Tonka/Andover

Discussion of Minnesota Girls High School Hockey

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j4241
Posts: 533
Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2015 2:38 pm

Tonka/Andover

Post by j4241 » Sun Nov 24, 2019 10:40 am

Early results made it appear Tonka was going to be very tough this year. I’m sure they will be tough to score against all year with great D and good goaltending. But 12 shots at home in a game they had to have been up for...? Andover is obviously the cream of the crop, but still. Was the game that lopsided?

massalsa
Posts: 588
Joined: Tue Dec 17, 2013 6:37 pm

Re: Tonka/Andover

Post by massalsa » Mon Nov 25, 2019 11:55 am

Apparently no one was at the game or knows anyone in those 2 relatively small/obscure girls programs reads this forum.

2 other things jump out at me from the boxscore in addition to the shots:

1. Tonka losing by a goal (last goal was ENG according to the Hub) is a great result against the powerhouse that is Andover.

2. 40 saves by Duloc against anyone let alone Andover's forwards is a great sign for the Skippers. Who knows how many shots were blocked or altered by the twin towers and their supporting cast. I would guess that Nicholson/Guilday were out there the entire game or more than half (dont know if they are partners or not).

How does a team that averaged 8 goals a game against average or better competition only get 12 shots? I assume that the zone time was significantly lopsided as there are a couple of forwards on the Skip that certainly are players that do not pass up many shots (and it serves them well cuz they can light it up!).

massalsa
Posts: 588
Joined: Tue Dec 17, 2013 6:37 pm

Re: Tonka/Andover

Post by massalsa » Mon Nov 25, 2019 12:02 pm

massalsa wrote:
Mon Nov 25, 2019 11:55 am
Apparently no one was at the game or knows anyone in those 2 relatively small/obscure girls programs reads this forum.
That sentence is brutal...hopefully it makes sense. Maybe I should have put "that" in front of "reads this forum".

Indy96
Posts: 13
Joined: Tue Oct 29, 2019 4:15 pm

Re: Tonka/Andover

Post by Indy96 » Mon Nov 25, 2019 3:06 pm

Saw the game- Tonka's goalie stood on her head and was amazing - she took 40+ shots, let in 2 (as mentioned, last goal was an ENG, actually knocked in by Tonka).

Tonka rolled all 3 of their lines fairly equally, Andover seemed to be playing only their top two lines in the 1st period, 3rd line seemed to get a little more playing time towards the second half of the game but still was not on the ice as often as the other 2 lines.

There were actually no penalties called, other than two separate offsetting penalties so neither team got to show off their PP or PK.
Tonka had some additional chances not shown on the box scores- a few shots just wide of the net.

Overall, Andover outplayed Tonka on this one- they were pretty much in control of the game the whole time. But considering this was the first game where Tonka was actually challenged, I am sure they will adjust and learn from it.
Hope this helps- it's my first post!

NORTHWOODS HOCKEY
Posts: 188
Joined: Thu Jul 09, 2015 8:13 am

Re: Tonka/Andover

Post by NORTHWOODS HOCKEY » Mon Nov 25, 2019 4:39 pm

This doesn't apply to anyone's particular post in this thread, but as good as Andover's forwards are, I believe a fair amount of credit goes to their D as well. Andover's top 4 D are as good as any and they are not given their due credit. Especially offensively, as their positioning, puck control and decision making in all three zones, creates a lot of time and space for those forwards.

massalsa
Posts: 588
Joined: Tue Dec 17, 2013 6:37 pm

Re: Tonka/Andover

Post by massalsa » Tue Nov 26, 2019 11:10 am

Indy96 wrote:
Mon Nov 25, 2019 3:06 pm


Overall, Andover outplayed Tonka on this one- they were pretty much in control of the game the whole time. But considering this was the first game where Tonka was actually challenged, I am sure they will adjust and learn from it.
Hope this helps- it's my first post!
Welcome to here!!! Thanks for your thoughts and information. While many of us would love to see more games it is physically impossible to see all of them!
NORTHWOODS HOCKEY wrote:
Mon Nov 25, 2019 4:39 pm
This doesn't apply to anyone's particular post in this thread, but as good as Andover's forwards are, I believe a fair amount of credit goes to their D as well. Andover's top 4 D are as good as any and they are not given their due credit. Especially offensively, as their positioning, puck control and decision making in all three zones, creates a lot of time and space for those forwards.
I am sure that is the case. Often if there were assists on assists it is the pass from the D that sets up the forwards for a great scoring chance or the opportunity to move up ice with speed and in odd man situation. There are many other examples too...

j4241
Posts: 533
Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2015 2:38 pm

Re: Tonka/Andover

Post by j4241 » Tue Nov 26, 2019 11:22 am

Welcome! And I agree about your comment - Andover’s D were great. In fact, I think Guilday was probably the best D on the ice, but both Little and Clough were fantastic. The notable omission was at best the fourth best D, in my opinion.

Andover is extremely aggressive on the forecheck - deep, heavy pinches by activating D - smothering forecheck by Andover - and just not enough skill in the Minnetonka forwards to overcome it. I could see a more skilled group of forwards creating a few more 2v1s out of that than Tonka was able to, but I guess the list of teams capable of doing that is pretty short (Blake?). Martin had four or five shots on the rush through defenders that could have picked corners and made it a 2-2 game, but they just don’t have much more. Andover easily could have scored two or three more - Dulac played very well.

For anyone interested, it was streamed and is available to watch on demand here:

https://youtu.be/LntaVc8rAVs

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