Badgers - Gophers Weekend

[redlake]

I would like to see the Gophers win one game this weekend at Mariucci Arena. The badgers are on some roll winning 11 in a row.

Can the gophers win two or what do they need to do to sweep the mighty Badgers?

I say they need some stellar goaltending and no dumb penalties. The Wisconsin power play isn't something the Gophers are going to want to see a lot of.

Come on Gophers fans, let me know what you think. If they can't win one this weekend, they can fold up the tents for a WCHA championship.

1. Wisconsin

2. Colorado College

3. North Dakota

4. Minnesota

5. Denver

6. St. Cloud

7. Alaska

8. Duluth

9. Minnesota State

10 Michigan Tech

[buzzsaw]

Minny hopefully takes three points... a split is like kissing your sister! anything less than two points will be a bummer and a sweep would be great!

[PierBridge]

Hoping for sweep, I would take a Split right now, I know Wisonsin could very well sweep us.

And Now for my prediction: Fri. Cheese 4 Goldy 1 Sat. Goldy 3 Cheese 3..

[8-Ball]

I am thinking reverse. Gophs Fri. 5-4 in OT, and a tie Sat night....

[redlake]

I say the Gophers come out flat. I know, I predicted this before but it has happened in the past. I am not sure how they come out flat, especially playing the number one team in the country. They came out flat against Fairbanks, Duluth, and St. Cloud. However they pounded AA 9-0 so who really knows what team is going to show up.

Friday

Minn - 2

Wisc - 5

Saturday

Minn - 4

Wisc - 3

[PierBridge]

Well we were all pretty close, I said 4-1 cheese and the cheese were up 4-1 and did win 4-3, 8-Ball should have had his overtime and a chance for the 5-4 victory, I don't know how we did not tie it up, and Red had the cheese winning 5-2 which almost happened.

Pretty good game....nice to see the gophers battle until the end.

[8-Ball]

Yep- it was a very entertaining game. I blame 2 of those goals on Harrington. He was on some other planet last night. Responsible for first and I believe third goal, basically. At other times when he had the puck, he made poor decisions-bad passes, turning the puck over in Gophs zone, etc. He is usually solid on D, but was clearly rattled last night. We need him to have a good night on the blueline and on the PP tonight, to have a shot at winning. Wonder how Frazee will hold up tonight? It will be a pressure cooker in Mariucci tonight. Man, I wish I could go-but the wife has to work!

[PierBridge]

Quote:

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I know Wisonsin could very well sweep us.

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[8-Ball]

In hindsight I'm glad the wife had to work!

[Hockey Guy]

Quote:

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Harrington... He is usually solid on D, but was clearly rattled last night.

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8-Ball,

Have you been watching the same Harrington that I have for the last few years? I don't think I have seen him play well since he was a freshman. He may make some nice plays in a game here or there and he can definitely handle the puck, but most of the time you see a bad pass or a player wide open in front of the net, look to Harrington 8 out of 10 times. He just doesn't have it between the ears!

[buzzsaw]

I sat one row up and four seats down from harringtons dad at Saturdays game vs Bucky and he makes alot of facial expressions! I have been and will continue to be a basher of Harringtons defensive skills, he can play okay offensively for a defenseman but the man gets beat like a drum on defense! He was good as a freshman and has not improved and possibly gotten much worse.

[8-Ball]

Good Point-I guess I should have meant he is usually solid running the PP and moving through traffic w/ the disc. I agree that he has not bumped it up defensively, literally. If they sat him for a few shifts who could Donny put back there that would not be a liability right now? It is an issue, for sure.

[Hockey Guy]

I'll tell you who would help out back there is Nate Hagemo. Are they just going to red shirt him or what? The other Minnesota kid we lost that would have helped was Brian Lee.

[8-Ball]

Is he on the shelf for an injury right now? I don't think Donny Loo would replace Harrington w/ a freshmen, even if he was more physical. Reason? Like it or not, the way Harrington runs the PP and usually moves the puck up the ice in transition. I see Frazee made the Select team, as well as Wheeler and a few others on a blip across the screen during yet another in the "so close we can't taste it" dep't. during another no-one scores for the Wild game. But they are another subject for another post...

[Hockey Guy]

Hagemo isn’t a freshman. He played last year with Goligoski and played really well. I know he has had an issue with his shoulder so he has missed all the games this year so far. I would guess that they would give him a medical red shirt at this point and continue to hold him out. I don’t think it would matter if they red shirted him, if his shoulder is not serious (reoccurring injury), he will most likely leave the Gophers early to play pro. I honestly don’t know for sure what is going on with him. I know he was a second round draft pick of New Jersey and was the fastest player on the Gophers last year, so I never expected him to be around very long anyhow.

[tashit]

Aside from the last 5 minutes or so of Friday's game, that was one of the ugliest weekends I've seen. And don't even get me started on Harrington...at least he's a senior

[NAPAFISH]

Who else takes the body on D???????? Atherton tries and takes himself out of the play. Harrington is the only guy. You are not a Alternate captain, without knowing what to do

[tashit]

He does take the body, I'll give him that. But half the time he takes the body he is more interested in looking back to see if the guy fell down than what's going on with the play. To me he looks like one of those guys that has to look cool to the fans. And the two goals on Friday night that were 100% his fault were two that he got completely burned on and did not take the body. I'll admit the second one was a very nice move but still. I think the only reason he's an alternate captain is because he's a senior. I don't mean to start an argument but I get so incredibly frustrated watching him.

By the way, I like your sig, I'm a huge fan myself. Did you make it to the Target Center over Thanksgiving? That was my 18th time seeing them I think. I wasn't crazy about the setlist but they still put on an amazing show.