Grant_Erickson
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It’s not the start the season we’ve become accustomed to for the Maroon and Gold. The Gophers dropped to 0-2-0 on the year with a 3-1 loss to the UMD Duluth Bulldogs on Friday evening.
Momentum Swing
Well, we scored! After getting shutout for five straight periods, the Gophers finally got on the board this season with Brent Gates’ first career goal. Unfortunately, just 32 seconds later, the Bulldogs added another goal to make it 3-1. Mariucci just deflated and it showed.
“It was a really big step for our team to get the first goal,” said Michael Brodzinski. “The second shift right after that is just as big as the goal…It just killed the fans, killed everybody on the bench. We need the momentum against a team like that.
Penalty Parade
With a lot of young guys, it isn’t out of the ordinary to see a few penalties where a player isn’t moving his feet or gets caught out of position. For Minnesota, this was a huge problem as they racked up 12 penalty minutes compared to just four for the Bulldogs. UMD capitalized on the chances, too; going 2-5 with the man advantage.
“Our special teams were good,” said Duluth head coach Scott Sandelin. “It was nice only giving them one powerplay and our powerplay came through.”
What’s the Problem?
It’s tough to point at one aspect of Minnesota’s game that’s caused the 0-2 start. Is it the lack of a star forward like Kyle Rau? Is it the absence of an electrifying player on the backend like Mike Reilly? The Gophers are skilled, but things just aren’t clicking early in the season.
“I think we’ve got to start working as a unit of five out there,” said Hudson Fasching. “We’re close but we’re not quite there yet. We’re trying to build a team, trying to build some cohesion…We’re not quite winning those battles so that’s something we’re trying to focus on right now.”
As the Gophers lost the majority of their scoring and leadership coming into the season, it’s been a struggle early for the coaching staff.
“I felt going in with this group that this is probably the least comfortable I’ve been with a group as far as what they can and can’t do or who should be where,” said Don Lucia.
Not on Schierhorn
Freshman Eric Schierhorn made his second straight start but was unable to pick up his first win. The Alaska native was strong in net, bailing out the Gophers on a number of occasions.
“He helped us all the way through the end,” said Brodzinski. “There’s nothing wrong with that. We just have to play in front of him now.”
By the Numbers
4 Shots for Minnesota in the second period. Not great.
5 Powerplay opportunities for the Bulldogs compared to just one for the Gophers.
105 Minutes into the season before Minnesota tallied their first goal.
What’s Next
The Gophers will head to Duluth for the rematch tomorrow evening. The puck is set to drop at 7:07 and can be seen on FSN or heard on ESPN 1500.
Momentum Swing
Well, we scored! After getting shutout for five straight periods, the Gophers finally got on the board this season with Brent Gates’ first career goal. Unfortunately, just 32 seconds later, the Bulldogs added another goal to make it 3-1. Mariucci just deflated and it showed.
“It was a really big step for our team to get the first goal,” said Michael Brodzinski. “The second shift right after that is just as big as the goal…It just killed the fans, killed everybody on the bench. We need the momentum against a team like that.
Penalty Parade
With a lot of young guys, it isn’t out of the ordinary to see a few penalties where a player isn’t moving his feet or gets caught out of position. For Minnesota, this was a huge problem as they racked up 12 penalty minutes compared to just four for the Bulldogs. UMD capitalized on the chances, too; going 2-5 with the man advantage.
“Our special teams were good,” said Duluth head coach Scott Sandelin. “It was nice only giving them one powerplay and our powerplay came through.”
What’s the Problem?
It’s tough to point at one aspect of Minnesota’s game that’s caused the 0-2 start. Is it the lack of a star forward like Kyle Rau? Is it the absence of an electrifying player on the backend like Mike Reilly? The Gophers are skilled, but things just aren’t clicking early in the season.
“I think we’ve got to start working as a unit of five out there,” said Hudson Fasching. “We’re close but we’re not quite there yet. We’re trying to build a team, trying to build some cohesion…We’re not quite winning those battles so that’s something we’re trying to focus on right now.”
As the Gophers lost the majority of their scoring and leadership coming into the season, it’s been a struggle early for the coaching staff.
“I felt going in with this group that this is probably the least comfortable I’ve been with a group as far as what they can and can’t do or who should be where,” said Don Lucia.
Not on Schierhorn
Freshman Eric Schierhorn made his second straight start but was unable to pick up his first win. The Alaska native was strong in net, bailing out the Gophers on a number of occasions.
“He helped us all the way through the end,” said Brodzinski. “There’s nothing wrong with that. We just have to play in front of him now.”
By the Numbers
4 Shots for Minnesota in the second period. Not great.
5 Powerplay opportunities for the Bulldogs compared to just one for the Gophers.
105 Minutes into the season before Minnesota tallied their first goal.
What’s Next
The Gophers will head to Duluth for the rematch tomorrow evening. The puck is set to drop at 7:07 and can be seen on FSN or heard on ESPN 1500.
