I was reading the Star Tribune’s write-up this morning about another Gophers loss (0-2-1) and I got to thinking how long before the Gopher faithful want to throw head coach Don Lucia under the bus? For my amusement, I decided to check out the comments section of that very same article. Holy cow! Wow! It sounds like there is a full blown lynch mob down in Minnesota already. That’s right, three games into the young season and the not-so-Golden Gophers have been shut out twice, outscored 10-3 and now there very well may be an angry mob pounding at the door of Mariucci Arena.
Lets break this down further; three games into the season and the Gophers’ top forward, and pre-anointed Player of the Year in the WCHA, Jordan Schroeder has no points whatsoever, nix, nada, nay (0g-0a-0pts) and he is a minus -2.
I am wondering how long it will take before the rumors about Vancouver not being happy with Schroeder’s development start surfacing? Last night I watched the DU and Minnesota game and Schroeder, on numerous occasions, took the puck up the ice in an attempt at an end-to-end rush only to lose the puck to a Denver player in the defensive zone. The result, of course, was a turnover and a rush up ice in the other direction. This type of play was kind of reminiscent of another former Gopher player that was run out of Boston and now resides in Toronto.
If anything, the Gophers’ start to the season makes makes me scratch my head and wonder how a team stacked with at least 10 NHL draft choices can be 0-2-1. It hasn’t been pretty, in the first three games the Gophers have been outshot by an astounding 111 – 71 margin. Of the team’s 71 shots, they have scored a measly three goals–meaning they have scored on just under five percent of their shots. On the defensive side of the equation the Gophers have given up ten goals, or just about a goal on ten percent of the opposition’s shots. Morever, their power play is clicking at an even zero percent (they are 0-12 on the power play). On top of that, they have also given up a shorthanded goal.
Coach on the Hot Seat?
The last two seasons Don Lucia’s Gophers have gone a mediocre 17-13-7 and 19-17-9. Last season they missed the NCAA playoffs altogether and now three games into this season it looks as if they could be in for another tough season.
So would it be reasonable to say that Lucia is on the hot seat?
What do Gophers fan think?
I know people have short memories and forget that that Lucia won two NCAA titles in the early 2000’s but what has he done lately?
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