As always I’ll save grand proclamations til after the series. Still a chance to steal one tomorrow. Get down 1-4-1 and we may be looking at our first sub .500 season since 2009-10. Schedule doesn’t get any easier.
But like I said win tomorrow and we’re all happy. A split was always the goal this weekend with this roster.
If that was their best effort tonight then they just aren’t a good hockey team. This team is a mess. L. Mitts and Lamb were responsible for the first goal, and Thomas was responsible for the second goal. That’s your senior leadership right there. Whipple got completely lost and caught out on the third goal but that’s expected.
There is zero piss and vinegar to this team. They just skate around with zero direction or intent. Breakouts, offensive zone time, and shots are a serious challenge for this squad. Such an uninspiring bunch of hockey players.
"So, who's a fan?"
"Wilson34 has some haterade, with some over-the-top criticism."
"Cross him off, then. He gets the bandwagon treatment."
Seriously, man, that is some HARSH stuff this early.
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.
Even though they lost last Thursday I was pleased with the effort. Not so tonight.
effort wasn’t the problem, but there were some guys who had noticeably bad nights and it ended up in the back of the net nearly every time.
kudos to und they scored on their opps (pps aside) and did what old defensive teams (meaning their d core, not their entire team) do and don't make dumbass mistakes.
Not sure how effort is the takeaway from that game. It’s guy like Gruba fumbling the puck every time he gets it. Or Rombach struggling to skate. McLaughlin consistently out of position. Horrible execution.
Rombach looks like his angles are terrible, but the underlying issue is his skating. He gets beat all the time and finds himself on the wrong side of the puck. That's a cardinal sin for defensemen. Sure, he'll show some improvement this season, but how is he going to improve his skating?
Gruba and Thomas had some bad giveaways, and on a team with no defensive depth, that can't happen.
Minnesota cannot control or skate with the puck. Motzko got dealt a bad hand with last season’s departures, but it's his job to adjust. On this point, he failed.
He moved his chips to the center of the table with young, unproven players when maybe he had a chance to add some experience on the back end. Unless I'm missing something, I doubt this team even gets into the tournament.
All that said, while North Dakota has some talent and experience, they are not elite.
"So, who's a fan?"
"Wilson34 has some haterade, with some over-the-top criticism."
"Cross him off, then. He gets the bandwagon treatment."Seriously, man, that is some HARSH stuff this early.
Some of y’all are way too comfortable accepting mediocrity. You can call it harsh but it’s the truth. I knew the D-core would suck in the summer and they do.
Bob deserves criticism also. He built a team like it’s 2015. For a coach that’s well into the back 9 of his coaching career, you’d think he’d use every tool and resource to his disposal to put a national contender on the ice.
And no, the criticism isn’t too early. They couldn’t get a sweep against a CCHA squad, barely got anything from BC because they couldn’t get a regulation win, and are most likely getting swept by NoDak. If their not careful the season can slip through their fingers real quick.
I’m sure they feel quite frustrated and deflated after that game for several reasons. Pity won’t do any favors however. Take it as a learning experience and show us some grit and grind; the response we see tonight will tell us a lot about this team.
It's 5 games in. How many years have we seen NoDak be mediocre until the break, and then boom, they are in the tourney steamrolling teams?
Yes, there are issues, but I won't over-criticize nor write the team off.
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.
The thing that concerned me the most last night was watching upperclassman make boneheaded mistakes. When our team is this young, especially the D corps, we can’t have that.
Also, and we saw this against BC, finish your chances.
One thing I thought that stood out in person last night is that the gophers seemed to still have jump on the forecheck and on pucks that shouldn’t have been 50/50 pucks. I think to say they have no heart and gave up is such a lazy comment. Another bounce to go the gophers way early and that could have been a way different game and the mood on here would be way different with a few posters not saying anything.
@northerngopher218 There are games when the whole team looks gassed and mails it in. As you noted, last night wasn't one of them.
At this point in the season, the Gophers have managed to hit that balance of not quite enough talent mixed with inexperienced players who are unsure and worried about making mistakes. There's lots of choppy play, poor passing, futile zone exits, and puck fumbling.
They've had some juggernaut teams the past several years that have played a cupcake preseason schedule. Considering the squad they have, they picked a helluva year to throw down the gauntlet.
One thing I thought that stood out in person last night is that the gophers seemed to still have jump on the forecheck and on pucks that shouldn’t have been 50/50 pucks. I think to say they have no heart and gave up is such a lazy comment. Another bounce to go the gophers way early and that could have been a way different game and the mood on here would be way different with a few posters not saying anything.
Who said they have no heart? Your conflating effort with heart. You can’t honestly say that the Gophers were going to get back in it when they went down 3-2.
We must’ve been watching two different games. The only thing they did well last night was icing the puck. Let’s hope they show a little intestinal fortitude tonight.
One thing I thought that stood out in person last night is that the gophers seemed to still have jump on the forecheck and on pucks that shouldn’t have been 50/50 pucks. I think to say they have no heart and gave up is such a lazy comment. Another bounce to go the gophers way early and that could have been a way different game and the mood on here would be way different with a few posters not saying anything.
1000% this. we don't get a ping pong goal that bounces off a skate and gets thrown in or a bone headed Cal Thomas play and we walk out of the 1st 2-0 and that's a WILDLY different game (and this is in spite of having to kill 3 penalties). 2nd period was overall reasonably even again despite the penalty differential.
That the xG is 3.2-1.7 with UND getting 4 extra PPs. It's not like UND was getting a shooting gallery from the slot all night and Airey stood on his head to keep us in it while we got massively outskated, outefforted, and outwilled is just really unfair to the guys
Unfortunately Airey playing that a puck behind the net instead of leaving it caused a direct turnover that lead to the puck being in the back of the net 5 seconds later to give UND a 3-2 lead. I would be willing to bet a lot of money that Luca is in net tonight.
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I have no idea why Motzko (and Lucia back in the day) thinks it’s a good idea for the D to just throw the puck off the glass to try and get a fast break which never happens. That’s not the only reason they don’t have much possession but it’s by far one of the most easily correctable things they could fix.We just do not possess the puck enough. When we do get control, no one is skating open and we just give the puck away. We did have a lot of penalties, but it was because we were a step slow and out of position, reaching with the stick.
Admittedly I missed the third yesterday, my buddy wanted to go to a sports bar that forgot and then couldn’t figure out how to get the game on one of their 20 something’s TVs while a NASCAR rerun was playing on one 😆. I kinda figured I wasn’t missing much. Curious which goalie we see tonight and hope the gophers can bring their A game like they did in game 2 vs BC.
Even though they lost last Thursday I was pleased with the effort. Not so tonight.
what was wrong with their effort?
You thought they fought hard enough to compete for a W tonight beyond the first half of the game?
Do you think the team is going to half ass it in a Gopher/UND rivalry sell out game? It’s an easy excuse for when the reality is they have a weaker roster.
This team played the absolute best hockey they possibly could last Friday and tied 2-2 without having the puck most of the third period. As much as I wish it was as easy as Motzko telling them to try harder it’s pretty obvious this team isn’t all that offensively gifted.
This team played the absolute best hockey they possibly could last Friday and tied 2-2 without having the puck most of the third period. As much as I wish it was as easy as Motzko telling them to try harder it’s pretty obvious this team isn’t all that offensively gifted.I have no idea why Motzko (and Lucia back in the day) thinks it’s a good idea for the D to just throw the puck off the glass to try and get a fast break which never happens. That’s not the only reason they don’t have much possession but it’s by far one of the most easily correctable things they could fix.We just do not possess the puck enough. When we do get control, no one is skating open and we just give the puck away. We did have a lot of penalties, but it was because we were a step slow and out of position, reaching with the stick.
Admittedly I missed the third yesterday, my buddy wanted to go to a sports bar that forgot and then couldn’t figure out how to get the game on one of their 20 something’s TVs while a NASCAR rerun was playing on one 😆. I kinda figured I wasn’t missing much. Curious which goalie we see tonight and hope the gophers can bring their A game like they did in game 2 vs BC.
Even though they lost last Thursday I was pleased with the effort. Not so tonight.
what was wrong with their effort?
You thought they fought hard enough to compete for a W tonight beyond the first half of the game?
Do you think the team is going to half ass it in a Gopher/UND rivalry sell out game? It’s an easy excuse for when the reality is they have a weaker roster.
they are a young team with very little college experience
Aloha!
I get that but even the good teams inexplicably threw the puck around way more than they should. I think we’re seeing what a Motzko team looks like when the recruiting finally misses a beat and it isn’t pretty.
I would also assume Luca gets the net tonight. Need him to step up big time and hopefully he gets more support from his team in front of him.
Bucci loves himself, Hockey East, and Gavin Mckenna...Starman loves UND all the time.BUCCI loves UND all the time.
Well Starman's now with the New York Rangers.
Next you're going to tell me Jake from State Farm is a guy!
He has an office in Brainerd, Minnesota.
If I subscribe to NCHC.tv for a day pass, will I have access to the full replay immediately after the game? Can I rewind the game?
There's a chance I will miss the game but was hoping to have a way to watch it afterward (or rewind it during the game)... Anyone with a subscription have any insight?
If you start the game while the broadcast is still going (and there is a good bit of postgame) you can scrub back and watch from the beginning.
No idea how quickly they get the game archived after the stream ends, could be anywhere from 1-10 hours.
Time for Mooney to stop being so unselfish and take some extra shots tonight. He is really fun to watch! Hopefully the Gophers come away with a big win tonight!
Time for Mooney to stop being so unselfish and take some extra shots tonight. He is really fun to watch! Hopefully the Gophers come away with a big win tonight!
the whole team could use with shooting the puck more. We scored 2 pretty rush goals. We need to start scoring some grit goals as well
McLaughlin has been so bad that he is scratched for Begley and Rud. Still makes no sense.
https://twitter.com/gopherhockey/status/1979653717541425318?s=46&t=UtlPiq7Vt1Te97QT76L7LQ
Usually I want the refs to call a tighter game because we’re the team getting mauled and there are no calls. But tonight I hope they put their whistles away a bit so we can actually play hockey.
Is McLaughlin injured or is Bob sending him a message?
Assuming just a message being sent. Sometimes it’s good to watch a game from the press box and reset. I’d assume he’ll be back in the lineup vs Duluth, as he should. He’s got a much higher ceiling than Rud/Begley.
Let’s Goooooooo!!
I expect all-out effort tonight. 🤞🤞
Go Gophers!!
It's embarrassing that we are in a spot where Begley is in the lineup as a roster decision.
Ludtke 1-0, PPG.
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TIC-TAC-TOE!!!!!!!
And yeah that is EXACTLY what you do to a running PK
Thank God we scored on the PPG, otherwise I was going to whine about what looked like interference just before the goal... 😆 🤔
Shots rough early but everything is from the outside for UND which is good
Verhoeff 1-1.
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This teams puck luck is complete shit
Jesus, Clark needs to find a way to find the twine and get this monkey off his back.
Was the NoDak goal as weird as it sounded on the radio (heard it on my way home)
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 don't know anything about the tactics of hockey, so maybe I'm way off base, but is the positioning and skating/movement of the Gophers atrocious? I feel like every time I look, they have five players against the boards ten feet away from each other, or when they have possession deep in the zone, the other forward is skating away from the net, etc. Then on top of that they seem to just hold the puck way, way too long.
Am I just flat out wrong here?
Was the NoDak goal as weird as it sounded on the radio (heard it on my way home)
flung point shot that goes off whipples skate trying to block it
Was the NoDak goal as weird as it sounded on the radio (heard it on my way home)
It was just unclear if and by what it was deflected, which is why there was confusion as to whose goal it was. The official stats just changed it (to Verhoeff).
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Based on how the nchc refs are calling this, the nchc is going to be unwatchable this year
End of 1, tied at 1.
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Refs desperate to be the most important people on the ice again tonight
it’s unacceptable for Rombach to get bumped off pucks by a UND player 3” to 6” shorter than him on 3 separate occasions all in one shift
Should be 5. Lifted his elbow
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.
Classless thug move by Strinden, clear intent, refs should have sent him to the showers.
If he didn't so obviously lift his elbow, I could see 2. BUT....BUT....
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.