Gophers

[Tigers33]

Patterson might have looked tired cause it was a 2 on 1 warm up drill from practice going on all night.

Hats off to them. Great season! Yesterday showed some of these guys arent ready to leave. If they all come back it should be a decent year.

So goalie...all 2 on 1 goals, deflections, and poor defense are a sign of poor positioning as a goaltender? I am curious to know of the first 4 goals where he could have been positioned better.

[defense]

My opinion, for the the gophers to win that one..the defense needed to either be better or play more conservative, the forwards needed to either be better at what they were doing or be more aggressive, physical.
Other than that, they were beaten by a hhelluva goalie, forced to take chances when they first agent down and got burned. BC BEAT the gophers flat out.

[BodyShots]

They didn't lose tonight because of where the players played before college. They lost to a better team tonight. A talented team with championship experience and they are on a roll.

Exactly. I thought going in that for the Gophers to win:

a) Patterson would have to be at his best
b) Their special teams would have to play well, and
c) They would need to get some bounces

None of these things happened, and combined with all the defensive miscues the score became lopsided. They actually had more good scoring chances than I thought they would get, but with one exception they weren't able to bury them. And on most nights at least one of those shots from the point would get through or deflect in...

But mostly as you say it was a case of the more skilled and experienced team finding ways to score more goals. Hopefully the younger guys will learn from the experience and can get back there next year for another shot.

Excellent post. My thoughts exactly.

I thought the third goal was the back breaker. If Mattson buries his golden opportunity, who knows what happens in a 2-1 game. BC scored on their opportunities and the Gophers didn't.

Good season overall. It will be interesting to see how many season tickets they sell after a season like we had, and the priority seating being put into place.

[DmanDad1980]

Wow...

I will leave you with some thoughts...

I agree with Bodyshots - Patterson looked tired for four weeks... Now we only have Wilcox coming in, good kid, only one man... Need options...

Bjugstad... Who...? Where did he go for the last 3 weeks...?

Need better D play coverage... Our kids were outmatched in Dzone...

We need better players!!!!!!!!! Why were the Gophers not in the NCAA for so long... With the talent going elsewhere... Why...?

Lucia needs to do a better job. We live in the best hockey state in the country. We get the Mr MN kids, how bout also getting the kids that are going to be the best kids two years down the road...

Sorry. I am disappointed. Sub par performance for such a big game...

Jesus dude... you are going way overboard above. They got to the Frozen Four and won the league and you are going to say this stuff?

Its not always going to go our way and BC is a hell of a team.

BC is a great team.

6-1... Wow...

Overboard... Nah... Anyway you cut it... Overmatched is a better word for the day...

Sorry. Next day, still disappointed...

[east hockey]

Cary Eades got a tee time tomorrow morning?

Maybe, if there is a foursome this morning, Cary can sneak the Don in there.

Lee

[MNHockeyFan]

So goalie...all 2 on 1 goals, deflections, and poor defense are a sign of poor positioning as a goaltender? I am curious to know of the first 4 goals where he could have been positioned better.

I agree that you can't pin the blame Patterson for the lopsided defeat. With maybe one or two exceptions, he didn't have much of a chance. I will say, though, that he did manage to get himself WAY out of position on several occasions, and he was fortunate that BC could not capitalize. On the one, the BC forward had the WHOLE OPEN NET, when he was left all alone from 3 feet out, with Patterson off to the side, but the BC forward somehow missed. Patterson seemed to be over-committing himself at times, maybe it was the pressure or maybe with the way the defense was leaving him out to dry he was trying to do too much. But he did come up with some really great saves too, but unfortunately most of those came after the game was already out of hand.

I hate to be critical because without Patterson in net this year the Gophers wouldn't have had a chance to get as far as they did. Replacing him with somebody almost as good will be the Gophers No. 1 challenge next year.

[MrBoDangles]

Could of easily been a 3-4 4-3 game. Goofers dominated play for a good portion of the game, but didn't get any bounces (chances a plenty) their way. Bury the one at the end of the first and the emotional swing might be totally different. That's Hockey...

[auld_skool]

I think to an extent the gophs were out coached. It's hard to find a team that has more pure hockey talent than they do.
Not the only reason for the loss but at times it's like they have 5 forwards. Been that way for a few years in my opinion. The emphasis has always been on offensive D's which is fine against weaker teams but makes it tough in games like this.

I agree with whoever said that they should all stay for next year.

[puckstopper33]

Patterson might have looked tired cause it was a 2 on 1 warm up drill from practice going on all night.

Hats off to them. Great season! Yesterday showed some of these guys arent ready to leave. If they all come back it should be a decent year.

So goalie...all 2 on 1 goals, deflections, and poor defense are a sign of poor positioning as a goaltender? I am curious to know of the first 4 goals where he could have been positioned better.

No not all 2 on 1, deflections,and poor defense are his fault. But look at the 4th goal for example, it looked like the d-mans fault, but really Patterson but himself way out of posistion because he had slid below the goal line, resulting in a wide open net. Overall this game was a disaster by the whole team, but they had a great season, and will be good again next year.

[Gopher Blog]

The only guy that I really believe should not have come straight from HS is Holl but he basically had to when we lost Ness during the summer. He was going to play USHL prior to that.

Holl came in the summer before Ness' last season so I doubt the brought him based on the idea Ness would leave after that season. Either way, he would have been better off playing 60-70 games as a top d at Omaha than a 5,6, or 7 guy at the U.

Sorry. I mean Leddy. Not Ness. Got my early departures mixed up.

[Gopher Blog]

Cary Eades got a tee time tomorrow morning?

Maybe, if there is a foursome this morning, Cary can sneak the Don in there.

Lee

He was probably already had a tee time set with the three UMD coaches.

[Gopher Blog]

Overboard... Nah... Anyway you cut it... Overmatched is a better word for the day...

Sorry. Next day, still disappointed...

Its overboard when you go from one extreme to another. Somehow I doubt you were saying those things the prior week or so about them.

[karl(east)]

I will say, though, that he did manage to get himself WAY out of position on several occasions, and he was fortunate that BC could not capitalize. On the one, the BC forward had the WHOLE OPEN NET, when he was left all alone from 3 feet out, with Patterson off to the side, but the BC forward somehow missed. Patterson seemed to be over-committing himself at times, maybe it was the pressure or maybe with the way the defense was leaving him out to dry he was trying to do too much.

This was my reaction, too. I was watching the game with someone who isn't much of a hockey fan whose observation was "why is the goalie so far out of the net?" In some cases it was because the defense was getting burned and he didn't have much of a chance--that was easily the Gophers' biggest problem in this game--but Patterson was in a few positions that left me scratching my head last night.

If the Gophers finished early this probably would have been a completely different game--they were the ones getting the odd-man rushes in the first period. But BC weathered that storm, and when the Gophers started pinching forward late in the second, they saw their opportunity and ran with it.

[Tigers33]

The person that blamed the coaches is the same person that blames the wind when he double bogey's a hole, or says the hoop isnt regulation for losing a game of horse.

BC capitalized on their chances. Gophers didnt. End of story. Everyone move on. Gophers could possibly return 9 of top 12 forwards and 6 of top 6 defenseman. Combine that with a decent to above average recruiting class and maybe they will be picked to finsih top 3 in the conference next season, not 6th like this year.

[MNHockeyFan]

One other thing that hasn't been mentioned was the very poor play of the first line forwards. Between the three of them they only had 4 shots on net and were a combined -8 on the plus/minus.

http://www.gophersports.com/sports/m-ho ... minbc.html

[JSR]

Patterson might have looked tired cause it was a 2 on 1 warm up drill from practice going on all night.

Hats off to them. Great season! Yesterday showed some of these guys arent ready to leave. If they all come back it should be a decent year.

So goalie...all 2 on 1 goals, deflections, and poor defense are a sign of poor positioning as a goaltender? I am curious to know of the first 4 goals where he could have been positioned better.

No not all 2 on 1, deflections,and poor defense are his fault. But look at the 4th goal for example, it looked like the d-mans fault, but really Patterson but himself way out of posistion because he had slid below the goal line, resulting in a wide open net. Overall this game was a disaster by the whole team, but they had a great season, and will be good again next year.

I'd say I am a pretty unbiased observer seeing as how the only team I hate more than the Gophers is BC so watching that game while my Badgers were at home, well.... Anyway, to me the 4th goal and where Patterson was positioned was a direct result of goals 1, 2 and 3 but ESPECIALLY number 3. #3 was when the defenseman turned it over and the other defenseman was defending a 2 on 1. It is defense 101 that in that situation you cover the man without the puck and let the goalie take the man with the puck (aka the shooter). Instead the defenseman put himself in no mans land, covered no one and allowed an easy pass for a back door put away that left Patterson completely out to dry. COnisdering how goals 1 and 2 went down now Patterson is feeling like he can't trust his "D" men at all so on goal #4 Patterson ventures out of his net to try and cut off the pass himself, the BC forward is falling downa nd manages to get his stick on the puck and blindly passes it back a net crashing forward, who also should not have been all aqlone as the falling down forward had a defensman on him and another defenseman/backchecking forward were goign with another BC forward toawrd the puck but a THIRD gopher started goign toward the puck for absolutely no reason as well leavign that back door slot area wide open. Thus to me 4th goal was also defenses fault on two levels. Again, no gopher fan here but as an objective outsider you really had to feel for Patterson last night. I'd also say that MN was snakebit on the other end. I was watching with my boys and the score was 4-0 and my oldest son said "doesn;t it seem like the Gophers shoul dbe up 3-0?" and I totally agreed. Stupid mental breakdowns by the "D", the puck not bouncing their way and great play by BC goalie was pretty much the story if you ask me

[hellofellow89]

right when the gophers started to get momentum in the 2nd haula gave it right back to BC when he decided to punch the glass after hansen failed to capatilze on haulas blind pass to him in front of the net for a point blank chance. 30 seconds later BC scored when you show frustration like that you lose the momentum you once had and give it right back to the other team

[nickel slots]

right when the gophers started to get momentum in the 2nd haula gave it right back to BC when he decided to punch the glass after hansen failed to capatilze on haulas blind pass to him in front of the net for a point blank chance. 30 seconds later BC scored when you show frustration like that you lose the momentum you once had and give it right back to the other team

So... that took you a month to compute?

[hellofellow89]

right when the gophers started to get momentum in the 2nd haula gave it right back to BC when he decided to punch the glass after hansen failed to capatilze on haulas blind pass to him in front of the net for a point blank chance. 30 seconds later BC scored when you show frustration like that you lose the momentum you once had and give it right back to the other team

So... that took you a month to compute?

just got an account, while i was watching the game it computed it my mind instantly.

[MNHockeyFan]

Wishing 'best of luck' to Nick Bjugstad and the entire Gophers squad for the upcoming season! With Nick and all of the top 6 D returning, plus the lion's share of the scoring up front, the team should have all of the ingredients to make another strong run in the NCAA tournament. Of course the big question will be in goal, the importance of which cannot be underestimated.

Can't wait for the puck to drop for the opening game vs. Michigan State at Mariucci.

Go Gophers!

[njmarshall20]

Anyone want to take a shot at the line combination for the Gophs this coming season?

A good problem to have, but man is this line-up deep!

What do they do with guys like Isackson, Jared Larson, and Blake Thompson? Where do the Freshman shake out? Is Skjei going to be paired with Nate Schmidt as the top D pairing?? Wilcox the #1 goalie??

Thanks

[BodyShots]

Anyone want to take a shot at the line combination for the Gophs this coming season?

A good problem to have, but man is this line-up deep!

What do they do with guys like Isackson, Jared Larson, and Blake Thompson? Where do the Freshman shake out? Is Skjei going to be paired with Nate Schmidt as the top D pairing?? Wilcox the #1 goalie??

Thanks

Sure, I'll give it a shot.

Forwards
Rau / Bjugstad / Budish
Warning / Haula / Ambroz
Marshall / Condon / Boyd
(Serratore or Michaelson) / Isackson / Horn
Larson / Reilly / Reilly

Defense
Schmidt / Alt
Helgeson / Skjei
Holl / M Reilly
Parenteau / Thompson

Goalies
Wilcox / Shibowski will alternate until one takes over the #1 roll
LaPrade

[blueblood]

BodyShots:

I like your forward line combos. For defense, I would swap M. Reilly and Skjei.

[njmarshall20]

So, is there really a 5th line (fwds) and a 4th set of D? I suppose that would be nice if injuries arise, but do they all suit up for each game??

[observer]

Have you heard that Marshall is practicing as a forward? I'm not sure I'd agree with that move.

They've posted their 2012-2013 roster.

http://www.gophersports.com/sports/m-ho ... y-mtt.html