WCHA 2016-17 Season

[Eeyore]

Re: WCHA 2016-17 Season

Last night I watched the online stream of UND playing Minnesota in the first round of the NCAA women's volleyball tourney and I saw a UND fan wearing a Fighting Hawks T-shirt. Until then, I wasn't aware that such a thing existed.

When the NCAA banned the name, they ruled that UND couldn't continue to make the old jerseys, but could sell any that they already had. UND then didn't do itself any favors with the NCAA by making a huge final production run right before the deadline, that I believe they are still selling.

[beaverhockeyfan]

Must be a volleyball thing. At the men's recent games half of Mariucci seemed to be filled with Sioux jerseys. My wife and I spent the time between periods seeing if we could spot anything with a Fighting Hawk on it among the fans. We never did. I mentioned this to my son-in-law a couple of days later and he said maybe it was because the Hawk name is so new. I told him I don't think so.

Knowing a few UND fans, it is more of a hockey thing. The hockey teams and their fans haven't really embraced the new Fighting Hawks name. But their other sports have embraced the new name and the apparel at the sporting events reflect this.

[pgb-ohio]

Re: WCHA 2016-17 Season

Final Score From Saturday, December 3rd
Ohio State 2
North Dakota 1

3rd Line Shines

Finding the Big Dipper in the night time sky usually isn't that difficult. But sometimes you have to look a little further. Sometimes the "Little Dippers" are the difference-makers.

The truth is, the whole sky was required to beat North Dakota last night. Consider: For much of the contest, the 2nd Line of Lauren Spring, Breanne Grant and Katie Matheny was charged with the responsibility of shutting down UND's top guns. They did. And yes, there's that little matter of Kassidy Sauvé's 43 Saves. But the most compelling story line of the evening was the breakthrough performance of the 3rd Line. On a night when goals seemed to be light years away, they provided the scoring.

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

Honorable Mention: Both Squads.
Another hard-working performance by both teams. Congratulations and thumbs up to all.


#3 Star: Liv Halvorson, Ohio State
Like her linemates, Liv was +2 for the game. They were the only players on the ice at that level. Halvorson found the scoring sheet on the GWG. Rotating around to the left wing boards, she fought to keep the play the alive. Liv won that puck battle and directed the puck back to Jincy Dunne at the left point. In turn, Jincy's shot created the necessary rebound.

#2 Star: Rebecca Freiburger, Ohio State
Flash back for a moment to the first goal of the game. For most of the first period, the Buckeyes faced a raging snirt storm of North Dakota attackers. A storm so thick & fierce the black road jerseys blotted out the night time sky. At one point the shot count was 11-1 for the visitors, if memory serves. But not only did the Buckeyes ride the storm out, they wound up ahead 1-0 at the first intermission.

In the last minute of the period, Rebecca got two chances at the net; she made the second one count. Halvorson skated through the slot, providing a screen. Samantha Bouley disrupted a would-be clearing pass, granting Freiburger that vital second chance. Sometimes one star isn't enough. On some goals you need the whole constellation.

#1 Star: Samantha Bouley, Ohio State
Return to the GWG, and Jincy's challenging shot. A fat rebound was created. Samantha was the first to react and the first to arrive. She slammed it home.

The Bouley goal was incredibly timely, coming less than 3 minutes after North Dakota had tied the score. It blunted the momentum shift, and once again gave Ohio State a leg up. A long 36 minutes of hockey remained at that point, but the Buckeyes made the 2-1 lead stand.


Up Next: The Homestand continues with a series against Wisconsin.

[pgb-ohio]

Re: WCHA 2016-17 Season

Final Score From Friday, December 9th
Wisconsin 7
Ohio State 0

Truth In Advertising

Years ago, Wendy's famously asked "Where's The Beef?" It was a fair question; Wendy's burgers really are a little better than their direct competition. Sometimes ads can be truthful to a fault. A recent spot for GMC Vehicles is set to the music of The Who's Eminence Front. Translation: Quality Vehicles? It's a Put On! I'm not sure how the marketing guys snuck that one by upper management, but bravo for truthfulness.

Now, what of Wisconsin's claim to be the #1 Team in the Nation? Another solid example of the plain and simple truth. The Badgers are a complete team. Dominating puck possession offense. Stifling back-checking defense. World class goalkeeping. We saw all of that Friday night.

The players on my Stars list all posted a jaw dropping +5 for the game. Of course +/- Stats don't apply to goalies, but I suppose one could say the Badger Goalie was a +7. So the Badgers swept the Friday Stars. At least for this game, when say Wisconsin, you've said it all.

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

Honorable Mention: Ann-Renee Desbiens, Wisconsin
This wasn't Ann-Renee's toughest shutout by any means. But hey: She was perfect. Oddly, her most difficult stop came on a freakish carom. A pass from behind the Wisconsin net hit traffic, and came directly on goal with considerable pace. Not only did Desbiens make the save, she allowed no rebound. She's amazingly quick, yet has a calmness that borders on serenity.


#3 Star: (tie)Melissa Channell, Wisconsin; and Jenny Ryan , Wisconsin
Jenny opened the scoring with a shot from the top of the circle. Melissa had an assist on the goal that really broke the game the open -- and prompted the Buckeye timeout. But the larger contribution from this D-Pair was their smothering defense. When on the ice, they simply controlled the game.

#2 Star: Annie Pankowski, Wisconsin
Dynamic player, and that's an understatement. Even when she doesn't touch the puck, her mere presence on the ice creates a constant danger that must be accounted for. Annie earned every bit of that +5.

When she does touch the puck, things get even better. The 3rd Goal was a Pankowski tap-in; the 6th Goal was a huge one-time blast from up high. Annie can beat you so many different ways.

#1 Star: Emily Clark, Wisconsin
The ultimate spark plug. Not only was she +5, she had a five point night, featuring 4 assists. Those assists displayed a remarkable diversity of skills. A crisp cross-ice pass. A challenging SOG creating a dangerous rebound. Good transition play in the neutral zone. Snatching a puck out of a scrum along the boards, then feeding that huge Pankowski blast. And just for the heck of it, she saved one goal for herself.

Confidential to Badger Fans: There was a hand on the ice Friday night. You would have enjoyed the moment.

Up Next: Rematch With Wisconsin. Face-off at 3:07PM Eastern Time.

[pgb-ohio]

Re: WCHA 2016-17 Season

Final Score From Saturday, December 10th
Wisconsin 5
Ohio State 0

Badger Grinches Spoil Christmas

Now there's one story line I can't pull off. Wisconsin has an admirable, likeable team. Not Grinch-like at all. Congratulations to Wisconsin for the tour-de-force performance.

That said, the 12 Goals of Christmas was a stressful way for the Buckeyes to finish the semester. After playing everyone tough week in and week out -- including the Badgers in Madison -- it just didn't happen this weekend. Coming on the heals of a very successful series against North Dakota, that's difficult to accept. It could be said that the holiday break came one week too late. But as Patrick Kane would say: That's Hockey, Baby!

We do have the 12 Days of Christmas to recover and regroup. Then, January will be here soon enough. And with it comes the opportunity to get back on track against Penn State.

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

Honorable Mention: Kaylee Remington, Ohio State
Hey Kaylee! You're starting against the #1 Team in the Nation! And by the way, they're red hot right at the moment.

Now there's a stocking stuffer for you. But Remington actually did quite well, posting 40 saves. The Buckeye Defense got off to strong start, rallying in front of their back-up keeper. On a weekend with few bright spots, the scoreless first period was a moral victory of sorts -- and certainly something for Kaylee to be proud of.


#3 Star: Jincy Dunne, Ohio State
Remarkably, Jincy wasn't on the ice for any of the Badger goals. That's despite getting a ton of ice time against the best of the best. It's just plain tough to score against a player who anticipates and reacts so well. And even against the stiffest of forechecks, Jincy has creative answers. Kudos for both a strong game and strong first semester.


#2 Star: (tie) The Full Badger Roster, Wisconsin
This choice is a bit of cop-out, but what to do? 5 different Badgers scored. Forwards scored; 'D' scored. Familiar stars bagged scoring points, so did depth players. Just a total team effort that needs to be recognized as such.


#1 Star: Baylee Wellhausen, Wisconsin
The previous comment notwithstanding, I did find the Star on top of the Christmas Tree. First, Baylee's crisp pass created the opportunity for Alexis Maurermann's goal, which opened the scoring.

Then came two Badger goals in twenty seconds. Just like Friday, the bang-bang double tally broke the game open. As Stevie Nicks would say, it was Hauntingly Familiar. More Halloween than Christmas, but so be it. Regardless, it was Wellhausen that slammed in the back-breaking goal. So Baylee was at the heart of both key moments. She certainly earned her place at the pinnacle of the well-decorated tree.

Confidential to Badger Fans, Again: There were hands all over the ice Saturday Afternoon. You'd have loved every minute of it.

Up Next: A Much Needed Holiday Break. Merry Christmas To All!

[D2D]

Re: WCHA 2016-17 Season

We're at the mid-point in conference play, as all eight teams have played 16 league games.

1. Wisconsin.......41
2. Minnesota.......40
3. MN-Duluth......33
4. North Dakota.. 27
________________

5. Ohio State......14
6. St Cloud.........14
7. Bemidji State..13
8. MN State........10

What struck me as being surprising is the distinct contrast in points between the top four and the bottom four teams, with No. 4 UND having accumulated almost twice as many points (27) as the two teams tied for 5th, OSU and SCSU, which each have only 14. I say "surprising" because I would have thought at the halfway point we would be seeing more parity, especially in the middle of the standings, say from 3rd to 6th. Instead, we're seeing the sharp decline after No. 4.

Although the 2nd half of the season may hold some surprises, I think at this stage most would bet against any of the bottom four winning enough games to gain home ice in the playoffs. So it would appear that the teams in either half will be fighting for their respective playoff positions...staying out of the cellar will become paramount in order to avoid a date in Madison with powerhouse Wisconsin.

I'd be interesting in hearing other thoughts on the season to date, and what we should expect when it resumes early next month.

[pokechecker]

Re: WCHA 2016-17 Season

It was my assumption they hired the commissioner they did, to increase attendance and fan interest, both at the league and school level. My assumption is so because they seemed to have gone with more of a marketing and events person than a hockey person. This was a wise decision IMO.

MSU-Mankato, the last place team, is giving up just barely over 3 goals a game, if the goal of the WCHA is to become more like the men’s league, congratulations, you have succeeded.

Officiating seems to be moving more towards the men’s game, allow lesser skilled players leeway with the rules so they can make up for their lack of skill.
The beauty of the women’s game is watching the skilled players do their thing, including a defensive player using skill to stop an offensive player. We have seen two of the best players injured, is this really what the league thinks will bring more interest and fans? If I want to see some goon beat someone up I’ll go watch the NHL or the men’s WCHA and see real fights, real checking, and real blood on the ice.

[Timothy A]

Re: WCHA 2016-17 Season

We're at the mid-point in conference play, as all eight teams have played 16 league games.

1. Wisconsin.......41
2. Minnesota.......40
3. MN-Duluth......33
4. North Dakota.. 27
________________

5. Ohio State......14
6. St Cloud.........14
7. Bemidji State..13
8. MN State........10

I did not realize the 4-5 gap was so big. The top 3 have all exchanged w's & l's & OT's so the final 4 tourney is really up in the air. The sue may get surprised in the first round, though if OSU is without Sauve, probably not, and OSU will fall from 5th w/o Sauve. If she comes back, whoever OSU plays they will be a threat.

[Timothy A]

Re: WCHA 2016-17 Season

It was my assumption they hired the commissioner they did, to increase attendance and fan interest, both at the league and school level. My assumption is so because they seemed to have gone with more of a marketing and events person than a hockey person. This was a wise decision IMO.

MSU-Mankato, the last place team, is giving up just barely over 3 goals a game, if the goal of the WCHA is to become more like the men’s league, congratulations, you have succeeded.

Officiating seems to be moving more towards the men’s game, allow lesser skilled players leeway with the rules so they can make up for their lack of skill.
The beauty of the women’s game is watching the skilled players do their thing, including a defensive player using skill to stop an offensive player. We have seen two of the best players injured, is this really what the league thinks will bring more interest and fans? If I want to see some goon beat someone up I’ll go watch the NHL or the men’s WCHA and see real fights, real checking, and real blood on the ice.

I will say interference should be called more often and the cheap crap should always be called. No one really wants to see the star players sidelined by a frustrated cheap shot. The coaches of these players should also be held accountable too.

[brokentwig]

Re: WCHA 2016-17 Season

It was my assumption they hired the commissioner they did, to increase attendance and fan interest, both at the league and school level. My assumption is so because they seemed to have gone with more of a marketing and events person than a hockey person. This was a wise decision IMO.

MSU-Mankato, the last place team, is giving up just barely over 3 goals a game, if the goal of the WCHA is to become more like the men’s league, congratulations, you have succeeded.

Officiating seems to be moving more towards the men’s game, allow lesser skilled players leeway with the rules so they can make up for their lack of skill.
The beauty of the women’s game is watching the skilled players do their thing, including a defensive player using skill to stop an offensive player. We have seen two of the best players injured, is this really what the league thinks will bring more interest and fans? If I want to see some goon beat someone up I’ll go watch the NHL or the men’s WCHA and see real fights, real checking, and real blood on the ice.

Are you saying Wi is full of goons because they lead the WCHA in penalties minutes followed by the Hawks?

When you refer to the beauty of the womens game do you really mean watching the Gophers top line playing keep away from the bottom half of the league for 40 minutes a game? That is awesome. One thing I would recommend to officiating besides the interference is the embellishment penalties. I have seen a handful of Academy Award nominees.

[Puckdrop14]

Are you saying Wi is full of goons because they lead the WCHA in penalties minutes followed by the Hawks?

When you refer to the beauty of the womens game do you really mean watching the Gophers top line playing keep away from the bottom half of the league for 40 minutes a game? That is awesome. One thing I would recommend to officiating besides the interference is the embellishment penalties. I have seen a handful of Academy Award nominees.

Sometimes the beauty of the game is watching an 8-2 drubbing!

[FiveHoleFrenzy]

Re: WCHA 2016-17 Season

UND...hard to take them seriously when they have the capability to compete with anyone but are equally capable of being beat by anyone.

[D2D]

Re: WCHA 2016-17 Season

UND...hard to take them seriously when they have the capability to compete with anyone but are equally capable of being beat by anyone.

If you're a team above them in the standings, you best take them seriously, knowing they have the capability to beat you.
But if you're the underdog trying to knock them off, you have good reason to be optimistic.

[FiveHoleFrenzy]

Re: WCHA 2016-17 Season

If you're a team above them in the standings, you best take them seriously, knowing they have the capability to beat you.
But if you're the underdog trying to knock them off, you have good reason to be optimistic.

That is true...I meant It's hard to take them seriously from a ranking standpoint.

[Timothy A]

Re: WCHA 2016-17 Season

UND...hard to take them seriously when they have the capability to compete with anyone but are equally capable of being beat by anyone.

They lost to Lindenwood?! WOW.