Another interesting week in the WCHA... here are this week's WCHA Power Rankings and Tiers:
WCHA Results, Week 8:
Alaska-Anchorage - Win, Tie @ Minnesota State
Bemidji State - Idle
Colorado College - Loss, Loss @ North Dakota
Denver - Win vs. Princeton, Loss vs. Miami
Michigan Tech - Loss, Win @ St. Lawrence
Minnesota - Loss, Tie @ Michigan State
Minnesota-Duluth - Idle
Minnesota State - Loss, Tie vs. Alaska-Anchorage
Nebraska Omaha - Win, Tie vs. St. Cloud State
North Dakota - Win, Win vs. Colorado College
St. Cloud State - Loss, Tie @ Nebraska Omaha
Wisconsin - Win, Win vs. Mercyhurst
WCHA Standings:
1. Minnesota - 8-2-0 (11-4-1 Overall), 16 Points
2. Minnesota-Duluth - 7-2-1 (9-3-2 Overall), 15 Points
2. Nebraska-Omaha - 6-3-3 (7-6-3 Overall), 15 Points
4. Denver - 4-2-3 (6-4-3 Overall), 11 Points
4. Michigan Tech - 5-4-1 (8-5-1 Overall), 11 Points
6. Colorado College - 5-4-0 (7-4-0 Overall), 10 Points
6. St. Cloud State - 4-4-2 (6-7-3 Overall), 10 Points
8. Wisconsin - 4-7-1 (7-8-1 Overall), 9 Points
9. North Dakota - 4-6-0 (6-7-1 Overall), 8 Points
10. Bemidji State - 3-6-1 (5-8-1 Overall), 7 Points
11. Alaska-Anchorage - 2-7-1 (5-7-2 Overall), 5 Points
11. Minnesota State - 2-7-1 (3-10-1 Overall), 5 Points
Power Rankings:
1. Colorado College (No Change)
Last Ranking: #1
Last Week: Swept on the Road @ (7) North Dakota
7-4-0 Overall, 5-4-0 WCHA
Next Week: vs. (4) Denver (Friday), idle Saturday
Another chink in the armor of this CC squad, as they get swept on the road against an unimpressive (thus far) North Dakota team. Winning on the road is always tough, especially in Grand Forks, but the Tigers need to shore up their defense if they want to be in the national title discussion. CC gave up 11 goals on the weekend. Still, though, the Tigers remain atop the rankings due to nearly every other top WCHA team struggling.
2. Minnesota (No Change)
Last Ranking: #2
Last Week: Road Loss & Tie @ Michigan State
11-4-1 Overall, 8-2-0 WCHA
Next Week: vs. (12) Minnesota State
Minnesota has now lost three Friday road games in a row, and a tie on Saturday produced the team's first no-win weekend of the season. Gopher goalie Kent Patterson looked surprisingly mortal in the weekend series, giving up several "soft" goals - unusual for a player of his caliber. Patterson and the Gophers look to rebound this weekend against the last place team in the WCHA, the Minnesota State Mavericks.
3. Minnesota-Duluth (No Change)
Last Ranking: #3
Last Week: Idle
9-3-2 Overall, 7-2-1 WCHA
Next Week: @ (6) Michigan Tech
Duluth begins a stretch of eight straight road games this weekend when they head to Houghton to face the Michigan Tech Huskies. UMD could solidify their spot as an elite team in the WCHA and across the country with three or four points on the road against the surprisingly tough Huskies.
4. Denver University (No Change)
Last Ranking: #4
Last Week: Home Win & Loss vs. Providence (Fri) and Miami (Sat)
6-5-3 Overall, 4-2-3 WCHA
Next Week: @ (1) Colorado College (Friday), Idle Saturday
Denver won the opening game of their tournament Friday against Providence College before falling to Miami in the championship game. The Pioneers sorely miss their starting goaltender Sam Brittain, who is out until after the Christmas break with a torn ACL.
5. Nebraska-Omaha (No Change)
Last Ranking: #5
Last Week: Home Win & Tie @ (8) St. Cloud State
7-6-3 Overall, 6-3-3 WCHA
Next Week: Non-conference @ Alabama-Huntsville
UNO took three points at home from St. Cloud State last weekend and have moved up into a tie for second place in the league. They head south to face Alabama-Huntsville in a non-conference series this weekend.
6. Michigan Tech (UP 1)
Last Ranking: #7
Last Week: Road Split @ St. Lawrence
8-5-1 Overall, 5-4-1 WCHA
Next Week: vs. (3) Minnesota-Duluth
Somebody has to win that last home ice spot in the league, and if I had to guess right now I'd say that it would be Michigan Tech. The Huskies face a stiff test this weekend when the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs come to town.
7. North Dakota (UP 2)
Last Ranking: #9
Last Week: Home Sweep vs. (1) Colorado College
6-7-1 Overall, 4-6-0 WCHA
Next Week: @ (10) Alaska-Anchorage
Don't look now, but this could be the start of another patented North Dakota surge. The offensively-challenged Sioux erupted for 11 goals against Colorado College in a home sweep last weekend. The Sioux have to make the long, tough road trip out to Alaska-Anchorage next weekend, though. Another pair of wins and North Dakota is right back in the picture.
8. St. Cloud State (DOWN 2)
Last Ranking: #6
Last Week: Road Loss & Tie vs. (5) Nebraska-Omaha
6-7-3 Overall, 4-4-2 WCHA
Next Week: vs. (11) Bemidji State
Last week I mentioned that St. Cloud's series against Nebraska-Omaha could be a statement series for them. It was not. St. Cloud escaped Nebraska with just one point on the weekend, and although they still have as good a chance as any of the teams ranked 6-9 in this power ranking of jumping into the last home-ice spot in the league, they've moved all the way down to 8th in the rankings.
9. Wisconsin (DOWN 1)
Last Ranking: #8
Last Week: Sweep vs. Mercyhurst
7-8-1 Overall, 4-7-1 WCHA
Next Week: Idle
I don't really have much of a reason to move Wisconsin down to #9 this week, other than the fact that there are just a lot of teams that appear to be very similar in the WCHA and somebody's got to be ninth. The Badgers have this weekend off before hosting a very important series against Minnesota-Duluth.
10. Alaska-Anchorage (No Change)
Last Ranking: #10
Last Week: Road Win & Tie vs. (12) Minnesota State
5-7-2 Overall, 2-7-1 WCHA
Next Week: vs. (7) North Dakota
Anchorage moved up to tie Minnesota State for 11th place in the league with a three point weekend against them last weekend. They will look to continue moving up the table with a home series against the surging Sioux in this weekend's slate of games.
11. Bemidji State (No Change)
Last Ranking: #11
Last Week: Idle
5-8-1 Overall, 3-6-1 WCHA
Next Week: vs. @ (8) St. Cloud State
Bemidji battles in-state rival St. Cloud this weekend after getting the previous weekend off.
12. Minnesota State - Mankato (No Change)
Last Ranking: #12
Last Week: Home Loss & Tie vs. (10) Alaska-Anchorage
3-10-1 Overall, 2-7-1 WCHA
Next Week: @ (2) Minnesota
The Mavericks fell into a tie for last place last weekend when they only took one point from Alaska-Anchorage. Could the Mavericks steal a point or two from the slumping Gophers this weekend?
Team Tiers:
Last Week
Tier 1 - Colorado College, Minnesota, Minnesota-Duluth
Tier 2 - Denver
Tier 3 - Nebraska-Omaha
Tier 4 - No Teams
Tier 5 - St. Cloud State, Michigan Tech
Tier 6 - Wisconsin, North Dakota
Tier 7 - Alaska-Anchorage, Bemidji State
Tier 8 - Minnesota State
This Week
Tier 1 - Colorado College, Minnesota, Minnesota-Duluth
Tier 2 - Denver, Nebraska-Omaha
Tier 3 - No Teams
Tier 4 - Michigan Tech, North Dakota
Tier 5 - St. Cloud State, Wisconsin
Tier 6 - No Teams
Tier 7 - Alaska-Anchorage, Bemidji State
Tier 8 - Minnesota State
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Three Gopher Stars of the Weekend: Minnesota vs. Michigan State
In a strange confluence of events, Kent Patterson did not make the Three Gopher Stars of the Weekend for his unusually lackluster performance last weekend. Read on to find out who DID make the coveted podium!
Third Star: Nick Bjugstad - 2G-2A-4P
Another weekend at the office for the nation's top goal scorer. Bjugstad racked up two goals in Friday night's game before piling on another two assists in the Saturday contest. Bjugstad is tied with Wisconsin's Justin Schultz and Mark Zengerle for first place in total points in the country, but the sophomore's emergence as a goal scorer is the truly remarkable thing here: in his last 22 games played dating back to last season, Bjugstad has scored 20 goals.
Second Star: Zach Budish - 1G-2A-3P
The "unheralded" star on the Gopher first line, Zach Budish broke out of a slump this weekend, breaking a seven-game goal scoring drought by notching his fourth goal of the season. Although Budish plays on the first line, the Gophers count on him for "secondary scoring" - anyone not named Bjugstad, Rau or Haula should be considered secondary scoring on this team - and a good offensive weekend for the redshirt sophomore could point towards an increase in production going forward.
First Star: Tom Serratore - 0G-0A-0P
I would be hard pressed to look at anyone that played on this Minnesota roster last weekend and come up with a player that made more of an impact on his team than did Tom Serratore. He did not factor in the scoring whatsoever, but the guy is a menace when he's out on the ice. Serratore is perhaps the perfect fourth line player - he's gritty, his motor is always going, he's a sound defensive forward, and he has a little bit of pop in his offensive game, too. The man is always noticeable in a positive way on the ice, pressuring the puck with hard forechecking or simply laying a big, clean hit on an opponent to knock him off balance. In fact, I think other than the Gopher first line, the fourth line is the one that dominates the most when on the ice. Due credit must also go to Serratore's typical linemates Nick Larson and Travis Boyd. The three of them together are a hard-working and effective dynamo. Serratore, though, was the best and brightest last weekend, and he deserves the number one star because of it.
Third Star: Nick Bjugstad - 2G-2A-4P
Another weekend at the office for the nation's top goal scorer. Bjugstad racked up two goals in Friday night's game before piling on another two assists in the Saturday contest. Bjugstad is tied with Wisconsin's Justin Schultz and Mark Zengerle for first place in total points in the country, but the sophomore's emergence as a goal scorer is the truly remarkable thing here: in his last 22 games played dating back to last season, Bjugstad has scored 20 goals.
Second Star: Zach Budish - 1G-2A-3P
The "unheralded" star on the Gopher first line, Zach Budish broke out of a slump this weekend, breaking a seven-game goal scoring drought by notching his fourth goal of the season. Although Budish plays on the first line, the Gophers count on him for "secondary scoring" - anyone not named Bjugstad, Rau or Haula should be considered secondary scoring on this team - and a good offensive weekend for the redshirt sophomore could point towards an increase in production going forward.
First Star: Tom Serratore - 0G-0A-0P
I would be hard pressed to look at anyone that played on this Minnesota roster last weekend and come up with a player that made more of an impact on his team than did Tom Serratore. He did not factor in the scoring whatsoever, but the guy is a menace when he's out on the ice. Serratore is perhaps the perfect fourth line player - he's gritty, his motor is always going, he's a sound defensive forward, and he has a little bit of pop in his offensive game, too. The man is always noticeable in a positive way on the ice, pressuring the puck with hard forechecking or simply laying a big, clean hit on an opponent to knock him off balance. In fact, I think other than the Gopher first line, the fourth line is the one that dominates the most when on the ice. Due credit must also go to Serratore's typical linemates Nick Larson and Travis Boyd. The three of them together are a hard-working and effective dynamo. Serratore, though, was the best and brightest last weekend, and he deserves the number one star because of it.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Minnesota Loses and Ties in Non-Conference Series Against Michigan State
Hockey can be a funny game sometimes. It's not like basketball, in which the better team wins nearly all of the time since the teams score throughout the game. This weekend, the team that played better hockey did not win. Minnesota outshot, out-chanced and generally out-hustled a good Michigan State team, but the scoreboard told a different story as the Spartans beat the Gophers Friday night before coming back to tie the game on Saturday.
Friday 11/25/11: 4-3 Gopher Loss
Minnesota's first full series against the Michigan State Spartans in more than 10 years opened with a fast paced first period. Michigan State took advantage of early flat play from the Gophers - something that has become all too common during the past three Friday nights. The Spartans jumped ahead to an early two goal lead behind goals from Kevin Walrod at 8:12 and Brent Darnell at 12:25. It seems like Minnesota has struggled to start playing with passion recently until they've been put into an early hole, but once Michigan State scored their second goal of the period the Gophers woke up. Minnesota dominated the remainder of the period (and the remainder of the game) as Seth Helgeson scored on a hard snapshot from the point at 16:47, with the assist going to Jake Hansen. Hansen made the play, controlling the puck in the corner before firing a pass to Helgeson in the high slot for a one-time shot. Nick Bjugstad tied the game with a goal less than a minute later at 17:34 of the period. Zach Budish and Mark Alt assisted on the play.
The shots on goal in the first period were 17-12 in favor of Minnesota, and the Gophers would add to their edge in shots in the second by putting 10 on Spartan goalie Drew Palmisano. However, Palmisano did not let any shots by him, and Gopher netminder Kent Patterson did not allow any of the five Michigan State shots into the net, so the teams exited the ice after two periods of play tied at 2-2.
The third period was another in what has become a string of "too little, too late" efforts for the Gophers. Kent Patterson has been the best goalkeeper in the country throughout Minnesota's first 14 games, but even great goalies let in soft goals at times, and Patterson allowed a couple soft goals early in the period (one shorthanded to Kevin Walrod at 3:08, the second to Matt Berry at 5:02 on an innocuous shot from the wing) and needed his team to bail him out in order for the Gophers to come out on top in the game. They almost did. Nick Bjugstad scored his second goal of the night and nation-leading 15th of the season at 13:02 of the third, and the Gophers continued to pepper Palmisano with scoring chance after scoring chance. With about a minute left Minnesota pulled the goalie for an extra attacker, and in what was perhaps the best scoring chance of the game Kyle Rau found the puck on his stick with tons of net to look at and about 25 seconds left on the clock. However, Palmisano reached out in desperation with his glove hand and swiped the puck out of the air before it crossed the goal line, preserving the Spartan lead and eventually winning the game for Michigan State. Minnesota battled back and nearly tied the game, but Michigan State ended up winning a game in which they were outplayed by the visiting Gophers. The shots for the third period were 16-6, for a grand total of 43-23 for the game in favor of Minnesota.
Saturday 11/26/11: 4-4 Tie
Minnesota started the first period on Saturday with much more jump than they had in the opening ten minutes on Friday. However, it would be Michigan State that again jumped out to an early lead. Brock Shelgren scored the only goal of the first period at 11:49, with the assists going to Mike Merrifield and Greg Wolfe, who was serving a mandatory one-game suspension Friday night following a fighting major the previous Saturday. Again, although the Gophers outshot the Spartans 12-9 in the first period, Michigan State held a one goal lead after the first.
Minnesota would tie the game early in the second period as Ben Marshall scored his second goal of the season. In what very well could have been a tripping penalty on the Gophers, the puck squirted out to the point where Marshall pinched in, stickhandled into a scoring area and fired a wrist shot past Spartan goalie Drew Palmisano. The unassisted goal at 4:39 tied the game at one goal each, but Michigan State would again take advantage of some Minnesota lapses to take a lead before the period expired. First, Mike Merrifield scored at 10:39 on assists from Greg Wolfe and Lee Reimer. Then, less than four minutes later at 14:27, Matt Crandell's shot from the point made its way through about five bodies before sneaking past Kent Patterson and into the Gopher net.
Minnesota would do something it did not do much of in the past several seasons though - respond and come back. The Gophers took advantage of a late power play opportunity when Erik Haula scored on a rebound from a near-impossible angle to cut the Spartan lead to 3-2. The assists on the Haula goal were from Nick Bjugstad and Nate Schmidt. The second period would end at that score, but the Gopher comeback was just getting started. The Gophers earned an early power play on a Tim Buttery tripping call at 2:26, and although the Spartans technically killed off the chance, Minnesota's Zach Budish scored just two seconds after the Gopher powerplay expired at 4:28. Budish's goal was set up by Taylor Matson and Justin Holl. Minnesota kept rolling, and Kyle Rau would put the Gophers ahead for the first time on the weekend at 7:01 of the period on a rebound chance off of a Zach Budish shot. Nick Bjugstad chipped in another assist on the goal, and with less than 13 minutes left in the game the Gophers had stormed all the way back and taken the lead.
It was short lived. Daultan Leveille scored on a partial breakaway at 8:54 of the period to tie the game at four goals each, and although Minnesota earned a late power play at 19:28 of the period they could not score in regulation play or overtime, so the game resulted in a 4-4 tie. The shots in the game ended at 39-31 in favor of the Gophers, but as mentioned on Friday the only number that matters is the one on the scoreboard, and the scoreboard was not friendly to Minnesota this weekend.
Next Weekend: Minnesota vs. Minnesota State
Next weekend, the Minnesota Gophers host the Minnesota State Mavericks in a series that pits the top team in the WCHA against the bottom team. The Mavericks are getting healthier and could get junior captain Tyler Elbrecht back this weekend. Elbrecht had broken multiple bones in his arm in the Mavericks' first game of the season, but the big defenseman could be back on the blueline for the purple cows this weekend. On the Gopher bench, coach Don Lucia mentioned that he was going to go back to the Gopher lineup from several weeks ago, sliding Travis Boyd back to the center on the fourth line and moving Seth Ambroz back to the Matson-Condon line. These combinations worked well several weeks ago and should be good again for the Maroon and Gold. Even though the Mavericks always play hard against the Gophers, on Minnesota's home ice I expect nothing less than a weekend sweep for Minnesota.
Friday 11/25/11: 4-3 Gopher Loss
Minnesota's first full series against the Michigan State Spartans in more than 10 years opened with a fast paced first period. Michigan State took advantage of early flat play from the Gophers - something that has become all too common during the past three Friday nights. The Spartans jumped ahead to an early two goal lead behind goals from Kevin Walrod at 8:12 and Brent Darnell at 12:25. It seems like Minnesota has struggled to start playing with passion recently until they've been put into an early hole, but once Michigan State scored their second goal of the period the Gophers woke up. Minnesota dominated the remainder of the period (and the remainder of the game) as Seth Helgeson scored on a hard snapshot from the point at 16:47, with the assist going to Jake Hansen. Hansen made the play, controlling the puck in the corner before firing a pass to Helgeson in the high slot for a one-time shot. Nick Bjugstad tied the game with a goal less than a minute later at 17:34 of the period. Zach Budish and Mark Alt assisted on the play.
The shots on goal in the first period were 17-12 in favor of Minnesota, and the Gophers would add to their edge in shots in the second by putting 10 on Spartan goalie Drew Palmisano. However, Palmisano did not let any shots by him, and Gopher netminder Kent Patterson did not allow any of the five Michigan State shots into the net, so the teams exited the ice after two periods of play tied at 2-2.
The third period was another in what has become a string of "too little, too late" efforts for the Gophers. Kent Patterson has been the best goalkeeper in the country throughout Minnesota's first 14 games, but even great goalies let in soft goals at times, and Patterson allowed a couple soft goals early in the period (one shorthanded to Kevin Walrod at 3:08, the second to Matt Berry at 5:02 on an innocuous shot from the wing) and needed his team to bail him out in order for the Gophers to come out on top in the game. They almost did. Nick Bjugstad scored his second goal of the night and nation-leading 15th of the season at 13:02 of the third, and the Gophers continued to pepper Palmisano with scoring chance after scoring chance. With about a minute left Minnesota pulled the goalie for an extra attacker, and in what was perhaps the best scoring chance of the game Kyle Rau found the puck on his stick with tons of net to look at and about 25 seconds left on the clock. However, Palmisano reached out in desperation with his glove hand and swiped the puck out of the air before it crossed the goal line, preserving the Spartan lead and eventually winning the game for Michigan State. Minnesota battled back and nearly tied the game, but Michigan State ended up winning a game in which they were outplayed by the visiting Gophers. The shots for the third period were 16-6, for a grand total of 43-23 for the game in favor of Minnesota.
Saturday 11/26/11: 4-4 Tie
Minnesota started the first period on Saturday with much more jump than they had in the opening ten minutes on Friday. However, it would be Michigan State that again jumped out to an early lead. Brock Shelgren scored the only goal of the first period at 11:49, with the assists going to Mike Merrifield and Greg Wolfe, who was serving a mandatory one-game suspension Friday night following a fighting major the previous Saturday. Again, although the Gophers outshot the Spartans 12-9 in the first period, Michigan State held a one goal lead after the first.
Minnesota would tie the game early in the second period as Ben Marshall scored his second goal of the season. In what very well could have been a tripping penalty on the Gophers, the puck squirted out to the point where Marshall pinched in, stickhandled into a scoring area and fired a wrist shot past Spartan goalie Drew Palmisano. The unassisted goal at 4:39 tied the game at one goal each, but Michigan State would again take advantage of some Minnesota lapses to take a lead before the period expired. First, Mike Merrifield scored at 10:39 on assists from Greg Wolfe and Lee Reimer. Then, less than four minutes later at 14:27, Matt Crandell's shot from the point made its way through about five bodies before sneaking past Kent Patterson and into the Gopher net.
Minnesota would do something it did not do much of in the past several seasons though - respond and come back. The Gophers took advantage of a late power play opportunity when Erik Haula scored on a rebound from a near-impossible angle to cut the Spartan lead to 3-2. The assists on the Haula goal were from Nick Bjugstad and Nate Schmidt. The second period would end at that score, but the Gopher comeback was just getting started. The Gophers earned an early power play on a Tim Buttery tripping call at 2:26, and although the Spartans technically killed off the chance, Minnesota's Zach Budish scored just two seconds after the Gopher powerplay expired at 4:28. Budish's goal was set up by Taylor Matson and Justin Holl. Minnesota kept rolling, and Kyle Rau would put the Gophers ahead for the first time on the weekend at 7:01 of the period on a rebound chance off of a Zach Budish shot. Nick Bjugstad chipped in another assist on the goal, and with less than 13 minutes left in the game the Gophers had stormed all the way back and taken the lead.
It was short lived. Daultan Leveille scored on a partial breakaway at 8:54 of the period to tie the game at four goals each, and although Minnesota earned a late power play at 19:28 of the period they could not score in regulation play or overtime, so the game resulted in a 4-4 tie. The shots in the game ended at 39-31 in favor of the Gophers, but as mentioned on Friday the only number that matters is the one on the scoreboard, and the scoreboard was not friendly to Minnesota this weekend.
Next Weekend: Minnesota vs. Minnesota State
Next weekend, the Minnesota Gophers host the Minnesota State Mavericks in a series that pits the top team in the WCHA against the bottom team. The Mavericks are getting healthier and could get junior captain Tyler Elbrecht back this weekend. Elbrecht had broken multiple bones in his arm in the Mavericks' first game of the season, but the big defenseman could be back on the blueline for the purple cows this weekend. On the Gopher bench, coach Don Lucia mentioned that he was going to go back to the Gopher lineup from several weeks ago, sliding Travis Boyd back to the center on the fourth line and moving Seth Ambroz back to the Matson-Condon line. These combinations worked well several weeks ago and should be good again for the Maroon and Gold. Even though the Mavericks always play hard against the Gophers, on Minnesota's home ice I expect nothing less than a weekend sweep for Minnesota.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
In Honor of Gophers-Spartans This Weekend...
Check out this great old video of Gopher Hockey versus Michigan State. Enjoy!
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