I've said earlier that this year I would be very disappointed if Minnesota
did not manage to advance farther than they have the last two years.  Well,
I better get myself ready for a wake.  I'm fully confident that they will
beat Anchorage next week; those may be the last meaningful games they win
this year.
 
It's not even that the wheels have completely fallen off.  They're playing
almost as well as they did during the early stretches of that long unbeaten
streak.  Of course, that was the period when i was crying out that they
weren't playing as well as the record would indicate.  It's looking like I
was right back then.  They aren't getting the bounces now and can't
manufacture the play needed to just make things happen.
 
It's not even just that the Gophers are losing; for reasons discussed
previously, dropping a few seedings in the NCAAs might not be a bad idea
given the long lay-off they're facing.  But the way in which they are
losing is very frightening.  The MSC broadcasters went on a length about
how they're playing hard and were dominating the puck control and
outshooting Wisconsin almost 2-1 on the night.  Maybe, but that sounds a
lot like the trip to North Dakota (at least the second game) and last
Saturday's game in St. Cloud.  They're ignoring the other thing all these
games have in common: Minnesota is giving up four or five breakaways and
2-on-1s *per period*.  A total breakdown in this kind of coverage has
re-appeared in their game lately.  I'm not sure whether the defensemen are
getting really careless or whether the forwards are supposed to be coming
back much faster.  I suspect it's largely the latter, given the
aggressiveness with which Gopher defensemen press the attack.
 
The other thing that has to happen is for the scoring to open up.  The
Gophers' first two goals (the one's scored when there was still some sort
of contest) were by Moser and Crowley.  We're not getting any points from
beyond the first line and top defense pair.  Where are Checco and Kraft and
Hankinson, etc?  It can't be that they're all playing defense (see above).
 
I think that something has gotten completely out of whack.  Minnesota's
best scoring chance in the first period came on a 2-on-1 when Hankinson
passed the puck to Charlie Wasley in front of the net.  Wasley put it
straight into Daubenspeck's bread basket (something the whole team did
tonight.  Don't get me wrong; Daubenspeck played very well, but we made it
easy on him, all things considered).  This has happened a lot this year.
Defensemen in general and Wasley in particular have ended up on the
finishing end more times than I can count.  Wasley has a total of one goal
for the season.  He made a lot of good plays at the other end tonight, and
I certainly don't mind seeing him on the ice, but it ought to have become
clear by now that *he has no shot*!!!!  Shouldnt the systems that the team
run take this into account and try to work it so that someone else is on
the other side as Hankinson brings the puck up with only one defender back?
Wooger, there's only one Crowley, and he can't be on the ice all the time!
 
I'm back into my mode of muttering that this time has a long way to go if
they plan to be on the ice in Cincinnati.  Unfortunately, there isn't much
time to get it done.
 
J. Michael Jackson
 
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