Game thread Sat Jan 24. @Wisconsin

[Bob Miller]

Is the offensive dominance fool's gold that will give way in tournament play if the defense and goaltending don't improve?

Every game is important, now especially, for placement in the PWR. Minnesota could have really helped Michigan in that regard with a win over Minnesota St. All a team can do is win the games in front of them.

 

[clevelandcane]

I think Michigan got used to the ice size and once they did it was on. I am thinking the dominance will continue tonight (knock on wood 3 times) in terms of goals and puck control. I see no reason why Naelvoort wouldn't start.

Question; where was Boo yesterday? Sick? Hurt? Otherwise?

I'm thinking 6-2, Blue.

 

[Bob Miller]

Confirmed...

...that Boo Nieves was out last night due to illness. Not sure of his status for tonight.

 

[Puckhead]

Pretty much the same line up as last night, except Nagelvoort...

will get the start. Sinelli is still listed as a defenseman along with De Jong so playing 7 defensemen and there is still no listed center on the fourth line. Nieves still a scratch.

 

[Puckhead]

Michigan has taken a 1-0 lead very early in the game, Larkin off Rumpel (nm

x

 

[Puckhead]

Hyman with a marker of his own. 2 minutes in and Michigan up 2-0 (nm)

x

 

[Puckhead]

The Hyman goal has chased Rumpel from the game, wow (nm)

x

 

[mgobob]

On the net
http://wpt.org/watch/watch-wisconsin-channel-online

 

[Puckhead]

5:25 to play, still 2-0 Michigan (nm)

x

 

[Puckhead]

4:14 to play Calderone makes it 3-0 Michigan (nm)

x

 

[Puckhead]

Werenski makes it 4-0 with under 2 to play (nm)

x

 

[Puckhead]

After 1 period of play, it's Michigan 4, Wisconsin 0 (nm)

x

 

[Puckhead]

18:44 to play, Hyman with #2, and Michigan up 5-0 (nm)

x

 

[Puckhead]

14:50 to play in 2nd, still 5-0 Michigan (nm)

x

 

[Puckhead]

7:29 to play in 2nd, still 5-0 Michigan (nm)

x

 

[Puckhead]

After 2 periods, it's Michigan 5, Wisconsin 0 (nm)

x

 

[Puckhead]

The third is about to get underway (nm)

x

 

[Puckhead]

13:55 top lay, still 5-0 Michigan (nm)

x

 

[Puckhead]

10 Minutes to play and still 5-0 Michigan (nm)

x

 

[Puckhead]

5:14 to play, Werenski with his 2nd, 6-0 Michigan (nm)

x

 

[Puckhead]

Packer you are popular with the Wisconsin TV guys (nm)

x

 

[Puckhead]

Last minute to play, still 6-0 Michigan (nm)

x

 

[Puckhead]

Final, Michigan 6, Wisconsin 0, Shutout and sweep, great weekend (nm)

x

 

[Puckhead]

Weekend sweep moves Michigan up 4 spots in Pairwise, now #12 (nm)

x

 

[Packer487]

Re: Packer you are popular with the Wisconsin TV guys (nm)

Heh, so I heard! I also crossed one off the bucket list tonight: Caught a puck in the third period. I've wanted one my entire life. I'm the happiest guy in the world right now.

Man Michigan is fun to watch with the puck. I kind of got the feeling that they could have scored as many as they wanted tonight. Pretty much put it in cruise control.

I was really happy to see Nagelvoort finish the shutout. He still looked a little shaky on his rebound control but a shutout has to help the confidence. They need him to get back toward what he was last year.

12th in the PWR right now. Climbing, climbing.
Posted from Rivals Mobile

 

[Bob Miller]

Re: Weekend sweep moves Michigan up 4 spots in Pairwise, now #12 (nm)

Minnesota didn't help Michigan's PWR at all with their weekend losses to Minnesota St. and Minnesota-Duluth. And, for those who follow the rankings, top-ranked Minnesota St. was upset last night by Bemidji St. in the second annual all-Minnesota tourney in St. Paul.

Thanks again for covering last evening, Steve.

 

[Bob Miller]

Very important question...

...for those of you who were there last night: how did Nagelvoort look?

 

[Capt28]

Re: Very important question...


Uh, bored - looking for the No Doz. He was essentially not tested in the first 2 periods (total 8 or 9 SOG for 2 periods). Wisconsin got a few good chances in the 3P and I would say that Nagelvoort had to make 3 Grade-A saves in the 3P - including one in the last 30 seconds to preserve his shutout when Downing had a brain cramp in his own zone.

One think I did notice about Zach from watching him last night from the third level - he handles the puck pretty well. He doesn't just come out and slow/stop the puck for his D-man. On several occasions he went behind the net and fired the puck around the boards to a Michigan player waiting on the half boards. On another occasion he had the puck and a Wisconsin player bearing down on him, and he waited, waited and then very deftly flipped the puck past the guy to a Michigan player.

But it's hard to tell given that Wisconsin is so completely lacking in offensive skills. It's really mind-boggling to see how unskilled they are. The good Wisconsin teams of past years might have scored 3 or 4 goals last night with the good chances they had, but these guys just flubbed them. Like, two or three times they ran the back-door play on the PP that they've killed us with in the past, and the shooter just fanned on it or shanked it.

Also, there must be something from a goalie's perspective about the angles in the bigger rink (although you would think the home team goalies would be used to it). Both of the Wisconsin goalies who played last night gave up an awful goal on a shot fired essentially from the end line, just like Nagelvoort did on Friday night.

 

[Packer487]

Re: Very important question...


The only thing I didn't like was that when he'd leave a rebound it didn't seem like he was real quick to track where it ended up. Other than that he was solid and did make three or four really nice stops. He also made a huge glove stop on Besse the night before when the outcome was still in doubt. The lone goal he gave up on the weekend was bad (another of those bad angle ones that he seems prone to) but I still think he's the better of the two goalies and I still think they can win a national championship with him in net.

The D did a pretty good job of helping him out and clearing rebounds as well.

I was telling some folks that Wisconsin might be the worst team I've seen in person since that Notre Dame year (Poulin's last year) when Michigan just railed them every time they played (except Game 2 of the CCHA series that ended up like 1-0 or something). They have 5 good players: Rumpel, LaBate (who is a SUPER nice kid by the way....we ran into him at a restaurant after the game), Dougherty, Schulze, and Besse. When the LaBate/Besse line was out there, they could actually get some offense going (hence why their power play had success this weekend--all four of the skaters I singled out were out there). When they aren't on the ice, there's absolutely nothing. What's scary if you're a Badger fan is that at least 2 of those five (Rumpel/LaBate) are gone after this year. (Also it's worth nothing that Eaves felt the need to bench 4 of the 5 of them for periods of time during Saturday's game, so even they aren't always bright spots.) That's a bad, bad hockey team.

 

[Capt28]

Re: Very important question...

Packer, I was wondering if there is any chatter around Madison to the effect of Eaves is too old, he's over the hill, the game has passed him by, he can't recruit any more, he can't communicate with players any more, etc. etc. (the kind of stuff we've heard from time to time about Red once he turned 70 . . . .)

 

[Packer487]

Re: Very important question...

Originally posted by Capt28:
Packer, I was wondering if there is any chatter around Madison to the effect of Eaves is too old, he's over the hill, the game has passed him by, he can't recruit any more, he can't communicate with players any more, etc. etc. (the kind of stuff we've heard from time to time about Red once he turned 70 . . . .)

Not that specifically, but definitely a good number of folks looking for a change. It'd be tough. Guy's been there like 13 years, won a title, 1 seed last year, but it's hard to excuse a two-win season. Something is really wrong there and it ain't just that they're young....
Posted from Rivals Mobile