jimdahl Posted January 23, 2003 Share Posted January 23, 2003 From the 1/22/03 coach's show recap: They discussed why fans rip him so much when his stats are so good First, I don't think fans rip Brandt "so much". You see a lot of questioning on this board (and others) about UND's goaltending because it's the most questionable position, not because Brandt is horrible. Saying goaltending is our most questionable position is more a reflection of how great the rest of the team is than putting down Brandt. As far as stats being "so great": GP Record GAA SV% 13 9-1-2 2.32 .897 Historical record: '00-01 Kollar 2.66 .911 '00-01 Goehring 2.38 .918 '99-00 Goehring 1.89 .927 '98-99 Goehring 2.40 .915 '97-98 Goehring 2.27 .913 '96-97 Schweitzer 2.31 .908 Why are fans down on current goaltending? The historical stats above aren't from my giant stack of media guides or historical records, rather I was able to cull them all the UND record books -- they all appear in the top 10 lists for GAA and SV% for all-time UND goaltenders. That's a tough 5 years to follow by anyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Handyman Posted January 23, 2003 Share Posted January 23, 2003 Well to give you an outsider's view... When Karl was in nets, as a fan you just knew you were in trouble. Maybe it was because he made simple saves look downright amazing (he loved to add accent to even the easiest of glove saves) or maybe it was because in the 3rd period when the game was tied and your team was buzzing he would flop down on the ice and somehow make a save when you swear for a second the net was wide open! He oozed confidence and as the game wore on every save he made became almost a psychological battle! I swear it was like he was singing "Hit me with your best shot" while skating around the crease! Stats are skewed! Hauser had pretty decent stats but teams knew they always had a chance when he was in net. He never had the confidence, but once he got it he became a machine and helped the team win it all. Karl was always that way, he would taunt the fans (I hated how he skated in circles after the Sioux scored usually with a smile on his face) and when he made a save on you he usually let you know it. Same holds true for Kollar. Teams knew he wasn't as good as Karl despite his stats. They knew they had a chance. I can honestly say that even though I hated Karl with a passion, I never enjoyed watching opposing goalies as much as watching him. And any goal the Gophs scored made me that much more excited cause he was just that good. Brandt seems more like Kollar or Hauser. They can give you the numbers you need (90% save, 2-2.5GAA) but never seem to make the big save that turns the tide or steals the game. The Sioux were spoiled for 4 years with Karl in nets cause he would make that save. It can, and does get frustrating. JMHO as an outsider, but I figured my thoughts may for once be relevant somewhere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dagies Posted January 23, 2003 Share Posted January 23, 2003 No doubt, I think we have been spoiled by years of good goaltending, the core of which was Karl G. Why do fans rip Jake? Well, there have been times he looked very good and times he hasn't looked real good. The long and short of it is he makes some great saves but he also leaves a lot of pucks hanging out in front of him. Kollar did the same thing, and got away with it until his last year. Early in the season we were getting wins but still giving up 2-3 goals on 14-15 shots per game. That gets hard to accept when you look at a long season. Fortunately, that has improved. Maybe us fans are overly critical and expect too much. That said it does look like he is stepping it up as of late. In the WCHA Jake has worked his saves % up to .908, second only to Bruckler and Reichsmuth at .923. Not bad, really. And saves percentage is the one stat that probably isn't tilted by the number of shots per game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottM Posted January 23, 2003 Share Posted January 23, 2003 From my own perspective, Brandt lets his emotions cloud his judgment on the ice and loses focus, and often sight of the puck. When he stays in the net, he's usually pretty good. However, he often moves to play the puck, and then either gets caught out of position or takes his time getting back. During the Minnesota series, every time he moved out of the crease my heart skipped a beat. I think he was better off when he kept it simple, like in the early part of the season. That said, I think that may be more an issue of game experience than anything else. Maybe some game time will help him settle into his groove and grow into the position. However, goaltending is our biggest weakness IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farce poobah Posted January 23, 2003 Share Posted January 23, 2003 A lot of goaltending success is confidence, and I think that's the case here, because the raw talent is there ... quickness, eye-hand, etc. But I think his confidence got shaken early by a bad outing at St Cloud, followed a month later by a bad outing vs. MSU-Mankato ... I think Jake will be fine, and I agree with jimdahl's insightful observation that we talk about goaltending so much because that's the one spot on the team that's not fully resolved. Let's have a good argument about ... who should be centering the fourth line. .... or which forwards should be on the 3rd PK unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WPoS Posted January 23, 2003 Share Posted January 23, 2003 I know why I rip on him! Seriously, I have noticed a general trend in hockey latley. It seems that everyone has to have someone to rip on on each team. You can have a stellar year and still have the media and/or fans picking some guy apart on your team. The world needs scapegoats and the runts of the litter....the WCHA just has the BADgers.... WPoS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shootdogger Posted January 23, 2003 Share Posted January 23, 2003 I don't know if 'ripping on him' is what I'd call it...but certainly the fans questioning of Brandt begins with Blaiser's playing of him. While more of Brandt's stats are looking alright lately, he is playing with a bit more confidence, and he doesn't get out of position to the degree Josh does......he must be a bit unsure of himself. This season has proven that if he has one bad game he's on the bench for 5ish games. After jumbling goalies to start the season, Blais yanks Brandt in that Niagara game and Siembida plays the next several games--we don't see Brandt again until Siembida had that awful night in St. Cloud, Brandt replaced him during that game, but Blais immediately went back to Siembida the next night and for another series. Then Brandt gets a few starts, including a couple shut outs, but after one bad outing at Mankato Blais yanks him again and we don't see him until the CC series. I think Brandt is the man for the rest of the season--barring a meltdown--and I hope after his next bad game (which better occur sooner rather than March/April!) Blais puts him right back on the horse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sicatoka Posted January 23, 2003 Share Posted January 23, 2003 When Jake Brandt is in "The Wanderer" mode I cringe. When Jake Brandt listens to the advice given by his father and plays a simplified game there's nothing better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.