Re: Union College Hockey 2009-2010: Playoff series win? Check. Albany? This is the year.
Actually U played well in the first period tonight, their big sin was that they didn't pot 2 or 3 goals. After that it was all downhill as Harvard looked like they wanted it more and U inexplicably was slow & lethargic.. of course until they got behind by 4 goals and started playing with urgency. Disappointing as U could have all but sewn up a top 4 spot with a win.
These seeming lapses in effort and execution are quite unsettling, though is nice to see the offensive explosiveness. Still, I agree with Wholin that U can't count on winning games 5-4 etc. in the playoffs. The team defense and goaltending are going to need to step up. Kinkaid's recent ups & downs are a concern too. He was horrible in the 1st period of the Clarkson game, but got away with it because he only saw 4 shots. He seemed to get his confidence back in the 2nd period and against SLU the next night, but then flamed at Dartmouth. Hopefully these are just growing pains, but I think his play is really key to settling things down defensively.
And as much as the PWR is worth following, the immediate emphasis is on finishing in the ECAC top 4. As point of reference, U tied for 4th 2 seasons ago with 25 points. This season I think 26-27 points will be needed, so next weekend is obviously huge. The PWR etc. is still over a month away from being resolved and things will likely change a lot as all the leagues get into their playoffs. I'm still optimistic, but much work to be done.
Actually U played well in the first period tonight, their big sin was that they didn't pot 2 or 3 goals. After that it was all downhill as Harvard looked like they wanted it more and U inexplicably was slow & lethargic.. of course until they got behind by 4 goals and started playing with urgency. Disappointing as U could have all but sewn up a top 4 spot with a win.
These seeming lapses in effort and execution are quite unsettling, though is nice to see the offensive explosiveness. Still, I agree with Wholin that U can't count on winning games 5-4 etc. in the playoffs. The team defense and goaltending are going to need to step up. Kinkaid's recent ups & downs are a concern too. He was horrible in the 1st period of the Clarkson game, but got away with it because he only saw 4 shots. He seemed to get his confidence back in the 2nd period and against SLU the next night, but then flamed at Dartmouth. Hopefully these are just growing pains, but I think his play is really key to settling things down defensively.
And as much as the PWR is worth following, the immediate emphasis is on finishing in the ECAC top 4. As point of reference, U tied for 4th 2 seasons ago with 25 points. This season I think 26-27 points will be needed, so next weekend is obviously huge. The PWR etc. is still over a month away from being resolved and things will likely change a lot as all the leagues get into their playoffs. I'm still optimistic, but much work to be done.
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