Photo Credit: Pat Christman / The Free Press
From: USCHO.com by Dan Myers
For some reason, Minnesota State just could not find the net when given golden opportunities to score.
Typically against a team ranked No. 4 in the country, that is a recipe for disaster — especially against a goalie like Peter Mannino.
But the resourceful Mavericks took advantage of a Denver team minus Brock Trotter, refused to quit, and by the time it was over, MSU had bruised its way to a 5-1 win to the delight of the 4,102 fans at the Alltel Center.
“It’s not a very good performance and it’s a performance that we’re not very proud of, that’s for sure,” Pioneers head coach George Gwozdecky said. “We need to play a lot better tomorrow to get a win.”
For the second consecutive weekend, it was the Mavericks third line boasting the fire power. Geoff Irwin, Andy Sackrison and Jason Wiley accounted for three of the team’s five goals (one apiece) and added three assists in the win.
“They’re playing really good right now,” Mavericks head coach Troy Jutting said. “They have good chemistry together, they understand each other and what each of them do well and the things they need to do to help each other.”
“The commitment to defense, the commitment to competing to get the puck back was heavily in their favor tonight,” Pioneers head coach George Gwozdecky said.
The Pioneers struggled without Trotter — their leading scorer — who did not make the trip to Mankato. DU officials would not comment on his absence, only saying he did not make the trip. It appears his status for next weekend’s series against Minnesota may also in question.
Zacharias made 22 saves for the win. Mannino stopped 24 shots, and kept the score from getting out of hand.
“Peter [Mannino] was great,” Gwozdecky said. “That game could have been a lot worse had it not been for Peter.”
The Mavericks (12-10-4 overall, 6-9-4 WCHA) and Pioneers (18-7-0, 12-5-0) will play the wrap up the series Saturday with a 7:07 p.m. face-off at the All-Tel Center.
Typically against a team ranked No. 4 in the country, that is a recipe for disaster — especially against a goalie like Peter Mannino.
But the resourceful Mavericks took advantage of a Denver team minus Brock Trotter, refused to quit, and by the time it was over, MSU had bruised its way to a 5-1 win to the delight of the 4,102 fans at the Alltel Center.
“It’s not a very good performance and it’s a performance that we’re not very proud of, that’s for sure,” Pioneers head coach George Gwozdecky said. “We need to play a lot better tomorrow to get a win.”
For the second consecutive weekend, it was the Mavericks third line boasting the fire power. Geoff Irwin, Andy Sackrison and Jason Wiley accounted for three of the team’s five goals (one apiece) and added three assists in the win.
“They’re playing really good right now,” Mavericks head coach Troy Jutting said. “They have good chemistry together, they understand each other and what each of them do well and the things they need to do to help each other.”
“The commitment to defense, the commitment to competing to get the puck back was heavily in their favor tonight,” Pioneers head coach George Gwozdecky said.
The Pioneers struggled without Trotter — their leading scorer — who did not make the trip to Mankato. DU officials would not comment on his absence, only saying he did not make the trip. It appears his status for next weekend’s series against Minnesota may also in question.
Zacharias made 22 saves for the win. Mannino stopped 24 shots, and kept the score from getting out of hand.
“Peter [Mannino] was great,” Gwozdecky said. “That game could have been a lot worse had it not been for Peter.”
The Mavericks (12-10-4 overall, 6-9-4 WCHA) and Pioneers (18-7-0, 12-5-0) will play the wrap up the series Saturday with a 7:07 p.m. face-off at the All-Tel Center.
2 comments:
This is not looking good. UND looked strong against Minny last night after a slow start. Wisc. keeps gaining momentum and getting stronger every game. DU has been flat since returning from the Xmaas break (even when Trotter was in the line-up) and if he is out for next weekends games...don't want to think aabout it.
I'm extremely worried about this team now and with the way they are playing they could end up messing up their chances in the national tournament like the two seasons before.
What has happened to this team. In the first half of the season they played with allot of grit and were aggressive on the defense. On the offense they drove to the net and forced turnovers in the natural zone. They played a well balanced game with physical play and speed.
Now look at them since this year started... they don't drive they pass pass pass on the points, make sloppy plays in the natural zone and they hesitate on physical play. They have lacked passion.
This team needs to understand that there was a reason we were 3rd in the nation. This team needs to understand what school they are playing for. With a team so rich in history, talent, and pride... everyone no matter how good or bad they are will be gunning for them. It's their job to put forth that effort because no one is going to roll over for them.
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