The Gophers (17-3-4, 9-3-4 WCHA) played North Dakota (13-7-4, 8-4-4 WCHA) for the last time as WCHA foes tonight at Mariucci Arena in front of 10,256. Battling back from a couple of two goal deficits, Minnesota managed to come away with a tie, putting them in a two way tie atop the WCHA standings with St. Cloud State.
Here is what I saw.
* Jake Parenteau gets his first goal of the season to tie the game in the first period. Glad to see Parenteau score. At the weekly press conferences at Mariucci, he is the guy that is always making faces and gestures at whichever player is being interviewed, as he heads to the locker room to get ready for practice. And usually he's leading a train of players that are all doing the same thing in an attempt to make the player being interviewed laugh, or just throw them off. Most of the media doesn't see it because they've got their backs to him. It always makes me laugh. I appreciate smart asses like Parenteau!
* Early on in the game I was thinking to myself that Mike Reilly & Brady Skjei have really leveled out, and are finally looking better on the ice. Then the second period happened. Skjei mishandled a puck at the blue line which led to Corban Knight going in all alone on a breakaway for the go ahead goal. Then Reilly stepped up into the play looking for a pass in the middle, and it led to a UND 2 on 1 and a goal by Grimaldi to make it 3-1.
* Minnesota gave up too many odd man rushes tonight. In previous games, Adam Wilcox has bailed them out when they've done that, but not tonight. Wilcox let in a couple that you know he'd like to have back, including the fourth goal, which he should have had. On the play, he went to cover it, and knocked the puck into the net. Tough night, but from everything his coach and teammates have said about him, he'll bounce back.
* Can we please shape things up at Gopher home games? First of all, we got stuck with I-Should-Be-Working-Gopher-Tennis-Matches Goldy again tonight. Then, the replacement Public Address Announcer is the over the top voice guy, and while making player introductions referred to Zach Budish as Zach "Bootish" from "Eddeena" Minnesota. The product surrounding the Gopher Hockey program should be as high of quality as the Gopher Hockey program. I cringe a little bit every time I see these things. On that same note, I've got to admit that I've never been much of a fan of cheerleaders at hockey games in general, but our cheerleaders are really talented skaters. Not sure we need them in the stands, but they definitely add to the pre-game.
Here are the post game comments:
Minnesota Head Coach Don Lucia:
Regarding the game… "It was kind of a fitting way to end the final WCHA regular season game between us and I wouldn't be surprised if we see each other down the line here this year. It was a better played game, hard hitting. I think both teams were a little more relaxed tonight after both teams were a little tight last night. I thought both teams competed hard tonight. I'm proud of our guys. At two different times we're down by two goals, and they found a way to come back and get a point out of the game tonight. You get into games like this and you find out more about your personnel, about your team, and who can perform in an environment like this. I thought Condon's line was outstanding tonight. I thought, for the most part, we got good play out of Isackson's line, and Boyd's line as well. We didn't have to get as concerned about the matchup. Bjugie's (Nick Bjugstad) line struggled a little bit tonight, but they scored a big goal there at the end. It was just a hard fought game. It really was. It was entertaining, and the fans I'm sure enjoyed that one. We're happy we got three out of four points this weekend. Our seniors didn't lose to these guys in this building, which is a credit to them, it doesn't happen very often. We have the tie breaker on them (North Dakota) now, which could come into play in the end. We come out at least tied for first after this weekend which is great to see too. A lot of pluses from our side, but we made some mistakes tonight. A couple of freshman looked like freshman tonight, and made some mistakes. But they've gotta learn from that too. You know, you learn when to take a chance, when not to"
Regarding Erik Haula… "Another week will help Erik (Haula) feel better than what he did this week. He wasn't in a position to play Center this week, hopefully he will be next week. Condon played awfully well in the middle in his absence"
Regarding Nate Condon… "I thought Nate was our best player tonight. That line was outstanding. It was kind of fitting that he scored that tying goal. I'm looking at the highlights before the game and looking for how many times Nate scored against North Dakota. As a player, when I was playing, there are certain teams you play better against, certain buildings you play better in on the road. Nate is a big reason we just finished this run undefeated. He's really elevated his play since Christmas"
Regarding Adam Wilcox… "You know what, I'm glad we were able to get a point for Adam tonight. He's gotten a lot of points for us through the course of this year. He looked like he was fighting it a little bit more than usual tonight. A couple of those rang off the post there in overtime, and that kind of reinforced that. He's played so well. We're in our spot in the standings and overall record because of him. It was nice of our guys to get to four tonight to get the tie"
Zach Budish:
Regarding the game tying goal by Nate Condon… "On the face off it went in the corner. Got the puck on my stick and Condon was yelling for it right in front of the net. He left no doubt about it and banged it into the back of the net"
Regarding his line… "I love playing with (Sam) Warning and (Nate) Condon. I've been playing with Warning for a while now, and back a couple of years ago I played with Condon for a while. And this year I think we've played seven or eight games together. We seem to have some chemistry. They're both quick guys, so I try to get them the puck, go in the corner, and go in front of the net and do my thing"
Regarding the game… "It was back and forth. They kind of took the play to us for a while. I was proud of the way our guys came back when it was 4-2. We've gotta be resilient. We know we can score goals in quick time, It was 4-2 when Bjugstad, Haula and Rau got us going and made it 4-3. You could sense the momentum turning our way, and (Nate) Condon found the back of the net. He's been hot lately. It was good for us to get the tie, but obviously we're not satisfied with it. Obviously neither team is really happy with the tie, but I guess it is a fitting way to end, and I'm guessing we'll probably see them again this year"
Regarding not playing UND the next couple of years… "It's kind of disappointing, because it is such a huge rivalry, and it's fun for players. I know the fans have a blast with it. Everyone associated with our program loves playing against them, and I'm sure it's the same for North Dakota. But it's just the way things worked out with the schedule and moving to the Big Ten. Playing North Dakota is always a memory"
Nate Condon:
Regarding his game tying goal… "I think we lost the face-off, and it went down in the corner, and Budish just battled up and down the boards. I got open in the slot, he threw it to me, and I just hit it as hard as I could. Didn't aim it anywhere, it just went in. It was great, especially since it was against North Dakota. If I could score that against them every time, it would make my year"
Regarding the game… "It's always fun playing in front of a crowd like that. When we scored our fourth goal it erupted. You don't hear things like that very often. It's just too bad we couldn't get a win. Nobody was giving up, that was the main thing. The Coaches were getting all over us, telling us that we can fight back. We put up five goals last night. We know that we can score, we just needed to get the production. There was nobody hanging their heads or anything on the bench. It was a long series. I think everyone was a little bit tired. The first game was a grind for us, and the first two periods tonight were for us, especially coming from behind. Once it got to the third period I feel like there was a little bit of exhaustion for both teams. It's great for us to get three out of four points. It's always good on a rivalry weekend when you can come out of it that way. It's just one of those series where you want to beat em because you're going to remember it for a long time. Coach Lucia also mentioned that, while (Seth) Helgeson's been here, we've never lost a game (at home) to North Dakota, so we're happy about that as well"
Regarding not playing UND the next couple of years… "It's sad. This is a weekend you look forward to all year. I know that everyone's been gearing up for this game. It brings the best out of some people. It's going to be one of those games that you're going to miss, unless you meet em in the playoffs, in which case it will be even more exciting, I guess"
Regarding moving forward… "We go into Mankato next week, and we split with them last time we played, so I think it's just a matter of getting points here and there and keep going. The coaches have been great. They've been good about staying on us, whether we're playing good or playing bad"
The Gophers will take on the Minnesota State-Mankato Mavericks next weekend in a home and home series. Friday night's game is at Mariucci Arena, with game time set for 7:00 PM (Central), and broadcast on the Big Ten Network. Saturday's game is in Mankato. Game time for that one will be 7:00 PM (Central), with the game being carried on Fox Sports North PLUS.
Here is what I saw.
* Jake Parenteau gets his first goal of the season to tie the game in the first period. Glad to see Parenteau score. At the weekly press conferences at Mariucci, he is the guy that is always making faces and gestures at whichever player is being interviewed, as he heads to the locker room to get ready for practice. And usually he's leading a train of players that are all doing the same thing in an attempt to make the player being interviewed laugh, or just throw them off. Most of the media doesn't see it because they've got their backs to him. It always makes me laugh. I appreciate smart asses like Parenteau!
* Early on in the game I was thinking to myself that Mike Reilly & Brady Skjei have really leveled out, and are finally looking better on the ice. Then the second period happened. Skjei mishandled a puck at the blue line which led to Corban Knight going in all alone on a breakaway for the go ahead goal. Then Reilly stepped up into the play looking for a pass in the middle, and it led to a UND 2 on 1 and a goal by Grimaldi to make it 3-1.
* Minnesota gave up too many odd man rushes tonight. In previous games, Adam Wilcox has bailed them out when they've done that, but not tonight. Wilcox let in a couple that you know he'd like to have back, including the fourth goal, which he should have had. On the play, he went to cover it, and knocked the puck into the net. Tough night, but from everything his coach and teammates have said about him, he'll bounce back.
* Can we please shape things up at Gopher home games? First of all, we got stuck with I-Should-Be-Working-Gopher-Tennis-Matches Goldy again tonight. Then, the replacement Public Address Announcer is the over the top voice guy, and while making player introductions referred to Zach Budish as Zach "Bootish" from "Eddeena" Minnesota. The product surrounding the Gopher Hockey program should be as high of quality as the Gopher Hockey program. I cringe a little bit every time I see these things. On that same note, I've got to admit that I've never been much of a fan of cheerleaders at hockey games in general, but our cheerleaders are really talented skaters. Not sure we need them in the stands, but they definitely add to the pre-game.
Here are the post game comments:
Minnesota Head Coach Don Lucia:
Regarding the game… "It was kind of a fitting way to end the final WCHA regular season game between us and I wouldn't be surprised if we see each other down the line here this year. It was a better played game, hard hitting. I think both teams were a little more relaxed tonight after both teams were a little tight last night. I thought both teams competed hard tonight. I'm proud of our guys. At two different times we're down by two goals, and they found a way to come back and get a point out of the game tonight. You get into games like this and you find out more about your personnel, about your team, and who can perform in an environment like this. I thought Condon's line was outstanding tonight. I thought, for the most part, we got good play out of Isackson's line, and Boyd's line as well. We didn't have to get as concerned about the matchup. Bjugie's (Nick Bjugstad) line struggled a little bit tonight, but they scored a big goal there at the end. It was just a hard fought game. It really was. It was entertaining, and the fans I'm sure enjoyed that one. We're happy we got three out of four points this weekend. Our seniors didn't lose to these guys in this building, which is a credit to them, it doesn't happen very often. We have the tie breaker on them (North Dakota) now, which could come into play in the end. We come out at least tied for first after this weekend which is great to see too. A lot of pluses from our side, but we made some mistakes tonight. A couple of freshman looked like freshman tonight, and made some mistakes. But they've gotta learn from that too. You know, you learn when to take a chance, when not to"
Regarding Erik Haula… "Another week will help Erik (Haula) feel better than what he did this week. He wasn't in a position to play Center this week, hopefully he will be next week. Condon played awfully well in the middle in his absence"
Regarding Nate Condon… "I thought Nate was our best player tonight. That line was outstanding. It was kind of fitting that he scored that tying goal. I'm looking at the highlights before the game and looking for how many times Nate scored against North Dakota. As a player, when I was playing, there are certain teams you play better against, certain buildings you play better in on the road. Nate is a big reason we just finished this run undefeated. He's really elevated his play since Christmas"
Regarding Adam Wilcox… "You know what, I'm glad we were able to get a point for Adam tonight. He's gotten a lot of points for us through the course of this year. He looked like he was fighting it a little bit more than usual tonight. A couple of those rang off the post there in overtime, and that kind of reinforced that. He's played so well. We're in our spot in the standings and overall record because of him. It was nice of our guys to get to four tonight to get the tie"
Zach Budish:
Regarding the game tying goal by Nate Condon… "On the face off it went in the corner. Got the puck on my stick and Condon was yelling for it right in front of the net. He left no doubt about it and banged it into the back of the net"
Regarding his line… "I love playing with (Sam) Warning and (Nate) Condon. I've been playing with Warning for a while now, and back a couple of years ago I played with Condon for a while. And this year I think we've played seven or eight games together. We seem to have some chemistry. They're both quick guys, so I try to get them the puck, go in the corner, and go in front of the net and do my thing"
Regarding the game… "It was back and forth. They kind of took the play to us for a while. I was proud of the way our guys came back when it was 4-2. We've gotta be resilient. We know we can score goals in quick time, It was 4-2 when Bjugstad, Haula and Rau got us going and made it 4-3. You could sense the momentum turning our way, and (Nate) Condon found the back of the net. He's been hot lately. It was good for us to get the tie, but obviously we're not satisfied with it. Obviously neither team is really happy with the tie, but I guess it is a fitting way to end, and I'm guessing we'll probably see them again this year"
Regarding not playing UND the next couple of years… "It's kind of disappointing, because it is such a huge rivalry, and it's fun for players. I know the fans have a blast with it. Everyone associated with our program loves playing against them, and I'm sure it's the same for North Dakota. But it's just the way things worked out with the schedule and moving to the Big Ten. Playing North Dakota is always a memory"
Nate Condon:
Regarding his game tying goal… "I think we lost the face-off, and it went down in the corner, and Budish just battled up and down the boards. I got open in the slot, he threw it to me, and I just hit it as hard as I could. Didn't aim it anywhere, it just went in. It was great, especially since it was against North Dakota. If I could score that against them every time, it would make my year"
Regarding the game… "It's always fun playing in front of a crowd like that. When we scored our fourth goal it erupted. You don't hear things like that very often. It's just too bad we couldn't get a win. Nobody was giving up, that was the main thing. The Coaches were getting all over us, telling us that we can fight back. We put up five goals last night. We know that we can score, we just needed to get the production. There was nobody hanging their heads or anything on the bench. It was a long series. I think everyone was a little bit tired. The first game was a grind for us, and the first two periods tonight were for us, especially coming from behind. Once it got to the third period I feel like there was a little bit of exhaustion for both teams. It's great for us to get three out of four points. It's always good on a rivalry weekend when you can come out of it that way. It's just one of those series where you want to beat em because you're going to remember it for a long time. Coach Lucia also mentioned that, while (Seth) Helgeson's been here, we've never lost a game (at home) to North Dakota, so we're happy about that as well"
Regarding not playing UND the next couple of years… "It's sad. This is a weekend you look forward to all year. I know that everyone's been gearing up for this game. It brings the best out of some people. It's going to be one of those games that you're going to miss, unless you meet em in the playoffs, in which case it will be even more exciting, I guess"
Regarding moving forward… "We go into Mankato next week, and we split with them last time we played, so I think it's just a matter of getting points here and there and keep going. The coaches have been great. They've been good about staying on us, whether we're playing good or playing bad"
The Gophers will take on the Minnesota State-Mankato Mavericks next weekend in a home and home series. Friday night's game is at Mariucci Arena, with game time set for 7:00 PM (Central), and broadcast on the Big Ten Network. Saturday's game is in Mankato. Game time for that one will be 7:00 PM (Central), with the game being carried on Fox Sports North PLUS.