kem-us-tree wrote:This game could come down to power play. The officials on this big stage will be under the gun to call checking from behind and head contact. If Eagan plays cheap like they are capable of they might have to kill some 5 minute penalties. Not sure how good the Moorhead PP is - we will see.
Care to back up the cheap shot about Eagan playing cheap with some specifics?
I saw Eagan and Moorhead scrimmage this year in Moorhead in late November. At that time I gave the edge to Eagan, they seemed to be physically bigger and stronger than the Spuds. Talent was about even. Eagan did surprise me with their lack of discipline. I saw several players taking unnecessary cheap shots either during or after the whistle. This was a scrimmage, prior to the start of the regular season and ref'd by each teams respected assistant coaches. So If Eagan spends time in the box and the Spuds capitalize on the power play and play a near perfect game well then they do have a chance. But Im not betting the farm on it, I see them playing at Mariucci on Friday...
Bitzer can only carry the Spuds so far.....lack of scoring and consistency has plagued them all year.
The Spuds have produced far better teams that did not make the state Tournament '07, and have been over looked by far better teams (Edina in '09 i think). Had teams make it to the State Championship that had no business being there ('01 against Elk River I think)
Anything can and sometimes does happen......Its the State Tournament win or go home.
CitiesSpudsGuy wrote:The way I see it is the only way the Spuds can win this game is if it's a low-scoring game. The Spuds just don't have the offensive firepower to put up 4 or 5 goals on a team like Eagan, unless Eagan should happen to look past them. If the same Spuds team that beat Eden Prairie, Breck, Benilde and led Minnetonka for 2 periods shows up, it could be a very interesting game. But if they play like they did against H-M, it will be ugly.
And while I agree that how well Bitzer plays is a big key, it's also just as important for the Spuds to play well defensively as a team in front of him. Even though they only gave up 1 goal to Brainerd, we saw Pohlkamp skate right through the Spuds defense with the puck a few times in the section championship game. That kind of thing just can't be allowed to happen against Eagan.
Bitzer will be the ONLY key for the spuds. They will go as far as he can take them
Wrong. He is not the ONLY key. It will take a complete team effort to beat Eagan. He can't score goals and if his defense leaves him hanging out to dry, they will still lose even if he has a great game or if they can't score. If they play well in front of him offensively and defensively, they have a shot. If not, they don't.
Last edited by CitiesSpudsGuy on Sun Mar 04, 2012 4:56 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Other than East I think Eagan is the most complete team in the tourney top to bottom. They can get scoring from all 3 lines, their d-men are tough, physical, move the puck very well and can shut down top forwards, and they have decent goaltending. If they get hot and play well I think we see them playing sat night.
Sats81 wrote:Other than East I think Eagan is the most complete team in the tourney top to bottom. They can get scoring from all 3 lines, their d-men are tough, physical, move the puck very well and can shut down top forwards, and they have decent goaltending. If they get hot and play well I think we see them playing sat night.
I agree with you on this subject. Eagan they are a solid team. Tough draw for the Taters right out of the gate. Thought they would match up better against BSM. Good news is either Edina or BSM are off to Mariucci after 1 game
This is a tough draw for Eagan because of Bitzer. When he is on, he is tough to beat. The Cats will not be able to beat him with pretty hockey. The Spuds will keep shots from outside and try to control the front of the net. The Cats will need to use their size and strength to out work the Moorhead D in front of the net and get a few Clutterbuck style goals. If Bitzer sees the shot, he will stop it and more than likely control the rebound. Get in front of him, shoot low and crash the front looking for the second and third opportunities.
The Universe wrote:Anyone else think that could have easily been a five minute major for head contact?
Yep.
Things are looking up for Moorhead in the early going. They're generating some pretty good pressure, and Merchant missing that wide-open net sure doesn't hurt.
