Here is the prediction from the College Hockey News, they say Fighting Sioux in three games, I hope UND would end it faster than that. I would rather be sitting home relaxing rather than sweating out the results of a hockey game.
NO. 7 MINNESOTA AT NO. 4 NORTH DAKOTA
This season: 1-1-2; Oct. 16 at North Dakota (UND won 4-0), Oct. 17 at North Dakota (3-3 tie), Jan. 15 at Minnesota (3-3 tie), Jan. 16 at Minnesota (UM won 5-1)
This weekend: The key number to remember this weekend is three. The first team to score three goals will be in the driver's seat to get the win. North Dakota has won seven games in a row and over that span, goaltender Brad Eidsness has yet to allow an opponent more than two goals in a game. Minnesota, meanwhile, when scoring three goals in a game this season is 16-2-2.
"We're going to have our chances. Now the thing is, can we convert on our chances?" said Gophers head coach Don Lucia. "When we score some goals, we win. If we're only scoring 1 or 2, we haven't."
For its part, the Gophers will need a tremendous effort from goaltender Alex Kangas. Say what you want about his inconsistent play, but he is 2-0 in playoff series — sweeping SCSU last season and playing at a historic level in Mankato two years ago. Minnesota has been playing better defense in front of him down the stretch, finishing fourth in the league in goals against this season.
"I think our seniors have played well down the stretch, but we need to have some other players step up," said Gophers head coach Don Lucia. "Alex is going to have to play well and we're going to have to play well defensively."
The teams played four times this season, with each team winning and tying on their own home ice. Ralph Engelstad Arena has been a house of horrors for the Gophers of late, as they own a 0-3-1 record there over the last two years, having been outscored 19-7 in that same span. Keep in mind, the No. 7 seed has won this series in each of the last two seasons. That same team has also advanced to the Final Five championship both times. If the Gophers are going to get back to the NCAA Tournament, they're going to need to follow that same path.
Prediction: North Dakota in three
"The key number to remember this weekend is three. The first team to score three goals will be in the driver's seat to get the win."
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Wow, is that ever profound! That statement should be engraved over the entrance to every hockey rink in the country. Right along with "the sun comes up in the east" and "water is wet". Is that supposed to pass as some kind of insight on the game?
What strikes me as odd is that anyone would think that scoring three goals by either team puts them in the driver seat (four would have been a better number to pick); both teams are 1-0-2 when scoring three goals against each other. That tells me that at three goals both teams have a 50/50 shot and scoring a fourth goal would have put them at 3-1.
ReplyDeleteThe best thing to analyze would be who is better in overtime and witch team do you think would have won the two ties if they had more time (i.e. witch team was just hanging on for the tie). IMHO the best cliché to use for this series is: one good play, one mistake, or one lucky brake could realistically be the difference between winning and losing this series. One thing is for sure this will be a knock down drag out grudge match at the palace on the prairie, better bring you’re A game and all that.
I think the Sioux will win in 3. I think we have a bad game in us and the Gophers have a good one in them.
ReplyDeleteHopefully the come the same night.
Yeah I agree Never Summer, I don't know why Donny thinks he is going to be assured of a win if he scores three? UND isn't going to stop at three and sit on a lead.
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