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Minnesota Golden Gopher Hockey: 2011-2012 Season Thread

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  • #31
    Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Hockey: 2011-2012 Season Thread

    Union was 5-28-1 last season with two of those wins against Sacred Heart which is more or less a D-II school...I know there is no such division, but they play in a D-III conference with some D-I opponents. The Dutchwomen did pick up a huge win v. No Dak last year though. NEVER take anyone lightly...ie: Robert Morris three years ago.
    Syracuse will be a decent test as they played MN tough back-to-back two years ago. They will also have seven Minnesota athletes returning and will be motivated to have a good showing.
    Here is a link for the Syracuse game notes:
    No games notes from Union yet.

    Alyssa Grogan will be providing color commentary for this weekend's games, so I've been told.

    As for the assistant coaching position, Francis may be more realistic than one may think. She was doing graduate work here as of last year...may still be around. I'll throw out another name...don't have any idea how realistic it is -- Melanie Gagnon. Okay all, now run with it.
    Last edited by play-by-play guy; 09-29-2011, 06:45 PM.

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    • #32
      Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Hockey: 2011-2012 Season Thread

      Originally posted by play-by-play guy View Post
      NEVER take anyone lightly...ie: Robert Morris three years ago.
      This is an excellent observation.
      Originally posted by play-by-play guy View Post
      As for the assistant coaching position, Francis may be more realistic than one may think. She was doing graduate work here as of last year...may still be around. I'll throw out another name...don't have any idea how realistic it is -- Melanie Gagnon. Okay all, now run with it.
      I LOVE this idea. With Coach O moved on to other pursuits a D coach would be a good thing and Melanie was one of the best.

      Clearly the position has gone to former players who had some previous coaching experience. No one is getting in just on the credential of being a former player, no matter how celebrated a former player. Even Darwitz had to get some high school experience before she was hired.

      I have no idea if Ross, Francis or Gagnon have any previous coaching experience but all are former players who SHOULD have credibility with the current roster.

      I post this at 7:07 according to my computer clock.

      24 hours to face-off. As I said last spring, this should be fun. Anyone in the Twin Cities who calls themselves a hockey fan and misses this should be ashamed of themselves and should turn in their so-called hockey fan credentials.
      Last edited by ManBehindTheCurtain; 09-29-2011, 07:14 PM.
      Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

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      • #33
        Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Hockey: 2011-2012 Season Thread

        Originally posted by play-by-play guy View Post
        Union was 5-28-1 last season with two of those wins against Sacred Heart which is more or less a D-II school...I know there is no such division, but they play in a D-III conference with some D-I opponents. The Dutchwomen did pick up a huge win v. No Dak last year though.
        You're looking at 2009-2010. Union was 2-29-3 last season, with wins over Sacred Heart and Brown.
        "... And lose, and start again at your beginnings
        And never breathe a word about your loss;" -- Rudyard Kipling

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        • #34
          Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Hockey: 2011-2012 Season Thread

          Originally posted by ARM View Post
          You're looking at 2009-2010. Union was 2-29-3 last season, with wins over Sacred Heart and Brown.
          Sigh---Yes...clicked on the wrong link...better to find out now than later and sound like a total idiot.

          Reminds me of one of my favorite quotes: "Tis better to keep you mouth shut and appear like an idiot, than open it and remove all doubt."

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          • #35
            Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Hockey: 2011-2012 Season Thread

            Originally posted by play-by-play guy View Post
            Reminds me of one of my favorite quotes: "Tis better to keep you mouth shut and appear like an idiot, than open it and remove all doubt."
            Tough words to live by for a PbP guy.
            "... And lose, and start again at your beginnings
            And never breathe a word about your loss;" -- Rudyard Kipling

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            • #36
              Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Hockey: 2011-2012 Season Thread

              Originally posted by ARM View Post
              Tough words to live by for a PbP guy.
              As MBTC would say, "This is an excellent observation."
              Minnesota Golden Gopher Hockey

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              • #37
                Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Hockey: 2011-2012 Season Thread

                Some comments from Erickson and West not in the other previews.
                "... And lose, and start again at your beginnings
                And never breathe a word about your loss;" -- Rudyard Kipling

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                • #38
                  Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Hockey: 2011-2012 Season Thread

                  A decent start against an overmatched foe. The Gophers had too many, too good for Union.

                  There wasn't enough competition to make many judgments about much of anything, I don't personally feel I got a good read on any of the freshman except that I thought they all played well. Part of the problem was the line mixing, coach Frost is just like the rest of us, trying to figure out who goes with who and which combinations work the best.

                  Kortum returned to her freshman position of center and seems pretty clearly established on the third line. The wings were a revolving cast, Brausen and Lorence in the first, Anderson and Bona in the second, then mostly Anderson on one side with Lorence and Bona changing off on the other side in the third. I liked Anderson's presence, I thought both Lorence and Bona looked as though they might have a scorer's touch (we shall see). Brausen has excellent speed and the year's experience but on first impression she may have to step it up a bit more to land a third line spot.

                  Gillanders with Bozek was a good pairing, I thought Gillanders played with much more confidence than any time last season. Mira paired with Seeler, both played well. Ramsey and Schleper were actually the third pair to hit the ice at the start of the game but I really don't think that makes them the third pair. Ramsey got a goal and looks like she will be fine. She also looks like college is a tiny bit tougher than high school.

                  Syracuse beat Saint Cloud 2-1 in the early game and I suppose this means we should expect that they will provide a considerably tougher match up for the Gophers tomorrow. We shall see.
                  Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.

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                  • #39
                    I thought that Gophers played well but not great! I would have thought
                    a team with that many returning players against a team starting all their freshmen should have fared better! MN has a lot of work to do if they hope to be in the running. union on the other hand stands to be a formabile opponent in the ECAC based on what I saw tonight. By the way the announcer for tonights game needs to get the chest thumping out of his system as I didn't see the same team he was spewing about.
                    Last edited by YabaDabaDoo; 09-30-2011, 11:56 PM.

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                    • #40
                      Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Hockey: 2011-2012 Season Thread

                      I watched the stream of the game and thought that while the depth of MN was impressive, the pressure that the Dutchwomen placed on them was even more impressive! For a first game I was entertained and really impressed by the heart the Union girls showed.

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                      • #41
                        Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Hockey: 2011-2012 Season Thread

                        Photos from the opening game vs. Union:
                        http://www.pictureprints.net/albums.php?gallery=3792

                        Enjoy, everyone!
                        Ryan Coleman
                        Publisher, d3photography.com
                        Photos: For Purchase
                        Facebook
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                        • #42
                          Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Hockey: 2011-2012 Season Thread

                          Originally posted by YabaDabaDoo View Post
                          I thought that Gophers played well but not great! I would have thought
                          a team with that many returning players against a team starting all their freshmen should have fared better! MN has a lot of work to do if they hope to be in the running. union on the other hand stands to be a formabile opponent in the ECAC based on what I saw tonight. By the way the announcer for tonights game needs to get the chest thumping out of his system as I didn't see the same team he was spewing about.
                          First game? The Gophers did not play "great" but with a lot of experimentation and line juggling first time out...pretty much what one can expect. Final score of 6-1. I wasn't expecting a bigger margin than that. With 5 PP for Union could have been much closer. Gophers need to cut down on penalties in 2011-2012. The announcer...well he does broadcast for "The Gold Zone" so his approach is on par with just about every home team crew I've heard.

                          Union and their freshman class looked good and I'm sure they'll get sharper still as the season progresses. They should do better in conference play this season. We'll see.
                          Minnesota Hockey

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                          • #43
                            Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Hockey: 2011-2012 Season Thread

                            YabaDabaDoo and Shotblocker, you must not have been watching the same game as I was! While I agree that the Gophers were at times a little rough around the edges and their passing was not always a thing of beauty, they were clearly the dominant team and controlled play for almost the entire game. I give all the credit to Union for never giving up, and surely they are much improved compared to a couple of years ago, but - in this game - whatever pressure they put on was sporadic and didn't amount to more than a brief flurry. Raty faced 15 shots, or 1 every 4 minutes on average, while Minnesota had 35 and could have easily scored more than their 6 goals. At least a half-dozen other chances were point blank and barely off target. Not saying the Gophers don't have work to do - they do - but it was only the first game and they will get better too.

                            Syracuse will be a tougher test tomorrow, but I expect the Gophers to pick it up a notch or two and play better than what we saw today. Meanwhile, Union and St. Cloud should be a good game too - no doubt both teams will be anxious to come away with a win and avoid going 0-2 to start the season.
                            Minnesota Golden Gopher Hockey

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                            • #44
                              Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Hockey: 2011-2012 Season Thread

                              That's your link to your St. Cloud/Syracuse gallery, Ryan. 3793 though is the other

                              Originally posted by mplsphotoguy View Post
                              Photos from the opening game vs. Union:
                              http://www.pictureprints.net/albums.php?gallery=3792

                              Enjoy, everyone!

                              UMD#1

                              View Through My Lens.Net

                              UMD Game Photos

                              UMD Women's Hockey Fans Page

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                              • #45
                                Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Hockey: 2011-2012 Season Thread

                                You are absolutely right...
                                That's what I get for going to the bar before sharing the link with you guys.
                                Go here: http://www.pictureprints.net/albums.php?gallery=3793

                                Thanks, dhmn!


                                Originally posted by dhmn View Post
                                That's your link to your St. Cloud/Syracuse gallery, Ryan. 3793 though is the other
                                Ryan Coleman
                                Publisher, d3photography.com
                                Photos: For Purchase
                                Facebook
                                Twitter

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