Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-2019: Fire Motzko

[Hockeybuckeye]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-2019: Fire Motzko

I personally didn't expect anything. However, the refs took that opportunity away. That's what gets me. We didn't get the chance to (cliche) "shock the world." They shut it down with that BS call.

They were both former CCHA refs. Now you've felt our pain!

[SteveO]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-2019: Fire Motzko

I felt like the PP might be the wild card tonight. All four penalties called were hooking calls. I'll probably ruffle some feathers here, but I watched the replay several times and I'm not so sure the call on Sheehy in OT was a blown call. Sheehy and Theisen were both reaching for the puck.

As the puck appears to roil towards them, Sheehy tries to prevent him from reaching the puck, but instead lifts his stick under the arms of Theisen throwing him off balance. Granted the BTN replay did not show a front view of the "hook", but if a player gets his stick high enough and under the arms of an opposing player impeding his progress to the puck, refs are going to make that call.

At the end of the day, whether the call was bogus or not, players and coaches have to focus on what they can control. Three Gophers had an opportunity to sieze the puck in the corner and ice it in the opening seconds of the PP. But they literally lost at least three puck battles trying to hem the puck in the corner and kill time. Graham finally came up with the puck, then even beat Novak behind the net, came out front in space and fired top shelf by Robson. That was poor PK and it cost them the season.

The sad part was Tyler Sheehy ended his excellent career in the penalty box. Hats off to Tyler who scored a total of 149 points, one shy of Justin Kloos as the 29th Gopher Hockey alum on the all-time scoring list.

There were several lessons learned from this season, but none greater than EVERY game of the season against EVERY team counts in the end. Failing to sellout to effort in losses to STL, MSU and Ferris essentially cost the Gophers a trip to the NCAA tournament. With the end of the GPS line and if Pitlick signs, the Gophers will lose 35% of their scoring next season.

Two days ago:

GM David Poile says on @1025TheGame that the #Preds will have conversations about turning pro with prospects Rem Pitlick (Univ. of Minnesota) and Dante Fabbro (Boston University) once their NCAA seasons end.

[SteveO]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-2019: Fire Motzko

But the result was taken out of their hands.

Not really. Gophers didn't do their job to control the puck on the PK.

[Koho]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-2019: Fire Motzko

I didn't see anything wrong with first ND goal. Nothing conclusive. But that penalty call in OT...atrocious. Ref is gonna be sick to his stomach when he sees that again.

83.6 Disallowed Goals - An apparent goal shall not be allowed by the Referee in any of the following cases:If an attacking player throws, bats or propels the puck into the goal with any part of the body.

pro·pel
verb
verb: propel; 3rd person present: propels; past tense: propelled; past participle: propelled; gerund or present participle: propelling; adjective: -propelled

drive, push, or cause to move in a particular direction, typically forward

The combination of the players forward motion and his clear, intentional movement of his hand to come in contact with the puck seem to meet definition of 'propel'. I didn't look it up, but I believe in the NHL any goal off the hand is automatically disallowed. I remember a Wild game where the player was skating towards the crease but never changed the position of his hands and it hit the glove and the goal was waved off. (Or maybe those refs got it wrong too and judged the player had adjusted his hand location, but when it comes to hands, they seem to say that if in doubt, no goal.)

And you might argue that it wasn't batted at, but when it comes to hand passes, a player doesn't have to propel the puck to a teammate for it to be a hand pass, just hit it, including just stopping it with a stationary glove. So why would one interpret the rules for what constitutes a goal LESS stringently than what constitutes a hand pass? If a puck is shot from a tight angle and it is about to go just wide, but a teammate facing the net, just outside the crease were to fully extend his arm out front to contact the puck (extended before the puck arrives) and it hits his hand and goes in, should that be interpreted as a good goal, while if it goes to a teammate it is a hand pass? I don't see how people could justify interpreting such a situation as the intent of the rule that intentionally contacting the puck with the hand should result in a good goal (unless the player plays it to his stick first, of course). What happened on the first ND goal was just on the other end of the spectrum, a less obvious hand movement, but clearly a movement to contact the puck with the hand (maybe it is because I've always played hockey that it is so clear to me that the movement he made with his arms was to come in contact with the puck with his hand, conclusive to me from the first replay I saw). In rules, one can't arbitrarily draw a line on what is worse than another situation and expect consistency ("He didn't move his hand much, so lets give it to him"). I am sure that is why the hand pass rule is so clear. The player intentionally contacted the puck with his hand which propelled it into the net. That should not be a good goal.

[ThePowerConference]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-2019: Fire Motzko

How come the big ten does a 1 game series for their playoff semi finals and the WCHA does a 2 out of 3?

[Bonin21]

How come the big ten does a 1 game series for their playoff semi finals and the WCHA does a 2 out of 3?

Because our awesome conference has teams that share the arena and can't get them for three nights in a row.

[D2D]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-2019: Fire Motzko

Because our awesome conference has teams that share the arena and can't get them for three nights in a row.

Gee, I thought it was because the awful WCHA conference has teams that are on the edge of folding and they need all the ticket revenue they can get.

[Hockeybuckeye]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-2019: Fire Motzko

Ohio State could hold playoffs in the old 800 seat barn for a full weekend of games but I don't think they have the balls for that to be seen on the B1G Network!

[J.D.]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-2019: Fire Motzko

What teams share, Ohio State and Wisconsin? Did Wisconsin women play at KC yesterday? Even then a lot of Hockey East teams share rink and I have seen plenty of examples of women in afternoon and men at night. Not ideal but doable.

[J.D.]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-2019: Fire Motzko

For hoops this is conference tournament week so no issue there.

[Hockeybuckeye]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-2019: Fire Motzko

Ohio State leases out their arena for state basketball & wrestling tournaments and I believe it's much the same for Wisconsin. The B1G and NCAA show no inclination to tell them your collegiate teams come first.

[J.D.]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-2019: Fire Motzko

Ah ok I didn't account for high school. Thanks.

[SCSU Euro]

I am so F**ck--g p***ed. The first goal, ND player clearly moved his hand to connect with the puck. That is not what the intent of the rule is. Now Sheehy lifts a guys stick in OT and it is a penalty!!!!!!!!! This season seemed to be getting less frustrating towards the end, but to end it based on the calls of the Refs is a Sh*tty way to end it. If they had both been legit goals and a legit penalty, I would be fine with it. Not sure which season ending of the last two is more frustrating: players crap the bed in the last four games, or get crapped on by the refs?

Anyone have video of the goal and/or call in OT? Miami scores a goal in St. Cloud Friday where the guy caught the puck, slammed into the side of the net and just dropped it in. Called goal on the ice and they didn’t feel there was enough to change it. It was tough to see, not any great looks but it certainly came out of his glove and directly in; fortunately it didn’t affect the outcome.

[5mn_Major]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-2019: Fire Motzko

Frustrating season. Expectations are some of the highest in the country. But they should be. We are the only D1 school in arguably the top recruiting grounds in the country. And Michigan and Wisconsin should also be doing better. Motzko will right the ship.

[directmagna]

Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2018-2019: Fire Motzko

so I think we're good with forwards and scoring - will there be any newcomers on the blue line next season?
but even more concerning: who will be in goal if Robson leaves? We could be seriously sunk if we don't have a good tendie....