cfm567b27 Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 Comments by Glen Sonmor in Thursday's Star Tribune.... "The Gophers are unbeaten in the last 12 games. They seem to have found themselves. By the end of the season, they will be as good as any in the WCHA." Fact or Fiction...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCM Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 I'd like it to be fiction, but I guess we'll have to wait for the end of the season to find out. The North Dakota and Wisconsin series will give us a better idea of where the Gophers are in relation to the league's top teams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfm567b27 Posted January 16, 2004 Author Share Posted January 16, 2004 I'd like it to be fiction, but I guess we'll have to wait for the end of the season to find out. The North Dakota and Wisconsion series will give us a better idea of where the Gophers are in relation to the league's top teams. I watched both games last weekend at CC - that was the first series this year that the Gophers have looked like a "decent" team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mksioux Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 Unfortunately it's fact. There's little doubt in my mind they'll end up top-3 in the league. There's no doubt at all that they'll get an NCAA birth (they're top 10 PWR...all they have to do is stay above .500 to get into the tournament). And if they're playing well going into the tournament, they have as good of chance as anyone to make a run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCM Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 Unfortunately it's fact. I knew that I shouldn't have bought my crystal ball at Sam's Club. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 Sometimes-blinding Gopher hatred aside, let's not kid ourselves here: the Gophers are still a scary team as far as I'm concerned. Aside from the great depth and skill up front, no Don Lucia team should ever be taken lightly. It pains me to say it, but the Gophers -- if the goaltending stays stable -- are still as dangerous a team as any and I think you'd have a hard time finding too many teams that want anything to do with them down the stretch and into the playoffs. Considering all they have to do is win a short, first-round series, get into the Final Five (on home ice, as always) and win that, suddenly they're a legit threat at three-peating. So, to answer the original question in this thread - I don't think Sonmor's comments can be called anything but fact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfm567b27 Posted January 16, 2004 Author Share Posted January 16, 2004 Comments by Glen Sonmor in Thursday's Star Tribune.... "The Gophers are unbeaten in the last 12 games. They seem to have found themselves. By the end of the season, they will be as good as any in the WCHA." Fact or Fiction...? When was the last year the Gophers or Sioux have season swept the other? Not trying to get ahead at all - I just don't recall that happening at any time in the recent past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottM Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 I wouldn't be surprised to see Minnie in the top 3-4 of the WCHA by the end of the season. Briggs is starting to play with more confidence and the rest of the team is settling down, even Tallackson helps out every now and then. Anybody who thought Minnie would be in the basement in March hasn't been paying attention. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfm567b27 Posted January 16, 2004 Author Share Posted January 16, 2004 I wouldn't be surprised to see Minnie in the top 3-4 of the WCHA by the end of the season. Briggs is starting to play with more confidence and the rest of the team is settling down, even Tallackson helps out every now and then. Anybody who thought Minnie would be in the basement in March hasn't been paying attention. I definitely think they are a top 3 or 4 team but not nearly the squad they put on the ice last season, which is puzzling given the low turnover. I have seen them play quite a bit (living in the cities) and I haven't been impressed outside of last weekend's series at CC. And yes, I don't think they are in the same "league" this year as the Sioux. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoteauRinkRat Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 There is no doubt that the Gophers got off to a very rough start, but they are the 2-time defending champion and have started to get on a roll. They are going to be a tough team to beat as the season goes on. They are well coached and have a lot of talent on their team, who knows how to win big games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greyeagle Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 I definitely think they are a top 3 or 4 team but not nearly the squad they put on the ice last season, which is puzzling given the low turnover. Get in line! Losing two of your best defensemen and goalie is never easy - then losing the best two remaining d-men for several games each made the situation worse. Subtract the team's starting goalie and sprinkle in a complete disinterest by forwards to play any defense and you have a recipe for a bad start. But that is water under the bridge. I anticipated a slow start due to the goaltending and young, inexperienced defense. The Ballard & Harrington injuries prolonged the adjustment period and we are just now seeing this team begin to play comfortably with each other. Lucia is also a first half experimenter but now the pairings are set , the lines seem to be set, and the goaltender issue has been decided. I think they can still make a nice run at the 2nd or 3rd WCHA slot. Fortunately for Gopher fans the PWR is very good (all things considered) so the NCAA is not out of the the question and they do have the talent to make some noise in the tournament if they get there. Threepeat? I wouldn't bet my money on it. What they lack IMO is a solid second line. Last year the Guyer-Talackson-Potulny line was the catalyst and they are not doing it so far, Guyer has been good but his linemates have been invisible. The third & fourth lines are solid and can probably match up against most other 3rd-4th lines and the 1st line can score and is also pretty good - not UND 1st line good, but then what other line is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfm567b27 Posted January 16, 2004 Author Share Posted January 16, 2004 Get in line! Losing two of your best defensemen and goalie is never easy - then losing the best two remaining d-men for several games each made the situation worse. Subtract the team's starting goalie and sprinkle in a complete disinterest by forwards to play any defense and you have a recipe for a bad start. But that is water under the bridge. I anticipated a slow start due to the goaltending and young, inexperienced defense. The Ballard & Harrington injuries prolonged the adjustment period and we are just now seeing this team begin to play comfortably with each other. Lucia is also a first half experimenter but now the pairings are set , the lines seem to be set, and the goaltender issue has been decided. I think they can still make a nice run at the 2nd or 3rd WCHA slot. Fortunately for Gopher fans the PWR is very good (all things considered) so the NCAA is not out of the the question and they do have the talent to make some noise in the tournament if they get there. Threepeat? I wouldn't bet my money on it. What they lack IMO is a solid second line. Last year the Guyer-Talackson-Potulny line was the catalyst and they are not doing it so far, Guyer has been good but his linemates have been invisible. The third & fourth lines are solid and can probably match up against most other 3rd-4th lines and the 1st line can score and is also pretty good - not UND 1st line good, but then what other line is? You have done your homework....You could arguably say that they played their best series of the year so far last weekend. I'm sure the Sioux won't see the same Gopher team that was up in Grand Forks in early November. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jojordan23 Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 Here are my own personal feelings about the Gophers and teams worrying about facing them in the playoffs... As the 2 time defending national champs, they should be put into the tournament so that someone has to take their title from them! "If you want to BE the man, you have to BEAT the man!" - Ric Flair Think of how sweet it would be to knock them off on a run to Boston... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoteauRinkRat Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 "If you want to BE the man, you have to BEAT the man!" - Ric Flair You should be banned from this board for using a Ric Flair quote. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goon Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 I wouldn't be surprised to see Minnie in the top 3-4 of the WCHA by the end of the season. Briggs is starting to play with more confidence and the rest of the team is settling down, even Tallackson helps out every now and then. Anybody who thought Minnie would be in the basement in March hasn't been paying attention. I think UofM is a good team, they just aren't as good as UND. I see them finishing 4 or 5 in the league. Have gone on record as saying will not win the NCAA title. I am taking beer bets as I speak... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfm567b27 Posted January 16, 2004 Author Share Posted January 16, 2004 I think UofM is a good team, they just aren't as good as UND. I see them finishing 4 or 5 in the league. Have gone on record as saying will not win the NCAA title. I am taking beer bets as I speak... They DEFINITELY will not win the title this year....they will however be playing in the final game of the Final Five against UND (my prediction). 2nd round knocked out of the NCAA's. Just one humble man's prediction - and we will take 3 points at Mariucci. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sicatoka Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 Comments by Glen Sonmor in Thursday's Star Tribune.... "The Gophers are unbeaten in the last 12 games. They seem to have found themselves. By the end of the season, they will be as good as any in the WCHA." Fact or Fiction...? They are 9-1-2 in their last 12. Decide on the credibility of the rest for yourselves from there. They'll be good. They'll have to be dealt with. But won't they all? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagard Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 I think by the end of the year the Gophers will have established themselves as clearly the second or third best WCHA team. I also think UND, UMD and UM will be at a higher level than any other WCHA team, but not separated by much from each other at that point. When you all see UW for yourselves, you will not be impressed (though Suter is fantastic). UW is still a year from their best hockey. As the second or third best WCHA team, they are legitimate NCAA tourney contenders. They were the 2nd best WCHA team in both '01-'02 (Denver) and '02-'03 (CC), but clearly were on a roll and got the breaks in the post season. As for qualifying for the tourney, the Gophers have a better chance at a #1 seed than they do of missing the tourney. They Gophers are currently sitting in 6th in PWR, but have the same amount of comparisons as #5 Michigan. The Gophers RPI will eventually pass Michigan (due to SOS) and if the Gophers win the season series with SCSU they will win that comparison as well. If that scenario played out, the Gophers would get a #1 seed reguardless of where they finished in the WCHA. This of course assumes the Gophers splitting or better with UMD and UW from here out. UND is in my opinion clearly the best team in the WCHA and likely the country. If UND survives it's regional tourney, they would be my pick to win the Frozen Four. My opinion is that UND drawing either the Gophers in the Colorado regional or Michigan in the Grand Rapids regional would be the toughest game they would face. Of course BC in Boston wouldn't be a gimme either. The regular season/WCHA playoffs count. The WCHA teams that avoid Grand Rapids will have the best chance at the NCAA title. Last year the Gophers earned their "lucky" draw by beating CC at the X and sending them to Yost. The year before they were straight up lucky to avoid Michigan at Yost. I also think the Gophers were lucky Ferris beat UND last year. Ferris had the deer in headlights look in the quarter final that UND definately wouldn't have had. The Gophers probably would have handled UND last year, but they wouldn't have put up a touchdown. What the Gophers need most is to beat UND when they come to Mariucci. If they can get a win against the Sioux, they will know they can beat anyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jloos Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 You should be banned from this board for using a Ric Flair quote. Finally an appropriate use of the one-liner. I'd like to take it a step further and say any quote from any professional wrestler, past or present, should be grounds for permanant removal from this board. Martin was one of the best players in college hockey last year, if not the best. Losing a player like that hurts your team. The loss of Martin does not account for all of the Gophers early trouble, but it played a large part. I have them finishing 3rd in the league. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skateshattrick Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 I think by the end of the year the Gophers will have established themselves as clearly the second or third best WCHA team. I also think UND, UMD and UM will be at a higher level than any other WCHA team, but not separated by much from each other at that point. When you all see UW for yourselves, you will not be impressed (though Suter is fantastic). UW is still a year from their best hockey. As the second or third best WCHA team, they are legitimate NCAA tourney contenders. They were the 2nd best WCHA team in both '01-'02 (Denver) and '02-'03 (CC), but clearly were on a roll and got the breaks in the post season. As for qualifying for the tourney, the Gophers have a better chance at a #1 seed than they do of missing the tourney. They Gophers are currently sitting in 6th in PWR, but have the same amount of comparisons as #5 Michigan. The Gophers RPI will eventually pass Michigan (due to SOS) and if the Gophers win the season series with SCSU they will win that comparison as well. If that scenario played out, the Gophers would get a #1 seed reguardless of where they finished in the WCHA. This of course assumes the Gophers splitting or better with UMD and UW from here out. UND is in my opinion clearly the best team in the WCHA and likely the country. If UND survives it's regional tourney, they would be my pick to win the Frozen Four. My opinion is that UND drawing either the Gophers in the Colorado regional or Michigan in the Grand Rapids regional would be the toughest game they would face. Of course BC in Boston wouldn't be a gimme either. The regular season/WCHA playoffs count. The WCHA teams that avoid Grand Rapids will have the best chance at the NCAA title. Last year the Gophers earned their "lucky" draw by beating CC at the X and sending them to Yost. The year before they were straight up lucky to avoid Michigan at Yost. I also think the Gophers were lucky Ferris beat UND last year. Ferris had the deer in headlights look in the quarter final that UND definately wouldn't have had. The Gophers probably would have handled UND last year, but they wouldn't have put up a touchdown. What the Gophers need most is to beat UND when they come to Mariucci. If they can get a win against the Sioux, they will know they can beat anyone. I agree completely with your assessment. The Gophers are a very dangerous team, and may even be a Frozen Four team if they get sent to a different regional than the Sioux. From what I have seen, UND and BC look like the top 2 teams in the country right now, but you can never count out Minnesota, Michigan or Maine. UMD and New Hampshire may also have an outside shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfm567b27 Posted January 16, 2004 Author Share Posted January 16, 2004 I agree completely with your assessment. The Gophers are a very dangerous team, and may even be a Frozen Four team if they get sent to a different regional than the Sioux. From what I have seen, UND and BC look like the top 2 teams in the country right now, but you can never count out Minnesota, Michigan or Maine. UMD and New Hampshire may also have an outside shot. I second that in being agreement with the Gopher fan's assessment of his team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl Spackler Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 Who cares what that blow hard Sonmor says...just another Goofer homer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
U2Bad1 Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 UND is in my opinion clearly the best team in the WCHA and likely the country. If UND survives it's regional tourney, they would be my pick to win the Frozen Four. My opinion is that UND drawing either the Gophers in the Colorado regional or Michigan in the Grand Rapids regional would be the toughest game they would face. Of course BC in Boston wouldn't be a gimme either. Yeah, but if the gophers get a number 1 seed like you hopefully predict, there will be no chance of this (assuming UND doesnt take a nose dive at the end of the season). Unless you mean drawing CC in the Colorado Springs regional Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fedorov Posted January 16, 2004 Share Posted January 16, 2004 Fiction The statement was about the team's ability, not the standings or power rating. The Gophers will not become as good as the Fighting Sioux this year. The Gophers were about to let in the tying goal on Friday night when the CC player was tackled and no penalty was called. So ignore what the refs give the Gophers (e.g., the 2002 championship), where the team ends up in points or power rankings, and consider how well the TEAM is playing. UND>um Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfm567b27 Posted January 16, 2004 Author Share Posted January 16, 2004 Who cares what that blow hard Sonmor says...just another Goofer homer! I see you are a big fan of Caddyshack....Classic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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