2023-24 Gopher Hockey Season


Awful play periods 2 and 3.

Outshot 32-6 since period 1.
 
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The NHL has a review model that seems to work. Get it out of these questionable crew's hands and have one body that reviews all plays. There is far, far too much variability crew to crew.

I used to lose my mind with Derek Shepherd. I dare say I would not mind seeing him out there compared to this garbage.
That would cost money and no big ten school is gonna spend money on that vs a 20th assistant coach for football.

Yes bring back Shepard.
 

Refs desperately looking for a way to call it goalie interference...
 




For the Gophers to realize all their hopes and dreams for 2023-24, they'll need to end the seasons of four opponents in late March and mid-April.

Saturday afternoon, they practiced doing just that, ushering Penn State to its offseason with a 3-2 victory for a sweep of Big Ten hockey quarterfinal series at 3M Arena at Mariucci.

Aaron Huglen scored with 1:08 left in the third period, waking the Gophers from a slumber over the final two periods in which they were outshot 35-7. Minnesota (22-9-5) will play an opponent to be determined in a single-game conference semifinal next weekend.

Jaxon Nelson scored two first-period goals, and Justen Close made 46 saves for the Gophers.

Penn State (15-18-3) erased a 2-0 deficit on second-period goals by Jimmy Dowd Jr. and Matt DiMarsico. Goalie Liam Souliere made 21 saves.

The Gophers came out strong in the game's first minute with Brody Lamb pouncing on a Nittany Lions turnover and forcing Souliere to make back-to-back saves.

Minnesota kept pressuring, and Nelson gave the Gophers a 1-0 lead 1:38 into the game when fired a shot from the right circle that Souliere would like to have back. Mike Koster and Jimmy Snuggerud assisted on Nelson's 15th goal of the season.

At 4:07 of the first, Snuggerud received a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for checking from behind when he hit Penn State's Alex Servagno into the boards..
 

I’ve been watching college hockey since 1987 and learned a long time ago that ending another team’s season is very difficult. That said it was still a disappointing last two periods of hockey but I’ll take the sweep and happily move on with a 2 seed in the NCAA’s pretty much in the bag.
 



I’ve been watching college hockey since 1987 and learned a long time ago that ending another team’s season is very difficult. That said it was still a disappointing last two periods of hockey but I’ll take the sweep and happily move on with a 2 seed in the NCAA’s pretty much in the bag.
yeah it's a very large gulf from 10 (Michigan) to MN in terms of RPI to bounce us off the 2 seed line. If we lose to MI, I'd expect Quinny would catch us as I think they'll win the ECAC. Then it would take Maine and one of the NCHC lower seed running the table to bounce us. It would be interesting to see what they'd do if 2 big ten teams end up on the 8/9 line with who ends up with BC and who gets moved. all of the bands really starting to narrow for the outcomes.
 

yeah it's a very large gulf from 10 (Michigan) to MN in terms of RPI to bounce us off the 2 seed line. If we lose to MI, I'd expect Quinny would catch us as I think they'll win the ECAC. Then it would take Maine and one of the NCHC lower seed running the table to bounce us. It would be interesting to see what they'd do if 2 big ten teams end up on the 8/9 line with who ends up with BC and who gets moved. all of the bands really starting to narrow for the outcomes.
I think they'd send #8 to play BC and pair them up against #10.
 

I think they'd send #8 to play BC and pair them up against #10.
I agree, though who knows for sure with the “attendance” argument they bring up randomly if the other 2 teams are Maine and Quinny if they want to keep them east.
 

Not so bold prediction: Whoever wins between gophers and Michigan will win the B1G tournament. Two best teams in the B10 are playing at Mariucci this Saturday IMO.
 




Not so bold prediction: Whoever wins between gophers and Michigan will win the B1G tournament. Two best teams in the B10 are playing at Mariucci this Saturday IMO.
I hope that is correct. Gophers can play with, and beat, anybody. We have seen they are capable of some really lousy periods of hockey. Still, I think you are right. If we win Saturday, we'll take the BIG tourney. Here is a little bolder prediction. If we win the BIG tourney, we'll get a #1 seed in the NCAA regionals. We need just a little help from Denver and ND opponents.
 
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I hope that is correct. Gophers can play with, and beat, anybody. We have seen they are capable of some really lousy periods of hockey. Still, I think you are right. If we win Saturday, we'll take the BIG tourney. Here is a little bolder prediction. If we win the BIG tourney, we'll get a #1 seed in the NCAA regionals. We need just a little help from Denver and ND opponents.
Might be too big of a hill to climb. But even to get to #5 would be HUGE. Could avoid the Boston schools and avoid UND in SF. DU is obviously great too but I have less anxiety about that matchup out on neutral turf somewhere.
 

Might be too big of a hill to climb. But even to get to #5 would be HUGE. Could avoid the Boston schools and avoid UND in SF. DU is obviously great too but I have less anxiety about that matchup out on neutral turf somewhere.
I think it's realistic. We have to win the BIG tourney, which is a long way from certain of course. If we do that it's almost impossible for us not to get the #5. Our pairwise winning % will certainly be better than MSU at that point, regardless of whether they beat OSU this week. We'll see about DU and ND. If one of them slips up and loses even one game in the first round of their playoff, we absolutely have a shot at #4. But first things first... we need to win our own tournament.
 

If we do that it's almost impossible for us not to get the #5.
What is your data to support that? Feels just like a guess based on a gut feeling. Unless you've been running a bunch of scenarios.
 

What is your data to support that? Feels just like a guess based on a gut feeling. Unless you've been running a bunch of scenarios.
We’d be down about .0066 in RPI heading into the game if we both win. A regulation win would likely push us ahead. If we win out, I think Maine could catch us if they win HE given they’d beat BU and BC to get there.
 

Oh ya sorry I misread and was thinking we were still talking #4. Ya I think winning the Big Ten tournament could likely get us to to #5. Now let's hope they actually do that.
 

What is your data to support that? Feels just like a guess based on a gut feeling. Unless you've been running a bunch of scenarios.
Yes, I actually have run several different scenarios. Kind of pathetic, I know, but work has been slow lately. We are a virtual lock to be seeded ahead of MSU in NCAAs if we win the BIG Tourney (I am assuming regulation wins here so that could change things if OT comes into play). With that assumption, we'd need a couple of different things to happen with DU or ND. If DU loses the series with UMD this weekend (unlikely), our winning % will be ahead of theirs at the end. If that series goes to three games, and then DU loses in the semi finals, we'll finish ahead of them. If that DU series goes to three games, and then DU advances to the NCHC finals and loses, we will still finish ahead of them. The same scenario holds true with North Dakota (although it's much tighter). At this point, yes, that is a lot that needs to go our way. But if we win the BIG Tourney, I think it is better than 50/50 that we'll get a #1 seed in the regionals. In fact, the only way it doesn't happen following two Gopher regulation wins the next two weeks is for both ND and DU to win their first series in 2 games, and both advance to the championship game. At that point It wouldn't matter who wins, we'd still be fifth. Again, I have not factored OT wins into into any of that. Not QUITE that much time on my hands. Admittedly I had also not considered what happens if Maine wins the HE tourney though (as upnorthkid pointed out). Fun to think about. Let's just beat Michigan.
 

Yes, I actually have run several different scenarios. Kind of pathetic, I know, but work has been slow lately. We are a virtual lock to be seeded ahead of MSU in NCAAs if we win the BIG Tourney (I am assuming regulation wins here so that could change things if OT comes into play). With that assumption, we'd need a couple of different things to happen with DU or ND. If DU loses the series with UMD this weekend (unlikely), our winning % will be ahead of theirs at the end. If that series goes to three games, and then DU loses in the semi finals, we'll finish ahead of them. If that DU series goes to three games, and then DU advances to the NCHC finals and loses, we will still finish ahead of them. The same scenario holds true with North Dakota (although it's much tighter). At this point, yes, that is a lot that needs to go our way. But if we win the BIG Tourney, I think it is better than 50/50 that we'll get a #1 seed in the regionals. In fact, the only way it doesn't happen following two Gopher regulation wins the next two weeks is for both ND and DU to win their first series in 2 games, and both advance to the championship game. At that point It wouldn't matter who wins, we'd still be fifth. Again, I have not factored OT wins into into any of that. Not QUITE that much time on my hands. Admittedly I had also not considered what happens if Maine wins the HE tourney though (as upnorthkid pointed out). Fun to think about. Let's just beat Michigan.
OT wins are real wins now. No 3-on-3 or shootouts the rest of the way.
 

But if we win the BIG Tourney, I think it is better than 50/50 that we'll get a #1 seed in the regionals.
Sounds like you've run some stuff but I just can't believe this.

You're calling out winning percentage. You know that's only one small piece of it, right?
 

Sounds like you've run some stuff but I just can't believe this.

You're calling out winning percentage. You know that's only one small piece of it, right?
I do yes. But it's a hardly a small piece.
 


Last season Michigan fell to Quinipiac. Maybe the top couple seeds will fall earlier than expected. Maybe, maybe not
 

Last season Michigan fell to Quinipiac. Maybe the top couple seeds will fall earlier than expected. Maybe, maybe not
BC is the best team of the last 10 years or more. 90% making St Paul, IMO.
 

Last season Michigan fell to Quinipiac. Maybe the top couple seeds will fall earlier than expected. Maybe, maybe not
Quinny was the consensus 2 prior to the tournament by all rating metrics. This year's BC team by metrics is substantially better than our team last year. Maybe Quinny/WI/MN will get them in the semis (I'd say about a 5% chance the AHA/CCHA team gets them if some weird stuff happens).
 

Sounds like you've run some stuff but I just can't believe this.

You're calling out winning percentage. You know that's only one small piece of it, right?
it's not better than 50/50. If UND and Denver both sweep this weekend they will be uncatchable. Idk where Crosby is running these sims. Both Denver and UND will remain ahead of us with split wins (ie going 2-1). Denver will drop behind if they're swept. UND will still be ahead. I do think if they win it they will be locked as a 5, which the difference between the 12 and 13 this year is not going to be much and is just going to be luck of the matchup with your next game being against whoever just edged you or was behind.
 

it's not better than 50/50. If UND and Denver both sweep this weekend they will be uncatchable. Idk where Crosby is running these sims. Both Denver and UND will remain ahead of us with split wins (ie going 2-1). Denver will drop behind if they're swept. UND will still be ahead. I do think if they win it they will be locked as a 5, which the difference between the 12 and 13 this year is not going to be much and is just going to be luck of the matchup with your next game being against whoever just edged you or was behind
And I am not sure what simulation you are using. If ND gets swept by Miami, and we win BIG Tourney, you say that ND will still be ahead of us at the end? I don't see how that is possible. No matter.... let's just see how it plays out. Beat the Wolverines.
 




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