That was a fun game with a Gopher dominant crowd. It didn’t seem like there were any nerves in the building from the players or the fans, and that confidence manifested on the ice through a very controlled game.
Totally worth the same-day 10 hour round trip.
If I didn't know it was in Fargo, if I was just some rube flipping through and turned it on, I would have thought the game was on the U campus. It was really impressive and really loud. Every time SCCC fans started their chants they got drowned out quickly and Gopher goals were met with loud cheers! The LaCombe goal was so loud it actually jolted me awake!
And I will repeat, there is no way the SCCC goalie was better than Close or deserved the nod over him. I get you need to name an SCCC player but shutting out an AARP team should not be enough to jump a goalie who outplayed you thoroughly in the Region Final. Close is starting to remind me of Weber in 2003, who everyone kind of ignores and takes it personally in a good way.
Peart was everywhere, I’m eager to see what becomes of him after another year at least. The Wild have to intention of signing him now.
I was particularly impressed with his ability to handle the puck in tight spaces while facing a strong forecheck. He also has excellent vision. Would be cool to see him & Faber paired together for the Wild someday down the road. I’d expect Peart to play one more year at St Cloud before signing (based on his age).
Peart and Faber can be the next Brodin-Spurgeon for the next decade. Pretty cool that they’re MN kids too.
I am always a little hesitant to project where players land after making the move from NCAA to the NHL, especially defensemen but both these guys seem to have the tools to be high end assets for the Wild.
Watching back some of the game this morning. That was an egregious non call on Lamb with 5 minutes left. He was literally dragged down and tripped in front of the net on a scoring opportunity. Officiating was sub par at best yesterday.
Yeah that was pretty ridiculous. I try to never have beef with officials but when they completely change how they call a game every period that annoys me. Outside of the miss on Nevers being necktied I had little issue with the refs in the first two periods but the third was awful.
I didn’t really disagree with any of the calls against us but it didn’t seem like the same standard applied when Lamb got 2 handed among other non-calls. At least the gophers got the PP at the end which basically ensured the win but that second period was especially annoying.
We were seated at the top row (drink rail) for the games. I decided to stand for the third period on Friday, which obviously turned out well. So I decided I have to stand for the StCloud game. I sat down for the 1st intermission and forgot to stand when the period started. St Cloud scored their goal and I was still sitting. I then jumped up and stood for the rest of the game. The rest is history.
I am still waiting for confirmation from the team that there is a spot on the plane to Tampa as the team’s Superstition Coordinator.
Loved tBob's quote about Cooley and saying he will improve next year at the U (wink wink)
Both Knies (interference) and Cooley’s penalties in the second period didn’t factor on the scoresheet, but certainly Motzko made a point to bring it up to his freshman, who redeemed himself.
“He and I have talked about that,” Motzko said. “No, it wasn’t a good penalty, but I would much rather put a fire out than to start one, and boy, I love his compete level and his battle level. And next year he’s even going to take a bigger step with us, too.”
Coach's little smirk in the post game press conference after mentioning this was the kicker. The smirk was basically yep we got him to stay a second year and look out for what he is going to do next season.
Loved tBob's quote about Cooley and saying he will improve next year at the U (wink wink)
Both Knies (interference) and Cooley’s penalties in the second period didn’t factor on the scoresheet, but certainly Motzko made a point to bring it up to his freshman, who redeemed himself.
“He and I have talked about that,” Motzko said. “No, it wasn’t a good penalty, but I would much rather put a fire out than to start one, and boy, I love his compete level and his battle level. And next year he’s even going to take a bigger step with us, too.”
Coach's little smirk in the post game press conference after mentioning this was the kicker. The smirk was basically yep we got him to stay a second year and look out for what he is going to do next season.
It was the kid on Christmas giddy look.
watching Cooley, the guy is bought all the way in right now. Seeing him jumping up and down on the bench. True joy out there. We’ll see what it means after the seasons done, but he clearly has his head (and heart) fully here right now and you love to see that in your big guns. Says a lot about the locker room
-- I have never seen the Farm Kid smile during his 4 years until last night. His joy in the scrum after the final horn was priceless.
-- I swear I saw Jon Waibel in the crowd.
-- The love for Cruikshank was nice to see during the handshake line.
-- I know some were hard on Knies, but he was still doing the little things during the game. He battled for pucks in the corners, screened the goalie during LaCombe's goal and drew a penalty late.
-- I would love to see the time on ice for some of the players. Seemed like Faber and Johnson logged a ton of ice time. LaCombe looked like his old self out there last night as well.
-- Even the gloom and doom Gopherhole was somewhat joyful after the game.
Just to clarify my previous posts/thoughts when I posted about the Gophers scoring 13 goals this weekend with Knies having no points and Snuggy having only one point it was not to criticize Knies or Snuggy it was to point out that other guys stepped up and were huge.
Just like LaCombe and Faber were off their game last Saturday against Michigan due to their recent injuries, sickness, rust (games they missed) Knies being sick for a while (as mentioned by coach after the game) was certainly a factor in his play the last week or two.
On the positive side based on what coach said in the post game press conference it sounds like the 12 days off before the Frozen Four will be a great for Knies battling the sickness he has been dealing with.
The past four games the Gophers have been at a disadvantage due to rust from having a first round/week playoff bye and then only having one game each of the next two weeks which resulted in only playing one game in the 20 days leading up to the game against Michigan and 2 games in the 25 days leading up the game against Canisius. Michigan State, Michigan, Canisius, and St. Cloud all had a lot more recent game action (playoff games).
Now with getting to play two games this week and each team in the Frozen Four having 11 or 12 days between games things get reset and everybody is on a much more even playing field.
I’m curious if anybody knows how many times Cooley has scored within 5-10 minutes of leaving the penalty box. I 100% called his goal last night when his penalty was over because it seems like he has an extra gear that he goes into after he takes a penalty to make amends. I think that’s about the 5th time he’s done that. Of course, he just scores a lot so maybe it’s a coincidence……
Loved tBob's quote about Cooley and saying he will improve next year at the U (wink wink)
Both Knies (interference) and Cooley’s penalties in the second period didn’t factor on the scoresheet, but certainly Motzko made a point to bring it up to his freshman, who redeemed himself.
“He and I have talked about that,” Motzko said. “No, it wasn’t a good penalty, but I would much rather put a fire out than to start one, and boy, I love his compete level and his battle level. And next year he’s even going to take a bigger step with us, too.”
Coach's little smirk in the post game press conference after mentioning this was the kicker. The smirk was basically yep we got him to stay a second year and look out for what he is going to do next season.
It was the kid on Christmas giddy look.
Yeah that smirk was great. Would be quite the line next year if Cooley stayed for his Sophomore season. Cooley, Snuggy and Moore.
Watching the game (yes, again) with the radio broadcast. Wally mentions that the timeouts seem longer than they were told. Then proceeds to wonder if it’s because Clymer is talking too long. Joking of course but still funny! ??
I was caught off guard when LaCombe scored. I didn't think anything was going to happen during that faceoff and was digging around IKEA's website looking for fairy lights or whatever they're called outside of the Christmas season when he found twine. I guess now I'm going to have to plan on online shopping on my phone throughout the Frozen Four.
Where has the season gone? It seemed like just the other day a friend texted me in shock about how sparse the crowd was for the Lindenwood games and now we're getting ready for the Florida sunshine.
May the Frozen Four hosted by also-ran Wisco be even more fruitful for us than the regional hosted by also-ran UND was.
Not every disease is visible. Not every pain comes from an obvious wound. Some people you see day-to-day may be suffering in ways you or I may never understand and fighting just to live a normal life. Please consider contributing to the Facial Pain Association and together we can find a cure.
Man, you just admitted on GPL you were shopping for fairy lights? ?
Or maybe that was good luck? They did score. I think you need a tiny water feature to go with said lights…start looking online during BU. Then for the final new outdoor cushions will put us over the top.
Note: Due to inflation dirty deeds will no longer be done dirt cheap.
I'm sitting here in Arizona, and you had me right there. You even had the band for your background music.
NICELY DONE!
Thanks!
I do like to do more continuous/raw video compared to the highly produced short clips the U puts out. It just gives you more of the feeling of what it was actually like on the ice. I am really glad I got Cruikshank & Motzko. On ESPN, they panned away when those two met and you can actually see me moving in on their coverage to get the shot that they missed.
Do not like how this board is run? Get your own board! ♃
I took the smirk as him nudging at Cooley to stay, not that he knows he's staying. But it's good to have some suspense!
Does anyone know what Bob's answer was to Patrick at the end when he asked him about Cooley. The presser video cuts off right as Pat is asking the Cooley question.
I took the smirk as him nudging at Cooley to stay, not that he knows he's staying. But it's good to have some suspense!
Does anyone know what Bob's answer was to Patrick at the end when he asked him about Cooley. The presser video cuts off right as Pat is asking the Cooley question.
Would be nuts if Cooley did stay for 1 more year.
See the 9:00 mark for Bob's comments on Cooley.
Bob " I love his battle level.... Next year he is going to take an even bigger step with us too" Then bob holds back a chuckle/grin. I would be shocked if Cooley isn't gone.
I think he was asking about the very end of the press conference, As the recording ended you can hear Pat Reusse ask Bob "does this mean Cooley is coming back?" and the video ended.
“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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I think he was asking about the very end of the press conference, As the recording ended you can hear Pat Reusse ask Bob "does this mean Cooley is coming back?" and the video ended.
I think it was purposely cut at that point.... ?
I'm 50% factual and 50% sarcastic. When you get to know me, you will know which is which.
I am sure Bob had another slightly snarky comeback for Reusse's inquiry.
Side note, I am a fan of Reusse, always have been. I know many cant stand him and I don't agree with him a lot but he always has great stories that he can pull out on demand.
Hockey is likely his least covered sport but in this video with Jess Myers he pulls out multiple MN Hockey stories that I had no knowledge of. I am glad he is still active in the MN sports scene.
Man, you just admitted on GPL you were shopping for fairy lights? ?
Or maybe that was good luck? They did score. I think you need a tiny water feature to go with said lights…start looking online during BU. Then for the final new outdoor cushions will put us over the top.
I don't know about that. The lights are for one of my LEGO displays and mold can cling and grow in the inside edges of bricks if kept wet. It was years ago even before I worked for the LEGO store in college, but some of my former coworkers had to clean up a mess caused by fire sprinklers and threw out a surprising amount of sets, including ones that came in plastic canisters after water found its way inside.
Though I have done some insane things before. I once tried to build a housing for a halogen light using clear bricks and it didn't take long for them to start melting and burning/caramelizing.
Not every disease is visible. Not every pain comes from an obvious wound. Some people you see day-to-day may be suffering in ways you or I may never understand and fighting just to live a normal life. Please consider contributing to the Facial Pain Association and together we can find a cure.
I am sure Bob had another slightly snarky comeback for Reusse's inquiry.
Side note, I am a fan of Reusse, always have been. I know many cant stand him and I don't agree with him a lot but he always has great stories that he can pull out on demand.
Hockey is likely his least covered sport but in this video with Jess Myers he pulls out multiple MN Hockey stories that I had no knowledge of. I am glad he is still active in the MN sports scene.
Fanstic clip, thanks for sharing.
I agree with you regarding Reusse, I've always enjoyed his columns and radio stuff, he can really write/tell a story.
I know he rubs many the wrong way, we all have our likes-dislikes. If it wasn't for PBP of Vikings, Wild, and whatever other live events they may carry I wouldn't have KFAN on my truck's radio preset, I'd rather gnaw off my left arm than listen to anyone on that station babble on and know many have same view about Reusse.
“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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Ive got really good friends in Texas who are hardcore Lego fans. They do the high buck expert sets, enjoy them for awhile, then break them apart and resell to other fans for almost their full price. I think my favorite was this whole street scene of a Japanese town. Shops, homes, Shinto shrine, cherry tree in full bloom. It was stunning!
Note: Due to inflation dirty deeds will no longer be done dirt cheap.
Starman just can't help himself from carrying the NACHO bucket. Can't admit that the Gophers and their fans broke the attendance record and not 2 NCHC teams. BTW, the attendance for the Frozen Faceoff for UND v SCSU this year was 10,242. Gophers vs Michigan title game was 10,305....
Interesting to hear the other side of the argument of "how many games in how many days" from Brett Larson. We hear one side of things as Gopher fans from being rusty and not playing enough games, but it sounds like Larson wishes they were more rested. Both sides have valid points, just thought it was worth noting.
Interesting to hear the other side of the argument of "how many games in how many days" from Brett Larson. We hear one side of things as Gopher fans from being rusty and not playing enough games, but it sounds like Larson wishes they were more rested. Both sides have valid points, just thought it was worth noting.
These are 18-24 year old men plays JUST two games per week. Holy crap, if St Cloud can't handle that then Brett Really let them down by not making sure they are well conditioned.
Outside of MNSHSL games, hockey players are used to playing 3-4 times per week from the time they were peewees, and often times more in the summer. There is no way they can claim their players didn't have enough recovery time with 5 days of rest. That is purely excuse making. If a Gopher coach made that claim, Pat would light them up like a Christmas Tree.
I was caught off guard when LaCombe scored. I didn't think anything was going to happen during that faceoff and was digging around IKEA's website looking for fairy lights or whatever they're called outside of the Christmas season when he found twine. I guess now I'm going to have to plan on online shopping on my phone throughout the Frozen Four.
Where has the season gone? It seemed like just the other day a friend texted me in shock about how sparse the crowd was for the Lindenwood games and now we're getting ready for the Florida sunshine.
May the Frozen Four hosted by also-ran Wisco be even more fruitful for us than the regional hosted by also-ran UND was.
? yep it does take a man to admit that one. I laughed cuz we have them all over around the house?
The 3 weeks leading up to the NCAA tournament St. Cloud played 7 games (2, 3, 2) so one more than normal.
The 3 weeks leading up to the NCAA tournament the Gophers played 2 games (0, 1, 1) so four less than normal.
The Gophers being rusty is a lot more valid than St. Could complaining about playing one more game than normal which was necessary because they finished 4th in their conference so they had to play the 5th seed in the first round who was able to take them to three games.
Interesting to hear the other side of the argument of "how many games in how many days" from Brett Larson. We hear one side of things as Gopher fans from being rusty and not playing enough games, but it sounds like Larson wishes they were more rested. Both sides have valid points, just thought it was worth noting.
These are 18-24 year old men plays JUST two games per week. Holy crap, if St Cloud can't handle that then Brett Really let them down by not making sure they are well conditioned.
Outside of MNSHSL games, hockey players are used to playing 3-4 times per week from the time they were peewees, and often times more in the summer. There is no way they can claim their players didn't have enough recovery time with 5 days of rest. That is purely excuse making. If a Gopher coach made that claim, Pat would light them up like a Christmas Tree.
Trust me, I agree with you. I shouldn't even used the word valid.
I guess my overall point is that coaches are always going to say what fits their narrative. Team doesn't play well off a bye, its rust. Team gets beaten down and outplayed over 3 periods, they're worn out from too many games.
I think he was asking about the very end of the press conference, As the recording ended you can hear Pat Reusse ask Bob "does this mean Cooley is coming back?" and the video ended.
Safe to assume there was no answer from Bob if not a single reporter mentioned it.
I think the half grin form Bob was because he hinted Cooley was coming back with tongue planted firmly in cheek. That kid is gone. And if he does come back I'll eat crow and start the drive to build a statue of him.
