After a disappointing 1-0 loss to the Denver Pioneers on Friday night, the Gophers (22-7-5, 14-7-5 WCHA) played DU in their final home regular season game in the WCHA tonight at Mariucci Arena in front of 10,124. Minnesota rebounded to defeat the Pioneers (17-11-5, 12-9-5 WCHA) by a final score of 5-1. Prior to the game, the U of M honored Seth Helgeson, the lone Senior on the hockey team.
Here is what I saw.
* After perhaps the worst night of hockey this year Friday night, Saturday night couldn't have gotten much better. The Gophers had a big third period on their way to a win, while first place St. Cloud State lost at home, Nebraska-Omaha lost in Madison, and North Dakota settled for a tie at home against the Gophers opponent next weekend, Bemidji State. That leaves the Gophers tied with UND, just two points behind SCSU, in the race for the McNaughton Cup.
* Gophers finally got one halfway through the second period after being shut out for four periods, and an overtime period against UMD. After they scored, the floodgates opened up in the third period, when Minnesota got four more. For most of the game, they couldn't buy a goal despite several golden chances. You started to get the feeling that the Gophers might be slumping, and it was just a question of how many games they would go on a scoring draught. The third period relieved that worry, and hopefully they just hit a temporary power outage.
* Minnesota did not take care of the puck in their own zone. On at least three occasions tonight, the Gophers coughed the puck up in front of their own net with nobody pressuring them.
* DU got hosed on a few calls by the officials in last night's game, but still managed the win. Tonight it was the Gophers turn to be on the bitter end of the officiating, but they were also able to overcome it. If there's one thing I will not miss about the WCHA, it's the Officiating. Don't worry, I'll find plenty to complain about with the B1G.
* Seemed like Ben Marshall handled the puck quite a bit more this weekend. He started a lot of rushes out of the Minnesota zone, and joined the offense on a few occasions in the Denver end. He handled the puck well, and I never really saw his up ice play hurt the Gophers defensively.
* Coming into this weekend, Denver was supposed to be terrible on Olympic sized rinks, according to sources within the Pioneer "family". They were also the most penalized team in the country, while the Gophers had the best power play in the nation. Sounds like this weekend should have been lopsided in the Gophers favor. After Friday night, I think we're relieved to get the split tonight.
* Denver Coach George Gwozdecky went with Sam Brittain in the nets tonight after a solid performance by Juho Olkinuora last night in the 1-0 shutout. I didn't understand that. If DU wins, Gwozdecky looks like a genius. But they lost. Gotta question the logic sitting a hot goalie. We'll take it though.
* Culvers!
Here are the post game comments:
Minnesota Head Coach Don Lucia:
Regarding their bounce back win… "I like the way we played. I thought it was a much better game tonight on both sides. There was more energy to the game. From the start our guys played with the effort you have to have to beat a good team. I felt tonight was like a playoff game. From start to finish it was hard fought. I thought we got to the net harder, and with more desire. It paid some dividends for us tonight. We had to have it in order to win. I give our guys credit. Our top end guys played much better tonight and with more resolve, and I thought we dictated the game much better tonight. Important third period for us. Obviously we got some help around the league, and we've still got a fighting chance going into the last weekend"
Regarding the lines… "I had it set up, and then I kind of wanted to go back to where we were earlier in the year. Give us a little bit more balance. I like it when we have a team that I feel comfortable playing three lines against anybody. With our grouping tonight, I did. It is a work in progress. We moved some guys and took a guy out. We're always tinkering. Until you get things settled. The guys responded. I thought Travis Boyd had a great game tonight, was very noticeable"
Regarding the Gophers first goal… "Get it over the line any way you can. The way (Sam) Brittain was playing, it was like, I've seen this before from the Denver goalie. We were finally able to get the one, and then obviously the great goal from Bjugstad on a nice passing play on the power play. And then Justin (Holl) jumped over the boards, timely change where he's coming in late, and sometimes you get lost in those situations. He made a nice shot"
Regarding the standings… "I wasn't worried about it tonight, I really wasn't. Going in you hope you get some help, but unless we take care of what we need to do, it doesn't matter. The guys knew that we're not far from first. But hey, there are some teams in the rear view mirror that are right there too. So now, a bunch of teams are going to head on the road next week, and somebody's will win it"
Erik Haula:
Regarding the game… "Great sixty minute game. Overall, everyone in the lineup contributed, and a great goal by Justin Holl who usually doesn't score. And it all helped us win. As leaders, we've gotta be on guys, and make sure we're ready. And then come out and play a sixty minute game every night"
Regarding the play of his line… "I think our line played really well today. Give those guys a lot of credit. We talked about getting to the net today, and I think we did a good job at it. I think on a consistent basis we got to the net, and got us some offensive zone time"
Regarding their bounce back win… "Obviously, it wasn't pretty last night after the game. We didn't play like we were supposed to, and we didn't have the effort like we should. It's understandable, the coaches are gonna be on us, because they know what we're capable of. Today was a great effort"
Regarding finally getting a goal this weekend… "I was thinking, I'm going to lose my mind if we wouldn't have scored there. I had a semi-breakaway before that, and kind of an open net. I don't know how he saved that. I'm happy that Zach (Budish) got a couple of goals today, and Sam (Warning) got one. So, I'm fine as long as we win"
Regarding the standings… "I don't think we really check the scores. That was probably the least of our worries. We just tried to focus on what we can do, and take the next step as a team after last nights game, and I think our guys did a great job"
Nick Bjugstad:
Regarding his power play goal… "Our power play was struggling all last night, and all of tonight. We drew it up on the board, and thought of some ways to get the puck in, because our zone entrance on the power play was struggling. Thank god we got it in, and Erik (Haula) made a great pass to me. I was on one knee when I took the shot, so i dropped to two knees. Kind of a dramatic cellie, I don't know, just glad it went in. They did pretty good on the penalty kill, and we were not doing our best. Our percentage the last twenty power plays has been pretty bad. So, I think that was huge for us to get a power play goal there, and we kept pouring it in after. Against these guys, they sat on the blue line. So we just had to slow it down. Our chips really weren't working, because they were getting to the pucks. We just had to make sure we slowed it down, and got it to our flanks, and sustained pressure"
Regarding their bounce back win… "Last night we got shut out, we were really disappointed. Coaches got on us, which we really deserved. Every once in a while we need a reminder. I mean, we're college kids. So every once in a while we need a kick in the butt. I think that was good. Better than having it happen in the playoffs. Obviously we needed the two points, but sounds like around the WCHA we got lucky with some scores. We responded tonight, which is good. We showed what a hard working team we can be. All four of our lines, all of our D, and our goalie pitched in, so it was a good all around game. We've gotta stay focused in practice. All of our older guys here gotta make sure we're stepping up here these last couple of weeks. We've gotta make sure we're preparing right, both on the ice and off the ice. Coaches do a good job of getting us ready for whatever team we're playing. We know the kind of style Bemidji (State) plays, so it will be kind of fun going up there"
Regarding the strong finish… "Their goalie was playing pretty well. At the start of the game we had some chances. At the end we got some big goals out of (Sam) Warning and (Justin) Holl. Speaking of Holl, he's done a great job. He's working hard, and he really deserved that goal. It was a great pass by (Travis) Boyd as well. Everyone contributed"
Regarding Senior Night… "It was kinda weird just having one Senior out there this year. Hopefully we'll have a few more Seniors out there next year. It was cool seeing Helgie (Seth Helgeson) out there by himself"
The Gophers will take on the Bemidji State Beavers next weekend at the Sanford Center in Bemidji. Game time is 7:30 PM (Central) Friday, and 7:00 PM (Central) on Saturday. The games will be broadcast on Fox Sports North (Fox Sports North PLUS on Saturday).
Here is what I saw.
* After perhaps the worst night of hockey this year Friday night, Saturday night couldn't have gotten much better. The Gophers had a big third period on their way to a win, while first place St. Cloud State lost at home, Nebraska-Omaha lost in Madison, and North Dakota settled for a tie at home against the Gophers opponent next weekend, Bemidji State. That leaves the Gophers tied with UND, just two points behind SCSU, in the race for the McNaughton Cup.
* Gophers finally got one halfway through the second period after being shut out for four periods, and an overtime period against UMD. After they scored, the floodgates opened up in the third period, when Minnesota got four more. For most of the game, they couldn't buy a goal despite several golden chances. You started to get the feeling that the Gophers might be slumping, and it was just a question of how many games they would go on a scoring draught. The third period relieved that worry, and hopefully they just hit a temporary power outage.
* Minnesota did not take care of the puck in their own zone. On at least three occasions tonight, the Gophers coughed the puck up in front of their own net with nobody pressuring them.
* DU got hosed on a few calls by the officials in last night's game, but still managed the win. Tonight it was the Gophers turn to be on the bitter end of the officiating, but they were also able to overcome it. If there's one thing I will not miss about the WCHA, it's the Officiating. Don't worry, I'll find plenty to complain about with the B1G.
* Seemed like Ben Marshall handled the puck quite a bit more this weekend. He started a lot of rushes out of the Minnesota zone, and joined the offense on a few occasions in the Denver end. He handled the puck well, and I never really saw his up ice play hurt the Gophers defensively.
* Coming into this weekend, Denver was supposed to be terrible on Olympic sized rinks, according to sources within the Pioneer "family". They were also the most penalized team in the country, while the Gophers had the best power play in the nation. Sounds like this weekend should have been lopsided in the Gophers favor. After Friday night, I think we're relieved to get the split tonight.
* Denver Coach George Gwozdecky went with Sam Brittain in the nets tonight after a solid performance by Juho Olkinuora last night in the 1-0 shutout. I didn't understand that. If DU wins, Gwozdecky looks like a genius. But they lost. Gotta question the logic sitting a hot goalie. We'll take it though.
* Culvers!
Here are the post game comments:
Minnesota Head Coach Don Lucia:
Regarding their bounce back win… "I like the way we played. I thought it was a much better game tonight on both sides. There was more energy to the game. From the start our guys played with the effort you have to have to beat a good team. I felt tonight was like a playoff game. From start to finish it was hard fought. I thought we got to the net harder, and with more desire. It paid some dividends for us tonight. We had to have it in order to win. I give our guys credit. Our top end guys played much better tonight and with more resolve, and I thought we dictated the game much better tonight. Important third period for us. Obviously we got some help around the league, and we've still got a fighting chance going into the last weekend"
Regarding the lines… "I had it set up, and then I kind of wanted to go back to where we were earlier in the year. Give us a little bit more balance. I like it when we have a team that I feel comfortable playing three lines against anybody. With our grouping tonight, I did. It is a work in progress. We moved some guys and took a guy out. We're always tinkering. Until you get things settled. The guys responded. I thought Travis Boyd had a great game tonight, was very noticeable"
Regarding the Gophers first goal… "Get it over the line any way you can. The way (Sam) Brittain was playing, it was like, I've seen this before from the Denver goalie. We were finally able to get the one, and then obviously the great goal from Bjugstad on a nice passing play on the power play. And then Justin (Holl) jumped over the boards, timely change where he's coming in late, and sometimes you get lost in those situations. He made a nice shot"
Regarding the standings… "I wasn't worried about it tonight, I really wasn't. Going in you hope you get some help, but unless we take care of what we need to do, it doesn't matter. The guys knew that we're not far from first. But hey, there are some teams in the rear view mirror that are right there too. So now, a bunch of teams are going to head on the road next week, and somebody's will win it"
Erik Haula:
Regarding the game… "Great sixty minute game. Overall, everyone in the lineup contributed, and a great goal by Justin Holl who usually doesn't score. And it all helped us win. As leaders, we've gotta be on guys, and make sure we're ready. And then come out and play a sixty minute game every night"
Regarding the play of his line… "I think our line played really well today. Give those guys a lot of credit. We talked about getting to the net today, and I think we did a good job at it. I think on a consistent basis we got to the net, and got us some offensive zone time"
Regarding their bounce back win… "Obviously, it wasn't pretty last night after the game. We didn't play like we were supposed to, and we didn't have the effort like we should. It's understandable, the coaches are gonna be on us, because they know what we're capable of. Today was a great effort"
Regarding finally getting a goal this weekend… "I was thinking, I'm going to lose my mind if we wouldn't have scored there. I had a semi-breakaway before that, and kind of an open net. I don't know how he saved that. I'm happy that Zach (Budish) got a couple of goals today, and Sam (Warning) got one. So, I'm fine as long as we win"
Regarding the standings… "I don't think we really check the scores. That was probably the least of our worries. We just tried to focus on what we can do, and take the next step as a team after last nights game, and I think our guys did a great job"
Nick Bjugstad:
Regarding his power play goal… "Our power play was struggling all last night, and all of tonight. We drew it up on the board, and thought of some ways to get the puck in, because our zone entrance on the power play was struggling. Thank god we got it in, and Erik (Haula) made a great pass to me. I was on one knee when I took the shot, so i dropped to two knees. Kind of a dramatic cellie, I don't know, just glad it went in. They did pretty good on the penalty kill, and we were not doing our best. Our percentage the last twenty power plays has been pretty bad. So, I think that was huge for us to get a power play goal there, and we kept pouring it in after. Against these guys, they sat on the blue line. So we just had to slow it down. Our chips really weren't working, because they were getting to the pucks. We just had to make sure we slowed it down, and got it to our flanks, and sustained pressure"
Regarding their bounce back win… "Last night we got shut out, we were really disappointed. Coaches got on us, which we really deserved. Every once in a while we need a reminder. I mean, we're college kids. So every once in a while we need a kick in the butt. I think that was good. Better than having it happen in the playoffs. Obviously we needed the two points, but sounds like around the WCHA we got lucky with some scores. We responded tonight, which is good. We showed what a hard working team we can be. All four of our lines, all of our D, and our goalie pitched in, so it was a good all around game. We've gotta stay focused in practice. All of our older guys here gotta make sure we're stepping up here these last couple of weeks. We've gotta make sure we're preparing right, both on the ice and off the ice. Coaches do a good job of getting us ready for whatever team we're playing. We know the kind of style Bemidji (State) plays, so it will be kind of fun going up there"
Regarding the strong finish… "Their goalie was playing pretty well. At the start of the game we had some chances. At the end we got some big goals out of (Sam) Warning and (Justin) Holl. Speaking of Holl, he's done a great job. He's working hard, and he really deserved that goal. It was a great pass by (Travis) Boyd as well. Everyone contributed"
Regarding Senior Night… "It was kinda weird just having one Senior out there this year. Hopefully we'll have a few more Seniors out there next year. It was cool seeing Helgie (Seth Helgeson) out there by himself"
The Gophers will take on the Bemidji State Beavers next weekend at the Sanford Center in Bemidji. Game time is 7:30 PM (Central) Friday, and 7:00 PM (Central) on Saturday. The games will be broadcast on Fox Sports North (Fox Sports North PLUS on Saturday).