Let's drop the puck on this already! Gophers vs Badgers -- huge weekend!!

[FUZZER]

I know it's only Tuesday but I can't wait to see what gets posted this week about this series. I'm sure these two teams are going to come out tighter than a snare drum to open things up on Friday, but the Gophs need to ramp things up a bit on that back up net minder for Bucky. Put up a crooked number and hope that Briggs remembers how big a series this is too!!!

[buzzsaw]

Minnesota will need to put forward the type of effort they displayed against North Dakota to win this series. It should be fun.

[redlake]

My Take:

Wisconsin has the best "system" in the WCHA and probably in all of college hockey. Their power play is effective and their defensemen (Gilbert and Olinger) will punish opposing forwards like no other defensive unit. It was no fluke that Denver swept them without their goaltender in my opinion. It is hard to replace a guy like Elliot but you can hardly blame Connelly for the loses against Denver. Hard to say that Denver sweeps Wisconsin with Elliot in goal.

However, the gophers have the best 10 forwards I have seen in a long time. They bring speed from all lines and Kris Chukko and Gino Guyer are the best defensive forwards in the WCHA and they also have scoring ability. I watched Chukko and Guyer all but shut down the Sioux for all but 1 period. They will be on the ice when Robbie Earl and his line is out there.

I think there is the possiblity of a split but it might just come down to goaltending. If the gophers can get quality play from the pipes, they might be too much for a back-peddling Wisconsin team that is ripe for the picking.

Friday Night

Minnesota 2

Wisconsin 1

Saturday Night

Minnesota 1

Wisconsin 0

[Hockey Guy]

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However, the gophers have the best 10 forwards I have seen in a long time. They bring speed from all lines and Kris Chukko and Gino Guyer are the best defensive forwards in the WCHA and they also have scoring ability.

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I can't believe it RED! Writing that had to be like a dagger through your heart! Keep taking deep breathes and the pain will subside. I think you could be coming down with a slight case of Gopherfanitis. Once you admit you have Gopherfanitis your journey to the dark side will be a much smoother transition.

[redlake]

I know, I know!

I am going to be on the edge of the couch this weekend with a beverage in my hand. Gophers and Badgers!

Friday night some Sioux fans will get together and cook some roasted duck with venison and some fine spirits. Who says UND fans can't enjoy gopher hockey?

The only thing worse than gopher hockey fans would be stinky cheeze eating dairy slurping Wisconsin fans!

It hurts, but go GOPHERS!

[buzzsaw]

I like you more every day!

[nolte]

Red

I was starting to actually like your opinion on here, but with comment like the ones above you're put back on being suspect. But if you want to root for some high fluting, cake eater, nancy boy team fine. Just for that I'm going to send you a lifesize poster of Woog to put up on your wall, and a mixed tape with all of his great non-biased gopher commentary.

So enjoy your champagne toasts with those goph elite, but remember they'll boot you out as soon bash Goldie. When that happens us cheese lovers will still be here drinkin our Old Style, and we'll probably have one for you.

So Go Big Red.

[buzzsaw]

Don't let Nolte's psychology degree work on your temporary Gopher lovin'. I thought all cheesers drank Old (swill) Milwaulkee? Whats your prediction Nolte? It should be a good series, but I said that last time and it was horrible for us Gopher fans.

[redlake]

Noltie,

I might even have a Leinenkugel's Honey Weiss as I watch the games this weekend. I can appreciate badgers hockey and their coach who never smiles, but I don't have to like them. Same goes for the Gophers. When it's all said and done, I want the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux winning it all.

Now I am all torked off thinking about that Woog poster and even having to look at him. Do you know how difficult it is to listen to him utter his plaintive, high-pitched, protracted sound after each rush down the ice? I can only imagine what it would have been like when his son played. The Bose noise cancelling head-phones wouldn't be able to cancel out that squelch. I liked Woog better on the bench because then I didn't have to listen to him so much.

Anyway, good luck to all teams and lets play hockey already.

[FUZZER]

Nancy Boy!!!!!! Cake Eater!!!!!! Bite your red tongue Nolte.

[buzzsaw]

It's a huge weekend boys!!

St. Cloud at North Dakota - St. Cloud is a Team under consideration, so these are very important games for North Dakota. Two losses and they might not get in to play at home for the regionals.

Minnesota at Wisconsin - A Minnesota sweep will not give the Gophers the overall No. 1, but it will help to cement a No. 1 seed.

Thats str8 from USCHO.com

[redlake]

Is it good to be under consideration?

What teams might not be under consideration?

[buzzsaw]

Teams not under consideration would be the ones that are below a certain ranking in the Pairwise rankings, which the NCAA uses to determine seeding.

Usually you get the top twelve ranked teams in the pairwise and then four "non big boy" schools get in by winning their smaller conferences or post season playoffs deal. Therefore, if your a big boy school, you need to finish in the top twelve of the pairwise rankings or a smaller non descript school will knock you out!

[buzzsaw]

We spankee de Bucky! well playing good for two periods = WIN!! I admit I got nervous at the end there, but the boys did good and I see Boston College lost to BU so they will fall in the Pairwise... and oh oh the Sioux lost and they are kind of looking like a NCAA bubble team now.

[redlake]

The sioux need to get their act together if they are to be under consideration. They have a below .500 record at home.

The gophers are in the driver seat and playing very well. 5 goals? I would have not predicted that.

[8-Ball]

I was not too surprised at 5 goals. Frazee is a freshman, I think... I am hoping Donny starts Briggs again, I think Cheese would lay a heavy assault on Frazee, IMO...

[buzzsaw]

I heard there was a special on brooms in Madtown! Nothing like sweeping the wannabe's from Wisconsin! Okay okay, they have a good team but lets be honest, they are losing steam and maybe a bit of confidence! It will be an interesting regular season finish now that the Badgers have choked away a seemingly impossible to blow 8 point lead in two weekends!

Gotta love how Kessel punked his home crowd with the "I can't hear you" gesture after he scored to ice the game at 3-1!!

Order has been restored.

[8-Ball]

Yep- that was Sweet. I like the head of steam we are creating as we get closer and closer to playoff time. Heard on "cco that Irmen and Chucko hurt their shoulder(s). I could not watch tonights tilt. Anybody know how bad it looked on those two? I hope it is not serious- both those guys take the body 100%, and we really need their presence in the line-up, to say the least...

[buzzsaw]

We don't play games next weekend so hopefully they'll be fine in two weeks.

Denver won as well so it's a log jam at the top!

[30 inch eyes]

I'm a huge gophers fan, but they, no Briggs, stole that one last night. He had soo much confidence, you could see it in his body language. he was square to the puck all night. wisconsin is really strugling without their #1 goalie. I'll take that win, because we have lost games that we should have won also. Way to go gophers!

[nolte]

Well boys, you guys did get the sweep. When do you think the last time the Red swept in Mariucci, and the gophs swept in Madtown. Prob never.

I really hope it's apparent that the reason the Red are struggling is because of the tending situation. To say the kid is shakey would be an understatement. The back up to him looks like he is about 12. Brutal. Otherwise they have the ability up front to carry the play and tempo. If Gilber isn't an All-American Dman I don't know who is, but he still should cut his hair.

I know you die hard varmit fans will be all high on your sweep, but don't lie to yourselves and say you outplayed Bucky on the weekend. Briggs pretty much stole the one on Sat. I sure know I'm glad I wasn't Sertich on Sun morn, cause the kid was gettin run over all night.

We'll see how the bad thet gophs really need Irmin, since he is out for a few weeks with a sep shoulder. He pretty much was their offense on the weekend. Course you guys are playin the little sisters of the poor in that stretch, besides Den. I don't see very many good matchups coming up till the Final Five and beyond.

About Kessel, Buzz you said it right when you mentioned punk in the same sentence as him. I was told one time to "Act like you've been there before", after you scored a goal. But in reality he hasn't in the Kohl, so maybe that is his excuse. Maybe scoring a crappy goal on a shakey tender makes you a big shot in the WCHA. His talent might be mature, but his character sure isn't. I've got not time for that stuff from anybody in college hockey, even the red.

Well boys get ready for the idle time between now and the Final Five.

[PierBridge]

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About Kessel, Buzz you said it right when you mentioned punk in the same sentence as him. I was told one time to "Act like you've been there before", after you scored a goal. But in reality he hasn't in the Kohl, so maybe that is his excuse. Maybe scoring a crappy goal on a shakey tender makes you a big shot in the WCHA. His talent might be mature, but his character sure isn't. I've got not time for that stuff from anybody in college hockey, even the red.

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Good to hear the Wisconsin point of view I agree it's a whole different series with a real goalie in there.

And I do undertsand your frustation along with the I D I O T fans at the Kohl center of losing one of if not the best talent to come from Kurdsvil maybe ever.

I was hoping for something a little more original then the very mellow "I can't hear you reply" from Knessel directed to the Badger Baby's who taunted, spit and threw things at the GOPHER star all weekend.

If it's any consolation he will only be a GOPHER for another year at best after he's off to the NHL....

PUNK Dat Pal.......

[nolte]

Pier

I'm not sure about you, but when I played in those types of environments I thrived on it. That sort of atmosphere brings out the best in all players. The rivalries and booing/chanting is what makes it fun to watch college sports. I'm sure the rowdy Kohl crowd is so much different than those nice kids at Mariucci.

Usually when I buy a ticket to watch a hockey game I go for the play on the ice, not the celebrations after a goal. I'd much rather see a guy with Kessels talent score a trick that took a detour through Dangle city, than a lame gesture after a low-percentage outside the D_O_T shot on a sub-par goalie.

But Pier I'm sure you'd rather see a second open-netter with him following it up by riding his stick. Hey maybe even slide on his butt and pretend to paddle a kayak, or even throw up his glove then shoot it out of the air. That stuff is real fun to watch for the casual hockey fan.

I would about bet he won't try that once he does go to the Pros, unless he want to buy some new teeth.

[buzzsaw]

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I know you die hard varmit fans will be all high on your sweep, but don't lie to yourselves and say you outplayed Bucky on the weekend. Briggs pretty much stole the one on Sat

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I'm guessing no higher than YOU Badger fans were after your sweep at Marriucci right?! Oh and what is wrong with your goalie making the difference in a win? Isn't that how the Badgers have been winning all year? You see Nolte, you can't have it both ways... which you'd like. We outplayed you guys Friday for two periods and you outplayed us for the first half of the third period and then we slammed the door on the Badgers faces!! Stone cold bummer eh!?

Another thing that is funny... you mentioned Gilberyt as an All American ... surprise he's a Minnesota kid from Bloomington and you give Kessel a hard time and he's from Wisconsin... things that make you go hmmmm

I'd say the biggest laugh of the weekend may have actually occurred after the series finished up last night. Apparently BADger captain (and resident goon) Adam Burish took offense to Phil Kessel's "hand to the ear" reaction after scoring the final goal Saturday and giving the BADger crowd a little "How do you like that?" after he had been booed all weekend. So he decided to flap his gums to the media and questioning Kessel's character. Of course, Burish is the same "classy", "high character" guy that took a cheapshot run at CC's Scott Thauwald (a Rochester, MN kid that IS a high character person) when a game was already decided and put Thauwald out for the season. Somebody get Burish a dose of reality. I'd take a "hand to the ear" gesture anyday over putting a kid on an operating table because of a dirty hit.

Of course, Kessel's reaction got a variety of responses around the internet. Most of what I read seemed to understand the circumstances and those people realize it is just a give and take between Kessel and the local fans who didn't like their club being spurned by him. Of course, there is some negative reactions too but most of that stuff comes from people who are his critics no matter what the kid does... and you can't really take them too seriously. I didn't take really take offense to Joe Jensen jersey popping at Mariucci or Michael Schutte shushing the crowd after a goal at XCel in the 2002 title game. Some guys just get excited when they are on the road and do something good. Particularly when they are playing against the team from their hometown. Kessel hardly does anything other than celebrate with his team when he scores a goal. This is a one time reaction in his first time back in front of the hometown that were booing him. People need to put it into perspective a bit.

Nolte, you sound a little bummed and you should be! This is when teams step up or step out without making injury excuses.

Of course, we'll hear plenty of Brian Elliott excuses from the BADger types but the fact is the BADgers recent slump has more to do with other areas of their game than it does with the play of their goaltender. Outside of the one bad period of Friday night in which the Gophers let down their guard a bit with a four goal lead, the BADger offense has been impotent in their last four games. Unless Elliott is going to be taking "one timers" from his own goal, I don't think his return is going to suddenly add fuel to the BADger offense (If their confidence is so fragile that they can't handle one guy being out, then they don't deserve to win anything).

As has been stated here, the BADgers have their flaws and those flaws are starting to poke their head out. While they hope that the return of Elliott will help get them back to the way they were playing six weeks ago, the fact is that finding that kind of momentum again will not be an easy task. Once a team loses that momentum and starts to have doubt creep into their psyche, they often times never regain their swagger. That is why we have seen so many "hot" first half teams end up flopping in the second half.

The Gophers didn't really play their best hockey this weekend but they did put away their chances in an efficient manner and they played a solid all around game. Kellen Briggs continues to show why he should start the majority of the games for the rest of the season. He looked strong in net (other than a bit of shaky period on Friday).

[Down to Earth]

I don't follow NFH or Colege hockey due to lack of television access, but I do enjoy watching it when I get a chance. I was in the hospital for a research study on Friday evening and got to watch the game. It was great game to watch.

The only hockey besides high school I have access to is the Junior B level MJHL. Fortunately we have a great team in the Minnesota Ice Hawks here in Rochester. They just won their 18th game in a row this past weekend.

Andy