WCHA 21-22 Season

[ARM]

The top 4 play the bottom 4. I'd say WI is the only top 4 team at serious risk of losing a game this weekend.

I think "serious" risk is over stating it. Bemidji has always been a place where upsets happen, so given the two teams (MSU and BSU) are only four points apart, I don't think that the Mavericks on the road are much more likely to spring an upset.

 

[Timothy A]

I think "serious" risk is over stating it. Bemidji has always been a place where upsets happen, so given the two teams (MSU and BSU) are only four points apart, I don't think that the Mavericks on the road are much more likely to spring an upset.

My confidence is still very shaky in UW's ability to score. If they can only manage 2 per game they will be in trouble considering the back end challenges.

 

[ARM]

My confidence is still very shaky in UW's ability to score. If they can only manage 2 per game they will be in trouble considering the back end challenges.

They average four per game, and as robert has pointed out, the percentages even out in the long run. The Badgers are +80 on the season, while the Mav's are -24.

I like your chances.

 

[robertearle]

A question: Mankato tonight took the ice with only 14 skaters, and only one goalie. (And one skater went down hard, left the ice and went to the locker room in the third period, and did not return).

Are there minimums to how many players a team has to dress and have on the bench? And has COVID changed those minimums? I'm kind of surprised they could have only the one goalie dressed.

 

[ARM]

I'm kind of surprised they could have only the one goalie dressed.

Last week when they were playing UMD, the Mav's announcers were saying that their emergency goalie's (Stillwell?) tennis season had started.

 

[robertearle]

Last week when they were playing UMD, the Mav's announcers were saying that their emergency goalie's (Stillwell?) tennis season had started.

I counted SEVEN! Mankato players in street clothes sitting below me near the exit to the hallway to their locker room.

(Hockey goalie and tennis?... I guess hand-eye coordination is hand-eye coordination, but I might have thought something else with a "catching" function, like maybe shortstop on the softball team.)

 

[Timothy A]

A question: Mankato tonight took the ice with only 14 skaters, and only one goalie. (And one skater went down hard, left the ice and went to the locker room in the third period, and did not return).

Are there minimums to how many players a team has to dress and have on the bench? And has COVID changed those minimums? I'm kind of surprised they could have only the one goalie dressed.

It was shocking they only had 1 goalie dressed. You can't just throw the pads on someone in 30 seconds if you need to convert a skater to a sieve. I suppose MJ would not have an issue delaying the game to allow for this, UW needs the win. I suspect the Officials would give Kato a delay of game penalty if this actually had to happen. The alternative is the games don't get played and no one wants that. In reality I can't recall a goalie leaving a game injured but a couple times in maybe a thousand plus games I have watched, so the odds are mega low it could actually be a problem.

 

[Timothy A]

WI and OSU are tied for second, not that is matters, 2nd place is the first loser.

 

[robertearle]

It was shocking they only had 1 goalie dressed. You can't just throw the pads on someone in 30 seconds if you need to convert a skater to a sieve. I suppose MJ would not have an issue delaying the game to allow for this, UW needs the win. I suspect the Officials would give Kato a delay of game penalty if this actually had to happen. The alternative is the games don't get played and no one wants that. In reality I can't recall a goalie leaving a game injured but a couple times in maybe a thousand plus games I have watched, so the odds are mega low it could actually be a problem.

Just this fall vs St Cloud at LaBahn, Emma Poluzney left the game in the third(?) after having done something to her hip, and didn't play the next day. I was afraid it was a torn labrum, but thankfully not that serious.

 

[OldDave]

A question: Mankato tonight took the ice with only 14 skaters, and only one goalie. (And one skater went down hard, left the ice and went to the locker room in the third period, and did not return).

Are there minimums to how many players a team has to dress and have on the bench? And has COVID changed those minimums? I'm kind of surprised they could have only the one goalie dressed.

During the first season Ridder was open, I remember the Gophers starting a game on the power play because the opponent did not have enough players suited up. Don't remember if it was enough skaters or enough goalies. I want to say the opponent was UMD, but I don't know that to be true. I also remember the Gophers dressing a D as a G for one game, probably to avoid a penalty. So at one time, there was a minimum at least in the WCHA.

 

[ARM]

During the first season Ridder was open, I remember the Gophers starting a game on the power play because the opponent did not have enough players suited up. Don't remember if it was enough skaters or enough goalies. I want to say the opponent was UMD, but I don't know that to be true. I also remember the Gophers dressing a D as a G for one game, probably to avoid a penalty. So at one time, there was a minimum at least in the WCHA.

I remember the penalty for not dressing two goalies happening in back-to-back games versus UMD during the 2000-01 season, I think during the 4 Nations tourney. IIRC, there is a clause on it that exempts the team if there is only one goalie due to non-avoidable reasons. Leaving to go play in 4 Nations, at least that time, apparently wasn't an excused absence in the eyes of the league.

Back when UM's goalies where Jody Horak and Brenda Reinen, I remember a couple of different skaters donning the goalie pads when Reinen had surgery, and I think there have been other cases over the years, where that was a route to a skater getting to be on the bench with teammates:
http://www.collegehockeystats.net/03...s/wbmjmin1.d05
http://www.collegehockeystats.net/03...s/wbmjmin1.d06

 

[robertearle]

I remember the penalty for not dressing two goalies happening in back-to-back games versus UMD during the 2000-01 season, I think during the 4 Nations tourney. IIRC, there is a clause on it that exempts the team if there is only one goalie due to non-avoidable reasons. Leaving to go play in 4 Nations, at least that time, apparently wasn't an excused absence in the eyes of the league.

Back when UM's goalies where Jody Horak and Brenda Reinen, I remember a couple of different skaters donning the goalie pads when Reinen had surgery, and I think there have been other cases over the years, where that was a route to a skater getting to be on the bench with teammates:
http://www.collegehockeystats.net/03...s/wbmjmin1.d05
http://www.collegehockeystats.net/03...s/wbmjmin1.d06

A couple years ago, 2019-2020, Lindenwood had two different skaters start games at goalie, because of injuries to all three of their regular goalies. IIRC, they also talked about suiting up somebody from the soccer team who had played hockey in high school, or something like that. But a few minutes of googling, I couldn't find anything to support that recollection.

 

[spwood]

I remember the penalty for not dressing two goalies happening in back-to-back games versus UMD during the 2000-01 season, I think during the 4 Nations tourney. IIRC, there is a clause on it that exempts the team if there is only one goalie due to non-avoidable reasons. Leaving to go play in 4 Nations, at least that time, apparently wasn't an excused absence in the eyes of the league.

Back when UM's goalies where Jody Horak and Brenda Reinen, I remember a couple of different skaters donning the goalie pads when Reinen had surgery, and I think there have been other cases over the years, where that was a route to a skater getting to be on the bench with teammates:
http://www.collegehockeystats.net/03...s/wbmjmin1.d05
http://www.collegehockeystats.net/03...s/wbmjmin1.d06

I was wondering about this as well as I was at a Div III game last night and one team clearly did not have a backup goaltender on the bench. I went into the NCAA rule book and found this:

A team is allowed to start a game with one goalkeeper. If the starting
goalkeeper is unable to continue (e.g., injury, penalty, etc.), a delay of
game penalty must be assessed if time is needed to have another skater
change into the equipment of the goalkeeper. Additionally, teams have
the option of playing with six skaters to avoid a penalty. Except when all
goalkeepers are incapacitated, another player shall not be permitted to
wear the equipment of the goalkeeper.

It was highlighted as a change from the previous rule book (pre-2020). It seems there is no penalty for only having one goaltender unless a second one is needed. That seems fair (very unlike the NCAA!)

 

[ARM]

It seems there is no penalty for only having one goaltender unless a second one is needed. That seems fair (very unlike the NCAA!)

I wonder if the original rule had its root in something that wasn't ill-intended. For example, in Alex Gulstene's last season at Minnesota, she suffered a concussion at the end of the first period of the first game, and never played again. Now, there is the whole concussion protocol, where the decision of whether an athlete can return is in the hands of medical personnel. Before that, the thinking might have been that if a team only has one goalie dressed, coaches will say, "You got your bell rung, but you'll be fine; get back in there!" But with a backup available, even the lunatic coach might be able to figure out that it is better to turn to the healthy athlete rather than the one who can't tell you how many fingers you're holding up.

 

[KTDC]

Ohio State Vs Wisconsin tomorrow at 5PM central. The Gopher game is tonight so that we can watch tomorrow's game!

I think Ohio State looks like the best team.
Followed by Wisconsin/Minnesota
Followed by UMD

I think any of these can beat any of the others but I think it would be tougher for UMD to put together a string.

Despite my placing OSU at the top, I think the Gophers should embrace the #1 ranking and run with it!!

Wisconsin's shooting % has dipped below 10% which is a danger zone for an elite WCHA team. But I'm still just as afraid of the Badgers as anyone!!

 

[robertearle]

It being the Olympics right now, I was thinking back about watching Olympics hockey broadcasts back when I was a kid. Satellite transmissions from who-knows-where in Europe, 'snowy' picture, 'ghost' images following the skaters around the ice. Heck, most of the time, you couldn't even see the puck; you had to infer where it was from the movements of the skaters around the rink.

But, you know, that was over fifty years ago, so....

Anyway, I found myself thinking about that during the Wisconsin - Ohio State game...

 

[ManBehindTheCurtain]

It being the Olympics right now, I was thinking back about watching Olympics hockey broadcasts back when I was a kid. Satellite transmissions from who-knows-where in Europe, 'snowy' picture, 'ghost' images following the skaters around the ice. Heck, most of the time, you couldn't even see the puck; you had to infer where it was from the movements of the skaters around the rink.

But, you know, that was over fifty years ago, so....

Anyway, I found myself thinking about that during the Wisconsin - Ohio State game...

I attended the Minnesota at Saint Thomas game earlier in the season and found the arena to be a very nice high school arena. Last night I stayed at home and took the BigTenPlus feed instead. I had two main reasons for doing this. No video board and therefore no replays in the high school arena versus BigTenPlus replays. And at the high school arena there is no possible way to watch the game without peering through the protective netting.

I find myself thinking about both of those things as I today take a peek in at Wisconsin v. Ohio State.

Ohio State has an athletics budget probably larger the GDP of half of the member states of the United Nations.

And they play in that building with that level of production value for the video they make available to fans who cannot be present?

Apparently they are no longer capable of it so I will feel ashamed on their behalf.

 

[ARM]

And they play in that building with that level of production value for the video they make available to fans who cannot be present?

It's kind of hard to tell exactly what happens when the puck gets near either goal -- it's a little like looking out through the peephole in a hotel door -- but it looks to me like OSU has scored on roughly two thirds of their good scoring chances. Not used to UW giving up so many quality looks and not having a goalie who stops most of them. Anyway, 5-1 for the hosts in Columbus after two.

 

[robertearle]

It's kind of hard to tell exactly what happens when the puck gets near either goal -- it's a little like looking out through the peephole in a hotel door -- but it looks to me like OSU has scored on roughly two thirds of their good scoring chances. Not used to UW giving up so many quality looks and not having a goalie who stops most of them. Anyway, 5-1 for the hosts in Columbus after two.

The last three Fridays, Wisconsin has given up a goal on the opponents' first shot on goal.

Tonight it took until the second shot.

 

[KTDC]

The last three Fridays, Wisconsin has given up a goal on the opponents' first shot on goal.

Tonight it took until the second shot.

I feel your pain!