Goon Posted November 30, 2003 Share Posted November 30, 2003 This is comical: They are very fun to watch when they play like that. Too bad UND and the badgers didn't see this gopher team, there would have been different outcomes, but the nice thing is that we get em both again. UND and BADgers, feel lucky you caught the gophs 1 time playing the worst hockey they've played in a couple years, I guarentee you there will be some payback in the early months of the year 2004. Do people realize that UofM lost 7 games already, UND lost 12 and got tough first round game in the regionals. No doubt that Minnesota has a hard road ahead of them... Right now they are at the bottom of the WCHA, in jepordy of losing a first round WCHA home series. Anyone worried I am not... I still think UND takes 2-4 points from the Gophers in January. I wonder if this kid is going to strap on the skates and play for the goofers... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinnesotaNorthStar Posted November 30, 2003 Share Posted November 30, 2003 The Gophers have played well the last 4 games, hats off to them. Beat Michigan at Yost...not easy. Props. I find it hard to believe that they will run the table the rest of the year. Did we really expect them to acknowlage that the Sioux are a good team? Did we not expect that they'd use the good ole' you won because we played bad excuse when they started playing well? No on both accounts. I think they are also having trouble dealing with the fact that Wisonsin may have fielded a decent team this year. They have a chance at either home ice or a possible upset in the WCHA playoffs. Most of them will never admit when they are wrong (certain exceptions apply) so they rationalize. They don't realize they can't stop our scoring line...you know Genoway, Stafford, and Prpich BTW...the person that wrote it, gopherhockeyguy, is as anti-Sioux as any of them come. We could run the table in the WCHA (yeah, I know, highly unlikely) and he still won't admit we're a good team. He also blasted Sioux fans for ".....home of the SIIIOOOOOUUUXX, " until Gopher fans kindly pointed out they do the same thing. This comment is about as credible as INCH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fighting Sioux Fan Posted November 30, 2003 Share Posted November 30, 2003 I suppose that the Gopher fans are frothing at the mouth at playing Anchorage next! It is a long season and the gophers have a hole to dig themselves out of. It is not like we thought the gophers would be contending with MT and AA for the 10 seed in the playoffs. UM does have a tough conference schedule for the rest of the year if you do not use Happy's definition of cupcake.* *Every team is a cupcake by his thinking process (or lack there of)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiouxTupa Posted November 30, 2003 Share Posted November 30, 2003 We know the gophers will get it going again. It's inevitable based on the fact that they can go to Anchorage and take 4 points, and then Mozocco/Woog will praise them for being at their best. HOWEVER This year we may actually have a team which is put together better than this years Goofer team. We are playing well and scoring a ton of goals...all the while getting the goaltending that we lacked in the past few years. Nobody is doubting the Gophers' ability. They have a stacked team...it is strange that they took such a nosedive at the beginning of the year. I find it hard to believe that they will lose 3 or less games the rest of the year, and a team that loses 10 or more games winning a nat'l title is unlikely. It will be a tough road for them, but hey, they're playing well now... See you guys in Jan!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sioux fan in phoenix Posted November 30, 2003 Share Posted November 30, 2003 If I were a Gopher fan (gag), I don't know if I'd be breaking out the Asti Spumante just yet. 2 wins at home against Tech, a win against the Spartans (a team that has been mediocre ever since Mason left) & another win against the Wolverines who are obviously not a powerhouse this year. If the Gophers had strung together 4 consecutive wins against contenders I might think differently; as it stands, I think their fans have a false sense of confidence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sioux Guy in St. Paul Posted November 30, 2003 Share Posted November 30, 2003 Minnesota is and always will be the Land of 10,000 excuses Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redwing77 Posted November 30, 2003 Share Posted November 30, 2003 If I were a Gopher fan (gag), I don't know if I'd be breaking out the Asti Spumante just yet. 2 wins at home against Tech, a win against the Spartans (a team that has been mediocre ever since Mason left) & another win against the Wolverines who are obviously not a powerhouse this year. If the Gophers had strung together 4 consecutive wins against contenders I might think differently; as it stands, I think their fans have a false sense of confidence. I think U of M has something to look up to. I still argue that Minny's defeat of the Wolverinas (Wolverines wearing tutus) really is a big defeat for the Wolverinas. Michigan is a devastating team if they can get on their game. U of M is now being called a cupcake and that is what helped them obliterate MSU and Michigan. That Gopher fan said that the outcomes will be different. He's right. Instead of blowing them away, I predict we'll win by maybe a goal or two both nights. U of M is improving nicely and their defense will improve exponentially now that Ballard has returned (and provided he stays healthy), but they are not really in a position to defeat a team like UND in its current state. However, we could pull an SCSU like we did last season. THat is possible, but unlikely. I think the key is with Ballard. If he goes down or we hold him and Vanek unproductive, we'll win easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goon Posted November 30, 2003 Author Share Posted November 30, 2003 If I were a Gopher fan (gag), I don't know if I'd be breaking out the Asti Spumante just yet. 2 wins at home against Tech, a win against the Spartans (a team that has been mediocre ever since Mason left) & another win against the Wolverines who are obviously not a powerhouse this year. If the Gophers had strung together 4 consecutive wins against contenders I might think differently; as it stands, I think their fans have a false sense of confidence. I agree Michigan is not that good of a team this season, I am sure they will find a way to get it going at the end of the season. Michigan had trouble cycling the puck out of their own end, however they are a better team than their cross state rival MSU. I am going to get flamed but, who cares, I was not that impressed with the Gophers this past weekend either, at the blue line I wouldn't trade any our new players for any of the Gopher players. Vanek a good player does nothing to get the puck out his own end, he just floats around waiting for someone to pass him the puck. I have to say that he is one of the most one dimensional superstars I have ever seen. ON the rookies I'd take Smaby over Taylor anyday. Taylor at crucial moments has the common sense of a hand ball. Although Minnesota is loaded and has a lot of offensive guns, the top guns for UofM have not used all of their bullets as of yet. Frankly Wisconsin scares me more than Minnesota. Finally at goalie how in the heck does Woog think UND is weak at goaltending? Of all the goalies this past weekend in the hockey show case I believe not one of the teams had a a better GAA than Minnesota... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sioux fan in phoenix Posted November 30, 2003 Share Posted November 30, 2003 ON the rookies I'd take Smaby over Taylor anyday. Taylor at crucial moments has the common sense of a hand ball. Never heard that saying before--good one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinnesotaNorthStar Posted November 30, 2003 Share Posted November 30, 2003 Jake has a .926 SV%...good for #8 in the country. Neither Montoya, Briggs, nor Johnson is even in the top 20, with #20 having an .889 and a GAA of 2.38. Jake's is a 1.72. But then again we have a good defense...oh wait, Minnesota's is better than ours. Can't have it both ways folks. I think it's both reasons. Better defense, better goaltending for the Sioux. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jk Posted November 30, 2003 Share Posted November 30, 2003 I'm as much of a Sioux homer as anyone, but I think some of the stuff here reflects some denial that MN is back to being good. I still think they'll only lose about 5 or 6 more games until the playoffs, and will easily finish with a good enough record to play in the NCAA tournament. At that point it's anyone's tourney to win. You can talk about Michigan being down (which I disagree with), but sweeping at MSU and at MI is a pretty nice accomplishment. I personally think we are just going to have to deal with the fact that UND and MN are going to be the two best teams in the league, and in the top five in the country, at the end of the year. JMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sioux fan in phoenix Posted November 30, 2003 Share Posted November 30, 2003 I'm as much of a Sioux homer as anyone, but I think some of the stuff here reflects some denial that MN is back to being good. I still think they'll only lose about 5 or 6 more games until the playoffs, and will easily finish with a good enough record to play in the NCAA tournament. At that point it's anyone's tourney to win. You can talk about Michigan being down (which I disagree with), but sweeping at MSU and at MI is a pretty nice accomplishment. I personally think we are just going to have to deal with the fact that UND and MN are going to be the two best teams in the league, and in the top five in the country, at the end of the year. JMO. I respect your opinion, but I don't think it's so much denial as the fact that Minnesota's recent success has come against teams that aren't exactly powerhouses. 2 wins against Tech? Hmm, well, if people (not you, jk) want to call that a crowning achievement that's their prerogative; 2 wins in MI is pretty good but the Sioux also did that at the GLI 2 years ago when they were pretty awful. I never said they were bad & I believe they'll win their fair share of games this year; but to think they'll be a top 2 team in the league with their talented but inconsistent, "on-again off-again" forwards & spotty goaltenders is a bit of a stretch, imo. Just don't remind me at the end of the seson if you happen to be right, though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottM Posted November 30, 2003 Share Posted November 30, 2003 I'm as much of a Sioux homer as anyone, but I think some of the stuff here reflects some denial that MN is back to being good. I still think they'll only lose about 5 or 6 more games until the playoffs, and will easily finish with a good enough record to play in the NCAA tournament. At that point it's anyone's tourney to win. You can talk about Michigan being down (which I disagree with), but sweeping at MSU and at MI is a pretty nice accomplishment. I personally think we are just going to have to deal with the fact that UND and MN are going to be the two best teams in the league, and in the top five in the country, at the end of the year. JMO. I agree. Anybody who has a hot clue about Minnesota's hockey program knew damn well that they would start racking up some numbers in the W column again, especially after losing to us and Wisco. The respective returns of Ballard and Harrington helped spark the upperclassmen, and their frosh are starting to find their place. As well, it appears that Briggs has started to make the goalie job his for right now. Granted, Minnie has beaten MTU and a mediocre MSU team, but they have to start winning someplace, and gaining confidence against soft teams is as good place as any. However, beating Michigan *any year* at Yost is a big deal. I vaguely recall that some of our best teams have met their ends there. Rather than worrying about what Lucia and Co. are up to in November, we had better mind our own knitting since we don't even face Minnesota again until the end of January. Moreover, we have some conference series coming up before that rematch where we have to get points and get ready for a run down the home stretch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinnesotaNorthStar Posted November 30, 2003 Share Posted November 30, 2003 Oh, Minnie IS back and I don't think they will lose many more games. They are starting to realize their potential. The Michigan game was a great game, to say the least. They deserved to win and they did against a good Michigan team. Both teams have struggled a bit, but they're both still good programs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
U2Bad1 Posted November 30, 2003 Share Posted November 30, 2003 Even the sioux during their down season beat Michigan and Michigan state. Excuse me if I wait a little longer to see how good their defense really is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoteauRinkRat Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 The Gophers are still a good team and will be tough to beat as the season goes on. They still have an uphill battle as far as conference play goes, but are looking beyond that and hoping to be strong as the season winds to an end and playoffs begin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagard Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 Heres a couple points from a Gopher fans perspective: 1. If the season ended today, the Gophs would be 14th in PWR, 13th in RPI. If they were fortunate enough to have no tourney upsets they would be in the draw. That is a huge relief. 2. BU was very close to earning a top seed last year with thirteen losses. If the Gophers finish with 10-12 losses, they will have a shot at a top seed. More realistically if they finish with 13-16 losses, they will make the draw and likely be a #2 or #3 seed. This is due to the Gophers playing an very strong schedule this year. Some cupcakes sure would have been handy before the UMD series. 3. At first glance I thought the Gopher fan mentioned was just wistfully regretting the Gophers not playing their best against UND and UW. But re-reading it, it is rather cocky for a fan of a team that still is below .500. However, if the Gophers continue to reduce their turnovers, you should expect a lot more trouble from the Gophers at Mariucci and the X. Maybe even a showdown in Boston if we are all lucky! 4. The Gophers still have the same keys to the '03-'04 season as they did at the beginning of the year. Finish top three in the WCHA, win the WCHA playoffs, avoid the Michigan draw. They are just going to have to work a lot harder to get the top three WCHA finish, and without it the WCHA playoffs will not happen either. To be honest, right now I'd trade the WCHA privileges just to avoid the Michigan draw in Grand Rapids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DamStrait Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 I'm as much of a Sioux homer as anyone, but I think some of the stuff here reflects some denial that MN is back to being good. I still think they'll only lose about 5 or 6 more games until the playoffs, and will easily finish with a good enough record to play in the NCAA tournament. At that point it's anyone's tourney to win. You can talk about Michigan being down (which I disagree with), but sweeping at MSU and at MI is a pretty nice accomplishment. I personally think we are just going to have to deal with the fact that UND and MN are going to be the two best teams in the league, and in the top five in the country, at the end of the year. JMO. jk, as usual, has hit the nail squarely on the head, IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoggy Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 As much fun as it is to watch the Gophers lose, I think they'll be in the tourney at the end. Of course this year they'll tested away from their hometown for the entire draw. Also, every team guns for the Gophers. I don't think you can look all the way ahead. They have to take it one game/series at a time. Anybody can get you in the WCHA. OK, maybe not Alaska or Tech. This is one aspect that I love about Blais. He really only looks at the next series and this carries over to the players. The goal of every team is to get better throughout the season, therefore, the competition is only going to get tougher for every team unless injuries occur. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WPoS Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 from my POV, I think UND will win the regular season WCHA title, and you are welcome to it too. Now the Broadmoor Cup...that is easily in the Gophers grasp, actually in almost anyone's grasp due to the playoff scheme. I think that a few here, like ScottM, have got it right, you may poo-poo Michigan, but they are ranked 5 or 6 nationally, and you can't be ranked that high this long into the season w/o having some reason for being there. And beating them in their own arena (AGAIN) is a HUGE morale booster for us as we have sucked wind at the beginning of this season. Our D is stiffening up and maybe someday soon we won't have to score 4 or more points to win a game. WPoS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greyeagle Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 Goon - For the record: The liquor never stops flowing here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tnt Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 Some of the same people who say that Minnesota doesn't scare them a bit almost conceded the WCHA title to them before the year started. They have the same players as they did at the start of the year minus Ryan Potulny. So what has changed? You either have to admit that you didn't know what you were talking about at the start of the year, or you don't know what you are talking about now. Anyone suggesting that the Sioux should beat Minnesota easily in Minneapolis obviously doesn't know college hockey. When was the last time the Sioux swept Minnesota in Minneapolis? My guess is that it would have to be in the old Mariucci days, and we have had some pretty awesome teams since then. Minnesota knows how to use that big ice surface, especially on the powerplay. The Sioux have had many ups and downs on the large ice surface, although I think this team is suited to change take advantage of it. Oh, and by the way, give credit where credit is due, beating Michigan anywhere is an accomplishment, much less at Yost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagard Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 Now the Broadmoor Cup...that is easily in the Gophers grasp, actually in almost anyone's grasp due to the playoff scheme. Under most circumstances, no team that finishes outside the top three in the WCHA has a chance at the playoff tourney. I will be utterly shocked if any WCHA team ever wins three games at the X. <rant> This is my biggest problem with the WCHA. The playin game prevents any realistic upset tourney champion and the unbalanced schedule means the difference between 1st and 2nd and just as importantly 3rd or 4th may be decided by who had more games with Tech and AA. The WCHA should either balance the schedule (hard with AA), or drop two teams from playoffs (hard because of money) and play a final four. </rant> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jloos Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 Some of the same people who say that Minnesota doesn't scare them a bit almost conceded the WCHA title to them before the year started. They have the same players as they did at the start of the year minus Ryan Potulny. So what has changed? Paul Martin This is what has changed from last year. Martin was an incredible player and a huge loss to Minny, add some injuries, namely Ballard and there are some big holes at D. I watched both games this weekend on TV and thought the D are starting to look good. Minny dug themselves in a big hole, but they are a very good team and should finish the season strong enough to make the NCAA's. Once there they will lose to St. Cloud or Duluth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WPoS Posted December 1, 2003 Share Posted December 1, 2003 Under most circumstances, no team that finishes outside the top three in the WCHA has a chance at the playoff tourney. I will be utterly shocked if any WCHA team ever wins three games at the X. <rant> This is my biggest problem with the WCHA. The playin game prevents any realistic upset tourney champion and the unbalanced schedule means the difference between 1st and 2nd and just as importantly 3rd or 4th may be decided by who had more games with Tech and AA. The WCHA should either balance the schedule (hard with AA), or drop two teams from playoffs (hard because of money) and play a final four. </rant> well, I feel that the Gophs will easily be in the top three by the end of the season, hopefully #2 spot. I still think UND will have #1 record at the end of the season. WPoS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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