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Union College Hockey 2014-2015 "ReUnion 2015? Why "Nott"?

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  • Re: Union College Hockey 2014-2015 "ReUnion 2015? Why "Nott"?

    Originally posted by ADK11 View Post
    I bet this will be a tough week of practice and may see some lineup changes next weekend
    Years past we were always a defensive minded team .... aka played like Cornell (but without necessarily the same results). Offense is sevy. Scoring at the buzzer is sevy. But offense does not win championships by itself. Look at St. Lawrence last year. We have got to go back and be that fundamentally sound defensive team. We certainly have the goalies to do it.

    I saw a play Foo made on Friday. He was battling three Saint Cloud defenders and two were their big 6'5"+ 230 lbs guys. He would not give up. He was being ground to a pulp but he would not give up. To everyone's amazement he dug out the puck !!!! with is what, 160lb frame? and centered it. One tiny little skinny freshmen going up against their most experience upperclassmen !!! That is Union College Hockey ....

    The freshmen are making mistakes but some are better examples of Union College Hockey then some of the upperclassmen. Last year is over, the banner has been raised. Get it behind us and lets play Union College Hockey !!!!
    DUTCHMEN HOCKEY
    DANGER - MEN AT WORK

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    • Re: Union College Hockey 2014-2015 "ReUnion 2015? Why "Nott"?

      This team is pretty much where I expected it to be at this point in the season, except the W-L record. When I first saw the schedule, I would have anticipated a 3-3 or similar record at this stage. This team is still very young and inexperienced in many key positions and with a possible leadership void which needs to be and likely will be filled as the team matures. Noticeably lacking this weekend in my view was the tenacious forechecking that we have been so accustomed to seeing over the past several seasons. Some of that has to be attributed to the quality of the opponent, SCSU is a very real Frozen Four threat in my view.

      This weekend and season so far has been an excellent teaching opportunity for the coaching staff but the team needs to buy in. I am still confident that the results will follow, but not without some disappointing moments and results. We should have a chance to win every game with the quality goaltending that we have. Going to Alex was a calculated move in my view, getting the attention of the team that they can't just sit back and expect Colin to "save" the day without the support he needs.

      Comment


      • Re: Union College Hockey 2014-2015 "ReUnion 2015? Why "Nott"?

        Originally posted by Dutchman View Post
        Got a chance to watch some of the RPI versus Bentley matchup on Friday and Saturday on RPI TV. Bentley is not your average AHA team. I believe they finished second last year in the conference. They returned just about all of their offense.

        General observations:

        If you take away empty net goals, RPI is not giving up a lot of scoring. Minnesota only scored three goals. RPI has two very good goalies and blasting away from the blue line, you're not gonna get a puck by them. There have been no blowouts. RPI is giving up about three goals per game if you subtract out the empty net goals. The problem right now is that they are not scoring. They have scored 3 goals in the last 5 games. If they solve their scoring problem, they can win a lot of games. Do I think they will solve it?

        What was remarkable about those two Bentley games were:

        #1. Penalties: RPI was leading the ECAC in penalty minutes per game and ranked in the top 10 in the country. That all changed, and RPI stopped taking penalties. It does not appear to have helped very much. Bentley was a much faster team and scored well on the power play so it was probably to RPI's benefit not to take penalties.
        #2. SOG: the shot on goal totals for both teams was very low. Bentley made a point of working the puck down low and waiting until they could fire in close to make a shot. They were deliberate.
        #3. SPEED: RPI looked slow. It was not that they were not trying, I just don't think this is a team of skilled fast skaters. Skilled yes, fast no.
        #4. BLOCKED SHOTS: While I am not certain of the numbers, it looked like Bentley blocked a lot of RPI shots. Bentley, while not noted as a defensive team, deliberately went to shut RPI down first and score second and was very deliberate in setting up scoring opportunities. Excellent execution of a game plan on Bentley's part.

        If I'm correct in what I saw, we should be able to play much of the game in the RPI end. We will need to camp out in front of their goal if we want to get more than 3 goals. Fore-check. Keep the puck in their end. Scrum in front of their goalie. In both games Bentley totally out skated RPI. If we stay out of the penalty box and force RPI to play man even hockey, I think they will have a hard time scoring on us.

        ECAC points on the line. We need 26 to be sure to get a first round bye. Time to start collecting.
        Amazing, an analysis of yours that I almost totally one-hundred-percent concur with. First time for everything :P
        Hockey is serious business. Everything else is just a game.

        RPI Hockey, Syracuse Football, New York Rangers, New York Giants.

        Comment


        • Re: Union College Hockey 2014-2015 "ReUnion 2015? Why "Nott"?

          Originally posted by ADK11 View Post
          The outcome would not have been different.. better team won and would have even without that play by JC, but it was brutal. I bet this will be a tough week of practice and may see some lineup changes next weekend.

          That being said, amazingly (because I'm usually wrong) this is pretty much where I though the team would be: offense is good to very good, goaltending is very good to excellent (Alex was VG tonight).. and defense is young, inexperienced, a little undersized and makes periodic bad mistakes. JC's mistake tonight can be corrected with coaching & repetition in practice, but their will be more mistakes like this because of the lack of experience with the pace of play in D-1 by the frosh & some of the sophs, who will make up at least 2/3rds of the D on any given night. The coaches quandary is how to handle this best. Last year's team was not always the tightest defensively, but could make up for it with explosive offense. Both Bodie & Ghost at times made horrendous defensive mistakes, but thankfully they were pretty rare and more than madeup for by great plays the other way. Likewise this year, the strength of the D-men is that they are good skaters that handle the puck well, but the underclassmen are not so good without the puck on their sticks. How much rein should they be given to make the offense go without sacrificing on defense is the question, because there really aren't options to add more defensive stoppers, unless somehow Light turns out to be one. I'm concerned about next weekends games as they are setups for overconfidence on Union's part and something to prove on RPI's, who will obviously have nothing to lose by being physical and in U's face.
          Exactly my thoughts. And we need to keep calm and play our game : Simple short passes (no turn overs please !!!!) to get into the zone. Also, we always have problems with teams that defend really high. I remember thinking that last year too. And Saturday's game was the same : we're OK bringing the puck to center ice, and then we loose it if the defense doesn't move back to the blue line.
          I'm still very impressed with the freshmen... Shier and Foo especially.
          Let's go Union !
          ECAC Regular season champion : 2010-11, 2011-12, 2013-14, 2016-17
          ECAC Tournament champion : 2012, 2013, 2014
          NCAA champion : 2014

          Comment


          • Re: Union College Hockey 2014-2015 "ReUnion 2015? Why "Nott"?

            You only have until Friday at 7:00PM to revise or get your picks into the ECAC Pick The Standings Contest.

            http://board.uscho.com/showthread.ph...14-2015-Season
            Fan of CLARKSON: 2014, 2017 & 2018 NC$$ WOMEN'S DIV 1 HOCKEY NATIONAL CHAMPIONS *******https://fanforum.uscho.com/core/images/smilies/smile.gi*********
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            • Re: Union College Hockey 2014-2015 "ReUnion 2015? Why "Nott"?

              Video of Union's goals on Saturday, including Vecchione's successful penalty shot -

              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmfGBmlZDc8

              Comment


              • Re: Union College Hockey 2014-2015 "ReUnion 2015? Why "Nott"?

                Next week the Ivy's start up. There is a mix of conf and non-conf throughout the ECAC. With our (ECAC) poor showing saturday we are no longer in first but closely bunched and tied for third. All the non-AHA leagues are bunched together with NCHC in a slight statistical lead. The non-ivy ECAC are off to a good start. Two teams in the meaning less top 5 but more importantly we have the best conf record against HE in College Hockey and the only winning record against HE thus far. A good time to check again will be the end of November and there is a lot of non-conf play in late December.

                Atlantic Hockey ----- 0-2-0 3-7-0 1-6-0 1-1-0 2-2-0 7-18-0 (.280)
                Big Ten 2-0-0 ----- 1-0-0 5-6-1 1-2-0 2-6-1 11-14-2 (.444)
                ECAC 7-3-0 0-1-0 ----- 6-4-1 3-5-0 1-2-1 17-15-2 (.529)
                Hockey East 6-1-0 6-5-1 4-6-1 ----- 2-2-1 3-2-1 21-16-4 (.561)
                NCHC 1-1-0 2-1-0 5-3-0 2-2-1 ----- 7-5-0 17-12-1 (.583)
                WCHA 2-2-0 6-2-1 2-1-1 2-3-1 5-7-0 ----- 17-15-3 (.529)

                Only time will tell. Last year we dipped in December and came on strong in the NCAA Playoffs and tied HE for the best record in College Hockey.
                DUTCHMEN HOCKEY
                DANGER - MEN AT WORK

                Comment


                • Re: Union College Hockey 2014-2015 "ReUnion 2015? Why "Nott"?

                  Originally posted by UFan View Post
                  Exactly my thoughts. And we need to keep calm and play our game : Simple short passes (no turn overs please !!!!) to get into the zone. Also, we always have problems with teams that defend really high. I remember thinking that last year too. And Saturday's game was the same : we're OK bringing the puck to center ice, and then we loose it if the defense doesn't move back to the blue line.
                  I'm still very impressed with the freshmen... Shier and Foo especially.
                  That's a great point about SCSU defending high. A really nice coaching adjustment by Motzko on Saturday and it caused all kinds of problems for U, especially given the Huskies speed to close off gaps & pressure the puck quickly. I'm sure we'll see plenty of other teams doing this in some fashion too, including next weekend. Coaches will need to have the team prepared and the players will need to stay patient & disciplined so as to not give up breaks the other way. Like you say, "keep it simple".

                  Originally posted by Dutchman View Post
                  Years past we were always a defensive minded team .... aka played like Cornell (but without necessarily the same results). Offense is sevy. Scoring at the buzzer is sevy. But offense does not win championships by itself. Look at St. Lawrence last year. We have got to go back and be that fundamentally sound defensive team. We certainly have the goalies to do it.

                  I saw a play Foo made on Friday. He was battling three Saint Cloud defenders and two were their big 6'5"+ 230 lbs guys. He would not give up. He was being ground to a pulp but he would not give up. To everyone's amazement he dug out the puck !!!! with is what, 160lb frame? and centered it. One tiny little skinny freshmen going up against their most experience upperclassmen !!! That is Union College Hockey ....

                  The freshmen are making mistakes but some are better examples of Union College Hockey then some of the upperclassmen. Last year is over, the banner has been raised. Get it behind us and lets play Union College Hockey !!!!
                  Generally agree with this, but I just don't think U is going to be a team to "out-Cornell Cornell" as Schottsky has put it in the past. The D are more mobile and good with the pucks on their sticks and the coaches need to figure out how to best take advantage of this. The forwards also are not going to be huge bangers (with a couple exceptions), but agree that they need to be aggressive and more in-your-face. I think it was Ammirato (all 5-9, 165#) not Foo you are talking about (though I do love Foo's game too). Roman's fearlessness to battle against players much bigger than him and his overall very sound defensive play certainly has grabbed my attention and I'm sure its why the coaches are giving him so much ice time. He has very good hands too, and is quickly becoming one of my favorite players. To me he's the biggest surprise among the frosh.

                  Overall there is very much to be happy about and I think this team can win a lot of games. I'm still skeptical of the ECAC grind and how this team will do later in the season, but having players like Vecks, Champ, Stevens and Taylor (BTW having a great season pointwise so far) could take this team far.
                  UNIONNY HOCKEY - Not in Kentucky anymore..

                  Comment


                  • Re: Union College Hockey 2014-2015 "ReUnion 2015? Why "Nott"?

                    Since it is RPI week, I though I would ask a question. This link shows a picture of the RPI team.
                    http://www.rpiathletics.com/roster.aspx?path=hockey&

                    If you follow this link you will see the RPI coach sitting in the front and center of the team. I cannot remember any team photo, in hockey or any other sport, that showcases the coach like this. Am I wrong? Is this how team photos are normally shot? Usually, I see a coach standing behind a team, off to one side. Not drawing any conclusions here, just an observation. Anyone have any thoughts on this?
                    DUTCHMEN HOCKEY
                    DANGER - MEN AT WORK

                    Comment


                    • Re: Union College Hockey 2014-2015 "ReUnion 2015? Why "Nott"?

                      Originally posted by Dutchman View Post
                      Since it is RPI week, I though I would ask a question. This link shows a picture of the RPI team.
                      http://www.rpiathletics.com/roster.aspx?path=hockey&

                      If you follow this link you will see the RPI coach sitting in the front and center of the team. I cannot remember any team photo, in hockey or any other sport, that showcases the coach like this. Am I wrong? Is this how team photos are normally shot? Usually, I see a coach standing behind a team, off to one side. Not drawing any conclusions here, just an observation. Anyone have any thoughts on this?
                      I've seen this with some teams, but certainly not all of them. I don't think it's that unusual.
                      Union Hockey

                      2014 National Champions!!!!

                      Comment


                      • Re: Union College Hockey 2014-2015 "ReUnion 2015? Why "Nott"?

                        Originally posted by aweise View Post
                        I've seen this with some teams, but certainly not all of them. I don't think it's that unusual.
                        It's not unusual at all
                        UNIONNY HOCKEY - Not in Kentucky anymore..

                        Comment


                        • Re: Union College Hockey 2014-2015 "ReUnion 2015? Why "Nott"?

                          I think it's time for Connor Light to get into the lineup, we could use a defensive d-man.
                          Union College Hockey
                          2014 NCAA National Champions
                          2012, 2013, 2014 ECAC Champions

                          Comment


                          • Re: Union College Hockey 2014-2015 "ReUnion 2015? Why "Nott"?

                            Originally posted by Dutchman View Post
                            Since it is RPI week, I though I would ask a question. This link shows a picture of the RPI team.
                            http://www.rpiathletics.com/roster.aspx?path=hockey&

                            If you follow this link you will see the RPI coach sitting in the front and center of the team. I cannot remember any team photo, in hockey or any other sport, that showcases the coach like this. Am I wrong? Is this how team photos are normally shot? Usually, I see a coach standing behind a team, off to one side. Not drawing any conclusions here, just an observation. Anyone have any thoughts on this?
                            Not unusual.
                            He is the only one with a huge smile though... (must be from that great contract extension he got given his great record...) <= it's RPI, got to give their "GC" a bit of a hard time
                            Let's go Union !
                            ECAC Regular season champion : 2010-11, 2011-12, 2013-14, 2016-17
                            ECAC Tournament champion : 2012, 2013, 2014
                            NCAA champion : 2014

                            Comment


                            • Re: Union College Hockey 2014-2015 "ReUnion 2015? Why "Nott"?

                              I don't know how you spent your morning, but Rick Bennett and Seth Appert spent theirs at Dunkin Donuts:

                              http://bit.ly/1E24nxE

                              Comment


                              • Re: Union College Hockey 2014-2015 "ReUnion 2015? Why "Nott"?

                                Less than 35 hours to get your picks in. You have until 7PM Friday Night.

                                http://board.uscho.com/showthread.ph...14-2015-Season
                                Fan of CLARKSON: 2014, 2017 & 2018 NC$$ WOMEN'S DIV 1 HOCKEY NATIONAL CHAMPIONS *******https://fanforum.uscho.com/core/images/smilies/smile.gi*********
                                And of 3 Patty Kaz recepients: Jamie Lee Rattray, Loren Gabel and Elizabeth Giguere
                                WHOOOOOOOOO WHOOOOOOOOO
                                If Union Can Do It So Can CCT (One of These Years) *******https://fanforum.uscho.com/core/images/smilies/smile.gi*********

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