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

[Eeyore]

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

It is perplexing but on the bright side, Sidney Peters is playing well.

I'm pretty sure there was a time when I thought she was a part of the problem, but my memory is getting fuzzy on that point.

[FiveHoleFrenzy]

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

I hope Sid never heard the kvetching like went on here. She has been an absolute stud since that break she got. That is not surprising and people just need to calm down and let her do her thing.

I think she was well aware of the issues she was having regardless of any "complaining". I'm very happy that she calmed down and started doing her thing.

[ARM]

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

Taking D2D'2 comments from the Kaz' thread:

I don't know if "spurning" is the right word, but you would think by now everyone who is on the ice with her would have learned to be ready for the pass at all times. As is so often the case with players on the other team, the Gophers out there with her come to think that she'll put the puck somewhere else, to where logic says it should go, instead of positioning and readying themselves to receive and doing something with it (i.e. "expect the unexpected").

The hard thing for all of them is that you can't be "ready" at all times. They have opponents trying to tie up or lift their sticks, block their paths, and otherwise make it impossible to be ready. Why did Pannek's pass to Marshall work so well? There wasn't a Bulldog there.

Hopefully, with Dani now having some extremely competitive games under her belt, our No. 1 line will really start to crank it up again and find ways to put the puck in the net like they did in the first half. If they can do that, while getting the kind of goaltending and team defense we saw earlier today, I do think this team is capable of winning it all...again.

It's a nice thought, but as much as we'd like to credit the opponents, especially the goalies, it has been like pulling teeth to get the puck in the net all year. Even yesterday when there wasn't a goalie, the puck stayed out. Back when the top line carried all of the offense, there were quite a few games when they wouldn't break through to the third. Now that the PP no longer converts, I don't know where the goals are going to come from to defeat Clarkson and Wisco/BC back to back.

As for Peters (or Peterson -- apparently when she's playing in Duluth), Frost was asked after the Bemidji quarterfinal loss what she needed to do, and he said simply, "Stop the puck." I think others in higher positions than any of us may have pointed out to her a time or two that her play had room for improvement. She's also not stupid and knows without being told that certain shots that went in earlier this season have to be stopped for her team to have success.

[ne7minder]

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

I think she was well aware of the issues she was having regardless of any "complaining". I'm very happy that she calmed down and started doing her thing.

I remember whining and fretting about Nora and Lev when it was their turn in the barrels. What a goalie deals with in their head and what they have to hear from the outside are different so whatever voices she heard inside I hope she didn't hear those outside.

[Blackbeard]

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

I remember whining and fretting about Nora and Lev when it was their turn in the barrels. What a goalie deals with in their head and what they have to hear from the outside are different so whatever voices she heard inside I hope she didn't hear those outside.

I'm still hearing those two crossbars and the one post from yesterday ie: "her friends".

[Eeyore]

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

I'm still hearing those two crossbars and the one post from yesterday ie: "her friends".

There was a lot of metal hit by both sides over the last two games between these teams. Neither should feel especially good about their finishing.

[D2D]

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

Taking D2D'2 comments from the Kaz' thread:
The hard thing for all of them is that you can't be "ready" at all times. They have opponents trying to tie up or lift their sticks, block their paths, and otherwise make it impossible to be ready. Why did Pannek's pass to Marshall work so well? There wasn't a Bulldog there.

Very true, but with Marshall's goal she took the initiative to get in the clear (avoiding any Bulldog) and anticipate the pass. As she was quoted in this morning's Strib: "Kelly's a heads-up player, so I just tried to find a seam back door and she found me."

It's a nice thought, but as much as we'd like to credit the opponents, especially the goalies, it has been like pulling teeth to get the puck in the net all year.

Not so much for the first line in the season's first half. In fact as I recall weren't all three in the nation's top 10 in scoring at the break? Cameranesi is still shaking off some rust, but she's getting very close IMO. Hopefully that first line is ready to break out of the scoring slump they've been in. They've obviously shown they're capable.

[ARM]

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

Not so much for the first line in the season's first half. In fact as I recall weren't all three in the nation's top 10 in scoring at the break?

Yes. But even when that line was going well and carrying the team, they would start slowly and it required a lot of 3rd-period heroics in the wins at Ohio State, Bemidji, versus UMD, etc. If they get behind Clarkson or Wisconsin, it won't end well. Yesterday was probably their poorest start over the last three games; they came out very strong in the other two. But for all of the buzzing around and carrying play, they scored two-first period goals against Bemidji State and none against Duluth. Part of the offensive success has been wearing teams down until they are so tired that you can score on them. I don't think that will happen against the teams that are left with TV timeouts. Are they capable of playing better offensively? I would think so based on past performance, but I've seen it so intermittently of late that I don't know that I can count on pucks suddenly finding the net.

[D2D]

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

Points well taken. The Gophers will definitely need to start a lot stronger than they did yesterday, when they managed just 4 shots on goal in the first period. From here on out scoring first would dramatically increase their chance of success.

[FiveHoleFrenzy]

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

Points well taken. The Gophers will definitely need to start a lot stronger than they did yesterday, when they managed just 4 shots on goal in the first period. From here on out scoring first would dramatically increase their chance of success.

Was it Minnesota that only had 4 shots on goal or was it UMD that had 4? Stats say Minnesota had 11 which seems correct to me.

[ARM]

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

The Gophers will definitely need to start a lot stronger than they did yesterday, when they managed just 4 shots on goal in the first period.

No, the Gophers officially outshot the 'Dogs 11-4 in the first yesterday. However, UMD's shot totals were deceptive, because its players were taking dead aim at the crossbar.

[KTDC]

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

No, the Gophers officially outshot the 'Dogs 11-4 in the first yesterday. However, UMD's shot totals were deceptive, because its players were taking dead aim at the crossbar.

It seems also most of our SOG in the first were in the latter part of the period. I think we played much better later in the first than at the start of the game.

[D2D]

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

Putting a wrap on the Gopher's 1-0 quarterfinal win, Brad Frost's comments on the game-winning goal:

“I don’t know if anybody else in the country makes that play other than Kelly Pannek,” he said. “You talk about what separates Kelly from every other player in the country and it’s the vision that you saw right there.”

The Gophers have been in a scoring drought, but Marshall didn’t miss that one.

“For Patti to see it, get in the right spot, and then to finish — 90 percent of the time, that hits a player’s stick and goes into the corner because they’re not strong enough on their stick,” Frost said. “And she just buried it. It was just a phenomenal play.”

Now if we can just get a few more of those phenomenal plays this weekend....

[shelfit]

Putting a wrap on the Gopher's 1-0 quarterfinal win, Brad Frost's comments on the game-winning goal:

“I don’t know if anybody else in the country makes that play other than Kelly Pannek,” he said. “You talk about what separates Kelly from every other player in the country and it’s the vision that you saw right there.”

The Gophers have been in a scoring drought, but Marshall didn’t miss that one.

“For Patti to see it, get in the right spot, and then to finish — 90 percent of the time, that hits a player’s stick and goes into the corner because they’re not strong enough on their stick,” Frost said. “And she just buried it. It was just a phenomenal play.”

Now if we can just get a few more of those phenomenal plays this weekend....

https://youtu.be/qxhmVh571gc

[KTDC]

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

https://youtu.be/qxhmVh571gc

Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy for our players and that we won. It's just the contrast between our players and the UMD players is devastating.

The thrill of victory, and the agony of defeat! It's starkly there in that contrast.