Finally, a home game...
St Thomas is 1-1-1. They lost to St Cloud, and won and tied Vermont.
Last year the Gophers won 6-5 in OT at the X and 3-0 at Mariucci. Snuggy had a 4 goal series and Lamb had a 3 goal series.
Friday--
5:30 pm
I'm 50% factual and 50% sarcastic. When you get to know me, you will know which is which.
This is their superbowl. Team needs to be prepared for it.
This is their superbowl. Team needs to be prepared for it.
We are the Super Bowl for a lot of the Minnesota teams. Our guys better be used to it.
This is their superbowl. Team needs to be prepared for it.
Came here to say this. Don’t overlook this St. Thomas team. Not only are they gonna be playing fired up, but they’re pretty dang good too. They’re my pick to win the CCHA.
I have this feeling that St Thomas is going to become one of our most heated rivalries. Keep the gas pedal to the floor and stomp them.
We're probably sitting decent in pairwise with a final NCHC comparison of .667. Keep a clean sheet against St Thomas and set ourselves up for later.
Am I the only one that thinks it is way... and I mean WAY to early to be talking pairwise and Frozen Four? Yes, I really do understand that the expectation is the Natty every time here as I am a 30+ year fan. But seriously, it is 4 games in. Awesome we stuffed the cloud in an exhibition, nice look at the tourney in Vegas but exposed a few things. GREAT showing for a sweep in a hostile environment in Duluth. We do not know YET what this uber talented team is going to be. We do not know how Omaha and the Dogs will shake out. The Tommies are set for a good season, make no mistake. They are going to be geared up for this and our guys need to view them the same as any other in state rival. Look what Augustana is doing? A South Dakota team that went D1 is now taking some good teams down. EVERYONE is a contender. The Gophers really do look like the buzzsaw everyone else is saying. Just take a breath people and let it play. It is a long season with a huge number of equally matched teams. That being said. I think we are going. All the way
@mg-since-forever Are you saying fans on a message board have a tendency of overreacting? 😉
I'm 50% factual and 50% sarcastic. When you get to know me, you will know which is which.
HA! WHAT? NO, actually I am really really loving the optimism and positive energy surrounding this team, and I agree with it. I too am very excited for what this team could potentially do this year. I just think the pairwise is something that develops over time as we have NOT ONE CLUE about how any of our very few opponents will actually help/hurt/ or not impact us at all 🤣 Did I seem like I didn't care? Probably too much for my mental health. (I am still one of those that replays the loss to the Q and cannot seem to put it to bed)
While we won't know exactly how teams will finish, we have a pretty good idea and fans love to speculate. What we do know is that if the Gophers and the rest of the B1G game care of matters during non-con play it will most likely be favorable once the PWR starts to matter.
While we won't know exactly how teams will finish, we have a pretty good idea and fans love to speculate. What we do know is that if the Gophers and the rest of the B1G game care of matters during non-con play it will most likely be favorable once the PWR starts to matter.
This. every game matters and it’s one of the wonderful and painful things about the college game. Early season woes can be a huge dead weight at years end or a major boon if you take care of business. Then add to that the teams are selected by a computer model that is predictable and you can make pretty reasonable speculations based on early results.
Was part of the bonus of this weekend was that it was a road sweep, which certainly helps the RPI. This ooc though is unlikely to score us major points unless someone really overachieves which certainly could happen
I have this feeling that St Thomas is going to become one of our most heated rivalries. Keep the gas pedal to the floor and stomp them.
I don't think St. Thomas will be a big deal on a year to year basis. I get some people think the crosstown rival nature of it will matter but I honestly don't think most people give 2 craps about that school and its sports. Hell their own fans barely do. Gopher fans will go to the X to watch us play almost anyone so I don't think that plays in either.
The problem The Tommies will have is that they never had games that mattered with us. UMD, UND, SCCC, MSUM...they are all WCHA Teams with various levels of history in games that had not just local but conference and national importance. There are still people bitter about that conference breaking up (which is more annoying than NDSU Football Fans but I digress) so they hold those games in a high regard as rivalries. To be fair some go back decades so that makes sense. The Tommies have zero history with that so the only claim they really have is that they are a St. Paul School. Cool. Until they are a regular contender for national prominence and making runs at the top recruits we get and perhaps face us in the postseason a few times I don't think this will ever be a real rivalry. I think both sides will pretend it is one, manufacture it as "Big School vs. Small, National Name vs. Upstart" but it will ring hollow.
So much this.Until they are a regular contender for national prominence and making runs at the top recruits we get and perhaps face us in the postseason a few times I don't think this will ever be a real rivalry. I think both sides will pretend it is one, manufacture it as "Big School vs. Small, National Name vs. Upstart" but it will ring hollow.
Mere physical proximity does not a rivalry make. Competing for championships is needed. And, I just don't see that happening any time soon.
B1G refs... corrupt, or just incompetent?
Nowadays, "upstarts" are full of portal players with a year or more of college hockey experience.
I doubt St. Thomas will land one dream recruit after another. I expect they'll turn into another Mankato, a program I have never felt any rivalry with at all.
@handyman very well said. Until the games “mean” something, it’s not a rivalry. Similar to NDSU beating us in football years ago, it didn’t make it a rivalry. Requires playing frequently AND games that matter even if some people will want to try make it seem significant. Even the series this weekend with the dogs felt tame from the start as it compares to games with UND or Wisconsin/Michigan.
The atmosphere at the X was solid for the Tommie game last year. St Thomas clearly made an effort to get a lot of students at the game and that made it a much better atmosphere in comparison to those north star cup games.
Gophers
I agree , Non-conference matchups wont ever match the intensity of Conference rivals but no reason why the Tommie rivalry cant grow over time. The history has to start somewhere.
So much this.Until they are a regular contender for national prominence and making runs at the top recruits we get and perhaps face us in the postseason a few times I don't think this will ever be a real rivalry. I think both sides will pretend it is one, manufacture it as "Big School vs. Small, National Name vs. Upstart" but it will ring hollow.
Mere physical proximity does not a rivalry make. Competing for championships is needed. And, I just don't see that happening any time soon.
Pretty much agree. Obviously these kinds of series matter a lot to gaining credibility for St. Thomas but you could say the same things about Bemidji too and there's never been that kind of vibe with us and them.
Until you actually start playing games against one another that have some true big picture meaning to them, it is largely just another game/series.
I think the proximity thing can be very overplayed. It is probably thought of that way because of how college football has been over the years where even one regular season loss in a game against a local "rival" can derail your title hopes for the season.
@hammy My only comment here would be that sometimes rivalries mean more to the fans than they do to the importance of the games. Part of the fun of rivalries is thinking I'm better than the opposing fan base. Not a lot of people are comparing that my kid went to Bemidji rather than the U of M. You know you hear that from St. Thomas alums.
@hammy My only comment here would be that sometimes rivalries mean more to the fans than they do to the importance of the games. Part of the fun of rivalries is thinking I'm better than the opposing fan base. Not a lot of people are comparing that my kid went to Bemidji rather than the U of M. You know you hear that from St. Thomas alums.
I went to both UST and U of M (the real one, not the wannabe to the north) and want to see the Gophers kick the snot of the Tommies early and often. 😉
I'll concede this will be a "rivalry" to UST fans, and why not? Who else is there but the hockey goliath lurking across the river?
Am I the only one that thinks it is way... and I mean WAY to early to be talking pairwise and Frozen Four?
While the answer in the long run is probably yes, there is correlation with early pairwise success and making the tournament.
Losing to UST would be a hit to your pairwise standing. Need a sweep, it's that simple.
It's a little early to know that right now. It certainly has the potential to, but, if St Thomas has a great record, wins the CCHA title, etc, it may not be a big hit.Losing to UST would be a hit to your pairwise standing
Obviously, the simple (not necessarily easy) way to make sure it isn't a problem is to just win the games.
B1G refs... corrupt, or just incompetent?
I don't ever see UST becoming a big rival, although it could be a fun series to mark on the calendar because the games are likely to be well attended. Rivalries require games that matter and the occasional NC game (it's very possible they won't play each other every year) just won't get it done.
I can see it being a rivalry to UST fans much like the Gophers are a rival for the Purple Cows here in Mankato...it really is the little brother syndrome. For all the crap I get for being a Gopher fan it usually is about how "pampered" we are or "we get everything" schtick which is just old.
I am the official Iowa Hawkeye football fan of GPL!
I can certainly see it becoming another one-sided rivalry.
I remember the first year of the North Star Cup, wandering in to Reid's before the games the first day, and seeing a bunch of table-tents from the SCSU alumni association hyping "The rivalry lives" and I just laughed. I don't know any Gopher fans personally that ever saw Jan as being a rival. Did I want to beat them? Of course... I always want the Gophers to win. Did I care in the slightest what happened to the Huskies when not playing the Gophers? Nope (with the exception of the year we tied them for the MacNaughton cup where I wanted them to lose the last weekend so the Gophers could grab a share of the title... that had nothing to do with it being the Huskies, and everything to do with wanting the banner). Maybe I'd get a good chuckle if they fell on their face in some spectacular way, but that's about it.
A true rival, you want to lose, no matter who they play, not just when it's against your team.
B1G refs... corrupt, or just incompetent?
St Thomas has a great record, wins the CCHA title, etc, it may not be a big hit.
I'd rather not take the chance. CCHA looks like it could be a rock fight and I'd rather not worry about those teams eating each other alive.
Agreed, Gophers have 4 games against the CCHA (2 UST & 2 Bemidji). Win 3/4 and the Gophers will be fine for pairwise, going 2-2 would be a an Anchor.
Oh, agreed. I'd much prefer a sweep and then not have to be concerned with any potential hit in PWR.St Thomas has a great record, wins the CCHA title, etc, it may not be a big hit.
I'd rather not take the chance. CCHA looks like it could be a rock fight and I'd rather not worry about those teams eating each other alive.
B1G refs... corrupt, or just incompetent?
The atmosphere at the X was solid for the Tommie game last year. St Thomas clearly made an effort to get a lot of students at the game and that made it a much better atmosphere in comparison to those north star cup games.
Gophers
I agree , Non-conference matchups wont ever match the intensity of Conference rivals but no reason why the Tommie rivalry cant grow over time. The history has to start somewhere.
It could, and I am not trying to disparage The Tommies (I honestly have no issues or feelings about them as a program) I just think it is better to not force this stuff and let it grow organically. It will take either a long time or something really ridiculous to happen (in a very bad way) for people to really have enough hate to make it a rivalry. You have to build up the history...and it has to be on both ends. I am not talking about them just beating us, that happens especially in hockey. They have to be an actual threat, or they are just another team wanting to make their bones on our name.
I will say this, I much prefer having them on the schedule than a lot of the old WCHA teams...mainly because it is something different. Ironically I wish the basketball team never played them.
@hammy My only comment here would be that sometimes rivalries mean more to the fans than they do to the importance of the games. Part of the fun of rivalries is thinking I'm better than the opposing fan base. Not a lot of people are comparing that my kid went to Bemidji rather than the U of M. You know you hear that from St. Thomas alums.
This is very true...but I don't think the U of M fans care much about the St. Thomas fans. There isn't a ton of crossover I don't think. (plus St. Thomas fans are rather...entitled but how many Edina people go tot he U?) This isn't BU vs. Harvard or anything...its two completely different animals. I mean I guess you could say one day they could be like Marquette...but they don't exactly have a huge rivalry with Wisconsin that I know of.
Rivalries are tough when there is no conference affiliation.
If you are going Friday Pre-Pay Parking is a must It is going to be a mess down there with the Homecoming Parade at 6:30 and Womens at 5pm.
VERY glad I pay for the season parking pass along with my season tickets.If you are going Friday Pre-Pay Parking is a must It is going to be a mess down there with the Homecoming Parade at 6:30 and Womens at 5pm.
B1G refs... corrupt, or just incompetent?
@steve-mn Did they close your normal lot this year or is that next year?
I'm 50% factual and 50% sarcastic. When you get to know me, you will know which is which.
This was sort of my point too. Of course we don't want losses, particularly to traditionally lower ranked teams, but these teams are unknown quantities as far as where they may end up or how they will fare against some traditionally stronger programs. Just play our game and everything should end up fine. Personally not going to get too dialed in to the pairwise etc this early. But I do enjoy reading the thoughts of those that ARE!
This year. Got moved to Maroon, in between Mariucci and the Stadium@steve-mn Did they close your normal lot this year or is that next year?
B1G refs... corrupt, or just incompetent?
Feel like St. Thomas is walking into a buzz saw Friday. Yeah it might be a light/late arriving crowd with the 5:30 start, but I think this team is itching to play a home game after 3 straight weekends on the road. Just don’t see St. Thomas having much of a prayer Friday night.
I don't see this ever being a rivalry. They would have to join the Big 10 and then beat us on a regular basis. I don't see that happening.
Feel like St. Thomas is walking into a buzz saw Friday. Yeah it might be a light/late arriving crowd with the 5:30 start, but I think this team is itching to play a home game after 3 straight weekends on the road. Just don’t see St. Thomas having much of a prayer Friday night.
I think we pound them Friday then Saturday is the ultimate trap game. Tommies extra motivated, bit of a “gimmick” game playing at the X, boys let off the gas a bit after a big Friday night win. I think the Tommies jump out to a 2-0 lead after 1 and the Gophers scratch and claw their way back to a 3-2 win, potentially in overtime.
#bookit