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Sorry this is late, I had a busy night last night and wasn't even aware of the score of the game until today...
Alright, I'm not a dolt. I realize that I'm talking about the most successful coach in Plattsburgh State history, and one of the most successful coaches in the history of NCAA DIII Hockey. I also realize this is a bit clichéd, but here it goes...
This year's Plattburgh State Men's Ice Hockey team has a lot of good talent. A lot. This is essentially the same team that went to the Final Four last year. Is this the amazing Cardinal Team that fell short in 08-09? No. But this is still a talented hockey team, and should be getting the Ws. Losing to Oswego in a close game is absolutely understanding. Losing to an improved Geneseo in the opener is at least tolerable. But losing to Morrisville, and getting blown out by Buffalo State... ridiculous!
So, what's the problem? Clearly, if the talent is there, and the Ws are not appearing in the stats sheet, something is wrong. And I think that problem is coaching. Bob Emery has shown that he is a great coach, but clearly he is not the best coach for this particular group of student-athletes. Clearly they are in need of a much different style of coaching in order to be on the same page and work together effectively. Do I have a clue what they need in a coach? No. But I sure as heck know it ain't Bob Emery!
Okay, now that I've gotten that done, it's back to reality. I don't think, and I doubt there is anybody who thinks, that firing Bob Emery would be anything but a step backwards. I posted this because it's clear that many wanted to post it, but was unwilling. I greatly admire coach Emery. Honestly, I've never known another coach at Plattsburgh, because Emery's tenure has been longer than my own lifespan thus far, but I can look back at the team's history and see that Emery's arrival was a gift to the city of Plattsburgh that keeps giving, such as last year's fantastic final four run, and the year prior's team that ranks among the best ever with the 00/01 RIT Tigers and others.
That said, there is a problem here. We are 2-4-0, all in-conference, with losses to Geneseo, Oswego, Morrisville, and Buffalo State. I wouldn't be surprised if we lost to Fredonia tonight as well. (Hell, it's not like I haven't got a Fredonia Forward and Goalie in my FHL lineup or anything).
The main problem has been on the defensive end. The goalies have been performing spectacularly, but the 5 guys in front of them fall apart on defense. Note that I am including all 5 guys in the defense, and looking at the defense as ANY time, in ANY zone, when the other team is in possession of the puck. What I saw against Oswego (the only game I have seen) was everybody knew where they were supposed to be positioned once the Lakers gained possession, but once they started moving around with the play, there was no communication and no cohesive plan (although I'm Emery had one, they just didn't execute it), and that lead to Boots and other getting free shots in rime scoring areas. Something has to be done. I'm sure Emery and his coaches are frantically working to find a Defensive plan that will work for these players, and we shall see how that turns out. But this is a problem
There is also a problem of goal-scoring. We are getting an average of 53.2 shots per game, but only an average of 4.0 goals per game. But I'm quite as concerned about this issue, since it is the same thing we saw last year. Clarke and Satim, and maybe this Jensen kid if things can start clicking, are the closest things we have to a true goal-scorer. And that's a bit of a stretch, to b honest. But a low-scoring team can be just as successful if there is a tight D to back it up. The problem is we don't have that...
On a more personal note, I'm both a Plattsburgh fan (2-4), and a New Jersey Devils fan (5-12-2). This season is a pretty horrible one so far. At least my Siena Saints are 8-4-1 and ranked #2
So... what say you on these problems in Plattsbugrh?
Alright, I'm not a dolt. I realize that I'm talking about the most successful coach in Plattsburgh State history, and one of the most successful coaches in the history of NCAA DIII Hockey. I also realize this is a bit clichéd, but here it goes...
This year's Plattburgh State Men's Ice Hockey team has a lot of good talent. A lot. This is essentially the same team that went to the Final Four last year. Is this the amazing Cardinal Team that fell short in 08-09? No. But this is still a talented hockey team, and should be getting the Ws. Losing to Oswego in a close game is absolutely understanding. Losing to an improved Geneseo in the opener is at least tolerable. But losing to Morrisville, and getting blown out by Buffalo State... ridiculous!
So, what's the problem? Clearly, if the talent is there, and the Ws are not appearing in the stats sheet, something is wrong. And I think that problem is coaching. Bob Emery has shown that he is a great coach, but clearly he is not the best coach for this particular group of student-athletes. Clearly they are in need of a much different style of coaching in order to be on the same page and work together effectively. Do I have a clue what they need in a coach? No. But I sure as heck know it ain't Bob Emery!
Okay, now that I've gotten that done, it's back to reality. I don't think, and I doubt there is anybody who thinks, that firing Bob Emery would be anything but a step backwards. I posted this because it's clear that many wanted to post it, but was unwilling. I greatly admire coach Emery. Honestly, I've never known another coach at Plattsburgh, because Emery's tenure has been longer than my own lifespan thus far, but I can look back at the team's history and see that Emery's arrival was a gift to the city of Plattsburgh that keeps giving, such as last year's fantastic final four run, and the year prior's team that ranks among the best ever with the 00/01 RIT Tigers and others.
That said, there is a problem here. We are 2-4-0, all in-conference, with losses to Geneseo, Oswego, Morrisville, and Buffalo State. I wouldn't be surprised if we lost to Fredonia tonight as well. (Hell, it's not like I haven't got a Fredonia Forward and Goalie in my FHL lineup or anything).
The main problem has been on the defensive end. The goalies have been performing spectacularly, but the 5 guys in front of them fall apart on defense. Note that I am including all 5 guys in the defense, and looking at the defense as ANY time, in ANY zone, when the other team is in possession of the puck. What I saw against Oswego (the only game I have seen) was everybody knew where they were supposed to be positioned once the Lakers gained possession, but once they started moving around with the play, there was no communication and no cohesive plan (although I'm Emery had one, they just didn't execute it), and that lead to Boots and other getting free shots in rime scoring areas. Something has to be done. I'm sure Emery and his coaches are frantically working to find a Defensive plan that will work for these players, and we shall see how that turns out. But this is a problem
There is also a problem of goal-scoring. We are getting an average of 53.2 shots per game, but only an average of 4.0 goals per game. But I'm quite as concerned about this issue, since it is the same thing we saw last year. Clarke and Satim, and maybe this Jensen kid if things can start clicking, are the closest things we have to a true goal-scorer. And that's a bit of a stretch, to b honest. But a low-scoring team can be just as successful if there is a tight D to back it up. The problem is we don't have that...
On a more personal note, I'm both a Plattsburgh fan (2-4), and a New Jersey Devils fan (5-12-2). This season is a pretty horrible one so far. At least my Siena Saints are 8-4-1 and ranked #2
So... what say you on these problems in Plattsbugrh?
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