Well, there's not much to be said for this series. The Gophers are on a 4-game losing skid, and are on the verge of being on the outside looking in for the NCAA tournament. They are desperate for wins. They actually did not play terrible last weekend; in fact, I think they outplayed the Badgers on both nights, however, like I predicted, really struggled on special teams. I did like how they played more physical, and that is something they are going to have to stick with here on out. A couple of things for this weekend:
1) Alex Kangas has to improve. Last weekend, it wasn't necessarily the goals he let in that makes me nervous, it was his inability to control rebounds. It seems to me that he is really battling the puck, and he must find himself. The Gophers will only go as far as Kangas takes them.
2) The forwards have to play a more simple game. Just like last year, many of the forwards have a tendency to get "too cute" with the puck. I saw several times last weekend where a forward passed up a good shot to try for a near impossible pass. The forwards are skilled, but not THAT skilled. They need to get more pucks to the net and get more traffic in front.
3) The defenseman played much better last weekend. As much as it pains me to say it, David Fisher makes a huge difference back there. Although he does have a tendency to make terrible decisions with the puck, he may be the steadiest and consistent defenseman the Gophers have. I just hope he can stay in the lineup.
Prediction: Friday=Gophers 5 UAA 2 Saturday= Gophers 3 UAA 1
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