It's upset city baby!

[Smoggy]

It's looking more and more like Minnesota won't have the #1 seed. Though they'd still get to play at home for the NCAAs.

[sprig]

I wonder if any one would like to discuss Minnesotas porus defense again?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's what Minnesota is lacking. A defensive defenseman

[UMDDogz]

In defense of the Gophs goaltending, the first goal he never saw (perhaps he should have, although AA has some big guys setting screens) and it was a PP goal. The second one was screened again, but that one should not have gone in. The third goal was deflected (off Irmen), and was on essentially a 3 on 2 due to Potulny's loose grip on his stick and Irmen's inability to figure out which man he was supposed to cover. The fourth goal was on a breakaway due to an ill-timed defensive line change (and a great pass), and the fifth goal was scored with an extra attacker (meaning there will always be someone open) on a nifty pass and one-timer as JJ thought the skater was going to circle the net. There were no goals scored on 5-hole tricklers, fanned shots, or juicy rebounds. The quality of those 22 shots AA had far outweigh the quality of the Gophers 10,000 shots (as tallied by Woog)

[redwing77]

How can you say 5 goals on 22 shots isn't horrendous goaltending? Did you see the same game I did?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I can say that not all of those goals were because of the goaltender. Horrible positioning and a defense that has, according to Spaceball One, gone from suck to blow.

UAA's fifth goal wasn't flashy like Guyer's goal. It was simply "OH my god! They left me open!" Bangbang play.

Not all of it is goaltending.

[WPoS]

ok, I admit our goaltending is starting to be an issue!

WPoS

[bigmrg74]

ok, I admit our goaltending is starting to be an issue!      

WPoS

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

uummmm....... Starting???

[sagard]

I actually wish UND could play the Goofers right now. Briggs comes in lets a couple in then JJ comes in and does his thing. I guess I wouldn't fear the Sioux playing Goofer in the regional now. If UND can play its game beat UMD get to the Final Five and meet the Gophers in the play game. Wow, that would be exciting.

But I am jumping the gun a bit. Lots of hockey left.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The odds of both the Sioux and the Gophers winning their first round game aren't very good, plus I don't see the Gophers holding their #1 seed as I'm sure either MTU or AA will be a TUC when it's all said and done. Tonight was the absolute low point for me. The Gophers have been absolute buffoons in 4x4 play since the MTU series. Tonight, they waste a lengthy 5x3 that would have put AA away and then let them tie it with two 4x4 goals to start the third. That leads to the ultimate collapse. Miss the empty net and provide no resistance in the neutral zone or blue line with literally under 20 seconds left in the game. Pathetic.

[sagard]

ok, I admit our goaltending is starting to be an issue!      

WPoS

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

All five AA goals were within three rows of me.

1. Briggs failed to fight through a mild screen or didn't react to a tip that was at least twenty feet out. Bad start.

2. Briggs somehow over commits to a fake shot from the point. Then fails to recover in time to stop the wrister top blocker side. Bad play by him.

3. JJ goes down early, puck pops off Gopher defender's stick over his shoulder.

4. JJ provides no resistance on breakaway.

5. Puck goes all the way behind net, JJ leaves near post. AA player makes nice pass back to the original side of the net and player taps it in.

JJ did make a nice stop late in the OT to preserve the tie.

[dagies]

How unfair that MN gives up an important goal on a missed penalty call that took one of their guys out of the play.

Sprig, good one!

Over the last 4 years I don't want to think of the number of times coaches or players in the Sioux program have talked about getting the opposing goalie's A game. It's rather comforting to see it happen to someone else, especially a gopher team that in recent history has not suffered that same problem.

I seem to remember a game (Mankato?) in recent years very similar to last night's gopher-AA game where the Sioux put up 50 or so shots and lost. That hurts.

[schmidtdoggydog]

Tonight was the absolute low point for me.  The Gophers have been absolute buffoons . . . . Pathetic.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh ooh, someone notify the paramedics, we may have a leaper.

On a different note, while watching several Gopher games on tv this year I noticed at least a few instances where instant replay needed to be utilized. I hope the league spares no expense to get replay up and running in all WCHA arenas within the next couple of years (not holding my breath though). Sioux fans have certainly felt the need at the REA this season.

In a game earlier this year, Chucko appeared (calm down Gopher fans, I said appeared) to direct the game winning overtime goal into the net off his skate. This past Friday, Guyer clearly directed their second goal into the net with a skate. One goal effected the outcome, the other didn't, but both were plays that likely would've benefitted from review. I am not saying Chucko's goal would have been overturned, but it would've been nice to have it reviewed like recently happened in the Denver series resulting in overturning a no-goal.

These close calls are happening more and more frequently it seems and even if a small number of those calls are incorrectly made that is still too often with the technology that is available nowadays. I understand that cameras won't always provide a view of the puck, but in situations similar to Guyers goal, the right call would have been made if review allowed.

Whatever the result, at this level of play, I think it is important that the right call is made.

[PCM]

I'm not sure the use of instant replay would have affected the calls on the off-the-skate" goals (none of which I saw). My understanding is that the use of the replay is solely to determine if the puck crossed the line and nothing else.

When the puck goes in off the skate, it's up to the referee to decide whether the puck was kicked in or "deliberately directed into the goal."

RULE 6-16/PLAYING RULES HR-61

Goals and Assists

SECTION 17.

c . A goal shall not be allowed in any of the following cases:

( 2 ) If the puck has been kicked, thrown or otherwise deliberately directed into the goal by any means other than a stick;

In other words, the ref has to make a judgement call regarding the intent of the player whose skate touched the puck. The replay review, in its current form, isn't supposed to be used to overturn judgement calls.

This is why I thought the Sioux got hosed on one of their waved off goals against Denver. Shepherd ruled "no goal" because the puck went off Matt Jones' skate. On the replay, Jones had his back to the shooter and had no idea where the puck was. It just happened to hit his skate before going in, and probably would have gone in if he hadn't touched it.

Clearly, Jones neither kicked the puck nor "deliberately directed" it. It shoujld have counted. Now, if Shepherd had waved off the goal because Jones was in the crease, he would have been closer to making the right call.

[sagard]

[schmidtdoggydog]

I'm not sure the use of instant replay would have affected the calls on the off-the-skate" goals (none of which I saw). My understanding is that the use of the replay is solely to determine if the puck crossed the line and nothing else.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ah, that might be correct. I guess I haven't followed the issue closely enough to know for sure. My understanding is there was a play earlier this year in Denver where a goal was disallowed after watching the replay due to a skate in the crease (similar to Maine's no-goal in the NC game last year.) If that was the case, I figured perhaps they would be looking at things such as goals off of skates and the like.

With REA's technological capabilities it wouldn't surprise me to see the WCHA using replay in GF perhaps as early as next season.

[The Sicatoka]

I wonder how much this past weekend will play into the awarding of The Virg Foss Award (given to the team that best follows an outstanding first half of the season with a second half collapse).

[sagard]

I wonder how much this past weekend will play into the awarding of The Virg Foss Award (given to the team that best follows an outstanding first half of the season with a second half collapse).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I thought the Gophers were awarded the Virg at the new year? That it was base strictly on 1st half excellence. That or it's jk's kharma thread.

[Sioux_Hab-it]

Folks these upsets are no longer a surprise in the WCHA as we seem to have a degree of league parity. We have been so busy worrying about where the Sioux, Goofs and Dogs are going to finish that we have lost sight of how close all four of the normal also rans are to earning home ice in the first round. It used to be that finishing first earned you the right to play the league whipping post but now all you get is the trophy

[dagies]

Lucia seems to have taken a page out of Blais book what with the goalie merry-go-round. Wonder how some of those gopher fans who ripped Blais for how he handled his goalies are accepting Lucia's recent decisions.

"Kellen needs a couple weeks to work on getting his game back,"

ouch

[siouxtatoo42]

just got done watching this one, and what a great game it was.  great job by AA to find the open man on the 6x5.  I agree with RW that the Gophs seemed to think the Stevens goal meant game over.  AA had the bulk of the chances in OT and the Gophs are lucky they didn't get swept.

I listened to the third period (stopped watching after the Gophes went up 4-2 and seemed to be rolling) and Shaver seemed ridiculously upset with the officials for not calling a slash that left Ryan Potulny stickless, and taking him out of the play that resulted in the third AA goal.  Doesn't look like a blatant slash call to me (I taped the game and watched the third after I heard how wild it was), and the goal was caused by Irmen not picking up the third man into the zone.  Not only that, the puck deflected off of Irmen's body on it's way into the net, completely fooling JJ.  Shaver was really riding the officials during the third period, and after watching the tape, it would seem he was letting his frustration show through a little too much...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

i don't know if anyone else caught this but i did. I watched the gopher-aa game on saturday night on FSN and after the gophers scored their fourth goal, wooger, in his extreme bias-said that (paraphrasing) 'and Lucia is clapping, looking at his players as if he knows the game is over. Alaska is going to have a tuff time coming back from a 2 goal deficit'. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!! of course that's not word for word, but something to that effect. anyone else catch that??

[siouxnami]

[sagard]

i don't know if anyone else caught this but i did.  I watched the gopher-aa game on saturday night on FSN and after the gophers scored their fourth goal, wooger, in his extreme bias-said that (paraphrasing) 'and Lucia is clapping, looking at his players as if he knows the game is over.  Alaska is going to have a tuff time coming back from a 2 goal deficit'.    ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!!  of course that's not word for word,  but something to that effect.  anyone else catch that??

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Now, now. You can probably count on one hand the number of two goal leads the Gophers have blown heading into the third @ Mariucci since the place opened. There was no reason to expect that collapse. That's why I was so upset last night.

[UMDDogz]

Woog did nake it seem like the game was over after the fourth goal, and the Gophs did have all the momentum. He probably thought the Gophs would get rolling and score a few more times. I also remember him saying with about 8 to go in the period that the next goal would win the game.

Are NCAA rules different than NHL regarding pucks off skates? ...because in the NHL the goal is allowed as long as a distinct kicking motion is made (you can angle your skate to deflect the puck). ((See Dallas vs. Anaheim Game 6 West Semis, 2003))

[SiouxTupa]

You know what the best thing is?

When Frank and Doug mentioned that Lucia was thinking the game was over...

Turns out, according to the USCHO recap, that he was, in fact, thinking the game was in hand.

It's sooo fun seeing chinks in the armor like this.

But, hopefully our players know how important this next series is.

[Goon]

Lucia seems to have taken a page out of Blais book what with the goalie merry-go-round.  Wonder how some of those gopher fans who ripped Blais for how he handled his goalies are accepting Lucia's recent decisions. 

ouch

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I kind of wish we could pose that question to UofM fans about switching goalies and other similar topics that have come up for the Goofers this season. Seems you team looks a lot like the UND team that lost to Ferris State in 2003 NCAA's.

Also, Justin Johnson doesn't really look like he is that bad of a goalie compared to some of the goals that Kellen Briggs has let in.

On a side note, even though I am not at all a Gopher partisan (duh), I actually have been kind of pulling for J.J. this season. The kid is a senior and he has stuck with the team and been an honest loyal player for 4 seasons even though he hasn

[PCM]

Are NCAA rules different than NHL regarding pucks off skates? ...because in the NHL the goal is allowed as long as a distinct kicking motion is made (you can angle your skate to deflect the puck).  ((See Dallas vs. Anaheim Game 6 West Semis, 2003))

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, the rules are different. I posted the NCAA rule earlier in this thread.

[sagard]