@boninthebear I'd love him over tanner Ludtke
I don’t think Ludtke is going to play a huge role on the team. He was going to get cut, but the big guns on the team think he is a great teammate and they saved him on roster.
@boninthebear I'd love him over tanner Ludtke
I don’t think Ludtke is going to play a huge role on the team. He was going to get cut, but the big guns on the team think he is a great teammate and they saved him on roster.
I’ll echo what others have said. I hope he finds his form again. It sounds like when he was a freshman at UNO, before injury jacked up his sophomore year, he was a hell of a player. IF he can get back there he’ll be a huge asset to the team and could even be your #1 center. I remember how excited everyone was last year when we picked him up in the transfer portal. But unfortunately this past year we only saw flashes of that old player. The poor guy was clearly not 100% for much of the past season, which led to his confidence declining as the season went on, and which then led to his poor performance on the ice. The lowest might have been against Michigan at home when he gifted wrapped the OT winner to the Wolverines right on our blue line. This is not to dump on the poor kid. My point is we just don’t know which player we’re going to get. Hopefully he can find his form and confidence again and it’s the former.
@boninthebear I'd love him over tanner Ludtke
I don’t think Ludtke is going to play a huge role on the team. He was going to get cut, but the big guns on the team think he is a great teammate and they saved him on roster.
if that's the case then you absolutely need another center coming in. There is room for 2 players given Harris is still tentatively rostered and there is the question of what we're doing with Nevers. I'll be surprised if they do that, but also a little disappointed if they're not pushing to land some of the remaining 1st round talent out there and you adjust the pipeline as needed. Conversely, I guess Larson could just go with this group, but then this idea that Ludtke is not going to play a big role goes entirely out the window
Sr: Ludtke (C)
Jr: Burnevik (W), Ziemer (W), Hendrickson (W), Harris (W)
So: Mooney (W/C), Moe (W/C), Humphreys (W/C), Pritchard (W), Moore (W), Townsend (W)
Confirmed Fr: W Cullen (W), B Cullen (C/W)
Projected: Jacob Kvasnicka (W), Jackson Nevers (C/W)
@boninthebear I'd love him over tanner Ludtke
I don’t think Ludtke is going to play a huge role on the team. He was going to get cut, but the big guns on the team think he is a great teammate and they saved him on roster.
What are you basing this on? Genuinely curious. There’s a player still there I believe, and right up to the final game he stayed on PP1, regular PKer, never got healthy scratched or stuck on the 4th line.
The lowest might have been against Michigan at home when he gifted wrapped the OT winner to the Wolverines right on our blue line.
Ironically he made up for it 1:1 by scoring that GWG @ Yost. Maybe even >1:1 since a road win in regulation is worth more than a home win in OT.
Think it might’ve been his only 5v5 goal all year too
Projected: Jacob Kvasnicka
Has Kvasnicka not signed his NLI yet? 😬
Kvasnicka signed his NLI long ago. He will be here.
Kvasnicka signed his NLI long ago. He will be here.
i agree. Just always will say projected until the whites of their eyes are seen on campus, especially in today's college hockey
@boninthebear I'd love him over tanner Ludtke
I don’t think Ludtke is going to play a huge role on the team. He was going to get cut, but the big guns on the team think he is a great teammate and they saved him on roster.
What are you basing this on? Genuinely curious. There’s a player still there I believe, and right up to the final game he stayed on PP1, regular PKer, never got healthy scratched or stuck on the 4th line.
New coaching staff has different opinions. And it came from someone with direct knowledge of team/players.
New coaching staff has different opinions.
Their different opinions better also involve finding another addition to the lineup otherwise they won't exactly have the luxury of tucking him away
That quote is open ended enough that it could mean a lot of different things but at the very least they shouldn't be depending on him to play center barring a massive improvement over last season.New coaching staff has different opinions.
Their different opinions better also involve finding another addition to the lineup otherwise they won't exactly have the luxury of tucking him away
Still nothing official... But I just do not see Phillips on the team this coming season.
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I still thinks it's premature to write Ludtke off because of 1 subpar season playing on a team that underperformed across the board. He was 8th on the team for PPG and 2 players ahead of him are gone. Were the offseason additions so strong we can assume he'll be jettisoned?
But I just do not see Phillips on the team this coming season.
I don't see how he's even close to ready for the college game when he's spent the entirety of his year sitting in the box.
But I just do not see Phillips on the team this coming season.
I don't see how he's even close to ready for the college game when he's spent the entirety of his year sitting in the box.
I would bet he plays in Canada this fall.
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Morality Police
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I think ideally Ludtke is like a third line winger or something, I don't think he needs to be a healthy scratch or anything that extreme.
Falloon ends up at Union
Falloon ends up at Union
As with all former players, wish him well. Did not work out here but change of scenery can do wonders.
I think it is telling that Nathan Airey has not found a home. Sounds like me saying he was the worst goalie in the big 10 wasn't far off.
I think it is telling that Nathan Airey has not found a home. Sounds like me saying he was the worst goalie in the big 10 wasn't far off.
I still remember arguing (irl) that it didn’t matter Airey had technically won more games at the halfway mark of season before last one; anybody who knew puck could see that Souliere was the guy for us. Probably by the end of the Duluth series last year (2024-25)
I mean even Barto and Brennan f’kin Boynton found new D1 homes right away. I think Boynton’s small sample of stats were way worse than Airey’s on paper too
I think it is telling that Nathan Airey has not found a home. Sounds like me saying he was the worst goalie in the big 10 wasn't far off.
I still remember arguing (irl) that it didn’t matter Airey had technically won more games at the halfway mark of season before last one; anybody who knew puck could see that Souliere was the guy for us. Probably by the end of the Duluth series last year (2024-25)
I mean even Barto and Brennan f’kin Boynton found new D1 homes right away. I think Boynton’s small sample of stats were way worse than Airey’s on paper too
Obviously Airey did not work out here. He came in with an injury and really did not get any traction. I have been called out for being a "relative" of Airey, but truth be told I'm just not a fan of some of the savage takes some fans on here have towards some of the players. None of these young men want to suck, and I'm sure they all tried to give their best. Can't we just wish the young man well on his future journey? He is married, and maybe he put his name in the portal to find the right fit and if that doesn't happen, he will finish his education elsewhere and start his post hockey life career. He was an honor student and never made the paper because of trouble. I wish all of the players who left the program the best in their personal life, but when they play against us, I will root against their new team. Now, back to closing my chapter of the Airey Fan Club and sending out the rest of his autographed photos.
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I think it is telling that Nathan Airey has not found a home. Sounds like me saying he was the worst goalie in the big 10 wasn't far off.
I still remember arguing (irl) that it didn’t matter Airey had technically won more games at the halfway mark of season before last one; anybody who knew puck could see that Souliere was the guy for us. Probably by the end of the Duluth series last year (2024-25)
I mean even Barto and Brennan f’kin Boynton found new D1 homes right away. I think Boynton’s small sample of stats were way worse than Airey’s on paper too
Obviously Airey did not work out here. He came in with an injury and really did not get any traction. I have been called out for being a "relative" of Airey, but truth be told I'm just not a fan of some of the savage takes some fans on here have towards some of the players. None of these young men want to suck, and I'm sure they all tried to give their best. Can't we just wish the young man well on his future journey? He is married, and maybe he put his name in the portal to find the right fit and if that doesn't happen, he will finish his education elsewhere and start his post hockey life career. He was an honor student and never made the paper because of trouble. I wish all of the players who left the program the best in their personal life, but when they play against us, I will root against their new team. Now, back to closing my chapter of the Airey Fan Club and sending out the rest of his autographed photos.
100% this. He entered early as a grad transfer. I would envision if the hockey part worked out, he'd say great and if not he's probably ready to start moving on with his life.
For those saying worst in the B10, unsure if you just don't watch other teams or what but there are multiple guys who started multiple games who posted negative CHIP scores in the B10
@upnorthkid he was the worst goalie in the conference among guys who played consistently.
@upnorthkid he was the worst goalie in the conference among guys who played consistently.
Airey played in 13 games
Pulver (WI) played in 12
Hillebrandt (OSU) played in 14
Airey: 3-7-1 .888, 3.38GAA, 301 saves
Pulver: 3-5, .867, 3.79GAA, 209 saves
Hillebrandt: 4-8, .87, 3.76GAA, 321 saves
Oddly enough both of those teams finished ahead of us in the standings and were better than us this year. both of them finished negative in CHIP. But sure man.
Airey's sample goes beyond just last year. I wish the guy the best and goalie is a tough position, I definitely sympathize alongside any goalie who struggles. That said IDK how many B1G goalies there were with 35+ starts and a sub .900 sv%, I wouldn't be surprised if PSU or Wisconsin had a guy like that but he definitely was on the lower end of goalies in the conference.
I think Motzko did an ok job with goalies but I'd like to see some improvement there under the new staff. LaFontaine had one really good year, I wasn't super excited about getting Souliere but he was decent for a good stretch of that season, Close was good but it seemed like Michigan's goalie outplayed him in every big game where they faced off. I do think Luca was a good get so credit where it's due there.
@upnorthkid he was the worst goalie in the conference among guys who played consistently.
Airey played in 13 games
Pulver (WI) played in 12
Hillebrandt (OSU) played in 14
Airey: 3-7-1 .888, 3.38GAA, 301 saves
Pulver: 3-5, .867, 3.79GAA, 209 saves
Hillebrandt: 4-8, .87, 3.76GAA, 321 saves
he def wasn’t the worst goalie in B1G - he wasn’t even the “worst” goalie on his own team. If he was, Zach Wiese would have more than 1 career start to his name
but some part of me just can’t get over that 1 shot Airey faced (and didn’t save) in the regional fiasco vs UMass. I really thought that squad was going on a deep run for Snuggy’s last year.
Close was good but it seemed like Michigan's goalie outplayed him in every big game where they faced off
maybe Bob should’ve started Barto in the 2023 B1G title game. It was odd that it still happened again in 2024 when Michigan had the Canisius transfer in net, the same one that we lit up 9-2 in Fargo.
@upnorthkid he was the worst goalie in the conference among guys who played consistently.
Airey played in 13 games
Pulver (WI) played in 12
Hillebrandt (OSU) played in 14
Airey: 3-7-1 .888, 3.38GAA, 301 saves
Pulver: 3-5, .867, 3.79GAA, 209 saves
Hillebrandt: 4-8, .87, 3.76GAA, 321 saves
he def wasn’t the worst goalie in B1G - he wasn’t even the “worst” goalie on his own team. If he was, Zach Wiese would have more than 1 career start to his name
but some part of me just can’t get over that 1 shot Airey faced (and didn’t save) in the regional fiasco vs UMass. I really thought that squad was going on a deep run for Snuggy’s last year.
did not seem like a guy who got better when the lights got bright. Being in that spot though, that was some major effing BS
Airey's sample goes beyond just last year. I wish the guy the best and goalie is a tough position, I definitely sympathize alongside any goalie who struggles. That said IDK how many B1G goalies there were with 35+ starts and a sub .900 sv%, I wouldn't be surprised if PSU or Wisconsin had a guy like that but he definitely was on the lower end of goalies in the conference.
I think Motzko did an ok job with goalies but I'd like to see some improvement there under the new staff. LaFontaine had one really good year, I wasn't super excited about getting Souliere but he was decent for a good stretch of that season, Close was good but it seemed like Michigan's goalie outplayed him in every big game where they faced off. I do think Luca was a good get so credit where it's due there.
tough part of that stat is going to be the quality of team in front of you in the B10, which is really only going to leave you WI, PSU, and ND as teams who have been subpar long enough
24-25 Michigan had Stein who was real meh over 23 starts
Eberly was really meh for OSU last year as well after being really good prior.
Souliere while at PSU I think gets pretty close to sub .900 but that's likely more a commentary on the style they played and roster in front of him
Scarfone who was really good at RIT was real meh in his year at Wisco
That's always gonna be true with that stat but Airey didn't exactly have subpar defense in front of him other than last year, a year where LDP wasn't sub .900. I'm not looking to trash Airey and I wish him the best, hopefully he can have a good final year somewhere.
That's always gonna be true with that stat but Airey didn't exactly have subpar defense in front of him other than last year, a year where LDP wasn't sub .900. I'm not looking to trash Airey and I wish him the best, hopefully he can have a good final year somewhere.
yeah was more meaning some decent goalies with rough save %s and vice versa (McClellan at Wisco was really good his last year at Wisco behind a good team, and pretty awful his 1st year on a bad Wisco team) and to stay sub 90% typically requires either spot starting/backup play or multiple years splitting (typically means you're not very good) or that you're good enough your team is winning and you're not replaced.
Airey is a mediocre at best goalie. Worst goalie in the B10, I'd say not and the stats would agree. He wasn't going to get better and it was the right decision for both parties to move on
@trixr4kids I didn't think Motzko was good at much TBH. He had 2 good recruiting classes and that was it. Did a great job at St cloud but it never translated unfortunately.
@trixr4kids I didn't think Motzko was good at much TBH. He had 2 good recruiting classes and that was it. Did a great job at St cloud but it never translated unfortunately.
Yep, 3 conference titles, 1 conference playoff title and 5 straight NCAA's in 8 years.. 7 1st team All Americans, 3 2nd team All Americans. He sucked...
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@frozen4champs he did. Compare that with Lucia or Brooks. Heck even Wooger better.
Compare that with Lucia
I mean, Lucia’s teams were very good at under achieving and in the end he bowed out in the same fashion Berry just did at UND. Was it as hard as Bob? No, but there wasn’t as drastic of a recruiting landscape change at the end of Lucia’s tenure. Bob just simply let the game leave him behind, that will happen with an older coach who’s on the down swing.
Lucia experienced the recruiting change (teams getting older) somewhere after like 2007 and his program struggled in terms of consistency in the period after. There was definitely a lack of consistency in the recruiting and team success post 2007 but he bought a lot of time with the back to backs and that resurgence period of 2011-2015.
With Motzko I think he had a good but not great run and he/the U moved on at the right time and hopefully Larson can move the program beyond that. A national championship would be huge but even just winning a conference tourney at home would be a step in the right direction.
I don’t know exactly how history will look back on Motzko’s tenure but two positives will always stick out to me. One, bringing back the excitement around the program and bringing the crowds back to Mariucci. Two, it wasn’t always dominant or anything but 2021-2025 was a fun stretch. Obviously peaking during the 2022-23 season. I recognize that there were frustrating moments in that time but it was fun hockey with a lot of success. Just wish we could have won that natty and it would have been fun to win at least one of those two B1G championship games against Michigan. But hopefully Larson came in at the right time, can fix what needs to be fixed, build on the positives, and start collecting some banners. If that happens, I think as time goes on fans will look back fondly overall on the Motzko era and appreciate him being a bridge from the end of the Lucia era to what is hopefully a very successful Larson era.
Motzko did a fantastic job. The end of the Lucia era was lethargic at best. Basically how people treat the Twins now. Although Bob didn't close the deal, and it's none of my business, but I will always wonder how his families life changing event affected his passion for the game.
And maybe it was none, I don't know, but I'll always be thankful he brought life back to the barn and the program despite this year's disaster.
I'll always be thankful he brought life back to the barn and the program
Can’t emphasize this enough.
I was a senior at the U in 2020-21. At that time, it had been 3 years of missing the NCAAs, 6 years since we had last made a regional final. I had gotten used to Penn State and UND destroying us at Mariucci.
So when Bob rattled off 10 straight wins to start that goofy Covid year, we were ranked #1 in the country for like 10 weeks total that year, and then we crushed Wisconsin/Cole Caufield to win the B1G playoff title- you could feel on campus, it was genuinely electric. Faber put up 5 assists in the regional semi vs. Omaha (tying Gino Guyer’s/the all-time record for assists in a single NCAA tourney game) and it was like this is what Gopher hockey was supposed to be. Rather than the malaise that had set in the entire back half of the 2010s.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24131129/gallery_image.JPG "Hey_Sioux_Suck")
I'll always be thankful he brought life back to the barn and the program
Can’t emphasize this enough.
I was a senior at the U in 2020-21. At that time, it had been 3 years of missing the NCAAs, 6 years since we had last made a regional final. I had gotten used to Penn State and UND destroying us at Mariucci.
So when Bob rattled off 10 straight wins to start that goofy Covid year, we were ranked #1 in the country for like 10 weeks total that year, and then we crushed Wisconsin/Cole Caufield to win the B1G playoff title- you could feel on campus, it was genuinely electric. Faber put up 5 assists in the regional semi vs. Omaha (tying Gino Guyer’s/the all-time record for assists in a single NCAA tourney game) and it was like this is what Gopher hockey was supposed to be. Rather than the malaise that had set in the entire back half of the 2010s.
My favorite moment from that B1G tournament title win was after the final at Compton, when Red Berenson handed out the team trophy and the tournament MVP award as the acting B1G hockey commissioner. He had to hand the MVP trophy to Jack LaFontaine, the same goalie he cut and sent back to juniors two years prior at Michigan.
I don’t know exactly how history will look back on Motzko’s tenure but two positives will always stick out to me. One, bringing back the excitement around the program and bringing the crowds back to Mariucci. Two, it wasn’t always dominant or anything but 2021-2025 was a fun stretch. Obviously peaking during the 2022-23 season. I recognize that there were frustrating moments in that time but it was fun hockey with a lot of success.
This accurately describes my feelings about Motzko. It was a great stretch, and he did help bring the enthusiasm back to Mariucci.
I was cautiously optimistic about Motzko but noted at the time of his hiring that he was always the bridesmaid and never the bride. That wasn't meant as a criticism but rather a simple fact. Failing to win the big one shouldn't be hung entirely on the coach, but he did have a troubling history of putting together talented teams with one thing in common: they came up short. The best (and worst) example of this was, of course, the '23 Gophers, a team with five top NHL regulars along with high-end college talent.
Motzko had to go, but I don't have any idea about this new coach and what he can bring to the table. I'll give him credit for severing ties with players who weren't cutting it (we're not friends here, this is a business), but we'll see from here how he builds out this roster in the new age of college hockey. Getting to the NCAAs this season would be an important first step, but that will take a lot coming out of the brutal Big 10 conference.
Yeah I'll also give Larson (and the AD) credit for assembling a good group around him, the assistants seem solid and having Cullen as a GM should help. I don't get the idea that any of these assistants is a lame duck like some of the ones we've seen over the years.
I don’t know exactly how history will look back on Motzko’s tenure but two positives will always stick out to me. One, bringing back the excitement around the program and bringing the crowds back to Mariucci. Two, it wasn’t always dominant or anything but 2021-2025 was a fun stretch. Obviously peaking during the 2022-23 season. I recognize that there were frustrating moments in that time but it was fun hockey with a lot of success.
This accurately describes my feelings about Motzko. It was a great stretch, and he did help bring the enthusiasm back to Mariucci.
I was cautiously optimistic about Motzko but noted at the time of his hiring that he was always the bridesmaid and never the bride. That wasn't meant as a criticism but rather a simple fact. Failing to win the big one shouldn't be hung entirely on the coach, but he did have a troubling history of putting together talented teams with one thing in common: they came up short. The best (and worst) example of this was, of course, the '23 Gophers, a team with five top NHL regulars along with high-end college talent.
Motzko had to go, but I don't have any idea about this new coach and what he can bring to the table. I'll give him credit for severing ties with players who weren't cutting it (we're not friends here, this is a business), but we'll see from here how he builds out this roster in the new age of college hockey. Getting to the NCAAs this season would be an important first step, but that will take a lot coming out of the brutal Big 10 conference.
he won the gold medal at the WJC in 2017. 99% of teams come up short every year, including every one of these BC, BU and Michigan teams everyone thought was an unbeatable wagon as well.
Some guys get lucky (even if you're the most talented, everyone needs some amount of luck every single year) and finish one. Lots of really great college (and pro) coaches who have never won a title at any level they've been a HC. Hakstol would be another recent example and he's never won any title. Berry got to take over at UND and won one in his first year and then progressively made UND look worse and worse. Some guys get the joy of being allowed to keep on coaching for seemingly forever. Berenson for all his success and resources only ever won twice in 33 seasons.
there's a lot of stock put into winning that final game of the year and I get it, but I don't see why that becomes so heavily the focus people take on it in a 1 and done environment, especially in a comparatively low-event sport like hockey
I don’t know exactly how history will look back on Motzko’s tenure but two positives will always stick out to me. One, bringing back the excitement around the program and bringing the crowds back to Mariucci. Two, it wasn’t always dominant or anything but 2021-2025 was a fun stretch. Obviously peaking during the 2022-23 season. I recognize that there were frustrating moments in that time but it was fun hockey with a lot of success.
This accurately describes my feelings about Motzko. It was a great stretch, and he did help bring the enthusiasm back to Mariucci.
I was cautiously optimistic about Motzko but noted at the time of his hiring that he was always the bridesmaid and never the bride. That wasn't meant as a criticism but rather a simple fact. Failing to win the big one shouldn't be hung entirely on the coach, but he did have a troubling history of putting together talented teams with one thing in common: they came up short. The best (and worst) example of this was, of course, the '23 Gophers, a team with five top NHL regulars along with high-end college talent.
Motzko had to go, but I don't have any idea about this new coach and what he can bring to the table. I'll give him credit for severing ties with players who weren't cutting it (we're not friends here, this is a business), but we'll see from here how he builds out this roster in the new age of college hockey. Getting to the NCAAs this season would be an important first step, but that will take a lot coming out of the brutal Big 10 conference.
he won the gold medal at the WJC in 2017. 99% of teams come up short every year, including every one of these BC, BU and Michigan teams everyone thought was an unbeatable wagon as well.
Some guys get lucky (even if you're the most talented, everyone needs some amount of luck every single year) and finish one. Lots of really great college (and pro) coaches who have never won a title at any level they've been a HC. Hakstol would be another recent example and he's never won any title. Berry got to take over at UND and won one in his first year and then progressively made UND look worse and worse. Some guys get the joy of being allowed to keep on coaching for seemingly forever. Berenson for all his success and resources only ever won twice in 33 seasons.
there's a lot of stock put into winning that final game of the year and I get it, but I don't see why that becomes so heavily the focus people take on it in a 1 and done environment, especially in a comparatively low-event sport like hockey
Yeah, it's not like I think he's a terrible coach. It's just that whenever I see him, my facial tics return as a result of sitting in seat 11, twenty rows up from the GWG during the 10 second overtime in Tampa, FL in April 2023.
I don’t know exactly how history will look back on Motzko’s tenure but two positives will always stick out to me. One, bringing back the excitement around the program and bringing the crowds back to Mariucci. Two, it wasn’t always dominant or anything but 2021-2025 was a fun stretch. Obviously peaking during the 2022-23 season. I recognize that there were frustrating moments in that time but it was fun hockey with a lot of success.
This accurately describes my feelings about Motzko. It was a great stretch, and he did help bring the enthusiasm back to Mariucci.
I was cautiously optimistic about Motzko but noted at the time of his hiring that he was always the bridesmaid and never the bride. That wasn't meant as a criticism but rather a simple fact. Failing to win the big one shouldn't be hung entirely on the coach, but he did have a troubling history of putting together talented teams with one thing in common: they came up short. The best (and worst) example of this was, of course, the '23 Gophers, a team with five top NHL regulars along with high-end college talent.
Motzko had to go, but I don't have any idea about this new coach and what he can bring to the table. I'll give him credit for severing ties with players who weren't cutting it (we're not friends here, this is a business), but we'll see from here how he builds out this roster in the new age of college hockey. Getting to the NCAAs this season would be an important first step, but that will take a lot coming out of the brutal Big 10 conference.
he won the gold medal at the WJC in 2017. 99% of teams come up short every year, including every one of these BC, BU and Michigan teams everyone thought was an unbeatable wagon as well.
Some guys get lucky (even if you're the most talented, everyone needs some amount of luck every single year) and finish one. Lots of really great college (and pro) coaches who have never won a title at any level they've been a HC. Hakstol would be another recent example and he's never won any title. Berry got to take over at UND and won one in his first year and then progressively made UND look worse and worse. Some guys get the joy of being allowed to keep on coaching for seemingly forever. Berenson for all his success and resources only ever won twice in 33 seasons.
there's a lot of stock put into winning that final game of the year and I get it, but I don't see why that becomes so heavily the focus people take on it in a 1 and done environment, especially in a comparatively low-event sport like hockey
Yeah, it's not like I think he's a terrible coach. It's just that whenever I see him, my facial tics return as a result of sitting in seat 11, twenty rows up from the GWG during the 10 second overtime in Tampa, FL in April 2023.
yup know that feeling as well after spending the prior hour and change with horrific anxiety watching what was unfolding leading to that moment
Yeah without belaboring the Q game again all I'll say is that I probably would look at it in a completely different light if the team played anywhere near its A game instead of whatever the hell it was doing half of that game. To a lesser extent that was kinda true against Michigan as well those 3 years in a row that they lost to them (or we got out goaltended/out post-kicked). For the most part I'll remember the Motzko era fondly because it was definitely a step up in terms of consistency from the Lucia era, at least up until last year. That said it kinda got to a point where I felt like we saw the peak and weren't going to return to it anytime soon under Motzko, him being close to retirement age made that decision easy.
Another thing I'll say is that I understand why people thought Motzko deserved another chance given that it was only one bad year but I'm really glad he and the AD saw the bigger picture. Not only because of the dip in recruiting and the changes to the NCAA (that made Bob's decision easier, he clearly had enough) but because I really did not want to see another four year period like the end of the Lucia era. That has to be the most apathetic I was toward the program in my time as a fan.
@trixr4kids I didn't think Motzko was good at much TBH. He had 2 good recruiting classes and that was it. Did a great job at St cloud but it never translated unfortunately.
I think an underappreciated moment of the Motzko tenure was losing 3 of his best players to the 2022 Olympics, and reacting to it with an undefeated February to put themselves in the driver's seat for a B1G title...
I think an underappreciated moment of the Motzko tenure was losing 3 of his best players to the 2022 Olympics, and reacting to it with an undefeated February to put themselves in the driver's seat for a B1G title...
That 8-0 beatdown on Wisco after we had already locked up the B1G title is my favorite moment from Bob’s tenure.
A close second is the semifinal vs. BU in Tampa, which is still the most complete and dialed-in 60min game that I’ve ever seen any team play. We looked unstoppable that afternoon, and I appreciate the BU full game tape way more knowing how the next game ended
Another thing in the plus column for Motzko was how he got the Alumni reengaged. That seemed to be missing under Don.
Here’s a stat for those who maybe don’t fully appreciate the bulk of the Motzko era (2020-2025). Before this past season, the 2020’s were actually on pace to be the second best decade in modern program history in terms of win%:
80’s - .709
20’s (pre 2025-26) - .670
00’s - .652
90’s - .632
10’s - .604
50’s - .579
70’s - .577
60’s - .527