The University of Notre Dame Hockey: 09-10. Let's Live It Up!

[StillaLeafsFan]

Re: The University of Notre Dame Hockey: 09-10. Let's Live It Up!

...Even more so without Sean Lorenz, who will be out for weeks, Sam Calabrese, who may not play again this year, and with Eric Ringal and Ian Cole still shaking off the effects of last Friday's game (no comment on what exactly those "effects" are).

Can you elaborate on the injury situation? I'm curious where you're getting the intel

[IrishHockeyFan]

Re: The University of Notre Dame Hockey: 09-10. Let's Live It Up!

Can you elaborate on the injury situation? I'm curious where you're getting the intel

If sources for intel are revealed, they tend to dry up... So, no I can't elaborate exactly where I get my info. One thing a lifetime spent in intelligence teaches you? Don't let them know when, where, or how, you get your information. It is accurate FWIW on the boards though. I did make one mistake, one I keep repeating. I keep wanting to spell Eric's last name Ringal, with an "A". It's Ringel, with an "E".

[StillaLeafsFan]

Re: The University of Notre Dame Hockey: 09-10. Let's Live It Up!

OK, fair enough. I'm really just wondering what the injury status is. I heard that Calabrese was out of the game after his first shift, but didn't hear anything about the nature of his injury. Ringle just disappeared. I realize the nature of the Cole situation.
?

[Craig P.]

Re: The University of Notre Dame Hockey: 09-10. Let's Live It Up!

SaLF, we've kinda learned that it's a good idea to be parsimonious with injury info. On NDN, it's enforced, and here it's just plain a good idea because USCHO is even more widely-read than NDN is (and NDN isn't as private as you might think from the relatively small number of folks who post there).

[StillaLeafsFan]

Re: The University of Notre Dame Hockey: 09-10. Let's Live It Up!

OK, I suppose my inquiring mind will just have to wait and watch. I thought I might at least get a good ol' "upper/lower body injury sustained vs. Z Goon at blah blah blah." I really just want to know when I expect to see these guys back on the ice!

[IrishHockeyFan]

Re: The University of Notre Dame Hockey: 09-10. Let's Live It Up!

Not sure how immediate the impact will be, but we will be getting a tested skater for the blueline soon. My assumption is he'll play in Chicago.

Oh and by the way, the smoke coming out of the top of the Basilica is white...

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: The University of Notre Dame Hockey: 09-10. Let's Live It Up!

I want so bad to blame this slaughter on the short bench, but I never like excuses.

And I gotta be brutally honest...I never thought I would see Tom O'Brien in net against Michigan.

Man did ND struggle on...well...everything.

At least we weren't the only CCHA team blown out.

While we helped Michigan take a hiatus from their first half woes, I sure hope they return the favor Sunday.

[IrishHockeyFan]

Re: The University of Notre Dame Hockey: 09-10. Let's Live It Up!

The thought struck me at the game tonight that I may have figured out why Notre Dame is struggling so much. This is a bad hockey team. I was hesitant to think that at any other point this season so far, thinking that they just needed to get over the hump of whatever happened to be ailing them this week, and they'd be fine. And yes, they were playing short and had guys skate some shifts out of their normal positions, but it isn't as if tonight was the first time they looked this poor. They spent the better part of two games looking bad in much the same ways against Bowling Green.

They have only one goalie who the coach seems to have any confidence in, and he's showing me he isn't up to the grind yet of playing every night. Each step up the ladder increases the speed of the game appreciably, and facing this much quickness night in and night out is proving to be an unmanageable task for Johnson so far. While I believe he has the skills to be an everyday division one goalie, he doesn't look ready to be out there every day yet. But clearly Jackson feels he has no choice. Anyone else have any other interpretation as to why Tom Obrien went in for relief tonight?

In their own zone they constantly turn over the puck, have no consistent breakout plays, and have misfired more passes from behind their own blueline this season than in the last 4 combined, I think. Other than Teddy Ruth, there isn't another defender who has put together a string of good games yet. All the others have played poorly as often as not, some more often than not, some just about every night out. No matter how much it has been preached, puck possession seems to be very low on the priority list with our defense.

There is zero flow to their game offensively, little communication or chemistry apparent, and it looks more and more like scoring more than once or twice a game is about as likely as Rush Limbaugh voting for Barack Obama in 2012. I lost count tonight of the times Palmieri got the puck on his stick at the center red line, and it never left his control until the low percentage shot he took was saved by Hogan, or he was skated into a spot on the ice where he was left with no options and turned it over. How many times is that scenario going to repeat itself? And before I'm accused of dumping on just one player, he is hardly alone in the selfish department. I think though his play has been a glaring example of the overall temperment of a team that resembles no other Jeff Jackson coached team I have ever watched.

And where is any hint of physicality with this squad? Too much reaching and attempted poke checks and one fancy move after another and letting someone else take the body and losing battles for pucks in the corners. Just f@#&ing hit somebody. There was more hitting coming out of my gramma's weekly bridge game with her gal pals than what I see out of this team.

So lets see, zero goaltending depth and a serious lack of experience for the number one netminder. Constant turnovers in our own end. Can't score. Won't hit. Throw in the dreaded "injury bug" and you have the makings for a very long second half. I hope I'm wrong, but these problems no longer have the appearance of just being part of a "slump." They are the problems of a bad hockey team.

*edited after reading the sidebar in today's USCHO game story*
In two separate articles, one before last night, and one apparently written afterwards, it was mentioned how important the upcoming break will be for Notre Dame. I think the timing of this emphasis on being away from the game for a bit has been misplaced, to say the least. Struggling or not, there are (or were) two games left to play. Shorthanded or not, there is still another game to play. The break has not started. These games are huge for one of these teams to jump start their season. I do not like one bit where this team is mentally. Every player, every coach, better be asking some hard questions.

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: The University of Notre Dame Hockey: 09-10. Let's Live It Up!

I don't think this is a bad team. I think it's a good team playing extremely poorly.

I have to admit that, oddly, it's kinda nice being perturbed at the level of play. Five or 7 years ago, we would have thought, "Hey, a game under .500 halfway through the season isn't too shabby. We might finish in 6th or 7th and maybe even make it to the Joe." I love that this isn't good enough.

[yuenight_for_IRISHICER]

Re: The University of Notre Dame Hockey: 09-10. Let's Live It Up!

When I woke up at 3:45pm yesterday, I feel grateful to the absurd amount of work in my final week, which kept me from sleeping well for the whole time. Thus I passed out right after the game until 11.5 hours later, instead of being awake and plagued by the game, which really stank...

I agree that even with the level of injury issue they still didn't play well. And it annoys to hear Riley and Billy on D. We also need them to be forward...
I'm not sure if it's proper but this team remind me of Mich State last season... ok I don't want to jinx their next half season...

I don't lose faith on this team, but time is doing no mercy for us if the trend doesn't stop...

All what I want for Christmas is that the ND hockey team have a good 2nd half season... if Santa doesn't hear from me, I might go to his home to request. I'm flying to Sweden in 2 days anyway, and Finland is not that far away I guess.

[SwedishJustice22]

Re: The University of Notre Dame Hockey: 09-10. Let's Live It Up!

I have read more than posted lately obviously. This team just makes me very mad. With my seating being right in the Irish end, I see their selfish play up close and personal. Me and my fellow STH around me have renamed the ND Power Play to the ND Passing Play cause all they do is pass pass pass. Whatever happened to getting the puck to the net and trying to get some rebounds, something that this team was very good at last season if I do recall correctly. But instead they take a trip on the merry-go-round by passing the puck around for a good two minutes and during that time they might have even given up a shorty or two.

This team has sucked the ND hockey life out of me. Now mind you I still love this team to death, but the selfish and sometimes idiotic play of Ryan Thang, Kyle Palmeri, and a few others is just so terrible to have to watch from a team that was so good as playing as a team last year (well except for the game that counted in Grand Rapids).

I am actually dreading going to todays game for the simple fact that I can't stand to see another loss at home. Yes we were all spoiled over the past couple of years, but it still doesn't suck any less to see this team that we all know is better than this play the way they are playing. Its tough when you saw only 3 losses all last season in person and now you have seem more than that in less than one half of a season.

The bottom line is that they must play better, that they must play as a team, and that they must figure it out pretty quick. The last thing I want to have to do is get a refund on my CCHA tourney tickets because they dont qualify for any home ice advantage. Plus I hear Fort Wayne is kinda nice in March

[IrishHockeyFan]

Re: The University of Notre Dame Hockey: 09-10. Let's Live It Up!

I don't think this is a bad team. I think it's a good team playing extremely poorly.

Yeah, I guess it's all in the vernacular. Obviously it is a talented group of players, being coached by good hockey minds.

I guess I see it as a "you are what your record is" situation. At 13-3-2, Ferris is a good team. Do they have the talent on the ice or behind the bench ND has? Not by any stretch IMO. But they've got the record.

I think the real reason behind my realization is based on the chemistry I see, or the lack of it actually. Nothing is gelling for these guys. Now with the injuries, the hole they've dug for themselves gets a lot steeper.

Can they turn things around and have a long streak of victories? Sure, it could happen anytime. But I won't be surprised if this time around we don't see it.

We're at the point now, with so many teams ahead of them, that living up to pre-season expectations is becoming unrealistic. Now what we have is a chance to see is how this staff and this team deals with this brand of adversity. 2 years ago when the wheels wobbled a little, they did so while they were looking back at the entire league. There was room for error. Now, there is no room for error if a decent finish is to be salvaged. We'll see what happens.

[IrishHockeyFan]

Re: The University of Notre Dame Hockey: 09-10. Let's Live It Up!

The last thing I want to have to do is get a refund on my CCHA tourney tickets because they dont qualify for any home ice advantage.

For that to happen they have to tumble to 9th place. Those tickets are good for either a first or second round CCHA home ice series. So far all of Jackson's teams have made use of the tickets. There is no way this one won't. Is there???

[crazy_guy_in_section_1]

Re: The University of Notre Dame Hockey: 09-10. Let's Live It Up!

Congrats to Larson & Ridderwall w/ their goals! Also congrats to Johnson for his shut out!

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: The University of Notre Dame Hockey: 09-10. Let's Live It Up!

While this wasn't the best looking game this season, it was, save for the win against MSU, the most complete game. The entire team worked for 60 minutes. That's how you win a hockey game, even with an extremely short bench.

The last, and only time if I know my ND hockey history well enough, ND shut out Michigan was almost exactly, to the day, 36 years ago. Coincindentally by the same score. I was still 2 years shy of attending my first hockey game at that point. With the win today, ND went from 8th ( ) place to 6th in the league.

Not bad when you have Riley Sheahan, Billy Maday, Ryan Guentzel and Nick Condon playing up and back part time tonight.

I was pleased with the play of each player. While there were a few miscues and questionable decisions, they recovered nicely and no one had a bad game. Riley Sheahan had a great breakaway opportunity shorthanded, but couldn't get his shot to go perfectly on target. Nick Larson had a good game, complete with the GWG on a fantastic feed from Christiaan Minella after working hard to keep the puck in the zone and then off the boards. Calle Ridderwall, after being held off the scoresheet for 3 games, scored on a great rising shot on the PP. I still can't believe that one didn't get tipped.

And lest we not forget Mike Johnson, with his 2nd shutout of the season. He made some nice saves and had a good workout as he faced 30-some shots.

That's a nice way to go into finals week and the Xmas break. Joe Lavin should be able to join the team after this week and start to plug the holes in back at the Shillelagh Tourney. Hopefully by then, Ian Cole will be back and the D will start to look more normal...