The rumor mill is swirling today as multiple sources including the near-ironclad HammyHockey are reporting that John Hill is out as assistant coach for the Gophers and Mike Guentzel is in.
Guentzel, of course, was a stalwart assistant from 1994-2008 for the Maroon and Gold including coaching during the Gophers' back-to-back national championships in 2001-2002 and 2002-2003. Guentzel was let go (some have speculated he was scapegoated and forced out) following the team's poor 2007-2008 performance.
Hill has coached the team ever since the departure of former Gopher assistant and current SCSU head coach Bob Motzko. He is the coach of the defense and is derided by many fans for a comment he made when he claimed the Gophers "don't tell our kids what to do, we encourage them."
An assistant at the University of Nebraska-Omaha last season, Guentzel is known to bleed maroon and gold and formerly coached the defense, where he will likely slide in on the Gopher bench. He coached recent Gopher greats Jordan Leopold, Paul Martin, Keith Ballard and Alex Goligoski into prominent positions in the NHL today.
This move is seen as a boon by many fans who have been discouraged by the poor defensive play over the past four seasons. Many hope Guentzel will be able to provide the coaching expertise necessary to get the Gophers back where they belong - at the top of the WCHA / Big Ten conference and fighting for national championships on a yearly basis.
EDIT: It's official - John Hill will not be returning as assistant coach next season. See this link from GopherSports for the official announcement: http://www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=38855&SPID=3322&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=8400&ATCLID=205176829
Friday, June 24, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Season Over for Gophers in Losses to Anchorage; Lucia's Contract Extended
As you may have gathered by my sullen silence since Saturday the 12th, the Gopher hockey team was swept at home by Alaska Anchorage in the first round of the WCHA playoffs. The losses sent UAA to the WCHA Final Five and sent the Gophers packing, as Minnesota's Pairwise ranking was not high enough to advance into the NCAA tournament.
The Gophers' first loss to the Seawolves on Friday night was a comedy of errors. UAA got out to a 3-0 lead midway through the second period on goals from Wiles in the last minute of the first, Portwood at 1:56 of the second and Alex Gellert shorthanded at 9:19 of the second. Minnesota finally showed some signs of life in the second half of the game, as Jake Hansen scored the Gophers' first goal of the game on a penalty shot at 12:12. The Gophers scored another goal just 16 seconds later, as Aaron Ness' slapper from the point beat Anchorage's Chris Kamal to get the Gophers back within one. The Gophers tied the game with just under ten minutes left in the third period as Kevin Wehrs skated through the entire Anchorage team and fired a slapshot past Kamal. 130 seconds later, though, the Seawolves put a puck past Kent Patterson on the power play, and Anchorage held that 4-3 lead all the way until the buzzer rang to signal the end of the game.
Having lost on Friday, the Gophers were in a win-or-go-home situation on Saturday, as one more loss would knock Minnesota out of the WCHA playoffs and out of contention for the NCAA tournament. This game was eerily reminiscent of the 1-0 UAA victory on January 29th. In that game, Anchorage played a stifling defensive system, capitalized on one Minnesota mistake and came away with a 1-0 win. Saturday's tilt featured that same Anchorage defense, and saw the Seawolves take advantage of Gopher mistakes in the third period to score on Patterson and win the game 2-0 to end Minnesota's season. Minnesota had quality chance after quality chance, but Chris Kamal made save after save. Anchorage finally got on the board at 2:32 of the third period, and with the Gophers pressing to score a goal Tommy Grant scored on a breakaway at 13:24 to seal the game and send the Seawolves to the WCHA Final Five.
With the two losses, the Gophers have now missed the WCHA Final Five two years in a row and the NCAA tournament three years in a row. In fact, the last time Minnesota made the Big Dance was in Alex Kangas' stellar freshman season in which the Gophers beat Mankato in two straight overtime games to advance to the Final Five. If that seems like an awful long time ago to you, you're not mistaken. Minnesota has never missed the Final Five two years in a row in the expanded WCHA era beginning with the inclusion of Minnesota State-Mankato in 1999-2000. The Gophers haven't missed the NCAA tourney three years in a row since the end of the Doug Woog era and Don Lucia's first season. This performance is unacceptable for Gopher Hockey.
However, U of M Athletic Director Joel Maturi saw fit to extend the contract of Head Coach Don Lucia for a couple more seasons. Lucia's contract would have expired at the end of the 2011-2012 season, and since having a coach going into the final year of a contract hinders recruiting Maturi decided to extend Lucia as opposed to letting him go.
Among the departing Gophers this season include seniors Jay Barriball, Mike Hoeffel, Jacob Cepis, Patrick White, Cade Fairchild, Kevin Wehrs and Alex Kangas, as well as junior Aaron Ness, who signed with the New York Islanders. Thank you to all of the departing Gophers - I appreciate everything you've done in your time with the Maroon and Gold!
Up next: a look ahead at the 2011-2012 version of the Gophers including the incoming freshman class, as well as a few reasons for Gopher fans to be hopeful coming out of one of the darkest periods in Gopher Hockey history.
The Gophers' first loss to the Seawolves on Friday night was a comedy of errors. UAA got out to a 3-0 lead midway through the second period on goals from Wiles in the last minute of the first, Portwood at 1:56 of the second and Alex Gellert shorthanded at 9:19 of the second. Minnesota finally showed some signs of life in the second half of the game, as Jake Hansen scored the Gophers' first goal of the game on a penalty shot at 12:12. The Gophers scored another goal just 16 seconds later, as Aaron Ness' slapper from the point beat Anchorage's Chris Kamal to get the Gophers back within one. The Gophers tied the game with just under ten minutes left in the third period as Kevin Wehrs skated through the entire Anchorage team and fired a slapshot past Kamal. 130 seconds later, though, the Seawolves put a puck past Kent Patterson on the power play, and Anchorage held that 4-3 lead all the way until the buzzer rang to signal the end of the game.
Having lost on Friday, the Gophers were in a win-or-go-home situation on Saturday, as one more loss would knock Minnesota out of the WCHA playoffs and out of contention for the NCAA tournament. This game was eerily reminiscent of the 1-0 UAA victory on January 29th. In that game, Anchorage played a stifling defensive system, capitalized on one Minnesota mistake and came away with a 1-0 win. Saturday's tilt featured that same Anchorage defense, and saw the Seawolves take advantage of Gopher mistakes in the third period to score on Patterson and win the game 2-0 to end Minnesota's season. Minnesota had quality chance after quality chance, but Chris Kamal made save after save. Anchorage finally got on the board at 2:32 of the third period, and with the Gophers pressing to score a goal Tommy Grant scored on a breakaway at 13:24 to seal the game and send the Seawolves to the WCHA Final Five.
With the two losses, the Gophers have now missed the WCHA Final Five two years in a row and the NCAA tournament three years in a row. In fact, the last time Minnesota made the Big Dance was in Alex Kangas' stellar freshman season in which the Gophers beat Mankato in two straight overtime games to advance to the Final Five. If that seems like an awful long time ago to you, you're not mistaken. Minnesota has never missed the Final Five two years in a row in the expanded WCHA era beginning with the inclusion of Minnesota State-Mankato in 1999-2000. The Gophers haven't missed the NCAA tourney three years in a row since the end of the Doug Woog era and Don Lucia's first season. This performance is unacceptable for Gopher Hockey.
However, U of M Athletic Director Joel Maturi saw fit to extend the contract of Head Coach Don Lucia for a couple more seasons. Lucia's contract would have expired at the end of the 2011-2012 season, and since having a coach going into the final year of a contract hinders recruiting Maturi decided to extend Lucia as opposed to letting him go.
Among the departing Gophers this season include seniors Jay Barriball, Mike Hoeffel, Jacob Cepis, Patrick White, Cade Fairchild, Kevin Wehrs and Alex Kangas, as well as junior Aaron Ness, who signed with the New York Islanders. Thank you to all of the departing Gophers - I appreciate everything you've done in your time with the Maroon and Gold!
Up next: a look ahead at the 2011-2012 version of the Gophers including the incoming freshman class, as well as a few reasons for Gopher fans to be hopeful coming out of one of the darkest periods in Gopher Hockey history.
Friday, March 11, 2011
A Gopher Fan's "Who to Root For" Guide for College Hockey's Conference Playoffs
According to the Pairwise prognosticators at Gopher Puck Live, a Gopher sweep in this weekend's playoff series would go a long way towards an NCAA tournament at-large bid. If the Gophers win this series in two games, there's a good chance that they would not need any wins in the Final Five in order to make the big dance. However, if Alaska-Anchorage takes even one game in the series, the Gophers would need to make the Final Five and would likely need to advance to the Championship Game in order to advance to the NCAAs. If the Gophers sweep UAA this weekend and win Thursday evening in the Final Five, they are all but guaranteed a spot in the tourney.
With the Pairwise Rankings in mind, there are certain results that will help the Gopher cause towards making the NCAA tournament. Below is a guide to who to root for in the other big games / series this weekend in the WCHA, as well as a select few series with Pairwise implications around the country. If you're a Gopher fan, use this guide as you watch the results from around the nation:
WCHA
UND vs MTU - Gopher fans should root for MTU, but I would be shocked if North Dakota isn't playing on Friday evening in St. Paul next weekend.
DU vs MSU-M - this is a HUGE series for the Gophers. Minnesota fans should be rooting for a DU sweep of Mankato. If the Pioneers sweep the Mavericks, MSU would be knocked out as a "Team Under Consideration" in the Pairwise rankings (all teams with an RPI of .500 or over). Since the Gophers went 0-2 against Mankato this year, that would raise Minnesota's TUC winning percentage and (as that is an important aspect in the Pairwise) would help the Gophers turn a couple comparisons in their quest to get into the top 15 in the PWR rankings.
UNO vs BSU - Gopher fans should root for as many Bemidji State wins as possible in this series. If Bemidji wins the series, they could return to the ranks of the Teams Under Consideration. Since Minnesota went 1-0-1 against Bemidji this season, adding that win and tie into the Gophers' TUC record would be helpful in the Pairwise.
UMD vs SCSU - The comparison between UMD and the Gophers is still in play, but the only way Minnesota turns that comparison is if UMD loses in their first round series. Gopher fans should root for a St. Cloud upset of UMD.
CC vs UW - This one is somewhat of a toss-up. Minnesota currently holds the comparison with both CC and UW, but CC is ahead of the Gophers and UW is significantly behind. From that perspective, a Wisconsin series win looks to be the best thing for Minnesota, but CC winning the series in three games probably wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, either.
Other Conferences
Merrimack vs Maine - Gopher fans want Merrimack to win the series, but Maine winning in three games would not be a terrible result. A Maine loss would help the Gophers turn the RPI and the comparison.
Ferris St vs Western Michigan - A Ferris State victory in this series would be big for the same reasons as the Merrimack / Maine series above. The only reason Western Michigan holds the comparison over the Gophers is the RPI, so any Western Michigan loss helps the Gophers climb back in that category.
Harvard vs Dartmouth - Gopher fans are rooting for Harvard (I know, difficult). Harvard is not very good this season so this may not be likely, but Harvard winning even one game would help the Gophers come back in the RPI category.
Vermont vs UNH - Vermont also is not very good this season, but if they can take out UNH in one or two games in this series it should help the Gophers.
Northeastern vs BU - this one is strange. The best result for the Gophers here is a Northeastern series victory, but in three games. The Boston U / Minnesota comparison is very close, and if Northeastern takes out BU Minnesota should leapfrog them in the Pairwise. However, if Northeastern sweeps BU, Northeastern will become a Team Under Consideration, and this would bolster UNH's TUC record in their comparison against the Gophers. This is a Thursday-Saturday series, and Northeastern already won the Thursday game. Minnesota fans should be rooting for a BU win Friday and a Northeastern win Saturday, with the next best result being a Northeastern win on Friday and the worst result being BU winning the next two games and advancing.
I hope this guide helps you as you scan the box scores from around the country. As always, though, the most important thing that Minnesota can do is win its own games. If Minnesota wins its next two games it's pretty likely that the Gophers are in the tourney. Take care of business, and let everything else fall into place. Go Gophers!
With the Pairwise Rankings in mind, there are certain results that will help the Gopher cause towards making the NCAA tournament. Below is a guide to who to root for in the other big games / series this weekend in the WCHA, as well as a select few series with Pairwise implications around the country. If you're a Gopher fan, use this guide as you watch the results from around the nation:
WCHA
UND vs MTU - Gopher fans should root for MTU, but I would be shocked if North Dakota isn't playing on Friday evening in St. Paul next weekend.
DU vs MSU-M - this is a HUGE series for the Gophers. Minnesota fans should be rooting for a DU sweep of Mankato. If the Pioneers sweep the Mavericks, MSU would be knocked out as a "Team Under Consideration" in the Pairwise rankings (all teams with an RPI of .500 or over). Since the Gophers went 0-2 against Mankato this year, that would raise Minnesota's TUC winning percentage and (as that is an important aspect in the Pairwise) would help the Gophers turn a couple comparisons in their quest to get into the top 15 in the PWR rankings.
UNO vs BSU - Gopher fans should root for as many Bemidji State wins as possible in this series. If Bemidji wins the series, they could return to the ranks of the Teams Under Consideration. Since Minnesota went 1-0-1 against Bemidji this season, adding that win and tie into the Gophers' TUC record would be helpful in the Pairwise.
UMD vs SCSU - The comparison between UMD and the Gophers is still in play, but the only way Minnesota turns that comparison is if UMD loses in their first round series. Gopher fans should root for a St. Cloud upset of UMD.
CC vs UW - This one is somewhat of a toss-up. Minnesota currently holds the comparison with both CC and UW, but CC is ahead of the Gophers and UW is significantly behind. From that perspective, a Wisconsin series win looks to be the best thing for Minnesota, but CC winning the series in three games probably wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, either.
Other Conferences
Merrimack vs Maine - Gopher fans want Merrimack to win the series, but Maine winning in three games would not be a terrible result. A Maine loss would help the Gophers turn the RPI and the comparison.
Ferris St vs Western Michigan - A Ferris State victory in this series would be big for the same reasons as the Merrimack / Maine series above. The only reason Western Michigan holds the comparison over the Gophers is the RPI, so any Western Michigan loss helps the Gophers climb back in that category.
Harvard vs Dartmouth - Gopher fans are rooting for Harvard (I know, difficult). Harvard is not very good this season so this may not be likely, but Harvard winning even one game would help the Gophers come back in the RPI category.
Vermont vs UNH - Vermont also is not very good this season, but if they can take out UNH in one or two games in this series it should help the Gophers.
Northeastern vs BU - this one is strange. The best result for the Gophers here is a Northeastern series victory, but in three games. The Boston U / Minnesota comparison is very close, and if Northeastern takes out BU Minnesota should leapfrog them in the Pairwise. However, if Northeastern sweeps BU, Northeastern will become a Team Under Consideration, and this would bolster UNH's TUC record in their comparison against the Gophers. This is a Thursday-Saturday series, and Northeastern already won the Thursday game. Minnesota fans should be rooting for a BU win Friday and a Northeastern win Saturday, with the next best result being a Northeastern win on Friday and the worst result being BU winning the next two games and advancing.
I hope this guide helps you as you scan the box scores from around the country. As always, though, the most important thing that Minnesota can do is win its own games. If Minnesota wins its next two games it's pretty likely that the Gophers are in the tourney. Take care of business, and let everything else fall into place. Go Gophers!
Gopher Hockey Playoff Preview: Minnesota vs Alaska-Anchorage
The Gophers (16-12-6 Overall, 13-10-5 WCHA) earned fifth place in the WCHA's regular season and will face off against the eighth seed University of Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves (14-17-3 overall, 12-14-2 WCHA) this weekend in a best-of-three series for the right to advance to the WCHA Final Five.
The Gophers have been hot lately, undefeated in their last seven games and have really played good hockey the last six weekends. Over their last 12 games, Minnesota has gone 6-3-3 and is scoring 3.6 goals per game while limiting opponents to only 2.4 goals per game. The key number for Minnesota is three - when the Gophers have scored 3 or more goals they 16-2-3 on the season, when they give up three or more goals they're only 5-9-3.
As hot as Minnesota has been, UAA is heating up itself. The Seawolves are coming off of a road sweep at Minnesota State-Mankato, and has won seven of their last 11 games. A perennial bottom-feeder in the WCHA, Anchorage has climbed up out of the cellar of the league with a solid team that has posted wins over good teams this year. UAA has wins over St. Cloud, CC (3 of them), Wisconsin, Minnesota, Alaska-Fairbanks and Nebraska-Omaha this season, so this team can jump up and beat anyone in the league.
Minnesota played Alaska-Anchorage twice this season at Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis, and the teams played to a split in the series. The Gophers won the first game handily, a 5-1 contest which saw Minnesota take advantage of their skill to bury the Seawolves. Minnesota scored two quick goals, and although Anchorage got back within one goal by the end of the period, another two quick Gopher goals in the second spelled an end to the Seawolf comeback bid.
Minnesota leveraged its speed and playmaking to dominate the game on the offensive end Friday night, and Anchorage clearly learned its lesson in the Saturday rubber match. Alaska won the second game of the series 1-0, content to play an entirely defensive game and jump on the few opportunities that the Gophers would give them. Despite giving up plenty of shots and scoring chances in the game, Anchorage did an effective job of clogging up passing and shooting lanes throughout the game, and rode an excellent Chris Kamal performance between the pipes and an early third period goal to come away with a 1-0 victory.
If Alaska-Anchorage is to contend in this first-round playoff series, it will need to follow a similar game plan. Try to limit the Gopher chances as much as possible, play a strong defensive game, and hope that Minnesota makes a mistake or two that the Seawolves can take advantage of.
The Gophers will need to rely on that offensive attack to dent the twine and get out to a lead. Minnesota will need to lean on quick skating and effective short passing to break the Anchorage trap and get quality scoring chances.
One "X factor" in this series is health. The Gophers lost puck-hauling defenseman Aaron Ness and third-line center Taylor Matson last weekend at Bemidji, and we have now learned that first-line center Erik Haula is questionable for this weekend's series after taking a slapshot to the knee in the Saturday Bemidji game. If the Gophers have to play without these players, look for Anchorage to play a little more aggressively and pounce on the mistakes that the less-experienced reserves will likely make.
The games start at 7:00 Friday and Saturday nights, with Sunday's game at 7:00 if necessary. Go Gophers!
The Gophers have been hot lately, undefeated in their last seven games and have really played good hockey the last six weekends. Over their last 12 games, Minnesota has gone 6-3-3 and is scoring 3.6 goals per game while limiting opponents to only 2.4 goals per game. The key number for Minnesota is three - when the Gophers have scored 3 or more goals they 16-2-3 on the season, when they give up three or more goals they're only 5-9-3.
As hot as Minnesota has been, UAA is heating up itself. The Seawolves are coming off of a road sweep at Minnesota State-Mankato, and has won seven of their last 11 games. A perennial bottom-feeder in the WCHA, Anchorage has climbed up out of the cellar of the league with a solid team that has posted wins over good teams this year. UAA has wins over St. Cloud, CC (3 of them), Wisconsin, Minnesota, Alaska-Fairbanks and Nebraska-Omaha this season, so this team can jump up and beat anyone in the league.
Minnesota played Alaska-Anchorage twice this season at Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis, and the teams played to a split in the series. The Gophers won the first game handily, a 5-1 contest which saw Minnesota take advantage of their skill to bury the Seawolves. Minnesota scored two quick goals, and although Anchorage got back within one goal by the end of the period, another two quick Gopher goals in the second spelled an end to the Seawolf comeback bid.
Minnesota leveraged its speed and playmaking to dominate the game on the offensive end Friday night, and Anchorage clearly learned its lesson in the Saturday rubber match. Alaska won the second game of the series 1-0, content to play an entirely defensive game and jump on the few opportunities that the Gophers would give them. Despite giving up plenty of shots and scoring chances in the game, Anchorage did an effective job of clogging up passing and shooting lanes throughout the game, and rode an excellent Chris Kamal performance between the pipes and an early third period goal to come away with a 1-0 victory.
If Alaska-Anchorage is to contend in this first-round playoff series, it will need to follow a similar game plan. Try to limit the Gopher chances as much as possible, play a strong defensive game, and hope that Minnesota makes a mistake or two that the Seawolves can take advantage of.
The Gophers will need to rely on that offensive attack to dent the twine and get out to a lead. Minnesota will need to lean on quick skating and effective short passing to break the Anchorage trap and get quality scoring chances.
One "X factor" in this series is health. The Gophers lost puck-hauling defenseman Aaron Ness and third-line center Taylor Matson last weekend at Bemidji, and we have now learned that first-line center Erik Haula is questionable for this weekend's series after taking a slapshot to the knee in the Saturday Bemidji game. If the Gophers have to play without these players, look for Anchorage to play a little more aggressively and pounce on the mistakes that the less-experienced reserves will likely make.
The games start at 7:00 Friday and Saturday nights, with Sunday's game at 7:00 if necessary. Go Gophers!
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