Ice Breaker Tournament: Clarkson vs. New Hampshire & Mercyhurst vs. Minnesota

[mnstate0fhockey]

Hope you're right.

Generally though, most teams that have late season success ride their upperclassmen into post-season play. Not saying we can't, having a goalie get really hot and solid play by the D at the end of the year can go a long way as well.

Go Gophers!

Late season pushes into the post season is a bit different. I tend to agree with you there. Our youth and inexperience could definitely be a factor in big games. Generally speaking, thru-ought much of the season, I don't think potting goals is going to be the biggest issue. I'm more concerned with our play in our own zone and minimizing turnovers that lead to odd-man rushes. Those are mistakes that take experience to minimize.

Good news is we have an excellent goaltender and some good experience on the back end. However, that was only part of the reason we were the #5 defensive team in the land last season. We lost some pretty good two-way forwards.

I'm also interested in seeing how our power play and penalty kill units develop. Those could play a big factor in our success as well.

[Slap Shot]

Re: Ice Breaker Tournament: Clarkson vs. New Hampshire & Mercyhurst vs. Minnesota

Look forward to watching them finally play and I'll reserve judgment on predictions until after this weekend. I think it's a bit early to pull out tArrogance.

[Steve_MN]

Re: Ice Breaker Tournament: Clarkson vs. New Hampshire & Mercyhurst vs. Minnesota

Look forward to watching them finally play and I'll reserve judgment on predictions until after this weekend. I think it's a bit early to pull out tArrogance.

You should know better than that.... it's NEVER too early for tArrogance.

[The Rube]

Re: Ice Breaker Tournament: Clarkson vs. New Hampshire & Mercyhurst vs. Minnesota

You should know better than that.... it's NEVER too early for tArrogance.

I never knew tArrogance ever stopped.

[Steve_MN]

Re: Ice Breaker Tournament: Clarkson vs. New Hampshire & Mercyhurst vs. Minnesota

I never knew tArrogance ever stopped.

As far as I know, it doesn't.

[gopher wes]

Re: Ice Breaker Tournament: Clarkson vs. New Hampshire & Mercyhurst vs. Minnesota

I never knew tArrogance ever stopped.

For some, tArrogance is a maybe tempered. For Brent, not so much.

[SanTropez]

Re: Ice Breaker Tournament: Clarkson vs. New Hampshire & Mercyhurst vs. Minnesota

So what can we expect from Mercyhurst Clarkson or UNH?

Any fans care to chime in?

[drshoen]

Re: Ice Breaker Tournament: Clarkson vs. New Hampshire & Mercyhurst vs. Minnesota

So what can we expect from Mercyhurst Clarkson or UNH?

Any fans care to chime in?

Clarkson surprised me by winning both games at Niagara this weekend, but I think winning against UNH would be an even bigger surprise. I expect us to play well and beat Mercyhurst in the consolation game; if we managed a win against UNH, I expect to be happy with a weekend split

[D2D]

Re: Ice Breaker Tournament: Clarkson vs. New Hampshire & Mercyhurst vs. Minnesota

Clarkson surprised me by winning both games at Niagara this weekend, but I think winning against UNH would be an even bigger surprise. I expect us to play well and beat Mercyhurst in the consolation game; if we managed a win against UNH, I expect to be happy with a weekend split

That's what I call realistic expectations, which is kind of unusual around here where biased bravado is more the norm...

[drshoen]

Re: Ice Breaker Tournament: Clarkson vs. New Hampshire & Mercyhurst vs. Minnesota

That's what I call realistic expectations, which is kind of unusual around here where biased bravado is more the norm...

Given what Clarkson has been the last couple years, it's difficult to be optimistic. A sweep at Niagara may well be the season highlight

[Driftryder]

Re: Ice Breaker Tournament: Clarkson vs. New Hampshire & Mercyhurst vs. Minnesota

From Gophersports: http://www.gophersports.com/sports/m...100913aaa.html

The No. 5 University of Minnesota Golden Gopher men's hockey program officially opens the 2013-14 season this weekend as the host institution of the 2013 Ice Breaker Tournament. Mercyhurst, Clarkson and New Hampshire join the Gophers for the two-day, four-game tournament at Mariucci Arena. Clarkson and New Hampshire kick off the event at 4 p.m. CT on Friday while Minnesota hosts Mercyhurst at 7 p.m. The Ice Breaker Tournament uses a true championship format, meaning the losers of Friday's games will play on Saturday at 4 p.m. while the winners will face off in a championship game at 7 p.m.


In the Ice Breaker Tournament

Minnesota is hosting and appearing in the Ice Breaker Tournament for the third time. In 1998, the second year of the tournament, Boston College won the title at Mariucci Arena. In 2007, the event took place at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, with the host Golden Gophers winning the tournament. Clarkson and New Hampshire are each making their third Ice Breaker appearances, with UNH capturing championships in both previous appearances (2000 at Michigan, 2004 at UNH). Clarkson was part of the first Ice Breaker Tournament, in 1997, and in 2001 at Maine. Mercyhurst will be making its first Ice Breaker appearance. Minnesota will also compete in the 2014 Ice Breaker Tournament at Notre Dame along with Minnesota-Duluth and RPI.

Against the Field

Minnesota has only faced off against Mercyhurst one time in program history, dropping the Lakers 9-2 in the opening round of the NCAA West Regional at Mariucci Arena. Two weeks later the Gophers captured their second-straight national championship in a 5-1 win over New Hampshire. Minnesota is 13-2-2 all time against UNH with the last meeting coming in 2008. Finally, the Gophers boast a 3-0-0 record against Clarkson in a series history that began in 1990 with the last meeting coming the 1993 NCAA East Regional in Worscester, Mass.

[joecct]

Re: Ice Breaker Tournament: Clarkson vs. New Hampshire & Mercyhurst vs. Minnesota

CCT vs the U (0-3)
1990 NCAA 1-6, 1-5
1993 NCAA 1-2

I think we're Oh-fer against tDon including his tenure at CC.

CCT vs UNH (battle of the best teams never to have won an NCAA title)
21-23-2 1st meeting 63-64 last meeting 04-05

CCT vs Mercyhurst
5-1-0 1st meeting 00-01 last meeting 12-13

[Aerman]

Re: Ice Breaker Tournament: Clarkson vs. New Hampshire & Mercyhurst vs. Minnesota

UNH - a well-deserved reputation for playing their best at the start of the year will hopefully be on display this weekend.
They may be most interesting on the blue line where they have a returning all-American in TVR, a big senior captain likely to find himself in the NHL in the not too distant future (Knodel) and a sophomore who made the US u20 team (Pesce). The fourth d-man (Agosta) is experienced and competent and ... there is no and. Quast and Cleland will almost certainly get the other two spots. Quast has very little game experience and looked lost in last week's exhibition. Cleland is an undersized freshman who didn't look ready for prime time, but appears to #5 in "quality." How the defense fairs may vary wildly shift to shift.
IMO, the forwards are really deep, deep in third line talent. For sure Goumas and Downing have real skills, and the freshman Kelleher is well-regarded. Many of the upper-classmen have had outstanding games and stretches of games, but haven't shown sustained success. I continue to worry who will put pucks in the net. Admittedly, I am on the more negative side of our fan base vis-a-vis the offense. Someone else will likely chime in and set me straight.
Both goalies are competent, neither is likely to steal a game. Junior deSmith has been the starter for a season and a half. At times his numbers have been outstanding, but I've always taken him at his word that it is really the defense in front of him. When the forwards embraced their defensive roles, this team was VERY good last year, climbing to first in the polls. Then they seemed to stop.
I hope the defensive squad shows up in MN.

[Snively65]

Re: Ice Breaker Tournament: Clarkson vs. New Hampshire & Mercyhurst vs. Minnesota

I did not see the exhibition game this past weekend, but I think that Aerman's summary is a good one. Sorry that I cannot be at Mariucci this weekend; been 10+ years since I watched Vanek and the Gophers end UNH bid for a NC at Exel.

[goldy_331]

Re: Ice Breaker Tournament: Clarkson vs. New Hampshire & Mercyhurst vs. Minnesota

I did not see the exhibition game this past weekend, but I think that Aerman's summary is a good one. Sorry that I cannot be at Mariucci this weekend; been 10+ years since I watched Vanek and the Gophers end UNH bid for a NC at Exel.

Um, Maine ended the bid at the Excel, Minnesota ended it the following year in Buffalo.

ETA: I did have to go look it up to make sure I was remembering correctly.