0:08 This is The GPL Podcast from gopherpucklive.com. 0:19 Oh my goodness. 0:21 Who are you? 0:24 Oh boy. 0:26 You're making mistakes, I love it. 0:28 And so, I had to train for this marathon. 0:32 Make sure you stay away from the game tomorrow. 0:37 So, right away, my confidence is, it's doing really, really, really well before that. 0:43 And then, and then Don goes, can anybody on the ice take a penalty shot? 0:49 And the referee goes, no, it has to be, it has to be Ramsey. 0:51 And I'm like, okay, there's shot two to the confidence. 0:53 That's great. 1:06 Good evening, and welcome to The GPL Podcast, episode number 231. 1:15 Well, good evening, Mr. 1:16 Vegoe. 1:17 How are things with you tonight? 1:20 Fantastic. 1:21 I am off the COVID reserve list, back to full strength. 1:25 Yes. 1:26 That bi-week, you know, is the right time for me to pick up the COVID and get the Boogeyman in the house, and it just stayed with me. 1:35 Oh, that's good. 1:37 So, I feel good about that, and back and ready to go here now, down the stretch. 1:42 Well, we're ready to go for the stretch, and you know who else is ready to go for the stretch? 1:47 Mr. 1:47 Pat Micheletti, and he is joining us once again. 1:51 There he is. 1:52 How are you doing, Pat? 1:54 I'm ready, I'm ready for some playoff hockey. 1:58 Let's get it going. 2:00 You know, get right here, here, right? 2:03 It's that time of year where it is like the playoffs. 2:05 Not playoffs, yeah, but every win is a big win, and it's just an exciting time of the year. 2:11 I mean, I'm sure you guys were watching the wild game or paying attention to the wild game, and it's like, come on, guys, it's time to pick it up. 2:19 And maybe the wild need to learn that too, because the Gophers are doing pretty good at that, Pat. 2:24 Yeah, you know what? 2:27 Not to say I'm surprised. 2:28 I mean, you know, we all know the talent going in. 2:31 And, you know, I had reservations at the beginning of the year. 2:36 And I think even the staff did a little bit just in terms of how young they are. 2:41 And, but I'm, I just, I marvel at the leadership that this team has with Lacombe Faber, Johnson, Nelson, Brodzinski, those guys have kind of, you know, as much as we want to talk about, you know, the best line in college hockey and, you know, all the accolades by the, by the decor. 3:07 I just think the leadership has really shown itself, this year. 3:12 And, and that's why I think, you know, night in and night out, they're, they're, they're pretty consistent. 3:20 Yes, they definitely are. 3:23 And we saw that a couple weeks ago, Veegs, when they took care of Michigan State, what was it? 3:29 Nine seconds in, Mr. 3:30 Cooley scored Friday night. 3:32 It was all over real quick, 8-0 win, night two, a little back and forth, and then they pulled away at the end. 3:39 But overall, they're putting themselves in perfect position. 3:44 Yeah, the thing that stands out to me about this team's performance on the ice is how much skill they have and how easily it seems they're able to take advantage of the scoring chances they get. 3:56 I think a couple years in the past, we've seen Gopher teams where they have a lot of talent, but they struggle to score goals when they should be putting the pucks in the net. 4:04 This group, that is not the case. 4:05 They are confident shooters. 4:08 They're getting lots of scoring chances. 4:09 They get on the rush and they go quick. 4:12 They have defensemen who can join the rush and apply that additional pressure that gives their skilled players just that extra time because they can outman the opponent to the net. 4:22 And it's really been a fun team to watch. 4:24 Like all the games this year have been pretty exciting, I think. 4:28 And Pat, I think, Pat, one of the biggest things I've noticed that maybe didn't happen in previous years is when they get down, it's nothing. 4:37 They come back and tie it. 4:37 You know, they got down again. 4:39 Two to one. 4:40 And Saturday night game, they came right back. 4:42 It seems like it doesn't phase them. 4:43 It's like they just know, we can get this done. 4:46 Well, to both of your points, you know, and then you have to add something to that, right? 4:52 You got to want it. 4:54 You got to want it. 4:55 And you know, when they are down by a goal, when they do have all this skill, even if you have all the skill in the world, if you don't have the want to get to areas, to be the guy to get the goal, to make the hit, to make the pass. 5:16 How many times, I go back to, geez, I think it was the, well, Nelson made a hit behind the net, Nevers picks a puck up. 5:28 You know, Breszynski write the slot. 5:30 You could not draw that up any better, right? 5:34 I mean, that's the type of intelligence and want and desire and know how to get the job done. 5:45 And that's really, really impressive. 5:48 And Veegs, you know, we've talked about the little resurgence of Michigan State this year. 5:52 Yes, they are better, but Minnesota just kind of has their number where maybe Michigan State just does better against other teams. 6:02 Yeah, I think Minnesota puts so much pressure against Michigan State that you just don't see the skill. 6:08 Like I said, that when they played out at Monticegrina, you just don't see enough skill on Michigan State to make you nervous. 6:15 They don't have enough players who can make talented plays and create space and create scoring chances or get on the rush. 6:22 And once again, Minnesota Sparty Series, we did not see a ton from the opponent over the weekend. 6:31 Yeah, and a big key for me from Minnesota is when they're involved in the offense, meaning involved in... 6:43 I'll go as far to say as involved in the forecheck. 6:48 When they're cycling, when they're moving, you know, they know they got a guy back because they're, you know, they're rotating up high, they're, you know, all of that stuff. 6:57 When they get involved like that, that opens up so much more room for the forwards, who are very skilled to go to work. 7:04 And, but, you know, sometimes, you know, you can see a lull in their play when the D aren't involved, at least I can. 7:16 And I don't know what you guys think, but, you know, to me, you know, so when they're, when they're involved, it really is, it's, it's artistry to watch. 7:30 It seems to me, Veegs, that, you know, sometimes they realize that maybe they don't quite have their game. 7:37 And if they just play a little more lockdown defensively and then just wait for their opportunities, it seems like that's what they've kind of really been taking advantage this year. 7:47 I'm smarter. 7:49 I think they're at their best when they don't force that first chance on the rush and they get into that ground game where they can really dominate a shift and put the other team on their heels. 8:00 And like Pat was saying, when the D get involved, coming down from the far point for pucks that get wrapped around and they win that race and now you have the entire opponents trying to shift to a puck on that side of the ice and you have a skilled gopher defenseman who's coming down and can make a play that just creates so much danger because a team in that transition loses their structure, they lose their check, and now all of a sudden you have these Gophers filling open ice and you have defenders who can feed those forwards and create more scoring chances. 8:37 I said at one point during the game on Friday that it was like coaches candy. 8:43 You had multiple players attacking the net. 8:47 You had players winning second chances. 8:49 You had a low high game. 8:51 You had traffic in front of the net. 8:53 You had players getting to rebounds. 8:55 I mean, those are all the things you hear coaches talk about as the optimum game plan and the Gophers were executing it. 9:04 And that's just tons of fun. 9:06 Vig, you probably heard my first question to Bob after the game. 9:10 I, you know, I said, I said to him, okay, what didn't you like about tonight? 9:18 He didn't take the bait. 9:19 He didn't take the bait on you either. 9:20 I don't know what I got for you, Bob. 9:22 What did you know? 9:23 I mean, you know, and you're dead on. 9:28 It was just a really, really fun game to watch if you're a Minnesota fan. 9:34 And even more so, Vig's, Close got his fifth shutout of the season, his eighth shutout in the, just over a year playing. 9:46 He's not doing so bad. 9:49 When he's allowed to just play the shooter and be aggressive, he is so good. 9:54 He is so good at playing. 9:56 If he can just focus in on half the ice, or has enough time to make his reads, he is a really calm, smooth goalie. 10:04 He knows when to freeze the puck and slow the play down. 10:08 He knows when to deflect the shot in the corner and give his team the opportunity to have more momentum and not have a de-zone face off. 10:15 He just has a real good feel for the game right now. 10:18 Yeah, it's unbelievable and I don't know. 10:23 He's really fun to talk to. 10:26 Just great conversationalist and the way he plays goaltender is the way he talks. 10:34 He's just very sure of himself, very calm, very collected, and conveys his thoughts terrifically. 10:46 And then he gets in the net and it's like you're talking to him. 10:53 And I think the guys really, really trust him. 11:01 Listen, this isn't a team without warts sometimes, right? 11:05 And there have been games where he has won the game for them. 11:09 And I'll go back to the Notre Dame 3-0 win. 11:13 You know, it may have looked, you know, the score 3-0. 11:17 I think he stopped three breakaways that night, okay? 11:21 Maybe four. 11:24 And they don't win the game without him. 11:27 So, but we forget about him sometimes, don't we? 11:32 Because what they have and he deserves a lot of credit. 11:37 Pat, I'd like to get your thoughts on Michigan State. 11:40 Yes, they've been down for quite a long time. 11:44 They seem to be getting back some of that it factor. 11:50 Not there yet, but they've made some good strides this year. 11:55 Watch out. 11:56 Yeah. 11:57 I mean, Adam Nightingale is a good recruiter. 12:01 You know, you look at their top line, okay? 12:04 Dorwart, Russell, and Jaeger Joshua. 12:10 Am I right? 12:11 Yeah. 12:14 Joshua, whatever. 12:20 The two guys are freshmen and not the most highly recruited freshmen, but good players. 12:29 They are good players. 12:31 They would be on a third line here at Minnesota. 12:34 They are their top line. 12:36 Okay? 12:37 And so, you know, this is kind of a rebuild for them, and those guys are going to be good players in this league. 12:45 There's no question. 12:47 They just need more of them. 12:48 They need more of them, and you can't do it overnight. 12:53 Well, in fact, some teams have done it overnight, right? 12:59 With all the transfers, but you get the point. 13:03 And Veegs, I think this year they will finally break that playoff jinx. 13:09 They'll actually at least win a game this year, won't they? 13:12 In the Big Ten playoffs? 13:15 We'll see who they play. 13:16 I mean, it's very tight in the Big Ten right now. 13:19 Like two through six, all those teams are beating each other up. 13:22 It's any team can win those games. 13:25 I do think there's a little bit different attitude to Michigan State this year. 13:29 It's just it hasn't shown against Minnesota for whatever reason. 13:33 So I do think they'll have a good chance in the tournament to get off the losing streak there. 13:39 We need a healthy Michigan State. 13:42 I don't know, Pat, if you think we need a healthy Badger team in the big picture, we do. 13:48 As a rival, we want to see them lose all the time. 13:53 But it's a struggle right now for them. 13:56 I'm saddened by the program. 13:58 I think the last time I was on, we were talking about the Badgers, and I thought maybe they'd find some life. 14:08 But they don't. 14:11 I don't know if they know what direction they're going, which direction they want to go. 14:17 They're not recruiting like they used to. 14:20 Now, they have a bunch of guys coming in next year. 14:22 I'm not your scout out there, knowing a lot about a lot of these players coming in. 14:32 But we're almost to the point where they've hit rock bottom. 14:41 I could have said that last year, and they gave the staff another year. 14:46 I don't know, but it's not working. 14:48 They're not drying. 14:51 They're playing too big of an arena. 14:53 There's no atmosphere. 14:58 They've got issues. 15:02 They definitely do. 15:03 And Veegs, obviously, we love to kick the Badgers when they're down. 15:07 But we've been saying since day one, since this league started, a healthy Badger team is good for the Big Ten. 15:14 Because when we started the Big Ten Conference, it was both Michigan and Wisconsin were down. 15:20 Penn State, or I should say that Michigan State was down as well, which is why you saw the Gopher dominance those first four seasons in the regular season. 15:34 You ask any player who played college hockey in the 70s, 80s, 90s when Dane County Coliseum was their venue, and it was sold out every night. 15:45 That was the best road trip of the year for every team in college. 15:52 What can they do, Veegs? 15:53 They're going to have to clean house, aren't they? 15:56 Well, they tried to clean house a little bit last year by having Granado turn over some of his assistant coaches, and that obviously hasn't had much of an impact in their performance. 16:07 They're having a hard time scoring goals, and Granado has a history of trying to promote offensive talent to shine. 16:15 And whether or not he lets them get seasoned enough so that they can compete at the Big Ten level, that's just not happening. 16:23 You know, and you can't just hope that you have a cold caulfield every four years and that saves your program. 16:29 And it's disappointing to see Wisconsin crew that way. 16:33 And they're still landing some good players like Will Skahan, probably one of the best defenders for the development team. 16:39 Finn Brink, you know, a really good player for Maple Grove. 16:43 White Law and Lewandowski from Rosemount. 16:47 Like they have good players coming in. 16:49 They just don't have enough of them and they come in too early and they're just not ready to compete. 16:54 Yeah. 16:55 And Pat, I would say the atmosphere there when they're when the crowd is there, it's a great atmosphere. 17:01 But and Biggs is tracking the Leescombeers. 17:03 It has really gone down the last seven years. 17:07 And they don't seem to play with a purpose, with a structure. 17:12 With an idea, with an understanding of situational hockey. 17:17 I mean, if you go back and look at some of the goals Minnesota scored against Wisconsin in the past couple of years, you just say, what am I watching? 17:29 You know, four guys in the corner, four guys below the below the goal line. 17:36 And we can go on and on, right? 17:39 I mean, you guys have seen them. 17:41 I don't have to tell you about them. 17:43 But and that tells me, okay, is it just I'm going to do what I want type of thing? 17:50 Or am I not getting coached the right way? 17:53 Or you know what I mean? 17:55 And were they not being held accountable for mistakes? 17:59 There you go. 17:59 There you go. 18:00 And so, you know, what is it? 18:02 But whatever, it's not working. 18:05 Yes. 18:08 Well, we'll get more into the series this weekend. 18:10 Veegs, I saw Dale Beers asked us a question on Twitter. 18:14 What do you know about the new commit? 18:16 Nathan Airy, is that how we pronounce his name? 18:19 They got a goalie commit this week. 18:20 A 6'3 kid from Cranbrook in the BCHL. 18:27 Not a clue. 18:29 Veegs, do you know anything? 18:30 Come on, Veegs. 18:32 I tried to study up on him a little bit this last week. 18:35 I got into the hockey TV to watch some clips of their games and just see what kind of style he is. 18:41 You know, he's a big goalie, 6'3. 18:44 Looks pretty technically sound. 18:46 You know, gets in that big butterfly, has good solid pushes across, is able to keep that pad down to play those reads when he has to move across the crease. 18:56 Big goaltender played a lot of games in the BCHL and has gotten better every year. 19:01 I think one lesson coming out of the Justin Close experience for Bob Mosco is he wants to have goalies that play a lot of games in our experience by the time they come to Minnesota. 19:12 I don't think we're going to see Bob getting kids who are 18 years old and have just played high school and maybe a little bit of junior coming to the program unless it's an emergency. 19:23 I think you want to have these goalies who have a lot of experience, have shown the mental ability to bounce back from bad goals and you want to see a progression of talent. 19:34 And I think that's what Aerie brings and I think it's a very safe move to bring him in. 19:39 And it kind of brings a question, what does the goaltending future look like at Minnesota? 19:45 Yeah, that sounds kind of curious. 19:47 Does he come in next year? 19:48 That's my question. 19:49 Yeah. 19:49 Yeah, I would think so. 19:53 He hasn't signed his NLI yet officially. 19:56 So it's still probably up in the air, depending on what Justin Close has that option to come back. 20:01 Oh, he does. 20:03 Because of the COVID year. 20:04 So if he wanted to come back, he could. 20:07 Who knows what's going on there? 20:09 But this is a special year for this team right now, and I'm sure that's all they're focused on. 20:13 Yeah. 20:14 Yeah. 20:15 Yeah, that is true. 20:17 Veegs, the Gophers have a 13-point lead over second place, Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, and Michigan State, who all have 30 points. 20:28 We know that Penn State and Michigan State have extra games in hand, but things are looking really good. 20:34 They have a chance to clinch the league this weekend if they sweep the Badgers. 20:40 There's a couple of scenarios. 20:42 You know, if both Michigan, if Michigan and Ohio State lose Friday night and Minnesota wins, they would also get the league title. 20:48 So things are looking really good here. 20:50 They're starting to kind of pull away, thanks to a lot of those other teams splitting and all of a sudden Michigan taking off. 20:58 Yeah. 20:59 And I think one of the things about Minnesota is they got away with some maybe not so great games throughout the year because their skill has been able to shine at the right moments. 21:08 This has been a team that's taken advantage of opportunities when it's presented to them. 21:14 And that gives them that nice cushy lead right now where they could clinch this weekend. 21:19 And you know, you're not trying to look too far ahead, but I think the players would be very happy to get that first banner in their pocket going out of Madison this weekend. 21:31 And Pat, it's... 21:36 I just kind of lost my train of thought there. 21:40 Sorry, I'm just, they could clinch early. 21:44 We don't want to see them have a let down because they got to go to Happy Valley in a couple weeks. 21:48 They got Ohio State coming back here. 21:50 You don't want to see any bad things happen if they do clinch this weekend, Pat. 21:54 No, but the good thing is they're ending the season with two worthy opponents, right? 22:03 Yes, true. 22:04 They owe both those teams. 22:06 Both those teams beat them, right? 22:12 So I think they'll get up for that. 22:13 I don't think it's hard to get up on the road at Penn State. 22:18 The atmosphere is terrific. 22:21 You know that, hey, to them, to Penn State, Minnesota is their big series. 22:26 Let's face it. 22:28 They want to beat Minnesota. 22:30 So I think they'll be fine for that. 22:32 Now, the last weekend, it could be really, really crucial for the Buckeyes, depending, like you said, on what happens in these next couple of weeks. 22:45 So, you know, I think they'll be fine, you know. 22:51 I think this team will be fine because of the leadership that they have, that I talked about earlier. 22:56 I just think that, you know, they'll be ready to play. 23:01 Veeze, I remember my train of thought. 23:03 I think one of the keys this weekend that we've heard some of the radio and TV guys say is that Minnesota is getting points every weekend. 23:11 They haven't been swept in quite a while. 23:18 Definitely not this year. 23:20 He's looking up the stat right now. 23:22 But they're getting points every weekend, whether if it's a split or four, five, six points a weekend. 23:27 And they're like the only team of the Big Ten that's done that. 23:31 And they're scoring goals in all these series. 23:33 It's not like they're having any scoring droughts. 23:35 The power play has been the best it's looked since Bob has been in Minnesota. 23:40 I mean, last year, that was something that frustrated the heck out of me was how poor their power play was with so much talent on the roster that they couldn't figure it out. 23:48 Power play has been very good this year, very consistent. 23:51 It helps to have guys like Jackson Lacombe and Logan Cooley and Jimmy Snuggerud and Jackson Nelson and Matthew Nyes on that top unit. 23:59 They are all very productive. 24:00 They are all very good at winning second chances and they look smooth changing spots out there. 24:06 I think that is always dangerous for a PKA to face. 24:09 And they share the puck. 24:14 Sometimes I wish they would be a little bit more selfish. 24:18 When their power play, in my opinion, when their power play is stagnant, it's when they are moving it just around the perimeter. 24:29 And when they get that heavy shot from the point, I don't even care if it gets on net. 24:38 If they let one go from there, then that opens up everything. 24:44 Then you get the whole defensive team scrambling, and then they go to work. 24:51 Then their skill goes to work. 24:53 Then they start moving it and giving and going. 24:56 And then that's when they're successful, in my opinion. 25:01 Well, I think one of the things that's key is Lakom, Cooley and Sagerud are all very comfortable carrying the puck and bringing a defender with them, and then getting the puck into the space that they vacated. 25:13 And that gets the PK spinning and getting out of lanes and creates two-on-ones and scoring chances. 25:19 You have players who just say, I am the power play quarterback, I stay at the top of the point, I am the off-wing shooter, I'm on the top of the circle, and I'm the other one, I stay at the top of the circle. 25:29 That is a recipe for stagnation and disaster. 25:32 And this team does a good job of keeping it going. 25:35 Correct. 25:38 And if you just let one guy go, somebody like Akuli will just dangle for a second and just snipe at top corner. 25:45 Like we saw just a couple weeks ago, V, he's like, not going to cover me? 25:49 Fine, I'll just take it myself. 25:51 And that's the thing they have. 25:53 I mean, you know, you could have two guys collapse on Kuli, and okay, a bunch of other guys are open and he gets to puck to nines or something like that. 26:01 So they have to take advantage of that, Pat. 26:04 You know, you send it down the nines, all of a sudden he attracts a bunch of attention. 26:09 Well, jeez, it opens up a lot of other things. 26:13 It's ridiculously scary. 26:18 And when they get going, when they get going, I tell you what, you wonder why Mariucci's been sold out the last four games. 26:28 I mean, people are starting to, yeah, I got to see this kid. 26:32 Oh, I got to see this line. 26:34 Oh, I got to see their D. 26:35 Oh, you know, what an atmosphere. 26:38 What, you know, and from that, and the fans have been great. 26:42 The student section has been, you know, the fans have been into it. 26:47 And, you know, it's just, you know, I'll go back, the Michigan series, it was loud the whole weekend. 26:56 Yes, it was. 26:57 The whole weekend, you know, through both games and I thought Friday night's game was better. 27:03 But, you know, I just thought, man, that it's great to see. 27:10 I saw your son tweeting earlier tonight. 27:13 He can't wait for Faber to get to the wild. 27:15 I'm like, hold off there, Alex, please. 27:18 We want to let's let's finish the season. 27:20 Let's worry about this season with the Gophers first. 27:25 Faber was asked about that a little bit at availability today. 27:29 He's watching the wild and getting ready. 27:32 He's like, yeah, I watched the game a little bit differently because I could see myself there, but I've got a lot of work right now with this team. 27:40 We're headed to where we want to be, but we're not there yet. 27:42 It's a very different answer than some players when they say, oh, it's going to be an honor to play there. 27:48 I'm really looking forward to it. 27:50 Brock was very smart about saying, hey, I came back for a reason and this is a lot of fun. 27:56 I also think one thing about the fan base right now. 27:59 Is that leadership or what? 28:01 Yes. 28:01 Yes. 28:02 He gets it. 28:03 He gets it. 28:04 I think one thing about the Gopher fan base right now that's really fun is they don't seem to get nervous either. 28:09 Kind of like the team. 28:10 Sometimes when you go to Excel and you watch a 00 first period, you can just sense the fans getting kind of antsy and nervous and stressed about how the wild are going to handle this. 28:22 You have something similar to Mariucci, the fans are still into it. 28:26 They're still excited. 28:27 They're still confident in their team. 28:28 And I think, you know, it just goes back and forth with each other there. 28:31 My biggest problem this year with as a broadcaster, when I'm calling the games is that I have to, I literally sometimes have to just say, you know, settle down because the expectation level, you expect them to make a great play all the time. 28:56 Yeah. 28:56 They're not gonna, right? 28:59 I mean, with all the talent and all that, I'm just thinking, oh man, I can't believe you didn't make that play. 29:05 And I gotta say, you know, be quiet. 29:10 Be quiet. 29:11 You know, it's not gonna happen on every, but they've taken us at times to the level where we think they're good, you know, they're gonna do it because they're that good. 29:26 And they've done it multiple times, Veegs, and that's kind of what I was talking about earlier. 29:30 If they're down in a game, it's not a big deal. 29:33 There's no panic in their game. 29:35 I mean, like you said, there's no panic in the fans. 29:37 They just kind of know what's gonna work out. 29:40 I mean, when this team pulls the goalie to get that extra attacker, and you have guys like Lacoma and Faber at the point, and they have the four forwards that they select from for that opportunity, it's a lot of fun to watch because they make confident, steady plays, and they win second chances. 29:57 It's really exciting to watch. 29:59 You know, you don't hope for your team to be down, grow late, but it's fun to watch Minnesota when they are in that position. 30:06 You know, really funny guys in the shootout at Notre Dame, and you know, there's a lot of talk at, you know, they lost the shootout, okay? 30:18 And the shooters were Pitlick, Bratsinski, and I forget. 30:24 Nelson, maybe? 30:26 No, maybe, maybe Hugh Glenn, Hugh Glenn. 30:29 Hugh Glenn, I think, yeah. 30:30 Yeah. 30:30 Yeah. 30:31 And I'm like, yeah, I mean, you know, and people are like, well, how come Cooley, Snuggerudinized, and you know, Bob gave an explanation after the game, whatever. 30:44 But I'm thinking, man, that's okay with me, you know, I mean, it's okay. 30:51 Those guys can score. 30:53 They can snipe. 30:55 They, you know, they can handle the puck. 30:57 And, you know, I just thought it was funny that, you know, there was so much angst because, you know, the Big Three weren't, you know, in the shootout. 31:10 Well, I don't think, it may not even matter, Pat, because what's the numbers? 31:15 Are they like two and 13? 31:18 Yeah. 31:19 In shootouts since they started in the Big Ten. 31:21 It's just something they, it's just, it's just not their thing. 31:26 Right. 31:29 Well, let's get into this weekend, guys. 31:31 I'm heading to Madison myself as a fan for the first time in 16 seasons. 31:35 It's going to be fun to be back at the Cole Center. 31:38 They're having this red and white stripe out this weekend on Friday night, folks. 31:43 So if you're going to Madison, wear gold. 31:46 I keep saying this. 31:46 I've been doing some short videos and stuff on Twitter. 31:50 Wear gold Friday night to stand out and ruin the Badger stripe out. 31:56 Please. 31:57 Well, it'll be interesting to see how many people take part in that, you know, from the Badger side. 32:06 Well, the seats are kind of reddish, so maybe that'll help them. 32:08 So it is Minnesota and, you know, they'll probably draw a little bit better when the Gophers are in town. 32:16 But, you know, it's, listen, if the Gophers come out ready to play and they will win the, they'll sweep, okay? 32:27 They will, because they're just the better team. 32:30 And, but if they come out and they're stagnant and they're taking their time, then, you know, then, you know, listen, Wisconsin beat Michigan earlier in the year. 32:46 You know, you gotta be careful. 32:48 You just gotta be ready to play, in my opinion. 32:51 Well, Veeegs, Wisconsin only wins league games at home now these days. 32:56 Because I don't think, I don't think they've won a game on the road and to, I don't even know if they did last year. 33:02 It's been a while. 33:04 It's been a while. 33:05 They're struggling. 33:06 So I think if you're Minnesota, when you go into Wisconsin, you have to play that smart game. 33:11 You have to play that playoff game. 33:13 You can't get into that. 33:14 It's point night. 33:15 Let's go out and get on the rush. 33:18 You know, they have to do the things that make them successful. 33:21 And I think one of the big keys this weekend for Bob is to figure out who are those six forwards that are going to be on that third and fourth line. 33:29 You know, I think it's pretty sad that the Cooley, Nice, Snuggerud line and the Nevers, Nelson, Brodsinski, Brodsinski line. 33:39 Like those are pretty sad. 33:41 So who are the next six players are going to be in the lineup? 33:44 And that's what Bob's looking for is he's really challenging those guys to perform out there because he's got some options. 33:51 Now that Schmidt has shown himself as a physical player who can change the momentum of a game, who else is going to fit into that lineup? 33:59 So you're really looking at four guys. 34:02 You're looking at four guys. 34:04 You're fourth line and then who's going to play on the right side with Pitlick and Hublin. 34:11 Yes, right? 34:12 I mean, you know, I don't... 34:16 Unless I'm missing something, but... 34:20 But as good as Pitlick and Hublin have played, they have not produced points like you'd expect from their possession. 34:27 So you're trying to figure out the right puzzle piece there. 34:30 And if that puzzle piece doesn't fit, then maybe you have to split Pitlick and Hublin and try somebody else with Hublin. 34:37 Yeah, I think there's some question marks there because Connor Kurth was a great scorer in the USHL last year. 34:43 He got a couple goals here in the last couple weeks. 34:46 You know, is he going to get a chance? 34:48 John Middleset has been very reliable, but he hasn't, you know, helped a lot of offense. 34:53 Strobel, same thing, a lot of size, a lot of effort, but they got to get some momentum out of those guys. 34:58 But you don't need, you need nothing offensively from Middleset. 35:04 You know, I mean, listen, I mean, you know, your fourth line, I look at Minnesota and the way they're built and to me, and I hope they go with it. 35:15 But, you know, I think, I mean, Schmidt, he needs a little bit more ice time now, right? 35:23 And that means, and so I don't think he's going to come out, at least initially. 35:30 And so you have him and you have Middleset, all of a sudden you got some bangers. 35:35 Okay. 35:36 So who's going to be on that right side? 35:37 Is it going to be Lamb or is it going to be Kurth? 35:40 Is it going to be Lamb or is it going to be Kurth? 35:44 Right. 35:44 And then are those two going to flip-flop? 35:49 That's the way I see it. 35:52 Well, and which player out of that group can also help out on the penalty kill? 35:56 You know, that's another component this team is looking for, because you can't dump all that ice time constantly on Nelson and Nevers and Nyes and Cooley. 36:06 You've got to find some other guys who can eat those spinach. 36:08 You put them in a lot, right? 36:13 So, you know, I think, yeah, I mean, listen, Middlestead's not, you know, he gets in there and he can, to me, and I've been impressed just because he goes out there and he works his tail off and he hits and he cause, you know, he just he gives the bench some energy, I think. 36:36 Now, you know, is that the way they're going to go? 36:40 I guess, I guess we're going to have to wait and see. 36:43 But, you know, and that's why I'm up in, you know, up in the press box with you guys, not behind the bench. 36:51 And as I always tell killer, Steve Miller, I don't tell you how to coach. 36:56 So, but here's what I think. 36:59 And last, so. 37:01 Honestly, Veegs, I think this team goes through the stratosphere if Hugh Glenn and Pitlick just come back to where they were last year at this time. 37:15 Right. 37:15 And I think the issue with them a little bit is having those one and done offensive possessions. 37:22 Stringing them together like you were talking about. 37:24 Yeah. 37:24 They need to connect the links of the chain. 37:27 And sometimes that's the confidence a player brings to the ice. 37:32 And when they make those plays, it helps everybody else. 37:35 And I'm not asking these lines to go out there and put up, you know, two points a night or two goals a night. 37:41 I'm asking them to stay on the plus side of the plus minus. 37:44 And I'm asking them to maintain momentum when they take the rink and allow the line that comes on after them to start in the offensive zone or to come onto the neutral zone and reload. 37:56 And that's, I think, a key thing that they're going to need when they get to the tournament and they play these tight checking teams. 38:03 They need lines that can come out there and have the confidence to just have a positive momentum shift. 38:10 So that's what I mean, Pat. 38:12 And that's where it goes back to finding that piece for them. 38:17 You know, is it gonna be lamb? 38:18 Is, you know, cause, you know, you see Kurth, yep, and you get some good shifts. 38:23 You see lamb and you get some good shifts. 38:25 But what you're not seeing is the consistency out of that. 38:30 And then when that drops, well, then you've got two guys. 38:35 And then that's where your one and done's come in. 38:38 And, you know, and then, you know, you can lose momentum in a game by one shift. 38:46 By one shift and then taking a penalty off of a mistake. 38:49 By, you know, and that's gonna be key. 38:57 All right, well, Pat, I'm guessing you're picking a sweep this weekend for Minnesota, aren't you? 39:02 Well, I am, you know, listen, if they come ready to play like they like, I think they will, then absolutely they should sweep. 39:13 I mean, you know, you're playing a team that has three wins all year that is lost. 39:19 And Minnesota, you know, they could drill them. 39:24 I mean, they could literally drill them this weekend. 39:27 You know, so that's what I'm expecting. 39:31 Does Mo get pulled this weekend, in Veegs? 39:37 I don't think so. 39:39 OK. 39:39 What? 39:40 I know you probably do. 39:43 I think Minnesota doesn't have a trouble weekend, even if they don't have their A game, just based on the way Minnesota has played this season and the way Wisconsin's depth is just non-existent. 39:55 I think Minnesota doesn't need their A game to sweep. 39:58 And that's probably what we're going to see. 40:01 I think coming off the bye week, there might be a little bit of rust in the Gophers' game. 40:05 There might be a little bit of that looking for points that could impact them. 40:09 But I think because their defense is so steady at shutting down play, that they'll be able to recover even if they have a few missteps. 40:17 And they're already in Madison tonight. 40:19 You know, there's some weather kind of coming into play here this weekend. 40:22 So Bob didn't want to take any chances with having a rushed, you know, commute to Madison. 40:28 So he took care of that. 40:30 So that's smart, you know, just get that out of the way and get focused on hockey this weekend. 40:35 And Bob also encouraged the Gopher fans to come out and make the trip to Madison, because he knows tickets are available. 40:42 And he referenced the fans being a big reason why guys like Faber and Lacombe came back. 40:52 Because, you know, when those players started, it was during COVID, and they're playing in front of family, just like they were squirts. 40:59 And now they're getting this experience of full Mariucci, full crowds, really engaged, great atmospheres. 41:07 And so I think Bob's doing a little bit of campaigning for the fan base to start traveling a little bit more, when opportunities like this present themselves. 41:15 And, you know, just watching the game, the exhibition game against Bemidji, we talked about this VEGS. 41:21 When they scored that late goal to win the game, the place erupted. 41:26 I mean, it was like they were it was almost like it was very heavily for the Gophers in the crowd that night. 41:35 And I'm thinking this weekend, there'll be quite a few. 41:38 Like I said, I'm making the first trip in many, many years. 41:41 I'm looking forward to it. 41:42 It's going to be a fun weekend. 41:45 Oh, and you know, when they hear that kind of crowd on the road, too, that's effective. 41:53 Yeah. 41:55 So I think that's what they're looking for. 41:57 Yeah, I'm saying sweep. 41:58 Of course, we're saying sweep. 42:00 The Badgers stink. 42:01 We don't need no stinking Badgers. 42:06 It's going to be fun. 42:07 It's going to be fun. 42:08 Are you going, Pat, for radio? 42:13 No, I'm off this weekend, just the show and that's it. 42:18 What do you guys have on Beyond the Pond this week? 42:20 Do you know? 42:22 The head coach of the Bemidji State Beavers, Tom Serratore. 42:28 Muscle Listen Radio. 42:30 Muscle Listen, yeah. 42:31 He came behind the bench last weekend. 42:35 Nice. 42:36 So good for him. 42:38 We're going to have Scott Wheeler on, talk about the wild and their prospects. 42:45 Who else do we have? 42:46 I leave it up to fall in this half the time. 42:50 I guess that's okay. 42:54 Who else? 42:54 I know we're having somebody else on. 42:56 I don't know. 42:57 Pat, you're going to have to challenge Wheeler a little bit. 43:00 He ranked Lacombe as the Ducks' 7th Best Prospect. 43:04 Oh, he did? 43:04 He didn't even mention Lacombe's Power Play Prowness or his late game tying goals that he started to put out there. 43:13 I think he's maybe a little underrated when I looked at the Anaheim Prospect list at 7. 43:19 Thank you. 43:19 Lacombe recently said that he is going to sign with the Ducks at the end of the year. 43:23 He's not going to go free agent. 43:25 Yeah. 43:26 Good for him. 43:27 Good for him. 43:28 Interesting. 43:30 Very interesting. 43:31 That is really interesting, too, because the Ducks have a plethora of young D Prospects. 43:39 And so, in fact, well, we don't have to talk NHL, but they're going to move Klingberg. 43:47 They're going to move maybe Fowler. 43:51 They've got to completely revamp what they're doing there. 43:55 So, good for him. 43:57 Okay. 43:59 And yes, he should win the whole beat. 44:05 All right, everybody, Gopher Van. 44:08 As much as I like all the other guys, I think he's the best. 44:16 I think it's going to be tough because they do have three, you know, well, they've got more than three superstars. 44:20 I mean, they've got, it's a lot this year. 44:23 Yeah. 44:23 But but who else really stands out, Figgs? 44:27 For Hobie. 44:28 Yeah. 44:32 I mean, there's some good players in college hockey. 44:35 There is. 44:35 The Fantilly guy at Michigan who's leading the nation in scoring. 44:39 Yeah, he did kind of overtake that. 44:40 How about this? 44:41 As a draft eligible. 44:43 How about this? 44:43 I like Brinley, Brinley more than I like Fantilly. 44:47 Oh, I thought Brinley added a lot to that line when he joined it. 44:52 It's just that secondary player to win Pucks back. 44:55 Brinley impressed me with his compete. 44:58 Fantilly has a lot of skill, but Brinley's compete really shown against Minnesota. 45:03 Yeah. 45:05 All right. 45:05 Enough of that. 45:09 Well, thanks for joining us again, Pat. 45:11 It's always great to have you on the show. 45:13 Always great to join you guys. 45:14 You know that. 45:18 Playoffs are coming up, so we might have you on again. 45:21 I think it's interesting. 45:22 Talk to my people. 45:26 That would be big. 45:27 Talk to me. 45:30 Thanks, guys. 45:30 Have a great night. 45:32 Well, that's going to do it for this edition of The GPL Podcast. 45:36 Obviously, we'll again thank Pat for being on the show once again. 45:39 We'll be back next week to recap the Badger Series and hopefully celebrate another regular season title. 45:47 For those of you currently watching live, stay tuned for some overtime. 45:50 We're just me and Veegs. 45:51 Pat has to go, so we'll let him go. 45:54 But for the rest of you, we'll catch you next week on The GPL Podcast.