Colgate offseason speculations

[TchrBill]

Re: Colgate offseason speculations

Try this, Rhett...and welcome to the Patriot League. Would be anxious to hear your thoughts. We have some good schools and BU is poised to make an immediate impact and win some titles.

http://www.voy.com/227566/

Incoming freshman class is posted...no expert here but looks like a talented group. No disrespect intended but would like to see someone other than Union dominate the headlines this season and take home the Cleary/ECAC title. My guess is any team will reign for a year or two before others take control of the wheel!

[ColSkate65]

Re: Colgate offseason speculations

Try this, Rhett...and welcome to the Patriot League. Would be anxious to hear your thoughts. We have some good schools and BU is poised to make an immediate impact and win some titles.

http://www.voy.com/227566/

Incoming freshman class is posted...no expert here but looks like a talented group. No disrespect intended but would like to see someone other than Union dominate the headlines this season and take home the Cleary/ECAC title. My guess is any team will reign for a year or two before others take control of the wheel!

Rhett - there is also the Patriot League website; just google it.

I agree Tchr. Looks like some good talent coming in...but hey, we knew that by checking the Heisenberg site the past few years Seriously, they look good and have some great resumes but as we all know there is a difference in hockey play once you get to the Div-1 game. My guess is that a few will make some solid contributions next season, but it will take most a year or two to adjust.

[TchrBill]

Re: Colgate offseason speculations

Recently we've had some stellar NHL draft picks...at Colgate, go figure...but not so anymore. None in the top 100, anyway. Back to the drawing board.

Wish 'Gate would publicly commit to a new rink already to help recruiting...enough grapevine talk.

['Gate Radio]

Re: Colgate offseason speculations

Wow, no posts in nearly three weeks.

Just popping in to say that the home schedule is released. Ticket brochure up on the athletics web site.

Of note...Colgate won't be playing Vermont this year like originally planned. The game was tentatively set for Jan. 12 but UVM has a Hockey East series that weekend against UMass Lowell. My guess would be that the Vermont trip to Starr will now be in 2013-2014.

Home regular season opener is now with Niagara on a Tuesday night, Oct. 9. Those wondering why a Tuesday, well, it's the only day that fits due to Niagara's lack of weekends off because of a packed Atlantic Hockey schedule. NU also plays on that weekend that Colgate lost the UVM game so a mid-week game in the early part of the season was only the only thing that made sense. If anything, Colgate and Niagara will have the national spotlight since I don't think anyone else is playing that night.

Exhibition game will be against Queen's University on Oct. 6 just a few nights before the Niagara game. So, essentially Colgate hosts Queen's on a Saturday then three days later plays Niagara in the regular season opener. Then, that weekend, the team heads to Miami (Ohio) for a two-game series.

Silver Puck will be the weekend of Nov. 30/Dec. 1. A little late but sometimes that's just how it happens. Opponents will be St. Lawrence/Clarkson.

Home non-conference opponents will be Niagara (Oct. 9), Bowling Green (Oct. 19-20), R.I.T. (Oct. 26) and Sacred Heart (Jan. 4-5). Plus, there's the "home" game against Quinnipiac in the Cape Cod Classic on Oct. 27.

All home games are still 7:00 p.m. with the exception of the exhibition which is a 7:30 p.m. start (no football game that day) and then the Clarkson game which is 4:00 p.m. because of the Silver Puck banquet.

4:00 p.m. road games right now scheduled at Merrimack (Nov. 23) and Brown (Mar. 2).

Everything else is quiet.

You may resume your summertime activities.

[ColSkate65]

Re: Colgate offseason speculations

Thanks for the wake-up call 'Gate Radio.

Once again the Cornell series is early in the season (Nov) instead of in February. Don't like this, but back-to-back is better than having games separated by 2-3 weeks or a month.

Also, the trip to Cape Cod and game with Q-pac is the day after the RIT home game. Yikes! Not sure this scheduling makes sense so early in the season (Oct). Give the guys at least a day to recuperate.

BTW, Happy Colgate Day to all!

[TheGreenCoat]

Re: Colgate offseason speculations

why do we continue to punish the team with this Cape Cod deal year-after-year...one time, fine...two times, OK...three times...can it (unless we are getting some decent feedback on recruiting outreach)...this year's scheduling makes the game even more questionable...only see three incoming for 2013 and it's getting somewhat late...haven't calculated how many seniors we will lose this year and I know, with adjustments, we can only bring in a like number of frosh (self-imposed disadvantage)...only 2 1/2 months to go...

[TheGreenCoat]

Re: Colgate offseason speculations

BTW, we have EIGHT seniors on the team and, unless I'm missing something, 3 incoming for 2013...in light of today's recruiting process this appears rather distressing...if anyone can add some info here I'd love to hear it...

['Gate Radio]

Re: Colgate offseason speculations

BTW, we have EIGHT seniors on the team and, unless I'm missing something, 3 incoming for 2013...in light of today's recruiting process this appears rather distressing...if anyone can add some info here I'd love to hear it...

Remember Colgate headed into the off-season with four players for 2013-2014. However, Darcy Murphy was bumped up a year due to Chris Wagner's departure. So then you have three - two of which are d-men and one is a forward. The two d-men should be solid, I don't really know a lot about the forward.

Generally speaking, it seems that Colgate has done most of its recruiting and offering during junior hockey season - when the coaches that go recruit can actually see the kids play in league games. For the most part, the current incoming class and the one before that were committed at some point during the 09-10 and 10-11 seasons. So, I would assume that we'll see things pick up once we get to September. Latest recruit I've seen signed play the following year was Daniel Gentzler. I think Gudge committed during the Union playoff series and then was on the ice come October. There's a guy that with the proper development, should be a solid third or fourth line checking forward that brings energy.

In terms of what will have to be replaced from the upcoming senior class, you're looking at four d-men and four forwards. Currently of the three commits listed on Heisenberg, two are d-men and one is a forward. The numbers may shift around depending on what the coaches want to do. I would think a goaltender may be added into the mix as someone that will compete with Finney for minutes after Mihalik graduates. It never hurts to have too many goaltenders - just look at last year. The numbers issue could be a factor in a few years with just two current juniors on the roster (McCann, Mihalik).

[TheGreenCoat]

Re: Colgate offseason speculations

as always appreciate Gate Radio's input, especially in July...the one question (and concern) I have is: if we need three additional forwards for 2013 how many good ones out there are left??? The same could be said for the requirement for 2 d-men...as we all know MOST of the quality kids are locked up a lot earlier than the beginning of their last year in secondary school...BTW Roach has flown the coop as of 7/31...

['Gate Radio]

Re: Colgate offseason speculations

as always appreciate Gate Radio's input, especially in July...the one question (and concern) I have is: if we need three additional forwards for 2013 how many good ones out there are left??? The same could be said for the requirement for 2 d-men...as we all know MOST of the quality kids are locked up a lot earlier than the beginning of their last year in secondary school...BTW Roach has flown the coop as of 7/31...

One has to wonder how the shake-up in the athletic department will effect the funding push for a new ice hockey facility that would also have locker room space for several other teams.

As for who's left? It's hard to say. I think the natural inclination is to go out and lock up guys early if they show promise since that's what everyone else is doing. What then happens when you get a player like Kevin Roy from Brown commits early and then has a boffo season in the USHL and now likely will go to BC/BU or Major Junior? That's a risk you of course. But, Colgate is in a unique spot where if they gamble on someone and they are wrong, they essentially have to eat the scholarship and/or roster spot for four years. So, the coaches have to show a little caution in going after someone with reckless abandon. My guess is that there are certainly players that are targets right now that will get offers once they get one more look or have a chance to visit campus come August-September.

With the incoming group combined with last year's class, you have a very solid base for the next 3-4 years that will consist of the Spink twins, Lidgett, Wilson, Borkowski, Murphy and Baun in no particular order up front and then Goulakos, Johnston and Lough at least on the back end. Plus Eric Mihalik still has two years left. So, honestly in my view, that's your main nucleus. Ideally by the time they graduate, they will be playing in a new facility but that's another subject for another time.

So then you have to look at how to build around that. On paper, up front you have a team that can skate very well and has good quickness. Lidgett got better as last year went along - mostly because he started the season at 18 and Wilson turned in a tremendous season playing alongside two pros that will be in the AHL this season. If the recruiting class pans out - and from talking to DV, he's very high on it - then you're looking at a team with good speed that has players that can skate well and finish. A lot like the team from last year. The d-group will be younger in the coming years (not this year) so that could be an issue moving forward depending on how strong the incoming players are.

Really, looking ahead at this year and years to come, Colgate needs to find those gritty, diamond-in-the-rough type players exactly like a Tyler Burton or a Burton with a little more size. Players that will go to the net, muck in the corners and score ugly goals. There weren't a lot of those last year. And I think you'll need size along the lines of a Firman-Prockow-Gillanders-Winchester-Huculak that will give the smaller guys time and space to operate. Firman and Prockow did that well last year for Mayer when the team was winning.

On a side note, great photo gallery at Radio Free Hamilton from the Terry Slater golf tournament this past weekend.

[sshablak]

Re: Colgate offseason speculations

Dammit....GR you got my juices flowing for this team, It's way too early, even for me (LOL). Great reporting !

[TheGreenCoat]

Re: Colgate offseason speculations

thanks Gate Radio...as always, objective and informative...for those of us who bleed maroon, especially in hockey, you've been a real blessing to us and to the program...

[sshablak]

Re: Colgate offseason speculations

33 Days to Football !!

[Gaterrooter]

Re: Colgate offseason speculations

Can not wait for the season to get started. Although the Olympics have been a pleasure to watch.

I just saw that Don has been promoted to Associate Athletic Director. G R, any insight as to what this is about and how it will affect his coaching time?

['Gate Radio]

Re: Colgate offseason speculations

Can not wait for the season to get started. Although the Olympics have been a pleasure to watch.

I just saw that Don has been promoted to Associate Athletic Director. G R, any insight as to what this is about and how it will affect his coaching time?

I don't think it will have much of an impact if any. Don's been an assistant AD as long as I can remember and that to my knowledge has never impeded coaching time or off-ice tasks. If anything, he may delegate some more responsibilities to his assistants. Both have been around long enough to where there should be no drop off.