What's new
By:
USCHO Fan Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • The USCHO Fan Forum has migrated to a new plaform, xenForo. Most of the function of the forum should work in familiar ways. Please note that you can switch between light and dark modes by clicking on the gear icon in the upper right of the main menu bar. We are hoping that this new platform will prove to be faster and more reliable. Please feel free to explore its features.

WCHA Thread IV

Status
Not open for further replies.
Re: WCHA Thread IV

CrazyDave said:
In my case, the more breathing room the Gophers can get over whatever team is in second place (sorry pgb and osualum86), the happier I'll be. Two UND losses to UW would be an early Christmas gift.
Click to expand...

No offense taken! Seeing as we are in second with 29 points and they are in third with 24, I say, yeah, go Wisconsin! The only problem is we have a non-league series against RIT this weekend so North Dakota can close the gap as long as they don't get swept.
 
Re: WCHA Thread IV

osualum86 said:
No offense taken! Seeing as we are in second with 29 points and they are in third with 24, I say, yeah, go Wisconsin! The only problem is we have a non-league series against RIT this weekend so North Dakota can close the gap as long as they don't get swept.
Click to expand...
Given the imbalance in games played, I was looking more at the loss column. UND has 4, UW has 6. So you root for the team with fewer losses to lose a couple more times.
 
Re: WCHA Thread IV

Eeyore said:
I don't hold them responsible for that particular incident, but it is of a type with a lot of behavior out of the North Dakota hockey program over the years. The pattern is certainly one of the reasons I dislike them so much. Certainly some of my dislike of the women's team is carryover from my feelings about their men's team, but they have displayed some of the same tendencies.
Click to expand...

I'm with Eeyore on this. While I certainly don't blame the women's program for the goonery that UND's mens program has displayed in years past, my opinion of UND hockey as a whole has been negatively impacted from watching the men's program for so many years. That said, in recent years the men's team has cleaned up their act considerably, and in fact ironically this year the women's team is leading the WCHA in penalty minutes and is also leading the men's team in terms of average penalty minutes per game.
 
Re: WCHA Thread IV

D2D said:
... ironically this year the women's team is leading the WCHA in penalty minutes ...
Click to expand...
They're getting better, though. They are only second in the country. UND was first in each of the Lam's first two seasons there. ;)
 
Re: WCHA Thread IV

My initial take on this is usually, "Do men still play hockey?"

But obviously they do.

Personally I have a lot of respect for the current men's coach at UND. Some of the previous coaches did not seem to have complete control of their teams. It looks to me like Coach Hakstol is cut from a considerably different bolt of cloth.

As for the women's program I think I have several times in the past said and will say so again that I think Coach Idalski is a quality coach. Look where the team was when he arrived. Look at where they are now.
 
Re: WCHA Thread IV

Yeah, Idalski did the same thing at the D3 level as well, concerning building programs. As far as the way the UND women play, may be in part to his playing experience.
 
Re: WCHA Thread IV

Minnesota @ Bemidji State GOPHERS STAY UNDEFEATED

Minnesota State @ St. Cloud State SPLIT

North Dakota @ Wisconsin THE STACHES KEEP GROWING

RIT @ Ohio State SPLIT

Boston University @ Minnesota-Duluth BU TAKES 2
 
Re: WCHA Thread IV

CrazyDave said:
Given the imbalance in games played, I was looking more at the loss column. UND has 4, UW has 6. So you root for the team with fewer losses to lose a couple more times.
Click to expand...

Dave, haha, I don't think you need to worry about anyone in the league catching your Gophers this season! Hope you and the others make the trip to Columbus! Hopefully, we're a tad more competitive than we were in Minneapolis.
 
Re: WCHA Thread IV

Minnesota @ Bemidji State Gophers take both

Minnesota State @ St. Cloud State MSU sweeps

North Dakota @ Wisconsin Tough call, but I'll go with my heart and say the Badgers sweep at home

RIT @ Ohio State Buckeyes win two

Boston University @ Minnesota-Duluth Split!
 
Re: WCHA Thread IV

D2D said:
Here's another one for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jXsmGTQz-I
Click to expand...
Wow. I've always held Bob Johnson in higher regard than Gino Gaspirini, and the video certainly reinforces that belief. That said, the footage is from 30+ years ago. Like others, I'm not going to hold the current UND Women responsible for the incident. As for the UND Men, my impression was that UND had made a fairly clean break from the "bad old days" when Dean Blais took over. Naturally in an intense rivalry things can flare up again. But hopefully the way-over-the-line bench clearing brawl we see in the video is permanently a thing of the past.

Another angle: To the extent that rooting interest is based on what's happening on the Men's side, I'd note that UND has been a greater threat to the U of M in recent years than UW. It would be easy for that factor to influence current thinking...

CrazyDave said:
Given the imbalance in games played, I was looking more at the loss column. UND has 4, UW has 6. So you root for the team with fewer losses to lose a couple more times.
Click to expand...
Interesting and understandable, and more the kind of reply I was expecting. Taking the puck and carrying it just a bit, a Gopher fan might say: With 14 games to play, a six game lead seems pretty insurmountable, particularly with only 2 head-to-head games remaining. Conversely, a four game lead, while substantial, seems a good bit less secure.

From an OSU standpoint, it's far less clear what we should be "rooting" for. One theory would be that a split would help us stay ahead of both teams. Another would be that a UND sweep would give us a nice cushion over Wisconsin, puttting us in a two way battle for the 2nd spot. As I've posted elsewhere: The Final Face-Off playoff format, combined with this year's particular mix of teams, suggests that there's not a great deal of difference between 2nd and 3rd place. The 4th Place team, however, appears likely to have a more difficult path to playoff success.

Ultimately I'll just hope for two great games and follow the results from a basically neutral point of view. While it's very interesting to play around with the possibilities, it's still too early to say which result would help the Buckeyes most. I do, however, understand the Gopher point of view better than before. Thanks to all who replied.
 
Re: WCHA Thread IV

pgb-ohio said:
As for the UND Men, my impression was that UND had made a fairly clean break from the "bad old days" when Dean Blais took over.
Click to expand...

They did. However, I emphatically disagree with the earlier poster that offered praise of Dave Hakstol. His teams have gone back to being the dirtiest in the WCHA by a significant margin. The difference between his teams and Gasparini's is entirely due to the change in overall hockey culture. Two years ago a UND player started a fight with the Gophers during the postgame handshake line. They've been disciplined a lot for head shots in the last few years, too.
 
Re: WCHA Thread IV

Re: UND/MSU Video

Not sure how I missed that one; I was certainly following the Women's WCHA closely at that time. Sorry to see it. Obviously both Women's programs have some responsibility here; that can't be denied. Knowing nothing other than what we see in the video, my observations would be:

1. In most of the fights, the UND player appears to be the aggressor.
2. A couple of Mav players do charge willingly into the fray, apparently after a UND player got under their skin. So this isn't a case of one team simply attacking another.
3. At the same time, the UND players were obviously more prepared to fight and were better at it.

So I guess I'm suppposed to conclude that UND instigated the fight, and that this is part of a larger pattern involving both UND programs. Will keep my eyes wide open, and will take this video into account as I continue to form opinions.
 
Last edited:
Re: WCHA Thread IV

Packer on the PP for the "Badgerettes" then Decker shortly thereafter. Knotted at two.
 
Re: WCHA Thread IV

Final From Saturday, December 8th
Ohio State 3
RIT 1

Fine Battle, Good Nonconference Win​
You might wonder if the home team was suffering from any ill effects from Final Exams. Nope. You may have wondered if new-to-Division-1 RIT was ready for prime time. Yup. This was a hardworking, fast paced game, completed in under two hours. Both teams can hold their heads high after this one.

In the end, the Buckeyes' top six forwards and top D pair were better than their RIT counterparts. Not a mismatch, but better enough. At the same time, RIT showed great balance in their line-up from top to bottom. The Tigers were all skilled and determined. After seeing them play, I'm not surprised they've given North Dakota and others a stiff challenge.


Three Stars of the Game: Decidedly Unofficial and Just For Fun​

Ohio State Honorable Mention: Taylor Kuehl
The Buckeyes were tough up the middle tonight. As the second line center, Taylor was an impressive 14-7 in the face-off circle. She also bagged an assist on the GWG, combining with linemates Hokey Langan and Ally Tarr. In truth, any of three linemates could have been given the mention. But tonight we'll let the center take the bow.

RIT Honorable Mention: Ali Binnington
Though dented three times by the Buckeye offense, Ali had a solid game in the nets. Certainly credit goes to the Tiger defense, who kept most of the Buckeye shots to the outside. But time after time Binnington either steered shots well out of harm's way, or simply swallowed them up. Good second chances were very hard to come by in this game.


#3 Star: Chlesea Knapp, Ohio State
Chelsea narrowly missed a shutout in this one, holding RIT off the scoreboard until the latter stages of the third period. Like her RIT counterpart, Knapp did a nice job of controlling the game from her position, allowing few second chances. By allowing only 1 goal on 25 shots, Chelsea's GAA and Save Percentage will each get a little bump in the right direction.

#2 Star: Melissa Bromley, RIT
Melissa got the Tigers' goal, launching a big drive from the right point. The shot appeared to get a little help by deflecting into the net off a Buckeye defender. But hey, put a strong shot on net and good things can happen. Bromley also did a fine job battling for lose pucks and in transition. All in all, a fine night for a defender from the third pair. We'll let Melissa represent the Tigers' impressive depth.

#1 Star: Minttu Tuominen, Ohio State
Minttu was truly a force in this game. In the face-off circle, Tuominen was a mind-boggling 15-2. Coupled with Taylor Kuehl's fine night, face-off wins gave the Buckeyes a significant advantage tonight. Minttu also broke the ice with the important first goal. Stationed behind the net, Paige Semenza zipped a crisp centering pass to Tuominen. Minttu's blazing shot from the slot left Binnington with little chance. Later in the game, linemate Tina Hollowell added an insurance goal on the power play. So again, while kudos would be justified for any of the three linemates, this was a night to recognize the centers.


Rematch with RIT. See you at the rink; remember the early 2:07 Face-off!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top