UML 2011-2012 Thread: Part II

[Patman]

More disrespect in the pregame show:

1. Graphic showing Carr as the starting goalie for Vermont.
2. Jamison Coyle referring to the team as the "River Hacks"

What's a Jamison Coyle?

[John_Fuller]

Re: UML 2011-2012 Thread: Part II

What's a Jamison Coyle?

Some stiff that replaced Jade McCarthy when she left NESN. Definitely, that's a Boston trade I would take back in a heartbeat (ah, yes yes )

Getting back to point, let's face it. The UMass Lowell River Hawks are in the best position in Hockey East at this point of the season since 1995-1996. They have the potential to really make this one of the most storied regular-season turnarounds in Hockey East, if not NCAA history. Still a lot of work to do over the next six games, all but one of them being a "true" road game. Time to focus on the Merrimack and Maine, albeit both at home, makes for a very difficult weekend for gaining some points.

On Friday, we finally get to see our Route 133 counterpart for the first time this season and watch one of the most anticipated HE goalie matchups of the year, Joe Cannata vs. Doug Carr. I've seen an awful lot of Merrimack College and they have some very good defenseman in addition to that guy between the pipes. While there is no replacing DaCosta, they haven't missed him as much as most in the league expected this season. They have a bad habit of committing foolish penalties; I thought the River Hawks were more like the Warriors with the amount of power plays they yielded. Certainly, they can't do the same against either team this weekend. It will be interesting to see if their rash of injuries hurts them, especially with Madsen unfortunately gone for his collegiate career as he is a senior.

On Saturday, Maine looks to salvage a game in the season series after getting embarrassed by us in November and will be looking for blood. Resident-hack Joey Diamond I'm sure will look to continue his bad habit of drawing penalties and getting points against Lowell. Thankfully, this will be the final RS game for River Hawk killer Bryan Flynn. I would absolutely love for Bazin to go 6-0-0 with teams whom employ former River Hawk coaches but I don't have a good feeling about this one for some reason.

Personally, while both important, I think the Merrimack game is the most important to win because that would require Merrimack to sweep us in two weeks and we already have the tiebreaker against Maine. In addition, a win on Friday would mean that Maine would not be able to catch us no matter what happens on Saturday and still have a game in hand on them.

As far as attendance, I'd be disappointed for either game to be below 5000 people and would like to see 5500 or higher in the barn for each game. Honestly, you can make an argument that the next three weeks are simply a round-robin tournament for home ice seeding, and by extension, the HE title. I'm lookng forward to a playoff-type atmosphere in the Tsongas on both nights. I'll be happy with getting two points this weekend, if they get three or four, next Friday's BU game will be a zoo.

What are people's thoughts for this weekend.

[bottomdweller]

Re: UML 2011-2012 Thread: Part II

After tonight, I can't take anymore letdowns... this team needs to step it up so I don't become suicidal over sports.

[bottomdweller]

Re: UML 2011-2012 Thread: Part II

In terms of the new flex schedule NESN does for the last 3 weekends of the season, I don't see any way NESN couldn't pick the 2nd game of the Lowell/Mack home and home. You could potentially be looking at a battle of the top 2 or 3 teams in HE. Other games that day are: PC@BC, UVM@BU, Maine@NU and UNH@UMASS. None of those are very appealing matchups.

[Go-UML]

Re: UML 2011-2012 Thread: Part II

Honestly, you can make an argument that the next three weeks are simply a round-robin tournament for home ice seeding, and by extension, the HE title. I'm lookng forward to a playoff-type atmosphere in the Tsongas on both nights [this weekend]. I'll be happy with getting two points this weekend, if they get three or four, next Friday's BU game will be a zoo.

I agree. The 3 MC games are as important (or more) as they've been in years past but this year, it's for home ice and NCAA implications, not for post-season inclusion.Who'd a thunk that a year ago?

Taking less penalties and not letting the other team get us off our game will be several keys to success. Several weeks ago, someone asked about the remaining winning percentage of the teams going forward. We were just over .500 in ours, but that included the horrible record of UVM for two games. Using overall, it's now .602 and the next 6 games, it's .661. Going to need to step it up big!

[John_Fuller]

Re: UML 2011-2012 Thread: Part II

In terms of the new flex schedule NESN does for the last 3 weekends of the season, I don't see any way NESN couldn't pick the 2nd game of the Lowell/Mack home and home. You could potentially be looking at a battle of the top 2 or 3 teams in HE. Other games that day are: PC@BC, UVM@BU, Maine@NU and UNH@UMASS. None of those are very appealing matchups.

I think you can throw out the games at UMass and UVM. NBCSN is broadcasting one of the BU/UVM games that weekend anyway and given Vermont's status, that defeats the purpose. If PC did not have their slump of late, that PC/BC game may have been an option. Maine/NU is an average game, depending on the Huskies prospects.

Here are the keys, it depends where Merrimack and Lowell wind up in the poll this afternoon and what happens on Friday. If you have a close game decided late or in OT and around 6000 Tsongas nuts going crazy in the arena, it will be a no-brainer. Friday's game is an audition tape.

[bottomdweller]

Re: UML 2011-2012 Thread: Part II

Wilson with his 4th Rookie of the Week. Can we just give him Rookie of the Year?

[gochiefs]

Re: UML 2011-2012 Thread: Part II

Lowell now ranked 7th in the latest USCHO poll and received 1 1st place vote.

[UMLFan]

Re: UML 2011-2012 Thread: Part II

Lowell now ranked 7th in the latest USCHO poll and received 1 1st place vote.

Who would have thought!

[Go-UML]

Re: UML 2011-2012 Thread: Part II

Lowell now ranked 7th in the latest USCHO poll and received 1 1st place vote.

Wow.

[gochiefs]

Re: UML 2011-2012 Thread: Part II

Who would have thought!

Not bad for a team that was picked for 9th in the league. So far 13 wins and counting better than last year.
I watched Norm Bazin's initial press conference when he was hired over the weekend and he said success would be slow but it was going to happen. Never in anyone's imagination that it would be so soon that they would have the best record in college hockey in the 1st week of February.

[UMLFan]

Re: UML 2011-2012 Thread: Part II

INCH has UML in 5th in their power rankings.

[ScottK]

Re: UML 2011-2012 Thread: Part II

Barry Goers got called up to Bridgeport of the AHL tonight: http://lasvegaswranglers.com/news/ah...den-and-goers/

[boblav1]

Re: UML 2011-2012 Thread: Part II

A night at the Zoo.

[Patman]

Re: UML 2011-2012 Thread: Part II

A night at the Zoo.

To be fair, Riot Construction is a 1 credit elective course at UMass-Carfire.

Comment of the year by "ChangeUp106"

Jade I agree that the minority shouldn't reflect the whole, but the fact is it does. I'm a current UMass student and embarrassed by this display tonight. Everyone was planning it all week and were just waiting to explode. While not everyone on campus joined in, a vast majority support this kind of action. Sit in the student section at a hockey game and you'll get a sense of what people here are like. It's not pretty. But I love UMass and will continue to do what I can to show people the positives (and there are many) of UMass. Just a terrible display tonight fellow students.

Kid, if you're ever looking to transfer to a higher quality institution, the hockey jersey is on me.

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The monsters of society, they stand before you, most will not call them what they are because they look so normal... but you know exactly who they are and you aren't surprised when they do.