What's new
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.

Wisconsin Badgers 2014-2015

Status
Not open for further replies.
Re: Wisconsin Badgers 2014-2015

There was a very nice student section, at least to start the game. Looks like about half of them left after the first period though.

Then a loooong delay to start the 2nd with a problem with the Badger goal.
 
Re: Wisconsin Badgers 2014-2015

I think the 51-12 shots on goal tells the story of this game through two periods a lot better than the 5-2 score does. Kirchiver gets almost no help from her defense once the puck is in her zone. And I have zero idea how the referee awarded a penalty shot on a play where the defender coming back clearly had the angle (enough so that she could throw a body check.)
 
Re: Wisconsin Badgers 2014-2015

I don't have the shot chart yet, but absolutely agree. There were 44 shots attempted by the Badgers in the first period and just 5 of them were blocked. Kirchiver just isn't getting the help she needs. She's not doing herself a ton of favors by giving up the juicy rebounds she is, but if her her D were a little stronger in front of her, the Badgers wouldn't have such great position on those pucks. (Edit: They had 5 more blocks in the 2nd period on 30 shots attempted)

On the other end, the Badgers have looked awful on D. We talked all along that the D would have the least depth, but they've also seemed to have the slowest/deepest learning curve. They're just not gelling the way the front lines have. They have to pick it up - the two goals tonight were handed to MSU, so imagine what it'll be like against tougher teams.
 
Last edited:
Re: Wisconsin Badgers 2014-2015

There was a very nice student section, at least to start the game. Looks like about half of them left after the first period though.

It was interesting - apart from a few of the most passionate die-hards I see at men's games, I saw a bunch of hockey fans who brought their friends and almost, but not quite, wanted to bring some energy (motioning along with cheers, etc.). I expected, at most, a full section's worth of students. They actually let students know about it this time, but I wasn't expecting that many. It was nice to see a few guys whom I've never seen at women's games before get into it.

Edit: Oh yeah...the Badger Band would've been super nice to have.
 
Last edited:
Re: Wisconsin Badgers 2014-2015

Minnesota State getting 2 goals was odd.

Wisconsin was just...better. Holy macaroni. The game spoke for itself.
 
Re: Wisconsin Badgers 2014-2015

I think the 51-12 shots on goal tells the story of this game through two periods a lot better than the 5-2 score does. Kirchiver gets almost no help from her defense once the puck is in her zone. And I have zero idea how the referee awarded a penalty shot on a play where the defender coming back clearly had the angle (enough so that she could throw a body check.)

Question 1: How did you see the game?

Final shots were 67-14. UW had 20 in the first 10 minutes. We REALLY wanted them to hit 70 shots. That was a little disappointing. :)

Penalty shot....I agree that was a weak, weak call. I also thought the fans did a terrible job during the shot. We stood up cheered, but most everyone else say there and just observed. If ever there was a need for the video display to say "get loud", that was it. It wasn't like Ammerman had a 10 ft put to win the US open.

Mankato goals....UW had terrible end of transition coverage on both. That was very disappointing as well. On the first goal Rolfes did a D2D pass, but the D she passed to was totally covered, which lead to a partial break, which lead to the goal, a rebound srummy goal. I did not see entirely what happened to lead to the 2nd goal, but it was also an in tight rebound in a bit of a scrum like the first. That stuff cannot happen in any game.

Students....What an awesome turnout, and now I read the reason for it. 95% of them left after 2 periods. Other than fill seats they really had no impact on the cheering volume of the game.

Anyone have an opinion of the embellishment call against UW? I did not see it clear enough but was shocked to hear it called with a body check call on the Kato player. That had to have been clearly a soccer or NBA flop to get called.

I give Mankato a lot of credit, the game did not get chippy as it wore on. They controlled their frustration/overmatchedness with a lot of poise.

I'm immensly p/o'ed I cannot get to the stupid 3pm game today. I'll take my ticket to work today, maybe I'll get a reason to go to Madison this aft and schedule it around the game time to at least see some of it, but this senario is not likely.
 
Re: Wisconsin Badgers 2014-2015

Question 1: How did you see the game?
BTN Plus. I purchased a month of the whole conference when the Gophers were in Madison, and my month is not quite up yet.

Mankato goals...I did not see entirely what happened to lead to the 2nd goal, but it was also an in tight rebound in a bit of a scrum like the first. That stuff cannot happen in any game.
The second MSU goal was actually a nice play on the Mavericks' part. The D carried wide and hit Schammel coming down the slot with a pass, and she finished as goal scorers do. I suppose UW's back pressure could have been better, but it is likely tough for the Badgers to play their absolute best defense when they are dominating to that extent and have the puck seemingly 90 percent of the time. Anyway, I thought it was more good offense than bad defense. Compare it to the "defense" that MSU was playing around its net. Would you rather "that stuff" was happening to the Cardinal and White?
 
Re: Wisconsin Badgers 2014-2015

Penalty shot: I have always thought that if the player doesn't score the goal, then the 'offended' team should get a conventional power play. Otherwise there was no real 'penalty' for the offense; all that has been done is you were given back the 'breakaway shot' you had in the first place (but with the goalie having time/more time to get ready). For the specifics last night, when the ref blew the whistle I thought 'penalty shot', but would not have been surprised either way. And the Badgers were still shorthanded for a full minute, so (related to the first sentence) I'd just as soon have gotten the conventional two-minute penalty.

Crowd: I don't know if it was because it was a Thursday night or what, but there were what seemed to me to be a larger number of 'former' Badgers in the crowd - including Dekker and Rigsby - as well as other sports' big-names: three rows in front of me were Frank Kaminsky sitting with (girlfriend?) UW volleyball's Deme Morales, and Taylor Morey. That's a whole bunch of 'Final Four' that is not usually at UW women's hockey. (They left after the second period, too.)

Embellishment: I thought she got knocked on her butt by a cross-check, and when your feet go out from under you, you fall hard. Couldn't understand why they had whistled a stop to play when the Badgers had the puck, and was quite surprised by the embellishment call. I didn't think it was 'embellished' at all.
 
Re: Wisconsin Badgers 2014-2015

BTN Plus. I purchased a month of the whole conference when the Gophers were in Madison, and my month is not quite up yet.

The second MSU goal was actually a nice play on the Mavericks' part. The D carried wide and hit Schammel coming down the slot with a pass, and she finished as goal scorers do. I suppose UW's back pressure could have been better, but it is likely tough for the Badgers to play their absolute best defense when they are dominating to that extent and have the puck seemingly 90 percent of the time. Anyway, I thought it was more good offense than bad defense. Compare it to the "defense" that MSU was playing around its net. Would you rather "that stuff" was happening to the Cardinal and White?

Thanks for the info on the 2nd goal. I was distracted by one of my kids and just as I looked down there bam it was it. Mankato D = giant traffic cones, not a good plan for any team, though I don't mind when it's employed against UW by any team.

What about the embellishment call?
 
Re: Wisconsin Badgers 2014-2015

Penalty shot: I have always thought that if the player doesn't score the goal, then the 'offended' team should get a conventional power play. Otherwise there was no real 'penalty' for the offense; all that has been done is you were given back the 'breakaway shot' you had in the first place (but with the goalie having time/more time to get ready). For the specifics last night, when the ref blew the whistle I thought 'penalty shot', but would not have been surprised either way. And the Badgers were still shorthanded for a full minute, so (related to the first sentence) I'd just as soon have gotten the conventional two-minute penalty.

Embellishment: I thought she got knocked on her butt by a cross-check, and when your feet go out from under you, you fall hard. Couldn't understand why they had whistled a stop to play when the Badgers had the puck, and was quite surprised by the embellishment call. I didn't think it was 'embellished' at all.

That's a great idea on the penalty shot instance. Funny thing was they stuck her in the box before the ref crossed his arms to make the call. UW's pp wasn't so good last night anyway.

I think it would be hard to embellish a body check as was the call.....it's not like a Robbie Earl dive, but I did not see it, so I can't really dig the refs for it, though it's unlikely that would be the case.
 
Re: Wisconsin Badgers 2014-2015

Thanks for the info on the 2nd goal.
I rewatched the embellishment call, and while I did, I looked at the MSU second goal again. A Mavericks player drove the net on the play, and it look like both Josephs and Zgraja picked her up, leaving the trailer unaccounted for, so that was the problem from a UW perspective.

What about the embellishment call?
I'd have let both calls go. Zgraja looked like she was going to advance the puck to her right, and at the last second decided that wasn't a good option and tried to pivot back behind the net and ran right into the forechecker. There wasn't much contact, and it wasn't like the MSU player initiated it, but maybe Zgraja was off balance and went down easier. If it was a dive, then it wasn't a very good one. If they called every bit of contact like that, then the penalty boxes would be full all night. The play where I thought the Badgers got away with one was on the hooking call on Fiegert a couple minutes into the second. There was a little bit of a hook, but then Ammerman took the kid's stick and held it in her armpit to make it look flagrant, and the crowd hollered. If a UW player is likely to flop this year, my money is on #10 every time.
 
Re: Wisconsin Badgers 2014-2015

Penalty shot: I have always thought that if the player doesn't score the goal, then the 'offended' team should get a conventional power play. Otherwise there was no real 'penalty' for the offense; all that has been done is you were given back the 'breakaway shot' you had in the first place (but with the goalie having time/more time to get ready). For the specifics last night, when the ref blew the whistle I thought 'penalty shot', but would not have been surprised either way. And the Badgers were still shorthanded for a full minute, so (related to the first sentence) I'd just as soon have gotten the conventional two-minute penalty.

I'm not sure how I feel about getting the power play after the missed penalty shot. Part of me agrees with it, but part of me doesn't. I think I slightly lean towards giving the power play, but only slightly. The shooter gains more of an advantage than the goalie does as a result of the extra time in a penalty shot. When the puck is at the far end of the ice, the goalie is getting ready. The difference isn't as much for the goalie as it is for the shooter, who, without backcheckers, can do more to mess with a goalie's timing and go as wide as she chooses.

Crowd: I don't know if it was because it was a Thursday night or what, but there were what seemed to me to be a larger number of 'former' Badgers in the crowd - including Dekker and Rigsby - as well as other sports' big-names: three rows in front of me were Frank Kaminsky sitting with (girlfriend?) UW volleyball's Deme Morales, and Taylor Morey. That's a whole bunch of 'Final Four' that is not usually at UW women's hockey. (They left after the second period, too.)
I saw a few volleyball players at a handful of games last year (and this year), and they would stay through the whole thing. Same with the less frequent, but occasional football players (the ones I recognize, anyway), and some basketball players (definitely saw Nigel Hayes at a game earlier this year). Kaminsky and some other basketball players are regulars at volleyball matches. Ugh...now I feel like TMZ. :D
 
Re: Wisconsin Badgers 2014-2015

It was interesting - apart from a few of the most passionate die-hards I see at men's games, I saw a bunch of hockey fans who brought their friends and almost, but not quite, wanted to bring some energy (motioning along with cheers, etc.). I expected, at most, a full section's worth of students. They actually let students know about it this time, but I wasn't expecting that many. It was nice to see a few guys whom I've never seen at women's games before get into it.

Edit: Oh yeah...the Badger Band would've been super nice to have.

It was kind of a strange energy level. While I knew it was student night, I think the UW has done that before without that kind of turnout. I was pleasantly surprised that the stands in the one end zone was essentially full with students. It's the most students I have seen at a women's hockey game that wasn't a Fill the Bowl game.

With that said, 80-90% of the noise/energy was coming from the small die-hard crew that is normally there. If I was a student going to a women's game for the first time, I would have a couple of questions. 1) Why aren't we sitting on the end near the opposing goalie for the 1st and 3rd periods? 2) Where the h-ll is the band?

Badgers completely dominated the first period and all the action was away from the student section. Then before the 2nd period started there was about a 10-15 delay due to an equipment failure with one of the nets. Kind of killed the momentum of the players skating back on the ice to start the period.

My issues with the band (or lack thereof) goes way back so I won't spend much time on it. With that said, the overall environment of the game (especially when trying to convince students to come back) would have been greatly enhanced with the band there. It's not even debatable.
 
Re: Wisconsin Badgers 2014-2015

If they were the infamous Wisconsin "SIEVE! chant" might actually be somewhat effective. ;)

If the students and band where right there heckling her right out of the gate, it would have made Kirchiver's night even more miserable than it already was. As already stated in this thread, she wasn't done any favors by her defense. At this level, players shouldn't be able to walk in untouched and rip wrist shots at point blank distance.
 
Re: Wisconsin Badgers 2014-2015

If the students and band where right there heckling her right out of the gate, it would have made Kirchiver's night even more miserable than it already was. As already stated in this thread, she wasn't done any favors by her defense. At this level, players shouldn't be able to walk in untouched and rip wrist shots at point blank distance.
I don't think Wisconsin students sitting in the stands could even begin to make an impact on her night compared to the problems caused by students from Minnesota State wearing skates. Kirchiver didn't have time to worry about what fans were saying.
 
Re: Wisconsin Badgers 2014-2015

Why aren't we sitting on the end near the opposing goalie for the 1st and 3rd periods?

Because there aren't any seats there?

Yes, of course, there are seats to one side or the other. But if the idea is to be immediately behind the goalie - to really be 'on the end' - there is no seating.

There were clearly many there who had not been there before, and the energy was odd; the question is 'will they come back?' I sure hope so.
 
Re: Wisconsin Badgers 2014-2015

Because there aren't any seats there?

Yes, of course, there are seats to one side or the other. But if the idea is to be immediately behind the goalie - to really be 'on the end' - there is no seating.

There were clearly many there who had not been there before, and the energy was odd; the question is 'will they come back?' I sure hope so.

I still think it would be better to have them near the opposing goalie even if it's on both sides and not directly behind the goal.

If it gets even a few to come back, it'll be a success. Again, it's up to the UW to make the environment similar to the other high profile women's sports on campus like basketball and volleyball. They are not there yet...
 
Re: Wisconsin Badgers 2014-2015

If they were the infamous Wisconsin "SIEVE! chant" might actually be somewhat effective. ;)

Oh, it's effective. It's power is unquestionable, unlike spelling the name of the school you support after your team scores. L-A-M-E.

Getting the drill bit stuck in the ice for 15 minutes was comical. I was hoping for some creative taunting from the students, but alas, there was none. I tried to get a "get hot water" clap clap clap clap clap going, but they played music the whole time. That did kill the momentum for the non hard core crowd. UW dominating like they did is all you can ask for when trying to get new people exposed and interested in a new sport. Hopefully some come back.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top