The Gophers looked uncomfortable right from the start of Friday’s game against North Dakota. They seemed to lack confidence. Nobody seemed to want the puck. Except the Sioux who won 6-3 and the game was not that close.

A couple insignificant plays – because they did not lead to goals –  come to mind. Aaron Ness, the freshmen D from nearby Roseau, Minn., lost the puck early in the opening period as he was trying to break. The Sioux player went in alone but shot wide. Ness fell trying to chase him.

Later in the game, Ness had the puck behind his own zone but made no move. He waited for freshman Jordan Schroeder to come to him, take the puck and carry it out.

Freshman forward Jake Hansen had the puck near the boards and treated it like a hot potato. He seemed to want to get rid of it as soon as possible. He banked it off weakly off the boards where a Sioux player picked it up.

The Gophers’ defensemen in general seemed to be AWOL. The Sioux had lots of practice on breakaways, odd-man rushes. To make matters worse, junior defenseman David Fischer suffered a potential serious injury ealry in the second period. He limped off after breaking his stick on a shot from the left point.

Interim Gophers head coach John Hill said Fischer suffered a cut on his leg in the first period and seemed to reinjure the same leg. He said he was not sure what the injury was — maybe a tendon or ligament — but said Fischer was doubtful for tonight.

That means expect to see Brian Schack in the lineup. He sat out Friday’s game. He was in the press box along with freshman freshman Joey Miller who probably will play tonight too.   

Junior captain Ryan Stoa had two goals and an assist Friday, but he was as glum as everybody else. He called the Gophers’ performance embarrassing.

It was certainly hard to watch. The Gophers better come back with their “A” game tonight or the Sioux will sweep and get right back in the thick of the WCHA race, tied with the Gophers.

After a fast start, the Gophers have been up and down. But they may have reached a season low in Friday’s game. What do you think?

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 10th, 2009 at 1:01 pm and is filed under Gophers men's hockey. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.