Can’t have so many of your top guys go ghost mode and expect to beat a team that can score like BU. Will be interesting to see what’s back for next year and how the new guys fit. Just didn’t have the pieces this year and I don’t think anyone can beat BC unless they’re off their game.
to the seniors, thank you for all you did for this program. Painful to see guys like Nelly not get one when you could see him visibly trying to will this team there. There will be many fond memories of these guys and to the younger guys who will be back, they have some damn good role models to try mimic
It’s a shame the game was decided on two muffins. Close had some great saves but man letting those two goals in kills. No matter what I loved having the closer in net the last few years.
IALTO
They LOST because SNUGGY did zero in NCAA tourney, Moore did nothing, Pitlick did nothing, Lamb did nothing, and the D core was SIGNIFICANTLY less skilled than the 22-23 team. Close didn't have a great night, but I certainly don't pin the loss on him.Great season proud of the way the boys played tonight. That being said I hope we have a plan at goalie got next year cause that was some horrible goaltending tonight
Team played hard and never gave up. BU had more talent than us, and obviously you can’t beat a team like that with 3 bad luck goals (2 softies and 1 after a horrid non-call).
Very proud of how much this team achieved, after losing so much last year. We played well enough to be a top 10 team. I’m not sure we had the talent to be a FF team, but we almost got there anyway.
Bob is a fantastic coach and no one should underestimate what this team might do next year.
Well that hurts. BU is a very dangerous team, they have a good shot at the championship. Proud of Nelson and Brodz, they left everything on the ice this weekend! Now I’m interested to see what the roster will look like for next season.
next year could be rough, the returning guys are none factors mostly. Might have to look forward to 2025-26 unfortunately
i think this whole board would be perfectly happy if you took next year off from GPL then
BU gets a goal late in the first that jump started them and then they score two quick in the 2nd that left MN was going uphill for the rest of the game. MN had so many chances to pop on in and just could not consistently finish or create their own luck - Brods is going to have nightmares about his chances in the third. He had a hell of a game and career.
Someone said earlier in the thread this a good team but not great and this is spot on. The just never had the consistent goal scoring to push themselves over the hump. The last two years in close I was surprised if MN didn't tie a game and/or win it. This team I was usually surprised if they did.
If MN players learned anything this year it's the importance of consistency and this bad taste makes them (whoever them is next year) hungry next season.
“When your best friend is the son of God, you get tired of losing every argument.”
― Christopher Moore, Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
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For the most part I think we played a pretty good game tonight. Had lots of chances.
It was sure fun to watch compared to when we play teams that just try to clog everything up.
We always knew it’d be tough to follow up last year. This hurts a lot less if we would have won last year. But this year was still a lot of fun. Bit of a roller coaster, sometimes frustrating and sometimes great. But still overall an enjoyable year. But otherwise I don’t really know how to react right now. More numb than anything else. It sucks that Close ended up having one of his worst games as his last. Like someone else said, Nelson and Brodzinski left it all out there. I wish them the best. They should be leaving here with a championship ring on their fingers. I really hope Nevers and Koster come back. As others have said, this season and tournament look different if guys that were firing on all cylinders the first two thirds of the season don’t all of a sudden go dormant in early February. Logically both Snuggerud and Pitlick should come back next year. Moore and Rinzel will only continue to improve and I’m excited for this incoming class of freshman. It sucks right now but let’s remember this, we have a great head coach and staff, great players, and the recruiting pipeline is healthy. We’re all feeling low at the moment but we are so much better off than we were five or six years ago. The future is bright for this program.
SUCKS Brodz missed that 2-1, but doesn't change fact, he set up tying & winning goal on Thursday, set up 1st goal tonight & scored 2nd goal. Brodz & Nelson are the main reason the team made it as far as they did this weekend. And Snuggy DEFINITELY needs another year in college, not having Knies & Cooley on his line clearly exposed holes in his game. Playing 3 years of college didn't exactly hurt Faber as an NHL player…lol
Well that hurts. BU is a very dangerous team, they have a good shot at the championship. Proud of Nelson and Brodz, they left everything on the ice this weekend! Now I’m interested to see what the roster will look like for next season.
next year could be rough, the returning guys are none factors mostly. Might have to look forward to 2025-26 unfortunately
i think this whole board would be perfectly happy if you took next year off from GPL then
I’ll take a break from pleasuring your mom, if you are going to come at me with that attitude. 😂
This was not a three goal game anymore than MN's win at last year's FF was a three goal win. Wicked close games.
BU's D was better than our this year plus they had the X factor with Celibrini while last year MN had Cools and the better D.
“When your best friend is the son of God, you get tired of losing every argument.”
― Christopher Moore, Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
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Well that hurts. BU is a very dangerous team, they have a good shot at the championship. Proud of Nelson and Brodz, they left everything on the ice this weekend! Now I’m interested to see what the roster will look like for next season.
next year could be rough, the returning guys are none factors mostly. Might have to look forward to 2025-26 unfortunately
I get we’re all frustrated but let’s not write off the 2024-25 season on March 30, 2024. That’s crazy.
SUCKS Brodz missed that 2-1, but doesn't change fact, he set up tying & winning goal on Thursday, set up 1st goal tonight & scored 2nd goal. Brodz & Nelson are the main reason the team made it as far as they did this weekend. And Snuggy DEFINITELY needs another year in college, not having Knies & Cooley on his line clearly exposed holes in his game. Playing 3 years of college didn't exactly hurt Faber as an NHL player…lol
Snuggy needs to leave to the NHL for the sake of Gopher fans mental health. I can’t watch him play only when the puck is on his stick anymore.
This team is talented but it feels like they never really gelled. Average at best passing team, defensive breakdowns, dumb plays and penalties all compounded to this end. Hard to be disappointed on the season cause they played mostly well tonight but this is about where they are. Hard to fault Close overall but we needed a next level performance and it wasn’t there but he somehow ended up having a great career after what seemed like a disaster after LaFontaine bailed.
Well that hurts. BU is a very dangerous team, they have a good shot at the championship. Proud of Nelson and Brodz, they left everything on the ice this weekend! Now I’m interested to see what the roster will look like for next season.
next year could be rough, the returning guys are none factors mostly. Might have to look forward to 2025-26 unfortunately
i think this whole board would be perfectly happy if you took next year off from GPL then
Pat The Rat, just this morning, said that next year is gonna be good at worst. Yes, losing some big players, but a lotta young'ns (now with experience) are going to be around.
When you tell somebody somethin', it depends on what part of the United States you're standin' in... as to just how dumb you are.
I am not sure what to think on Snuggerud. It is easy to see a point of view that he should leave college as he doesn't seem to be getting any better. Put him in your minor program and see what you can get out of him.
Either way, it isn't my choice so I will wait and see what happens. I expect it will happen soon.
I would like to give big credit to the "slow motion line" I coined, they were our best line by far to end the year and nelson and brodz deserve a lot of credit. I wouldn't be opposed to koster moving on... Time for bob to step up and grab a top player out the portal.
Well that hurts. BU is a very dangerous team, they have a good shot at the championship. Proud of Nelson and Brodz, they left everything on the ice this weekend! Now I’m interested to see what the roster will look like for next season.
next year could be rough, the returning guys are none factors mostly. Might have to look forward to 2025-26 unfortunately
i think this whole board would be perfectly happy if you took next year off from GPL then
Pat The Rat, just this morning, said that next year is gonna be good at worst. Yes, losing some big players, but a lotta young'ns (now with experience) are going to be around.
experience of not producing?
Nelson and Brodz played their hearts out towards the end of the year. Shame we couldn't get them a title.
You think they're going to have the same year as this year? Yeah, you can leave the bandwagon. More elbow room for me. 😉
When you tell somebody somethin', it depends on what part of the United States you're standin' in... as to just how dumb you are.
Ain't no bad ice. BU beat us.
It can be both. The puck was bouncing nonstop. Nice looking arena and nice cushioned seats but bad ice and about 50 degrees in there.
The bad ice excuse is so lame, is my point. The other team had to play on it, also.
When you tell somebody somethin', it depends on what part of the United States you're standin' in... as to just how dumb you are.
Well that hurts. BU is a very dangerous team, they have a good shot at the championship. Proud of Nelson and Brodz, they left everything on the ice this weekend! Now I’m interested to see what the roster will look like for next season.
next year could be rough, the returning guys are none factors mostly. Might have to look forward to 2025-26 unfortunately
i think this whole board would be perfectly happy if you took next year off from GPL then
Pat The Rat, just this morning, said that next year is gonna be good at worst. Yes, losing some big players, but a lotta young'ns (now with experience) are going to be around.
couldn’t agree more. Could have almost everyone back on D plus add better guys to be the 5/6 or extra, Moore is a year heavier and Clark got his seasoning, the soph/jr classes are solid and should hopefully continue to take the next step and who knows if Bob looks to the portal for some extra scoring punch. This team should be contending for the big again next year and hopefully back to the FF provided they put in the work this offseason. To say otherwise 6 months before the season starts is idiotic
Nelson has to be the team MVP for the season right? He carried them the last 6 weeks --- on a team with multiple high draft picks, to me that is kinda is the season in a nutshell. Wasn't what I expected, and I'm sure it wasn't what the team was expecting in terms of performance, but that's why they play the games. Team never really found its identity.
Interested to see what happens with the roster --- new players next year, and maybe (hopefully) an add or two from the portal.
Younger players will need to elevate their game as well as lower line / pair players. And not to hammer to hard, but Snuggerud looked a lot less ready to play in the NHL than Kneis. Understand he may not be back, but it'll be interesting to track his development.
Props to Close, Brodz, and Nelson - best to all of you in future.
Always hard to end our season with a loss and to hear Wally say . . . "A very pleasant Goooood Evening" one last time cuz you know there isn't going to be another game until next October. Disappointing ending for sure but I'm going to hold out hope for next season with a stronger, wiser group of returning players and hopefully some energetic, exciting freshman that can make an impact to find a way to the team's dream, and every Rube's dream, of another Gopher NCAA Championship. Go Gophers!!!
To Nelly, Closer & the other seniors/grad players who played their final game in maroon & gold -
Close kept them in the game. Snuggerud is by no means ready for the NHL! He totally disappeared since Christmas! Hardly knew when he was on the ice in both games in Sioux Falls. He's got a lot to learn before he gets to the NHL!
Congratulations to the Seniors especially Close & Nelson. They will be missed.
The bad ice excuse is so lame, is my point. The other team had to play on it, also.
Definitely hurt us in some key situations but hard to quantify if it hurt us more. May have caused BU as many or more problems too. But it was definitely bad ice.
Close kept them in the game. Snuggerud is by no means ready for the NHL! He totally disappeared since Christmas! Hardly knew when he was on the ice in both games in Sioux Falls. He's got a lot to learn before he gets to the NHL!
Congratulations to the Seniors especially Close & Nelson. They will be missed.
Close had a rough game overall. 2 really weak goals given up.
Just finished watching after having some family obligations today. If this was a regular season 2-game series, I'd like our chances tomorrow. Enjoyed the ride, and I'm looking forward to next year.
At the start of the season, I had questions about how we'd do after the guys we lost after last season, but I think we did alright given we lost essentially a 1-goal game to a team that could very well win it all this year. I know a lot of attention has been on Snuggerud needing to find rhythm with new line mates, but there was also the impact of our offense no longer being able to practice against Faber, LaCombe, and Johnson among other things, yet we only slipped to 7th in the PWR and was only an open net away from tying up the region final.
I had held hope all season that tBob would continue his now-broken trend of getting us a win closer to the championship each season to #6 at the X, but it wasn't meant to be and we still have a lot to be proud of this season. Let's reload for next season.
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That pretty much sums up those 2 games (& teams) well stated👍This was not a three goal game anymore than MN's win at last year's FF was a three goal win. Wicked close games.
BU's D was better than our this year plus they had the X factor with Celibrini while last year MN had Cools and the better D.
Sadly the difference today was Close. Credit to BU, talented team and they get their revenge.
going to be rough with no answer at goalie next year. Ugh…those soft goals killed us
So, you're writing off Airey after a total of 129 minutes played?
Tact is the ability to step on a man's toes without messing up the shine on his shoes - Harry S Truman
I’ve searched with no success, so asking here: does anyone know if there’s a list somewhere of gopher goalies with the most NCAA tourney win?
Close has 6. I’ve been watching the gophers for 30 years now, and in my recollection that’s the most of anyone over that time (Hauser had 5, I think).
I know Stauber has more than that, but I can’t find the number; I think it’s either 7 or 8.
And I don’t know if anyone else other than Stauber has as many as Close.
Sadly the difference today was Close. Credit to BU, talented team and they get their revenge.
going to be rough with no answer at goalie next year. Ugh…those soft goals killed us
So, you're writing off Airey after a total of 129 minutes played?
I think Airey will be good ...and we need him to be...
Three things I hope for next year:
1) Need to get stronger. Some of it's youth but as a team they often seemed to tire later in games.
2) Get faster on the blue line, bot in speed and decision making. BU and u-mi really exposed this late in the season.
3) Play hungry, you make your own luck & the 'bounces' almost always goes to whoever is hustling more.
“When your best friend is the son of God, you get tired of losing every argument.”
― Christopher Moore, Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
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So, you're writing off Airey after a total of 129 minutes played?
From what I've read he's written off the next 4-6 seasons.
“When your best friend is the son of God, you get tired of losing every argument.”
― Christopher Moore, Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
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We didn’t have three lines or even two. I wonder if Snuggerud is as frustrated as he looks on the ice. Maybe he will escape via transfer portal if the blues don’t pick him up.
it’s amazing how some other players that should stand out look terrible. I do like how all the seniors played and even though Close fumbled they had chances to score, third period was almost entirely in BU zone and they couldn’t get anything. Kudos to coaching staff for shuffling lines any way they can, trying to do something. Seems like we are the team that can’t do anything when they clog the middle. Crash it if you can’t get through it. then end with a scrum in front and jam the puck in. Overall it was a good season, not great. I hope they make something next year with all the talent they have.
Hats off to Brodzinski and Nelson. Incredible performances. Thank you for your 5 years. Leaders.
I thought the Gophers played their tails off. Minus probably 81 and 77. Not Bob’s fault that his horses went missing the last 2 months. It’s a shame that Close had his worst game of the season to end his career.
I can stomach that loss. They played hard. Didn’t cash in on enough chances. Happens.
Also, it isn’t difficult to believe the remaining teams are roughly as good or better as we were. Frustrating season, but a fun one regardless. I’m looking forward to next season.
Goshdamerall anyhow, I just listed my Frozen four tickets for sale. Well there's always next year. Go Gophers.
I was optimistic, but not confident going into the game. Up 2-0, I was then confident we had a shot, and then POOF, BU turned it on.
If there was never a 2 goal lead, I'd feel better about this loss, I guess is what I'm saying. (and don't bother mentioning the cliche about a 2 goal lead 😛 )
When you tell somebody somethin', it depends on what part of the United States you're standin' in... as to just how dumb you are.
At the tiki bar in SF. Ordered a painkiller. Came in a glass shaped like a wierd chicken tiki dude called the “suffering bastard”. 😂
This game played out like last season's game in reverse. It was close all the way and a couple of empty netters made it a lopsided score.
Just once I'd like to see Minnesota be that team that flies a little under the radar and goes on a tear. The last time that happened Herb Brooks was the coach. The Gophers at times are so contemptibly faint-hearted that it's maddening. For the second time in three NCAA games, Minnesota blew a 2-0 lead while their goalie turned in yet another sub-par, post-season performance.
The turning point in the game was the ridiculous goal Close gave up at the end of the first period. That kind of bumbling crap sends a message to your team that they'll need 5 or six goals while the other bench is saying, "This guy is off his game." After BU came out of the period break on a high, Close gave up the backbreaker on another soft goal to Hutson early in the second period. On a night Close needed to be the best player on the ice, he wasn't even the best goalie.
The Nelson line carried the team for the past month and more. Kudos to them, Huglen, and Kurth, who played like it was their last game of the season tonight. Pitlick, Moore, and "Shrug"erud all had their moments this season but disappeared when needed most. Like the game against Q last season, the stars were not out tonight. (Johnny Pohls they ain't.)
The post-season futility continues for the coach. If I'm not mistaken, he got caught with his fourth line on the ice for a couple of BU's goals. Between St. Cloud and Minnesota, it's crazy how little return he's gotten from the talented teams he's brought to the tournament.
Story of a Gophers fan: Good regular-season entertainment but more post-season futility.
At the tiki bar in SF. Ordered a painkiller. Came in a glass shaped like a wierd chicken tiki dude called the “suffering bastard”. 😂
Cheers!
“When your best friend is the son of God, you get tired of losing every argument.”
― Christopher Moore, Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
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At the tiki bar in SF. Ordered a painkiller. Came in a glass shaped like a wierd chicken tiki dude called the “suffering bastard”. 😂
I poured a Blanton's. The drop of water was a tear from my eye for the season ending.
When you tell somebody somethin', it depends on what part of the United States you're standin' in... as to just how dumb you are.
I can stomach that loss. They played hard. Didn’t cash in on enough chances. Happens.
Also, it isn’t difficult to believe the remaining teams are roughly as good or better as we were. Frustrating season, but a fun one regardless. I’m looking forward to next season.
right? I didn't walk away thinking I'd just had my guts pulled out. This team exceeded expectations for me and I thought they played a pretty good game with a couple bad stretches. And you can have bad stretches against great teams. We've all said that all year.
As for the ice, yeah it was shitty. But it was for both teams. Disappointing.
also, neither team took a penalty, only a small handful of offsides, and even icing felt like it was rare. This was a dream of a hockey game as a hockey fan.
Hats off to the seniors. He'll of a run for them. This has been a great stretch for gopher hockey. Came within sniffing distance of three straight frozen fours. And it's extremely commendable to come that close after losing the talent they did. Speaks to how well this team came together, especially after the shaky start we had. I have some disappointments but they're not worth airing. We had a very good season and we went out playing pretty well against a very good team.
I've got a lot of hope for the future with Bob at the helm. He's a brilliant coach.
That's a good way to look at it, but I'm a little salty right now to give you a thumbs up. 😆I can stomach that loss. They played hard. Didn’t cash in on enough chances. Happens.
Also, it isn’t difficult to believe the remaining teams are roughly as good or better as we were. Frustrating season, but a fun one regardless. I’m looking forward to next season.
right? I didn't walk away thinking I'd just had my guts pulled out. This team exceeded expectations for me and I thought they played a pretty good game with a couple bad stretches. And you can have bad stretches against great teams. We've all said that all year.
As for the ice, yeah it was shitty. But it was for both teams. Disappointing.
also, neither team took a penalty, only a small handful of offsides, and even icing felt like it was rare. This was a dream of a hockey game as a hockey fan.
Hats off to the seniors. He'll of a run for them. This has been a great stretch for gopher hockey. Came within sniffing distance of three straight frozen fours. And it's extremely commendable to come that close after losing the talent they did. Speaks to how well this team came together, especially after the shaky start we had. I have some disappointments but they're not worth airing. We had a very good season and we went out playing pretty well against a very good team.
I've got a lot of hope for the future with Bob at the helm. He's a brilliant coach.
Finesse passes just didn’t click that resulted in a lot of turnovers, just off enough to drive me crazy watching. Close? When he let in the first one I worried about him all night, as a team it didn’t really rattle them but the soft goals in big games haunt and it did. They still shoulda won that game, I actually expected more from BU honestly and the only goal I really give anything to BU for is the short side sharp angle that had something actually on it, the others were flukes and their best chances they missed on. Frustrating loss and for what it’s worth I’m not a big fan of pulling the keeper at 2 minutes down 1. 30 seconds too soon imho. I’m looking forward to Airey next year actually, the little I’ve seen him he looks aggressive and athletic and will be just fine.