Hopefully this is the low point of the season for DU. They did not look good tonight and got beat by a team that played harder and played better as a team. We will find out very soon if DU is the kind of team to rebound from something like this or if it is the beginning of the end. I hope that they can bounce back and learn a valuable lesson going in to the postseason that they will lose if they look past the team they play next.
Congratulations to MTU. Tech fully deserved to win last night. They were very opportunistic wth two SHGs, won the majority of the loose puck battles, maintained an effective forecheck that disrupted DU's transition game, got the better goaltending, played with much more effort and grit etc etc.
I wish I could have watched that game sitting up high in the stands, sitting between Kyle Ostrow and David Makowski. Would be great to hear thier comments or thoughts as this was unfolding......
Until this team learns to play 60 minutes rather than 20, we will be one and out all through the post-season. Too many prima donnas dreaming about their NHL signing bonuses rather than the task at hand. This isn't DU's first late-season fade... the fickle finger of fate is beginning to point at Gwoz.
Very depressing night for DU fans. Instead of peaking, the team is starting to tank, carrying over the poor performance at Minnesota to a stinker against a MTU team that hadn't won a game in months.
Late season flameouts are nothing new for Denver in recent years, and I hope the team can figure it out.
1) Leadership - Denver is missing two of its captains, and the lack of leadership is obvious.
2) Effort level- This team doesn't start well, and when you can overcome a bad start, it's okay. Now, the bad starts are costly. Some guys aren't giving the work rate that is required. I could see benchings coming, but you need to be careful, as some guys might not respond well to that, causing even more problems.
3) Coaching - Yes, we've seen this late season movie before and it doesn't end well. Time for the coaches to figure out a solution,
I also agree with the comment about too many guys dreaming about NHL signing bonuses. Look at the past DU guys to leave early. Only 3 have really accomplished a lot since leaving early. Colborne and Wiercioch have been buried in the AHL this year and should both have stayed this season, and Chevy is having a less than stellar year in the Eastern Cocktail League.
To be somewhat fair, the Tech goalie had an outstanding game but when you give up 2 SH goals in one game there is a major problem. A couple of additional blind passes in the defensive zone almost led to another goal or 2 for Tech. They teach you when you are a Mite not to make blind cross ice passes in your defensive zone. The DU defenseman must have missed that practice.
I am certain that DU will bounce back tonight but this team has some major problems on the defensive end that need to be resolved if they are going to go anywhere in the post season. Was flipping between the UNH vs. Vermont game and saw UNH storm back after a lousy start and crush Vermont. Wonder if DU has it in them to do the same which they will likely need to do at some point.
It wasn't just d-men making stupid passes. Beau Bennett slid a nice little pass right onto the tape of a Tech forward in the slot during the 2nd period last night. Sam came up big on that one...
That was a pathetic showing by DU last night... I can't believe the players didn't skate on a couple of those goals. They looked liked they were coasting.
Late season collapses, under-motivated lazy talent, these have become the norm...that falls on the coach. Great recruiter, but maybe we shouldn't keep worrying about him jumping to the big 10.
The most disturbing thing to me was not the score(that indeed was disturbing enough) but the mental freeze that our boys seemed to be in this late in the year. It looked like they took stupid pills. The mistakes they were making all game were very obvious. Any team can get beat by a lower team but the pios were in some kind of nervous breakdown mode. I dunno--I just don't
Ignore Donovan's goal- he was simply the one that got to shoot the puck. He's been playing terribly since after the break, maybe even before that.
On the power play, he doesn't pass the puck. Ever. He just does that stupid little "dish" to redirect the puck at half speed to the half wall. Seriously? Why, at this point in the season, does he think that's fancy, smart, or effective?
He gets burned all the time on breaks and of everyone on this team, I think he's the greediest. He makes stupid, risky, and blind passes. He always takes the puck so deep in the zone when he has safer passing opportunities. Which would be fine, if he were a center, which at this point, given his defensive abilities, would make more sense. He needs to stop looking at the game like a skilled player, because he's not one anymore.
He's gone from bright prospects as a 2-way D-man to a defensive irrelevancy, at best. He's the new Phillips, and Phillips has stepped up his game and actually plays decent D all of the sudden. What gives?
I'm with most of you on alot of these posts.... but let me put one thing into perspective. As a sports fan here in Denver, it IS pretty cool how we're all pissed off, because our home team lost one in front of the home crowd... which hasn't happened since OCTOBER 16th!! LOL Ask the Avs fans when's the last time they walked out of Pepsi Center pissed off about thier team's effort! And for Christ sake - up at Tech... losing at home is expected by now!
Yes, there may be some underlying issues with DU Hockey right now (and not a good time to have them).... but all in all we have it pretty damn good here, being Denver fans!
I agree about Donovan. He is pretty impressed with his offensive talent and often tries to do too much on his own. He is terrible as far as positioning (which is crucial for a defenseman) and therefore takes 1-3 penalties a game simply hooking an opponent on a breakaway thanks to a bad pinch.
He either needs to get back to textbook D or Gwoz should put him at forward where he won't hurt us as much defensively.
Matt Donovan is hardly overrated and I think an awesome defenseman and I am impressed with his game, the goal he scored against UND earlier in the season was amazing, the went basically end to end with out being touched and basically scored on his own. Enjoy him while you can because he will be in the pros soon.
You could move Matt Donovan to Center and he'd be a very good WCHA forward. But by the same logic you could move Jason Zucker to defense and there's no doubt he'd be one of the best defensemen in the WCHA. Matt Carle could also have started at forward for DU.
The point is, Matt Donovan's future in the NHL is on the blueline. If Gwozdecky tried to move Dono to forward, Matt would be on the next flight to Bridgeport (AHL) and Garth Snow would be holding a press conference berating the DU coaching staff.
DU has had 10 straight 20 win season and its been on the backs of our puck moving defensemen. Ryan Caldwell, Matt Carle, Chris Butler, Patrick Wiercioch, Matt Donovan and David Makowski. Next year Joey Laleggia will take the reins.
Goaltenders win NCAA championships, but puck moving defensemen create goals in college hockey. And in a league where the average score is 3-2, the difference between first place and the basement is one goal per game.
The praise that Dono and Mak get is well deserved but DU has 4 other d-men that could start at any other program in the country. In fact the other 4 are better defensively than either of the two that are always mentioned. we have two basically underclassmen as goalies. Lets be grateful not just for 2 quality d-men but the six that we have.
27 comments:
Hopefully this is the low point of the season for DU. They did not look good tonight and got beat by a team that played harder and played better as a team. We will find out very soon if DU is the kind of team to rebound from something like this or if it is the beginning of the end. I hope that they can bounce back and learn a valuable lesson going in to the postseason that they will lose if they look past the team they play next.
i want to cry. the way the huskies stormed the ice, it was like they won the national championship. in a way, that was...
DU's hit the end of the year wall. It was a fun season. .500 for the remaining games would be an achievement.
nice win!
Congratulations to MTU. Tech fully deserved to win last night. They were very opportunistic wth two SHGs, won the majority of the loose puck battles, maintained an effective forecheck that disrupted DU's transition game, got the better goaltending, played with much more effort and grit etc etc.
Abysmal loss for DU. Not much else to say.
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA . Lamien you promised two wins you really are not very smart are ya?
I wish I could have watched that game sitting up high in the stands, sitting between Kyle Ostrow and David Makowski. Would be great to hear thier comments or thoughts as this was unfolding......
Until this team learns to play 60 minutes rather than 20, we will be one and out all through the post-season. Too many prima donnas dreaming about their NHL signing bonuses rather than the task at hand. This isn't DU's first late-season fade... the fickle finger of fate is beginning to point at Gwoz.
Very depressing night for DU fans. Instead of peaking, the team is starting to tank, carrying over the poor performance at Minnesota to a stinker against a MTU team that hadn't won a game in months.
Late season flameouts are nothing new for Denver in recent years, and I hope the team can figure it out.
1) Leadership - Denver is missing two of its captains, and the lack of leadership is obvious.
2) Effort level- This team doesn't start well, and when you can overcome a bad start, it's okay. Now, the bad starts are costly. Some guys aren't giving the work rate that is required. I could see benchings coming, but you need to be careful, as some guys might not respond well to that, causing even more problems.
3) Coaching - Yes, we've seen this late season movie before and it doesn't end well. Time for the coaches to figure out a solution,
one word can describe last night's performance: pathetic
I also agree with the comment about too many guys dreaming about NHL signing bonuses. Look at the past DU guys to leave early. Only 3 have really accomplished a lot since leaving early. Colborne and Wiercioch have been buried in the AHL this year and should both have stayed this season, and Chevy is having a less than stellar year in the Eastern Cocktail League.
To be somewhat fair, the Tech goalie had an outstanding game but when you give up 2 SH goals in one game there is a major problem. A couple of additional blind passes in the defensive zone almost led to another goal or 2 for Tech. They teach you when you are a Mite not to make blind cross ice passes in your defensive zone. The DU defenseman must have missed that practice.
I am certain that DU will bounce back tonight but this team has some major problems on the defensive end that need to be resolved if they are going to go anywhere in the post season. Was flipping between the UNH vs. Vermont game and saw UNH storm back after a lousy start and crush Vermont. Wonder if DU has it in them to do the same which they will likely need to do at some point.
Anon @ 10:50,
It wasn't just d-men making stupid passes. Beau Bennett slid a nice little pass right onto the tape of a Tech forward in the slot during the 2nd period last night. Sam came up big on that one...
That was a pathetic showing by DU last night... I can't believe the players didn't skate on a couple of those goals. They looked liked they were coasting.
Late season collapses, under-motivated lazy talent, these have become the norm...that falls on the coach. Great recruiter, but maybe we shouldn't keep worrying about him jumping to the big 10.
The most disturbing thing to me was not the score(that indeed was disturbing enough) but the mental freeze that our boys seemed to be in this late in the year. It looked like they took stupid pills. The mistakes they were making all game were very obvious. Any team can get beat by a lower team but the pios were in some kind of nervous breakdown mode. I dunno--I just don't
These guys were sleep walkng, not hustling...just pure lazy. The guy behind keep yelling stop thinking about the NHL, I agree.
Losing to a team that hasn't won in 25 games, in your own arena, two shorthanded goals.
This is no way to enter the post season.
Seems like some ass kicking is in order
Ignore Donovan's goal- he was simply the one that got to shoot the puck. He's been playing terribly since after the break, maybe even before that.
On the power play, he doesn't pass the puck. Ever. He just does that stupid little "dish" to redirect the puck at half speed to the half wall. Seriously? Why, at this point in the season, does he think that's fancy, smart, or effective?
He gets burned all the time on breaks and of everyone on this team, I think he's the greediest. He makes stupid, risky, and blind passes. He always takes the puck so deep in the zone when he has safer passing opportunities. Which would be fine, if he were a center, which at this point, given his defensive abilities, would make more sense. He needs to stop looking at the game like a skilled player, because he's not one anymore.
He's gone from bright prospects as a 2-way D-man to a defensive irrelevancy, at best. He's the new Phillips, and Phillips has stepped up his game and actually plays decent D all of the sudden. What gives?
I'm with most of you on alot of these posts.... but let me put one thing into perspective. As a sports fan here in Denver, it IS pretty cool how we're all pissed off, because our home team lost one in front of the home crowd... which hasn't happened since OCTOBER 16th!! LOL Ask the Avs fans when's the last time they walked out of Pepsi Center pissed off about thier team's effort! And for Christ sake - up at Tech... losing at home is expected by now!
Yes, there may be some underlying issues with DU Hockey right now (and not a good time to have them).... but all in all we have it pretty damn good here, being Denver fans!
I agree about Donovan. He is pretty impressed with his offensive talent and often tries to do too much on his own. He is terrible as far as positioning (which is crucial for a defenseman) and therefore takes 1-3 penalties a game simply hooking an opponent on a breakaway thanks to a bad pinch.
He either needs to get back to textbook D or Gwoz should put him at forward where he won't hurt us as much defensively.
Donovan is one of the most overrated players in the WCHA.
Matt Donovan is hardly overrated and I think an awesome defenseman and I am impressed with his game, the goal he scored against UND earlier in the season was amazing, the went basically end to end with out being touched and basically scored on his own. Enjoy him while you can because he will be in the pros soon.
thank you goon for bringing some sense back to this thread. Donovan is one of the best defensemen in the WCHA. Period.
Anyone who wouldn't Dono on their team is a fool.
You could move Matt Donovan to Center and he'd be a very good WCHA forward. But by the same logic you could move Jason Zucker to defense and there's no doubt he'd be one of the best defensemen in the WCHA. Matt Carle could also have started at forward for DU.
The point is, Matt Donovan's future in the NHL is on the blueline. If Gwozdecky tried to move Dono to forward, Matt would be on the next flight to Bridgeport (AHL) and Garth Snow would be holding a press conference berating the DU coaching staff.
DU has had 10 straight 20 win season and its been on the backs of our puck moving defensemen. Ryan Caldwell, Matt Carle, Chris Butler, Patrick Wiercioch, Matt Donovan and David Makowski. Next year Joey Laleggia will take the reins.
Goaltenders win NCAA championships, but puck moving defensemen create goals in college hockey. And in a league where the average score is 3-2, the difference between first place and the basement is one goal per game.
The praise that Dono and Mak get is well deserved but DU has 4 other d-men that could start at any other program in the country. In fact the other 4 are better defensively than either of the two that are always mentioned. we have two basically underclassmen as goalies. Lets be grateful not just for 2 quality d-men but the six that we have.
Goalies are a nice easy out. Glad so many people are keen to ignore accountability elsewhere when things go wrong.
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