of the ice, with all due respect to OSU.




I agree that it was a tightly contested game but from where I sat during the first two periods it was at a very low level. (One could argue that that was due to each team's defensive play at breaking up the other team's efforts in the middle of the rink). The third period was completely different and that one, I thought, was fun to watch. More like a hockey game.

So, tell me, did the place get a face lift or was it just my imagination?

And forgot to mention, really decent play by play, too.

Looks like bright white paint and new bulbs

Some of UMD problems seems,at times, TOO much individual,

Play by play is okay...wouldn't mind if there was a little less gushing over players' past accomplishments and stay more on present game play that is taking place..
If you ever hear these guys call a gopher game, you might want to wear hip-waders, it tends to get very deep,(unless you are a mn fan)

 

[Blackbeard]

Re: UMD 2019-20 Season Thread

If you ever hear these guys call a gopher game, you might want to wear hip-waders, it tends to get very deep,(unless you are a mn fan)

Now that's funny, really funny. Haha.

 

[Blackbeard]

Re: UMD 2019-20 Season Thread

OSU 2 - UMD 1 in OT.

Missed the game but watched some of it via video replay.

Way better game from what I saw than last night's game.

Close but no cigar for the 'Dogs this weekend...just a 2 buck cupie doll.

Congratulations to the Bucks. These teams appear to be extremely evenly matched, at least for now.

The 'Dogs getting their offence consistently into 3rd and 4th gear for next weekend would be a welcomed improvement.

 

[pgb-ohio]

Re: UMD 2019-20 Season Thread

Yes, that wasn't lost on me but with UMD's lack of consistency over the last couple of years and with some of the individual talent that they have I consciously chose to focus on that end of the ice, with all due respect to OSU.

That's perfectly fair. As I've posted many times over the years, we're all heavily influenced by our particular vantage points. Sometimes by choice, some times involuntarily so. Other thoughts on why we perceived Friday's game differently:

1. Forced errors & smart dump-ins aren't "the beautiful game" in the sense of Brazilian soccer. But hard work and intelligent play are beautiful things. Much of Friday's game was controlled by the defenses, but not because of laziness or bad choices by the offenses. Both teams knew the importance of this weekend's games; both had lots of jump.

2. My 3 Stars posts, by design, are like a joint awards banquet. As such, I typically find a way to declare the glass to be full. I have no objection to intelligent criticism; it's just not the gig I've chosen for myself on USCHO. As such, I fully expect that other observers of the same game may see a "half full" glass, even as I'm describing a full one. It was, however, startling to see a poster I respect describe the glass as completely empty for two periods! On reflection, I probably got a little carried away with my story line this time.

3. Media Timeouts: At the OSU Ice Rink, we've been using the full complement of media timeouts since that become an option. At first, I thought the extra timeouts really chopped up the game. At this point, I'm used to them. I'm not sure what UMD does in this regard. But if the media timeouts aren't the norm for you, that could easily lead to a very different perception.

I agree that it was a tightly contested game but from where I sat during the first two periods it was at a very low level. (One could argue that that was due to each team's defensive play at breaking up the other team's efforts in the middle of the rink). The third period was completely different and that one, I thought, was fun to watch. More like a hockey game.

Again, the vantage point thing. During the parts of the game you didn't like, OSU had a definite edge in Shots. During the part you liked, UMD had the majority of the shots. Your comments certainly go well beyond that, but I do think it's part of the story.

A more subtle factor is Line Match-Ups. In the early going, the first lines spent a lot of time going head-to-head, frustrating each other. Later in the game, the top lines were getting more "favorable" match-ups, thus opening up the game a good bit.

So, tell me, did the place get a face lift or was it just my imagination?

There was a major cosmetic make-over at the start of the 2018-19 season. In other words, immediately following the Frozen Four appearance. The new paint & decor were immediately noticeable to me; it turned out really well. A bit of a wow factor at first sight. But at the start of the current year? Can't say I noticed anything more than normal upkeep. Maybe that's just me taking something for granted. But I'm wondering if you missed the visuals of last year's series in Columbus -- and therefore experienced the Fall 2018 updates as new.

Close but no cigar for the 'Dogs this weekend...just a 2 buck cupie doll.

Kewpie Doll, but Yes. At the carnival 1 of 6 points is definitely a Kewpie Doll, not the Giant Panda.

Congratulations to the Bucks. These teams appear to be extremely evenly matched, at least for now.

Thanks & Yes. And that's my final explanation for the disparate perceptions. We both know the long term history of these two programs. Equal talent is pleasing to the OSU eye, disconcerting to the UMD eye.

 

[ARM]

Re: UMD 2019-20 Season Thread

I think as fans, we all slant our observations to our point. If the D turn the puck over three times that result in scoring chances, we say, "The D were terrible; they couldn't make a pass and just threw the puck away." They may have broken out successfully 90 percent of the time, but what we remember are those glaring giveaways, especially if they wound up in our net. Four of the D might not have had any bad turnovers at all. Doesn't matter, they were terrible. If nothing else, they were wearing the same uniform as somebody who was.

The better the opponent, the more terrible our players get. Less time to react against the forecheck and a smaller window in which to complete a pass, but it doesn't matter, "We're terrible!"

We can just as easily go too far the other way. "We have six of the top ten forwards in the country!" No. There may be six top-line caliber forwards on the team, but other teams have those type of players, too.

I think that the Bulldogs and Buckeyes make for an interesting clash stylistically. IMO, OSU is as good as any team that I've seen at being at a territorial disadvantage but being ready to convert when there is a chance to counter. UMD is very similar in that it has players who are dangerous in transition, but they seem to do better when the scoring chances start to build on each other. When playing the Bulldogs, a fan starts to get an uneasy feeling, because you can sense disaster coming. With the Buckeyes, life seems good, and then it isn't. Maybe I'm totally wrong about this, because Gabby Hughes seems perfectly capable of scoring at any moment when she's on the ice versus UM.

Anyway, Bulldogs/Gophers this weekend. I remember 15 to 20 years ago, when it just didn't get any bigger than that. A very small part of me misses that, but I certainly don't miss all of the animosity that went with it.

 

[Blackbeard]

Re: UMD 2019-20 Season Thread

Kewpie Doll, but Yes. At the carnival 1 of 6 points is definitely a Kewpie Doll, not the Giant Panda.

Haha. "Kewpie", yes, well, I knew that I would be corrected on this...here's what happened. I typed "cupie" and then said to myself "wait a minute, that's not right, yes it is, no it's not, yes it is". I thought I'd better check, did so, and saw "kewpie". Then it came back to me and answered why I had defaulted to "cupie". When I was a kid that's the way it was spelled around here (just had to stop myself for a second with spelled vs spelt which is an interesting one) at the Ex (Exhibition) as we call it (Fair/carnival would be your equivalent). I decided to default to, well, the default local spelling from my younger days (not that its a word that one uses very often) knowing that you might....

I got a laugh during that brief mental exercise last night because it reminded me of seeing Jesse Ventura on Johnny Carson many years ago. Jesse used the word "havoc" and really stretched out the "o" as in "awe". Carson laughed at him and took him to task on it. Jesse wasn't too impressed and responded, while staring at Carson with a really stern look on his face, with "I don't know how you pronounce it here but that's how we pronounce it in Minnesota". His tone was extremely serious and Carson knew it and took it to be almost threatening so he backed off immediately while trying to make light of the whole incident. And then he quickly changed the subject. Haha.

A bit similar but definitely not the same as our exchange. I knowingly walked through that door waiting for the pie in the face. Just not sure if I was wanting coconut cream or banana cream. Either one would have been fine.
****************
As to the rest of your comments in no particular order:

1. I'm well aware of your "the glass is full" perspective and have been for years. All it took was reading two or three of your write ups back then for that to be obvious. Very admirable. For lack of a better analogy I often tend to lean towards the Vince Lombardi way of viewing things (can't believe I just said that). So, how we approach it is just different...at least, I think.

Your other explanations are well thought out and certainly understandable. I think I agree with most if not all of them. Your "Beautiful Game" analogy was perfect. Thanks for all that effort.


2. I don't think I saw the games in Columbus last year which is why the place looks freshly spiffed up to me. Looks really good, I thought, really good.


3. Your last two sentences were extremely perceptive...and I do mean extremely.

UMD's past glory/skill/tremendous offense/entertainment value etc., etc., are always lurking in the shadows whenever I watch them play regardless of who their opposition is. (I try to form my opinion of their play based on my opinion of the individual talent they may have as well as what I have seen with respect to how that individual talent translates into a team effort and then how consistent they are at achieving those positive performances (assuming they were positive)). I've made progress but have not yet been entirely successful.

 

[Blackbeard]

Re: UMD 2019-20 Season Thread

I think that the Bulldogs and Buckeyes make for an interesting clash stylistically. IMO, OSU is as good as any team that I've seen at being at a territorial disadvantage but being ready to convert when there is a chance to counter. UMD is very similar in that it has players who are dangerous in transition, but they seem to do better when the scoring chances start to build on each other. When playing the Bulldogs, a fan starts to get an uneasy feeling, because you can sense disaster coming. With the Buckeyes, life seems good, and then it isn't. Maybe I'm totally wrong about this, because Gabby Hughes seems perfectly capable of scoring at any moment when she's on the ice versus UM.

Anyway, Bulldogs/Gophers this weekend. I remember 15 to 20 years ago, when it just didn't get any bigger than that. A very small part of me misses that, but I certainly don't miss all of the animosity that went with it.

Excellent post with excellent observations throughout.

I couldn't agree more about "the life is good until it isn't" vs OSU and the impending sense of disaster vs UMD. I have felt the same way about these two teams for quite a while now but I don't know if I would have been able to put the perspective re: OSU into words. I could have for the 'Dogs because I often feel that I'm sitting on the edge of a cliff when watching them play waiting for that "disaster" to happen to the opposition when the UMD offense starts to click because you seem to be able to sense it just below the surface. And although this might be said of any other team ie: success breeds success, however one is defining success, it always seems to me that when the 'Dogs continually create offensive opportunities that their increased confidence and desire is almost palpable and their play noticeable improves.

But maybe I'd feel the same way about any other team that I was pulling for regularly.

The problem from my point of view is that when that dynamic started to become visible and obvious, especially in the 3rd period of the first game this weekend, it didn't translate into disaster for OSU. That's why they climbed back onto the bus with that 2 buck cupie doll.

I have felt that their offense, even though there has been enough talent there, has been consistently inconsistent since Stalder, Brykaliuk and McGovern.

And even though your interest in NCAA play predates mine by a few years I remember when the Big 3 raised the level of play of each other and how it never made much sense to me how UMD fairly consistently had UW's number, while UW fairly consistently had UM's number and while UM quite consistently had UMD's number...over the course of several seasons. Very strange over such a large sampling.

A different topic that I'd like your opinion on, and anybody else's who wants to wade in is this: It seems to me that in the last 8-10 years or so the overall quality of play/number of players with extraordinary ability and who put that ability on display consistently (in the WCHA and possibly the rest of the NCAA) has decreased rather noticeably. What do you think?

 

[Hockeybuckeye]

Re: UMD 2019-20 Season Thread

2. I don't think I saw the games in Columbus last year which is why the place looks freshly spiffed up to me. Looks really good, I thought, really good.

Thanks for the compliment!
That old barn opened in 1961 (I was there!) and housed the men's team until 1999.
The university let it go to seed pretty bad and didn't seem to care it looked like a dump for the women's program, great for recruiting! One season the roof leaked so bad the water that dripped down was stained brown and bored brown holes everywhere in the ice! The polka dots were there all season as you would have had to take up the entire ice and they'd just come back again.
Thankfully they decided to renovate and it really is the ideal size currently for the women's program but no real solution for the locker room situation. The visitors have to go down a flight of small narrow stair to the basement for their locker room and the Buckeyes across the breezeway into St.John Arena for theirs.
After all that money being sunk into it they're considering tearing all the buildings down there including the rink for a new complex of buildings.

 

[ARM]

Re: UMD 2019-20 Season Thread

A different topic that I'd like your opinion on, and anybody else's who wants to wade in is this: It seems to me that in the last 8-10 years or so the overall quality of play/number of players with extraordinary ability and who put that ability on display consistently (in the WCHA and possibly the rest of the NCAA) has decreased rather noticeably. What do you think?

My opinion is that there are a number of factors, some that support your contention and some that don't. I believe that it is harder for players to stand out offensively these days. Defensively, teams have improved. When I first started watching, there was such a difference in skating ability between the best players on the ice and those near the bottom of the line chart. It's tough to defend somebody that you can't catch. Defenses overall are also better at blocking shots and are very committed to doing so. Bemidji always seems to have a couple of D with an uncanny ability to get in the way of a shot.

When I used to watch teams shoot at the goalie in warmups, there were some players who would take shots that bounced twice before they reached the net. Now that average or slightly below player has a better shot than she did then. The best players could always snipe, but the role players have more skill than they once did.

What might support your point is that I think that the same broadening of the talent pool is happening at the prep level. So many HS teams skate three lines now. When I first watched HS hockey, it was a big line and a second line that could play some D. Krissy Wendell must have been on the ice around 80% of the time in HS. So she and players like her developed more than the rest and were able to dominate in the NCAA. Now, that ability is offset because minutes are more equitable in HS play and everyone has a chance to compete on offseason teams. More players are ready to play and contribute earlier in their college careers.

A shorter answer might be that the Grade A players are about the same as they always were. However, the B+ players are less able to separate from the pack than they once could.

I know that UND coach Brian Idalski shared your opinion. As girls' youth teams have improved and become more widespread, there are fewer girls who are playing hockey with boys for most of their youth careers.

 

[Still Eeyore]

Re: UMD 2019-20 Season Thread

There is a very strong tendency among those who reach middle age to decide that kids these days are markedly inferior to those they grew up with.

 

[pgb-ohio]

Re: UMD 2019-20 Season Thread

The better the opponent, the more terrible our players get. Less time to react against the forecheck and a smaller window in which to complete a pass, but it doesn't matter, "We're terrible!"

Very true, and very well put. I really don't understand why otherwise reasonable people turn into raving tyrants as fans. But regrettably it's commonplace.

Gabby Hughes seems perfectly capable of scoring at any moment when she's on the ice versus, well, anyone.

FYP, with just one minor correction. I was very impressed with Gabby this weekend.

Haha. "Kewpie", yes, well, I knew that I would be corrected on this...here's what happened. I typed "cupie" and then said to myself "wait a minute, that's not right, yes it is, no it's not, yes it is". I thought I'd better check, did so, and saw "kewpie". Then it came back to me and answered why I had defaulted to "cupie". When I was a kid that's the way it was spelled around here (just had to stop myself for a second with spelled vs spelt which is an interesting one) at the Ex (Exhibition) as we call it (Fair/carnival would be your equivalent). I decided to default to, well, the default local spelling from my younger days (not that its a word that one uses very often) knowing that you might...

So the rumour is that spelling can vary, depending on which side of the border you're on?

As for the Ex, if you're talking about the Ex in Toronto, I've been on the grounds. As I'm sure you recall, that's where the Hockey Hall of Fame used to be. Don't know if "Ontario Place" is still there, but as I recall they had some fun attractions for kids.

I am aware that the Exhibition is a National Event in Canada. But otherwise my sense was that it's quite comparable to Midwestern State Fairs. At many of the State Fairs, if you want to win your Panda (or Kewpie Doll), you try your luck on the Midway. That term may have originated at a Chicago World's Fair more than a century ago; I'm not really sure. Or maybe the term was borrowed from Europe. But at this point I believe it's a fairly common "Americanism."

I got a laugh during that brief mental exercise last night because it reminded me of seeing Jesse Ventura on Johnny Carson many years ago. Jesse used the word "havoc" and really stretched out the "o" as in "awe". Carson laughed at him and took him to task on it. Jesse wasn't too impressed and responded, while staring at Carson with a really stern look on his face, with "I don't know how you pronounce it here but that's how we pronounce it in Minnesota". His tone was extremely serious and Carson knew it and took it to be almost threatening so he backed off immediately while trying to make light of the whole incident. And then he quickly changed the subject. Haha.

During the Governor Ventura years, a T-Shirt made the rounds that said "My Governor can beat up your Governor." Available at the MSP Airport, IIRC.

 

[pgb-ohio]

Re: UMD 2019-20 Season Thread

Your other explanations are well thought out and certainly understandable. I think I agree with most if not all of them. Your "Beautiful Game" analogy was perfect. Thanks for all that effort.

Thank you for this, and the rest of your kind words. Must spread, so I have to thank you on the thread.

 

[Blackbeard]

Re: UMD 2019-20 Season Thread

As for the Ex, if you're talking about the Ex in Toronto, I've been on the grounds.

No, I was referring to the Red River Exhibition (everyone here calls it The Ex, for short). It's a travelling show/carnival with a large midway and entertainment. Sets up their stop here every year in the third week of June...and you can virtually count on it raining for the first day or two.

Reminds me of a story, decades ago I started working with a guy who told me one day that when he was younger he used to work at the Ex. When I asked him what he did there he told me that he worked at a burger stand frying the actual patties. He told me that on one back corner of the grill they kept some special patties covered and reserved for certain customers and on the limited occasions when they were served up they were referred to by the staff as "Flyburgers". When I asked why they were called "Flyburgers" he told me that they were reserved for extremely rude, demanding and obnoxious customers. And that the name referred to the added ingredient that was harvested all night long with a fly swatter and added generously to and worked into the patty just waiting for the right and deserving customer to step right up!

I bet any one who reads this and gets hungry the next time that they attend one of those venues ends up ordering a hot dog!

 

[pgb-ohio]

Re: UMD 2019-20 Season Thread

No, I was referring to the Red River Exhibition (everyone here calls it The Ex, for short). It's a travelling show/carnival with a large midway and entertainment. Sets up their stop here every year in the third week of June...and you can virtually count on it raining for the first day or two.

Ah, Winnipeg. So I was only 1,000 miles off. (More by car.)

Reminds me of a story, decades ago I started working with a guy who told me one day that when he was younger he used to work at the Ex. When I asked him what he did there he told me that he worked at a burger stand frying the actual patties. He told me that on one back corner of the grill they kept some special patties covered and reserved for certain customers and on the limited occasions when they were served up they were referred to by the staff as "Flyburgers". When I asked why they were called "Flyburgers" he told me that they were reserved for extremely rude, demanding and obnoxious customers. And that the name referred to the added ingredient that was harvested all night long with a fly swatter and added generously to and worked into the patty just waiting for the right and deserving customer to step right up!

This could be a new rep option on USCHO. The Flyburger Post: When Red Lights Just Aren't Enough!

I bet any one who reads this and gets hungry the next time that they attend one of those venues ends up ordering a hot dog!

Animal Lips > Mooshed Flys? Could be, I suppose. Say, do they allow bag lunches on the grounds?