Playoff critics can’t diminish Twins magical season
Had it been a movie, the end of the Minnesota Twins 2006 regular season would have been panned for being too unrealistic. It defied logic, as well as normal baseball style, for a team to rise from two months of ineptitude to start the season and finish in improbably glory as the Central Division champions on – make that after – their final game was over.
True, getting swept in three straight games by Oakland in the playoffs took some of the wind out of the billowing sails that had carried the Twins into post-season. But it canÂ’t take away from the captivating season finish.
Consider that by the time the Twins had lost their first 33 games, they had won only 25. By the time they had lost their next 33 games, they had won 71 games. Amazingly, you could almost separate the season in halves with those records – 25-33, then 71-33.
But at the start, with favored Chicago flying high, and surprising Detroit flying higher, the Twins seemed to be falling apart, right out of the box. If you recall, even Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau werenÂ’t hitting well, and Torii Hunter seemed to be swinging wildly. Twin Cities columnists and talk-show ravers agreed that Mauer may never be the great hitter once envisioned, and that Morneau might never be the power hitter many had hoped for. They also said Michael Cuddyer would never really have a position to call home.
Johan Santana had a fantastic year overall, but he did not have a fantastic first month. Brad Radke had problems getting his off-speed stuff in the location he wanted, and Carlos Silva seemed to have acquired a tendency to hit the fat part of opposing bats with frightening regularity. In the field, guys named Castro and Batista at short and third were OK, but never better than just OK, and the Twins lineup sounded more like a CNN compilation of Latin American dictators than an American League contender. Meanwhile, left-fielder Shannon Stewart went down with a continuation of his recent injury-spattered career.
In apparent desperation, the Twins seemed to turn to the future. Santana started pitching like his old, dominant self. Radke finally found some consistency, but was far off his game. Watching Radke pitch at his best is like watching a skilled artist bring together all the hues and shades and organizational concepts to create another masterpiece. We didnÂ’t know at the time that he had a crack in his shoulder and a torn labrum.
The turning point for the Twins? There were several.
Mauer, of course, was the peopleÂ’s choice behind the net. Turning 23, and really in only his second full season, Mauer started hitting first. His average rose, and he hit the ball to all parts of the field. By the time the rest of the Twins started to hit with any regularity, Mauer was almost up to .400, and being rightly called the best hitter in baseball.
A young left-hander named Francisco Lariano emerged, and, typically, was not allowed to pitch other than in middle relief by cautious, formula-following manager Ron Gardenhire. When he finally got to start, he was the star of the staff, and may have inspired SantanaÂ’s game to rise a notch.
Bringing up players cut at training camp has to be a difficult task, and there was no reason to believe that Nick Punto could do anything much at third, or that Jason Bartlett was ready to step in at short. They not only played well, they made brilliant, game-saving plays every game. With Luis Castillo sharp at second, and Morneau becoming ever-better at first, the infield suddenly was solidified.
Hunter, after missing some action when he cracked his ankle on one of his wall-climbing attempts in center field, didn’t help much in the first half. But Hunter’s all-consuming personality and that giant smile may have been the key to the camaraderie that engulfed the Twins. The word “chemistry†is overused in sports, but it was never more valid than when the Twins became a team where the whole was far better than the sum of its parts.
As Stewart went out, Hunter was hurt, and Radke tried to find his problem, a pitching staff that started out with the hope of Santana-Radke-Silva, became a starting rotation where Boof Bonser, Matt Garza, Scott Baker, and reliever Pat Neshek stepped in. A bullpen staff led by closer Joe Nathan set new standards for effectiveness.
About that time, Morneau started hitting the ball. Hard. And out of the park. He surged to become the first player in the current era to hit 30 home runs for the Twins. With Mauer never slowing down, the two M-and-M boys led the way. Mauer with his classic swing, and Morneau, with his suddenly emerging power swing. Between them, Cuddyer, who had become an exceptional force with his strong right arm in right field, came through with clutch hits and key RBIs.
A pivot point in the Twins rise was when they closed in on the White Sox, for second, and their manager, Ozzie Guillen, made the unheard of comment: “I like my team, but I really like that team over there.†He named the obvious stars, but he also liked the little guys – the Punto, Bartlett types – and called them piranhas. That became another watchword for the Twins. If the big sharks don’t get you, the piranhas will. It seemed that the more players went down, the more persistent and resilient the Twins became. Bartlett, batting ninth in the lineup, was hitting nearly .320, and day after day, the Twins would fabricate a way to win.
Still, the Detroit Tigers who had been doormats for decades, showed no signs of faltering. For about six weeks, it seemed the Twins would keep winning, but fail to close the gap with the leaders. But they persevered, and they overtook the White Sox. Then, in the final month, Detroit started to stumble. Impossible as it seemed, the Twins closed in.
Mauer, sometimes appearing weary, got a few days off, and Morneau, once he got to 33 homers, quit hitting homers. Just about then, Torii Hunter caught fire. Running and leaping with his usual abandon to make catches in the outfield, Hunter also started hitting the ball into the seats. He, too, reached the 30 plateau for home runs, and if you broke down the last month, he probably was the Twins best clutch hitter in that stretch.
None of that prepared us for the magnificent finish. The Twins had tied the Tigers for first place, and the final three-game series for both teams, in their respective home ballparks, would decide the title. Against the tough White Sox, the Twins struggled, and lost a game. Then another. Detroit, playing last place Kansas City at home, blew a 5-0 lead and lost, then made a spirited comeback in the second game, but lost again.
The drama of the season finale was actually threefold. The Twins would either finish second, or tied for first – which would equal second – or somehow win the crown. Mauer, batting .347, had none other than the Yankees Derek Jeter on his tail, at .346. The final games started, all around the country. Jeter got a hit in his first at-bat, Mauer struck out. That left the two tied for first in batting.
Silva, meanwhile, pitched his best game in two months and the Twins took command against the White Sox. In MauerÂ’s second at-bat, he drilled a double to left. Word came that Jeter was by then 1-for-3. The mood was slightly subdued, because Detroit was hammering Kansas City, so the title seemed out of the question. Kansas City got a couple runs, so at least it wouldnÂ’t be 7-0 in Detroit, and it closed to 7-4 on the scoreboard at the Metrodome.
Mauer stepped in for his third at-bat. The count was 1-and-1, when suddenly an enormous roar filled the Dome. Mauer, startled, stepped out, refocused, and stepped back in. What had happened was the crowd saw the scoreboard change to show that somehow, some way, Kansas City had taken an 8-7 lead in the top of the eight at Detroit. In the next instant, Mauer drilled another hit to left, making him 2-for-3, and cinching the batting title. Jeter was 1-for-5.
The best was yet to come, of course. The Tigers tied the KC game 8-8, and after winning 5-1, the Twins celebrated, then headed for the clubhouse. But they returned, because the big screen in the Metrodome started to show the remainder of the Detroit-Kansas City game. About 35,000 of the crowd of 45,000 stayed to watch. The Twins returned to their dugout, and their wives and kids sat in the visiting dugout. Hunter led the cheers, “LetÂ’s go, RoyalsÂ…Ââ€
You donÂ’t see scenes like that in pro sports these days. And when Kansas City rallied to beat Tigers 10-8 in 12 innings, the celebration was incredible in the Metrodome.
The euphoria was partly due to the seeming obsession with winning the title and thus avoiding a first-round playoff match with the Yankees. By winning, the Twins would duck the Yankees, and play Oakland, instead. The Tigers, as the wild card, would face the Yanks. At the time, my feeling was “Be careful what you wish for.†With Yankee ace Randy Johnson a questionable performer in the first round best-of-five, and the possibility of facing the Yankees with Johnson in the best-of-seven league final round, it seemed facing the Yankees first might be preferable.
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The rest, as they say, is history. Santana, who had not been as sharp in the last month as earlier in the season, did not shut out the Athletics, who won 3-2. The Athletics won Game 2 5-2 in the Metrodome, and the columnists and talk show ravers were united in ripping Torii Hunter for missing a diving catch that turned into a game-changing inside-the-park home run. Going out to Oakland, the Twins continued to not hit very well, and gave Radke one last start. It was a close game, but the Twins didnÂ’t hit, and they made three errors, their bullpen lost its invincibility, and their season was over.
The faltering Tigers, meanwhile, went from being bombed in Game 1 at Yankee Stadium to whip the Yankees in the next three games. So Detroit, rising from a five-game losing streak at the worst possible time, advanced to face Oakland, while the Yankees and the Twins went home.
The most disturbing thing of the playoffs is the continued criticism of Torii Hunter, who is perhaps the gameÂ’s best center fielder. Game after game, Hunter makes ESPNÂ’s list with spectacular catches in center, either going up and over the fences to rob home runs, or diving to spear would-be hits in front of him. For those who didnÂ’t see the play live, when it appeared on Sports Center you thought that here was another fabulous catch by Hunter. It was a shock to see that the ball somehow sliced just away from his diving glove, missing it by maybe two inches and skipping to the wall as Hunter sprawled on the grass.
Various critics have said the move was ill-conceived, bad judgment, a terrible error, that he missed it by five feet(!), and it ruined the series, if not the whole season, and possibly was at the root of terrorism, global warming and world hunger. Enough, already. The guys with the press passes are going to suggest that they know how to play that slicing line drive better than Hunter.
In reality, even a three-game sweep at the hands of Oakland canÂ’t take away the magnificent and totally captivating season the Twins had in 2006. And when it comes to deciding whether to dive for a ball or not, IÂ’ll take Torii Hunter, any day, over the second-guessers in the press box.
Just once it would be nice to read, or hear, that the Twins had a magical season, an incredible finish, and then just flat got beat by an Oakland team that was at the top of its game. Sometimes, no matter how much skill and magic youÂ’ve got, you just happen to get beat. ThatÂ’s why they play the game.
Twins stadium stampede tramples public, logic
The Minnesota Twins will get a new, open-air, boutique stadium in downtown Minneapolis. And the University of Minnesota football Gophers (remember them?) will also get a new, open-air stadium. We know for certain that next year, after the legislators figure the people will have softened their feelings about this yearÂ’s decisions, the Minnesota Vikings also will get a new, open-air stadium.
Maybe the turmoil and raving has cooled to the point where some logic might be applied to the situation.
I am all for the outdoors, just as I am a lover of all sports – especially hockey and motorsports, but also including everything from baseball-football-basketball to the more off-beat, such as soccer, and track, and anything else where good competition can be enjoyed. I might pass up going to a game in any sport to participate myself in a ballgame or some active family endeavor. But, major league sports are a definite attraction.
LetÂ’s declare that football is meant to be played outside. Even in Minnesota. ESPECIALLY in Minnesota. Baseball is meant to be played outside, too, although a closeable roof seems like a no-brainer, when 20-25 of the 81 home games might be affected by inclement weather.
By inclement weather, I don’t mean a nagging drizzle, in which baseball can still be played – albeit with concerns that someone named Mauer, or Morneau, or Santana doesn’t slip and injure something. I’m referring to the near-freezing, hard drizzle, where the game might go on, but fans will simply choose to not attend. Sports columnists and broadcasters, sitting inside their heated and cooled press boxes, keep urging us that they could still play a ballgame in bad weather. But it’s the fans that matter.
Many fans will choose alternatives to sitting outside in miserable weather, and columnist/broadcasters sheltered by air-conditioned, food-and-drink-filled press boxes have no business demanding that fans should brave the elements that sportswriters and broadcasters never face at a game. Maybe we should build a retractable roof over the grandstands, and the field, and leave the press box uncovered. See how those fingers can work those computer keys in a little drizzle, or some sleet.
The most distasteful part of the Twins stadium issue was the outright panic generated by what amounted to media-supported blackmail. The Twins would leave for sure if we didn’t build them a stadium, we were told. Remember, they raved, weÂ’re not building it for Carl Pohlad and the Twins, weÂ’re building it for ourselves, so that we can continue to enjoy major league baseball in our own boutiquey little stadium.
When the issue stalled, stadium forces whined that public money built the Guthrie, although they conveniently avoided carrying out the comparison, because one private owner doesn’t control every event in the Guthrie and serves as the only beneficiary of 100 percent of the revenue.
Remember, now, IÂ’m a sports guy, and I prefer outdoor baseball and football, and always did. That goes back to the time when some of the same people coerced us to build the indoor Metrodome. So IÂ’d love to see the right deal on the right stadium. The media continued to push the stadium as our way of living up to other major U.S. cities, which virtually all have built new stadiums.
Overlooked in the debate by all was a nugget brought out by Pat Kessler, on WCCO-TV’s “Reality Check,†which cuts through the flak and hyperbole on major issues. Kessler said researching the 11 years that the Twins have been professionally lobbying the legislature and the populace for a new stadium, he found that a total of 14 new major league baseball stadiums have been, or are being, built. Three of those 14 were financed 100 percent by team owners. Can you imagine that? The remaining 11 are financed on an average of 50 percent by team owners.
Altogether, that’s an average of about 60 percent owners’ money for each of the last 14 new stadiums, folks. In Minnesota, Carl Pohlad, billionaire extraordinaire, owns the Twins and could easily afford to build the entire stadium by himself, yet he somehow manipulated a deal where he would pay 25 percent. Not 100 percent, not 60 percent, not 50 percent, but only one-fourth of the new playground for his boys – even though Pohlad and the Twins stand to make all the profit from tickets, concessions, and ad revenue at the new stadium.
Did the stadium-pushing media fail to do the same research as WCCO-TV? Or, worse, they did the research but decided not to offer the results that didn’t boost their stance. We canÂ’t blame Carl. He made his millions, which became billions, by banking, where you maneuver and manipulate to take what you can get, without any needless spending, and without letting up anybody indebted to you. Carl did it well, and apparently, heÂ’s still doing it. He gambled, and held out, figuring his patience would allow the media to finally whip itself into a frenzy. Sure enough, they have helped stampede baseball fans and the legislature into believing that their constituents — the taxpaying publilc — would agree that it was a good thing for them to be socked for 75 percent of the expense.
It would have been very interesting if the legislature had said, “OK Carl, we’ll pay for half of a new stadium, and if you want it, you pay for the other half.†Or, how about if Carl pays his one-fourth, but then pays himself for building the suites, which will make him huge earnings? At the very least, perhaps Pohlad could have been embarrassed into kicking in for a retractable roof.
As the media stampede gained momentum, anyone who hesitated to jump on their bandwagon was ridiculed for trying to run the Twins out of town. Columnists and broadcasters blasted legislators with outrageous accusations that were almost slanderous. The targets included thoughtful legislators who merely wanted to figure out a more rational way to finance a new stadium. They certainly wanted the Twins to have a new playground, but also felt compelled to stay in harmony with their constituents.
But the media surge immediately branded them as trying to run the Twins out of town with their hesitancy.
Three decades ago, when the Twins, Vikings, and Gopher football team all clamored for a new, indoor stadium, I didnÂ’t like the move, although it made some sense for baseball to escape the changeable Minnesota elements for air-regulated 70-degree conditions under a roof. Baseball is best played outdoors, but in a major league season now starting in April and finishing in October, there is the risk of some cold, drizzly, even snowy and sometimes wind-chilly days.
Postponements are a pain – even if doubleheaders are great. Expansion means that teams don’t often return for another trip to make up lost games. So the benefits of playing outside most of June, July and August, become shaky on the few foul-weather days in those months, and during the many foul-weather days in April, May, September and October. A roof makes some sense, and a retractable roof – regardless of the expense – makes the most sense of all.
The current plan left an interesting trail. Not long ago, tunnel-visioned people in the sports media assumed that all citizens shared their zeal, so they clamored for surveys and sought a public referendum for various sports causes. Surprise! The tax-paying public has unfailingly voted down any such public financing of private-owner-team stadiums. So this time, the zealots excluded the voters and insisted that there couldnÂ’t be any referendum. They said the people elected those legislators and councilors, so let them now do their work and decide for the voters. They knew, of course, that it is far easier to intimidate a few legislators than to coerce a herd of people anxious to not spend their money to build a playpen for billionaire owners and millionaire players.
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The media tirades came from younger types who canÂ’t remember the past, and from older fellas, confident they had already outlived most of the folks who recall their identical tirades that the Twins and Vikings would move if we didnÂ’t build them an indoor stadium. Some of us still remember.
Almost everybody in Minnesota, including non-sports-fans, wants the Twins and Vikings to stay in Minnesota. Frankly, I donÂ’t foresee either of them moving anywhere. But for some reason, almost every sports broadcaster and columnist seemed to buy into and contribute to the Twins-will-leave-this-time-for-sure campaign.
The issue became one of legislative votes, but it wasnÂ’t simply for or against public financing. The vote, we heard, was either in favor of guaranteeing billionaire owner Carl Pohlad a chance to gain fabulous wealth, over and above his already stupendous wealth, or to vote in favor of the Twins leaving Minnesota. LetÂ’s see, voting for or against a public gift makes sense; suggesting the vote was for a public subsidy or to force a major league sports franchise to leave was Ridiculous.
Last time all this happened, we laughed at the absurdity of the threats, but agreed to build the Metrodome because there was some merit to escaping the elements. This time the majority didnÂ’t laugh, but for some reason, enough legislators bought into the plan even while their constituents seemed to see through the blackmail. Using such an unreasonable and invalid method to secure the needed votes – by the narrowest of margins – seemed bizarre. But then we’re living in an era where, if a gane of Saudi Arabian extremists commits a terrorist act against the United States, our government would respond almost immediately by going to war…with Iraq.
So the legislature passed a Twins Stadium bill for downtown Minneapolis, beyond Target Center. First Avenue is elbow-to-elbow with people almost every night, as the trendy younger folks hustle off to neat restaurants, bars, night clubs and concert venues. Years ago, an attempt to clean up Hennepin Avenue pushed the less-desirable element to First Avenue, but when First Avenue became the trendiest spot in town, where were the homeless, the drug-dealers, the muggers, supposed to go? They migrated back to Hennepin Avenue. As they say, everybodyÂ’s got to be somewhere, and short of eradicating them, solutions seem scarce.
So the pushers of the new stadium, who had repeatedly said that Minneapolis needs the stadium down past Target Center, in order to save the city from the hassles of recent increases in murders, muggings, drug-dealings, street crime, and the nuisance of pan-handlers. Those untidy happenings occur less in Minneapolis than in other major cities, but itÂ’s an issue, nonetheless.
Apparently, the stadium advocates have it figured out, because theyÂ’ve assured us that the street people and the homeless and the bad element will disappear, just because thereÂ’s a ball game tonight. Hopefully, the muggers will be responsible enough to not rob those fans of their umbrellas.
Gophers trip Badgers twice, grip No. 1 in WCHA, nation
MINNEAPOLIS, MN. — The University of Minnesota hockey teamÂ’s strong start through the first two months of the season has reached 6-0-2 atop the WCHA, and 10-1-2 atop the national ratings – so impressive that the only remaining person predict the likelihood that the Golden Gophers might falter isÂ…Golden Gophers coach Don Lucia.
Lucia is not a pessimist, but he realizes the unlikelihood of avoiding a slump all season. And heÂ’s painfully aware of what can happen if that flat spot comes too close to the end of the season.
It seemed unfair when the WCHA coaches picked Minnesota as preseason favorite, since it was clear the Golden Gophers would have to count on freshmen to fill the very large skates of players like Ryan Potulny, Phil Kessel, Gino Guyer and others. But so far, MinnesotaÂ’s freshmen have played a pivotal role, outplaying the best freshmen on every other WCHA team and helping Minnesota roar off to first place in the WCHA and the No. 1 rank in the nation.
Tyler Hirsch, returning from a redshirt year off, leads the team, and the WCHA, with 17 points in all games, and tied for second with 16 points are Gopher freshmen Kyle Okposo and Jay Barriball, both with 9-7—16, ahead of sophomore Blake Wheeler (7-7—14), junior Ben Gordon (5-9—14) and senior defenseman Alex Goligoski (4-9—13). The play of Okposo has been little short of spectacular, while Barriball has been an unexpected sparkplug.
“We’re not going to play nine freshmen and not have our ups and downs,†said Lucia. “We’ll go though a couple of weekends with some injuries or something, and my thought is that if we can just find a way to get points every weekend, we should be OK. We’ve been fortunate to catch teams when we have. We played Colorado College when they had a couple defensemen out, and Duluth was a little banged up when we played them, and Wisconsin was missing Jack Skille, and then got a couple more guys banged up against us in the first game.
“I think youÂ’ll see our league have more compression, instead of separation,†Lucia added. “We havenÂ’t seen Denver or North Dakota yet, and we know theyÂ’re both tough. Michigan Tech and Alaska-Anchorage are much better, and CC will be fine, and St. Cloud is in good shape right now. But while weÂ’ve been fortunate when weÂ’ve played teams, weÂ’ve taken advantage, too, and put some points in the bank.Ââ€
So far, the Golden Gophers have faced good teams, bad teams, inexperienced teams, traditional rivals, and the defending NCAA champions, and theyÂ’ve done more than just take a point or two every weekend — they havenÂ’t lost a WCHA game. Their only loss this season was 3-1 against Maine in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame game at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul. Since then, the Gophers have put together the nationÂ’s longest undefeated streak (10-0-2).
Now, at 6-0-2 atop the WCHA, Lucia says he focuses on the “lost†column of the standings. That shows Denver is second at 5-2-1, North Dakota 4-3-1, and Colorado College 4-2, but while all of them are certainly within striking distance, that zero in Minnesota’s loss column looks larger and larger. The toughest games in that 12-game undefeated streak were a pair of ties, 5-5 and 3-3, against St. Cloud State, but the Golden Gophers came back from that to topple defending national champ and archrival Wisconsin 2-1 and 3-1. That sweep was a role reversal from a year ago, when Wisconsin came to Minnesota, swept the Gophers, and it seemed the Badgers were going to run away with the WCHA title.
“But look what happened last year,†said Lucia.
True, last season the Badgers lost All-America goaltender Brian Elliott, dropped into a slump for a few weeks, and Minnesota stormed past to win the league title and gain the No. 1 rank. However, at the end of the season, Wisconsin beat the Gophers 4-0 in the WCHA playoffs, and the Gophers never recovered, losing to Holy Cross in the NCAA regional, while Wisconsin got things back in order and went all the way to the NCAA title.
The Gophers are going so well right now that Lucia pulled star winger Tyler Hirsch out of the lineup against Wisconsin. Lucia said Hirsch had fallen behind in a couple of classes, and he not only has decided to tighten up his discipline this season, he wants to make sure he has HirschÂ’s skills for the whole season. “When Tyler came back this year, I said I wanted two things,†said Lucia. “I want him to have a big year, and to graduate.Ââ€
Without Hirsch, the Gophers had to work harder to score, but, as usual, they scored just enough to sweep Wiscoonsin. They won 2-1 when Goligoski scored on a first-period power play, then Barriball made it 2-0 in the third period with a goal that looked more like a veteran than a freshman. Wheeler had skated up the right side and passed across the slot. As Elliott, WisconsinÂ’s ace goaltender, slid anticipating the shot, Barriball already had anticipated that move and had quickly rapped a backhand for the far side of the net to score.
“IÂ’m not surprised by KyleÂ’s play, but Barriball is definitely a surprise,†said Lucia. “He was going to play at Sioux Falls in the USHL, and when Phil Kessel signed a pro contract, he came in. HeÂ’s tenacious around the net, and heÂ’s got great hockey sense – the instincts about where to go, and the puck finds him. He also has a good shot, and he has that habit of scoring goals.Ââ€
BarriballÂ’s goal proved to be the first-game winner against Wisconsin, after Ross CarlsonÂ’s goal broke the shutout bid of senior goalie Kellen Briggs.
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The next night, Minnesota fell behind 1-0 on Ben StreetÂ’s deflected goal in the second period. In the third, Ryan Stoa tried to pass out front to Okposo, but the pass hit the back of ElliottÂ’s blocker and caromed into the net for the equalizer.
With 5:43 remaining, the winning goal was an all-freshman happening. Tony Lucia – the coach’s kid – played an outsnding shift, hustling and forechecking and circling to attack again. Amid the flurry, freshman defenseman Brian Schack got a shot away from inside the left point. Elliott blocked it, and it popped up. Minnesota’s Mike Carman went hard to the net, and it was impossible to tell whether Badger freshman John Mitchell shoved him into the crease or chased him there, but they both bumped into Elliott, who fell facing south, while the puck landed in the north end of the crease. Lucia, about 20 feet out from the cage, saw the congestion of bodies and zipped around to the right and made a headlong dive, poking the free puck as he slid to the end boards. It was his first goal, and it was a reward for an outstanding shift.
At the end of the game, Okposo fed Wheeler for an open-net goal, and the Gophers had a 3-1 victory for the sweep.
Sophomore Jeff Frazee tended goal in the second game, as Lucia – the dad – continued to alternate him with Briggs. In league play, both have 3-0-1 records, and Frazee has a 1.71 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage, while Briggs is 1.96, and .924.
Goaltending has been easier because of strong defensive play. Goligoski, a junior, pairs with senior Mike Vannelli, the captain, while junior Derek Peltier pairs with freshman Erik Johnson, the NHL’s No. 1 overall draft pick last summer. The third unit has a pair of freshmen, Brian Schack and David Fischer, but the rookie blueliners have been solid, rather than inconsistent, and their size – all three are over 6-foot-2 – lets them make up for any uncertainty with a dose of aggressiveness.
So far, everything has fallen into place so well, itÂ’s understandable that coach Lucia might be looking for a possible flat spot, and heÂ’d prefer it to come early enough for the Gophers to be able to rebound. Of course, thereÂ’s always a chance there wonÂ’t be any slump, but if there isnÂ’t, it will take coach Lucia until about a week into April to realize it.
Gophers trip UMD in OT, face Wisconsin for title
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. — The University of Minnesota proved thereÂ’s no place like home Saturday, rising up to defeat favored Minnesota-Duluth 3-2 on sophomore Gigi MarvinÂ’s power-play goal in sudden-death overtime in the WomenÂ’s WCHA semifinals at Ridder Arena – the only facility of its kind built specifically for a womenÂ’s college hockey team.
The victory earned a spot in Sunday’s championship game against No.1 ranked Wisconsin, which blanked Ohio State 4-0 in the first semifinal at Ridder, and it also proved the Gophers were true to their insistence that they had been able to put out of their minds two thrashings – 7-1 and 5-1 – at the hands of UMD in Duluth two weeks ago. The victory also rekindles Minnesota’s hopes to reach the eight-team NCAA women’s hockey tournament field. The Gophers were No. 9, and UMD No. 7 going into the WCHA semifinals, and while the result may not drop the Bulldogs out of the top eight, it could lift the Gophers just enough to squeeze into the select field, which will be announced Sunday.
Of course, a victory for Minnesota (23-11-1) in today’s league playoff final would secure a spot, and that was what Gopher coach Laura Halldorson was focusing on. “We can only worry about playing Wisconsin,†said Halldorson. “We’re just really excited and proud, because we gave everything we had to win a tight game against Duluth. We’ve had great games in the past, a lot of them with much at stake, as there was in this one.
“Kim Hanlon was fantastic in goal, and getting on the board first was huge – a huge momentum boost. WeÂ’re going to have to do that against Wisconsin, too.Ââ€
UMD coach Shannon Miller said she was uncertain of her teamÂ’s security in the NCAA selection process. “You never know,†she said. “We were fairly solid in seventh coming in, and Boston College and Harvard both lost. We do have the strongest league in the country, so it would seem logical that we should have three teams in the field.Ââ€
Unlike the pivotal series which boosted UMD (22-10-4) into second place and dropped Minnesota to third, in which the Bulldogs jumped off to 5-0 leads through two periods both nights, Minnesota battled through the first period by outshooting UMD 9-6, and taking a 1-0 lead on the first goal, scored by senior Andrea Nichols on a power play in the last minute of the period. Anya Miller shot from center point, and when UMD freshman goaltender Kim Martin blocked it, Nichols smacked in the rebound from wide to the left of the goal.
The Bulldogs didnÂ’t exactly get the upper hand in the second period, being outshot 5-3 in the tight, defensive struggle, but they did tie the game at 4:12 on a power play of their own. Freshman Emmanuelle Blais carried deep on the right side, circled behind the net, and came all the way out to complete the circle at the top of the slot before firing toward the net. Saara Tuominen, another freshman, knocked it in.
Minnesota regained the lead at 2-1 at 12:39 of the middle period when sophomore defenseman Melanie Gagnon sent a harmless-looking shot on goal with Marvin screening in front. Martin appeared to have the shot under control, but it eluded her and trickled in, putting the Gophers up until the third period.
UMD senior Jessica Koizumi tied the game, sprawling to poke in the puck at 4:50 on another power play, and UMD rose up to take control of the game, outshooting the Gophers 14-3 in the third period, but unable to put anything else past Hanlon.
“There was a scramble, and I was falling,†said Koizumi, who is playing with a brace on an injured knee. “We want another chance. Our team has just gotten everybody back from injuries, and weÂ’re just coming together. IÂ’ve been in this position many times, and IÂ’m crossing my fingers that we get into the NCAA tournament, because this is my last year, and I really think weÂ’ve got a team that could win it.Ââ€
In the overtime, UMD senior defenseman Ashly Waggoner and a Gopher were scrapping for the puck and when the Gopher went down, referee Jay Mendel called Waggoner for tripping, at 0:52. The Gophers kept the pressure on after a corner faceoff, and Marvin scored at 1:08.
“I looked up, and saw an opening, and put it in,†said Marvin, who scored her 18th goal to tie Bobbi Ross for the team lead. “WeÂ’re high right now, we just won a big game against a great team, and weÂ’re excited to play Wisconsin. We were very calm before the overtime, focused, and very confident.Ââ€
UMD coach Miller waited afterward to talk to Mendel. When asked about it, she said: “All I did was ask him whether it was proper to talk on the ice, or if we should go down in the corridor. We went off the ice. I asked him how he could make a call like that and not let the teams decide a game like that.Ââ€
Asked about the difference in the teams in the semifinal, compared with the two games two weeks ago in Duluth, Miller said: “They obviously played a lot better. You canÂ’t come to Duluth and get spanked 7-1 and 5-1 and not come back and play with some fury. I was proud of our team, because we competed hard, and I thought we played our best when we outshot them 14-3 in the third period.Ââ€
Halldorson, meanwhile, said she decided to not mention that shot differential when the teams went off for resurfacing before the overtime. “I didn’t mention the shots, because the score was 2-2,†she said.
The third period gave UMD a 23-19 shot advantage for the tight contest. “After we played at Duluth, we just wanted to forget about it and finish strong,†said Hanlon. “We knew we were going to win.Ââ€
Hanlon was asked if she was as confident when a shot by Michaela Lanzl in the third period hit the left post and the ricochet went out through the crease behind her. “I guess I had my angle right,†she cracked.
Minnesota winger Erica McKenzie said: “Warming up, there was a weird vibe. We were calm, and people werenÂ’t talking, but you could see it in everybodyÂ’s eyes – we were ready. I knew right when we got that power play, we were going to score and win the game. And then coach came down the bench and had some choice words for us.Ââ€
Halldorson clarified. “Wait a minute,†she said. “All I said was, ‘Would you guys please end this?Â’ And IÂ’m glad Gigi took me up on it.Ââ€
BAUER, BADGERS WHIP OSU 4-0
ItÂ’s been a fantastic year for Ohio StateÂ’s womenÂ’s hockey program, and coach Jackie Barto credited a special crop of seniors for raising the Buckeyes to previously unattained heights. Unfortunately, the Buckeyes ran smack into the No. 1 rated Wisconsin Badgers, who stifled Ohio StateÂ’s offense and skated to a 4-0 victory that returns Wisconsin to the championship game. It wasnÂ’t like the Badgers overran the Buckeyes. They got a 1-0 lead on a power-play goal by Jasmine Giles late in a very evenly played first period. But much as the Buckeyes tried after that, they were never able to sustain enough offensive pressure to puncture Jessie VetterÂ’s 22-save shutout at Ridder Arena.
When the media requested players to interview after the game, the Badger staff declined to call on captain Sara Bauer, their captain, the defending Patty Kazmaier Award winner, and the just-named repeat winner of the Women’s WCHA player of the year award. After all, she gets interviewed all the time, and she undoubtedly will be called upon after the championship game. Besides, other players starred in the 4-0 victory – Meghan Duggan, who scored shorthanded in the second period to make it 2-0, and Angie Keseley and Jinelle Zaugg, who padded the margin in the third period with timely goals against Buckeye goaltender Erika Vanderveer. And also, of course, there was Vetter.
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However, Bauer made her presence felt with her usual near-flawless performance, and brilliant plays by the tiny but tenacious 5-foot-3 senior center from St. Catherines, Ontario, orchestrated easy goals by both Duggan and Zaugg.
“We’re thrilled to get another opportunity to play in the championship game,†said Wisconsin coach Mark Johnson, who had guided the Badgers to an even more outstanding season than a year ago, when they won the WCHA, the WCHA playoff, and the NCAA title. This year’s Badgers are 32-1-4, and ranked No. 1, with the WCHA league title in hand, and the playoff title within their grasp today.
The final count obscured the competitiveness of the game. The only goal in the first period came on a power play at 17:38 by Giles, giving the Badgers a key opening lead. Badger defenseman Meaghan Mikkelson, named the top defensive player in the league, got her first of two assists on the goal.
Ohio State coach Jackie Barto, whose team finished a program-best 20-13-4, said: “We had a couple real good scoring chances in the first and second periods, and if one of them had gone in, it might have been a different game, WeÂ’ve had some success on offense against Wisconsin, though; weÂ’d been able to crash the net and get some rebounds this season.Ââ€
But not this game. In the second period, Wisconsin was killing a two-skater penalty shortage when Bauer got the puck in her own zone. She played the puck off the boards to herself, and seemed to mesmerize everybody in the rink as she raced down the left boards. Instead of merely dumping the puck in to kill time, Bauer held onto it, and carried deep into the left corner. About then, Meghan Duggan, a 22-goal-scoring freshman winger from Danvers, Mass., came out of the penalty box and skated for the net. Bauer passed it, and Duggan had her 23rd goal, a shorthanded gem.
“That second goal put a little dent in us,†said Barto. “Our team kept competing, but Vetter played solidly, and Wisconsin is very good defensively.Ââ€
Early in the third period, Angie Keseley made it 3-0, getting her stick on a loose puck while diving into a scramble at the crease at 6:05. And as the game neared its conclusion, Bauer did her thing again to seal it. With 3:06 remaining, Bauer forechecked to swipe the puck behind the Ohio State goal. She did a quick stop and go, reversing her direction on the end boards and carrying back behind the net, then passing out to the goal-mouth. Zaugg, a 6-foot-1 junior from Eagle River, Wis., was there for a one-timer. Vanderveer had no chance, and the Badgers had their 4-0 victory.
“I liked the way the last 40 minutes went,†said Mark Johnson. “The first 20 was a chess match, because nobody wanted to make a mistake. We made a couple of adjustments, and the team really responded well. We scored first on the power play, then Sara made a great play to Duggan coming out of the penalty box for the shorthanded goal.Ââ€
Vetter, who is 17-1-3 but only alternates with Christine Dufour (15-0-1), credited her defense. “Our D has been great all year, blocking shots,†Vetter said. “We had a little case of nerves in the first period, but we settled down.Ââ€
The Badgers settled down, and prepared to defend their league playoff title.
Pair of ties extends Huskies winless, unbeaten streaks
The St. Cloud State Huskies are fit to be tied. Or at least, ties fit the Huskies well, after a pair of deadlocks in a home-and-home series with Minnesota lifted them to a new measure of respect as a WCHA contender.
St. Cloud State battled from behind all night to gain a 5-5 tie Friday at Mariucci Arena, then couldnÂ’t hold a 3-1 lead on Saturday in St. Cloud, but held off a furious finishing rally to gain a 3-3 tie. The bad news is the Huskies are winless in their last five games; the good news is they simultaneously are undefeated in their last three games.
Coach Bob Motzko was far from satisfied, and star goaltender Bobby GoepfertÂ’s statistics are nowhere near where he, or other WCHA observers, expect them to be. GoepfertÂ’s frustration reached the point where heÂ’s willing to assume bad luck that he acquired from a mirror he broke a couple of months ago, but still, when the games against the Golden Gophers were on the line, Goepfert came up with huge saves to get what amounted to a series split against the unbeaten Gophers.
The two ties were the only nicks on MinnesotaÂ’s 4-0-2 WCHA record (8-1-2 overall) making the Gophers unbeaten at 8-0-2 after an opening loss to Maine. The Gophers have scored 4.55 goals per game and allowed only 2.09. St. Cloud State, at 2-3-3, has averaged 3.12 goals per game, and given up 3.12 goals per game. The Huskies split with Denver, and with traditional rival Minnesota State-Mankato, then lost and tied at North Dakota, before taking on No. 2-ranked Minnesota.
The talent-laden Golden Gophers are the consensus pick of the coaches to win the WCHA, and they made it look easy as they spotted the Huskies a 1-0 start, then stormed to leads of 3-1, 4-2 and 5-3 in the first game. With eight minutes remaining, the 2-goal lead looked pretty solid. But St. Cloud freshman Ryan Lasch came through with a power-play goal, and junior defenseman Matt Stephenson drilled another with 4:27 remaining to forge the 5-5 tie.
Of particular note is that Grant Clafton, Justin Fletcher and Stephenson are all defensemen, and all three of them scored in the game, which means that after eight games, Huskies defensemen now have three (count Â’em, 3) goals for the season.
The next night, before a packed, screaming crowd in St. Cloud, the teams reversed roles, with the Huskies spotting Minnesota the first goal, then rallying for a 3-1 lead in a wild second period, before Minnesota stormed back for two late goals. The Huskies had to hold on to claim the tie, but they did exactly that.
Motzko knows the Huskies are nowhere near their potential. A couple of freshmen have been leading the team – in fact, the league – in scoring, with Ryan Lasch getting a goal and two assists in the first game, and another assist in the second, to take the WCHA scoring lead at 5-6—11. Austrian Andreas Nodl scored a key goal in the first game, and is tied for second in league scoring at 4-5—9.
At the other end of the statistics, Goepfert ranks 14th among league goaltenders with a 3.18 goals-against record, and 12th with a save percentage of .892. Motzko is not worried about Goepfert, but Goepfert himself is frustrated because he hasnÂ’t yet found his usual rhythm.
“I broke a mirror in September,†Goepfert said. “Really. I really did break a mirror. I hate to say IÂ’m having bad luck, but maybe thatÂ’s why. ItÂ’s kind of the way my season has been. I analyze every goal, and IÂ’m a reaction goalie, and IÂ’ve been fighting the puck, and leaving bad rebounds.Ââ€
Goepfert was talking after the first game, and used it as evidence of how his reactions have not quite been in synch. After Clafton scored for St. Cloud, Ryan Stoa, Ben Gordon and Jay Barriball scored for Minnesota. Stoa was open to backhand in a rebound at the right edge of the net – an opportunist goal to Stoa and the Gophers; a bad rebound to Goepfert. “It was like at North Dakota last week,†he said. “I got it against my arm, and it squirted through.Ââ€
Gordon got off a shot from the left circle that trickled through, 5-hole. “It hit me in the bread-basket,†Goepfert said. “And somehow it squirted through.Ââ€
Goepfert may have thought he left a bad rebound on the next one, but he did well to stop a high-speed rush by Barriball, who was closing on the left side of the net, and as Goepfert tried to smother the shot, the Gopher freshman smacked again as he passed the cage and knocked it in.
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Down 3-1, Fletcher, a senior defenseman, whistled in a power-play goal in the second period, cutting it to 3-2. But Kyle Okposo, who may be a freshman but appears to be MinnesotaÂ’s most talented player, scored on a one-timer to regain the two-goal edge at 4-2. Again the Huskies closed in, when freshman Nodl one-timed Nate DeyÂ’s pass across the slot for another power-play goal and a 4-3 count. Nodl, a left-handed shooter, was in prime position at the right circle to one-time the arriving pass and drill it high into the short side against Kellen Briggs.
Yet again, the Gophers went back up by two when Blake Wheeler scored five minutes into the third period, but the Huskies never wavered. Lasch scored from the slot when his low, screened shot clanged in at 11:28, two seconds after a power play expired, to cut it to 5-4. Then Stephenson moved in from center point to drill another screened shot with 4:27 remaining.
Motzko was grumbling about how shaky the Huskies played on defense, and Goepfert was talking about bad luck and shaky rebounds, but nonetheless, the Huskies defense shrugged off Minnesota’s hardest attempts at forechecking and calmly broke the puck out, and Goepfert came up with a couple of major league saves in overtime – including a huge glove snatch on an Okposo shot – to hold the tie.
“Early, we were poor,†said Motzko, a former Minnesota assistant. “Our speed, our backchecking, were atrocious. We canÂ’t turn the puck over, no matter where youÂ’re at. We were really careless with the puck. I thought it would be a low-scoring game, because weÂ’re a pretty good defensive team, and theyÂ’re a great defensive team. We turned the puck over on one mistake in the second period, and Kyle (Okposo) came down and scored.Ââ€
Someone angling for a comparison to former Gopher Thomas Vanek, who once was coached and recruited by Motzko, asked if Okposo reminded him of anyone. “Jerome Iginla?†Motzko answered.
As for his struggling goaltender, Motzko said: “Bobby battled back in there. LetÂ’s just say Bobby is not in a place heÂ’s ever been, but heÂ’ll be back.Ââ€
The positive steps are the week-to-week improvement. Motzko and defensive assistant Eric Rud spent the previouis week stressing getting the defensemen involved in the offense.
“We worked in practice about getting the puck in deep in the offensive zone,†said Fletcher. “We got in position to get some shots on goal. Grant took a chance and moved in 4-on-4, and buried it. I usually might get seven or eight goals, and I got one. And Stephenson scored the second goal in his career.Ââ€
In the second game, with a much more involved crowd scene at St. Cloud, the Huskies trailed 1-0 on a Tyler Hirsch goal, but then Gary Houseman, John Swanson and Nate Raduns connected for second-period goals and a 3-1 lead. Raduns, at the left circle, got a perfect feed from Lasch in the slot. The powerful Gophers, however, stormed back with relentless pressure in the third period, and Barriball closed the gap with his eighth goal of a superb freshman term, and captain Mike Vannelli came through for the equalizer after a power-play pass from Hirsch.
Another night, another tie, tie, tie for the Huskies. But three straight ties moved them into contention, and what better way to simultaneously build two streaks – winless and undefeated?
About the Author
John Gilbert is a lifetime Minnesotan and career journalist, specializing in cars and sports during and since spending 30 years at the Minneapolis Tribune, now the Star Tribune. More recently, he has continued translating the high-tech world of autos and sharing his passionate insights as a freelance writer/photographer/broadcaster. A member of the prestigious North American Car and Truck of the Year jury since 1993. John can be heard Monday-Friday from 9-11am on 610 KDAL(www.kdal610.com) on the "John Gilbert Show," and writes a column in the Duluth Reader.
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