southpaw Posted October 26, 2003 Share Posted October 26, 2003 Lucky for me I have a ticket connection. My dad knows the guy who dresses up as the Maroon Loon mascot. And yes, I am in shock!!!!! Go Dogs!!!!! Lucky me, I have a ticket connection too now I know a guy who's dad knows the guy who dresses up as the Marron Loon mascot, im so set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superman0099 Posted October 26, 2003 Share Posted October 26, 2003 So no real concentration of Sioux fans at the DECC? Just a scattered effort? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UMDDogz Posted October 26, 2003 Share Posted October 26, 2003 I can't get over this!!!!!!!!! Sweeping the Goofs at Mariucci does not happen! Even to the best teams in the nation. It just does NOT happen!! How can I describe the joy I am feeling right now!?! I know you all feel it with me!! Where is the WPoS now?? Playing a lonely game of beer darts at the bottom of the WCHA standings along with the Badger fans!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southpaw Posted October 26, 2003 Share Posted October 26, 2003 The Sioux are also at the bottom of the WCHA standings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goon Posted October 26, 2003 Share Posted October 26, 2003 I remember when I first voted I was number two in the vote that said UMD would sweep the Gophers. Man who would have thought? I think that is just great. I am hoping UofM sweeps Denvers this weekend, the last think UND wants is a pissed off Gopher team. Of course I think UND can sweep them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagies Posted October 27, 2003 Share Posted October 27, 2003 Exactly the row you get if you select "best available" on tm right now. There's a reason... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WPoS Posted October 27, 2003 Share Posted October 27, 2003 just so I don't get lumped with your normal opinion of Gopher fans... hmmmm....crow tastes like chicken! Geeze I have to go outa town and look what they do to me for missing the games! Then the Vikes go and pull the same thing! Teaches me to miss games! WPoS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericlynn2 Posted October 27, 2003 Share Posted October 27, 2003 I am happy when the Gophers lose - to anybody and anytime. So - I am very pleased today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagies Posted October 27, 2003 Share Posted October 27, 2003 Some of the gopher fans are proving as a bunch they are no different than anyone else's fans. I doubt it but hopefully this puts and end to one of them coming on here and chastising Sioux fans for complaining about officiating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superman0099 Posted October 27, 2003 Share Posted October 27, 2003 It's interesting how all the gopher fans are dealing with the losses this year so far. They seem to rationalize by saying, oh nothing matters until april anyway...which, in a sense is true, but theres got to be a point where losing during the regular season actually matters. A few are getting worked up, but I wonder if their fans are getting as overconfident as their players seem to be thus far. It's almost as if the gophers expect the national championship to just be handed to them on a silver platter come april. Or maybe their just right....? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwing77 Posted October 27, 2003 Share Posted October 27, 2003 It's interesting how all the gopher fans are dealing with the losses this year so far. They seem to rationalize by saying, oh nothing matters until april anyway...which, in a sense is true, but theres got to be a point where losing during the regular season actually matters. A few are getting worked up, but I wonder if their fans are getting as overconfident as their players seem to be thus far. It's almost as if the gophers expect the national championship to just be handed to them on a silver platter come april. Or maybe their just right....? Uh, that's precisely what happened last year, Superman. The Gophers were CRAP the first half of the season, the laughing stocks of all defending national champions. They didn't look like they were even going to make regionals and then the second half of the season happened and they blew everyone away. Gopher fans aren't worried because this is the same thing that happened last year. Question is, when the second half of the year begins, will JJ be able to stand on his head like Weber did? My guess is no, he won't, but who knows. Everyone has admitted that Lucia doesn't put a whole lot of emphasis on early season games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greyeagle Posted October 27, 2003 Share Posted October 27, 2003 Uh, that's precisely what happened last year, Superman. The Gophers were CRAP the first half of the season, the laughing stocks of all defending national champions. They didn't look like they were even going to make regionals and then the second half of the season happened and they blew everyone away. Gopher fans aren't worried because this is the same thing that happened last year. Question is, when the second half of the year begins, will JJ be able to stand on his head like Weber did? My guess is no, he won't, but who knows. Everyone has admitted that Lucia doesn't put a whole lot of emphasis on early season games. For the most part I would agree with this. There is an uneasy confidence still and two losses are certainly not the end of the world. Big difference is last year at this time we had Ballard, Martin, & DeMarchie anchoring the blueline. A ton of experience and/or talent that we don't currently have. Once the D grows up a little I look for better results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagard Posted October 27, 2003 Share Posted October 27, 2003 It's interesting how all the gopher fans are dealing with the losses this year so far. They seem to rationalize by saying, oh nothing matters until april anyway...which, in a sense is true, but theres got to be a point where losing during the regular season actually matters. A few are getting worked up, but I wonder if their fans are getting as overconfident as their players seem to be thus far. It's almost as if the gophers expect the national championship to just be handed to them on a silver platter come april. Or maybe their just right....? The regular season and conference playoffs matter ALOT. It is how seeding is created for the NCAA tourney and unfortunately the NCAA draw often plays a huge role in who the eventual champ will be. The last two seasons the Gophers weren't great (not bad) during the regular season, but they did finish strong enough to garner a regional #1 seed both years. Last year was very close. If UMD had beaten CC at the X, the Gophers would not have been a top seed. That would have meant facing CC in the regional instead of Ferris/UND whom the Gophers were obvious favorites to advance to Buffalo over. When Martin signed, I reserved myself to rooting for the same things as the last two seasons. 1. Top three WCHA finish. 2. Conference Tourney Champ. 3. Avoid Michigan until the Frozen Four. While losing two to UMD is hard to swallow, there is time to recover. If they manage splits with DU and UND take three of four with Tech and UW, the Gophers will be back to .500. The Gophers will improve in all offensively and defensively as the season goes on, I am very confident in that. This core has done that the last two seasons. The biggest question remains in net. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sioux fan in phoenix Posted October 27, 2003 Share Posted October 27, 2003 As some fans are accustomed to saying about early-season losses being unimportant, someone do me a favor & explain when losses really start to matter. I'm trying to figure out the magical date when "wake-up calls" & other rationalizations/excuses are no longer accepted. My guess is Nov. 17th so someone please correct me if I'm mistaken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwing77 Posted October 28, 2003 Share Posted October 28, 2003 As some fans are accustomed to saying about early-season losses being unimportant, someone do me a favor & explain when losses really start to matter. I'm trying to figure out the magical date when "wake-up calls" & other rationalizations/excuses are no longer accepted. My guess is Nov. 17th so someone please correct me if I'm mistaken Using last season as a reference, I would say the first series after the Holiday tourney would be when it really starts to count. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farce poobah Posted October 28, 2003 Share Posted October 28, 2003 There's a reason... But ... but ... I don't think I can hit the ice with a bulldog from any farther back. My arm isn't what it used to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greyeagle Posted October 28, 2003 Share Posted October 28, 2003 As some fans are accustomed to saying about early-season losses being unimportant, someone do me a favor & explain when losses really start to matter. I'm trying to figure out the magical date when "wake-up calls" & other rationalizations/excuses are no longer accepted. My guess is Nov. 17th so someone please correct me if I'm mistaken What's November 17? It's never good to lose points at home if you want to be a factor in the WCHA race. But contrary, NCAA titles are never won in October (or November & December for that matter), just ask any Craig Dahl coached team. My philosophy remains the same, it's not good but it's not the end of the world. As long as the Gophers are in a position to thrive in the NCAA's I will be happy. Of course I would like a WCHA title but that is not the ultimate goal. Lucia's track record speaks for itself, they will be flying by February & March. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagard Posted October 28, 2003 Share Posted October 28, 2003 As some fans are accustomed to saying about early-season losses being unimportant, someone do me a favor & explain when losses really start to matter. I'm trying to figure out the magical date when "wake-up calls" & other rationalizations/excuses are no longer accepted. My guess is Nov. 17th so someone please correct me if I'm mistaken From a PWR perspective it used to be the teams record in last 16 games were worth a comparison, so they did actually have a little more importance. As it is, the Gophers have dug themselves a quite a hole if they are interested in being a top seed in the NCAA tourney. To earn a top seed you may only lose 3 comparisons (4 if your are lucky and win a tie-breaker). The Gophers getting swept by UMD are now unlikely to win the UMD comparison without sweeping them at Duluth, which they haven't done in either of the last two years. Another component of PWR is the teams record against Teams Under Consideration, the Gophers have started 0-3 in this category. The next component is Common Opponents, for the Gophers/BC comparison the Gophers have started 0-3 and BC has started 1-1-1 in the common opponent category. The thing that will save the Gophers this year is their RPI. The Gophers strength of schedule this year will rival the SCSU schedule from last year. A few easier games this year would have been helpful to instill confidence in their goalies and young d-man. The people who say the early-season losses are unimportant are wrong, it gives the losing team a lot less margin for error later in the season when vieing for a top NCAA seed. That said, the Gophers have a lot of games left to right the ship, but they need to improve in all three aspects of the game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sioux fan in phoenix Posted October 28, 2003 Share Posted October 28, 2003 The people who say the early-season losses are unimportant are wrong, it gives the losing team a lot less margin for error later in the season when vieing for a top NCAA seed. That said, the Gophers have a lot of games left to right the ship, but they need to improve in all three aspects of the game. Correctamundo, well said. I was poking fun at people who dismiss early-season losses as just "learning experiences". I've always felt every game was very important as you never know if a star player will get injured in February or 6 guys will be out of the line-up with mono in March. If a team like the Gophers is dogging it now & they don't have the fire in their bellies, they may regret these early-season losses later in the season. Hopefully they're not taking the past 2 seasons as an indicator as to how this season ends... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagies Posted October 28, 2003 Share Posted October 28, 2003 Still, if you have to lose, I'd rather lose now rather than later in the season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schmidtdoggydog Posted October 28, 2003 Share Posted October 28, 2003 NCAA titles are never won in October (or November & December for that matter), If they were, UND would've had their 8th last year. And we all know, at the end of last season, that wasn't close to being the case! However, as Sagard said, the games being played at this point in the season do have some significance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UMDDogz Posted October 28, 2003 Share Posted October 28, 2003 Losses now matter just as much in the PWR as they do at the end of the season. Without the old "last 15 games being weighted more heavily" deal, the only reason a loss at the beginning is better than a loss at the end is that losses at the beginning don't kill momentum heading into the postseason. Losses at the beginning, however, may prevent a team from getting there. Once the PWR gets well enough established...say around January, it is nearly impossible to get it to move anywhere (especially if you are in the top 30). Just ask Duluth last year. They got locked in at about 23rd, and despite an 11-4-1 stretch run, they could only pass ONE TEAM. If the Gophers ranking slips too much, they may be not able to climb back into the mix in time, no matter how brilliant the turnaround is. I like the way the Dogs are taking care of business this year. They know that every game...no matter how early in the season it is...counts BIG TIME!!!!! Especially games against TUC (teams under consideration). GO DOGS!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UMDDogz Posted October 28, 2003 Share Posted October 28, 2003 P.S.-- You can thank us now for dumping the Goophs into 10th in the USCHO Poll and inserting you in the #2 spot. I guess it is partially due to the UNH loss over the weekend as well, but it was MOSTLY us!! Sweeping the Gophers at Mariucci get the Dogs into 12th. Frankly I was looking for a little bit more of a jump...but I can't complain. It's just a poll after all. Gophs ranked 10th with 1-3-0 record. Beat UNO, lost to Maine and UMDx2 UMD ranked 12th with 2-2-1 record. Beat UMx2, tied BC, lost to UND and Mich St. Do I smell favoritism?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sioux fan in phoenix Posted October 28, 2003 Share Posted October 28, 2003 UMDDogz, You were woofing that UND should be grateful to you guys for softening up BC. The way I see it, you guys should thank UND for providing you with quality competition in the HOF game that got you up to speed for the BC & Gopher games Welcome back to earth... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UMDDogz Posted October 28, 2003 Share Posted October 28, 2003 Plus playing the Sioux gives us a great strenght of schedule!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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