The Minnesota Gopher Hockey team escaped with a win last night so how will they come out tonight? How will Bemidji State come out after playing a very solid game last night? Will either team make adjustments after such a close game? It’s always difficult to end a team’s season so expect a very competitive game!
Line Chart – Minnesota Golden Gophers
Left Wing – Center – Right Wing
Kyle Rau-7 – Nick Bjugstad-27 – Christian Isackson-26
Nate Condon-16 – Erik Haula-19 – Zach Budish-24
Tom Serratore-14 – Travis Boyd-22 – Seth Ambroz-17
Jake Parenteau-6 – AJ Michaelson-15 – Justin Holl-12
Left Defenseman – Right Defenseman
Brady Skjei-2 – Nate Schmidt-29
Seth Helgeson-4 – Ben Marshall-10
Mike Reilly-5 – Mark Alt-20
Goalie
Adam Wilcox-32
Mike Shibrowski-1
Scratches: G-Matt LaPrade-30, F-Ryan Reilly-9, F-Christian Horn-18, F-Jared Larson-23
Injured: F-Connor Reilly-21, G-Ryan Coyne-31, F-Sam Warning-11
Line Chart – Bemidji State Beavers
Left Wing – Center – Right Wing
Jordan George-28 – Aaron McLeod-14 – Ben Kinne-9
Brance Orban-7 – Jeff Jubinville-12 – Phil Brewer-29
Radoslav Illo-18 – Cory Ward-13 – Danny Mattson-16
Markus Gerbrandt-23 – Mitch Cain-27 – Brad Robbins-17
Left Defenseman – Right Defenseman
Jake Areshenko-8 – Brady Wacker-25
Matt Prapavessis-22 – Graeme McCormack-11
Sam Rendle-20 – Sam Windle-15
Goalie
Andrew Walsh-30
Mathieu Dugas-35
Scratches/Injured: G-Reid Mimmack-1, D-James Hansen-3, D-Matt Carlson-5, D-Kyle Brodie-26, F-David Boehm-4, F-Tyler Tosunian-19, F-Matt Hartmann-21
Looks like identical lineups for both teams. No reason for changes from a close game. Sam Warning is still out because of injury. Apparently he was injured in practice during the week and is week-to-week at this point. That’s a tough loss for the Gophers. Warning has been tremendous this season!
Let’s DROP THE CLUTTERPUCK!!!
1st Period
- Nice job of putting the graphic up during the play blocking the majority of the bottom half of the screen. That’s brilliant, FSN! Brilliant!
- Seem to be late on the graphics tonight! Did someone important show up late or something?
- Nate Schmidt skates in and has an opportunity to shoot with Travis Boyd near and he decides to give it to Boyd for him to shoot!
- Ummm…NO! I’ll pick the Schmidt slapper over pretty much anyone else on the Gophers. Knock the Schmidt out of it!
- Maybe Bjugstad’s one-timer? Maybe!
- “The Gophers, when Kyle Rau tallies at least a scoring point, are 22-1-1! He had two scoring points last night, a goal and an assist!” – FSN announcer Doug McLeod
- What the hell is a scoring point, Doug McLeod?
- Can you have a different kind of point in a hockey game?
- There’s goals and assists! Ginos & Apples! What other points are there?
- A point of +/-?
- No! That would be a stat!
- A hit, a takeaway, a blocked shot, a save, a win, a loss, a goal against, a goal for, a shot?
- Let’s see…no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no and…uhhh….NO!
- What the hell is he talking about?
- PENALTY – Nick Bjugstad for Boarding on Phil Brewer at 16:18 of the 1st period – Phil Brewer has the puck at the left half-wall and Nick Bjugstad pushes him into the boards and the official calls him for boarding.
- A borderline call, maybe. Not sure if it should be called in a playoff game or not? It’s debatable. I could go either way on it.
- It was a somewhat dangerous spot to push a guy but he wasn’t facing the boards and he didn’t turn late so it appears Bjugstad is just a strong kid and able to push guys off the puck. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a penalty though.
- GOAL! (POWER PLAY) – Jordan George from Ben Kinne & Radoslav Illo at 16:49 of the 1st period – The Beavers are working the puck around on the power play at the top of the zone trying to get Adam Wilcox moving by going cross-ice and setting up a one-timer. Matt Prapavessis fakes a slap shot at the center of the blue line and passes it back to Radoslav Illo at the top of the right face-off circle for a low one-timer slap shot. Wilcox makes the save but the puck drops right next to his right leg pad. Ben Kinne tries to jam it in (or through) Wilcox but its stopped and the puck comes right back out. Kinne tries again but this time the puck goes off the toe of his stick, goes through Nate Schmidt’s legs and Jordan George is there to pick up the loose puck and put it in the open net. BEAVERS 1-0!!!
- Adam Wilcox has to control that rebound!
- Travis Boyd and Tom Serratore were doing fine covering the point but then Boyd goes from Prapavessis to Illo forcing Serratore to switch but then Boyd gives Illo too much space by going back to the middle. That caused both Serratore and Boyd to be in the middle at the same time when Prapavessis faked the shot.
- Not sure if Boyd called for a switch or is just trying to do too much.
- From the replay, it looks like Boyd was just following the puck which is usually bad for the kill.
- Need to have all four penalty killers working together to cover the whole area.
2nd Period
- FSN really bothers me with missing face-offs and live action by showing the bench and replays and not getting back to live quick enough.
- A gopher shot hit the post and an icing happens somewhat soon after it but FSN shows Ben Marshall on the bench for like 15 seconds and then goes to a replay and you can here the puck being dropped while they are still showing the replay!
- Why does it take that long to get to the replay?
- Brady Skjei receives a pass from Nick Bjugstad at the right point. He has to catch it and then shoot so it gets blocked but he gets it back and skates in behind the goal line, around the goal and comes around the net on his backhand and just flicks it low!
- That’s a great scoring chance but you have to try to get the puck high there.
- Skjei didn’t come around the net with much speed so Andrew Walsh was already there blocking the low part of the net.
- Work on those backhands so you can get it up high really quickly for those in close scoring chances!
- Work on every part of your backhand if you ask me! UNLEASH THE BACKHAND!
- Passing
- Shooting
- Handling the puck
- Strength
- Accuracy
- GOAL! – Corey Ward from Sam Rendle & Sam Windle at 9:27 of the 2nd period – Sam Windle floats the puck through the neutral trying to get it to Radoslav Illo but Christian Isackson gets his glove on it but not full possession. The puck lands near the Gopher bench. A bouncing puck eludes Isackson & Illo gets possession at the red line, turns up ice and passes to Danny Mattson at the left of the Gopher blue line. He gets by a Ben Marshall poke check, skates to the wall and turns toward the goal only to be met by Kyle Rau but he’s able to pull the puck back and pass it cross-ice to Sam Windle. Windle makes a one-time pass to Sam Rendle and he catches and takes a low snap shot. Corey Ward had driven the net as soon as the Beavers entered the zone but turned towards the left boards when Mattson was met by Rau. He got back to the net, fighting through the defense of Seth Helgeson to get his stick on the shot and deflecting it over Adam Wilcox’ left pad and it’s BEAVERS 2-0!!!
- The Gopher defense wasn’t horrible on this play but there are a few things that could’ve helped.
- The transition was ok but Nick Bjugstad and Christian Isackson get too low in their own zone and don’t cover the defense that are trailing the play.
- Isackson chases Radoslav Illo when he should just hand him off to Ben Marshall and go defend the point. His guy was who shot the puck.
- He gets out to him and goes down to block the shot which is good but it looks like he had time to get his stick in front of the puck and deflect it from ever hitting the net.
- Bjugstad gets to his man but wasn’t close enough to him to make a play on the pass and because he wasn’t close enough to him, that allowed him to be open for a pass.
- Seth Helgeson does an ok job of defending Corey Ward but he doesn’t get the most important part of him and that’s his stick.
- Credit Ward for battling through the check to get his stick in the shooting lane!
- PENALTY – Jordan George for Tripping on Mike Reilly at 15:26 of the 2nd period – Mark Alt pinched and is in the right corner and makes a centering pass but nobody is there except Jordan George. He turns and starts skating out of his zone and the Gophers only have Mike Reilly back on defense. Erik Haula quickly back checks and gets to George before he leaves the zone making him lose the puck. The puck goes far enough forward for Mike Reilly to pick it up and skate back into his own zone. He has George forechecking him now so Reilly fakes a move one way then goes the other way and George gets his stick in Reilly’s skates tripping him up and getting a visit to the penalty box for it.
- GOAL (POWER PLAY) – Nick Bjugstad from Kyle Rau & Erik Haula at 15:33 of the 2nd period – Nick Bjugstad wins the face-off back to Erik Haula at the right point. Haula skates down the right boards taking a look at what his options are and passes to Kyle Rau below the goal line in the right corner. Rau takes the puck to the net as soon as he gets it then makes a move around the stick of Jake Areshenko and then passes it to Nick Bjugstad, who had skated around to the left face-off dot after winning the face-off at the right face-off dot, and he has nothing but an open net to shoot at and the Gophers get on the board! GOPHERS 1-2!!!
- Hard to say the defense played that wrong.
- Maybe Areshenko can get down to try to block Rau from getting to the net or blocking the passing lane but it’s easy to second-guess now.
- Just a great aggressive play by Kyle Rau!
- He sees Nick Bjugstad open and gets him the puck when the defense thought he was just going to go to the net with it!
- GOAL! – Jeff Jubinville from Phil Brewer & Brance Orban at 15:47 of the 2nd period – It takes the Beavers all of 14 seconds to get their 2-goal lead back! The Gophers win the ensuing face-off and Nate Schmidt takes it down the right boards and tries to pass to Travis Boyd but the puck hits Sam Rendle in the skates and deflects back towards the boards. Brance Orban is the first to get there. Tom Serratore stayed back at the blue line when Nate Schmidt pinched so he forces Orban to make a play and Orban makes a cross-ice pass to Phil Brewer coming up the right of the neutral zone. Jake Parenteau reads the play and tries to intercept the pass but doesn’t get his stick on it. That send Brewer in all alone on Adam Wilcox. He tries to five-hole but Wilcox has it covered but the puck rebounds back out in the slot and Jeff Jubinville gets to it and flips it up into the right corner over the glove of Adam Wilcox and its BEAVERS 3-1!!!
- Jeff Jubinville was one of the furthest guys back in the zone when the puck was turned over. He was at his own goal line and got on his horse and drove the net and got there for the rebound and a big goal for the Beavers!
- He passed every Gopher except Nate Schmidt on the way to the net!
- Schmidt was on his horse and got there to disrupt the shot of Brewer.
- Tom Serratore had Jubinville but Jubinville battled through it to get to the puck!
- I think a couple Gopher players hesitated when it looked like Jake Parenteau might intercept the pass.
- Should Jake Parenteau try to intercept the pass as the last guy back?
- It’s easy to say no after they give up a goal because of it but if he does intercept it than the Gophers might get a scoring chance so….that’s Hockey!!!
- He probably doesn’t try that if the Gophers aren’t down by a goal!
- GOAL! – Nate Condon from Erik Haula & Zach Budish at 18:54 of the 2nd period – The puck is deep in the Gopher zone. Zach Budish gets it in the right corner but loses in on the rail. Danny Mattson gets to it and tries to pass it back to Radoslav Illo near the right point but since the puck is on the rail, his pass goes in the air and Illo has to knock it down. It gets past him a little bit so Erik Haula tries to get to it and go up ice but Illo reaches back and quickly tries to dump it back in the zone. Zach Budish has now moved up the boards so he’s there to stop the puck from going deep into the zone and passes to Erik Haula at center ice. Haula, skating across the red line, catches the pass and basically leaves it for Nate Condon who’s coming up the center of the ice. Haula then turns up ice and follows Condon into the zone. Condon gets over the blue line and drops the puck to Haula and drives the net. Haula gets the puck and is looking to take a shot. Sam Windle is playing back on defense so he stops to try to keep Haula from shooting but Haula pulls the puck in to change the angle of the shot and gets it to go through Windle’s legs. Condon driving the net makes defenseman Jake Areshenko go with him clogging the view of Andrew Walsh and the shooting lane and the puck ends up hitting Condon in the right leg deflecting through Walsh’s five-hole and slowly going over the goal line & its GOPHERS 2-3!!!
- Danny Mattson should probably try to keep the puck deep rather than throw it back towards the blue line in the air. Keep the puck deep! You have a 2-goal lead!
- Don’t help your opponent break out of their zone by sending the puck back towards your end!
- The Beaver defense had a pretty big gap giving Erik Haula the time and space to get a shot off.
- Simply getting the shot off with Nate Condon driving the net turned that play into a goal!
- Don’t make the game too difficult! Do the little things like driving to the net, shooting the puck and keeping the puck deep!
- Huge goal late in the 2nd period to get the Gophers within one goal!
- Late Goals Are Money!!!
- PENALTY – Matt Prapavessis for Interference on Kyle Rau at 19:44 of the 2nd period – With the Gophers feeling some momentum, they sustain some offense in the Beaver zone and Seth Helgeson dumps the puck to the right corner. Kyle Rau was in front of the net with Matt Prapvessis and he tries to get around him to get to the puck and Prapavessis gets his stick up high and ends up knocking Rau down getting an interference call with only 16 seconds left in the period.
- Kyle Rau appears to go down pretty easy there but looking at the replay, he was in awkward place with Prapavessis arm and stick up around his head area.
- I’m not saying he’s innocent, I’m just saying don’t be so quick to judge until you see the whole play.
- He’s been moving his feet and making things happen in the playoffs.
3rd Period
- The Gophers have come out with a lot of energy in the 3rd period playing with confidence and a sense of urgency and purpose to tie this game up!
- Travis Boyd steals a pass from Matt Prapavessis, goes to the net and gets taken down by Prapavessis but no call is made by the “WCHA Officials.”
- Clear trip as Prapavessis chopped down at Boyd’s stick then hits his skate and Boyd goes down! That is usually called tripping but….this is the playoffs? I don’t know!
- GOAL! – AJ Michaelson from Erik Haula & Zach Budish at 7:38 of the 3rd period – Nate Schmidt skates the puck into the center of the Beaver zone with Zach Budish on the left boards and Erik Haula on his right. All five Beaver players go to Schmidt so he dumps it into the left corner. Budish gets to the puck just before Graeme McCormack but there’s a battle for it along the back boards. Erik Haula had come in on Schmidt’s right and skated around the net, past Budish & McCormack to the left half-wall. Budish comes out with the puck and passes it to Haula. The pass was in the air and off the boards so Haula has to control the pass and just takes a shot on goal. The puck was on edge so it kind of knuckles on Andrew Walsh and he leaves a juicy rebound that AJ Michaelson picks up, moves to his backhand and puts in the open net. The game is TIED AT 3!!!
- More puck-watching by the Beavers on defense!
- Both Phil Brewer and Radoslav Illo are in front of the net just standing there. They both see the shot from Erik Haula and neither of them move to get to a possible rebound until they see it. That’s too late, boys!
- AJ Michaelson had just come off the bench on a line change for Nate Condon.
- Brewer turned his head but just kept standing there like Michaelson was another teammates player to cover.
- Confusion on who Brewer should be covering? He’s a wing, his center was on the left point and Illo isn’t usually on his line.
- I have to believe that Brewer thinks he’s covering one of the d but he was still just watching the puck.
- McCormack has to win a battle! Get better position on Budish because he’s a big, strong forward!
- He had the inside line on the puck, probably could’ve gotten his stick on it before Budish and he had his skate right next to the puck but he focused on Budish, not the puck!
- Hard to win a battle for the puck if you don’t know where it is!
- Matt Prapavessis was covering Haula but slowed down to take a whack at Budish when he came out with the puck. That left Haula open and with enough time to control the pass and just get a shot off.
- If you can’t get to the player you’re defending/covering, at the very least take an angle that will block the shot or get in the shooting lane or get your stick on the shot.
- or….get back to the front of the net! Clear rebounds! Get a body on someone!
- More talk on the defense would’ve helped so everyone knows who they have to cover.
- Andrew Walsh would probably like that one back since he left a juicy rebound.
- GOAL! – Ben Marshall UNASSISTED at 19:07 of the 3rd period – Nate Condon tries to skate the puck in the left of the Beaver zone and gets by Sam Windle and the puck is cleared to the neutral zone. It’s picked up by Ben Marshall by the Gopher bench and he sees the Beavers making a line change so he sees an opportunity to make a play. He has a step on Corey Ward and the defenseman don’t have enough speed going backwards so he goes in at the center of the blue line going to the right, gets around Jake Areshenko and heads in on Andrew Walsh on his backhand and fires for the five-hole and scores with 58 seconds left in regulation!!! GOPHERS 4-3!!!
- That’s Ben Marshall being Ben Marshall!!! That is how you GOPHER IT!!!
- I see Ben Marshall saying to himself, “Are they really changing right now? I’m Ben Marshall!!! THIS IS MY TIME!!!”
- DONE!!!
- Bad change? Maybe because it was 3 players at the same time but…
- As a defenseman, if there’s only one player coming at you on offense and he has no help, you take the body and forget about the puck!
- Could Jake Areshenko have taken the body on Ben Marshall there and stopped the scoring chance?
- Bottom line is the odds are better for taking the body than the puck in that situation! Even if he gets only a piece of him, he disrupts the play and with teammates coming that’s all he has to do. His teammates can pick up the loose change!
- Bemidji State tries to dump it in off a tip to get the puck deep and it goes to Nate Schmidt and he snaps it out of the zone but it goes for an icing! Face-off in the Gopher zone to Adam Wilcox’ left with 1.6 seconds left!
- Corey Ward tries to slap the face-off at the net but it goes wide and this one is over!
FINAL SCORE
Minnesota Gophers 5, Bemidji State Beavers 1
The Gophers may have escaped this game as well since they were trailing 2-0 halfway through the game! Yes, it’s the playoffs and the Beavers had a good game plan but should they have trouble beating the Beavers? or is that just playoff hockey? Is it better for a team to have to battle to win a couple close games early in the playoffs or to easily win a couple games? or does it matter either way just as long as you get the win? Tell us what you think in the comments!
Gopher Hockey Recap from GopherSports.com – Marshall’s Late Goal Sends Gophers to WCHA Final Five
Gopher Hockey Box Score from GopherSports.com – Minnesota-BSU Stats
Gopher Hockey Recap from BSUBeavers.com – Beavers fall, 4-3, to Minnesota to end season
In other WCHA College Hockey action tonight,
Home=”vs”, Away=”@”
* Colorado College won @ Denver 2-1
* Nebraska-Omaha won @ Minnesota State 2-1
* St. Cloud State won vs Alaska-Anchorage 5-1
* Michigan Tech won @ North Dakota 2-1
* Wisconsin won vs Minnesota-Duluth 4-1
In other College Hockey action,
Home=”vs”, Away=”@”
* Quinnipiac won vs Cornell 10-0
* After losing 3-2 in Game 1, the Bobcats took their anger out on Cornell in Game 2! WOW!
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