2013-2014 College Hockey Thread

[gopher_guy]

Well, the NFL is starting tonight, which means college hockey season is right around the corner.

Very different season for those of us in the Midwest this year. 2 brand new conferences.

Should be another fun season!

[gopher_guy]

As far as the Gophers go, I am really excited about our team this year. Wilcox returns in goal after a very solid freshman campaign. And the freshmen coming in look very solid, including Cammaratta and Kloos (the two leading scorers in the USHL last season)

Excited to see how Mike Reilley improves as a player this season. If he stays for a third/fourth year I could definitely see him having a Jordan Leopold/Hobey type year manning the blue line.

Hey! Drop the puck!

[jamie1981]

I just want to see how Penn State does with much tougher competition this year. Last year was essentially a transition year so I'm curious to see how they'll do.

[raymondburr]

B1G hockey's going to be interesting. But I still like the ECAC action.

[gopher_guy]

Louie Nanne de-committed from the Gophers a couple days ago. He essentially said that he didn't want to come to the U because people would be constantly questioning whether or not he was on the team by his own merits, or just because of who his Grandfather is.

Totally respect the decision, and honestly, it's probably the right move for his hockey career. Best of luck to him.

Quote: Originally Posted by jamie1981

I just want to see how Penn State does with much tougher competition this year. Last year was essentially a transition year so I'm curious to see how they'll do.

Interested to see how Max Gardiner's return to Mariucci will go. I'm sure we'll have some choice words for him, haha.

[ImTellinTim]

Quote: Originally Posted by gopher_guy

Louie Nanne de-committed from the Gophers a couple days ago. He essentially said that he didn't want to come to the U because people would be constantly questioning whether or not he was on the team by his own merits, or just because of who his Grandfather is. Totally respect the decision, and honestly, it's probably the right move for his hockey career. Best of luck to him.

Sounds to me like he either realized he wasn't going to be good enough to get solid playing time or didn't want to put in the work to get there. Any idea where he's going after he's done in Sioux Falls?

[gopher_guy]

Quote: Originally Posted by ImTellinTim

Sounds to me like he either realized he wasn't going to be good enough to get solid playing time or didn't want to put in the work to get there. Any idea where he's going after he's done in Sioux Falls?

From what I've heard, he is a very motivated kid, so I don't think it was the latter. He just doesn't have the high end skill, especially offensively, that many blue chippers have. To be honest, if his name wasn't Nanne, I don't think people would have batted an eye, but apparently he was getting berated with criticism and jokes about favoritism/nepotism, especially after he got drafted by the Wild. But yeah, he probably saw the writing on the wall that he was most likely not going to be a top line player here, and I'm sure that played a part in his decision.

It's too bad because from what I've heard, from those who have watched him play quite a bit, he would have been a good 3rd/4th line PK guy.

Haven't seen anything about his future plans, but he's apparently a pretty smart kid. If I had to guess I bet he wants to get the hell away from MN and goes out east and plays for an Ivy League school like Harvard, Cornell, or Yale.

[gopher_guy]

The season is underway!

Gophers won their exhibition 5-1 against Lethbridge tonight. I heard it was pretty feisty. 3 Lethbridge players and 2 Gophers received 5 minute game misconducts! What the hell?