NCAA Hockey National Title OT
Bob Motzko chooses to go full turtle with 35 minutes left with the far more talented team.
It did not work. Bonus points for Logan Cooley taking one of the absolute stupidest penalties I have ever seen to give Quinnipiac a late power play. They scored just after it expired.
I wish they could both lose.
The Quinnipac coach...great call to go 6 on 4 and pulling the goalie.... What balls.
He did that against Michigan last year and Michigan scored twice. Pulling the goalie seemed unnecessary at that point but Close gave up a soft one so he's a genius.
Mathematically the right call, but yes it's a risk.
Right, it happens a lot more now. You give up a lot of goals, but the thinking is that you increase your chances of scoring one substantially; what's the difference if you lose by 2 or 3?
Exactly. They had scored one goal in 55 minutes and needed one in 5 minutes. Better to go down swinging than let MN turtle to victory.
Minnesota playing with fire that 3rd period when playing nearly zero offense. No surprise they got burned.
Heckuva third period. Quinnipiac had Minnesota on their heels the entire time. Quinnipiac is never going to catch Michigan in titles - Minnesota is more of a threat. Give me Q in OT
I NEVER want the team that beat my favorite team in the playoffs to win the national championship.
I don’t have conference loyalty.
I’m watching the Hallmark channel while flipping to old episodes of Family Guy and Fringe during commercial breaks
I think Quinnipiac is an excellent team and well coached. They're underestimated because they are not a traditional power and don't play in the strongest of conferences.
They outplayed us the other night and have stayed with the Gophers tonight.
They are a good team & Pecknold is a great coach but let's slow down with the "outplayed" & underestimated. No one that knows hockey underestimates QPac as they've made the NCAA Tourney 7 of the last 10 years.
As far as Outplaying Minnesota, they made a huge error tonight trying to ignore the puck for the entire 3rd period to pack it in & hold that one goal lead though it may have worked, if not for that late penalty.
The Michigan game was a very close game and puck luck played a difference when you consider the number of posts/crossbars Michigan hit that stayed out & half of QPac's non EN goals were banked off of Portillo. That's not outplaying someone, that is playing a very good, tight postseason game & getting the breaks thus the reason Brian likes to call College Playoff hockey human Plinko
Agree. Not to say that Q's win was undeserved, but Michigan played reasonably well, and quite evenly, on the ice, and things didn't go their way, and that happens in hockey.
I disagree. Shots on goal may have been about even, but QPac had countless breakaways and effectively controlled the game with their puck management. Portillo’s mistakes cost us the game — ironic given that his stellar saves on said breakaways kept us in the game in the first place.
All that to say I think QPac meaningfully outplayed us, and it feels like many have underestimated them this entire tournament. They are deserving champions.
That game will haunt me some as I think Michigan pulls it out if they get to their 3rd goal first. We were outplayed in most of it, but it was such an up and down game with tons of chances either way that it wasnt hard to envision us winning it anyway
Man - that was an explosive 10 seconds of overtime! 😮 🏒 💥
What a win by Quinnipiac!
If I was a Gopher fan I would genuinely call for Motzko's head. One of the worst coaching performances I have ever seen.
About as bad as consistently giving up odd man rushes? Hmmm where have I seen that?
Yes, actually. Just as bad.
Michigan has a talented team capable of explosive offense, particularly given space. As Alex has written consistently, Michigan wants to play high-amplitude games where there are more scoring chances rather than fewer.
Michigan's weakness has long been defensively structured teams that pack it in on defense and trap. Teams like the late Ron Mason MSU teams and the behemoth that is Jeff Jackson's Notre Dame, which was *even as a mediocre team* the one team many Michigan fans wanted to avoid the most in the NCAA tournament. These are teams that turn games into a slog, grind it down, frustrate offense, limit shot attempts. A lot.
Quinnipiac is just such a team.
Michigan doesn't want to play a low-shot game against Quinnipiac. They want a lot of scoring chances.
Frankly, Michigan is ok with a few odd-man rushes. Last year, against Denver, Michigan was singed by Q's late near-comeback in the tournament and was very nervous about how good Denver was at attacking mistakes. Michigan used its week and a half to develop a completely new breakout, basically writing a brand new gameplan that they hadn't used all year from scratch.
The result: a highly-skilled Michigan team loaded with NHL talent and offensive firepower gave up only one odd-man rush, registered only 21 shots and lost in OT.
Michigan gave up four odd-man chances that were really bad, one of which Q scored on. But, honestly, I think Michigan is *mostly* ok with the five other ones. 2-on-1 isn't great, but there was also a 3-on-2 and a 4-on-3. And there's a pretty clear plan to take those: Contest the pass, make the puck-handler take a bad-angle shot at Portillo. And Portillo almost invariably makes that save. I think Michigan, while not thrilled with the rushes, is ok with some of them, because the trade-off is both a significantly improved offensive zone presence, AND a more open game where they will have better transition opportunities the other way.
The upshot of this is that Michigan played a team that gives up ~21 shots a game and hung ten more shots than that on them. Quality shots. Multiple posts.
The downside is that they also gave up 30. But Michigan has Adam Fantilli and Mackie Samoskevich and Luke Hughes and you like their chances of making those shots better than the opponent's chances of making theirs. Sometimes it doesn't work out, but that's what you want.
Michigan made its share of mistakes, but it also baked the possibility of those mistakes into the cake. And, yes, I'd rather go down firing like we did then in a completely unnatural shell playing our opponent's game like Minnesota did, or playing a game that wasn't our game like we did against Denver last year.
If Portillo doesn't give up a couple of those fluke goals it's probably enough. But that's hockey and you play the probabilities and sometimes it flips your way and sometimes it doesn't.
Fair enough good response sir, but bottom line 1-7 in the last 8 semi finals with Hunwick shutting out a high powered North Dakota team or we would be 0-8. But bottom line is our style in the semi’s has not worked or our winning percentage would be better then .125, goaltending goaltending goaltending is that you Marty Turco or Shawn Hunwick?
Uh, what style is that? No-star four-line hard-work forecheck like 2003? Defensively sound, offensively unexceptional like 2011? The highest-scoring team in college hockey like this year? Trying to draw some sort of thematic conclusion over such a wide period of time is... not valid. Hockey is as random a sport as there is over the course of a single game. It's not like the team has played one unified style over this period of time, or had the same roster makeup. You can't draw a straight line from the 2001 team to this one and suggest that there's "just something missing" that's the same thing every year. It's college hockey. It doesn't always make sense. Ask Minnesota how much sense they think it makes.
In recent days I've illustrated in other threads how many different types of teams Michigan has brought to the FF since our last win. Even the last title should be a pretty clear sign: We won in '98 and not '97. That sentence alone pretty much concludes the argument.
"Trying to draw some sort of thematic conclusion over such a wide period of time is... not valid."
Thanks for that. I think it should be in the MGoBlog graphic on the top of the site.
This is it-wonderfully stated...and why I love hockey but as a lover of the athletic endeavor I hate it with a passion. It is a fundamentally flawed sport that places an inordinate value on luck. Seriously, the goal needs to be at least a foot wider and 6 inches higher.
Disagree, but I would like goalie equipment to be made smaller. The best thing college hockey could do is change the tournament to a best of three series. Plinko is what allows teams like QPac to be legit contenders.
(QPac, however, is not a great example here - they have a legit good team that's capable of beating both Michigan and Minnesota 2 out of 3 times. Their style of play sucks a colon empty, but they are good.)
"And, yes, I'd rather go down firing like we did then in a completely unnatural shell playing our opponent's game like Minnesota did, or playing a game that wasn't our game like we did against Denver last year."
Amen. I can handle a loss when the team plays its game and tries hard. It's playing half-hearted, uncharacteristically, or unprepared that sets me off. Against QPac, Michigan played its game, played pretty well, and just got beat by a another good that had a little more puck luck. Do they get that luck in a 3 game series? Maybe, but I like M's chances a little better.
BTW - Happy Easter to all!!
Style? Each game there should be a different style to adjust to the opponent, I respect your opinion but you’re just as frustrated by the losses as me hence your comment above I wish they both could lose. Element of luck? You would think 8 games luck would be 5-3 4-4 3-5 not 1-7, most of these games we’ve gone in with very good teams yet come out playing one of the least inspired games of the year, I just want to win as we all do but comparing this to the 96 97 98 teams where we won 2 titles almost a 3rd beat by a very good BU team in 97 is comparing gold winning to not finishing the deal.
"If I was a Gopher fan I would genuinely call for Motzko's head"
That's because: Fans are stupid. (no offense)
I mean, even with their approach, it was very likely to end 2-1. Which means, national title. Which means, you basically want to fire someone who more or less easily could have won the national title.
QED: Fans are stupid.
"I won't watch a minute of that game!" I said in disappointment Thursday.
Managed to watch OT and still keep my word.
Brilliant post Rob
Au revoir, gophers!!
This isn't the SEC. I have no conference loyalty. I couldn't be happier Minnesota lost. I wish it was a three game series just so I could watch them lose again!
Well, that didn't take long. At least we don't have to listen to Minnie fans crow about it. ECAC fans and "you can't win with NHL prospects" types instead.
Ah well.
Another old team that out physicals you and relies on the refs not calling them for interference wins. It's bad for the sport.
But also Motzko and Cooley deserved to lose.
Starting to mirror the NCAA Basketball tourney now or maybe vice versa
I noticed that in our game with them when we get some eh ticky tack calls but every time youre trying to enter the zone youre getting the Jeff Jackson 'commit moderate levels of interference so much the refs become numb to it' treatment
Id say its a touch annoying to see people talk like this is validation for the ECAC. Like Pepperdine trying to crow about Gonzaga's basketball success. No- your league still sucks. You just have a few good programs, one elite one, and a pile of teams that would be last in the Big Ten
After Michigan lost, I was on the Minny bandwagon because screw east coast hockey.Then, after Fantilli won the Hobey, Minny fans were whining cause Cooley didn't win. I was on the Q bandwagon. Now that it's over, screw them both. With that said, it does make me feel better that Minnesota didn't get the natty or the Hobey.
Or the conference tournament...
This is college sports in a nutshell. It's why it's so painful, and also so great.
No joke because I dare say Minny was a top 3 team all year long & have no hardware to show for it
Minnesota was obviously the best and most consistent team all year until about two hours ago when they just chose...to stop.
That's not entirely true, they won the B1G regular season title and got to a Frozen Four. That's banner worthy in hockey.
In my world, banner worthy hockey is:
- Conference regular season title
- Conference tourney title
- Frozen Four appearance
- Natl Championship
And in the old days, a GLI title. For me successful season is hang at least two banners. It's really hard to win a national title, shouldn't base a successful season on only that.
I used to empathize some with Minnesota as a somewhat kindred spirit in the world of college hockey where small schools make it as hard for us as they can....but then I spent a few days on twitter and the college hockey subreddit late in the season after 'goalpost-gate' and later and man Minnesota fans are annoying. The level of self-importance gopher fans have of their program is exhausting. Pretty happy Quinnipiac made them miserable.
I wanted Minnesota to lose. I didn’t know until I turned it on. It just seems like they think they’re entitled to the trophy. I’m sure people say that about us but it seems something is different when it comes to them.
That was a beautiful goal in OT on a perfectly executed set piece. The clean faceoff win, the perfect transition pass from the dman, threading the pass through the needle from the hash mark and a great finish by the winger after sneaking behind the other dman. Congrats to the Bobcats on their first championship, they earned it.
Absolutely. The camera angle from behind center ice with a clean, shiney sheet of ice all the way to the Minnesota goal and the 7 or 8 seconds of skating was perfect. Good for Q-piac, bad for Minnesota's vaunted defense failing to chuck their forwards at 'midfield'. Maybe slowing down the 3 period slowed down Uncle Festus/Mr. Potato Head's brain, but they sure weren't ready to start the OT.
Minny had 2 SOG in the 3rd. Quinnipiac deserved this and carried the play
Because Minny just iced the puck over and over again. Sometimes literally. But they made no effort to put any pressure on Quinnipiac.