Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

[D2D]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

Part of it is expectations. THose who were paying attention knew this was not going to be a championship season (short of a miracle) but were excited to see the kids grow and improve. Sure, there have been some rough spots and disappointing plays but we have seen the maturation and improvement and Saturday's game against a tough opponent (who is also having an uneven year what with 10 frosh on the bench). They showed a lot of heart and the sort of improvement we all hoped for.

Totally agree. My expectation for this team, based on the absence of Pannek and the Potomak sisters, was pretty low. My hope was that the freshman recruits would quickly adopt to the D1 level as they gained experience, and I think this hope, especially as of late, has largely been realized. The freshman class, led by the team's top point producer, Grace Zumwinkle, is definitely starting to assert themselves.

Although my expectations have maybe increased from "pretty low" to "more hopeful", I'm now optimistic that the team can continue to improve enough over the second half to enable them to make a good run to get to the Frozen Four - at home. That would be pretty .

[KTDC]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

Although my expectations have maybe increased from "pretty low" to "more hopeful", I'm now optimistic that the team can continue to improve enough over the second half to enable them to make a good run to get to the Frozen Four - at home. That would be pretty .

I bought my tickets. I think it's a long shot, but I am hoping!

The best part about this season is that the hypothetical award for most improved Gopher going into the break would have a lot of competition. With Emily Brown getting off to as rocky a start as she did, her growth was easy to see, but others like Skarzynski and Woken are impacting the game much more than we may have thought. I hope that the coaches don't just stick a P/P/P line out there and not try anything else, because I think that some other combinations could click very well and give the team better balance. As for the second half -- or final third, given we're 2/3 of the way through the regular season -- I hope that we don't see a lot of juggling, because it looks like Wente's line is finding something. Piazza could use more firepower with her, but she's never really centered a scoring line, so that might not be her role.

And hopefully we have even stiffer competition for most improved Gopher over the final third

Yes, Wente's line has been showing something lately! And I think Grace has taken a step the last few games. Sidney Peters has looked more comfortable lately. But I'd like to see Gulstene again also, maybe in the SCSU exhibition and one of the Vermont games.

I wonder if he's going to continue pairing Piazza with two sets of wings when they resume play?

[ne7minder]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

Totally agree. My expectation for this team, based on the absence of Pannek and the Potomak sisters, was pretty low. My hope was that the freshman recruits would quickly adopt to the D1 level as they gained experience, and I think this hope, especially as of late, has largely been realized. The freshman class, led by the team's top point producer, Grace Zumwinkle, is definitely starting to assert themselves.

Although my expectations have maybe increased from "pretty low" to "more hopeful", I'm now optimistic that the team can continue to improve enough over the second half to enable them to make a good run to get to the Frozen Four - at home. That would be pretty .

Unlike almost everyone else on the boards I will admit I know nothing of the reality of the other leagues. I don't know how many loses 2 - 4 would have to experience for MN to reach the top 4. If they finish 7 they need some luck to make the show (no upsets in league tourneys) if the finish under 4 but make the show their reward is a trip to Madison no matter what because I do not think MN can finish under 4 and OSU still makes it. That is a tough road. That trip to Columbus in January will tell us a lot. I am OK with this season, I had hoped for a top 4 finish but was not expecting it.

[upfromtheminors]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

Unlike almost everyone else on the boards I will admit I know nothing of the reality of the other leagues. I don't know how many loses 2 - 4 would have to experience for MN to reach the top 4. If they finish 7 they need some luck to make the show (no upsets in league tourneys) if the finish under 4 but make the show their reward is a trip to Madison no matter what because I do not think MN can finish under 4 and OSU still makes it. That is a tough road. That trip to Columbus in January will tell us a lot. I am OK with this season, I had hoped for a top 4 finish but was not expecting it.

I was recently accused of trolling, which is actually 100% accurate most of the time. However, this time I have a genuine question. Every Gopher fan has made it clear how low their expectations for this year are/were. Why are your expectations so low? I would love to get some real feedback. UMD graduated 75% of their scoring and lost the probable starting Olympic goalie for the year. Wisconsin lost 245 career points to centralization in Clark and Pankowski, their top recruit Sophia Shirley did not get in, along with the Patty Kaz winner and Sarah Nurse. North Dakota's program folded. BC lost almost all their scoring and 3 girls to the Olympic team, who also return next year and Clarkson graduated a ton.

No sarcasm here, what am I missing that nobody had expectations? What happened to them that the other top programs did not experience? I look forward to hearing any feedback.

[Eeyore]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

My expectations as a Gopher fan weren't as low as they should have been, but they weren't terribly high. It starts with the fact that their margin just to reach the Frozen Four last year was razor thin; Wisconsin, BC, and Clarkson had more of a buffer to play with from the start. After that, Wisconsin just didn't lose as much as Minnesota did, despite losing a lot, though that's as much to do with my not having confidence in the Gophers' current senior or junior classes even before the season started. (Actually, the junior class has been a lot better than I expected with Schammel looking more like the player she was as a freshman in Mankato and Skarzynski turning into a very nice forward. Unfortunately, that's pretty much where the junior class ends, as the rest make up the 4th line and the 4th goalie.)

I expected Minnesota to be higher ranked than they are right now, but some of that is down to Ohio State and Cornell being better than I had thought they would be.

[D2D]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

I was recently accused of trolling, which is actually 100% accurate most of the time. However, this time I have a genuine question. Every Gopher fan has made it clear how low their expectations for this year are/were. Why are your expectations so low? I would love to get some real feedback. UMD graduated 75% of their scoring and lost the probable starting Olympic goalie for the year. Wisconsin lost 245 career points to centralization in Clark and Pankowski, their top recruit Sophia Shirley did not get in, along with the Patty Kaz winner and Sarah Nurse. North Dakota's program folded. BC lost almost all their scoring and 3 girls to the Olympic team, who also return next year and Clarkson graduated a ton.

No sarcasm here, what am I missing that nobody had expectations? What happened to them that the other top programs did not experience? I look forward to hearing any feedback.

The main reason why most fans had modest expectations was they lost so much of their scoring PLUS defensive standouts Lee Stecklein and Megan Wolfe. Looking at the stats from last season, they lost 65% of their goal and 68% of their point production to either graduation or centralization. Their power play was also severely impacted as just 3 of 25 goals were scored by players still with the team this season. In addition, arguably their top recruit (Amy Potomak) was centralized with Canada and therefore is not on the team as most originally expected.

The good news now is that the team is showing improvement, having gone 10-1-1 in their last 12 games. Hopefully they can carry their momentum over the break and continue to get better throughout the 2nd half.

[ne7minder]

I was recently accused of trolling, which is actually 100% accurate most of the time. However, this time I have a genuine question. Every Gopher fan has made it clear how low their expectations for this year are/were. Why are your expectations so low? I would love to get some real feedback. UMD graduated 75% of their scoring and lost the probable starting Olympic goalie for the year. Wisconsin lost 245 career points to centralization in Clark and Pankowski, their top recruit Sophia Shirley did not get in, along with the Patty Kaz winner and Sarah Nurse. North Dakota's program folded. BC lost almost all their scoring and 3 girls to the Olympic team, who also return next year and Clarkson graduated a ton.

No sarcasm here, what am I missing that nobody had expectations? What happened to them that the other top programs did not experience? I look forward to hearing any feedback.

We had 4 championships in 6 years so down was the only way to go. In addition to losing the seniors we knew we would lose top talent to the Olympics. So expectations were learning and growth not championships. Given that OSU and UMD have become tougher competition in the last couple of years and the Badgers talent it seemed logical to me this would be a year of struggles. And that's OK.

Additionally, Frost set a standard a few years back that a successful season does not have to include a championship. A lot of fans have bought into his philosophy.

[KTDC]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

Additionally, Frost set a standard a few years back that a successful season does not have to include a championship. A lot of fans have bought into his philosophy.

"Natty champs or bust" is the express train to crazy town

I hope they win a postseason tourney though because I'd love for them to get to hang a banner!

[D2D]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

Congrats to Grace Zumwinkle on being named the WCHA Rookie of the Week!

http://www.startribune.com/minnesota...eek/463778403/

[FiveHoleFrenzy]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

"Natty champs or bust" is the express train to crazy town

This will get you there...

[ARM]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

UMD graduated 75% of their scoring and lost the probable starting Olympic goalie for the year. Wisconsin lost 245 career points to centralization in Clark and Pankowski, their top recruit Sophia Shirley did not get in, along with the Patty Kaz winner and Sarah Nurse. North Dakota's program folded.
...
What happened to them that the other top programs did not experience?

Other teams did experience it, but that doesn't make the holes less real. Looking only at the WCHA, UMD was decimated and went from a top-four program to a team that is sub .500. They would be even worse, but they got 2/3 of their top line via UND folding and picked up a transfer goalie. Wisconsin lost 274 points via Clark and Pankowski -- I think you used Nurse in your arithmetic -- and without Nurse as well, the Badgers aren't as formidable up front. They lost McKibbon, whom I got the sense was the skater many looked to for leadership. They also lost their two most-reliable D in Ryan and Channell. The biggest hit was supposed to be Desbiens graduating, but that was mitigated by getting a starting goalie when the Folding Hawks did their thing. IMO, the Badgers are weaker in goal, but teams have not yet been able to expose that; I could be wrong. Any impact of the loss of a player in goal is hard to quantify next to the loss of skaters, because it is very much comparing apples to oranges.

As for skaters, Minnesota was hit harder than Wisconsin when it came to personnel losses. Pannek and Pankowski were very similar in terms of production, although Pankowski was a scorer while Pannek was a playmaker. Losing Pannek was a double whammy, because she was also the leader of the team. Potomak's career numbers aren't much less than Clark's, but Potomak put up her numbers in one fewer season. As scary as Nurse could be, her career numbers were much closer to those of Schipper than they were to Cameranesi; Wisconsin did not have a Cameranesi to graduate, even though Dani's senior year was compromised by injury. The Gophers also graduated their top two D, one being Stecklein; Wisconsin did not have a Stecklein last year to lose.

We can focus on who lost what, but Minnesota's real problem is that it didn't have much coming back in terms of proven offense. Its top returning forward had 15 points a year ago; the Badgers returned five forwards with more and added Kepler, who had more than that in all three of her seasons as a Buckeye. Offensively, the Gophers have done fairly well, as their offensive production has been very comparable to Wisconsin's. But they don't score enough to win games where the D breaks down, and as a six-player unit, the Gophers have not been consistent enough. Those who watch them saw that was going to be an issue after one game. It's gotten better, but after graduating three D, moving a veteran D to forward, and having another be injured for most of the season to date, a lot of the shifts are being skated by freshmen D. It isn't their fault; sometimes, they just aren't on the same page with teammates. That will come in time, but it is still a work in progress.

I'm surprised that Wisconsin has been as successful as it has been with what it lost. I didn't expect it to have a record similar to last year, although that is due in part to the WCHA not being very strong. Minnesota is weaker, BSU misses Mowat, UMD has gone from contender to middle of the pack, and UND is gone. I watched the Badgers against Minnesota and I was impressed; they weren't as impressive versus Mankato or St. Cloud. For that reason, I don't expect their second half to be as strong as the first, because eventually, some of the close games go the other way.

Through all of this, Minnesota isn't that much different than last year in terms of placement. I think the Gophers were sixth in the PairWise on selection Sunday, and that's where they are today. If Amy Potomak decides to start her career in January, they could move up, but I doubt that she will, and even if she does, they aren't likely to challenge the likes of UW, BC, and Clarkson in the rankings. With or without her, they'll still have a chance to knock someone out in the quarters if they get into the NCAAs -- even the Badgers. On the other hand, they've demonstrated that they are capable of losing to anyone on their schedule, so the national tournament may not happen for them this year. After a record-tying 10 straight appearances, one has to be philosophical about the possibility.

[D2D]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

Nice...

Krissy Wendell practices with Wild to support Girls Hockey Weekend
http://www.startribune.com/krissy-we...end/464481263/

[play-by-play guy]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

Looks like Sarah didn't make the final cut for Canada.

https://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/ne...pic-team-named

[ne7minder]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

Looks like Sarah didn't make the final cut for Canada.

https://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/ne...pic-team-named

She is not 30 yet which seems to be a requirement for the Canadian team. Canadian fans have whined for 3 years that the team keeps losing to the US in 4-Nations & World Championships because they stick with the older women. That will all be forgotten in a couple of months if they win the Olympic gold. Of course then we will have to listen to US fans whine about what a rotten coach Stauber is - despite having won the World & 4-Nation. If it is the US that takes gold then the wailing & gnashing of teeth in the True North will be unbearable and next year the whole team will be turned over.

[D2D]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gophers 2017-18 Season Thread

Gopher recruit Abby Boreen is off to a great start for Hill-Murray this season.

http://www.newrichmond-news.com/spor...hockey-gophers