This weekend saw some hopeful and depressing signs for the University
of Minnesota.
 
Lets list the hopeful:
 
The offensive potential that has been lacking all season long has
finally come. Well, for the last three games at least. Seven goals
against CC, six on Friday vs. Wisconsin, and five on Saturday. This
is easily the most goals scored in three games by the Gophers this
season.
 
And with that scoring potential comes a revitalized power play.
Minnesota was a remarkable 5 for 12 (or so, I haven't seen an
official box score) over the weekend, continuing to apply some good
man advantage pressure.
 
Brian Bonin has been hot very hot, gaining 6-5--11 in his last four
games. Co-captain Justin McHugh has also been one of the Gophers with
a hot hand.
 
It has been noted that Friday night Wisconsin was little more than an
observer in the hockey game, as Minnesota rolled over them 6-2,
including going up 4-0 in the first.
 
On Saturday, it looked like much the same, as Minnesota cruised to an
early 3-0 lead.
 
But now we start to get into the negatives for the weekend.
 
It appears that there is some sort of conservation law going on at
work in the Gopher hockey program, because when one thing starts to
work well, some other thing starts to fall apart.
 
With most everyone healthy (D Jason Godbout is out temporarily with a
deep thigh bruise sustained on Friday night), and the offense
clicking on all cylinders, it had to be the penalty killing and
defense that had to go.
 
Minnesota has consistently been one of the best defensive teams in
the country all season long. But you sure couldn't tell from the game
Saturday night. They squandered leads of 3-0 and 5-3 and let
Wisconsin back into the game.
 
That was really the difference between the two nights. Friday,
Wisconsin never really felt into the game, as far as I could tell.
Minnesota jumped to a significant early lead, and then clamped down.
But on Saturday, they allowed Wisconsin to get back into the game,
not once, but twice.
 
Credit Wisconsin for not giving up on Saturday, and using every bit
of momentum the Gophers gave them to build and build, until they led
the game. They partially exorcised some demons on Saturday, although
future meetings will tell how thoroughly.
 
Joe Bianchi looked pretty good on Saturday. I was doing a silent
"Tony was better!" chant in the back of my mind throughout the game.
And while it is certainly true now, it may not be in years to come.
He may develop into a heck of a hockey player.
 
Jeff Callinan was every bit as bad as I knew he could be. He let in
several soft goals over the course of the weekend, including a goal
that caught him, once again, flat footed nowhere near the net. He has
given up, by my count, five of these goals so far this season, all of
them costly. I know of no goalie who roams as far and as often as
Callinan who gets burned time and again. What will it take for him to
learn his lesson? I saw an interview with him earlier this season,
and he said skating around is his favorite part of the game. He
considers himself a "skating goalie". Aaaarrrrggghh!
 
Now a word about the non-goal, and then we won't mention it again.
There was plenty of illegal stuff happening in front of the net, but
before anyone could blow the whistle, Jed Fiebelkorn skated in with
the puck and dumped it in the net. Pure and simple, the puck crossed
the goal-line BEFORE the whistle sounded. It should have counted as a
goal.
 
I agree that the penalty occurred before the goal was scored, and the
refs were stopping play due to the penalty. But that doesn't change
when the whistle sounded, which is the key factor here. The puck was
in the net for a good period of time before the whistle blew. There
was no question about it. Play ends the moment the whistle blows, not
the moment a penalty is committed.
 
Facts are facts. Whether the spirit of the rule was satisfied or not,
the goal should have counted. And I believe that the penalties would
and should have been called just like they were, although I admit I
am not as sure about this. There was not a delayed penalty call, so I
don't think the power play would have been affected. But you could
also argue that the penalty allowed the goal to be scored, which is
why it was disallowed. I would be satisfied with that if it were not
for two factors:
 
1) The Gophers ended up on the power play, so it doesn't seem likely
the call was against them, and more importantly
 
2) The Wisconsin announcer could be clearly heard saying the whistle
blew before the goal was scored, which was patently not true.
 
But to put this to rest: the goal did not count, and it is pointless
arguing what would have happened if it had counted. It would be just
as meaningless to argue what would have happened if I were the
goalie, not Callinan. Or what would happen if the sky were purple,
not blue. The call was made, and nothing can be done. We hope for
better calls in the future. 'Nuff said.
 
So for the second weekend in a row, the Gophers split a series in
which they played better for the majority of the two games. Not to
say Wisconsin didn't play well, but I thought that Minnesota played
better for longer (and worse for shorter), even though they came up
short in one game. But the story of the season has been spilt series,
and this weekend was no exception.
 
Next weekend, the Gopher go to face the at-home struggling Michigan
Tech Huskies. And after that, they host a pair with UMD, one of the
hottest teams in the country.
 
Meanwhile, Wisconsin hosts two with North Dakota, which could be a
pair of challenging games for the Badgers. They may carry some of
Saturday's momentum with them. Time will tell.
 
                                                Lee-nerd
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"Violence is the last resort of the incompetent." --Isaac Asimov