0:03 This is the Go4Puck Live Podcast, episode number 33, recorded Tuesday, February 5th, 2013. 0:21 Thank Welcome to the Gopher Puck Live Podcast, along with Vigo and Hammeh. 0:27 I'm your host, Jupiter, and boys, SuperBulls, you watch it. 0:33 You're entertained by it. 0:34 Did you like the power outage? 0:36 Just a little different topic to start off the show today. 0:38 Hammeh, were you entertained? 0:41 You know, I was actually, I was a little concerned early on when that was starting to look like it was gonna be a blowout, and I was like, well, you know, I got to halftime, and I was like thinking that, and then they run back the kick. 0:55 To start the second half, I'm like, this game is over, you know? 0:58 So I'm kind of glad that San Fran rallied and at least made it a game, so that was good. 1:03 What about you, Viggo? 1:05 I had a lot of confidence in San Francisco. 1:07 I was gonna come back in the game. 1:09 I thought it was gonna be a close game from the start, and was surprised how much their offense struggled, but it was a great finish. 1:17 It was really entertaining. 1:18 Yeah, it was entertaining, and all I was hoping for was a wardrobe malfunction with Beyonce, but it didn't happen, so. 1:26 Well, didn't it sorta happen? 1:27 Didn't she throw something out in the audience? 1:29 Or was that planned? 1:30 I think that was planned, but man. 1:33 That was by design. 1:34 I had a full entertainment tonight, and that was all according to script. 1:38 I don't really care for her music, but she can shake her booty all she wants. 1:47 All right, boys, well, we had a week off. 1:50 Gophers didn't play this past weekend, so we didn't do a podcast. 1:55 And since that time, the Gophers split with our friends down in Mankato. 2:01 A pretty disappointing loss at home, Friday night, two to one. 2:05 But they kind of redeemed themselves a little bit Saturday night with some controversy, with a four-one win at Mankato. 2:12 Amia, what stuck out for you? 2:14 I mean, it was, you know, we kind of touched on it could be a trap and, you know, Mankato just gives us problems. 2:24 Well, I mean, I think I was at the Friday game and I, you know, it was just a disappointing performance. 2:29 They looked lackluster. 2:31 For me, it wasn't so much anything that, you know, Mankato did as much as it just didn't seem like our guys mentally were right going into that game. 2:39 And I, you know, I think we kind of touched on it, that it was, you know, you worry a little bit coming off of a highly emotional series against North Dakota. 2:47 You know, how is the team going to react to, you know, a team that's not quite the same status as far as rivalry goes. 2:54 And honestly, that's kind of what it seemed to happen. 2:58 And they didn't play that particularly well. 3:00 And it certainly hurt in that last minute to give up that goal. 3:04 And that's, you know, a valuable, at a minimum, a valuable point that we've lost. 3:08 So from that standpoint, it was kind of a bad outing. 3:10 And then Saturday, I thought, you know, they played well. 3:14 They kind of played the way expected them to, to kind of come out and, you know, get a lead. 3:18 And I don't really think that there was anything all that controversial about that disallowed goal. 3:22 I mean, the guy did try to redirect it, even if he didn't try to redirect it with his hand and he was trying to do it with the stick, it still hit his hand and he was trying to redirect it. 3:31 So, you know, I don't think there was anything all that, you know, controversy about that one. 3:38 Oh boy, I was getting yelled at by a one Dan Myers who does quite a bit of writing in the WCHA. 3:46 He was in full root mode Saturday night at the Mankato game and he was not happy about the no goal call. 3:53 But, well, that's just too bad, just too bad. 3:57 It's especially crazy about the controversy because it happened the night after in the wild game with UC. 4:04 Oh, it did? 4:05 Oh, yeah. 4:05 And it was, they were just like, that's not a goal. 4:08 And it was the exact same thing. 4:10 Exactly. 4:11 I mean, it was the same, yeah, that's what I thought was funny. 4:14 It was like exact same situation, exact same result after they reviewed it. 4:19 And it was kind of like, well, hello, there's kind of like your evidence that it wasn't some big conspiracy for the Gophers. 4:25 Well, what do you think about the Vanelli goal then? 4:27 Do you think that was a legit goal? 4:29 Well, I did. 4:31 I mean, I thought that a lot of times they talk about it's gonna, if the puck is gonna cross the crease and somebody knocks it off, the goalie or whoever knocks it off, they'll give you that. 4:43 You know what I mean? 4:43 So for me, I thought that that was gonna be a good goal anyways, so I don't think that that was a bad call. 4:49 And it's not like he didn't kick it in. 4:51 I noticed when they did a low shot that it almost went, it went back off his shin. 4:55 Right. 4:55 And then into the goal. 4:56 So I didn't think Vanelli did anything wrong. 4:58 I mean, if anything, Vanelli, why am I saying Vanelli? 5:02 Oh, I don't know. 5:03 You're probably because they're both right-handed. 5:04 They're both right-handed. 5:07 I know. 5:07 Man, I am just off tonight. 5:10 I'm talking about Hall, of course. 5:12 Geez, Vanelli. 5:13 Well, if it makes it feel any better, I called Target Center for TCF Bank Stadium earlier on GPL. 5:18 So I'm a little out of it too. 5:20 Oh, man, I'm just getting old. 5:21 Well, how about Hall though? 5:23 I mean, what a heads-up move. 5:26 I thought he was really slow on the ice, but nobody caught him on the breakaway. 5:33 It was quite an oppressive move, and his game keeps improving and improving. 5:38 What do you think, Viggo? 5:40 Well, I think he's doing a great job in that role. 5:43 He's really adjusted. 5:44 He's a fine skater. 5:46 He's fine in the pockets. 5:47 Just when you're playing defense, your mistakes are magnified. 5:51 And when you can play on a wing, I think it's a little bit easier for someone who's a talented hockey player to take some chances and make some plays. 5:59 And he's really grown into that role. 6:01 And I'm not sure what his NHL team wants to do with him, but he's looked great there. 6:05 I think he's that Blackhawks player. 6:07 So, you know, maybe that's his future. 6:10 What do you think, Cami? 6:11 I mean, it seems like he's doing well. 6:14 Yeah, I mean, I think it kind of shows, you know, how much confidence can play in a guy's game. 6:19 I mean, I think that, you know, if a guy's worried about making mistakes, out there, he's gonna be playing tentative and he's probably gonna be more likely to make some mistakes. 6:28 So, it's probably been a beneficial thing for him, confidence-wise. 6:33 Now, whether he really wants to be doing that or not, I can't speak for that, but I think that certainly, you know, he's played well in that situation and the opportunities he's been given. 6:42 And, you know, given the fact that we knew that we were gonna have excess depth on defense, the fact that he's been able to kind of step up into that role, you know, I think it's certainly been beneficial to the team. 6:53 And recently, he's not just on that little fourth line role either, he was actually moved up to the third line in the most recent game. 7:00 So it looks like Lucia is, or at least showing that he's happy with what Hall's been doing up there. 7:05 And so that was definitely one of the good positives I saw on the weekend, but any other thoughts, guys? 7:14 Anyone else? 7:14 I mean, we've seen a little inconsistent play on Friday nights and that's been a concern again, but what do you think? 7:23 Well, the only thing I would say about Hall is that, it's not like the first time the Gophers have had a kid kind of go back and forth and show some success. 7:31 I mean, now he's not in the Eric Westrom level of success, playing both roles, but nonetheless, he's done well. 7:38 So you kind of have to give him credit for filling in those opportunities. 7:42 As far as anything else goes, I don't like to read into that whole Friday, Saturday thing. 7:47 I know that sometimes people think that that's a trend or whatever and maybe it is to a degree, but I just feel like at this point in the year, you kind of just have to buckle down every game and I would hope that after having this, I know we'll touch on it a little later, but having the week off, I hope that they'll be really amped and prepared for this coming weekend. 8:09 Any final thoughts, Dave? 8:10 Well, I think the big thing is how it's gonna be coming back in the lineup, hopefully 100% playing center again. 8:16 I think it was a little bit of adjustment for him to play in the wing, maybe have to play a little bit more on the perimeter and the defensive zone and have to rely on other people to get the play started. 8:26 So I think within moving back to center and hopefully 100% healthy, that'll make a big difference and even out the scoring a little bit here as the season gets to the end. 8:37 Well, since we took the week off, we didn't pick these games last week, but we'll quickly touch on what happened in the week off for the Gophers and the WCHA. 8:45 We had a, oh boy, Colorado College went up to Anchorage, two ties, out Chammy. 8:52 They are just, I think they want to get even further down in the standings. 8:57 The CC just keeps falling. 9:00 Yeah, I mean, you know, they were one of those teams where I thought, I mean, they lost some key guys in the off season and you kind of thought that they were gonna take a step back. 9:10 And, you know, I don't know that where they're at right now is a huge surprise, but I think that certainly the fact that they kind of, were actually playing pretty good hockey earlier in the year and then seemed to really kind of, you know, kind of tank it here in the last handful of weeks. 9:27 So yeah, I mean, and they come out of anchors with two ties. 9:30 I mean, you know, Anchorage plays hard, but you don't usually expect to get more out of a series against them, so. 9:35 Yeah, we thought they'd have a down year, but did you really think they would be down in the lower, lower half of the league? 9:41 I thought they were kind of lower middle, you know, maybe peak up there, but it just seems like it's been a long time since CC's had a team this bad. 9:50 Well, I don't remember what I selected them as outside of my head, but I know that I had them in the bottom half, so. 9:56 Yeah, who knows? 9:57 What do you think, Veegs? 9:59 Well, I think the big surprise is just how many goals they're giving up. 10:02 I mean, they gave up five in a weekend to Alaska Anchorage, not exactly a juggernaut. 10:07 And, you know, it's tough to win in the WCHA because all the teams are so well coached and everybody plays such sound defense. 10:15 You give up that many goals, you're gonna have a hard time getting wins. 10:19 Well, I think the thing for me is that, I mean, their goal-tenning has not been up to snuff. 10:24 Howe has not really, you know, turned into the goalie that I thought he was going to in college. 10:30 You know, I mean, he's a senior now and he just has not been newly the player that I expected. 10:35 He was really good when he was back here in Minnesota in high school. 10:39 So, I mean, it's a little bit of a surprise that he's struggling the way he is. 10:43 Oh, I heard a baby. 10:46 Stick a fork in the beagle. 10:48 Yeah, it's his bedtime. 10:49 Oh, I know how that is. 10:52 All right, we had Michigan Tech headed down to Nebraska, Omaha last week and got a nice little split there. 11:01 You know, Omaha beat them 4-3 the first night and then second night, Michigan Tech came up and kind of surprised them, huh, Hammeh? 11:09 Yeah, I mean, it's hard to sometimes get a feel for what UNO is going to do. 11:14 I mean, they're kind of been, you know, they're all over the map sometimes. 11:18 When you expect them to do well, they don't, you know, and then other times when you expect them to kind of falter, I mean, like, they finally, you know, they swept Bemidji for once, you know, finally, you know, recently, you know what I mean? 11:31 Yeah. 11:32 And so you're kind of like, well, you know, which team is going to show up? 11:35 You just don't really know. 11:36 And, you know, now they've got North Dakota coming into town, and I know that one of those games is an outdoor game. 11:41 So, you know, it will be interesting to see what happens with them. 11:44 Any thoughts on that series we go? 11:48 I think he might have hit the old mute button or something. 11:52 Yeah, well, you know, I did mute the kid a little bit. 11:54 Yeah. 11:55 Hey, that's fine. 11:55 That's fine. 11:56 I can't put a hockey sock in his mouth. 11:58 Oh, no, we just go with it as we go, so. 12:01 Yeah, but I think Nebraska-Homa does have talents. 12:05 I mean, we saw that when they came to Marriott, that they're a talented team. 12:08 And, you know, I think Michigan Tech isn't a bottom-run team this year. 12:12 I think they've got some scoring and, you know, they've got a chance to be a Homites team just as much as some of the other teams in the middle of the pack. 12:20 I would agree with that. 12:23 They're a slump buster for us, I tell you. 12:25 Not really. 12:25 All right, we have St. 12:27 Cloud going up and sweeping Bemidji State, and I must say I watched part of that on that Lakeland television, and St. 12:35 Cloud's looking good, Viggo. 12:38 Yeah, they are on their game. 12:39 I don't think anyone expected Bemidji to give them any problems this last weekend. 12:45 Hopefully they stay sharp and bring their best this weekend because they're looking like one of the better teams in the WCHA. 12:53 Hammeh? 12:54 Yeah, I mean, really you can't, I mean, I don't read too much into a series like that. 12:59 I mean, you really expect, you know, St. 13:01 Cloud to go up there and sweep that series. 13:04 I mean, they're one of the top two or three teams in the league and Bemidji, for the most part, has been pretty down. 13:09 So, I mean, you kind of expect that kind of result. 13:12 Denver sweeps Minnesota Duluth at Duluth. 13:17 Beat them three to zip Friday night and then Saturday night, I believe, Duluth had a three-goal lead and just gave it up. 13:26 Hammy, is it over for the Dogs? 13:29 Now, apparently UMD is a slump buster for Denver. 13:35 You know, I'm a little surprised. 13:36 I mean, I kind of thought that that series would be a split and it probably should have been, but the Dogs kind of choked up the lead on that Saturday. 13:43 And so, yeah, that one probably stings a lot for them, considering that they're in that bunch where they're fighting for that whole mice. 13:51 So a little surprised by the split, or I mean by the sweep, but I thought it would be a split. 13:57 But yeah, when you have a game, some of those close games, you just never know how it's going to turn. 14:03 Any thoughts on it, Viggo? 14:04 Well, I think the Luths are still struggling to figure out who they are this year. 14:08 They had so many holes to replace. 14:10 I feel bad for our fans up 35 and how the season is going. 14:15 But, you know, they still have a chance to have a winnable game to get into the final five. 14:20 You know, they've got 19 points, eight wins, which is kind of surprising based on how many games they've given away like that. 14:27 You know, and it's still pretty bunched here in the WCHA standings. 14:30 You know, teams are, at least for now, teams are going to jump quite a bit and drop quite a bit just from one game because it's so tight. 14:40 What, the drunk hockey guy complaining about the attendance up there? 14:44 You know what, I picked up a few of his tweets and I think he's really disappointed in their student section. 14:50 Apparently, it was almost empty this past weekend. 14:55 They couldn't still be on break, could they? 14:59 No. 15:00 I wouldn't think so. 15:02 So I think he's a little disappointed in their student section. 15:05 I don't know, maybe we'll have him on in a couple of weeks when we face Duluth and he can give us a scoop because he sounds awful disappointed in their crowd up there. 15:17 Maybe the honeymoon is over. 15:19 Wow, that didn't take long for a new arena. 15:22 Yeah, I don't know. 15:25 Finally, we have North Dakota taking three of four points against Wisconsin. 15:33 What do you think about that, Vigo? 15:35 Looks like Wisconsin did their thing Friday night. 15:39 They kept it closed down, but Saturday, you know, they let North Dakota get away from them. 15:46 Yeah, they want that 2-1, maybe 3-2 type game, and Saturday got away from them. 15:54 I know Gothberg had a pretty good weekend for the North Dakota green team. 16:00 Yeah, North Dakota is still a threat. 16:04 Oh, definitely. 16:05 Even though they tied a game with Wisconsin, I think they're still in everything. 16:10 Well, they're both right there. 16:11 We'll see how they do with Omaha this weekend. 16:14 Like I said, they're both right there, and Wisconsin obviously didn't do as well this weekend, but they have been going up the hill recently, haven't they, Hammeh? 16:26 Yeah, it's just Wisconsin is what it is. 16:30 They're offensively pretty terrible. 16:32 Basically, 44 goals in conference play, and that's third worst in the league, something like that. 16:40 That's terrible. 16:42 That's not good. 16:44 You really expect games with them. 16:45 It's going to be those 1-0, 2-1, 1-1. 16:51 It's going to be more than likely. 16:53 That's what they are. 16:55 When we play them upcoming, I really expect that they're probably going to be those kinds of games. 17:02 They know that, hey, if we let Minnesota or whoever score three goals, we're probably screwed. 17:07 They're going to try to keep it down and keep it tight and hopefully try to, in their case, win it late in the game or in the third period, something like that. 17:15 Well, that's what they need to do. 17:16 If that's their formula right now, and that's the only way they can win, they're just going to have to do that. 17:21 I don't think I would want to play them in a first round or anything like that if they happen to go on the road because they're going to be a tough team to get rid of once it comes playoff time. 17:33 Yeah, I would totally agree with that. 17:34 I think that they play that kind of tight brand of hockey because they have to. 17:40 You might be able to out-talent them, but because of their system, they're just going to try to keep it close and probably bore you to death and then try to win it late. 17:49 But that's literally, and teams get frustrated against that. 17:51 If they don't really have the right attitude going into a series with them, a team's going to get frustrated because a lot of teams, they want to skate up and down and do all that stuff. 18:00 But if you have three, four guys clogging up the ice on the defensive end, teams sometimes get frustrated and that's when you start making mistakes and that kind of plays into their hands. 18:10 You just have to be patient when you play them. 18:12 Well, we'll have to see where they go. 18:14 I mean, don't you think Viggo? 18:17 I don't want to play them. 18:20 Yeah, Wisconsin's right in the middle of the pack. 18:21 You'd much rather play a team like Colorado College or Michigan Tech that gives up a bunch of scoring chances. 18:27 I mean, you're playing Wisconsin, you need to sell your fours to play disciplined and chip it deep and work the forecheck on the D. 18:35 For some of these talented guys, I think they just get bored with that a little bit and they get undisciplined and they make a turnover at the offensive blue line and all of a sudden, instead of a three-on-three rush, it's a two-on-one coming back the other way. 18:51 And that's one thing that Wisconsin has always done well. 18:53 They've always done well on that quick transition to score a goal. 18:58 I mean, it just seems like Eves keeps some on the defensive end, but when they get their chances, they seem to take advantage of them. 19:06 Well, you have to give them credit. 19:08 I mean, he knows what he has, and he knows that there's really only going to be one way that they win games. 19:15 It's not going to be skating up and down the ice and trying to create a bunch of stuff. 19:19 They're going to have to play it more close to the vest and sort of hope to capitalize. 19:24 If you get frustrated on stupid mistakes, so that's really what you have to guard against when you play them. 19:29 And obviously, North Dakota did a pretty good job, particularly on Saturday, to avoid those kinds of mistakes. 19:37 Well, let's move on to a few Twitter questions that we've had come in here during the show. 19:42 Dave Wilkie wants to know, the cows show that the Gophers can be knocked off their game. 19:48 How do the Gophers not repeat those mistakes in the future? 19:51 What do you think, Hammeh? 19:54 Is it just Mankato? 19:55 Is it just the way they play against the Gophers? 19:57 Or is it something we should be concerned about and come play off time with other teams? 20:03 I don't know that's necessarily anything Mankato does. 20:06 That series to me, I don't want to act like it's all about us and whatever we do is why things happen. 20:15 You want to give some credit to the other team, but I really do believe, on Friday we just did not have our heads in it mentally. 20:22 It was obvious at the rink, they were playing sloppy and they weren't their normal selves. 20:30 For me, you could say, is that partly Mankato? 20:34 For me, I didn't see anything that Mankato was doing that was particularly stifling. 20:40 They play very good on the penalty kill. 20:42 Obviously you have to do that against the Gophers because we have a very good power play. 20:48 So that's probably one of the things why Mankato matched up well in that sense because they've been very good specifically in the last few months in the penalty kill. 20:58 So that's probably a part of it. 21:00 But as far as anything beyond that, I just think it was a matter of not having their head in the game on Friday. 21:06 What do you think, Viggo? 21:08 Well, I think the power play is key for the Gophers. 21:10 They've got so much talent on that group. 21:14 And you heard some comments from Condon on the Don Luchillo Show when he filled in that they had a big problem gaining the zone on the power play on Friday night. 21:22 And they were able to do that a little bit better on Saturday. 21:25 And that's a huge difference. 21:26 And I think with Holla coming back in the lineup, getting him healthy on the power play, that's going to help that first group. 21:33 And then that second group's had two weeks to practice with however they're going to shake things up and decide how to hand out the ice time. 21:41 So I think that's going to be a big help, because with the injuries, they were just unorganized with their units. 21:49 One question I have is, you know, I think sometimes the talent on this team is a detriment. 21:57 I know it sounds weird, but a lot of times a team like Wisconsin or like Mankato will stand them up at the line when they're coming in the offensive zone, and we lose the puck, because a lot of times we just don't want to play that dump-and-chase type of game. 22:13 You think that could be a problem in the future as well, is that not adjusting your play during the game? 22:18 If they're not giving it to you, you've got to dump the puck and get in there and chase it. 22:22 Well, I mean, I think maybe in some instances in the past I could see that kind of thought process, but this is a gopher team that quite honestly up front is a little more physical than what we're probably used to. 22:34 We have more size, guys like Bukestead, Budish. 22:38 We have some guys at Ambrose that could really get in there and grind it out, and so I don't really know that it's necessarily trying to, that it's not that they don't want to dump it in. 22:49 I do agree that they probably would obviously prefer to carry the puck in and kind of get things rolling as far as the power play unit goes, but I really believe that's more just a matter of a team is just doing well in a penalty kill. 23:03 You just have to give them credit, I guess. 23:05 Yeah, I think it's always your first option to try to skate it in the zone and see if you're able to execute that kind of zone entry. 23:15 If you fail trying to get it that way, that's when you have to start chipping it in and working it. 23:22 We have a question from Tanner. 23:24 He wants to know, with talks of an outdoor game at TCF, who would you rather see the Gophers play, Michigan or Wisconsin? 23:33 I would like to add to that. 23:34 I would like to have them play North Dakota, but that's just me. 23:37 Obviously, we've heard a few things this week. 23:40 I think Judd Zulgad talked to Mr. 23:44 Norwood Teague there at the UN. 23:46 He seems really kind of like they're going to be pushing that outdoor game here at TCF Bank Stadium. 23:52 If that does happen, who do you think they should play? 23:54 And let's just talk about this outdoor thing here. 23:58 Hammeh. 23:59 Well, I mean, I think obviously the most obvious choice would be Wisconsin simply because, you know, they have probably a pretty good amount of alumni in this area and certainly they're a main rival in many sports. 24:12 So you'd probably say that that would be the default one that you would turn towards in that situation. 24:18 You know, certainly Michigan wouldn't be a bad choice because there's plenty of Michigan hate around here. 24:22 You know, obviously for mostly for other sports, but I mean, nonetheless, you know, I think that that I've always said that that rivalry is going to eventually very much, and my belief is going to very much ramp up. 24:34 And I think it will eventually rival the one that we have with North Dakota. 24:39 That's my personal belief. 24:40 And so I think that that's another good option. 24:43 You know, I don't know, those are, I mean, really those are to me the only two real key options. 24:49 I mean, I don't know who's playing who as far as the in-state stuff goes. 24:52 And I think that if I, correct me if I'm wrong, didn't they say that all the non-conference games are going to be in the first like two months of the season or something like that? 25:00 So obviously those are probably not going to be options, you know, for outdoors. 25:05 So you probably would have to look within the Big Ten. 25:09 And obviously Michigan and Wisconsin would be the two most attractive options out of that group. 25:15 Well, you know, I just said North Dakota because obviously they do have a ton of people that, you know, that live here in the cities. 25:22 I mean, you see it at the Final Five. 25:24 They are by far the biggest crowd besides the Gopher fans. 25:29 So that's why I kind of mentioned North Dakota. 25:31 But what do you think, Viggo, do you think, you know, pretty much going to be the Badgers? 25:36 Well, I want to kind of dodge Tanner's question just a little bit. 25:39 I would like to see the Minnesota Cuff type tournament that they're talking about doing be done at TCF. 25:47 So, when you have Minnesota Duluth, Mankato, Bemidji, St. 25:53 Cloud, whoever the five are going to be, I would like, you know, the second day of that to be at TCF. 26:00 I think that would be a great way to celebrate Minnesota Hockey or maybe you do it on Minnesota Hockey Day and you make an exception on the Big Ten schedule, but I think that would be the best way to do it. 26:12 Well, what do you guys think about the whole game itself? 26:15 I mean, I know the U has been reluctant to do this in the past because they know, you know, it's, it's, unfortunately, it's just not a huge money maker. 26:25 Wisconsin, when Wisconsin did it last, I think they profited under $20,000 when it came to the end. 26:34 So, they're really going to have to do something special. 26:37 Maybe, like you said, maybe they're going to have to do more than one game or tournament and obviously I think they should get the Go4Women involved. 26:44 Do you think it's still going to be a viable thing here? 26:48 Well, I mean, obviously, if the athletic director wants to do it, I mean, that's pretty much the key factor on whether or not something's going to get done. 26:56 So, I think it's more than likely going to happen. 27:00 I've never been a huge fan of the whole outdoor game thing. 27:03 I mean, I think it's a nice thing that's messed around with once every how many years, but it's sort of become a little bit more of a, you know, you have that winter classic and you get all these other, you know, it seems like some college teams have done it and you kind of just say, has this become kind of a me too thing now as opposed to something real special? 27:22 And I don't know, maybe it'll be nice to have it there. 27:25 And I don't know what the numbers will be for the profits and all that kind of stuff. 27:30 And I can see why you'd want to create an experience for the fans that would be interesting, exciting and different. 27:37 You know, we haven't had an outdoor game here, so it would be different in that sense. 27:42 But I think it'll be fun and I certainly would go. 27:45 Vigo, you're going in a couple weeks down to Chicago, aren't you? 27:49 Yeah, the family is all planning on going down there and see what it's like at Soldier Field. 27:54 Chicago's a great town and it's a great opportunity for college hockey to get a little bit more of a national scene. 28:01 They've been on TV a lot this year. 28:04 You saw that NHL Hockey is back stuff. 28:06 Well, college hockey has been here all year and it's been pretty entertaining, so this will be a fun event. 28:11 Did I see that they had 55,000 tickets sold for that? 28:14 Is that what it was? 28:16 I haven't seen the numbers, but I can look into it. 28:19 I thought I saw something like this before. 28:20 Well, that's pretty good then. 28:21 I mean, that's pretty respectable if they sold 55, you know. 28:25 Yeah, I know that Miami, Ohio has been trying to get their alumni to go to the game. 28:30 And a lot of people enjoy going to Chicago, so I think if they've got four schools to market to, so I think that's probably helping quite a bit. 28:38 You know, I still haven't understood why there hasn't been a Frozen Four in Chicago. 28:42 I mean, I know they're busy with the Blackhawks and whatnot, but it just seems like a no-brainer to me. 28:47 I mean, people would rather go to Chicago than go to St. 28:51 Louis or to Detroit. 28:53 You know, some of those oddball or Columbus, some of those oddball cities, Chicago just seems like a no-brainer to me. 29:01 And it definitely is a good hockey city. 29:03 I mean, it might not be a college hockey city, but, you know, and that's the thing for me that, you know, it's a nice sign that, you know, they do have that many tickets sold because none of those teams are, you know, specifically local to that market. 29:16 And so you like to see that, you know, it's good exposure. 29:20 You know, for our program, I mean, you know, it's nice to be able to play in front of fans that typically, you know, don't see the Gophers in person, you know, so I think that'll be kind of, I mean, there's a lot of, let's face it, the U of M is a huge school with a tremendous alumni base, and I'm sure there's lots of fans in Chicago that are, you know, that went to the U, and so that'll be nice for them to be able to just kind of drive in to see a game that they don't normally get to see. 29:44 Well, you never know. 29:45 Maybe this outdoor game is, you know, one of their little tests to see if, you know, if it would work in Chicago. 29:51 I mean, if it goes really well, like, hey, let's do a Frozen 4 if we can. 29:58 I mean, I don't disagree. 29:59 It would be a great town to have that, and there's no doubt about that. 30:02 I mean, I didn't think Tampa was going to be that good, and Tampa was outstanding the way they had it set up. 30:08 So it's just a no-brainer for me. 30:11 Chicago should be doing a Frozen 4. 30:13 Viggo, you were going to say something there? 30:15 Well, yeah, I was just going to say that there's seven high school games happening there on Friday and Saturday before the big game on Sunday. 30:22 So, I mean, they are making a bit of a showcase for Chicago. 30:26 Didn't I already see that they're playing games on that rink now? 30:29 Like they're, you know, some of the youth and some, like I think I saw something like, was it police teams? 30:35 Or I don't even remember what I saw, but... 30:37 The rink's been set up for a couple weeks at least, hasn't it? 30:41 Yeah, recent, I know that, yeah. 30:45 Yeah, they've got public skating there for two weeks and they've got some city games with the police department, fire department, so they're making a big deal out of it. 30:54 I mean, you put the rink in at a place like that, you gotta take advantage. 30:58 Well, I'm glad they are, because I'm not big on doing a quick set up and then tearing it down. 31:02 It just seems like the ice is just never as good when you do it that way. 31:06 Whereas you let it get in there for a couple weeks and obviously they're using a refrigeration system. 31:11 It tends to be a little bit better ice. 31:14 Right now, the weather forecast isn't that great, but we're still over a week out. 31:20 So we'll see how that weather changes. 31:23 They're still throwing darts. 31:26 Yeah, they're saying it's going to be 49 and maybe raining or something like that. 31:30 I'm like, yeah, it's a week and a half away. 31:32 Let's just wait to see what's going to happen there. 31:36 All right. 31:39 Well, that's kind of it for questions. 31:40 You know, we had, what's this Chris guy? 31:43 Chris Mathies or Mathis, he wants to know why St. 31:47 Cloud fans are so bitter. 31:50 Any thoughts on why they're so bitter? 31:52 Maybe it's just the one win in the NCAA tournament that was here or maybe they're bitter because their participation banner is, I don't know, why are they so bitter? 32:05 It's the Jan Brady syndrome. 32:08 Well, I mean, honestly... 32:10 Marcia, Marcia, Marcia. 32:11 Well, I honestly do. 32:12 I mean, even with their boosters, you know, I see some of the booster stuff online. 32:18 And to me, it's always something about how the gopher's this and the gopher's that. 32:24 It's like even the weeks we don't play in that. 32:25 To me, it's just kind of that... 32:27 It's the big shadow of the you, and they're never going to really ever escape that because they're the closest D1 program to us. 32:37 It's not like they have their own real space that's real attractive in the state. 32:43 Duluth's got a nice... 32:44 They're up north, and it's nice. 32:46 The Midgee's got their little area, and Mankato's in the south. 32:50 There's not this great hockey thing in central Minnesota. 32:53 It's just sort of like one of the areas that... 32:56 I just think that that's a big part of it, is being a shadow of the you, and it's going to be awful. 33:02 Even if they did something fantastic this year, they're never really going to escape the shadow of the you, and I think that's what it comes across. 33:09 Vigo, our buddies, Blue Liner and P-Join, St. 33:13 Cloud State fans, are they bitter? 33:15 Well, I think they've got a little bit of banner on me. 33:21 It's brutal. 33:22 I mean, as Minnesota fans know, when you follow teams like the Vikings, who just have a hard time getting over that hump, it's frustrating. 33:30 And it builds some character, so it makes it... 33:33 you know, building for character for them. 33:35 But I think that's the big problem is they've had a hard time with success there. 33:40 And they've had some talented teams. 33:42 Well, they definitely have had some talented teams, and they've put out some wonderful NHL players as well. 33:48 Well, I mean, I think that's really a big thing as well, is that when they've had those good teams, they, for some reason, have just failed to capitalize on the opportunities. 33:57 And that's the one thing you have to give Duluth credit for a couple years ago, is that, you know, I've always said that in Minnesota, you're probably gonna have, in any given year, two pretty good D1 programs, you know, and the other ones are probably gonna be either mediocre or worse. 34:13 And usually one of those two teams, not every year, but usually one of them is gonna be the Gophers, and then it sort of seems to cycle between, you know, St. 34:21 Cloud and Duluth, and maybe get Mankato in there once in a while, but St. 34:26 Cloud just hasn't capitalized on their good times the way that, you know, you saw with Duluth, and I think that probably is a part of it as well. 34:37 Well, they're bitter, and that's all that matters. 34:39 Well, they've got their big chances here. 34:40 They're in possession. 34:41 They are, and we'll get to that in a little bit here, but let's first go over a couple of other games for this week. 34:48 Anchorage heading to Michigan Tech. 34:51 Oh, boy. 34:53 Well, Hammy, what do you think? 34:58 You know, we know that... 35:00 Anchorage has one win on the season in the league. 35:05 I'm going to say that we're probably going to see maybe three points for Tech. 35:14 I think I wouldn't be shocked if one night we see something good happen with Anchorage. 35:20 They always seem to put in one tough performance and maybe get something out of it. 35:24 So I'll say it's a three-point weekend for Tech. 35:27 I say it's going to be a sweep for Tech. 35:31 No reason why I'm just saying a sweep. 35:34 Biggs? 35:35 I'm right with you. 35:36 I think sweep for Tech. 35:37 I think they're a better team than people are thinking. 35:41 I think they're going to creep up the standings here a little bit and threaten for that home-ice spot. 35:49 Maybe another team in the top starts to struggle and they can edge their way up there. 35:55 North Dakota at Nebraska-Omaha, and I believe they've got an outdoor game in there somewhere, don't they, Viggo? 36:02 Yeah, they're playing at TD Ameritrade Park. 36:06 Now, what is that? 36:06 Is it a football place or baseball? 36:12 That's got to be a baseball park. 36:14 Well, it's Omaha. 36:15 I mean, World Series, blah, blah, blah. 36:17 I have no idea. 36:18 Yeah, that's my guess. 36:20 I'm guessing it's at that ballpark for the College World Series. 36:24 Maybe someone on Twitter can help us out. 36:27 Now, are they going to have a junior hockey game before, a USHL game before that? 36:32 I can't recall what's the lineup for that. 36:35 Do you remember at all? 36:37 Does anybody? 36:38 I personally don't care, so I didn't look. 36:42 The only thing I was interested in is, you know, A, what's the weather going to be like, and then B, how have the ticket sales been? 36:50 Has it been pretty good or not? 36:53 What about the game, Viggo? 36:55 Or the games, I should say? 36:56 I think Omaha is going to steal a point at some point, but don't quote us. 37:03 They've let some teams win games lately, but I think they still get three. 37:09 I'm going to think it's going to be a split. 37:11 I think with the outdoor game, Omaha will be pumped for one of those games. 37:16 Two points for each of them. 37:18 Yeah, I would piggyback on that one. 37:20 I think it's going to be a split. 37:22 I don't know who is going to win the outdoor game or not. 37:26 If anything, it might be a little bit of an advantage for North Dakota to be playing in a rink that's other than UNO's normal rink. 37:36 Who knows? 37:37 I think it's going to end up being a split for the series. 37:39 Well, North Dakota will travel for this series. 37:41 They'll have quite a few fans there, I'm guessing. 37:46 Their indoor stadium holds 15. 37:48 They don't fill that. 37:49 And obviously the outdoor game. 37:52 I think there will be quite the North Dakota fan presence there this weekend. 37:57 Bemidji State at Wisconsin, and I'm just going to say Wisconsin with the four points. 38:01 I just think Bemidji just keeps falling and falling. 38:04 What do you think, Hamme? 38:06 Yeah, I mean, it's kind of hard to say that that's not what's going to happen. 38:09 And particularly considering, I mean, this is going to be, I mean, Bemidji scores less goals than Wisconsin. 38:15 So, I mean, this has the makings of a serious snoozer. 38:18 I mean, although maybe because Bemidji is so weak, Wisconsin might actually score more than two goals. 38:23 So, yeah, I would probably say Wisconsin is going to sweep this one. 38:28 There you go. 38:31 Badger sweep. 38:31 It pains me to say it, but Bemidji just cannot get it done right now. 38:36 I think it's a race to two each game, and two should be enough. 38:40 Yeah, I would agree with that. 38:42 Badger sweep. 38:43 And you know, Wisconsin is right in the middle of the pack right now. 38:47 They get four points, and they're right up there with everybody. 38:52 So, keep an eye out. 38:55 Minnesota State heads up to Duluth to play the Bulldogs. 38:59 What do you think, Cammie? 39:00 Minnesota State, can they get up there and cause some damage? 39:06 Well, I actually would think that the series is going to be a split. 39:10 I'm sure that Duluth is going to have a little bit of a bitter taste in its mouth after this last series against Denver. 39:15 So, I would imagine that they're going to be pretty fired up for this series. 39:18 And they're, of course, fighting for that home ice. 39:22 And Mankato is just two points ahead of them, so it's a big series for them. 39:27 But I think that, inevitably, I think Mankato is maybe a little bit better of a team. 39:33 So, I think that it's probably going to end up being a split. 39:35 By the way, we just got a tweet. 39:37 It looks like it is the College World Series Park. 39:39 And Omaha is playing Lincoln in the USHL game at Omaha this weekend. 39:46 Viggo, your thoughts on Duluth and Mankato? 39:51 I think Mankato is probably going to take three points from this series. 39:55 Duluth just, I think they are struggling to find what they are doing. 39:58 And Mankato, I think they have looked good. 40:01 They have had good goaltending. 40:02 They have got some scores. 40:03 I think they play a good physical game. 40:05 I think they get three points. 40:08 Sorry, Drunk Hockey, but I am picking Mankato to sweep. 40:13 They are your alma mater. 40:19 I don't like them that much. 40:22 I think Duluth is going to be in a tailspin. 40:26 They will be a slump buster for Mankato State. 40:29 Or Minnesota State Mankato. 40:31 Viggo, we have Colorado College and Denver in a home and home. 40:38 I am thinking the way these two teams are going, it's going to be three or four points for Denver. 40:45 I am thinking four points for Denver. 40:47 They are going to get the gold pan. 40:49 Colorado College is just so leaky right now. 40:52 Denver, I think they are a little bit better than maybe their record shows and they get four points. 40:58 What do you think, Hammeh? 40:59 Gold pan? 41:01 Yeah, well, I am sure they probably will. 41:04 For me, I think it's really hard. 41:07 This is sort of like the Wisconsin Gopher Series or the North Dakota Gopher Series where it doesn't matter if one team is necessarily down. 41:16 It's sort of that rivalry, dislike, kind of gets things amped up and you just don't know what to expect. 41:21 So under normal circumstances, I would probably pick Denver to sweep the series. 41:28 But I think I'm going to go with three points for Denver on this one. 41:33 Okey-dokey, and that leaves us with Minnesota and Jan Brady State University. 41:39 Obviously, Jan has been playing very well in the WCHA. 41:43 We've knocked them for their terrible non-conference games. 41:48 But the fact is, they're winning in the WCHA. 41:52 They're playing very well defensively in the WCHA. 41:55 They're playing well on the offensive end. 41:57 And they're in first place. 42:00 And Gophers are five points back right now. 42:03 Obviously, we have a couple of games in hand. 42:05 But St. 42:06 Cloud State needs to be dealt with. 42:08 And it's going to happen this weekend. 42:11 What do you think, Cami? 42:13 I think this is going to be a really tough series for Minnesota. 42:19 Well, I mean, my personal belief is that, you talked about the games in hand and all that, I really believe that if the Gophers are going to really have a legitimate shot at the McNaughton, they're going to have to come out of the series with three or four points. 42:33 They're going to have to have gained some ground in this series in order to really come out with some kind of hope for winning the league at the end. 42:42 If they don't do that, I mean, for me, as soon as Bukstad mentioned that he was coming back, for me, the league title and all that stuff, it's great to win banners and trophies and certainly have those memories and everything, but for me this year it was NCAA title or bust. 42:59 That's been my goal since Bukstad said he was coming back. 43:01 So whether or not we win the league or whatever happens this weekend, for me it's great if we do well, but I'm not going to be too upset if we don't sweep the series or get three points out of it. 43:14 It's definitely going to be a hard series. 43:16 The Gophers, especially defensively, are going to have to play smart. 43:19 I think when we've played our best, it's when our defensemen have made smart decisions, especially on the offensive zone and pinching in and whether to be aggressive or not. 43:30 The Gophers have enough talent up front that they don't need to be overly aggressive to get goals. 43:34 So I really believe that this series is going to come down to our special teams and then also how smart our defensive core plays, because if we're giving up odd man rushes because of dumb mistakes, it's not going to be a pretty sight, because St. 43:50 Cloud's got the kind of talent to score goals. 43:52 So we've got to play smart on D. 43:55 Yeah, if St. 43:56 Cloud gets it rolling up there, it's a tough environment, Vigo. 43:59 Are you heading up there this weekend? 44:01 I am staying in the friendly confines of Minneapolis this weekend. 44:04 No big trip with you and the boys? 44:07 No big trip this year. 44:08 Hello, Losers. 44:11 Yeah, I know, it's tough. 44:12 But it should be a great environment this weekend. 44:15 I think that the Gophers may have given away too many points earlier in the year, and that the Cup is kind of fading away from what they can achieve this season. 44:24 But again, I think their business is in the postseason. 44:28 I think that's why, you know, everyone's excited that Peabstead came back, and they've got so much talent and depth. 44:34 And that's why they've been playing the freshmen on defense, is to get ready for that big leap at the end of the season. 44:41 I mean, you don't show this kind of patience with guys like Shea and Riley, unless you're trying to develop them over the season. 44:48 And I think that's really going to be the goal. 44:51 And keep everybody healthy, keep everybody going, try to get three lines, try to get two power play units going. 44:57 And I think they'll be in good position. 44:59 I think it's going to be a split this weekend, though. 45:03 Yeah, I would agree with that. 45:04 I didn't mention what I thought was going to be. 45:07 You know, I do believe it's going to end up being a split. 45:09 As much as I would want the guys to gain some ground this weekend and get three or four points, I think that it's a pretty tall order to sweep any WCHA team that's in the top half of the league on the road. 45:25 And to do it to another real good team in the top few, I mean, I think that that's a really tall order. 45:31 You know, we have the kind of talent to do it, but I just think that's the way things are going right now. 45:37 I would suspect that a split would probably be the right goal to have. 45:41 I would agree. 45:43 I'm thinking split. 45:44 Hopefully they, you know, obviously prefer them to win Friday night instead of having to win on Saturday night, but, you know, just keep our fingers crossed there. 45:55 If there's a weekend though that could be really bad, I think this is the one. 46:00 If they get swept this year, this would be the weekend. 46:05 I think this is the weekend where they're most in danger of getting swept. 46:10 And obviously that wouldn't be good for the standings, but the boys need to be on their game this weekend because St. 46:16 Cloud is really playing well. 46:18 Well, and that's true. 46:20 The one thing I would say is that St. 46:22 Cloud is going to have all the pressure on it, to be honest with you, because they're the ones with the five-point lead, they're the ones that are at home, they're the ones that are kind of in the driver's seat right now as far as the league goes. 46:33 And for me, their fans are obviously going to have high expectations for this series. 46:40 Normally the Gopher Series is their biggest series of the year, and then you add on to the fact that they're in first place right now, there's going to be a lot of pressure on them to perform. 46:50 And so they're going to have to come through, and we'll see if they can do it or not. 46:53 Yeah, they're in first place, and they've got the number one team coming in, and I'm guessing that place is just going to be crazy this weekend. 47:01 More than likely. 47:03 Yeah, St. 47:03 Cloud's in the driver's seat for the Cup right now. 47:05 I mean, the series coming up after the Gophers are Colorado College, Michigan Tech, and Wisconsin. 47:12 And so they've only got eight games left, while a bunch of teams have ten. 47:16 Actually, it's just Minnesota and CC that have games in hand right now. 47:21 Well, they're in the driver's seat. 47:23 Yeah, they are. 47:24 This is their chance. 47:25 If they get a split, they're looking really good to win the Cup. 47:29 Or if they get swept by Minnesota, it's another... 47:32 It's wide open again. 47:34 That's true. 47:36 Definitely true. 47:37 So, any other thoughts for this weekend? 47:39 Obviously, we hope to haul us back to 100%. 47:42 I heard at the Skate with the Gophers, he still had some kind of protection on his hand or whatever. 47:50 What do you think, guys? 47:51 Any other final thoughts? 47:54 Howell has got to be there. 47:55 Bukestead has got to be big. 47:57 Rauw, the big guy has got to show up this weekend if they want to take any points. 48:02 Yeah, well, I'd agree. 48:03 And I think, like I said earlier, I think it really comes down to when they play their best, they're playing smart on defense. 48:09 They're not pinching in, being too aggressive. 48:13 I know St. 48:13 Cloud, they're going to want to go up and down the rink with us. 48:15 I mean, I think I heard that they had already talked about kind of wanting that style. 48:20 And for me, it's like you almost have to have a little bit, at least from the defensive group, you kind of almost have to have that mentality that Wisconsin has. 48:29 Get back, make sure that you're not giving them any of the easy stuff and make them work for whatever they have to get. 48:36 And I think your chances are a lot better than if you're gambling in the offensive zone and pinching in and all of a sudden you get a 2-1-1 the other direction. 48:45 And that's where you can really dig yourself a hole on the road. 48:50 So I think that it's really come down to defensive play for the Gophers and also they have to capitalize on their special teams and make sure that they do well on the penalty code. 48:59 I'm looking forward to racehorse hockey. 49:02 I love it when teams do that against Minnesota because I think that plays into our hands. 49:07 And if we do play a little better defensively, like you said, I think that is Minnesota's advantage to play that kind of hockey. 49:15 As long as the other team tries to play that game, it plays into the Gopher hands. 49:19 It's when the other team is always having that third forward back, never giving up any odd man rushes that gets the Gophers in trouble. 49:27 We'll see odd man rushes this weekend. 49:30 It'll be entertaining. 49:32 That's the thing I'm saying is that, you know, from an offensive standpoint, the Gophers have enough firepower up front where they don't need their defense to be overly aggressive, trying to get some goals and whatever. 49:43 For me, that's why I just think that they need to be, you know, if you kind of get caught up in that mentality, like, oh, this is an up-and-down game or whatever, as a defenseman, you're just kind of feeding into the opportunities of the opposition. 49:55 And so that's really what I'm hoping is being, you know, discussed this week and last week with the team is that, hey, you know, when we're at our best, it's when we're making smart decisions on defense. 50:06 So let's not get too caught up in the flow of the game to the point that you're taking some big risks. 50:11 So hopefully they'll have that sink in. 50:14 Well, I think Gensel has been keeping them pretty disciplined this year. 50:19 I mean, ever since he came back, you know, they are, the forwards are blocking shots. 50:26 It just seems like those little things that we weren't doing in the Hill era, the Gophers have been doing. 50:32 So I think we'll be okay. 50:36 Hopefully, because like I said, the only times we've really gotten in trouble this year is when we made some bone-hitted decisions on the blue line, trying to keep the zone or whatever. 50:44 So hopefully that will be something that we avoid this coming weekend. 50:48 So any other thoughts, Viggo? 50:51 One other tidbit, Skyuma Magazine came out from the Gopher Athletic Department. 50:56 In there, they did hint that there will be a special jersey for the Hockey City Classic. 51:03 It's kind of been on the down-low of what they're going to do, but they referenced the Bumblebee jerseys when they opened Mariucci as part of the inspiration, but that it will be updated with a little modern touch. 51:14 I'm thinking darks with Minnesota across the diagonal or something like that. 51:18 Not gophers, Minnesota. 51:21 Hmm. 51:24 That was kind of hinted to me. 51:27 We'll see pretty soon. 51:28 They were supposed to have an outdoor practice last week at Van Cleave, but I think that got called off either to a sloppy practice that they might have had or too cold. 51:38 One of the two, probably. 51:41 Hammy, do you have any final thoughts? 51:43 No. 51:43 I mean, we pretty much touched on everything that I think the gophers need to do this coming weekend, and hopefully we'll have some success, and it'd be great to get a sweep, but I don't think that for anybody, if we don't get that, it's not time to hit the panic button. 51:57 Really, ultimately, the big goal is at the end of the year. 52:00 This year, it's not the McNaughton. 52:02 It's the national title, so don't freak out if it doesn't go our way this weekend. 52:06 Oh, man. 52:07 If the gophers get swept, it's going to be pure panic on the site. 52:13 Well, it usually is anyway. 52:15 People will be freaking out. 52:17 It will be fun. 52:20 Personally, I enjoy it when the fans do that because it just cracks me up. 52:24 I just laugh. 52:25 I just love it. 52:27 Just too many irrational people. 52:30 All right. 52:30 Well, that's going to do it for this week. 52:32 Remember, you can always follow Hammy on Twitter, at Hammy Hockey. 52:37 Of course, you can follow Vigo on Twitter, at eVigo. 52:42 That's it. 52:43 We're good to go. 52:44 We'll be back next week, and we'll probably be back every week, the rest of the year, since there's no more vacation days for the Gophers. 52:52 We'll wrap up this St. 52:54 Cloud series, and we will look to the series at Madison and in Chicago with that outdoor game. 53:01 Until then, thanks for listening.