The University of Wisconsin Badgers played their usual brand of stifling defense and opportunistic offense to take care of the University of Minnesota tonight in Madison, downing the visiting Gophers 4-2.
Wisconsin controlled the style of play for nearly all of the game, forcing the Gophers to take outside shots and blocking many of their chances. The strategy showed itself in the final shot tally, as the Gophers only mustered 18 shots to Wisconsin's 32. The Gophers finally showed up in the third period, carrying the bulk of the play and giving themselves a chance to win in the final 10 minutes until Ben Street's goal at 18:08 of the third.
In goal for the Gophers was Junior Alex Kangas. Kangas gave up four goals - two of which were on the soft side - but all four were due to misplays by the Gopher forwards. The first Badger goal occurred because the Gophers couldn't clear the offensive zone, the second goal was due to a Patrick White fanned pass in his own defensive zone, and the third goal was due to a Tony Lucia bad pass. This Gopher team played a very sloppy game tonight, and were lucky that Alex Kangas played brilliantly enough other than the soft goals to keep them in the game.
To be fair, the Badgers did take advantage of lots of Gopher mistakes. If this team wants to be playing at Mariucci and the Xcel Energy Center come playoff time they really need to limit these miscues and start playing better hockey. I noticed the Gopher defensemen pinching in and leaving a Badger odd-man rush far too often. I know they're trying to create some more offense with Barriball out, but there's a time to push harder and there's a time to play smart, and it seemed like the Gophers were pushing a little too hard all game.
The Gophers got goals from Mike Hoeffel on a nice pass from Jordan Schroeder and a power play goal from Patrick White, who played a pretty good game apart from his miscue that resulted in the second Badger goal.
Three Gopher Stars of the Game:
3. Jordan Schroeder
Schroeder was all over the ice on the offensive end tonight, giving the Gophers tons of quality scoring chances that he either took himself or set up for his teammates. He had the first assist on the Hoeffel goal, but he needs someone else to step up on the team and start putting the puck in the net (or he needs to start doing that himself).
2. Aaron Ness
Ness again was brilliant, putting in a great effort on the defensive end and again finding himself in great situations on offense. This kid is a great passer and can skate around anyone else on the ice. He's got to start getting some confidence in his own shots - he often times passes when he has a wide open shot on the net.
1. Josh Birkholz
I really noticed Birkholz tonight. He was wreaking havoc in the Wisconsin zone and was a thorn in their side all game long. He might be the fastest player on this Gopher team, and, if he can find a little bit of a scoring touch, he'll be a menace on the ice for a long time coming.
Tomorrow's game against the Badgers faces off at 7:00 PM. Hopefully the Gophers will put forth a better effort than they did tonight.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Gophers @ Badgers - Series Preview
The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers will hop on the bus to Mad Town this weekend to take on the hometown University of Wisconsin Badgers. Any time the Gophers take on the Badgers, there's lots of bad blood and ill feelings between the two squads, which is part of what makes the rivalry so great.
The Badgers play a very defensive style of hockey. Their goal is to clog up the shooting lanes with sticks and limbs and force the opposing team to settle for long shots from the outside. They very rarely have a defensive breakdown and sport a very solid corps of D-men lead by Ryan McDonangh and Jake Gardiner. While the Gophers are coming off a much needed sweep of Alaska-Anchorage, the Badgers are coming off their own convincing sweep of the University of New Hampshire. Many coaches picked Wisconsin to finish third in the WCHA this year, so they are expected to contend and be a solid team.
I would not be surprised to see a split in the series this weekend. I think that the Gophers will win Friday night 4-2, while the Badgers will win a much tighter game on Saturday 2-1. Let's see how the Gophers will fare without Senior winger Jay Barriball, who was hurt in practice this week and will not be making the trip with the team.
Drop the puck!
The Badgers play a very defensive style of hockey. Their goal is to clog up the shooting lanes with sticks and limbs and force the opposing team to settle for long shots from the outside. They very rarely have a defensive breakdown and sport a very solid corps of D-men lead by Ryan McDonangh and Jake Gardiner. While the Gophers are coming off a much needed sweep of Alaska-Anchorage, the Badgers are coming off their own convincing sweep of the University of New Hampshire. Many coaches picked Wisconsin to finish third in the WCHA this year, so they are expected to contend and be a solid team.
I would not be surprised to see a split in the series this weekend. I think that the Gophers will win Friday night 4-2, while the Badgers will win a much tighter game on Saturday 2-1. Let's see how the Gophers will fare without Senior winger Jay Barriball, who was hurt in practice this week and will not be making the trip with the team.
Drop the puck!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Barriball Hurt in Gopher Practice, Out For the Season?
I have just heard from a few sources (Hammy's Twitter and confirming reports from the U) that Senior Forward Jay Barriball was injured fairly severely in practice and may be out for the season. I do not know yet what type of injury Barriball has incurred, but any time a player has a potential season-ending injury you always think that it has to do with a torn knee ligament.
Let's hope that this report is false, but I doubt it. The sources I've heard from are pretty trustworthy. This would leave the Gophers two men short as Freshman Defenseman Nick Leddy is out for the next two months with a broken jaw.
The good news is that Barriball, a senior, would be able to appeal to the NCAA for a medical hardship waiver and another year of eligibility. This means he may be able to come back next year if he is truly out for the rest of the year. Right now, though, this seems like a pretty thin silver lining in an otherwise horrible blow to this Gopher team. On a team that struggles to score, Barriball was one of the players we had come to count on to put the puck in the net. He had just reached the 100 career point milestone in Friday's game against Alaska-Anchorage with an assist. Barriball became only the 79th player in Gopher history to have recorded 100 career points. Hopefully he'll be able to record many more in his Gopher career, either this year or next.
Let's hope that this report is false, but I doubt it. The sources I've heard from are pretty trustworthy. This would leave the Gophers two men short as Freshman Defenseman Nick Leddy is out for the next two months with a broken jaw.
The good news is that Barriball, a senior, would be able to appeal to the NCAA for a medical hardship waiver and another year of eligibility. This means he may be able to come back next year if he is truly out for the rest of the year. Right now, though, this seems like a pretty thin silver lining in an otherwise horrible blow to this Gopher team. On a team that struggles to score, Barriball was one of the players we had come to count on to put the puck in the net. He had just reached the 100 career point milestone in Friday's game against Alaska-Anchorage with an assist. Barriball became only the 79th player in Gopher history to have recorded 100 career points. Hopefully he'll be able to record many more in his Gopher career, either this year or next.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Gophers Wake Up, Sweep UAA Handily in Weekend Series
Maybe all the Gophers needed was a spark.
An injury to one of the team's up-and-coming players propelled the Gophers to a pair of convincing wins this weekend over the visiting University of Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves. The Gophers won handily both nights, defeating the Seawolves 5-1 Friday while prevailing 4-1 in a Sunday rematch between the two teams.
Perhaps the biggest turning point of the season so far came in the first period on Friday. With the game tied 1-1 late in the period, Freshman Defenseman Nick Leddy took a heavy hit up around his chin area as he was cutting across the ice just inside the offensive zone. Leddy, who had released a slapshot on the net, was hit hard by Jade Portwood. There has been some speculation as to whether the hit was late - in my opinion it should have been a penalty simply because it was a hit to the head. Leddy went down hard with a cracked jaw and possible concussion and will miss the next 6-8 weeks. This was a big blow for the Gophers, as Leddy was one of the bright young players on this team, but they've got to be glad that his injury A) wasn't a season- or career-threatening injury, and B) came early in the year rather than at the end. Leddy should be back right around the Dodge Holiday Classic, which is also when we'll see newcomer Jacob Cepis for the first time.
In the meantime, the Leddy injury really seemed to rally the Gophers into the rest of the weekend. They outscored Alaska-Anchorage 3-0 in the second period and 8-1 from the second period of Friday's game to the end of the game on Sunday. Tony Lucia had a great night on Friday, coming up with the go-ahead goal on a shorthanded breakaway and adding another shorthanded goal in the third period to put the Gophers up 5-1. Also scoring Friday were Kevin Wehrs and Zach Budish. Both goals were the players' first collegiate goals. Congratulations to Kevin and Zach! The other Gopher goal scorer on Friday night was Aaron Ness, who scored the first goal of the game.
Flying a little under the radar all weekend was Gopher goaltender Alex Kangas, who was impressive both nights in limiting the Seawolves to just two goals on 55 total shots over the two-game series. Kangas was solid between the pipes in both games, while at times showing flashes of brilliance in coming up with critical stops at key points in each game.
The three Gopher stars from Friday's game are:
3. Alex Kangas
Kangas, as mentioned above, made all the saves he needed to make and probably a few that he shouldn't have Friday night. Kangas was a crucial component of the Gophers' penalty killing efforts, and his solid play was the foundation that the Gophers built their Friday win upon.
2. Taylor Matson
This kid is in the three stars every night because he deserves to be. He puts in outstanding effort for 60 minutes every night. Matson made the play that resulted in the first Lucia goal, and he was making plays on the ice every chance he got.
1. Tony Lucia
Lucia scored two shorthanded goals on Friday night while adding the lone assist in the Wehrs goal. Lucia was his usual gritty, grinding self, and he was rewarded for it with a pair of goals and a three-point night overall. Scoring the very important second goal of the game for the Gophers, Lucia was the #1 star for the team.
Near the end of the game, some skirmishes broke out as some UAA players repeatedly took runs at Jordan Schroeder. While I hate fighting in hockey, it was good to see players like Mike Hoeffel, Jay Barriball and Seth Helgeson step up and defend their teammates. I think the Gophers got some momentum from these scuffles and brought it into the game on Sunday.
Sunday:
While the Gophers dominated the score of the Sunday tilt winning 4-1, the play was not nearly as crisp as it was on Friday. Other than the many penalties the Gophers took, Friday's game saw a relatively sharp Gopher team - passes were tape-to-tape, players were skating hard, etc. Sunday's game, though, was sloppier than I'd like to see. This kind of blurry around the edges play will not hold up against good teams like Wisconsin, Denver and North Dakota.
That being said, though, the Gophers did find a way to put the puck in the net, which is something that had been sorely lacking this season.
Patrick White scored his first goal of the year and has surprisingly looked an all-around better player of late, Tony Lucia added another goal and assist to his burgeoning point total, and again Alex Kangas was quietly very effective, allowing only one goal on a tip in that the referees had to review to see if it was played with a high stick (it apparently was not).
I also really liked the play of Sophomore Defenseman Aaron Ness. Now, I am a big Ness fan and am very happy about the maturation process he's undergone offensively, but a comment made recently on one of my earlier blog postings has had me looking especially at Ness' defensive abilities this weekend. I saw Ness battling for the puck in the corners and behind the net, using his quickness and exceptional hands to make up for any size or strength advantage he may give up to opposing players vying for the puck. He did leave some lanes for opposing players to skate into, but Ness always had his eyes on the play and was stepping into the play before it happened, just not at the first instant that he could have. I thought that was more because Ness was a patient defender than because he was soft. All-in-all, I could not be happier with Ness' development thus far. He's dramatically improved on offense by injecting himself into the play far more often than he had been last year, and he's quick enough and smart enough to be a competent if not very good defender too.
Here are the three Gopher stars from Sunday's game:
3. Aaron Ness
I noticed Ness a lot on Saturday, and not just because I was looking for him especially. He was controlling the puck down along the halfwall and even behind the goal line at times on the power play, and he never seems to make a stupid play. I believe that Ness has the quickness, skill, hands and smarts to become one of the great Gopher defenseman in recent history, and if he stays four years he could join the ranks of Gopher greats like Jordan Leopold, Paul Martin, Keith Ballard, Mike Crowley, Todd Richards, etc.
2. Jordan Schroeder
Schroeder picked up a couple assists in the Gophers' 4-1 win on Sunday, but his play the entire game led me to believe that he's on his way back to last year's form. Schroeder controlled the game when he had the puck, skating circles around defending players and showing his unique ability to skate around until he can make a pass that will give the receiving player a great chance to score. Schroeder still needs to shake the rust off of his shot - he continually shoots the puck high and wide - but once that happens Schroeder and the Gophers will see a boost in scoring.
1. Patrick White
White scored his first goal of the season Sunday, and it happened to be the all-important first goal of the game. More importantly, though, White played a very positive game both Friday and Sunday and made his presence felt on the ice. It appears that White has finally made that jump in development and is able to rein in some of his own prodigious potential. Once White can start garnering some confidence, I firmly believe that he will have a breakout year this season and score lots of goals for this Gopher team.
The Gophers travel to Madison to take on a tough Badger team this upcoming weekend. Look for a preview of that series tomorrow night!
An injury to one of the team's up-and-coming players propelled the Gophers to a pair of convincing wins this weekend over the visiting University of Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves. The Gophers won handily both nights, defeating the Seawolves 5-1 Friday while prevailing 4-1 in a Sunday rematch between the two teams.
Perhaps the biggest turning point of the season so far came in the first period on Friday. With the game tied 1-1 late in the period, Freshman Defenseman Nick Leddy took a heavy hit up around his chin area as he was cutting across the ice just inside the offensive zone. Leddy, who had released a slapshot on the net, was hit hard by Jade Portwood. There has been some speculation as to whether the hit was late - in my opinion it should have been a penalty simply because it was a hit to the head. Leddy went down hard with a cracked jaw and possible concussion and will miss the next 6-8 weeks. This was a big blow for the Gophers, as Leddy was one of the bright young players on this team, but they've got to be glad that his injury A) wasn't a season- or career-threatening injury, and B) came early in the year rather than at the end. Leddy should be back right around the Dodge Holiday Classic, which is also when we'll see newcomer Jacob Cepis for the first time.
In the meantime, the Leddy injury really seemed to rally the Gophers into the rest of the weekend. They outscored Alaska-Anchorage 3-0 in the second period and 8-1 from the second period of Friday's game to the end of the game on Sunday. Tony Lucia had a great night on Friday, coming up with the go-ahead goal on a shorthanded breakaway and adding another shorthanded goal in the third period to put the Gophers up 5-1. Also scoring Friday were Kevin Wehrs and Zach Budish. Both goals were the players' first collegiate goals. Congratulations to Kevin and Zach! The other Gopher goal scorer on Friday night was Aaron Ness, who scored the first goal of the game.
Flying a little under the radar all weekend was Gopher goaltender Alex Kangas, who was impressive both nights in limiting the Seawolves to just two goals on 55 total shots over the two-game series. Kangas was solid between the pipes in both games, while at times showing flashes of brilliance in coming up with critical stops at key points in each game.
The three Gopher stars from Friday's game are:
3. Alex Kangas
Kangas, as mentioned above, made all the saves he needed to make and probably a few that he shouldn't have Friday night. Kangas was a crucial component of the Gophers' penalty killing efforts, and his solid play was the foundation that the Gophers built their Friday win upon.
2. Taylor Matson
This kid is in the three stars every night because he deserves to be. He puts in outstanding effort for 60 minutes every night. Matson made the play that resulted in the first Lucia goal, and he was making plays on the ice every chance he got.
1. Tony Lucia
Lucia scored two shorthanded goals on Friday night while adding the lone assist in the Wehrs goal. Lucia was his usual gritty, grinding self, and he was rewarded for it with a pair of goals and a three-point night overall. Scoring the very important second goal of the game for the Gophers, Lucia was the #1 star for the team.
Near the end of the game, some skirmishes broke out as some UAA players repeatedly took runs at Jordan Schroeder. While I hate fighting in hockey, it was good to see players like Mike Hoeffel, Jay Barriball and Seth Helgeson step up and defend their teammates. I think the Gophers got some momentum from these scuffles and brought it into the game on Sunday.
Sunday:
While the Gophers dominated the score of the Sunday tilt winning 4-1, the play was not nearly as crisp as it was on Friday. Other than the many penalties the Gophers took, Friday's game saw a relatively sharp Gopher team - passes were tape-to-tape, players were skating hard, etc. Sunday's game, though, was sloppier than I'd like to see. This kind of blurry around the edges play will not hold up against good teams like Wisconsin, Denver and North Dakota.
That being said, though, the Gophers did find a way to put the puck in the net, which is something that had been sorely lacking this season.
Patrick White scored his first goal of the year and has surprisingly looked an all-around better player of late, Tony Lucia added another goal and assist to his burgeoning point total, and again Alex Kangas was quietly very effective, allowing only one goal on a tip in that the referees had to review to see if it was played with a high stick (it apparently was not).
I also really liked the play of Sophomore Defenseman Aaron Ness. Now, I am a big Ness fan and am very happy about the maturation process he's undergone offensively, but a comment made recently on one of my earlier blog postings has had me looking especially at Ness' defensive abilities this weekend. I saw Ness battling for the puck in the corners and behind the net, using his quickness and exceptional hands to make up for any size or strength advantage he may give up to opposing players vying for the puck. He did leave some lanes for opposing players to skate into, but Ness always had his eyes on the play and was stepping into the play before it happened, just not at the first instant that he could have. I thought that was more because Ness was a patient defender than because he was soft. All-in-all, I could not be happier with Ness' development thus far. He's dramatically improved on offense by injecting himself into the play far more often than he had been last year, and he's quick enough and smart enough to be a competent if not very good defender too.
Here are the three Gopher stars from Sunday's game:
3. Aaron Ness
I noticed Ness a lot on Saturday, and not just because I was looking for him especially. He was controlling the puck down along the halfwall and even behind the goal line at times on the power play, and he never seems to make a stupid play. I believe that Ness has the quickness, skill, hands and smarts to become one of the great Gopher defenseman in recent history, and if he stays four years he could join the ranks of Gopher greats like Jordan Leopold, Paul Martin, Keith Ballard, Mike Crowley, Todd Richards, etc.
2. Jordan Schroeder
Schroeder picked up a couple assists in the Gophers' 4-1 win on Sunday, but his play the entire game led me to believe that he's on his way back to last year's form. Schroeder controlled the game when he had the puck, skating circles around defending players and showing his unique ability to skate around until he can make a pass that will give the receiving player a great chance to score. Schroeder still needs to shake the rust off of his shot - he continually shoots the puck high and wide - but once that happens Schroeder and the Gophers will see a boost in scoring.
1. Patrick White
White scored his first goal of the season Sunday, and it happened to be the all-important first goal of the game. More importantly, though, White played a very positive game both Friday and Sunday and made his presence felt on the ice. It appears that White has finally made that jump in development and is able to rein in some of his own prodigious potential. Once White can start garnering some confidence, I firmly believe that he will have a breakout year this season and score lots of goals for this Gopher team.
The Gophers travel to Madison to take on a tough Badger team this upcoming weekend. Look for a preview of that series tomorrow night!
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