Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?
"What do you mean by parity?" you ask...
I was surprised to see that Northern and ND are quite similar in many respects. They're both 3-1 thus far, both having beaten some decent teams. Both are 10.5% on the PP in the early goings. Both teams have relied on one goalie in their first 4 games (Jared Coreau, 2.38, .913 and Steven Summerhays, 1.51, .943). Both teams are a tad anemic offensively (NMU has scored 10 goals in their 4 games, the Irish have 9). Both have point-a-game players (Matt Thurber 5 pts., T.J. Tynan 4 pts.).
The differences that stand out include the PK. Northern is 83.3% while ND is 90.5%. The goalie stats are a decent divide, but I believe NMU had the bigger challenges in 2 games against Wisconsin and 2 against UNO (a physical and fast-paced team). No offense to Maine, but they have now been shut out twice in their first 4 games and scored a goal in one of the other 2 they've played, so that shutout gets less impressive with subsequent offensively-challenged outings. The goals against is a good separation. NMU gives up 2 and a quarter/game while ND gives up one and a half/game. I also love the shot differential. NMU is averaging 22 shots/game. ND is averaging (finally) better than 32 shots/game.
So we're back in league play, and that means the potential for the dreaded shootout. Last season ND tied NMU both times up north, and then proceeded to shoot blanks in the shootouts. What do I expect from the weekend? Tynan will cross the "Century Club" threshold and add 2 more notches on the way to his next 100. Summerhays will start Friday, but should ND win, I'm wondering if Mike Johnson might start Saturday. I'm thinking ND will split this weekend (something you strive for on the road), but am keeping my fingers crossed for something more.
In keeping with the study of Socrates, "Be as you wish to seem."
p.s. as an FYI, the Friday, 12/7 game here with MSU has been moved up to 7:00.
"What do you mean by parity?" you ask...
I was surprised to see that Northern and ND are quite similar in many respects. They're both 3-1 thus far, both having beaten some decent teams. Both are 10.5% on the PP in the early goings. Both teams have relied on one goalie in their first 4 games (Jared Coreau, 2.38, .913 and Steven Summerhays, 1.51, .943). Both teams are a tad anemic offensively (NMU has scored 10 goals in their 4 games, the Irish have 9). Both have point-a-game players (Matt Thurber 5 pts., T.J. Tynan 4 pts.).
The differences that stand out include the PK. Northern is 83.3% while ND is 90.5%. The goalie stats are a decent divide, but I believe NMU had the bigger challenges in 2 games against Wisconsin and 2 against UNO (a physical and fast-paced team). No offense to Maine, but they have now been shut out twice in their first 4 games and scored a goal in one of the other 2 they've played, so that shutout gets less impressive with subsequent offensively-challenged outings. The goals against is a good separation. NMU gives up 2 and a quarter/game while ND gives up one and a half/game. I also love the shot differential. NMU is averaging 22 shots/game. ND is averaging (finally) better than 32 shots/game.
So we're back in league play, and that means the potential for the dreaded shootout. Last season ND tied NMU both times up north, and then proceeded to shoot blanks in the shootouts. What do I expect from the weekend? Tynan will cross the "Century Club" threshold and add 2 more notches on the way to his next 100. Summerhays will start Friday, but should ND win, I'm wondering if Mike Johnson might start Saturday. I'm thinking ND will split this weekend (something you strive for on the road), but am keeping my fingers crossed for something more.
In keeping with the study of Socrates, "Be as you wish to seem."
p.s. as an FYI, the Friday, 12/7 game here with MSU has been moved up to 7:00.
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