0:07 This is the GPL Podcast from gopherpucklive.com. 0:16 This podcast is sponsored by Jerry Peters and First Class Mortgage. 0:19 Our expertise, your peace of mind. 0:21 Visit us at firstclassmortgage.com. 0:29 Now, let's start the show with your hosts, Jupiter and Vegoe. 0:38 Good evening, and welcome to the GPL Podcast, episode number 214. 0:47 Well, Veegs, oops, sorry. 0:49 There he is. 0:50 How are you doing, Veegs? 0:52 I'm doing really well. 0:52 I am excited as you could be for this week. 0:57 I mean, you should be. 0:59 I mean, there's a lot of excitement on campus with this team right now. 1:03 I think we're going to get a great crowd for the weekend, and just a phenomenal time to be watching college hockey. 1:11 Well, it's going to be a nice atmosphere. 1:14 It's going to be a great atmosphere at Mariucci this week. 1:17 We're really excited, but we're also going to have a first-time guest on the podcast this week. 1:23 You know, he's been around college hockey for a long time, calling games on various networks of the leagues. 1:29 This weekend, he'll be calling the Big Ten Championship with Fred Pletch on the Big Ten Network. 1:36 Let's welcome Ben Holden to the podcast. 1:39 Ben, thanks for joining us. 1:44 I'm not hearing you guys real well. 1:45 Everything's on a delay, so it's like super slow-mo speed. 1:50 That's okay, if you can at least hear us. 1:53 Sorry about the delay. 1:54 Do you have the echo cancellation going, Jupe? 1:57 I do have the echo cancellation for me once. 2:00 Well, let me check that. 2:01 It's like super slow. 2:05 Should I reconnect? 2:08 Why don't you do that? 2:09 We'll just come right back and we'll bring you right back. 2:11 This is what live television is all about. 2:16 If you want, just drop off and come back on. 2:21 We'll let you do that. 2:23 Meanwhile, Veegs, we'll get Ben back here. 2:29 First guest, first time, technical issues. 2:31 That's how we do it here. 2:34 The thing is never failed. 2:35 It was working just perfectly right before we started. 2:40 Never failed, huh? 2:42 Well, the Gophers were working just perfectly until they got in the second period against Penn State last weekend. 2:49 I got pretty nervous throughout that game as it went on. 2:53 You know, they maybe had a little bit of rust in those first five minutes, but I thought they kind of got into their game flow pretty quickly in the second half of the first period. 3:03 And we thought, okay, you know, they get a lead here. 3:07 They're up one nothing. 3:08 You know, they get that second goal on the power play real early in the second. 3:12 You're like, okay, they're going to be in cruise control. 3:14 And then all of a sudden, like a lot of the things about gopher hockey that make us worried started showing up in that second period. 3:22 You know, Penn State was really disciplined, even down two nothing, stacking three across the blue line, either in the offensive zone when they turn the puck over or on regress in the neutral zone. 3:33 You know, they were dropping three back across the blue line. 3:36 And the Gophers just started skating pucks right into those defensive players. 3:41 And it created a lot of problems that made a lot of people at Mariucci nervous during that intermission. 3:48 Do we have you a little better now, Ben? 3:50 I'm good, boys. 3:52 We should be on. 3:53 Sorry for the- 3:54 Hey, we have had so many issues over the past years. 3:58 That is nothing. 3:59 And I'll give you a little quick. 4:01 I had a smoke detector go off in my house during a podcast once while we were live. 4:07 So, this is why we do it live, because people get to see how everything works. 4:13 Yeah. 4:13 Everybody thinks that radio and television and all this stuff is all this glamour and it's not. 4:19 So, no, it's great to be out with you guys. 4:21 And yeah, it was super slow down. 4:23 It was like super slow, Ma. 4:25 I couldn't hear anything. 4:27 Hey, we got you fixed now. 4:29 Don't anybody breathe. 4:30 I think we're good. 4:32 I think we're good. 4:33 Well, Ben, you're calling the game this weekend with Fred Pletch. 4:36 I love Fred. 4:38 He's such a solid guy. 4:41 But this year, first Big Ten Championship, boy, you've been over on the NCHC for many years. 4:47 That you've come over to the dark side. 4:50 Yeah, I came to the dark side, man. 4:52 So, you know, Freddy and I have known each other a long time. 4:55 And, you know, I love working with him. 5:00 We're similar in the sense that we can both do just about anything. 5:03 I could do color, he could call it, we could go between the benches. 5:06 I have a lot of respect for Fred. 5:08 And, you know, when he was running the CCHA the last couple of years, he came to me and he helped me out a lot. 5:13 I never forgot that. 5:14 And, you know, it got me on two of the CCHA tournaments. 5:17 And we did a weekly show, which was a lot of fun. 5:20 And, you know, I'm enjoying being in the conference. 5:23 And, you know, as you guys know, I've done Michigan for years and Michigan State. 5:27 And, you know, it's great to do Minnesota. 5:29 I know what great fans you guys have. 5:31 And, you know, I've known Bob a long time. 5:34 So it's cool to be where I'm at. 5:36 And I'm really, really excited. 5:39 You know, we told Ben Myers today, we said, Freddie and I, we said, you know, hey, we're just excited as you, brother. 5:45 So let's get ready to rumble here. 5:47 It's going to be a hell of a night. 5:49 Well, Vague, let's just go quickly back to Penn State. 5:55 We know that, you know, Minnesota started really well. 5:59 The second period was not great. 6:01 But according to Bob today, he didn't kick any garbage cans. 6:05 Right. 6:06 He's held firm that he's just kicked the garbage can once during this season and I'd have to go back to the schedule to pick which one it was. 6:14 But I think he's shown tremendous restraint this year because I know the fans have wanted to kick the garbage can probably five or six times during the season. 6:22 But he's been patient with this group. 6:24 And, you know, he's given his players some rope. 6:28 And they haven't hung themselves. 6:29 And they've put themselves in a great spot, headed in the last game before the NCAA Tournament. 6:35 And the oops, sorry that I clicked a button. 6:38 That was me. 6:41 Now, Veegs, you know, in the end, Sammy Walker came through. 6:47 Leadership captain came through. 6:50 But honestly, that line, we're going to be a little critical here, had done nothing the entire game. 6:59 But they did come through in the end, didn't they? 7:01 Well, notice what happened at the end of the game, is the Walker line got back to back odd man rushes. 7:08 And I think coming into the night, Guy Gadowski had been very adamant that his team was not going to give up odd man rushes to the Gophers, and he was going to make them work for it. 7:19 And the Walker line just didn't seem to pick that up throughout the game, and they didn't take advantage of getting pucks deep and putting some pressure. 7:28 You know, Penn State was playing their defenseman number four, number five a lot of minutes, and I didn't think the Gophers were making them get on puck retrievals, you know, making them work and tire themselves out. 7:39 It was almost like Minnesota was doing a favor, you know, having quick one and done shifts, especially throughout the second period, and that Walker line especially. 7:47 And when they got those two man odd man rushes at the end, you know, the first one, they missed out a little bit, but then Walker made it count on the second one, a great pass from a Goughlin and a nice turnover that Bronszinski forced. 8:00 And then you've got the flip side, Ben. 8:02 Up at Michigan, Michigan slayed some demons because Notre Dame had their number all season long. 8:11 They did. 8:12 And, you know, I think there's a lot of people around the country that look at this Michigan team. 8:16 And, you know, I'll be honest, I was in that group, you know, can they win that kind of hard tooth and nail type of game that we're going to see the rest of the way? 8:28 And I watched all four of those games that they played against Notre Dame last week. 8:33 I hadn't seen Notre Dame since last year and I did them once. 8:36 So I needed to do a lot of homework. 8:38 And so I wanted to know and see what happened in those games. 8:42 And really, my biggest observation was they weren't hard enough when they needed to be hard in the areas they got to be hard in. 8:50 And, you know, Brendan Mersan said to Freddie and I after the game, he said, Hey, we played a man's game. 8:56 They did. 8:57 And, you know, it's going to take that the rest of the way as we know. 9:00 So there's a really good effort by them. 9:03 It was a great hockey game. 9:04 And, you know, look, I mean, we all know Notre Dame's, they don't have the talent. 9:09 And I mean, no one has the talent. 9:10 Even Brock Faber joked today. 9:12 He said, you know, what do they got? 9:13 Seven first rounders, you know? 9:15 And we don't have that because Fred and I were making the point of how close these two teams really are matched and their whole body of work and the way their teams are made up. 9:24 That was kind of the genesis of it. 9:27 But Notre Dame's got to do it by committee. 9:29 And Michigan's best guys were their best guys. 9:32 And I know that we'll get into this as we go, but that's gonna be a major factor in this game. 9:39 You guys are talking about McGloughlin and Walker, and I know how important those guys are. 9:44 And they've got to be their best guys. 9:46 Their best guys gotta be better than the opposition's best guys. 9:50 And again, I know we'll dive into that more, but I thought that's what Michigan did, is their best guys were their best guys, and everyone played their role, and they were hard, and they were a little grittier than they'd been. 10:02 And I think that was a major reason why they won. 10:06 Veegs, I think at times this year, Michigan has been a lot like Minnesota, where some games, they just don't have it. 10:13 And they just, I mean, they're doing exactly what Minnesota's doing, because building up on the season to the end, where things are coming together really well. 10:21 But I see Michigan very similar to Minnesota. 10:23 Yes, you got all those superstars, but they have to come together and play a team game. 10:28 Well, what happens, I think, a lot with teams like Minnesota and Michigan is they can get into a contest where they can get away with scoring on the rush. 10:37 They can get away with getting power play goals from their most talented guys and they don't have to work every night. 10:43 You can get away with it some nights where you're not getting a ground game going and being disciplined, getting pucks behind the D and wearing a team down. 10:52 But against the top teams or structured teams like Notre Dame and Ohio State, you usually can't get away with that. 11:00 You're going to have to go to your ground game and you're going to have to have your players win shift to shift to shift and gain momentum and have shift discipline, and all the things that pay off in the NCAA tournament. 11:12 Some nights, the top teams just aren't going to be challenged that way. 11:16 So it can be a real test for teams that go, okay, I really need to play a disciplined hockey game tonight, can I do it? 11:23 Some nights, we've seen Minnesota be able to do that, and especially in the stretch of games, they have been able to get the ground game going. 11:31 But you just see little slips, where they just don't dedicate themselves to that kind of hockey game, and it can cost you. 11:40 At this time of the year, it almost cost Minnesota on Saturday, where they'd have the bi-week, the semifinal game, and then a bi-week coming in, say, double-A tournament, and luckily for them, they got that goal, so they get to play again this week. 11:56 Ben, you probably saw, you've seen the exact same thing with Michigan this year. 12:00 Sometimes they're world-beaters. 12:01 Sometimes you kind of wonder what's happening. 12:05 But that's just kind of the nature of having such a young talent. 12:09 Yeah, it is. 12:10 And, you know, again, this week, doing what I did last week, watching every game back between the two teams, think back to the, Freddie and I did both those games at Yost. 12:20 And Michigan pounds them 5-2, and Minnesota pounds them 5-2 the first night. 12:26 And then Michigan comes back and pounds them 6-2. 12:29 So it's, as close as they are, like I was saying earlier, as close as they are, that's a, that's a part of the, one of the maybe the small parts of any obscurity between these two teams that they did it to one another. 12:43 So yeah, I think that's what happened. 12:45 I think, you know, and in that second game, I noticed a lot of Michigan against Minnesota in December on the fourth, doing what I mentioned earlier about what Michigan did last Saturday against Notre Dame. 12:56 They played harder, they played grittier, they sold out more. 13:00 I mean, look, nobody blocks more shots in Notre Dame in the country. 13:03 I mean, I don't think either one of these teams would be doing anywhere near the volume of that. 13:08 Sure, they'll block shots, but not like Notre Dame block shots, you know. 13:11 So, you know, I think that Michigan has had their their bumps like that, too, like Bob's team has. 13:17 So but to me, I don't even think it's close. 13:19 I mean, these are the two most skilled and most talented teams in the country. 13:23 And I'll take four, three, man. 13:26 I love something like that with these two. 13:28 So it's going to be, it's going to be a heck of a game. 13:31 So I'm so excited for it. 13:33 Well, I do think that first game of the Minnesota-Michigan series, that 5-2 game, Michigan gave up a lot of offense to Minnesota in that game. 13:42 And Minnesota pounced on it with their skill. 13:45 The next night, there were layers to Michigan's defense. 13:49 And Minnesota found it much more difficult to generate offense and sustain any pressure that second night. 13:56 You know, Michigan really answered the bell with probably their film session Saturday morning and getting things back in line. 14:03 So you kind of wonder which team are you going to see. 14:06 Are you going to see a team that's going to come out and not be as disciplined? 14:10 Or are they going to have their game face on? 14:12 Are they going to play tight structure and force the other team really to wear you down? 14:19 Definitely. 14:19 Hey, Jared Klein, I know you are Ben Holden's biggest fan. 14:23 Let's see if you've got any questions. 14:24 He's my agent. 14:25 He kind of is. 14:27 He's been trying to get get you on here for years. 14:30 I'm like, well, we just need the timing to be right. 14:32 And I thought this was a perfect time. 14:33 So, Jared, I know you're watching. 14:36 I see a little chat over here. 14:37 Let's see if you can get any questions for for Ben. 14:40 That would be great. 14:43 But in the meantime, before we do that, we need to hear from our sponsor. 14:49 Hey, fellow GPLers, Jerry Peters here from First Class Mortgage. 14:53 Have you refinanced your home in the last 12 months? 14:55 If you haven't, chances are you should. 14:58 Record low interest rates and skyrocketing home values make this the perfect time to remove monthly PMI while improving your interest rate at the same time. 15:06 You can also use the equity in your home to finance those home improvement projects. 15:10 Or you can consolidate high interest rate credit cards into one new low monthly payment. 15:15 To hear more, call or text me today at 612, 940, 3291. 15:21 You can email me at jerry at firstclasscorp.com. 15:25 Or you could go to firstclassmortgage.com to fill out a free online application. 15:30 Mention the GPL podcast and receive a $300 closing cost credit. 15:34 Some restrictions do apply. 15:36 First Class Mortgage's NMLS number is 322842-480200. 15:42 This is not an agreement to lock into an interest rate under Minnesota law. 15:46 First Class Mortgage is an equal. 15:48 Housing Lender. 15:51 And of course, we thank Jerry for sponsoring the podcast. 15:55 Jared did send one question through. 15:56 He says, can we get Ben to call the GPL reunion skate? 16:01 So, so we're Vegoe and I and Jared and many other people are getting together this Sunday afternoon. 16:08 We all got started getting together 20 years ago playing pickup hockey, just fun hockey. 16:13 He wants you to call that. 16:14 So, stay in town till the next day and if I wasn't shipping to Albany on Tuesday, I would boys, I really would. 16:24 I'll take a rain check. 16:27 It will be a fun skate. 16:29 I know we have at least one former Gopher is going to be skating with us. 16:32 So that will be a fun time. 16:35 Vegoe, you and I are in different teams. 16:39 So, don't take me out. 16:40 It literally has been five years since I've skated. 16:42 So be nice to me. 16:45 Shipping Puck's Gate is going to make you skate. 16:48 Well, Veegs, the last time Michigan was here, we had, it was a first round game, and we had the attendance debacle that we all know about. 17:01 This weekend, the last I heard, Steve was telling me a few minutes ago on the chat that there's 118 tickets left in a 10,000 seat arena this coming weekend. 17:10 So the atmosphere is going to be quite a bit different this weekend for them Veegs. 17:17 And you're going to see fans who have bought tickets very recently. 17:22 And so some information I've heard from the Athletic Department with people familiar with the situation is, when people buy tickets within a week or two, they are like 95 percent likely to use them. 17:33 So when we've seen ticket scan data coming out of Mariucci, you know, 70 percent, 60 percent people coming, I think we're going to see one of the biggest actual scanned attendance crowds at Mariucci Arena in its history. 17:48 And there's going to be five sections of students. 17:51 And I'm highly confident that there's going to be about 2000 of them in full force for Saturday night. 17:57 So get ready for something special. 18:02 That's all I'm saying. 18:04 And Ben, you know, the tip of the student section is, you know, is on the east end, those three sections. 18:09 Yeah. 18:10 Each section over on each side are being added. 18:13 So like you said, 2000 of those are going to be students. 18:18 It's going to be crazy. 18:21 Well, two weeks ago for Wisconsin, I mean, that's the most, I mean, I've been doing games in empty arena since 2020. 18:30 And whether it's arenas, football stadiums, I mean, I just spent five and a half months doing the KHL in DC and calling games on monitors. 18:38 So anytime I can be in the building in any time that it's sold out like that, and like it was two weeks ago, I'm a rock guy, man. 18:47 So the louder, the better. 18:48 Let's bring the heat. 18:50 Let's just deafening sound in that place. 18:53 Let's, let's make it happen. 18:55 And the interesting thing is, is that when Mariucci is full VEGs, it is extremely loud. 19:02 I mean, we know the PA system is not the greatest in there and blah, blah, blah. 19:06 But when there's fans in there, it's loud. 19:09 Yeah, it's got like that metal roof that just kind of reverberates everything throughout the range. 19:14 Oh boy. 19:15 You know, everybody's in the bowl. 19:17 You know, there's no kind of extra CD other than the club stuff that's going on. 19:21 So when the crowd gets loud and the rousers playing, it's quite the place. 19:25 And I don't think there's anything like it really in Big Ten Hockey. 19:30 You know, Cole Center can have more people, you know, Valley City can have more people, but it's not going to be as loud or as engaged. 19:36 You know, it's going to have the bright lights. 19:37 And I don't think you're going to see a lot of empty seats. 19:41 That's exciting. 19:43 Well, let's talk about the games itself here, Ben. 19:47 I was going through a couple stats and through four games, Minnesota was 1 for 12 on the power play, Michigan 0 for 11. 19:59 Not great power play success and Minnesota's power play goal was the one in overtime here at Mariucci. 20:05 But so nothing scored on the power play this entire season during regulation play. 20:12 I don't think that happens on Saturday, guys. 20:15 I mean, I don't. 20:17 I mean, they're combined 1 for 23 and you're spot on with Myers with the OT winner. 20:23 So, I mean, do you say it's good goal-tending, it's good defensive play? 20:29 Is it poor shooting? 20:30 I don't think it's poor shooting with the talent these two teams have. 20:33 I think, you know, like we kind of talked about earlier about the way these two teams really have to play to go with the skill set they have. 20:43 You got to play with the will. 20:44 And I think it's going to be, you know, goals five, six feet out. 20:49 You know, I don't think you're going to see a lot of, you know, 20, 30 footers ripped in. 20:53 Maybe you do, but I think it's going to be that kind of game. 20:56 And I think each I'll say this. 20:59 I think each team gets at least one on the PP in this game. 21:02 I think that trend changes. 21:05 I do. 21:07 Interesting. 21:07 We didn't see a lot of power play work last weekend, Veegs. 21:10 We haven't seen a whole lot of power play work the whole second half of the year. 21:15 I mean, the refs haven't been calling a lot of penalties the second half. 21:19 And, you know, Bob always likes to say that it's because his team isn't the one being overly aggressive and putting themselves in a position to take penalties. 21:27 So the refs don't have the marbles to even out. 21:31 So there just aren't that many chances going out either way. 21:34 So we'll see what happens this weekend. 21:36 I think the Gopher penalty kill has actually been really rock solid the last couple of weeks. 21:41 You know, they did give up a goal to Penn State here for the first time in 10 games when they were a man short. 21:48 But I think the goal-tending has been good for Minnesota. 21:51 You know, the power play for Minnesota has not been great. 21:55 I think adding Jackson Nelson back to the lineup and having him be a net front guy with Knives helps this program because then they can really isolate what they want to do. 22:06 And Simpler is probably better with this Minnesota group because they just struggled all year to really look dangerous up a man. 22:14 Look at that. 22:14 Already, Steve says already down to 90 tickets left. 22:18 Wow. 22:18 118 just a little while ago. 22:20 So it's gonna be rocking, folks. 22:23 Ben, are you hoping for just racehorse hockey? 22:26 Because I gotta tell you, that's gotta be fun calling racehorse hockey. 22:30 You know what? 22:31 I've always said, guys, I'm not a coach, so I don't have to worry about wins and losses. 22:37 And, you know, as you guys know, I got a lot of energy and, you know, I pride myself in that. 22:45 I pride myself in that when I call a game. 22:47 And, you know, when the games are of that, yeah, I'd love to see 6-5. 22:52 But, you know, I think, I think 4-3 is a stretch. 22:56 I, you know, I think it's gonna be a 2-1, 3-2 game. 23:00 I'd say 3-2 if I had to, you know, if I had to give an answer, that's where I would go. 23:07 Just, you know, there's so much skill and these goalies are good. 23:10 But, you know, these guys that are shooting it and, you know, zinging it all over the ice, you know, are pretty darn good, too. 23:17 So I'm gonna go in the 3-2 range, although I would love a 6-5. 23:21 I really would, man. 23:22 It would be unbelievable. 23:25 So what do you think, Veegs? 23:29 I mean, I think we're really gonna see like a 3-2 type hockey game this weekend. 23:34 You know, both teams know each other pretty, pretty well. 23:38 You know, watching Minnesota practice, I think they have identified some things in Michigan's game that they do well and that they're gonna try to negate. 23:47 You know, you look at Michigan, one of the flashiest things is Luke Hughes and Owen Power up top on their defensive core. 23:54 You know, they are very steady there. 23:56 They contribute a lot of offense for Michigan. 23:58 You know, they do have that high cycle that can be really dangerous. 24:02 So, that's gonna be something to watch. 24:04 I think both teams are prepping for in-zone play. 24:07 I don't think there's gonna be a ton of transition stuff unless it gets crazy. 24:12 I just don't think we're gonna see that. 24:14 I think we're gonna see teams disciplined, getting ready for that NCAA tournament style hockey and trying to get their ground game going. 24:23 Now, Ben, I disagree with Veegs a little bit on that because I actually see some of these youthful, talented Michigan players taking advantage of the bigger ice at Mariucci. 24:34 Something they don't play on a lot. 24:36 Yeah, I mean. 24:37 They might love that. 24:39 Yeah, I mean, look, I mean, Minnesota's got some guys that can do that too. 24:42 So, you know, I think I agree with this. 24:46 I think the attention. 24:49 Look, the green light is going to be there when it's there. 24:52 But the attention is going to be more, way more, and way more sure on that line of the red line of stopping the opposition. 25:00 I mean, both teams, the guys we've talked to, you know, you ask them two or three keys that they got to do. 25:07 And the first thing that comes out of their mouth is puck management. 25:10 So, you know, puck management, no turnovers. 25:14 Like Eric said, you know, through the middle, I think that's going to be a big part. 25:18 Bigger sheet, I like that, you know. 25:20 I mean, yeah, maybe you see some of that speed go flying down the wings or somebody dashing through the middle. 25:25 But I think for the most part, at least I think it's fair to say the opening five to ten of that game. 25:33 I think it's going to be a real test of wills and who's going to crack first. 25:39 And then I think that dictates how the rest of the game goes from there. 25:44 Because, Veegs, with all that space, each team can make you pay for it real quickly. 25:49 But I think with both teams, you have defensive cores who are great skating defensive cores. 25:54 I think if you have a blue line that can't skate very well, it's easy to get exposed on the big ice with people going way wide and using those extra ten feet, you know, on the side to get around. 26:07 I don't think you're going to see that as much in this game because both teams are pretty good back there. 26:12 The one thing that can be an issue for a team like Michigan is taking advantage of the extra space and skating themselves farther away from the scoring chances. 26:23 I think that's one thing that sometimes skilled players lose track of at Mariucci is the corners. 26:29 You are a long way away from the goal. 26:32 And when you're on the hash marks on the power plays up against the boards and you just kind of drift out and drift out and drift out, you are not in a dangerous spot to shoot the puck anymore. 26:42 So I think that's one thing to watch for, where you have teams that are going to be able to play more possession on the edge and try to create some two-on-ones with their cycling. 26:52 I think that's going to be a real key in this game because you've got two pretty solid coaches who are going to come with game plans and will the players execute it. 27:00 That's always been the question for Minnesota and I think it will be for Michigan with a young team as well. 27:06 Now, Veegs, just quickly, we know both teams have great defensemen. 27:12 So, quite a bit of the key this weekend are the forward responsibilities for both teams, making sure they do their job in back checking and coverage. 27:24 Yeah, I mean, that's been an issue for Minnesota is back checking all the way to the net and waiting until the zone gets established before kind of getting ready to get into your normal D-zone set up. 27:37 You know, that's a spot where Minnesota has been weak at times. 27:40 Michigan is definitely a team where they can lose you quick. 27:44 So I think you'll see Minnesota try to be in layers, but they do have to be cautious not to get too far into offense. 27:51 I think one thing for Minnesota that's going to help them is they're pretty healthy. 27:55 You know, Lucius is out again with his mystery injury that I think is a four to six week thing. 28:03 So read into that what you will. 28:05 He's not available. 28:06 You know, it's hard for me to see him coming back in the line up for the regionals even at this point because you can't just put a freshman like that into this situation. 28:17 So I think they're going to play without them. 28:19 Luckily, Minnesota does have pretty good depth. 28:22 You know, they're healthy now with Nelson, Purbix, Myers and Walker down the middle, and they've got extra centers if they need them. 28:31 All right, Steve Larson's got a question for you, Ben. 28:33 Does Ben think these two teams are heavy favorites to win the NADDI? 28:37 Yes. 28:38 I think so, too. 28:41 I think I said it earlier, guys. 28:44 I mean, to me, it's not even close. 28:46 I mean, they're the most talented teams in the country. 28:50 You know, yeah, I mean, a lot's changed from Minnesota, but Justin Close has been doing an amazing job in there. 28:55 What a great story he's been. 28:57 I mean, Eric Portillo started every game. 28:59 He's proven his worth in that the old adage, it starts from the NADD out. 29:03 So, love the decors of both these teams. 29:06 As you guys touched on a little bit, and the guys up front, man, I'd take any of the 12 or 13 guys in any lineup and put them on my team. 29:15 So, yeah, they are definitely that. 29:17 I think this could be a preview of the National Championship. 29:19 I really do. 29:20 So, depending on where Michigan and Minnesota go as ones, yeah, it very well could be. 29:26 But I think with that said, I still think you got to get through Hacy's crew in Mankato. 29:33 I really do. 29:35 And, you know, I saw Minnesota, I had Minnesota last year in the Regional against them. 29:39 And, you know, so to me, they're the team that's right now, I think, is the favorite to be the overall number one in the tournament. 29:48 But I think two or three times in all the years I've done Regionals, guys, I've had the overall one seed get beat in the first game. 29:55 So that don't mean much. 29:56 But yeah, long answer. 29:58 But yes, they are. 29:59 Hey, that's just fine. 30:00 Both of them. 30:02 Oh, Corey, having some fun. 30:04 How many times a Portillo knock off the net? 30:06 Veegs, that's more of a Mariucci problem than a Portillo problem. 30:14 Our point, Ohio State used to do that quite a bit. 30:17 Yeah, it is a problem. 30:20 I would put the over under though at five. 30:22 Really? 30:23 Because Portillo is a big goalie who plays that style that knocks off nets, and Mariucci's pegs are not very sound, to be honest. 30:36 I've heard refs say that a lot of delay game penalties, that they would call it other ranks, are null and void when it comes to Mariucci just because of the way. 30:45 Maybe Craig Flohr will take a little extra time this week to make sure those holes are just drilled out as well as they can be, so he gets some sound goal-tending posts this weekend. 30:54 But we'll see. 30:56 I'm not sure if Craig Flohr is listening yet. 30:57 He usually listens during overtime and tells us all about Mariucci while we're recording. 31:05 Oh boy, it's going to be fun. 31:07 I'm just excited. 31:08 I mean, Ben, we've been covering these games for so long that both Vegoe and I don't get much chances to go as fans. 31:20 And this is the first time in quite a few years, I'm going to go as a fan and just have some fun. 31:26 I think it just helps me really kind of keep my faith in hockey. 31:33 Because you're covering all the time, you know how it is. 31:37 You have to pay attention to the game, not to cheer and things like that. 31:42 Do you get a chance to just go to a hockey game and enjoy it? 31:47 I went to two Cavs games the short time I was in DC. 31:50 So you're right. 31:52 And again, you know, people, a lot of the, you know, the average person, they think, you know, oh, like you guys go and if you're covering what you guys do and you're covering in a in you're doing journalism work or you're doing interviews, whatever, you still have to kind of be on. 32:09 And for me, all the years I traveled, I mean, people like, oh, it's great. 32:13 I'm like, you have no idea. 32:14 I fly one hundred and thirty flights a year. 32:17 Like that part is not fun unless you're on a charter. 32:20 And then it's it's a little different. 32:23 But, you know, it's I don't go to a lot of games, except for those Cavs games I went to through my boss. 32:31 But it's weird. 32:32 I'm numb to it because I'm neutral. 32:35 All the years of doing national stuff, I really haven't. 32:38 You know, I've worked for a team before, but I just kind of go. 32:42 And I'm numb to watching games at home. 32:45 I'm numb to watching them when I go to the arena. 32:47 I just want to see the best outcome and the best finish I can see. 32:53 That's all I ever hope for every time I put on a headset. 32:57 Well, a little birdie told me that you've been a fan of Michigan State in the past. 33:02 Is this one of your teams in the past? 33:04 You probably know who told me that. 33:06 Kapke? 33:09 No, it was Cappy. 33:11 Oh, Cappy told you. 33:13 Yeah, well, I mean, you know, I grew up in Pullt, south side of Lansing, so that's where it stems from. 33:20 And, you know, I worked there for six years in that market as an anchor and reporter. 33:26 And, you know, it was a pretty cool thing to cover Tom Izzo. 33:30 And back then, I covered some pretty good hockey teams. 33:33 But that was back then, boys. 33:34 That was like 20 years ago back then. 33:37 So, yeah, I'm a Michigan State guy at heart. 33:42 I like Michigan. 33:44 I live here. 33:45 But I know a lot of people on both sides. 33:48 And I respect them both. 33:50 But when they play football, I root for Michigan State. 33:55 That's my only true allegiance to the two schools. 33:58 We love it. 34:00 Cappy, he says, you want to put Ben Holden on the hot seat tomorrow? 34:04 Ask him what his Spartans should do with their coaching position. 34:08 It is, we have talked about this a lot. 34:11 Yeah. 34:12 It's not good at Michigan State right now. 34:14 It's just not. 34:16 I'm fine with that. 34:17 And I love Cappy, man. 34:18 He's a great dude and had fun working with him last year. 34:21 And he's just a fun guy, as you guys know. 34:24 I think when they do make the change, whenever that is, unless Danton gets it fixed, but they got a lot of work to do, as we know. 34:33 Oh, boy. 34:34 I would go up to Sault Ste. 34:35 Marie, Michigan, and get Damon Whitten and Mike York. 34:39 Mike York played there. 34:40 Damon played there. 34:41 They were both captains there. 34:43 And look, I know the last two coaches they've had are former players, but if you look at what Damon's done at Lake State and the time he's been there with no budget, I mean, he's got guys from six countries he's bringing in to play. 34:56 They made the tournament more Michigan State has in the last ten years. 35:00 So that's who I'd go after. 35:02 I mean, I've heard it might be a bigger name, but I'm not buying the names I've heard. 35:08 But that's what I would do. 35:09 I would go get Damon Whitten. 35:11 He's proven at Lake State he can recruit. 35:13 He doesn't have nearly the budget he has or would have at Michigan State. 35:18 And York, he's a great coach. 35:19 I've known him both a long time. 35:21 And that's who I would go out and hire if it's me. 35:25 And Veegs, there's always going to be a last place team in every league. 35:29 But a healthy league has teams go up and down and not just stay at the bottom. 35:35 So the league needs Michigan State to be back again. 35:39 They do. 35:39 We've talked about it all year. 35:41 They need a coach who's going to find them an identity and recruit the kind of players that they need to be successful. 35:48 And for whatever reason, Danton hasn't been able to hit that level where he can recruit the kind of players that he wants to recruit. 35:54 And so if you're looking at a guy from Lake State who recruits maybe a different kind of player than everybody else in the Big Ten, there's an avenue there to build a roster over time and build one that's going to be a little different than everybody else in the league. 36:10 Rolex done a great job of doing that at Ohio State. 36:13 He doesn't recruit the same as Minnesota and Wisconsin and Michigan. 36:17 And every once in a while, he gets his team popping up there. 36:20 And they are always a team that's difficult to play against. 36:23 So I think that's something Michigan State's going to look at if they want to make a change. 36:28 Now, Danton, he's got a lot of... 36:35 Well. 36:36 He's deep in thought. 36:40 Vegoe just froze. 36:43 Well, I mean, if I can, I mean... 36:45 I'll remove Veegs for a minute while he's unfrozen. 36:49 Yeah. 36:49 I mean, look, I mean, you know, you look back at Michigan State, you know, really the last name guy they had was Torrey Krug. 36:59 And that was back in 11 and 12, right? 37:02 I mean... 37:03 And what killed them this year is Lewandowski gets injured. 37:07 Yes. 37:07 They won like one game after that. 37:09 Yep. 37:11 Yeah. 37:11 I mean, my point is this, man. 37:14 And what Vegues was saying, I know where he was going and I agree. 37:18 They've got to get, they've got to find a way to get some kind of high end talent in there. 37:22 I mean, they just haven't had that at that program. 37:26 And as you guys know, and people want, I mean, that's a proud program. 37:29 I mean, they've won national titles, you know, and you got to go back to me. 37:34 You got to go back to when Abdelkader and Tim Kennedy were there. 37:37 And Tim Kennedy was the most skilled guy on that line. 37:40 Justin was a Michigan guy and a red wing pick. 37:43 And I love Abs. 37:44 I love him. 37:45 I've known him a long time and I knew TK real well too. 37:48 But the point is they just haven't had that high end skill that they, they used to get that all the time. 37:55 Oh yes. 37:56 They just don't get it. 37:58 They've, they've wasted actually a lot of good goaltending too. 38:02 Oh, because they've had, they've had goaltending there. 38:05 They've always had goaltending there. 38:06 It seems like, and it's just been a shame. 38:08 And, you know, we, we look at it. 38:11 They have not won a single Big Ten playoff game since the league started. 38:16 Not even one. 38:17 Owen Thirteen, right? 38:20 But I will say this. 38:21 Over, yes. 38:23 Yeah, I will say this. 38:24 They're the last Big Ten school to win a national title, believe it or not. 38:27 But they are. 38:31 That is true. 38:33 It was so weird. 38:34 Michigan State would always just come out of nowhere and just win a tournament. 38:38 Yeah. 38:39 I mean, really, you know. 38:40 They won a game that was that they won that tournament. 38:43 They got two late goals to win. 38:45 I mean, they were down by a goal, two late goals. 38:48 They scored within the last minute to win the game. 38:50 That was a crazy game. 38:52 Yeah. 38:53 It was in St. 38:54 Louis versus BC, Steve is telling us here. 38:57 Nineteen seconds left when the Habs won it. 39:00 Wow. 39:02 Yeah. 39:03 Wow. 39:04 Veegs is back. 39:05 Let's bring him back in. 39:06 There you are, Veegs. 39:08 I lost the whole thing here. 39:10 You were deep in thought, I said. 39:12 Yeah, you got frozen. 39:13 You were deep in thought. 39:15 It was a good luck. 39:16 Furred, bro. 39:18 Yeah, pretty much. 39:21 Jared in the chat was telling me to screenshot the face, but we'll just go back to the original broadcast and we'll see it froze in there. 39:30 Well, actually, we were just kind of wrapping up Michigan State there, Veegs, but did you have any other final thoughts on them? 39:35 I mean, it's just tough. 39:38 We need them to be better. 39:39 Need them to be better. 39:41 Well, they just need consistency. 39:42 And I think if they can get a coach who can deliver that to them, all the better. 39:47 Yes. 39:49 All right, guys, let's get to some final thoughts on this game. 39:52 Maybe some predictions. 39:53 We're not going to make you do a perturbation, Ben, because you have to stay neutral. 39:58 I predicted the score, so I'll stick with that. 39:59 You can predict the score, yes. 40:01 When we do that, I'll do that, yes, but I don't want to pick a winner or lose. 40:04 Oh, hey, we totally get it. 40:07 You are a neutral guy. 40:10 That's right. 40:10 And by the way, we've had just about everybody on from the Big Ten Network. 40:15 We finally have you now. 40:18 We've had Dan Kelly on. 40:19 We have Cappy on all the time. 40:20 And we even had Rick Pizzo on. 40:23 Freddie? 40:23 Back in the past. 40:24 Yeah, we haven't had Fred yet. 40:26 Yeah, Freddie. 40:28 Well, look, it's, you know, I learned a long time ago from a lot of guys that taught me along the way. 40:35 You're always appreciative of the people that ask for your time. 40:39 And I don't want to get too sappy, but I appreciate you guys asking me. 40:43 I'm always humbled. 40:44 I'm always honored when somebody wants to interview me and talk to me and have me a part of their show. 40:48 And I want to say this, that I was saying before Vegas before you got on, Jupiter and I were talking and I said, Frank Mazzocco is one of my idols. 41:00 And that's a true story. 41:02 And when I started as a play-by-play guy in 2004, when I left Local News, when I left Lansing, I mean, one of the biggest guys that I watched was Frank. 41:14 I watched him and Wuger. 41:15 And if I was doing a game at Yost, I could be home in 15 minutes. 41:19 And back then, I did about 20 games a year at Yost. 41:21 So I loved watching him. 41:25 He's become a friend and he's been helpful to me, especially when I went through the transition I went through a couple of years ago at CBS after all the time I spent there. 41:33 And I had a couple of people at BTN that knew me and helped me kind of get back on my feet. 41:39 And really grateful for that. 41:41 And Frank is one of the first guys I reached out to because I knew I had to go to somebody that really knew Minnesota's team because I knew Mots wouldn't tell me the truth. 41:49 So, and I mean that kindly. 41:52 But because I've known Mots a long time, but Frank's one of my heroes. 41:56 And it was cool to see him last time I was in there. 41:59 I look forward to seeing him again. 42:01 Sorry, but I just again, Oh, I appreciate the love. 42:06 Trust us. 42:07 We are his biggest fans. 42:08 He's been on the show 10 times over the year. 42:10 Yeah. 42:11 He was on our, he was on our 200th anniversary show. 42:14 That's cool. 42:14 Earlier this year. 42:15 So with Cappy, it was fun. 42:18 We obviously see Frank all the time and definitely postgame beers with Frank quite often too, V. 42:25 So it's always fun to be around Frank Pizzacca. 42:28 The legend. 42:30 Yeah, they taste really good. 42:31 I have a chalice, but extra when you're with Frank. 42:34 OK, Vig's beer was, I swear this, this glass was as big as it was a chalice. 42:41 It was a chalice. 42:41 It was huge. 42:43 It was huge this past weekend, Ben. 42:45 Wow. 42:46 That's awesome. 42:47 Yeah. 42:47 Well, I'll go home. 42:50 Frank, Fred and I went up, we were there a couple of weeks ago. 42:53 We went up and we wanted to go over and talk to Wally and say hi to him. 42:58 And Frank wasn't there yet. 42:59 And I'd snuck out on the side entrance there to have a cigarette. 43:04 And he snuck up behind me and we had a nice little conversation. 43:08 So that made my night. 43:10 That gave me the extra bump I needed for that game. 43:12 Although that game was over in about ten minutes once Myers got them going and they were on their way to a snowman. 43:18 So it was a fun night. 43:22 So all right, Veegs, tell us what you think. 43:28 Are we going to end up at the end of the night Saturday night? 43:32 I mean, I think this is a team that's learned their lesson in how to play these big games. 43:40 I don't know if Michigan is going to give them the full test, though, that a team like Minnesota State or UMD might give them. 43:47 And so it can give them a little bit of a lifeline if they do get in trouble. 43:51 Whereas I think Michigan will still give some odd man rushes to Minnesota to try to take advantage of. 43:57 But the way they've been playing overall, I'm not too concerned about them on the penalty kill if they get in a penalty trouble. 44:04 I feel pretty good about Minnesota at center right now winning draws, especially having Jackson Nelson back now giving them an extra option behind Meyers. 44:13 I don't think they're going to get caught in the D-zone. 44:15 I think Motsgo having last change really protects them there. 44:20 You know, I think this team, when they have Walker taking D-zone draws, can make everybody a little nervous. 44:26 I think we'll see a 3-2 win for Minnesota in front of a great crowd. 44:32 I'm predicting over 10,000 capacity. 44:35 Don't tell the fire marshal. 44:39 Oh, we have a composer jumping in here. 44:41 A schooner at Manning's? 44:44 That's exactly what it was. 44:47 Our crowd knows us well or knows Veegs well. 44:51 Schooner at Manning's. 44:53 That it was. 44:54 Like I said, it looked like a chalice. 44:57 I'm going to stick with you Veegs, but I think I'm thinking a 4-1 game, and it will be an empty net goal to make it 4-1. 45:07 Michigan will need to try to get within. 45:12 They'll be down by two, but it's going to be a 4-1 game. 45:14 I think Minnesota comes together really well. 45:18 Then both these teams are going to forget about it, Ben. 45:21 It'll be time to move on because the big game start next week. 45:26 What are your thoughts on this day off thing coming up? 45:32 I like it. 45:33 I'll say this. 45:33 I'm not going to pick a winner, but I will say 3-2. 45:36 3-2 is going to be the final score. 45:40 You know, it's going to be interesting. 45:43 You know, I've done regionals a long time, and I got to say, I'm stoked to be doing it with Star Man. 45:49 We spent ten years together in the booth together. 45:51 And you'll be in Albany, you said, right? 45:53 Yeah, we'll be in Albany. 45:55 So, I mean, we're getting either, look, we know we're getting either the Gophers, the Wolverines, or the Mavericks. 46:00 That's who we're going to get as our number one. 46:02 And nothing's going to change that this weekend. 46:06 So, you know, it'll be nice not doing three games in 24 hours. 46:10 I guess that's part of the deal. 46:13 You know, I rest the pipes a little bit more. 46:16 But, you know, I'm looking forward to it. 46:19 I think it's I think it'll be a good thing. 46:20 I think selfishly, I'm looking forward to two things. 46:23 I can actually watch some games on Friday because all the years of doing the tournament, it's just, as we know, what that first day, there's what, six games or whatever it is, how it works out and four. 46:34 And so that part I'm excited for. 46:36 And then I think I'm going to find time to get one of six states I have left, checked off my list and I'm going to drive to Vermont because it's not that far. 46:47 So that's my take. 46:48 There you go. 46:50 You know, Ben, I've always said that regional weekend is the best weekend of the year, bar none. 46:57 We have all those league championships the week before and you've got the frozen four, but that weekend, you know, previously, you'd sit down Friday afternoon and you were busy until Sunday afternoon. 47:10 And you didn't work too much. 47:12 Oh, it was just crazy. 47:13 It's just crazy. 47:15 It would be a little different this year though, Veegs, with the day off in between. 47:18 We know Matzko and our boy up in North Dakota definitely advocated that after last year when both of those number one seeds got the late game when the late game out east was not the number one seed. 47:34 Nothing in college hockey passes without a majority. 47:38 So there are a majority of college hockey coaches who believe in this change. 47:42 And I think it presents the best hockey. 47:45 You know, when you're looking at what's good for the game, what's good for the game is rewarding the top teams who have done well over the entire season and have put themselves in the position to earn those top seeds. 47:58 And you're allowing your best players in college hockey to be fully prepared for the big stage and the most important game of their season. 48:06 So it doesn't make any sense to me other than schools trying to make those teams play shorthanded and play at nothing less than their best. 48:16 I think you want to see the best at this time of year. 48:19 And it makes total sense to me and anyone who argues differently is self-serving. 48:26 They're trying to handicap the better teams for whatever reason. 48:30 And if they were in the position where they were the top seed, they would be just as upset. 48:36 So I think the only way to do it that's fair is to reward the teams that play well. 48:40 And Ben, if you would look how it happened in North Dakota last year, it was quite a different situation. 48:45 You had a Michigan team who couldn't make it. 48:47 Yeah. 48:48 Well, and they had to play a game before and UMD didn't have to play the game. 48:54 And then they had this epic overtime. 48:56 Yeah. 48:57 I could see where they might be a little upset with some things that were in control, but obviously something like that out of their control. 49:05 Well, two things. 49:06 And I was going to play off of Eric's points. 49:08 Okay. 49:08 And our game, the game Freddie and I did, the Omaha, Minnesota game, was supposed to be on ESPN U, I believe. 49:17 And we were on, we went to like, I think we went to the Ocho that night. 49:21 We were on like every ESPN channel because that game was bleeding into the window. 49:27 And then secondly, to Eric's point, look, in basketball, there's a day off in between, right? 49:34 And it's basketball. 49:35 Yeah, there's a lot of running. 49:36 Both sports exert a lot of energy. 49:38 But in our sport, you have the physical element. 49:40 You have the risk of the long overtime. 49:43 That's all the years I've done the tournament, guys. 49:45 That's the one thing I... 49:47 Sorry to get, you know, spiritual guy, but I would say a little prayer. 49:51 First game, don't go to overtime. 49:53 I don't care if the second game goes to overtime. 49:55 For all the years I've done it, just get through the first one in 60. 49:59 And then if the other one goes long, great. 50:01 So that's... 50:02 Those are my two thoughts on it in regards to, you know, the change. 50:05 And I get it. 50:07 And I think it's a good thing. 50:08 I do, I guess. 50:09 To give a serious answer, I think it's a good thing they're doing it. 50:13 I mean, the only other point the team can make for making it a three-day tournament is, oh, you want to save one night a hotel. 50:21 Is that really worth it in your game to achieve in your game by that? 50:26 You know, that's the only other argument I can see out there. 50:29 No, I don't think that's it. 50:31 I mean, you know, they got a budget for that. 50:33 They get help on that. 50:34 So, I'm with you on that, man. 50:36 Let's do it the right way. 50:38 Let's get the best product we can get out there and, you know, and showcase the sport in an even better way than it's already showcased, in my opinion, by having guys fresher and, like Eric said, teams are more rested, they're ready. 50:51 You want them to be at their best. 50:55 And it was, but our team's a scout, too. 50:58 Yeah. 50:58 And if you get a day in between, you reward the better coaches that day to prepare. 51:03 You do. 51:03 That's just one more feather in the cap of the way that they're going to do it. 51:06 I agree. 51:07 I agree 100% with that. 51:08 Yep. 51:10 Well, Ben, thanks for joining us on the show tonight. 51:13 It's been a blast. 51:14 Thanks for having me, boys. 51:15 It's fun. 51:16 Now I can put a face with you guys on Twitter and I didn't know who was who. 51:21 And, you know, so it's cool to, it's cool to meet you. 51:24 And like I said, I really and the thing is, and the thing is, now that we know you, we can give you a hard time and throw you under the bus whenever we want. 51:33 You know, I mean, look, I've taken my fair share of abuse over the years and I've thought about putting in regard to that. 51:41 And I'm kidding. 51:42 But I thought about putting on my Twitter, my my bio. 51:45 I don't care if your team loses. 51:49 Like, I mean what I said earlier, as a broadcaster, all the different sports I've done, no matter where I've been, what stage of my career, all I've ever wanted is to call close down to the wire competitive games. 52:03 No one wants to call a blowout. 52:04 No one wants to watch a blowout. 52:06 So I just I love seeing it unfold in front of our eyes and see the ultimate reality TV come out in front of us. 52:16 And I'm really, really excited. 52:18 I was saying earlier, Eric, I don't know if you were on, but this will only be the fourth time I've been in Mariucci. 52:24 So I was there once with Starman back in like 16. 52:29 We had an off day in St. 52:30 Cloud. 52:31 He was scouting. 52:32 And then I went and hung with Richie and Clay for the first Wisconsin game and then my game. 52:37 So cool to get another building off the list. 52:41 And I love the history of the program and some great people there. 52:45 I've known Grant Crookshank a long time and his mom. 52:48 And so, you know, I've got to give Crookie a shout out, man. 52:50 I think I think guys like that are going to be big in this game. 52:53 They got to play. 52:54 They got to have a yes. 52:55 They got to have great shifts every every shift out to carry their weight. 53:00 So I think those guys are big guys in this game for both teams. 53:04 Well, again, thanks for coming on. 53:06 We're going to get you on again sometime down the line. 53:09 And he's all big. 53:11 Are you working on anything this week? 53:12 I know you kind of had something in the hopper a little bigger, but we'll see. 53:16 I'm trying to get something put together for tournament time. 53:19 The coaches are very, very focused on this Saturday. 53:21 Oh boy, really? 53:22 They really, really want to win this one. 53:24 So they're they're pretty focused. 53:26 Yeah, boy, are they? 53:28 Well, that's going to do it for this episode of the GPL podcast. 53:32 Want to thank Ben Holden for joining us again this week. 53:35 We'll be back next week to wrap up the Big Ten Championship and preview the NCAA tournament. 53:41 For those of you currently watching live, stay tuned for some overtime. 53:45 For the rest of you, we'll catch you next week on the GPL podcast.