UMaine Hockey 2014-15: The Road from Alfond to Boston

[Chairman of the Boards]

Re: UMaine Hockey 2014-15: The Road from Alfond to Boston

UMaine's ruling against Lomberg must have been psychologically devastating for some of the players... Other than that they're out of excuses. Vermont is a great team but Maine's effort wasn't there.

Stop already with this dumb excuse

[Ma#1ne Hky]

Re: UMaine Hockey 2014-15: The Road from Alfond to Boston

IMO If the goalies made some key saves when called upon, maybe the skaters in front of them would react positively instead of being deflated.

Its a total team break down in the defensive end,forwards don't come back enough or cover their zones while the d-man are slow and weak on the on coming rushes and yes...you do need key saves by the goaltending,all in all this is a weak bunch on defense and it shows up each and every game...they never put a 60 minute game together,just 10 minutes a period or one full period,no consistency...and that equals in the long run no confidence...and losing eats the soul of the team.

[Ma#1ne Hky]

Re: UMaine Hockey 2014-15: The Road from Alfond to Boston

Stop already with this dumb excuse

Yes this is OLD and has run it's course,sadly...good or bad.

[Priceless]

Re: UMaine Hockey 2014-15: The Road from Alfond to Boston

Stop already with this dumb excuse

You seem to have confused "excuse" and "explanation."

To say Lomberg's dismissal from school hurt the team is an explanation. If you're looking for why this team is so bad, that's on the list. That's not an excuse.

To say the team has suffered a lapse mentally because of his dismissal is also not an excuse.

It is an excuse to accept that this SHOULD have happened. This team SHOULD have been stronger and not allowed off-ice stuff to hurt their performance as much as it has. You would hope this team would be more talented to overcome the loss of one player, but it simply isn't. That also isn't an excuse. Just a fact of life.

[Chairman of the Boards]

Re: UMaine Hockey 2014-15: The Road from Alfond to Boston

Its a total team break down in the defensive end,forwards don't come back enough or cover their zones while the d-man are slow and weak on the on coming rushes and yes...you do need key saves by the goaltending,all in all this is a weak bunch on defense and it shows up each and every game...they never put a 60 minute game together,just 10 minutes a period or one full period,no consistency...and that equals in the long run no confidence...and losing eats the soul of the team.

You're right. The big gap between F & D will bite you in the azz. The little mental errors turn out to be game changers. Defense turning the wrong way and leaving opposition in front of the net unchecked for that extra two seconds. They have to start playing the game above the shoulders too. There's still half the season remaining to get back on track.

[Chairman of the Boards]

Re: UMaine Hockey 2014-15: The Road from Alfond to Boston

You seem to have confused "excuse" and "explanation."

To say Lomberg's dismissal from school hurt the team is an explanation. If you're looking for why this team is so bad, that's on the list. That's not an excuse.

To say the team has suffered a lapse mentally because of his dismissal is also not an excuse.

It is an excuse to accept that this SHOULD have happened. This team SHOULD have been stronger and not allowed off-ice stuff to hurt their performance as much as it has. You would hope this team would be more talented to overcome the loss of one player, but it simply isn't. That also isn't an excuse. Just a fact of life.

Just saying. Lombergs gone, not coming back. Get over it and move on with the team that's here.

[Runsub5]

Re: UMaine Hockey 2014-15: The Road from Alfond to Boston

I am not calling for Red's job. However, in my opinion he is in large part responsible for the dismal play of this team. He has totally demoralized them with his post game comments. He threatens to bench players and follows that with I still believe in you. After last nights game he announces that it is now all his fault and that he will bench players again and put players in with passion and grit. In my opinion this team plays hard. Last night's penalty kill was outstanding (5 on 3 for two minutes). They were down 3 goals and continued to battle. I have no idea what he says in the locker room. I hope he is giving them some encouragement and praise and not just continually beating them down. This team is no better now than they were at the beginning of the season. A terrible indicator. As others have said, it appears he has lost this team. I am hopeful that they can rebound and improve during the second half of the season.

[amherstblackbear]

Re: UMaine Hockey 2014-15: The Road from Alfond to Boston

I'm still questioning why Whitehead got 12 seasons to prove himself yet many on here want Gendron's head on a platter after 1.5 seasons??? Weird.

Apples and oranges. What many on here want and what they (cough, we) get are two different things. Whitehead didn't get twelve years from us

Facts are facts. First, this staff deserves some more time - at least to the point that they're coaching players they all brought in. OK, not necessarily a fact, but an opinion I'll defend against all comers.

Second, they'd better hope that's the answer, because the current team is not good. And in games that I've watched, they don't seem to be an appreciably harder-working team. If anything, I might say the opposite (though I'd be the first to admit I only saw a small sample of Maine games during TW's last few seasons).

As for whether something happened that's sapping this team's will to compete - I don't buy it. If Lomberg leaving makes you less interested in competing, you weren't very driven to begin with. If there's any truth to that sort of thinking, I'd say goaltending is more to blame. Hard to work your arse off to build a lead or draw even and then see a softie go in . . . then work your arse off to regain a lead or a tie . . . see it happen again . . . and get back to work. *That* takes discipline/desire. Of course, before anyone on that team starts pointing fingers too directly at goaltending, they should take a look in the mirror. Defense is a a collective responsibility.

I have no hope for anything happening this season except player development. Let's figure out which pieces might be part of the puzzle over the next coupls seasons.

[walrus]

Re: UMaine Hockey 2014-15: The Road from Alfond to Boston

We have to learn to play smart as well as play hard. People who don’t play hard can’t play for us. They can’t be part of this program. … There were a few of those. You won’t see them (Saturday) night. You may never see them again.”

Guess we will find out who these guys are tonight.

[Priceless]

Re: UMaine Hockey 2014-15: The Road from Alfond to Boston

If Lomberg leaving makes you less interested in competing, you weren't very driven to begin with.

Which is what a few of us are saying. I question how many of these players have their heart in it.

[rufus]

Re: UMaine Hockey 2014-15: The Road from Alfond to Boston

UMaine's ruling against Lomberg must have been psychologically devastating for some of the players... Other than that they're out of excuses. Vermont is a great team but Maine's effort wasn't there.

That's a pizz-poor excuse. What if Lomberg was on the team, and went down for the year with an injury? Same thing. If that's what's gotten into the heads of these guys so they don't want to put in effort and hard work, then they got a lot more problems than just what's going on on the ice. If any player's game is affected because of that, then they should just walk away right now.

I don't know what it is with this team. they give up a goal because both Hutton and Riley go to the puck carrier, leaving another guy to skate unobstructed to the post and an easy tap in. Rutt plays the shooter on a 2-1, leaving the easy cross ice pass to the uncovered guy and an open net to shoot at. This is just basic stuff that you learn in mites, and yet these guys keep making these stupid mental errors. And take bad penalties too. This is just stupid chit.

They gotta get their heads right and decide if they want to compete and play for this coach. And if they don't, then walk away, now.

[rufus]

Re: UMaine Hockey 2014-15: The Road from Alfond to Boston

“We died a little after that fifth goal,” said Leen, who added that they have to learn to battle back from adversity like Vermont did.

You don't learn to do stuff like this. You just do it. it's either in your character or it's not.

Stop hanging your heads and feeling sorry for yourselves, or content because you played a good first period, and get mad. Play hard. Move your feet. Battle. You like losing? Then do something about it.

[rufus]

Re: UMaine Hockey 2014-15: The Road from Alfond to Boston

It's not all about Lomberg, it's about team unity and team chemistry. Gendron has said the team isn't mentally tough enough. Why wouldn't the Lomberg decision still be affecting their play if they aren't mentally tough enough to play through that adversity?

Who knew hockey players were so delicate?

Jesus effin' Christ, man up.

[rufus]

Re: UMaine Hockey 2014-15: The Road from Alfond to Boston

Yeah, they battled. Outshot 12-2 in the second period.

[Priceless]

Re: UMaine Hockey 2014-15: The Road from Alfond to Boston

That's a pizz-poor excuse. What if Lomberg was on the team, and went down for the year with an injury? Same thing.

No, it's not. In that scenario, Lomberg is still part of the team, there every day, every practice, every game. What happened is these players had a guy who was very popular dismissed by their university for an offense an awful lot of them (and people outside the locker room) thought didn't warrant that kind of punishment.

What we'd all like to see is a group of young men who banded together and chose not to let this be a setback. That's not what has happened.