Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

[Timothy A]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

Certainly possible... The breakaway goal where she shoots it between her legs is pretty sweet. It also got me to thinking I hope we, as Gopher fans, get to see GZ on a breakaway shooting a slapshot.

Not likely simply because the WCHA teams play too good of transition D to allow many breakaways. Isn't a higher percentage play a deek or snipe due to the increased accuracy of the shot?

[bluffrinkrat]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

Yes, according to KRACH there are 71 high school girls teams that have a tougher strength of schedule than Red Wing. On the other hand Heise does not have much of a supporting cast as some of the other top players that came out of her school...the team isn't as good as it used to be so she's having to do it more on her own. And the fact that she's been selected twice by USA Hockey to be on the U18 team is laudable...

I've always been a little skeptical of the gaudy numbers of future Gopher players that come from schools with a weak strength of schedule. But then I think of Johnny Pohl, a Red Wing grad that by the time he was a senior was the best forward in the country and probably a tossup for the Hobey Baker with Jordan Leopold. I guess you never really know until they get here and then it may take awhile (Pohl 7 goals and 17 points as a freshman, 27 and 79 as a senior).

[FiveHoleFrenzy]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

Not likely simply because the WCHA teams play too good of transition D to allow many breakaways. Isn't a higher percentage play a deek or snipe due to the increased accuracy of the shot?

Deke is an option, sure, but you've seen how few score in shootouts doing this, right?

For your consideration...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvPLhYQYxK0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpdG691OZ-w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Av230Yl-VgU

[pokechecker]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

^ a gopher goalie thanks you for not posting Stephanie Anderson's goal in the last Whitecaps game

[D2D]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

North Dakota Series preview

http://www.gophersports.com/sports/w...ign=wknd020917

[ManBehindTheCurtain]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

I believe we should have been warned by commentary on this board. Instead the lamb-like Gophers went to slaughter before the goons of UND.

WAIT. Stop the presses. The story didn't actually turn out that way.

There was a coincidental minor for a goal mouth scrum which involved the Hawk player we have been warned about and THE GOPHER'S BEST PLAYER. Other than that the lambs out-penaltied the goons by 3-1.

Another good narrative gone to waste because reality failed to follow the script.

I though it was a pretty good hockey game. And I thought the Gophers were clearly better. Gophers win the portion of the hockey game played with a goalie present in each net by a score of 2-1. Gophers win the portion of the hockey game played with no goalie in the Hawk net by 2-1. Cumulative 4-2.

With all due respect to the announced three stars of the game I was most impressed by Lee Stecklein, Kelly Pannek and Lindsay Agnew. Lee Stecklein's work is never done, Kelly Pannek is routinely the best player on the ice every time she is on the ice and Lindsay Agnew isn't playing like a freshman any more, she seems like she now gets it. She is more assertive since moving to center and you can see her confidence growing.

Nice win for the Gophers. And a pretty good crowd.

[Eeyore]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

That was the best game the Gophers have played in a while. They had a 2-3 shift stretch in each period where things broke down badly, but overall, they weren't as sloppy as they have been. The passing was better, though receiving the pass was sometimes an issue. Playing like that, they have a chance to stay in the top four.

The first goal Peters allowed was ugly, but she also made some great saves on the occasions that the team in front of her broke down. Put together the entire list of shots she faced tonight, and allowing two goals wasn't a bad performance, even if one of the goals was. And, frankly, she's only the second most nerve-wracking Sydney on the roster.

UND's second goal was a horrible breakdown by a penalty kill that had looked tremendous recently. Of course, a three second sample size isn't much to draw conclusions from, but allowing two opponents to stand around in front of the net by themselves was bad.

Kelly Pannek's empty net goal was a thing of beauty. From her knees, facing the other way, 150 feet away, on her backhand, nothing but net. I knew that puck was going in before it reached the red line. Turned out that it mattered a lot, too.

[ARM]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

Another good narrative gone to waste because reality failed to follow the script.

Mostly I agree. UND is a very physical team, and Hirschy and Krzyzaniak were paired against the Pannek line most of the night, and they hit people every chance they got, particularly Potomak. The one play I objected to was the slew foot on Baldwin. Maybe it was intentional, maybe it wasn't, but that's the kind of play that could easily result in a concussion and the end of a career. The WCHA's finest likely doesn't realize there is such a penalty on the books, so it goes uncalled. Surprise.

[Eeyore]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

Mostly I agree. UND is a very physical team, and Hirschy and Krzyzaniak were paired against the Pannek line most of the night, and they hit people every chance they got, particularly Potomak. The one play I objected to was the slew foot on Baldwin. Maybe it was intentional, maybe it wasn't, but that's the kind of play that could easily result in a concussion and the end of a career. The WCHA's finest likely doesn't realize there is such a penalty on the books, so it goes uncalled. Surprise.

Greg Shepard was in the house, so they didn't want to be marked down by calling penalties.

[D2D]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

With all due respect to the announced three stars of the game I was most impressed by Lee Stecklein, Kelly Pannek and Lindsay Agnew.

I thought Stecklein had one of her best games of the year, which is saying something. She definitely deserved a star of the game, but it seems that if a player doesn't score a goal the odds of being named are pretty slim.

[pokechecker]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

Kelly Pannek's empty net goal was a thing of beauty. From her knees, facing the other way, 150 feet away, on her backhand, nothing but net.

it only missed dead nuts center by about an inch or two

what she said: "I was just trying to clear the zone (on my empty net goal). It was just weird."

great hockey players know where the net is, simple as that

[FiveHoleFrenzy]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

A good sign for the Gophers as they are getting secondary scoring...

[Eeyore]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

The bad sign is that the sloppy play is back. They don't deserve a two goal lead after that period.

I'm not giving the goals back, though.

[ne7minder]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

The bad sign is that the sloppy play is back. They don't deserve a two goal lead after that period.

I'm not giving the goals back, though.

Meh, I don't think they played as badly as you do. Then they owned the second period and played well enough into the third that it was didn't matter they gave up a couple PPGs.

[D2D]

Re: Minnesota Women's Hockey 2016-2017 (aka Season 20)

A couple of nice crowds at Ridder this weekend, totaling 5,191.

I hope Gopher fans fill the place next weekend for the final regular season series. Having Wisconsin as the opponent should help the cause! With a full house behind them, it would a great time for the host team to play their best hockey of the season.