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Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2019-2020: Motzko 2.0

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  • #91
    Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2019-2020: Motzko 2.0

    Originally posted by Slap Shot View Post
    Game day!!
    Looking for a big crowd and a much improved atmosphere in the building tonight!
    Minnesota Golden Gopher Hockey

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    • #92
      Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2019-2020: Motzko 2.0

      Was Bobby Brink ever a UM recruit? for some reason the name sounds familiar now he's at Denver
      Last edited by UMD21; 10-25-2019, 01:30 PM.
      I wanna go fast!

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      • #93
        Originally posted by UMD21 View Post
        Was Bobby Brink ever a UM recruit? for some reason the name sounds familiar now he's at Denver
        Not certain if they recruited him or not. I know his father was a Gopher, but that's about it.
        the state of hockey is good

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        • #94
          Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2019-2020: Motzko 2.0

          Are you sure you're not thinking of Brinkman?
          Code:
          As of 9/21/10:         As of 9/13/10:
          College Hockey 6       College Football 0
          BTHC 4                 WCHA FC:  1
          Originally posted by SanTropez
          May your paint thinner run dry and the fleas of a thousand camels infest your dead deer.
          Originally posted by bigblue_dl
          I don't even know how to classify magic vagina smoke babies..
          Originally posted by Kepler
          When the giraffes start building radio telescopes they can join too.
          He's probably going to be a superstar but that man has more baggage than North West

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          • #95
            Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2019-2020: Motzko 2.0

            Originally posted by state of hockey View Post
            Not certain if they recruited him or not. I know his father was a Gopher, but that's about it.
            Of course they recruited him.

            He chose DU

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            • #96
              Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2019-2020: Motzko 2.0

              Originally posted by Bonin21 View Post
              Of course they recruited him.

              He chose DU
              There was some talk about the possibility of Brink being flipped to the U, but it was all hearsay.
              Minnesota Golden Gopher Hockey

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              • #97
                Originally posted by Bonin21 View Post
                Of course they recruited him.

                He chose DU
                Neat.
                the state of hockey is good

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                • #98
                  Originally posted by dxmnkd316 View Post
                  Are you sure you're not thinking of Brinkman?
                  Yea I’m sure. And maybe I’m mixing Brink up with who I was thinking of (his name was definitely mentioned a lot around Gopher boards though). Someone who was recruited/committed to the U but suddenly things turned around and decommitted for whatever reason, or academics, etc.
                  I wanna go fast!

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                  • #99
                    Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2019-2020: Motzko 2.0

                    MN got owned along the boards last night and won very few 1:1 puck battles. They did show some signs of life, which made the game fun to watch, but then UMD would start throwing the body around and MN would disappear. Still saw some signs of hope and they will hopefully learn from the experience.

                    Minnesota's Pride On Ice: 1974, 1976, 1979, 2002 & 2003 NCAA National Champions


                    And the preacher said, you know you always have the Lord by your side
                    And I was so pleased to be informed of this that I ran
                    Twenty red lights in his honor
                    Thank you Jesus, thank you Lord

                    ~Mick Jagger/Keith Richards

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                    • Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2019-2020: Motzko 2.0

                      Originally posted by Greyeagle View Post
                      MN got owned along the boards last night and won very few 1:1 puck battles. They did show some signs of life, which made the game fun to watch, but then UMD would start throwing the body around and MN would disappear. Still saw some signs of hope and they will hopefully learn from the experience.
                      Here are many of my observations (some maybe tainted by Scoobiesque pessimism):
                      1. Due to the age, I don't feel like this team is loaded in talent. I don't feel, like some have projected, 'wait til mid-season' because we have so much talent that is just too young. I don't know that we have replaced or improved in offense from last year. Comparing to last year, I don't know that I would say Walker is a clear replacement for Pitlick, or that they then have replaced Walkers production (BMW line) with one of the Freshman. (In other words, feel maybe lost more than gained.) So I don't see this team winning lot of games by out-finessing other teams. They will need to learn to out-work them for 60 minutes, using their speed. (This weekend, I feel like they lost a lot of races they could have won.)
                      2. I think Brodzinski could have used the year of Juniors his Dad wanted him to have. Hope he starts to standout.
                      3. Ranta looks to have matured and often stands out, just needs to stop gripping stick so hard and I think goals will start to come. He might have a very good season.
                      4. Reedy, who a lot like to point out negatively, looks to be improved and is winning a lot of battles. Like the Ranta, Reedy, McManus line.
                      5. There are a lot of detractors for Nanne, but I think he plays very well both ways and sets a good example.
                      6. I am relieved to see goalies performing well. Too early to say if one of them will become a game-stealer, which would be nice to have with such a young team. They look like they will at least play at a level where they stop what they should to give the team a chance. Given the question mark with losing both goalies, that is a relief.
                      7. LaComb sure is proving the definition of high-risk, high-reward. Very confident and skilled with puck, but can be counted on to make it interesting for his goalie too, so far. If he can start to reduce the risk side, and continues to develop offensively, he could turn into a special player in another year, or two if he stays.
                      8. Johnson is also smooth and it is nice to see such an improvement in the D corp offensively. Haven't noticed as many mistakes either.
                      9. I have to call out one play last night. When Gophs were on a PP, and the D pinched in, Burke went to cover the point and had worse positioning that a PeeWee. The Dog got around him and carried into the zone, and instead of getting between the player and his goal, Burke tried to reach around behind the player on the outside to play the puck. Could have resulted in a free path to the net. Even a forward should know basic positioning in that situation.
                      10. Meyers definitely has some flashes of skill and I like him with MW. (Although the naming options don't sound as good as BMW: WMM, MWM, M2W? Think Motsko will try Walker on a different line for a home game and insert number 7 so they can be the 3M line to make the arena sponsors happy?)
                      11. The other freshman forwards look like they will contribute at times, but none of them look to be surprise contributors as Freshman at this point.
                      12. Overall, Watching this weekend, I just didn't feel like the talent matched what we saw from UMD. (Not that I expected them to be the most talented team in the country when so young, just assessing where they are and the projection that some seem to have that in a year this will for sure be a top team.) And more so, for this team to be the team that everyone needs to watch out for next year, I don't feel like this class is necessarily performing at a level that projects that. The forwards are doing well, but not exceptional, IMO. I have not watched any of their games, but it seems the buzz is that the new players on Wisconsin, for example, are having an immediate impact. (And obviously, that might mean some aren't here next year.) If those players on teams like Wisconsin stick around another year, it would mean that the Gopher players would have to accelerate more, to catch or pass them. (And I realize this is too early to know. I can think of players who did little in the beginning of their freshman year, and exploded in the later part, as well as kids who stood out in the first few games and faded.)

                      Over all, I still think this is a good freshman class, especially on Defense, but I just don't think on the offensive side there are they types of players like Walker last year that stand out immediately as guys who look like they will be standouts in a year or two. But on the other hand, I don't see guys who look like they were complete misses either.

                      Don't get me wrong. When people were 'hoping for a split' this weekend, I was hoping for a sweep, as I always do. Don't expect it, but that is what I'm hoping for. And I have gone to the last few Bulldog games in Duluth and am tired of walking out without a win. Worse because I go with a couple where the guy cheers for the dogs, because they are close by, but probably only watches them if I get tickets or if they are in the Championship because he isn't a big hockey fan. (I feel like it almost makes it worse when a guy is celebrating next to you when you know it doesn't mean nearly as much to him. A minute after the game is over it is out of his head.) I live for the day to see the Gophs in the Championship again, but realize that the landscape has changed, where any one team being dominant and a contender for a long period is much more difficult now given the parity. Probably more so now than 20 years ago, there is a certain amount of luck in both having some players turn out better than expected, and to generate the right chemistry to outwork even more talented teams. I think for this year trying to develop a team attitude of out-willing other teams is what will be needed. (And sometimes it seems that can be easier to do with young teams.)

                      So, there is plenty for people to discuss if they read all of the above, and that is the point.......

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                      • Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2019-2020: Motzko 2.0

                        Koho, you make some very good points. I really can't strongly disagree with you on any of them. And yes, I did read all of them!
                        Minnesota Golden Gopher Hockey

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                        • Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2019-2020: Motzko 2.0

                          As I said on GPL I think this team got a solid infusion of talent in the back end in Lacombe and Johnson who already look like our most competent D in terms of moving the puck but the offense lost a lot of the talent they had and could use a similar infusion on that end next year.

                          Meyers really needs to center his own line too just to spread out the talent and depth at center a little more and Reedy can continue to center the third. I feel like finding a third for MW shouldn’t be as hard as as replacing what you lose in center depth when you put Meyers on that line. Maybe just put McManus or go back to Burke there.

                          Also Moe looked really solid last night and kept them in it with a few big saves throughout the game including some nice late ones.

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                          • Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2019-2020: Motzko 2.0

                            Koho: tl;dr but I know your rep, so I'll trust your observations.

                            My brief one is that we have the talent to beat tUMD. We do. We skated with 'em the whole weekend. HOWEVER, we don't have the experience to harness that talent. And there was the difference. tUMD harnessed it, and flexed it, and there's the sweep. I wasn't even mad. If we split, I would have been giddy. You take the youngest team in college hockey going against the B2B champs? Not a small task at all.
                            Never really developed a taste for tequila. Kind of hard to understand how you make a drink out of something that sharp, inhospitable. Now, bourbon is easy to understand.
                            Tastes like a warm summer day. -Raylan Givens

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                            • Originally posted by The Rube View Post
                              Koho: tl;dr but I know your rep, so I'll trust your observations.

                              My brief one is that we have the talent to beat tUMD. We do. We skated with 'em the whole weekend. HOWEVER, we don't have the experience to harness that talent. And there was the difference. tUMD harnessed it, and flexed it, and there's the sweep. I wasn't even mad. If we split, I would have been giddy. You take the youngest team in college hockey going against the B2B champs? Not a small task at all.
                              I was just shocked how they couldn’t put it home in the third on saturday.I know Shepard is a star and maybe his positioning made it look easier, but for 75% of the third period I thought there was no way we weren’t going to give up a goal until the 4:20 mark which was the turning point. I was standing and more nervous than I was in the ‘18 championship vs Note Dame. It was the same complete dominance that Bulldogs had in the first period on Friday—getting in passing lanes, felt like over half the pucks off the players sticks went to the other team. Team chemistry is important but it only takes one snipe to even the score. A lot of youth on the team, maybe a lot of angst?
                              I wanna go fast!

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                              • Re: Minnesota Golden Gopher Season 2019-2020: Motzko 2.0

                                Shepard was really good in the 2nd game as was Moe, you're not gonna get a ton of grade A chances against Duluth's stifling D and he covered up the breakaways and back door stuff brilliantly. With the Gophers I think they do lack some of the shooting talent they've historically had which also makes things tough. Guys like Sheehy, Kloos, and Pitlick (not to mention players from other eras) had above average shots and that carried the team in some of those years under Lucia.

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