The 12 days isn’t ideal either (I assume they do this mainly for tv purposes) but at least everyone is on equal footing of time between games. The big ten format just solely affects the top seed due to not having an 8th in the conference.I'm getting tired of the rust angle. I wonder if constantly talking about it impacts the psyche of the players, to the point where they start subconsciously buying into the theory that time off is harmful. But with that said, get it into the heads of every man on that roster to play with fire from the first drop of the puck every game from here on out. You're the best team in the freaking country - go out, play like a boss and own your opponent.
The rust angle is tiresome and annoying. He needs to stop talking about it.
I agree. We will have twelve days off between the regional and the frozen four if we win the regional. Do we have to change that format too? Should we have intentionally started losing in January to avoid the bye week? Just deal with a bye.
As for the interview he’s not wrong and I think he’s lobbying for the interests of the program. I can kinda see why it rubs ppl the wrong way but ultimately I think his point is that the best is yet to come as they play more frequently, especially the guys who have been hurt like LaCombe. Either way it would be nice to see this team play to their capabilities in this regional and prove Bob’s theory correct.
Just one common opponent between the Gophers and Canisius. Penn State, as part of their Murderer's Row non-con schedule, swept them (5-2; 7-5) back in October.
Canisius coach is probably digging out the Holy Cross video to show his squad how to beat a top rated Gopher team. Play great team D, pack it in at the blue line and D zone to keep the Gophers to the outside, then hope for great goaltending and no penalties etc...
The Gophers will probably have to chip pucks in deep and get the ground game going hard in this game. I would be surprised if they try to skate with us. Getting a lead obviously is huge playing a team like this.
Canisius coach is probably digging out the Holy Cross video from Fargo to show his squad how to beat a top rated Gopher team. Play great team D, pack it in at the blue line and D zone to keep the Gophers to the outside, then hope for great goaltending and no penalties etc...
The Gophers will probably have to chip pucks in deep and get the ground game going hard in this game. I would be surprised if they try to skate with us. Getting a lead obviously is huge playing a team like this.
Good....let them waste prep time trying to figure out how to stop Irman, Kessel, Stoa, Potulny, et. al. ?
I had forgotten Ben Gordon was on the '06 team, I suspect he will impart some wisdom this week about complacency.
“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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Looks like their winning percentage is the same on big ice vs NHL size rink. They were 9-3-1 (.731) on NHL sized rink and 17-6 (.739)on the bigger rinks.6 of the Gophers 9 losses were on the big sheet believe it or not. The Gophers are 9-3-1 (10 wins counting Bemidji) on an NHL sheet.
I was there in 1976, 1979 and 2002.
Just one common opponent between the Gophers and Canisius. Penn State, as part of their Murderer's Row non-con schedule, swept them (5-2; 7-5) back in October.
If you look at the Canisuis schedule, they were pretty awful to start the year. They played much better in the second half. Part of that is playing weaker opponents in the second half. They are probably a confident group coming in.
Looks like their winning percentage is the same on big ice vs NHL size rink. They were 9-3-1 (.731) on NHL sized rink and 17-6 (.739)on the bigger rinks.6 of the Gophers 9 losses were on the big sheet believe it or not. The Gophers are 9-3-1 (10 wins counting Bemidji) on an NHL sheet.
I feel like the last couple of years we've played better on NHL rinks, just by the eye test. Especially if you consider those are all road games.
The team has been an absolute weapon coming off of a loss. They’ll be ready.
I agree they seem better on small rinks. Speed is still speed, and they seem to use their size more.
The just need to show up and play two solid games. If they do that, they'll be going to Tampa, and it doesn't matter who they play saturday. Heck even the lackluster effort against Michigan was almost enough last weekend. And no disrespect to Mankato or St.Cloud but they ain't exactly Michigan.
The D needs to keep things clear in front of Close and not allow any opposing forwards to mull around the net. Can this D be physical enough during close games when scoring chances are at a premium?
Will we see all 7 defenseman get regular playing time this weekend?
I don't normally enjoy a lot of the ECH stuff they put out but their bracket breakdown is pretty good and has a lot of stats. Here's what they say about Canisius and allowing lots of shots is not going to end up good for them.
#16 - CANISIUS GOLDEN GRIFFINS
Record: 20-18-3, 13-10-3 conference record
Conference Finish: 4th in Atlantic Hockey standings, won conference championship against Holy Cross
Goals/Game: 2.8 (T-30th in NCAA)
Goals Against/Game: 2.7 (T-25th)
Shots For, Against/Game: 27.4 for, 32.2 against (T-44th, 47th)
Power Play: 22.6% (15th)
Penalty Kill: 79.7% (37th)
Top Scorer: Keaton Mastrodonato, Senior, Forward (16 G, 20 A, 36 P in 41 GP)
Top Goalie: Jacob Barczewski, Senior (16-14-1, 2.43 GAA, .925 SV% in 31 GP)
Biggest X-Factor: Weathering the Storm
The Golden Griffins rank T-44th in shots per game (27.4) and 47th in shots allowed per game (32.2 against) this season. They're the 15th-worst team in the country in Corsi, dead last among tournament teams.
Now Canisius has to survive against some of the best possession teams in the country in the Fargo regional. First up is Minnesota (#15 in Corsi), who's scoring 4.1 goals per game and is outshooting opponents on an average of 32.8 to 28.4 shots per game this year. If they beat the Golden Gophers, a potential matchup against the #1 puck possession team in the country, Minnesota State, could be next.
If there's any chance for the #16 seed this season, it's hope in senior goaltender Jacob Barczewski. He is riding an eight-game streak of allowing two goals or less, including three shutouts. Barczewski is 6-2-0 in that span. If he can continue his hot postseason play into the NCAA tournament it gives the Golden Griffins a better chance at surviving a barrage of shots.
Why They Can Win It All: Why Not?
This might come off as a little sarcastic, but it can be applied to any of the 16 teams in the tournament this season. Yes, Canisius has to play the #1 overall seed Minnesota in the first round, but it can be argued that every single team will have a tough opening-round matchup.
There is also some recent historical data to back up the last overall seed, one of which happened at a Fargo regional. In 2019, American International beat #1 overall seed St. Cloud State 2-1 at Scheels Arena. The Huskies lost the year prior as the #1 overall seed 4-1 to Air Force.
The Gophers have also suffered a handful of upsets since their last championship in 2002-03. In 2006, they famously lost to Holy Cross 3-2 in OT at the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, ND. That was the first ever #1 overall seed upset since the bracket expanded to 16 teams. In 2013 they were the #2 overall seed and lost to Yale 3-2 OT, who eventually went on to win the NCAA Championship that season. They lost as a #1 seed again in 2017, again by a score of 3-2 to Notre Dame.
Long story short, crazier things have happened. Canisius was good enough to win the Atlantic Hockey postseason tournament and have won seven of their last nine games. The Griffs also had Head Coach Trevor Large on the Pucks in Deep podcast last weekend, who has arguably the most intimidating Elite Prospects photo the world has ever seen from a bench boss. This team should not be overlooked.
https://www.echlocker.com/blog/echs-comprehensive-guide-to-the-2023-mens-ncaa-tournament
Incorrect. The Gophers were the #2 overall seed due to losing the WCHA 3rd place game to WisconSIN, who got the #1 seed and faces the #16 Beavers.That was the first ever #1 overall seed upset since the bracket expanded to 16 teams.
(Yes, I know you're just quoting some else's article, that correction isn't aimed at you 
)
B1G refs... corrupt, or just incompetent?
Will we see all 7 defenseman get regular playing time this weekend?
We should until the second half of Saturday’s game.
Looks like some tickets are available on Ticketmaster right now:
Add another thing for some to complain about. Half the Gopher fans will complain about Clymer and all of the SCSU/Kato fans will say Clymer is biased ?
https://twitter.com/GopherPuckLive/status/1638250098336362529
I'm 50% factual and 50% sarcastic. When you get to know me, you will know which is which.
And I'll be celebrating the fact that any game I am watching on TV/app will have someone other than Clymer, as I'll be at the games he's involved with.Add another thing for some to complain about. Half the Gopher fans will complain about Clymer and all of the SCSU/Kato fans will say Clymer is biased
B1G refs... corrupt, or just incompetent?
Will we see all 7 defenseman get regular playing time this weekend?
I would hope so. We’ll barely need a 4th line with all the extra TV timeouts in the NCAAs.
Roxy Bernstein is great at college basketball. Can't say I've ever heard him do hockey so that could be interesting.
Scheels Arena was Aaron Huglen’s home rink for three years in juniors. Wonder if he pops a few this weekend.
The Fargo regional is almost like a Mariucci classic tournament. If the Gopher's play their game, they will be fine. Go Gophers!
Scheels Arena was Aaron Huglen’s home rink for three years in juniors. Wonder if he pops a few this weekend.
if he does, we'll be seeing the team in Tampa. Depth scoring has been an issue at times for this team. Need someone from the 2nd/3rd lines to do some scoring this weekend.
I am looking for a way to stream the games as we don’t have cable. Is anyone aware of a way to pay for the individual games or is that not an option with ESPN?
I don’t know about that but a free trial for YouTube tv will get you all the games and it’s really easy to set up.
Not certain about "all the games" as it's only a 5 day free trial and after that $79 and some odd . . .
Not knowing what to do, they do what they know . . .
Knowing what to do, they sometime don't do it . . .
The 26th year of the Gopher Men's Hockey Profile got to be too much for this ol' codger to handle . . . what with all of the possible activity on the transfer portal . . . . So, I'm closing it down at the 25th year . . .
Scheels Arena was Aaron Huglen’s home rink for three years in juniors. Wonder if he pops a few this weekend.
if he does, we'll be seeing the team in Tampa. Depth scoring has been an issue at times for this team. Need someone from the 2nd/3rd lines to do some scoring this weekend.
Pitlick-Huglen-Kurth line has scored a goal in every single game dating back to the Wisconsin series. Keep it up.
We average 4 goals a game. Our recipe seems to be 2 goals from the hot shots, one from either the 2nd or the 3rd line, and a miscellaneous goal (defenseman, PP goal, rare 4th line goal).
If the big line got going that would be huge. 1 goal from Nelson and 1 from Nevers in the second half so far.
I am looking for a way to stream the games as we don’t have cable. Is anyone aware of a way to pay for the individual games or is that not an option with ESPN?
I don’t know about that but a free trial for YouTube tv will get you all the games and it’s really easy to set up.
Not certain about "all the games" as it's only a 5 day free trial and after that $79 and some odd . . .
FuboTV has a 7 day free trial and has all the ESPNS. I guess if a person was desperate to watch the games for free you could do one trial of Youtube tv and one of fubotv.
Surprises me a bit with Nelson. With his large frame and reach he could park himself in front of the net and feast on the scraps around the smaller D.
Nevers went through a stretch earlier in the season where it looked like he was really coming into his own but he's sure gone quiet scoring wise.Scheels Arena was Aaron Huglen’s home rink for three years in juniors. Wonder if he pops a few this weekend.
if he does, we'll be seeing the team in Tampa. Depth scoring has been an issue at times for this team. Need someone from the 2nd/3rd lines to do some scoring this weekend.
If the big line got going that would be huge. 1 goal from Nelson and 1 from Nevers in the second half so far.
Shoot more and good things will happen. This team is stacked, it will be fun to watch. Go Gophers!
Nevers went through a stretch earlier in the season where it looked like he was really coming into his own but he's sure gone quiet scoring wise.Scheels Arena was Aaron Huglen’s home rink for three years in juniors. Wonder if he pops a few this weekend.
if he does, we'll be seeing the team in Tampa. Depth scoring has been an issue at times for this team. Need someone from the 2nd/3rd lines to do some scoring this weekend.
If the big line got going that would be huge. 1 goal from Nelson and 1 from Nevers in the second half so far.
Scoring wise yes but I’ve LOVED his overall game this year. Such a heady crafty player.
I'm 50% factual and 50% sarcastic. When you get to know me, you will know which is which.
Gophers have an eerily consistent pattern of losing then going on a 4 game win streak this year. Sometimes it’s 3 games, sometimes it’s 5 games but it’s pretty consistent. Lose win 4, lose win 4, lose win 4. I’m sure you all know where I’m going with this…
Here is Canisius video.
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Gophers have an eerily consistent pattern of losing then going on a 4 game win streak this year. Sometimes it’s 3 games, sometimes it’s 5 games but it’s pretty consistent. Lose win 4, lose win 4, lose win 4. I’m sure you all know where I’m going with this…
sounds like a great plan to me
Gophers will stomp Canisius, and whoever wins between St. Cloud and Mankato. Pretty much like a hometown Culvers sweep! Go Gophers 
I had a dream this Gophers team would finish the season with single-digit losses.
Watching the pressers, I'd have to say the boys seem to be kinda where they need to be. I feel that the loss to Michigan was probably good in the long run. It wasn't their best effort and they know it. This group has played well in hostile buildings all year and last year in the regionals. Who cares if theirs green people in the stands.
As far as Canisius, they seem to be a confident group. They kinda danced around the fact that while playing well they haven't faced a team anywhere near the caliber of the Gophers. But hey what were they gonna say? I suspect they'll be ready. Interestingly they mentioned starting slow as a problem for them. If they do that, it'll probably be very bad for them. If we get going early it's over. That said it's a one and done, so the boys can't take anything for granted.
If it was a coaches hair game the Gophers get curb stomped. Days like this I miss tDon. ?
Jokes aside....the Canisius players and coach hit on the key for them: Hope. The Gophers need to take away hope and do it early.
“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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Good to see the Gophers brought reps from their homeless College Bowl team and its coach Maynard James Keenan. 5D chess.
I'm 50% factual and 50% sarcastic. When you get to know me, you will know which is which.
Canisius finished 4th in the Atlantic. Usually the winner of AHA is an underdog but this year takes it to a whole new level.
Leave no doubt. Go Gophers!!
From a recent email:
GOPHER FAN GATHERING |
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Heading to Fargo for Regionals? Stop by Brewtus' Brickhouse before heading to Scheels Arena for a get-together with other Gopher Fans! Doors open at 10:00 A.M.
635 32nd Ave W, West Fargo, ND 58078
(0.8 Miles from Scheels Arena - 16 min walk)
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Safe travels to you Gopher fans making the trek to Fargo - have fun & be loud! Wish I could be there but I’ll have to settle watching from work!
Go Gophs!
The rink size success discussion….I feel is very evident with the discussion about getting the Nelson line contributing. 24 and 22 in particular will be much more effective on the smaller rink than on a big sheet (particularly when matched up with a fast/skilled team like Michigan).
we all know that for the team to make a run that line needs to contribute some scoring. I’m hopeful that they’re able to find success starting tonight and keep up momentum from there.
let’s go boys! You got this.
I don't see any live events on the deuce before MN's 8PM game so I will avoid this embarrassing scene.....
“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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It's going to be a long next 12 plus hrs... LoL!!!
SKI-U-MAH...
GO GOPHERS!!!
Keep your stick on the ice...
I'm taking off work early to watch the afternoon\early evening games.
Love this time of year! Go Gophers!!