In a game that must have seemed eerily similar to Friday night's series opener, Nebraska-Omaha defeated Minnesota State 2-1 in overtime and took back the "Spirit of the Maverick" Trophy on Saturday in Omaha.
Like Friday's game, each team scored once in the first period, and the game remained scoreless through regulation. Friday's game ended in a tie, but, on Saturday, Omaha's Rich Purslow scored 43 seconds into the extra period.
It was MSU's first nonconference loss of the season. They are now 4-1-1 against teams outside the WCHA and will play two more games against RIT on Jan. 1-2.
Back to Saturday's game, goalie Austin Lee was back between the pipes and stopped 38 shots. Omaha outshot MSU 40-24, and the purple team's Kurt Davis scored the game's first goal at 6:12 on assists from Adam Mueller and Michael Dorr.
Omaha's Nick Fanto tied the game five minutes later.
Minnesota State (9-9-2) finished 0 for 7 on the power play and, for the weekend, was 0 for 11 with the man advantage. There were some fisticuffs at the end of the first period, and MSU's Tyler Thompson and UNO's Brandon Richardson each got a five-minute fighting penalty, meaning they will have to miss their next game. Thompson has been the right win on the Mavs' top line over the last few weeks.
The Omaha World-Herald story on the game can be found here.
4 comments:
How often, "can you go to the well" at this level and expect the best from your players.
Nice to see the goalies getting flip-flopped as to have a fresh goalie is HUGE. And when you see the number of shots put on him, it's a good job he was fresh.
In football the team has many more players, yet you also have "special teams" for various game situations just as in hockey. PP, PK, 4/4, etc.
IMO, the MAVS go "to the well" to often with the same F/D players.
Forwards get mixed-in a little vs. the same 4 D men. I'm not saying these 4 D are not the top 4 D. I'm saying when you "over play" them IMO, you tire them out and it weakens there effectiveness over the course of 60 minutes.
Even the commentator mentioned how a certain D was out the entire PP and could hardly get back to break-up a play.
Perhaps why we were out shoot 40 - 24 - lack of forwards back checking and 4 of 6 tired D. Barely heard Cooper or Moseys name mentioned in the game, let alone the 3rd. Perhaps if they would have spelled players through-out the game on occasion, the top 4 D would have not been as tired as the announcer made it sound.
Hoping for NEW YEAR adjustments so this team can show its potential with better results.
Back to the Sunday TV Grid Iron games...
GO MAVS....
I concur with TEAMWORKER's assesment. The claim is made that all players are fighting for ice time as they all are liked by the coaches. However, that is not played out during the reality of the games. There is no doubt that the players on the ice all the time, will have nothing left to give when it counts the most. Use the talent that you have, which is bountiful when spread throughout the whole roster and the whole game...
I just have to chime in here ...
Special teams in hockey are not like football. You don't have specialty-only players, and you don't have backups filling out those spots. You want your best players on the ice in those situations.
There are players in hockey who work at earning this extra playing time, who expect extra minutes in games. They want to play 5-on-5, PP and PK. Coaches hope to have players who can handle those duties, whether they come in the first period or the third. You want those players on the ice.
When the Mavericks are at even strength, they do a good job of rolling their lines and D-men. In fact, the fourth line was involved in both goals MSU scored against Omaha during the series.
To say they lost a 2-1 road game in OT because they didn't rest players earlier in the game seems a bit silly. I don't think anyone's playing 30 minutes a game right now.
Now that's what I call a "CHIME", better yet, a "CHIRP"...
I'm not saying they are getting 30 minutes, rather when you skate 5/5, PP and PK back-to-back in some cases, your body does not recover in hockey like other sports. The longer the shift, the longer the recovery. The recovery time then takes longer and in some cases a player is back on the ice before they have recovered. Hence my comments the other day.
You mentioned the 4 F lines, yet not the three D lines/match-ups? They already have a disadvantage on D when you have 6 D compared to 12 F players. Couple that with all the 5/5, PP & PK time D 1-4 get and there is my point about "going to the well" to often. They have to wear down come the late second, third period. Thus also my point on being drastically out shot.
UNO nearly out shot us 2-1 from the second period on and we had more PP's than them.
Purgolder's points are very well taken also.
I want MSU to do well and hope we see ALL the players be able to contribute this next half...
GO MAVS.
Merry Christmas...
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