Men's Hockey: WCHA Tournament

[stocker08]

Minnesota sitting at 6th in the WCHA standings. Comfortable lead against Michigan Tech. SCSU beating sconnie 3 - 0 (I attend SCSU :D). Looks like the gophers may leapfrog the badgers.

[ruralgopher]

Assuming we win tomorrow we will all but clinch at least the 6 hole and get home ice. Ever since they laid that egg against AA I've been very pleased with this team.

[gopher56]

yeah, ever since that AA game, the Gophers have been playing really good! Scoring goals and playing D, im just worried about the PK come playoffs...

[stocker08]

Good weekend hockey wise.

[Unregistered User]

Good weekend hockey wise.

I think they slipped one spot in the pairwise rankings even after sweeping this weekend. I don't have the data, but I heard on the radio from someone that they were 18th in pairwise, and now they are T-19.

I haven't been checking the rankings so I don't know who did what to bump them down, but they're going to need a very good showing in the WCHA tourney to get back.

[CrocShots]

MTSU bumps them down because they are so awful.

Let's eat some beaver!!!!

[Jike Spingleton]

One month ago, I never would've envisioned the Gopher hockey team as being the one that's been fun to watch. With hoops going in the tank, there couldn't have been a better time for the hockey team to (finally) start playing the way a Gopher hockey team should.

As for the NCAAs, it's a given that we need to sweep Bemidji, win the first round series, and win at least one game in the Final Five to get into the at-large discussion. Of course, I would prefer to just follow Jake Taylor's advice, and leave nothing to chance:


Well, then, I guess there's only one thing left to do. Win the whole facking thing.

[ruralgopher]

One month ago, I never would've envisioned the Gopher hockey team as being the one that's been fun to watch. With hoops going in the tank, there couldn't have been a better time for the hockey team to (finally) start playing the way a Gopher hockey team should.

As for the NCAAs, it's a given that we need to sweep Bemidji, win the first round series, and win at least one game in the Final Five to get into the at-large discussion. Of course, I would prefer to just follow Jake Taylor's advice, and leave nothing to chance:

More Major League references, please!

[Rouser4eVA]

Win it all! These guys have shown they can protect the goal with the best of em. They've shown they can create the offense on a massive scale. They've shown they can carry play. Now it's time to do it consistently! That Tech series was really fun to watch, the way they were pressuring, the way they were killing penalties. They were creative, they were physical, and they didn't back down from the challenge when Tech brought it. It was like it was 2007 again!

Good grief, I want out of this hockey purgatory we've been in for 3+ years now, we're a hockey school, dangit, now let's win like it!

Go Gophers!

[JohnnyGopher]

Gophers robbed tonight on one of the worst calls i have ever seen, bemidiji scores with 19 seconds left thanks to the bs penalty. Just horrible.

[Ron Johnson Super Fan]

Thanks Johnny. I didn't get to see the end but saw they were shorthanded when they gave up the last goal. Good to get home ice for the first round of the WCHA's but they really need wins to position themselves for a chance at the NCAA's. Hopefully they can give a focused effort tomorrow night and take care of business.

[joemagoo362]

Gophers robbed tonight on one of the worst calls i have ever seen, bemidiji scores with 19 seconds left thanks to the bs penalty. Just horrible.

That was just a miserable call. I'm not much of a hockey fan, and I was fuming over it.

[maxwellsmart]

That was just a miserable call. I'm not much of a hockey fan, and I was fuming over it.

Fume all you want, but don't nail the ref for this one. It ain't the hockey of ten years ago and the officials are expected to enforce league directives. If you get your stick up even close to the high-stick area or take a whack at an opponent's stick (something we used to do without giving it a thought), or heaven forbid actually create physical contact while doing so, the whistle is going to blow. The new game of hockey in the U.S. is all about open ice, unimpeded offensive play and very minimal physical contact. And it's going to get worse.

[JackiO]

Fume all you want, but don't nail the ref for this one. It ain't the hockey of ten years ago and the officials are expected to enforce league directives. If you get your stick up even close to the high-stick area or take a whack at an opponent's stick (something we used to do without giving it a thought), or heaven forbid actually create physical contact while doing so, the whistle is going to blow. The new game of hockey in the U.S. is all about open ice, unimpeded offensive play and very minimal physical contact. And it's going to get worse.

All of which you mentioned did not happen. He lifted his stick about a half foot like one would do to get the puck away from a player and since the dude only had one hand on his stick it went flying out of his hand. that is NOT illegal in NCAA hockey.

[JohnnyGopher]

huge win tonight plus every team we needed to lose did so we are back in contention for an at large.

as for last nights penalty, it had nothing to do with a high stick as the previous poster said. All he did was lift his stick which is one of the most basic hockey moves you learn back in mites. BSU player wasn't using two hands and thats why it went flying. I have played hockey my whole life and still play in a bar league to this day and I have never seen that called and neither has anybody I talked to about it. Then to call it a hook made it look that much worse. The sad part was the gophers we're in total control of play and in the BSU zone and they likely would not have had a chance to even pull the goalie but with the penalty, it allowed them to get the sixth man out there and had a faceoff in MN zone.

[Ron Johnson Super Fan]

After seeing the replay the ref admitted that he blew the call and apologized for it.

Hard to believe that this team is back in contention and playing solid hockey. It looked pretty bleak for so much of the year but they're playing by far their best hockey at the end of the year. Bjugstad has to be the WCHA rookie of the week again, doesn't he?

[MrGopher]

Our first round opponent: Alaska-Anchorage. Very capable team... split with them 5-1, 0-1 in January at Mariucci. Although, we have had a nagging habit of playing down to our "lower" opponents' level, I look for the Gophers to come out, guns blazing. Grateful we didn't draw St. Cloud as a first round opponent: slumping Duluth will have their hands full with the Huskies, I think.

My first round predictions: UND over MichTech in 2, DU over Mankato in 2, UNO over BSU in 3, StCloud over UMD in 3, Gophers over UAA in 2, and CC over wisconsin in 3.

[Tully55]

Another plus by finishing in 5th place, we won't have to face UND until the championship game.

[gophersfan]

I hope we make a long run.

[Rouser4eVA]

Our first round opponent: Alaska-Anchorage. Very capable team... split with them 5-1, 0-1 in January at Mariucci. Although, we have had a nagging habit of playing down to our "lower" opponents' level, I look for the Gophers to come out, guns blazing. Grateful we didn't draw St. Cloud as a first round opponent: slumping Duluth will have their hands full with the Huskies, I think.

My first round predictions: UND over MichTech in 2, DU over Mankato in 2, UNO over BSU in 3, StCloud over UMD in 3, Gophers over UAA in 2, and CC over wisconsin in 3.

That nagging bad habit was quite real and quite problematic this year. Good grief, we were swept by Mankato?????

I like your picks for the first round. The Gophers are 26-1 in first round matchups in Mariucci. That's phenomenal! That CC/Wisconsin is hard to call, and SCSU/UMD may not play out that way, based on UMD's potential. It's going to be quite the feat for SCSU to take 2-3 in Duluth. I may differ from you in that pick alone.

At any rate, Go Gophers!

[Formo]

I can't wait for the tourny to start!!!

[gold04]

Minnesota is playing well and it would not suprise me if we win the WCHA tournament. Patterson is playing well in nets and the freshmen have been playing really well lately. I'm in the category that Lucia deserves one more year even if we lose in the first round. He's won two national title and things seem to be getting turned around. I think Lucia is getting things back on the right track. Maybe it's taken a little longer than people liked but hockey to so competitive right now you can't expect to be playing for a National title every year. I think those days are gone. Teams are going to have up and down seasons. I think things are coming around for the U. At least Lucia has gotten us a couple National titles. Since Brooks left no coach has been able to do that.

[Rouser4eVA]

Ugh! What in the world was that?

UAA got our number?

Come on Gophs! Get two in a row and let's keep it rolling!!!!

Saturday Night Edit: Well, they got two in a row! Nothin' rolling but heads though! That makes TWO entirely unsatisfying ends to an unsatisfying winter season of Gopher athletics.

My parents taught me: If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. So I guess I'm logging off and going to bed. See ya next season, Gophs!

[MrGopher]

Ugliest, most embarrassing, most frustrating series ever... or at least that I can remember. Hats off to Alaska Anchorage; they deserved to win. We thoroughly deserved to lose.

Does Lucia deserve to be fired....? I'll let you know when my anger subsides. The knee-jerk, Minnesota fan in me says absolutely he does, but that may be only because of how disappointed I am. All anger aside, if we knew we could get Dean Blais, I would say go for it. My hopes aren't up though, I wouldn't want to work for Maturi, and I'm not sure Blais wants to.

LaPanta, on the other hand, does deserve to be fired... from his gopher hockey duties, anyway. I partly blame him for our horrible season. Bring Frank and Doug back.

I look forward to better days in GopherPuckLand.

[MRJ]

Ugliest, most embarrassing, most frustrating series ever... or at least that I can remember. Hats off to Alaska Anchorage; they deserved to win. We thoroughly deserved to lose.

Does Lucia deserve to be fired....? I'll let you know when my anger subsides. The knee-jerk, Minnesota fan in me says absolutely he does, but that may be only because of how disappointed I am. All anger aside, if we knew we could get Dean Blais, I would say go for it. My hopes aren't up though, I wouldn't want to work for Maturi, and I'm not sure Blais wants to.

LaPanta, on the other hand, does deserve to be fired... from his gopher hockey duties, anyway. I partly blame him for our horrible season. Bring Frank and Doug back.

I look forward to better days in GopherPuckLand.

Lucia has needed to be fire for about three years now. He's done a miserable job during that time span and the situation isn't getting better. He's allowed this program to flounder and it's sickening. I know the alumni are ticked off and have been for quite awhile. But I doubt Maturi has the cojones to can him like he should have a few years back. In other words, we're stuck with this crap for the foreseable future imo.

[34Gopher]

It is not ok for this program to be satisfied with "Home Ice" in the first round of the WCHA Playoffs. Not to mention we've missed the NCAA tournament 3 years in a row. The sweep by Alaska Anchorage is icing on the cake. Lucia deserves all the credit in the world for bringing us 2 National Championships, but those were darn near 10 years ago. Time to move in a new direction and get this program back to national prominence.

[Pewterschmidt]

Does anyone know Lucia's contract situation?

Is it possible that even if Maturi wanted to fire Lucia, his hands are tied because of the fact that WE'RE PAYING THREE FOOTBALL HEAD COACHES RIGHT NOW!

Of course that's Maturi's fault if that's the case. It might be another case of the Brewster hire biting the athletic department.

We might have to wait out Lucia's contract due to financial reasons alone. Which is just an awful position to be in because no one will want to join a program with a Lame Duck coach.

Again, I'd really like to know Lucia's contract situation.

[BleedGopher]

Does anyone know Lucia's contract situation?

Is it possible that even if Maturi wanted to fire Lucia, his hands are tied because of the fact that WE'RE PAYING THREE FOOTBALL HEAD COACHES RIGHT NOW!

Of course that's Maturi's fault if that's the case. It might be another case of the Brewster hire biting the athletic department.

We might have to wait out Lucia's contract due to financial reasons alone. Which is just an awful position to be in because no one will want to join a program with a Lame Duck coach.

Again, I'd really like to know Lucia's contract situation.

Lucia has one year left on his contract.

Go Gophers!!

[Rouser4eVA]

Has Lucia's illness affected his coaching ability? The onset of Lucia's ailment interestingly coincides with the Gopher's inability to beat opponents, both good and bad. When you outmatch a team like UAA in speed and skill, and lose 3 out of 4 (2 of which come with the season on the line) over this brief span, where do you look for answers? Schemes, I believe. Being outworked and outhustled also directly relates to the ability of the coach to express a plan for victory. Over the past month, the boys looked like they had found something, but for the better part of this season and this critical series (life or death: HELLO???), this was a clear deficiency: schemes, hustle, heart.

These are coaching issues. Now I am not usually one to call for a coach's head, but seriously, is it time for Lucia to go? These guys don't play like the Gophers I've known over my lifetime. They play like underdogs all the time, expecting to "hang in there" instead of laying the wood on the opponent.

There are a ton of good coaches that are "M" men. If we were to seriously look at Blais, we would have nearly the homeliest looking pair of coaches (Blais/Kill) in America, but whose pedigree is unquestionably solid (which is of course, the only important characteristic of coaches I want at my alma mater!)

I could be way off, but the state of this program is frustratingly un-Gopherlike, I think I'm on board with the change of leadership crowd.
Think this one through thoroughly, please, Maturi. Between hockey and basketball, I don't know if Gold Country can endure anymore winters of discontent like this. This has been downright brutal!

Go Gophers!

[beavergopher]

One sport where there NO excuses to not be top 10 every year and contend for a national title every few years. Don did some great things, but something is seriously wrong. Would Ohio State tolerate not making it to a bowl game three years in a row? I doubt it.

[Ski U Mah Gopher]

One of the most surprising things I have seen today is that the "Fire Lucia" thread on GPL is only 2 pages long.

[Jike Spingleton]

I was disappointed a year ago when Lucia wasn't removed. Could've told him to step down citing "health concerns" - now, he should flat out be fired. It's been four years since we've resembled Gopher hockey. There's never an excuse for that. Never.

[JackiO]

If Lucia comes back next year, next winter will be really long because I will refuse to support the program. Something has to be done. This years team does not have one player who has played in an ncaa tournament game. How sad is that? This is ten times worse than woogs later years.

[lakesbison]

BIG TEN hockey needs to start. Hockey in D1 has become embarassing with all the juniors and canadians (see und).
Union, Merrimack and Renesseler are in the top 10 or so?? really? D1 hockey is just getting downright embarassing lately.

[JackiO]

BIG TEN hockey needs to start. Hockey in D1 has become embarassing with all the juniors and canadians (see und).
Union, Merrimack and Renesseler are in the top 10 or so?? really? D1 hockey is just getting downright embarassing lately.

I recall watching a UAA player take a penalty that I would put money on being 25+ years old.

[BeerBibleBullets]

4 years in the bottom half of WCHA is not acceptable. They need to get rid of him this year or give an extension. Since recruits won't play for a guy with one year left...especially if its a traditional powerhouse playing .500 hockey.