I don’t care what period it is, Motzko starts doing it as soon as he’s up 2, in the 2nd period. Cost us a natty.
2024-25 Gopher Hockey Season
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upnorthkid
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So the parallel is he's a younger Motzko, who you all want to fire?
I’m more just meaning, I don’t think this magically is fixed by hiring a younger coach. Parity in college hockey is very real but the resource that’s going to matter most going forward is how the B10 uses revenue sharing and if the U decides we’re going to allocate some good money to hockey so you can be in the running for the Eisermans, Celebrinis, Fantillis and Cooleys going forward.
I like that Barr is from MN but has some East coast recruiting ties. I like that hes young and probably more relatable than Bob. And im not married to the whole our whole team must be Minnesotan. I think he’ll connect we’ll to the high end talent. I don’t know how well he’ll Connect to the grit of our state, which is the piece we are lacking far too often and identifying those that can play with grit but high enough talent to not just be dead weight otherwise
upnorthkid
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Yes the 4 goal 3rd against BU and 2 against SCSU (and we’ll ignore the 6 vs Canisius because they sucked) certainly agree.
That loss fucking sucked. I was there and got absolutely crushed live and I blame Bob for how he coached that game in the 3rd. They outplayed us in the second. The third yes they went more turtle almost out of panic and necessity because we were being beaten to every single puck and lacked QUs desperation. That is on him as well as the players.
Teams push and UMass isn’t that much worse than this team. If this would’ve been the 2023 team vs this UMass team, yeah that team would’ve won last night by 3-4. This team has had bugaboos all season which are player specific and effort specific. Snuggy scoring an outstanding goal to tie it followed by puck watching giving up the back door cut to lose the game was a perfect encapsulation of the team this year.
I’m for moving forward to someone new for new blood and new life, not because I have some
Delusions that players don’t think innately about playing safer with a lead while the other team presses. It’s as much on the players as the coaches and we need to be better in the roster construction. The 2023 team had it both up front and on D. Unless we light up the portal, we’ll be a more middle pack next year too like we were this year which is frustrating with our talent.
Next year's team is going to be worse no matter who the coach is. This title window is over.
upnorthkid
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Yeah I agree based on who I think leaves and lack of a “top end” recruit or two. It’s hard now as the portal can wildly change things but I’m not super optimistic we’ll pillage well from there despite ending up with Wood. Too early to say no matter what, but agree you’re spot on if you were betting on it.
We’ve got lower seeds winning half the games yet again. Just have to get in and play your best hockey when it counts a la PSU right now who is nowhere near the most talented team in the Big ten, much less the country
Get a good goalie, like PSU did upgraded from Souliere. They were fine with that trade instantly.
upnorthkid
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Would 100% be looking to raid the chl or something for someone if the portal doesn’t offer someone obvious (I’m not sold on the ASU guy though he has size). Agree 100%
upnorthkid
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I don’t know if the goalie comp thing is super fair.
Tracy was every bit as good if not better than slukynsky. Bentleys goalie also played very well. Augustine also was not very good. May be more helpful to look at xGA or xG differential against them.
Moore is gone. Rinzel will be today or tomorrow I'm sure. Wood will probably bounce when seeing them all leave. Chesley too.
Title window over. It will take at least 2 or 3 seasons to get back into one. Fucking brutal to not get one in this window.
Title window over. It will take at least 2 or 3 seasons to get back into one. Fucking brutal to not get one in this window.
upnorthkid
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yep on probably all those accounts. Wood I have no idea what he'll do but I assumed he always came here presuming one and done with the Gophers but will depend on what Nashville says I guess.
Different classes of guys though so maybe there's something about the bond with Chesley, the Mitts boys, Kurth, Lamb and Thomas wanting to come back for one more go at it. If they're all back, you have a pretty senior laden team that you'd need to try find someone high end to come in from the portal or CHL.
That said, expectations probably are going to be middle of the pack B10 next year as I share your sentiment we're going to continue to unload
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They brought in a completely new officiating crew for today's game in Fargo, while the Toledo Regional uses one of their crews from Thursday night.
Can't only blame the refs when you only get 8 shots in the 2nd period and follow it up with 6 shots in the 3rd. Yes it could have been a high stick penalty, but still doesn't mean they should have a wide open guy 5 feet in front of the net with no one in sight. Then instead of complaining of the refs, fire up the squad to get in the offensive zone and get the 4th goal. All we wanted to do is slap the puck out of the zone. We got 2 goals on offensive faceoffs, 1 on PP, only 1 nice offensive zone goal 5 on 5. Not enough offensive play for GOPHER HOCKEY!
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I've officiated over 700 high school games. I would never blame a ref. 
My point was simply that a replacement crew was brought in due to Thursday’s poor performance.
That second goal was a real headscratcher. The ref was in the perfect position to see both the high stick and the trip. If the trip had been called, I’m confident it would’ve been upgraded to a slew foot. The Mass player clearly pushed Middlestad’s left skate out with his stick. Replay would've caught that and buzzed down to the box. You can see it clearly from the second camera angle.
The Gophers lost because of their lack of effort in the third period, not the refs. This was a repeat of Tampa.
My point was simply that a replacement crew was brought in due to Thursday’s poor performance.That second goal was a real headscratcher. The ref was in the perfect position to see both the high stick and the trip. If the trip had been called, I’m confident it would’ve been upgraded to a slew foot. The Mass player clearly pushed Middlestad’s left skate out with his stick. Replay would've caught that and buzzed down to the box. You can see it clearly from the second camera angle.
The Gophers lost because of their lack of effort in the third period, not the refs. This was a repeat of Tampa.
upnorthkid
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joy of that whole sequence, game is probably over and we’re never having that discussion if they just call a painfully obvious penalty.I've officiated over 700 high school games. I would never blame a ref.
That second goal was a real headscratcher. The ref was in the perfect position to see both the high stick and the trip. If the trip had been called, I’m confident it would’ve been upgraded to a slew foot. The Mass player clearly pushed Middlestad’s left skate out with his stick. Replay would've caught that and buzzed down to the box. You can see it clearly from the second camera angle.
The Gophers lost because of their lack of effort in the third period, not the refs. This was a repeat of Tampa.
To those saying you should be covering the guy, mittelstadt 100% is going to have the puck and be breaking out with it. You’re getting open for the pass. That’s why we’re brutally out of position.
upnorthkid
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BC gone. For as much heat as mn gets for not winning one this window, yet another team of first rounders gone.
upnorthkid
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Stop with the analogy like this is the sec and football. Teams win titles. No one cares about the conference
Champs know how to win when it counts. DU players have the fire Gopher teams never do. That could have been a championship game easily.
BC blew it though. But watch how they reload and watch how the Gophers are mediocre next year. That's the difference between the two 5 title programs.
LMAO, players getting recruited care about conference. The superstars that just need a step before NHL go Big Ten. The players with grit that want to learn to play an NHL game (whether or not they're actually going to make it) go NCHC and work their asses off.
upnorthkid
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Yes that totally makes sense watching PSU this year who’s full of grit and grind. It’s coaching and having the right combo of guys. The nchc has the best coach in the country in carle by a mile.
The best players go to the best teams. The guys who are your supplements go to the coaches that recruit them well and utilize them correctly. Sandy did it for a few years and now they’ve faded massively. The very best, elite teams blend them both to be consistent. That has nothing to do with the conference and everything to do with the head coach and school. Guys aren’t clamoring To go to Miami, SCSU, Omaha, etc.
Gadowsky has built a great blend of a team with that grit and grind this year. As has wmu. Just like quinny did in 2023. Stop trying to make something that doesn’t exist a thing. It’s like people claiming the sec is the best because bama and Georgia win a lot. No one gives a shit about vandy you’re splashing cash and coaching
The best players go to the best teams. The guys who are your supplements go to the coaches that recruit them well and utilize them correctly. Sandy did it for a few years and now they’ve faded massively. The very best, elite teams blend them both to be consistent. That has nothing to do with the conference and everything to do with the head coach and school. Guys aren’t clamoring To go to Miami, SCSU, Omaha, etc.
Gadowsky has built a great blend of a team with that grit and grind this year. As has wmu. Just like quinny did in 2023. Stop trying to make something that doesn’t exist a thing. It’s like people claiming the sec is the best because bama and Georgia win a lot. No one gives a shit about vandy you’re splashing cash and coaching
BC has had 2 good regular seasons in a row. They had 2 years under 500 the prior 2 ( I would call that mediocre). It is not like they reload every year and have been a top team every year the past 5.
FireDaveLee
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Haha. I came just to see how the goalposts shifted.
BC was an all time team that couldn't be defeated....moved to how Hockey East was owning the Big Ten.....now moved to NCHC is the greatest of all time because they've put 4 teams in the Frozen Four since 2022, which is the same as Hockey East in the same time period & 6 for the Big Ten.
I will acknowledge that titles are the overall measuring stick & Denver is doing it better than anyone else. They are on a pretty remarkable run, but that doesn't mean the conference as a whole is any more dominant than the others.
My amateur take on the tournament is I've never seen so many teams capable of beating each other. Start the tournament again next week & you could easily have 4 different teams in the Frozen Four.
My problem is I care what this clown says & respond to it. I'm the dummy.
BC was an all time team that couldn't be defeated....moved to how Hockey East was owning the Big Ten.....now moved to NCHC is the greatest of all time because they've put 4 teams in the Frozen Four since 2022, which is the same as Hockey East in the same time period & 6 for the Big Ten.
I will acknowledge that titles are the overall measuring stick & Denver is doing it better than anyone else. They are on a pretty remarkable run, but that doesn't mean the conference as a whole is any more dominant than the others.
My amateur take on the tournament is I've never seen so many teams capable of beating each other. Start the tournament again next week & you could easily have 4 different teams in the Frozen Four.
My problem is I care what this clown says & respond to it. I'm the dummy.
upnorthkid
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was kind of a crazy year from this standpoint and I think also speaks to that the top seeds this year were not nearly as good as in years past (which again, think speaks to the parity of college hockey and is the reality of what the future holds).
The season end KRACH is probably going to have about 8 teams who are near a coin flip of beating each other. Last year's BC team, despite losing to DU, still is favored to beat them like 3/4 of the time. This year, it's pretty close to a coin flip with WMU (who's now the #2 in KRACH).
Think much of this speaks to that there are now more and more ways to assemble rosters in college hockey, for better or worse. That Pios team has its top 10 scorers from...
Ill, CO, CA, Alberta, CA, MN, Saskatchewan, Finland, Ill, and Alberta. They also have 1 Fr on their team in the top 10 in scoring (Reeder) and only 1 first round pick (Buium). It's all about that blend at DU which is something Carle has done better than anyone in college hockey. BC was one freakishly good line (and 2 freakishly good lines last year). We were that and an extremely good D core in 2023.
Carle gets them to buy AND stick around in part because they're not all high round picks. You wonder how wildly different this team looks if Cooley holds on and stays as he was planning, Rhett plays another year with us instead of Kato, and Eiserman keeps his commitment (or even one of those tbh) or we stay remotely healthy this year
If Ifs and Buts were candy and nuts
Here's what I'm seeing. BC has choked just as much as the Gophers. Their coach looks like a deer in the headlights sometimes in the big games. Luckily they will get Hagens back though. BU is passing them and has better coaching. But both have been overtaken by Michigan State and Michigan in the recruiting space, as it swings often. Let's see who gets McKenna and MIsa. If anyone, it'll be from those four teams I'm sure. And UND will get Carter Bear.
NCHC is the best conference. 6/10 titles since creation. Looking to make it 7/11. 3 different teams winning it. If WMU wins it all are we still going to act like it's a one or two team show? All teams have been generally solid except Miami with CC sort of turning a corner but we'll see.
What we can hope for as members of the Big Ten (not fans of it), is PSU over WMU, I'd say. I don't expect either of those two teams to be in the final.
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My turn to LMAO. Players getting recruited care about the team and the coach, not the conference. That sometimes goes hand in hand. In other words, choosing Holy Cross is choosing Atlantic Hockey. Choosing Michigan is choosing the Big Ten. But there is NO WAY that a kid CHOOSES Omaha over the Gophers or any other Big Ten team due to conference affiliation. That is the argument you are now making. Absurd. Also, you have to decide what is more important... high NHL draft ranking, or grit? You are on here regularly, getting upset when some highly rated player goes anywhere else. Now you are making the argument that it's grit and "working your ass off" that brings home titles. So which is it? Don't say that "it's both." If it's a mix of ability and grit (a valid argument), then shut up about the Gophs not getting every highly rated player from around the globe. If it's all about high draft choices, then shut up about the NCHC and how it's gritty. I share your concerns that it is time for change in the program but you would really be better off as a Denver or Sioux fan. You really would.