Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: Kangas Kool-Aid For All!

[co14ers]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: Kangas Kool-Aid For All!

Did Kangas buy his Kool-Aid from James Jones? Embarrassing...

[4four4]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: Kangas Kool-Aid For All!

Did Kangas buy his Kool-Aid from James Jones? Embarrassing...

Kangas is done playing as a Gopher.

[The Rube]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: Kangas Kool-Aid For All!

Kangas is done playing as a Gopher.

Not only that, but one goal was basically given to UND by a lapse in our D.

So, 3 goals, on the road, against the #2 team in the country? That's not bad. Not bad at all.

[Bakunin]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: Kangas Kool-Aid For All!

I think the best solution for this rivalry to continue is something similar to the GLI/Showcase/Beanpot. Have Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin as "hosts" and either find a 4th permanent host or invite a fourth team each year.

Who would be the 4th team? And would it be played tournament style like the GLI, or would it be an alternate opponent situation where MN and UW swap opponents on the second day regardless of results? If it's at the X, of course there'd be a "MN gets the night game" rule.

[The Rube]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: Kangas Kool-Aid For All!

Who would be the 4th team? And would it be played tournament style like the GLI, or would it be an alternate opponent situation where MN and UW swap opponents on the second day regardless of results? If it's at the X, of course there'd be a "MN gets the night game" rule.

tUMD, probably. Maybe SCSU?

I'd vote for tourney-style, I hate the Key Party format.

[Bakunin]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: Kangas Kool-Aid For All!

tUMD, probably. Maybe SCSU?

I'd vote for tourney-style, I hate the Key Party format.

Problem with tournament style is you have shootouts to determine a winner if OT ends in a tie in either semifinal or the final. There's also the problem of the third place game that everyone hates in every tournament that is ever played.

[The Rube]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: Kangas Kool-Aid For All!

Problem with tournament style is you have shootouts to determine a winner if OT ends in a tie in either semifinal or the final. There's also the problem of the third place game that everyone hates in every tournament that is ever played.

Better than the stupid tag team "tourneys" that don't really determine a winner out of the 4 teams.

[Bakunin]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: Kangas Kool-Aid For All!

Better than the stupid tag team "tourneys" that don't really determine a winner out of the 4 teams.

If the matchups are set between the same four non-conference opponents each year like the college hockey showcase was, they could play for trophies. Each game = a self-contained tournament.

There's no perfect solution to this problem if the BTHC does in fact become reality. One thing is for certain if it does: MN's non-conference schedule will always include UND, and the remainder of the WCHA will likely be guaranteed a series with MN at least every 2nd or 3rd year.

[HarleyMC]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: Kangas Kool-Aid For All!

If the matchups are set between the same four non-conference opponents each year like the college hockey showcase was, they could play for trophies. Each game = a self-contained tournament.

There's no perfect solution to this problem if the BTHC does in fact become reality. One thing is for certain if it does: MN's non-conference schedule will always include UND, and the remainder of the WCHA will likely be guaranteed a series with MN at least every 2nd or 3rd year.

I agree. IMO with the occasional fights thrown in for entertainment, the UND/MN rivalry is the best in the NCAA. MN will schedule this rivalry consistently if they're in the BTHC ($).

[HarleyMC]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: Kangas Kool-Aid For All!

Like I said, they've only played 21 non-exhibition games out of a 43+ possible games, so we're still in the "first half" of the season.

This is actually a bit superfluous since Kangas will most likely go pro anyway, but at the risk of beating a dead horse here, for clarification sake on the NCAA Medical Hardship Waiver ruling I'd like to add some insight into the discussion. Firstly, there were 20 games played at the time of Kangas' season ending injury announcement.

Secondly, you stated "It says that the season ends with the NCAA championship, so I believe the length of the season is defined by the maximum possible number of games you can play, not the minimum number you are guaranteed to play" which appears to be incorrect according to the 2009-10 NCAA Division Manual.

The intent of the bylaw ruling in using the phrase "concludes with an NCAA championship, or if so designated, during the official NCAA championship playing season" is primarily to delineate between NCAA championship competition and post-season competition in other non-NCAA organizations such as the NAIA. Basically the language is intended to generally describe and define an NCAA season of any sport that has an NCAA championship at its conclusion.

According to Bylaw 17.1.7 General Regulations for Computing Playing Seasons Applicable to All Sports (Revised: 1/10/91 effective 8/1/91):

(b) NCAA or NAIA Championships Participation in Team Sports. Neither practice for nor participation in any NCAA or NAIA championship event (including play-in contests conducted pursuant to NCAA championships) is considered part of the institutions declared playing season. A member institution that has reason to believe it is under consideration for selection to participate in an NCAA championship event may continue to practice (but may not compete against outside competition) beyond its last regular-season contest, including the conference championship (if any), without counting such practice against the institutions declared playing-season limitation until it is determined by the appropriate committee whether the institution will be selected to participate in the NCAA championship competition. An institution that is not selected to participate in the NCAA championship may continue to practice or compete until the end of that championship only if it has time remaining in its declared playing season;

The specific ruling under discussion is Bylaw 14.2.4(c) Hardship Waiver which also reiterates the above Bylaw 17 ruling on calculating the playing season by stating: "Dates of competition that are exempted (e.g., alumni contests, foreign team in the United States.) from the maximum permissible number of contests or dates of competition shall count toward the number of contests or dates in which the student-athlete has participated and the number of scheduled or completed contests or dates of competition in the season, except for scrimmages and exhibition contests that are specifically identified as such in the sports Bylaw 17 playing and practice season regulations".

14.2.4 Hardship Waiver

(c) In team sports, the injury or illness occurs when the student-athlete has not participated in more than three contests or dates of competition (whichever is applicable to that sport) or 30 percent (whichever number is greater) of the institutions scheduled or completed contests or dates of competition in his or her sport. Only scheduled or completed competition against outside participants during the playing season that concludes with the NCAA championship, or, if so designated, during the official NCAA championship playing season in that sport (e.g., spring baseball, fall soccer), shall be countable under this limitation in calculating both the number of contests or dates of competition in which the student-athlete has participated and the number of scheduled or completed contests or dates of competition during that season in the sport. Dates of competition that are exempted (e.g., alumni contests, foreign team in the United States.) from the maximum permissible number of contests or dates of competition shall count toward the number of contests or dates in which the student-athlete has participated and the number of scheduled or completed contests or dates of competition in the season, except for scrimmages and exhibition contests that are specifically identified as such in the sports Bylaw 17 playing and practice season regulations. Scrimmages and exhibition contests that are not exempted from the maximum permissible number of contests or dates of competition may be excluded from the calculation only if they are identified as such by in the sports Bylaw 17 playing and practice season regulations; and (Revised: 1/10/92, 1/14/97 effective 8/1/97, 4/26/01 effective 8/1/01, 3/10/04, 5/11/05, 8/4/05, 4/26/07, 9/18/07, 4/24/08).

Therefore, in regards to the Gophers playing season, the ruling indicates the playing season consists of only "scheduled" contests which consists of 34 games plus a scheduled WCHA playoff round of 3 games for a total of 34 games.

According to the above ruling, it seems to me Kangas would not be eligible for a medical hardship waiver although he participated in less than 30% of the scheduled contests since his debilitating season ending injury occurred after the first half. If Alex Kangas were to choose to apply for a medical hardship waiver, an official medical report dated during the first half of the playing season would need to be submitted to the NCAA to be eligible for a medical hardship waiver. I am not aware of any announcement in the first half of the season that indicated he had a season ending injury.

The NCAA ruling Bylaw 14.2.4.3.3 Medical Documentation states that "Contemporaneous or other appropriate medical documentation, from a physician (a medical doctor) who administered care at the time of the injury or illness, that establishes the student-athletes inability to compete as a result of that injury or illness shall be submitted with any hardship-waiver request. (Adopted: 4/20/99, Revised: 2/22/01)".

[Fighting Sioux 23]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: Kangas Kool-Aid For All!

If the matchups are set between the same four non-conference opponents each year like the college hockey showcase was, they could play for trophies. Each game = a self-contained tournament.

There's no perfect solution to this problem if the BTHC does in fact become reality. One thing is for certain if it does: MN's non-conference schedule will always include UND, and the remainder of the WCHA will likely be guaranteed a series with MN at least every 2nd or 3rd year.

Agreed, there is no perfect solution.

As for the Tournament/Showcase, there are a variety of different ways to do it. I think the "best" way would be to have it like the Beanpot, find a permanent 4th team, and no shootouts, games just go to perpetual OT until a winner. You'd flip pairings around, but it would always be Big Ten vs WCHA in the first round (ie. Minnesota vs North Dakota/Wisconsin vs Team 4 in year 1, then Minnesota vs Team 4/Wisconsin vs North Dakota in year 2...rinse and repeat). As for the 4th team, UMD and SCSU are the two most obvious choices. I'd lean towards UMD as they have more history.

That's my preferred way, but as has been noted there are several other ways of doing it. Having a showcase w/Trophies would be cool. The North Dakota/Wisconsin series could be played for the Golden Water Bottle The North Dakota/Minnesota series could be the Dean Blais Trophy or something like that where there is ties to both schools. Again, there are a lot of ideas, but I think this way there wouldn't be "home ice" issues, and I don't think they'd have too much of an issue with selling out (or nearly selling out) the X. I have no issues with the Gophers playing the night game (never really have).

[Driftryder]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: Kangas Kool-Aid For All!

Article on Erik Haula in the PP

The Wild would have liked to see Mikael Granlund play at the World Junior Championships, and certainly they didn't want to see their top prospect go down with a concussion.

On the other hand, it seems to have worked out OK.

"It ended up being good for the organization," general manager Chuck Fletcher said recently.

That's because Granlund, the team's top pick in last summer's entry draft, was replaced at the world juniors by Erik Haula, a freshman center at Minnesota who was selected by the Wild in the seventh round of the 2008 draft. And Haula was terrific.

Jumping immediately to top-line center, Haula was 3-4—7 as Finland went 3-1-0, missing the medal round because of an overtime loss to Pool A winner Team USA.

"He opened a lot of people's eyes with his ability," Wild director of player development Brad Bombardir said. "He played with a great sense of urgency in that tournament, with a lot of energy, and that made his game a lot better, to be quite honest."

Haula, 19, has three goals and 13 assists in 20 games for the Gophers, who play host to Alaska Anchorage in a Western Collegiate Hockey Association series this weekend at Mariucci Arena. The Wild drafted him out of Shattuck-St. Mary's in Faribault, and he spent one season with Omaha of the USHL before joining the Gophers.

Bombardir and other Wild scouts have watched Haula this season and have liked what they've seen, but his performance at the world juniors was a revelation.


"You look at where he is today, he's definitely progressed to the point where maybe it's a little bit of a surprise he was a seventh-round pick," Bombardir said. "But it's a steady progression. It's a long road; it really is."

A playmaker with NHL speed, Haula has been the Gophers' top center the entire season, playing between seniors Jay Barriball and Mike Hoeffel. Midway through the season, coach Don Lucia would like to see him worry less about setting up the seniors and more about scoring.

Haula had 28 goals among 72 points at Omaha last season.

"I think he needs to shoot more," Lucia said. "I think he's one of those true centermen who's always looking to dish, but he does have a good shot. That's something we've talked to him about.

"But it's like any skill player; they look to pass before they look to shoot. I'd like to see him change his mind-set to shoot more when he has an opportunity."

That would suit the Wild, as well.

"They just said they were happy with my performance at world juniors and they want me to play the way I played there, more up and down, and being more active, basically, in the play," Haula said. "They just said that I played with more passion."

Haula, 5 feet 11, 185 pounds, said he has been unaware when Wild scouts watch him play, and that's the way he wants it. Bombardir likes it that way, too.

"That's the best way to see how they typically perform and prepare," he said. "You get a better feel for how they play on a nightly basis."

Granlund, 18, is closer to the NHL than Haula.

A 5-10, 180-pound center, Granlund has 59 points (17-42—59) in 67 games the past two seasons with HIFK Helsinki and is likely to sign a pro contract with the Wild by fall. Haula isn't that close, though Bombardir said his performance at the world juniors "was definitely a step in the right direction."

"He's in a good school, a good hockey school, and is getting a great opportunity to play important minutes," Bombardir said. "It's important that he continue to progress, and like all prospects, he needs to get stronger. Who knows what it's going to take for him.

"I try to tell guys not to rush it. When they're good enough, that's when they'll be ready to play (in the NHL). Some guys, it takes two, three, four or five years. That's just the way it is. You can't rush it. That's not just for Erik; that's what I tell everybody."

[Driftryder]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: Kangas Kool-Aid For All!

Hansen is out of the lineup Friday against Becky correct? Why exactly?

I saw the "scrum" but it was from a packed McGovern's so I didn't really get a great look but it didn't seem like it got out of control or anything.

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: Kangas Kool-Aid For All!

Hansen is out of the lineup Friday against Becky correct? Why exactly?

I saw the "scrum" but it was from a packed McGovern's so I didn't really get a great look but it didn't seem like it got out of control or anything.

It didn't. But, they decided to give a 5er and a fighting to both he and the Denver player. And probably justifiably so. I don't think they give out enough of them to be honest.

[Driftryder]

Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: Kangas Kool-Aid For All!

It didn't. But, they decided to give a 5er and a fighting to both he and the Denver player. And probably justifiably so. I don't think they give out enough of them to be honest.

Ahh, thanks.

Hansen has been playing some pretty good Hockey lately, that's too bad he will be out.