UMass Lowell '12/'13 Season Thread II

[Patronick]

Re: UMass Lowell '12/'13 Season Thread II

Make that 15th in PWR with the late results.

I think it's safe to say the smoke has cleared and the mirrors are shattered.

[bottomdweller]

Re: UMass Lowell '12/'13 Season Thread II

Make that 15th in PWR with the late results.

I think it's safe to say the smoke has cleared and the mirrors are shattered.

Welcome back doom and gloom.

[sterlippo1]

Re: UMass Lowell '12/'13 Season Thread II

Welcome back doom and gloom.

tough crowd. you guys just won 11 in a row and then lost a squeaker in a barn that is notorious for being a really tough place to play. Win tomorrow and a biggie awaits Friday night

[leswp1]

Re: UMass Lowell '12/'13 Season Thread II

Where is the like button?

[leswp1]

Re: UMass Lowell '12/'13 Season Thread II

Welcome back doom and gloom.

*****http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t5_vhCOtukY/TZD5_5jhEGI/AAAAAAAADis/Je3cK3snqwk/s1600/eeyore-rain-cloud.jpg******

[Go-UML]

Re: UMass Lowell '12/'13 Season Thread II

tough crowd. you guys just won 11 in a row and then lost a squeaker in a barn that is notorious for being a really tough place to play. Win tomorrow and a biggie awaits Friday night

Eh....I think it's a crowd of 1 at this point.

That being said, I do wish they did a better job of setting up the power play and moving the puck around the zone. The plan seemed intent on getting it into a corner scrum which we almost always lost. Also, as dominant as we've been on faceoffs in a lot of games, last night seemed to be a very obvious reversal on that and it definitely didn't help our cause. Anyhow, that game is in the books, time to move on to Alfond and make sure we don't give them their first home win.

GO HAWKS!

[UMLWeatherman]

Re: UMass Lowell '12/'13 Season Thread II

I think the Maine game will tell us how we should expect the final push of the season to go. They need to respond with some offense against a bottom of the pack team.

After Maine, Lowell plays against only TUC teams (assuming Amherst can hold on to that last TUC spot). I think if they go 7-2 or better after Maine, they will be in NCAA range going into the HE playoffs.

[Patronick]

Welcome back doom and gloom.

Understand that when I say smoke and mirrors I don't mean that the team is fraudulent or that they haven't played well over the stretch. I'm only talking about their prior place in the PWR. When they're sitting at 6th I think a lot of people failed to grasp how fragile the position was. Lowell only had one win against a team that isn't a threat to drop off - the BU game. Amherst and even PC could fall below the line with a few losses.

I think the offense was stagnat last night and I think Bazin has had trouble figuring out how to beat Merrimack.

[John_Fuller]

Re: UMass Lowell '12/'13 Season Thread II

In some ways, the expected bath Lowell took in the PWR with a loss is a blessing in disguise. Their ranking was over-rated courtesy of a nice winning streak and a very good non-conference schedule. There's no question with the loss last night that it put Lowell at a disadvantage for the NCAAs. Keep in mind, the ranking of #15 in the PWR on Groundhog Day is the same value a #7 ranking had last week. We are now where we are supposed to be given the overall season but still control our destiny for where we want to go.

Before I can get concerned about the NCAAs, we have a home ice race in Hockey East that probably the most competitive since 2010. Last night, I mentioned that Merrimack could be in the driver's seat with a win tonight, and especially with a win against BU next Friday. With a UNH victory tonight and a Lowell victory in Maine tomorrow, one little point separates third from sixth. If we want to think of Lowell as an NCAA team, it has to win tomorrow afternoon in Maine against a bottom-tier team in the standings. It's not an easy task, given the track-record up there, so we will see if this year's team can close out the season series with a win.

Longer term, let's not totally dismiss Patronick's points. This team has got pushed around by teams like Merrimack and going back to last year; Providence, UConn (in both games), and Vermont in the game at the Gut. This team seems to shy away from the contact and fails to match that physical intensity of their opponents. Run and gun is fine, but at some point you have to use the body to win games. As we head into the home stretch, tighter games and finding a way to wine is going to be more and more paramount especially in the HE playoffs and hopefully NCAAs.

[Patronick]

Re: UMass Lowell '12/'13 Season Thread II

Longer term, let's not totally dismiss Patronick's points. This team has got pushed around by teams like Merrimack and going back to last year; Providence, UConn (in both games), and Vermont in the game at the Gut. This team seems to shy away from the contact and fails to match that physical intensity of their opponents. Run and gun is fine, but at some point you have to use the body to win games. As we head into the home stretch, tighter games and finding a way to wine is going to be more and more paramount especially in the HE playoffs and hopefully NCAAs.

I think they need to have a really good game and catch some breaks to beat teams that are that much more physical than they are. They did it against Miami in the tournament, and against PC some of the games and against the Mack @ the Tsongas. I also think it's worth noting that Lawler has just been a house of horrors for this team of late. Not 2003-2009 Alfond, but still an increasingly tough place to play.

[John_Fuller]

Re: UMass Lowell '12/'13 Season Thread II

I also think it's worth noting that Lawler has just been a house of horrors for this team of late. Not 2003-2009 Alfond, but still an increasingly tough place to play.

Agreed, and I think we can all verify that Lawler has become that for all of Hockey East, not just Lowell. HE people have a hard time comprehending Merrimack College not as a 9th or 10th place bottom feeder. They are waiting for the collapse, but guess what folks, I don't see it happening. They have a good coach, miles better talent then 5-10 years ago, and a program that is on the upswing. A smaller version of another school I know of 12 miles upstream. Losing is never good, but I don't feel as bad about a 1-0 loss at Lawler/Volpe right now. Eight years ago would have been a different story.

I think this team can win at places like Lawler and Alfond, they simply have to execute offensive fundamentals and not take the crap that is handed to them. We will find our the answer to this theory about this time tomorrow afternoon.

[boblav1]

Re: UMass Lowell '12/'13 Season Thread II

Last night, I mentioned that Merrimack could be in the driver's seat with a win tonight, and especially with a win against BU next Friday. With a UNH victory tonight and a Lowell victory in Maine tomorrow, one little point separates third from sixth.

Merrimack up 3-1 at the end of 2.

[NCAAfan500]

Re: UMass Lowell '12/'13 Season Thread II

Make that 15th in PWR with the late results.

I think it's safe to say the smoke has cleared and the mirrors are shattered.

Right where you belong.

[Patman]

Right where you belong.

Hmm... That sound... It sounds like jealousy... Nah, can't be

[Go-UML]

Re: UMass Lowell '12/'13 Season Thread II

Hmm... That sound... It sounds like jealousy... Nah, can't be

Or someone being a tool.