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Do Gophers have Shot at National Title?

bassNspear

By bassNspear
in Hockey

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buzzsaw Grand Master

buzzsaw

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I am as big a Gopher rube as anybody around and I'd say that if they can get that early season "magic" back, they would be almost unbeatable. BUT, I haven't seen that team for a few months and am not overly sure that they will bounce back to that form... Anything can happen in the tourney, a non favorite can get hot at the right time and ride that to a title... I put more stock in the "Hot teams" heading into the tourney that are well coached as the teams to beat... even if they are ranked out of the top four in the country at the time. Ask me again after the WCHA playoffs and I'll be more definative okay. wink.gif March 3rd is the end of the reg season.

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redlake Collaborator

redlake

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St. Cloud is the scariest team out there right now. They have the scoring balance and goaltending to come away with the Final 5 and a number 1 seed.

Don't count out Minnesota, Denver, or North Dakota.

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PierBridge Grand Master

PierBridge

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Not trying stir things up but IMO North Dakota has little or no chance to win the National Title this I think the are average team that could not possibly put the 3 or 4 games together necessary to win it all...........I would say it's going to be a non WCHA team this year .. shocked.gif

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Jarrod32 Veteran

Jarrod32

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I've been able to watch a lot of the Sioux games (the local cable company carries the Sioux Sports Network) and the Gopher games this season.

The Sioux seem too inconsistent to me to have a shot to win the title. Against UMD last night they would look good for a stretch, then look bad for a stretch.

The Gophers have a real shot...when they are playing well, they should be able to beat anyone in front of them. They need to maintain the consistency and focus, though, which they have had trouble doing this season.

With their goaltending, SCSU has a real shot, as well. It would not surprise me at all to see the Gophers and the Huskies in the Frozen Four.

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redlake Collaborator

redlake

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Pierre,

You are stirring things up. I would agree with you on one level, this years ND team is as inconsistant as your local weather report.

But, you are no Jack Bauer, Pierre. Jack Bauer would wear green and white. grin.gif

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Bryce Grand Master

Bryce

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Sat down and watched both rodent games this weekend. If they and CC are two of the better teams in the league, I don't think we're going to have much cheering to do come the end of March as WCHA fans. That was not very good hockey. Perhaps Lucia's daughter will start wearing some more provocative outfits during her interviews to stir up some excitement. blush.gif Much easier on the eyes than Jeff Dubay I must say. grin.gif

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DEADhead Veteran

DEADhead

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the gophers just skated their way in to mediocrity this weekend against tech. Here are the top reasons I think the gophers will take an early exit in the NCAA tourney:

inconsistent goaltending. there have been alot of soft goals in the second half of the season. while many of the goals were due to poor defensive play and backchecking, there were quite a few mental lapses where pucks that shouldn't have gone in, found their way to the back of the net. a prime example is the north dakota goal from center ice. come on frazee... frown.gif

the gophers back check is poor. nobody seems to cover the trailing guy on a rush; how many rebound goals have opposing teams scored lately? way too many. they leave a lot of guys uncovered when in the defensive zone.

intensity, or lack there of. the gophers have had inconsistent playing, even between periods. There seems to be a lot of reaching for the puck instead of skates moving, especially when playing when behind. only a handful of skaters have been giving their all game in and game out. goligoski has been the only real consistent player all season long.

no finishing. the gophers have not been able to finish plays. they may get plenty of opportunities and chances but no real finisher able to score goals. this lack of goal production has hurt them during the second half of the season.

gordon and wheeler have been disappointing this season. it looks like gordon is always trying to make the cutesy play instead of just getting the job done. selfish play at times. wheeler puts himself into good scoring positions but hasn't been able to execute and finish the play. he needs to be put back on the wing where he has shown he can perform.

people can comment on the coaching, but it is up to the players to show up on the ice during games and perform. good coaching will help prepare players for the game, but ultimately the players win or lose the game. If the gophers continue to play this way through the playoffs, there will be another holy cross this year.

I hope the gophers can come around and I can eat my words, but unfortunately this gopher fan doesn't think that's gonna happen mad.gif If the gophers take an early exit this year, it will mark one of the biggest collapses by a team in a season, and will overshadow their incredible first half.

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Bryce Grand Master

Bryce

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So you're saying Sacred Heart has a chance? grin.gif I'm predicting there will be at least 2 WCHA teams still alive when the rodents dust off their golf clubs. Looks like nobody will want to be playing the Sioux in March. Winning the McNaughton Cup in Nov/Dec sure looks meaningful now. wink.gif

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Team Otter Mentor

Team Otter

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Nice summary but I think we've seen inconsistency across the board. The types of fluctuations we have been seeing over and over during the second half of the season is a recipe for limited success. I hope they can pull it together for the play-offs and "make a run" but I'm not willing to bet on it. smirk.gif With that being said, go Gophers! I'm still a die-hard.

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Superduty Experienced

Superduty

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Very good summary. I was at the michigan tech game saturday night. I realize a let down was in order after clinching the league title friday night but wow, it was senior night and the team layed an egg. I hope they can get the early season form back but don't see it happening. The gopher offense is not very special now that Hirsch is gone. This team doesn't do a lot of the little things right that are needed to win it all. Poor team defense being a big one. They are just too young I think. Didn't see many bodies being taken in front of the gopher net. Passes weren't tape to tape, offense doesn't flow as a result. Briggs needs to take control of the nets because Frazee just doesn't play consistently at an acceptable level. The gophs have been taking a lot of penalies lately, not a good sign heading into NCAA tourney when the east coast refs call every ticky tacky penalty.

On a side note, did anyone notice the trap play of tech? It was funny to watch, once they had the lead, they would dump the puck in the gophers end. Four guys would line up between the tech blue line and center ice. One forward would stand high in the gophers slot. No forecheck at all. It was like the gophers were trying to set up a powerplay breakout at all times. It really seemed to work, I don't recall any oddman rushes all night for the gophers. Did we get outcoached?

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DEADhead Veteran

DEADhead

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Quote:

With that being said, go Gophers! I'm still a die-hard.

I'm a die hard too, but I won't be let down if they get the early boot this year. I've been able to see the team for what they are this year, instead of having the maroon and gold tunnel vision...

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Flash Community Regular

Flash

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When it comes to Hockey, any team in Division 1 can be any other team. Whoever gets the right bounce or ricochet wins. Look at Holy Angels in HS Hockey. I think they out shot the other team 40-10 and 6 of the 10 went . In Hockey, "Luck" is the ultimate factor.

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icehole10 Proficient

icehole10

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I agree with the luck factor to point, but lets just face it the Sioux have been one of the hottest teams in div.1 over the last couple of months. If I remember correctly they did the same thing last year. They started out slow and came on strong at the end of the year when it counts! wink.gif

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