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WCHA Thread V

Re: WCHA Thread V

It's kind of annoying with an 8 team league that the teams have played such an uneven amount of league games already (4 to 10). It really messes up the standings. The league should really try and balance it out better. UW has a bye next week, so that will help a little.

Not really as only OSU and MSU play league games next weekend.
 
Re: WCHA Thread V

Final Score From Saturday, November 1st
Ohio State 3
St Cloud State 0

Clock Falls Back; Buckeyes Spring Forward
Halloween is over for another year; so is Daylight Savings Time. The demons have been exorcised; the ghosts have been busted. Can't claim the Buckeyes are all saints. But they put together a solid 60 minutes to earn the series split.

Certainly St. Cloud was no easy out. Both teams gave staunch defensive efforts. Battles along the walls were common; odd man rushes were few and far between. To my admittedly biased eye, the Buckeyes were somewhat stronger throughout, and finally broke through in the end.

Special teams played a large role. The Buckeyes completed a perfect weekend on the PK, featuring a 5 minute major kill in the rematch. Saturday's game was essentially settled when OSU netted a 5 on 3 goal with less than 5 minutes remaining in the third.


The 3 Stars of the Game: Decidedly Unofficial and Just For Fun

St. Cloud Honorable Mention: Caroline Markstrom
Kudos to the entire St. Cloud 'D' Corps for a courageous and effective effort. I chose Caroline to represent the group as she finished the game without a ding to her plus/minus stat -- the only Huskie defender to do so.

Ohio State Honorable Mention: Kari Schmitt
Kari's shot from the left point was the primary assist on the opening goal. And as always, Kari stood tall and proud on defense.


#3 Star: Kassidy Sauve, Ohio State
While Kassidy didn't face a constant barrage of shots, St. Cloud certainly created some good chances. In particular, Sauve was calm and strong during a couple of goal mouth scrambles. Perfect is perfect. Congratulations on the shutout, Kassidy!

#2 Star: Sara Schmitt, Ohio State
Sara was magnificent during all the key moments. Killing off the major, she thrilled the crowd with a diving "Superwoman" shot block. On the 5 on 3, her blast from point gave the Buckeyes that valuable insurance goal. At game's end, she won a battle along the boards, executed a give and go with Taylor Kuehl, and deposited the puck in the empty Huskie net.

#1 Star: Lauren Spring, Ohio State
Face-off in the St. Cloud end, to the goalie's right. Lauren wins the draw cleanly. On what appears to be a set play, LW Kayla Sullivan curls through the circle, receiving the puck perfectly in stride. Puck to the left point. Big shot from Kari Schmitt. Beautiful chopping deflection from Spring. Huge moment that broke the ice, set the tone and wound up being the Game Winning Goal.

Oh, and it was Lauren Spring's first goal as a Buckeye. Congratulations Lauren, and Welcome to Columbus!

Next Up: Road Trip to Minnesota State.
 
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Re: WCHA Thread V

If Bemiji had not brought the B team to OSU, they'd be in the top 8 nationally after this weekend. I guess I undervalued UW's sweep of them at Bemiji last weekend.

It's kind of annoying with an 8 team league that the teams have played such an uneven amount of league games already (4 to 10). It really messes up the standings. The league should really try and balance it out better. UW has a bye next week, so that will help a little.

I would suggest that OSU brought their C game to Wisconsin and that they have bounced back with solid outings since with the exception of period #2 this past Friday evening. Time will tell and we will see how things look at the end of week 22 when the Badgers visit Columbus. The beauty of it all is that we are seeing a competitive conference which is good for the folks sitting in the stands.
 
Re: WCHA Thread V

If Bemiji had not brought the B team to OSU, they'd be in the top 8 nationally after this weekend. I guess I undervalued UW's sweep of them at Bemiji last weekend.
The wisdom of the second sentence points out the error in the first. It's way to early to be making such generalizations.

Also, thumbs up to Puckdrop14's rebuttal. Not that there's any proving the 'C' game thing. But the conclusion is rock solid: Let's see some more hockey before we start writing teams off. Or, for that matter, anointing them.
 
Re: WCHA Thread V

Bemidji State took 5 of 6 points from Minnesota this weekend, and while Minnesota didn’t play great, maybe they didn’t really play that bad.

Good for them, I hope they are really happy and excited! They obviously made it difficult to score; I think Brittni Mowat had something like a .976 save percentage, stopping 83 out of 85 shots. They worked really hard, poke checking like crazy, getting in the way of passes, blocking shots, and keeping good defensive position in front of the net.

They have a new coach and are off to a good start. I certainly have not written off the Gophers so hats off to them for doing something they have never done before to Minnesota. I just hope they don’t do it in March!
 
Re: WCHA Thread V

The wisdom of the second sentence points out the error in the first. It's way to early to be making such generalizations.

Also, thumbs up to Puckdrop14's rebuttal. Not that there's any proving the 'C' game thing. But the conclusion is rock solid: Let's see some more hockey before we start writing teams off. Or, for that matter, anointing them.

I, like most others, was looking for a trend in regards to BSU. BSU was trending up in poles, then the OSU debacle. I'm not writing anyone off, nor am I annoiting anyone. The WCHA looks kinda wide open, with UM and UW still the favs, but 3rd on down is anyones game.

OSU vs UW....If OSU played C games against UW, then once they find their A game, they would be unstoppable. I don't think they have that much more in them. I think the first game was close to an A game for them with the shots being equal and the play ebbed and flowed in eachother's favor. The second game was a B/C effort as UW outshot them by a 2:1 margin and UW dominated the play. Eyewitness account.
 
Re: WCHA Thread V

I, like most others, was looking for a trend in regards to BSU. BSU was trending up in poles, then the OSU debacle. I'm not writing anyone off, nor am I annoiting anyone. The WCHA looks kinda wide open, with UM and UW still the favs, but 3rd on down is anyones game.
Well, yes. But that's pretty different from your original post. The clear implication was that if Bemidji had simply played to ability, wins in Columbus were automatic. Show up with the A team; game over. Trouble is, the actual track record is just so very different. Let's look at the last 10 games played in Columbus, including the recent two: Buckeye Wins=6; Beaver Wins=1; Ties=3. In terms of standings points, the count is OSU 24, Bemidji 6. And yet in 2014-2015, Beaver wins should have been automatic? To me that's more than bold, and does constitute writing the home team off.

OSU vs UW....If OSU played C games against UW, then once they find their A game, they would be unstoppable. I don't think they have that much more in them.
Like I've already posted, the 'C' game thing is unprovable. It's likely a bit exaggerated in any event. More than anything else, I was just happy to see someone stand up and push back, even if the comment wasn't 100% perfect.

I think the first game was close to an A game for them with the shots being equal and the play ebbed and flowed in each other's favor. The second game was a B/C effort as UW outshot them by a 2:1 margin and UW dominated the play. Eyewitness account.
Not doubting your word on what you observed in Madison. And big picture, I agree with you that UM and UW remain the favorites.

Don't want to belabor this; I just want to enjoy the full season with an open mind. I'm sure that's Puckdrop14's main concern as well.
 
Re: WCHA Thread V

sooner or later the talent level has to equalize better than it was 10 years ago simply because more and more girls are playing but there hasn't been a corresponding increase in college teams. Add in that the overall level of play is getting better, there are simply more good players available. 2 years ago Bemidji came closer than anybody else to beating the Gophers during the regular season, the freshman that year are now Juniors. Last year they picked up Mowat who won the starting job from a senior, and they seemed headed in the right direction. This year they found a plum in Alexis Joyce and added a goalie who has even better stats than Mowat thus far. It was obvious this past weekend they have many more good players. It will be interesting to see how they do from here. They should be even better next year, they are primarily a Junior team.
 
Re: WCHA Thread V

Ohio State @ Minnesota State

Quiet weekend ahead for the conference schedule. Mavs gotta be getting pretty hungry.

SCSU Huskies are at Rensselaer for a NC series
 
Re: WCHA Thread V

Bold prediction of the week: Mavericks get their first W of 2014-2015.
]
I think the Mavs will keep one game very close, might even take it to OT, but still fail to record their first W.
They are so young, their freshman will only get better and will win soon, just not this weekend.
 
Re: WCHA Thread V

I think the Mavs will keep one game very close, might even take it to OT, but still fail to record their first W.
They are so young, their freshman will only get better and will win soon, just not this weekend.
It wouldn't be a bold prediction if it was extremely...or even all that likely to happen. ;)
 
Re: WCHA Thread V

I think the Mavs will keep one game very close, might even take it to OT, but still fail to record their first W.
They are so young, their freshman will only get better and will win soon, just not this weekend.
No bold prediction at the moment. Not so bold prediction: Appears there will be scarce few opportunities for the Mavs to get a W, looking ahead on the conference schedule.
 
Re: WCHA Thread V

Final Score From Tuesday, November 11th
Mercyhurst 3
Ohio State 0

Mercyhurst Prevails In Defensive Battle
The Laker offense didn't exactly come in waves. Nor did the Buckeye offense drive Mercyhurst nuts. Defense ruled the evening. Each team limited the other to 16 shots on goal. No one from either team put a shot on net in the first seven minutes of the game.

In the end, a small edge on special teams made a big difference. The well-designed Mercyhurst PP was able to create some odd-man situations down low; and the Lakers cashed in one of those chances on the third attempt. On the other side of ledger, the Mercyhurst PK held the Buckeyes scoreless in 7 attempts, including a major.


The 3 Stars of the Game: Decidedly Unofficial and Just For Fun

Mercyhurst Honorable Mention: Amanda Makela
Though not severely tested, the Laker Goalie was certainly strong when she had to be. And Amanda did, after all, record a shutout.

Ohio State Honorable Mention: Taylor Kuehl
Taylor was determined on the forecheck and tough in the face-off circle. On draws, she won 9 of 13 attempts.


#3 Star: Cara Zubko, Ohio State
Though coming up just short, the Buckeye 'D' turned in a strong defensive effort. On this night Cara Zubko represents the group. Defending a Laker 2 on 1 rush, Cara selflessly smothered a cross ice pass attempt, shutting down the play. Maybe it's just me, but that's the positive image I'll carry forward from tonight's game.

#2 Star: Hannah Bale, Mercyhurst
Hannah's blistering top shelf shot gave the Lakers a huge insurance goal seven minutes into the third period. Credit also goes to Jennifer MacAskill, who held the puck in the zone along the boards, springing Bale on the rush.

#1 Star: Molly Byrne, Mercyhurst
Simply had to use the top pick for a member of the Laker 'D' corps, and Molly was quite solid in her end of the rink. The O-Zone was particularly crowded tonight. Layers of Lakers, led by Byrne, took away most of the time and space.

Molly also had the primary assist on the GWG, brilliantly steering the puck across the slot to a wide-open Sarah Robello. Sarah did her part, tapping the puck into the open goal cage. Finally, on the empty netter, Byrne won the initial battle along the boards to start the scoring play. Three teammates later, the puck was in the net. Her name doesn't appear on the scoresheet for that one, but I'm sure Molly doesn't mind.


Next Up: The Buckeyes Host Minnesota Friday Evening and Saturday Afternoon.
 
Re: WCHA Thread V

the wonder is how the WCHA coaches picked Mankato above Bemidji in the coaches poll :confused:
you'd think they, more than anyone would understand what an uphill battle it would be for a bunch of freshman

nearly everybody expected SCSU to totally suck, it just shows you the difference there is between rookies and experienced players
 
Re: WCHA Thread V

nearly everybody expected SCSU to totally suck, it just shows you the difference there is between rookies and experienced players

Their new coaching staff might also have something to do with it; Bemidji's too maybe.
 
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