Rud got walked on one of Sparty's goals. Woof.
That was brutal, and IMO, cost the Gophers a win in regulation.
I wasn't specifically watching for it, but I'm pretty sure he never saw the ice after that, either.
I hate ragging on Freshman but that was absolutely brutal. Your one job as a 7th defenseman is to not be a liability and give the other 6 D a shift here and there to rest up. He got caught fishing and got absolutely walked by a MSU dman. I was keeping track and he didn’t see the ice the rest of the way.
If you only see 3-4 shifts a game and still find a way to be -1 then you’re forcing your coaches hand to not play you.
Freshman shouldn’t be above criticism. The defenseman on this team are a serious liability. Koster got his pocket picked that resulted in Michigan State’s first goal yesterday, and Chelsey gets “walked” multiple times a game.
With the offense looking like it’s starting to click, the defenseman will decide how far this team goes this year.
Rud got walked on one of Sparty's goals. Woof.
That was brutal, and IMO, cost the Gophers a win in regulation.
I wasn't specifically watching for it, but I'm pretty sure he never saw the ice after that, either.
I hate ragging on Freshman but that was absolutely brutal. Your one job as a 7th defenseman is to not be a liability and give the other 6 D a shift here and there to rest up. He got caught fishing and got absolutely walked by a MSU dman. I was keeping track and he didn’t see the ice the rest of the way.
If you only see 3-4 shifts a game and still find a way to be -1 then you’re forcing your coaches hand to not play you.
Freshman shouldn’t be above criticism. The defenseman on this team are a serious liability. Koster got his pocket picked that resulted in Michigan State’s first goal yesterday, and Chelsey gets “walked” multiple times a game.
With the offense looking like it’s starting to click, the defenseman will decide how far this team goes this year.
They've definitely had a rough start, but sometimes a defenseman loses a battle in the corner or behind the net. It happens with regularity. (They do need to clean it up, though, I agree.)
The Gopher forwards are a little too much toes-forward sometimes, making the faulty assumption that their teammate is coming away with the puck. This leaves the area in front of the net wide open, and Sparty had way too many point-blank shots--and goals--this weekend. (#24 is a more honest player in the defensive zone, often helping to rub an opponent off the puck.)
The Gophers have enough talent and speed to play better defense and score when they get opportunities. They can't give up 5 or 6 goals to State or even St. Thomas and expect the game to go their way.
Minnesota had a 5-3 lead yesterday with 4 minutes left in the game. That game should be a W for a team that knows how to play defense. Instead, they gave up a goal to a defenseman on the rush and created their own turnover in the offensive zone with less than 40 seconds left.
Rud got walked on one of Sparty's goals. Woof.
That was brutal, and IMO, cost the Gophers a win in regulation.
I wasn't specifically watching for it, but I'm pretty sure he never saw the ice after that, either.
Sorry if this is blunt, but barring injuries he shouldn’t touch the ice at all again.
Agreed but Begley is the other alternative. This team is hurting badly for defensive depth and that is a recruiting issue. For this program, Fish should really be our extra defenseman and the fact that he plays everyday is evidence of the down recruiting year we had.
Agreed but Begley is the other alternative. This team is hurting badly for defensive depth and that is a recruiting issue. For this program, Fish should really be our extra defenseman and the fact that he plays everyday is evidence of the down recruiting year we had.
Exactly. Zero reason to be playing 7 defenseman when the 6th defenseman should already have a very short leash.
Agreed but Begley is the other alternative. This team is hurting badly for defensive depth and that is a recruiting issue. For this program, Fish should really be our extra defenseman and the fact that he plays everyday is evidence of the down recruiting year we had.
I actually don’t mind Fish as a senior getting time.
Koster-Chesley
Mittelstadt-Rinzel
Thomas-Fish
is a solid group but nothing like last year obviously
Freshmen D always take some lumps, the talent seems to be there they just need to be a little more locked in and gain experience at this level. Which they won’t on the bench. We’ll see, I feel like I’m hockey teams start playing a little less loose as the year goes on so hopefully they clean that stuff up and improve in the second half (or before break would be preferable).
Agreed but Begley is the other alternative. This team is hurting badly for defensive depth and that is a recruiting issue. For this program, Fish should really be our extra defenseman and the fact that he plays everyday is evidence of the down recruiting year we had.
I actually don’t mind Fish as a senior getting time.
Koster-Chesley
Mittelstadt-Rinzel
Thomas-Fish
is a solid group but nothing like last year obviously
I get what both of you are saying. On paper those six look great. 4 out of 6 played in a national championship game. But it hasn’t translated to the ice this year. The defense is making the same mistakes week in week out. What’s the point of watching film if those mistakes aren’t getting corrected?
If the defenseman continue to play like they have the rest of the year Bob will receive criticism. Bob’s reluctance to accept the new world order of the transfer portal doesn’t help his cause.
We have heard Motzko has softened on NIL so I'd imagine he is starting to embrace the new realities of collegiate sports. Recruiting will always be the lifeblood of a program but leaving spots open to augment the roster via the portal may be the new normal.
We have heard Motzko has softened on NIL so I'd imagine he is starting to embrace the new realities of collegiate sports. Recruiting will always be the lifeblood of a program but leaving spots open to augment the roster via the portal may be the new normal.
Well, this weekend and MSU + WI overall should tell him what he needs to know. Just look at the top of the B1G standings.
We have heard Motzko has softened on NIL so I'd imagine he is starting to embrace the new realities of collegiate sports. Recruiting will always be the lifeblood of a program but leaving spots open to augment the roster via the portal may be the new normal.
Well, this weekend and MSU + WI overall should tell him what he needs to know. Just look at the top of the B1G standings.
Absolutely but they were also rebuilding rosters and not returning key contributors from a Frozen Four team. Given both teams recruiting efforts, guessing they emphasize it over portal while still utilizing portal.
We have heard Motzko has softened on NIL so I'd imagine he is starting to embrace the new realities of collegiate sports. Recruiting will always be the lifeblood of a program but leaving spots open to augment the roster via the portal may be the new normal.
I think a lot of our struggles early this year have stemmed from losing the three workhorses on the backend who covered up so many situations like what happened in the last minute against Michigan State on Sunday with ease. Logan signing last minute cannot be overlooked here either, as they had to plug that spot with a D3 player vs a higher end portal guy.
That said I'd rather work through these shortcomings now and be ready to play a more responsible game come March and April.
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GPL's Resident Cabin Enthusiast & Cadets Hockey Fan
It's not EA sports. Recruiting to fill talent that has 5 players getting significant time in the NHL isn't cut and paste, and Cooley departing late didn't help timing wise for going to the portal.
It's not EA sports. Recruiting to fill talent that has 5 players getting significant time in the NHL isn't cut and paste, and Cooley departing late didn't help timing wise for going to the portal.
The departure of Cooley and Knies is irrelevant to the conversation that has been going on this page. We have been talking about the defenseman and their below average play this season.
No one is asking or expecting Bob to go full on “Deion Sanders” in the portal, but going to get 2 upperclassmen defenseman this past offseason is not a crazy ask.
Well two cents that were not asked for. Maybe four or five cents. Nelson, Brodz, Nevers line was absolutely the best line all series. In my opinion not even a question. I will be the first to smack #22 for stupid plays, which there are some. Sorry but #24 RARELY makes a mental mistake and is finally getting rewarded for being a solid player. SUPER UNDERRATED. We would be competely screwed without him and his unselfish play. Huglen was outstanding every time he touched the ice, Pitlick is INSANE on the forecheck and penalty kill (LOVE HIM), and Oliver Moore is escalating his game each time. Love Clark and Lamb. What is not to love. Close is absolutely giving us a chance in EVERY game. Defense whoof. Koster is really good, make no mistake but he is being forced to cover for other mistakes. Chesley, many , ohh so many turnovers but has great potential. Rinzel, awesome, but still a freshman learning freshman lessons. Others, come on. Defense. PLAY DEFENSE?. Nelson is saving us in SOOO many situations where he is the center back and taking the puck up ice. Huglen is fantastic on each end. Others and their forwardl lines time to step up. Game is not played in one end.
The thing about the Farm Kid is when he exits the zone, he keeps possession of the puck with his long stride and long stick. He is not the fastest player, but is creating a ton of chances and hopefully the pucks that have hit the posts will start going in.
I'm 50% factual and 50% sarcastic. When you get to know me, you will know which is which.
Agreed but Begley is the other alternative. This team is hurting badly for defensive depth and that is a recruiting issue. For this program, Fish should really be our extra defenseman and the fact that he plays everyday is evidence of the down recruiting year we had.
I actually don’t mind Fish as a senior getting time.
Koster-Chesley
Mittelstadt-Rinzel
Thomas-Fish
is a solid group but nothing like last year obviously
I get what both of you are saying. On paper those six look great. 4 out of 6 played in a national championship game. But it hasn’t translated to the ice this year. The defense is making the same mistakes week in week out. What’s the point of watching film if those mistakes aren’t getting corrected?
If the defenseman continue to play like they have the rest of the year Bob will receive criticism. Bob’s reluctance to accept the new world order of the transfer portal doesn’t help his cause.
Last year’s team made it to the ship with a team of zero transfers. It can be done either way, transfers or recruits. I don’t think Bob refusing to use the portal is the story here. His recruiting classes are routinely very good.
Agreed but Begley is the other alternative. This team is hurting badly for defensive depth and that is a recruiting issue. For this program, Fish should really be our extra defenseman and the fact that he plays everyday is evidence of the down recruiting year we had.
I actually don’t mind Fish as a senior getting time.
Koster-Chesley
Mittelstadt-Rinzel
Thomas-Fish
is a solid group but nothing like last year obviously
I get what both of you are saying. On paper those six look great. 4 out of 6 played in a national championship game. But it hasn’t translated to the ice this year. The defense is making the same mistakes week in week out. What’s the point of watching film if those mistakes aren’t getting corrected?
If the defenseman continue to play like they have the rest of the year Bob will receive criticism. Bob’s reluctance to accept the new world order of the transfer portal doesn’t help his cause.
Last year’s team made it to the ship with a team of zero transfers. It can be done either way, transfers or recruits. I don’t think Bob refusing to use the portal is the story here. His recruiting classes are routinely very good.
?
The Gophers have given up 2.6 goals per game this season which is 15th out of 64 teams. They've done this against the 5th hardest schedule. Their defense is awful just awful. ?
Hold on. I know the defense did not have a great weekend and has been up and down since the start of the season but there’s still plenty of positives. Also, some of these goals are the defenseman’s fault. Rud getting walked was really tough to watch. But at least three of the late goals the team gave up this weekend between Friday and Sunday were goals in our own zone that the whole team needs to be better about eliminating. Also, people have mentioned Koster, Rinzel, and Chesley but I personally think the most reliable and steady member of our D corps so far this season has been Thomas. I was critical of him at times last year and a little skeptical going into this season but he has been a rock back there and I have been very impressed. He almost always makes the right decision, knows when he can push, and never gets flustered. He’s a defenseman’s defenseman and very underrated IMO.
Thomas isn’t the problem. When mostly nobody is talking about you as a defenseman, that’s usually a good thing.
It's really hard to develop players if you don't let them playRud got walked on one of Sparty's goals. Woof.
That was brutal, and IMO, cost the Gophers a win in regulation.
I wasn't specifically watching for it, but I'm pretty sure he never saw the ice after that, either.
Sorry if this is blunt, but barring injuries he shouldn’t touch the ice at all again.
It's really hard to develop players if you don't let them playRud got walked on one of Sparty's goals. Woof.
That was brutal, and IMO, cost the Gophers a win in regulation.
I wasn't specifically watching for it, but I'm pretty sure he never saw the ice after that, either.
Sorry if this is blunt, but barring injuries he shouldn’t touch the ice at all again.
Yes, I normally agree with you. However, I think each case is different in the transfer portal era. Especially when you’re Minnesota (a good program that can attract seasoned players). Rud isn’t a blue chip recruit that you need to be worried about losing.
The same things being said about Rud and Begley this year were said about Thomas last season.It's really hard to develop players if you don't let them playRud got walked on one of Sparty's goals. Woof.
That was brutal, and IMO, cost the Gophers a win in regulation.
I wasn't specifically watching for it, but I'm pretty sure he never saw the ice after that, either.
Sorry if this is blunt, but barring injuries he shouldn’t touch the ice at all again.
Yes, I normally agree with you. However, I think each case is different in the transfer portal era. Especially when you’re Minnesota (a good program that can attract seasoned players). Rud isn’t a blue chip recruit that you need to be worried about losing.
I don't really understand why you would bring up the transfer portal when discussing playing time for this season?
Transfer portal? Talk about transfer portal?
Agreed but Begley is the other alternative. This team is hurting badly for defensive depth and that is a recruiting issue. For this program, Fish should really be our extra defenseman and the fact that he plays everyday is evidence of the down recruiting year we had.
I actually don’t mind Fish as a senior getting time.
Koster-Chesley
Mittelstadt-Rinzel
Thomas-Fish
is a solid group but nothing like last year obviously
I get what both of you are saying. On paper those six look great. 4 out of 6 played in a national championship game. But it hasn’t translated to the ice this year. The defense is making the same mistakes week in week out. What’s the point of watching film if those mistakes aren’t getting corrected?
If the defenseman continue to play like they have the rest of the year Bob will receive criticism. Bob’s reluctance to accept the new world order of the transfer portal doesn’t help his cause.
Last year’s team made it to the ship with a team of zero transfers. It can be done either way, transfers or recruits. I don’t think Bob refusing to use the portal is the story here. His recruiting classes are routinely very good.
Come on now. We all know why portal adds didn’t happen last year. It’s all about roster construction, and what a team needs on a season by season basis.
The same things being said about Rud and Begley this year were said about Thomas last season.It's really hard to develop players if you don't let them playRud got walked on one of Sparty's goals. Woof.
That was brutal, and IMO, cost the Gophers a win in regulation.
I wasn't specifically watching for it, but I'm pretty sure he never saw the ice after that, either.
Sorry if this is blunt, but barring injuries he shouldn’t touch the ice at all again.
Yes, I normally agree with you. However, I think each case is different in the transfer portal era. Especially when you’re Minnesota (a good program that can attract seasoned players). Rud isn’t a blue chip recruit that you need to be worried about losing.
I don't really understand why you would bring up the transfer portal when discussing playing time for this season?
When you say develop, are you trying to develop Rud/Begley for this season or next season? Cause I think winning games now is pretty important also.
Both. For this team to get to where they want to be in April, they're going to need at least 6 quality defensemen. That means that at least one of Rud, Begley, Fish is going to have to develop into that level of a player for the Gophers to have a complete d-core. Until at least one of those guys becomes that player, all three should continue to play.The same things being said about Rud and Begley this year were said about Thomas last season.It's really hard to develop players if you don't let them playRud got walked on one of Sparty's goals. Woof.
That was brutal, and IMO, cost the Gophers a win in regulation.
I wasn't specifically watching for it, but I'm pretty sure he never saw the ice after that, either.
Sorry if this is blunt, but barring injuries he shouldn’t touch the ice at all again.
Yes, I normally agree with you. However, I think each case is different in the transfer portal era. Especially when you’re Minnesota (a good program that can attract seasoned players). Rud isn’t a blue chip recruit that you need to be worried about losing.
I don't really understand why you would bring up the transfer portal when discussing playing time for this season?
When you say develop, are you trying to develop Rud/Begley for this season or next season? Cause I think winning games now is pretty important also.
Last year at this time people were complaining about Thomas and how Staudacher should be playing instead. By the time the playoffs rolled around Thomas was a better than Staudacher and now has 3 more years to get even better. Imagine the d-core this year if Thomas had started his sophomore year with 10 games or less of experience. Winning games now is certainly important, but you can't lose sight of the future either. Especially when doing something like benching Rud for the rest of the season, doesn't really gain you anything.
The same things being said about Rud and Begley this year were said about Thomas last season.It's really hard to develop players if you don't let them playRud got walked on one of Sparty's goals. Woof.
That was brutal, and IMO, cost the Gophers a win in regulation.
I wasn't specifically watching for it, but I'm pretty sure he never saw the ice after that, either.
Sorry if this is blunt, but barring injuries he shouldn’t touch the ice at all again.
Yes, I normally agree with you. However, I think each case is different in the transfer portal era. Especially when you’re Minnesota (a good program that can attract seasoned players). Rud isn’t a blue chip recruit that you need to be worried about losing.
I don't really understand why you would bring up the transfer portal when discussing playing time for this season?
When you say develop, are you trying to develop Rud/Begley for this season or next season? Cause I think winning games now is pretty important also.
What exactly has been so awful about the results so far? I'm not saying there's no room for improvement, but they're 7-4-3 not 4-7-3.
Agreed, we know this D core is young and if you want them to improve and be better by season end you need to play them and get them experience. I also don’t think the skill difference between Fish/Rud/Begley is ginormous so you ideally have all of them ready to play, especially on the chance that injury strikes again. A lot of these mistakes are correctable and not going to improve if people get benched long term.
Fish is head and shoulders above Rud and Begley at the moment, as he should be as a senior compared to freshmen, at least in my eyes.
The same things being said about Rud and Begley this year were said about Thomas last season.It's really hard to develop players if you don't let them playRud got walked on one of Sparty's goals. Woof.
That was brutal, and IMO, cost the Gophers a win in regulation.
I wasn't specifically watching for it, but I'm pretty sure he never saw the ice after that, either.
Sorry if this is blunt, but barring injuries he shouldn’t touch the ice at all again.
Yes, I normally agree with you. However, I think each case is different in the transfer portal era. Especially when you’re Minnesota (a good program that can attract seasoned players). Rud isn’t a blue chip recruit that you need to be worried about losing.
I don't really understand why you would bring up the transfer portal when discussing playing time for this season?
When you say develop, are you trying to develop Rud/Begley for this season or next season? Cause I think winning games now is pretty important also.
What exactly has been so awful about the results so far? I'm not saying there's no room for improvement, but they're 7-4-3 not 4-7-3.
agreed. Last year's team also started 7-4 and included a scare against Lindenwood, a late loss against an instate team (Mankato), and a split versus UND before they went on a tear and won 10 of the next 11. I could understand the hand wringing if we were 4-7-3, but this schedule has had no "cupcakes" thus far with Duluth at 47 and now fully in freefall being by far the worst
I guess the difference between last year and this year is last year I watched the early games and thought they could turn out to be great which they were. This year, I get the impression that this is about what this team is and there is not the same upside. Hope I am wrong but I am not sensing this will be a special year.
The same things being said about Rud and Begley this year were said about Thomas last season.It's really hard to develop players if you don't let them playRud got walked on one of Sparty's goals. Woof.
That was brutal, and IMO, cost the Gophers a win in regulation.
I wasn't specifically watching for it, but I'm pretty sure he never saw the ice after that, either.
Sorry if this is blunt, but barring injuries he shouldn’t touch the ice at all again.
Yes, I normally agree with you. However, I think each case is different in the transfer portal era. Especially when you’re Minnesota (a good program that can attract seasoned players). Rud isn’t a blue chip recruit that you need to be worried about losing.
I don't really understand why you would bring up the transfer portal when discussing playing time for this season?
When you say develop, are you trying to develop Rud/Begley for this season or next season? Cause I think winning games now is pretty important also.
What exactly has been so awful about the results so far? I'm not saying there's no room for improvement, but they're 7-4-3 not 4-7-3.
Nothing is awful about their record at all. Quite frankly, I am very high on this team in general. On the flip side, they’re sitting at 12 in the pairwise and every game matters.
I have always pushed back on playing more than 6 defenseman. Especially when I have a hard time believing they are going to kick Fish to the side as a senior and leader of the team. So, IMO I’d roll with those 6.
When it comes to development, I’d argue every case is different. With Gruba and Whipple coming in next season, I’d argue Rud/Begley might be “depth” players at Minnesota, making their development is maybe a little less important. I could be totally wrong; I guess we will see how it plays out.
I don’t want to argue anymore, Bob knows what he is doing and I’ll trust the staff.