Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

[FiveHoleFrenzy]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

I guess you all weren't sandbagging after all.

This team showed it's flaws in game one and they have been there, in varying degrees, all season long.

[Still Eeyore]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

Minnesota didn't lose on Friday because they got tired. They played an outstanding first period, forcing Wisconsin into mistakes and opportunistically capitalizing on them; some uncharacteristic sloppiness by the Badgers helped. Then, they left that quality play in the dressing room for the second and third periods. Wisconsin picked up their game, and Minnesota wilted. The tying goal right at the start of the third period was emblematic. Killing a penalty, Taylor Wente got the puck along the half-boards, and, rather than trying to clear the puck, sent it back behind the net. The Gophers never got the puck back, and never got organized, and gave up the goal.

I thought they played very well on Saturday. Wisconsin played a little bit better, and were the team that got a fluky bounce in front of the net to score the only goal of the game. Overall, the Gophers played much tighter, and controlled the play for parts of every period. They just couldn't score.

To me, the mystifying thing about this team isn't the bad passes, though there are plenty of them; it looks like they are prone to panic and either start that endless back-and-forth behind the net that allows a good forecheck like Wisconsin's to completely bottle them up, or they throw the puck down the ice, resulting in icing 80% of the time. But that's explicable. What really strikes me is that they are so poor at receiving passes. The puck bounces off a stick, or gets tangled up in someone's skates far more often than I'm used to seeing. That's something that will need to be fixed.

[Timothy A]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

Minnesota didn't lose on Friday because they got tired. They played an outstanding first period, forcing Wisconsin into mistakes and opportunistically capitalizing on them; some uncharacteristic sloppiness by the Badgers helped. Then, they left that quality play in the dressing room for the second and third periods. Wisconsin picked up their game, and Minnesota wilted. The tying goal right at the start of the third period was emblematic. Killing a penalty, Taylor Wente got the puck along the half-boards, and, rather than trying to clear the puck, sent it back behind the net. The Gophers never got the puck back, and never got organized, and gave up the goal.

I thought they played very well on Saturday. Wisconsin played a little bit better, and were the team that got a fluky bounce in front of the net to score the only goal of the game. Overall, the Gophers played much tighter, and controlled the play for parts of every period. They just couldn't score.

To me, the mystifying thing about this team isn't the bad passes, though there are plenty of them; it looks like they are prone to panic and either start that endless back-and-forth behind the net that allows a good forecheck like Wisconsin's to completely bottle them up, or they throw the puck down the ice, resulting in icing 80% of the time. But that's explicable. What really strikes me is that they are so poor at receiving passes. The puck bounces off a stick, or gets tangled up in someone's skates far more often than I'm used to seeing. That's something that will need to be fixed.

It's really amazing how puck possession just feeds itself with these 2 teams and once one team got on a roll with it, it was hard for the other to just get possession back with consecutive passes to get out of their D zone and into the O zone.

It's also amazing how poorly/loosely both teams played Friday and how tight both played on Saturday. I was like seeing completely different teams both nights. What is more shocking is that at this point of the season the loose play should have been systematically eliminated by now. Of course UW has some injury issues @ F which can contribute to loose play.

I didn't realize Zumwinkle was your leading scorer, yikes! Of course you will get reloaded from both ends next year so this year is a one year hiatus from dominance, and you never know what might happen yet this year, hang in there. Is Zum a one trick pony with the wicked slappah which I unfortunately saw in person?

[D2D]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

What really strikes me is that they are so poor at receiving passes. The puck bounces off a stick, or gets tangled up in someone's skates far more often than I'm used to seeing. That's something that will need to be fixed.

Quite often the problem is due to the quality of how the puck is passed, making it difficult for the receiver to catch it cleanly. Instead of gliding smoothly on the ice you'll sometimes see a little roll of the puck, which can cause it to hop up and over the receiver's stick. The problem is compounded if the pass is not on target, barely within the receiver's reach, or when she is skating away from the player passing it. Watching the first game of the series I found myself asking to what degree the percentage of "completed passes" differed between the two teams. After the first period, Wisconsin did a far better job of passing and catching the puck than the Gophers, most notably when they were skating up ice with numbers.

I did not see Game 2. Hopefully the Gophers passed a lot better and maintained possession much longer than in Periods 2 and 3 of Game 1.

[D2D]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

I didn't realize Zumwinkle was your leading scorer, yikes! Of course you will get reloaded from both ends next year so this year is a one year hiatus from dominance...

With the return of Kelly Pannek and Sarah Potomak, plus a very talented incoming class, I see Zumwinkle making major strides in her scoring and overall play next season. That would be some first line if the coaches decide to put them together.

[bluffrinkrat]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

Is Zum a one trick pony with the wicked slappah which I unfortunately saw in person?

No, she provides much more than that to the team. But, she does indeed have a wicked slapshot. The hardest I've seen at Ridder since Lyndsay Wall was letting them go in '04 and '05.

[bluffrinkrat]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

With the return of Kelly Pannek and Sarah Potomak, plus a very talented incoming class, I see Zumwinkle making major strides in her scoring and overall play next season. That would be some first line if the coaches decide to put them together.

The one thing I would wonder about is the speed of that line if they are put together. Everything else they would have in aces. Zumwinkle at times has shown surprising speed with the puck. I too see her making making "major strides" next season. The other two are already there but certainly could even get better. Watch out if they do Badger fans.

[2Bladedskates]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

No, she provides much more than that to the team. But, she does indeed have a wicked slapshot. The hardest I've seen at Ridder since Lyndsay Wall was letting them go in '04 and '05.

Looking ahead to next year's roster........where is everyone going to play? With Potomaks and Pannek back next year you have three forwards that will step in and make an awesome first line. Then you add Schammel, Williamson, Zumwinkle, Wente and Skarzynski you have eight stud forwards. Then you bring in Heise? Geez!!!! There will be a lot of nice forwards that will not see the ice. St. Cloud, Mankato and Bemidji are drooling over some of the "benchwarmers".

[bluffrinkrat]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

Looking ahead to next year's roster........where is everyone going to play? With Potomaks and Pannek back next year you have three forwards that will step in and make an awesome first line. Then you add Schammel, Williamson, Zumwinkle, Wente and Skarzynski you have eight stud forwards. Then you bring in Heise? Geez!!!! There will be a lot of nice forwards that will not see the ice. St. Cloud, Mankato and Bemidji are drooling over some of the "benchwarmers".

Maybe Skarzynski back to defense, but I'm not sure that's a good idea. Defense and goal will be the main concerns I would think.

[drewkal]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

Looking ahead to next year's roster........where is everyone going to play? With Potomaks and Pannek back next year you have three forwards that will step in and make an awesome first line. Then you add Schammel, Williamson, Zumwinkle, Wente and Skarzynski you have eight stud forwards. Then you bring in Heise? Geez!!!! There will be a lot of nice forwards that will not see the ice. St. Cloud, Mankato and Bemidji are drooling over some of the "benchwarmers".

And Woken isn't a stud forward? I agree we have an abundance of quality forwards, a problem most teams would wish for....now what to do with all of them? If only we could do trades!

[bluffrinkrat]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

I agree we have an abundance of quality forwards, a problem most teams would wish for....now what to do with all of them? If only we could do trades!

I wonder what we would have to give up to get Rooney from UMD? Oh, never mind. She'd either have a no-trade clause or be on the team's list of untouchables like Sidney Crosby is with Pittsburgh and Wayne Gretzky was with Edmonton. Oh, wait a minute, maybe there is hope and it probably wouldn't cost anywhere near the $15 million that LA paid to Edmonton to get Gretzky.

[ARM]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

I wonder what we would have to give up to get Rooney from UMD?

Rooney was much better as a sophomore than she was as a freshman when she had to split playing time with a senior. I'm not ready to give up on our own roster.

[Puckdrop14]

Rooney was much better as a sophomore than she was as a freshman when she had to split playing time with a senior. I'm not ready to give up on our own roster.

Gophers roster is just fine and is undervalued. As for goaltending, I would expect big things from Gulstene if she earns the starting role. Like Rooney, she was highly touted and that kind of skill doesn’t disappear. Rooney is a good goalie and will get better. That’s the down side!

[ARM]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

Rooney is a good goalie and will get better. That’s the down side!

And I'm not sure that it's all that much of a downside. I think a very strong WCHA helps teams like Wisconsin and Minnesota more than it hurts them. Yes, they'll lose games, but they'll also be forced to improve.

[Puckdrop14]

And I'm not sure that it's all that much of a downside. I think a very strong WCHA helps teams like Wisconsin and Minnesota more than it hurts them. Yes, they'll lose games, but they'll also be forced to improve.

Gophers dominate shot clock in the 1st but St. Cloud had better chances. Couple of big saves by Peters to keep it scoreless.