Re: Brown Hockey 2015-16: (s)Lappin' around the competition
Bruno - I agree that we seemed to be missing a piece offensively this weekend. I'd like to see them try Willman on the first line for a couple games. I think he's too fast for Lafferty and Bird. They're certainly not slow, but at times they can't keep up with him. He could be the final piece that the first line needs to score consistently (not that they haven't been doing so already).
Marchin is a very impressive player and has played well alongside Lappin and Naclerio, so I don't think we would mitigate the effectiveness of the second line by "demoting" him. If anything, he might be a better fit with Lafferty and Bird. Willman needs linemates who can better read his lightning-quick movements.
Joe Prescott has no business playing on the third line, and Rossi has no place in this lineup. The latter didn't play a minute in the third and Whittet had to mix and match the lines. Why dress him at all? And why is Tim Lappin rotting away on the fourth line? He's far too talented.
I think we should roll with:
N. Lappin-Naclerio-Willman
Bird-Lafferty-Marchin
Brink-Corcoran-T. Lappin
Pryzbek-Middleton-Prescott
The top three lines should be able to consistently maintain possession, while the fourth is your classic heavyweight line - but they can also chip in offensively, and Middleton is a good defensive player, as well.
Kepler - Gillam was tremendous. I was pleasantly surprised by the way Brown controlled the game, as I was kind of expecting Cornell to put its foot on the gas after not scoring the night before. But they didn't even have to, because their goaltender was unflappable. He had perfect positioning all night and looked confident even when blocked by traffic. He's certainly capable of stealing you guys some games, even when the rest of the team doesn't play particularly well.
All in all, the results weren't there for Brown this weekend, but the process certainly was. Ernst looks like a very solid starter at the moment, while the defense is immensely improved over the first couple weeks of the season. The offense was dominant in spurts against Colgate and then controlled the entire game against Cornell, but only came up with a single goal to show for it. If we keep generating large numbers of quality scoring chances each game, the goals will come.
This team is miles ahead of last year. Even when they don't win, at least it's exciting to watch.
Bruno - I agree that we seemed to be missing a piece offensively this weekend. I'd like to see them try Willman on the first line for a couple games. I think he's too fast for Lafferty and Bird. They're certainly not slow, but at times they can't keep up with him. He could be the final piece that the first line needs to score consistently (not that they haven't been doing so already).
Marchin is a very impressive player and has played well alongside Lappin and Naclerio, so I don't think we would mitigate the effectiveness of the second line by "demoting" him. If anything, he might be a better fit with Lafferty and Bird. Willman needs linemates who can better read his lightning-quick movements.
Joe Prescott has no business playing on the third line, and Rossi has no place in this lineup. The latter didn't play a minute in the third and Whittet had to mix and match the lines. Why dress him at all? And why is Tim Lappin rotting away on the fourth line? He's far too talented.
I think we should roll with:
N. Lappin-Naclerio-Willman
Bird-Lafferty-Marchin
Brink-Corcoran-T. Lappin
Pryzbek-Middleton-Prescott
The top three lines should be able to consistently maintain possession, while the fourth is your classic heavyweight line - but they can also chip in offensively, and Middleton is a good defensive player, as well.
Kepler - Gillam was tremendous. I was pleasantly surprised by the way Brown controlled the game, as I was kind of expecting Cornell to put its foot on the gas after not scoring the night before. But they didn't even have to, because their goaltender was unflappable. He had perfect positioning all night and looked confident even when blocked by traffic. He's certainly capable of stealing you guys some games, even when the rest of the team doesn't play particularly well.
All in all, the results weren't there for Brown this weekend, but the process certainly was. Ernst looks like a very solid starter at the moment, while the defense is immensely improved over the first couple weeks of the season. The offense was dominant in spurts against Colgate and then controlled the entire game against Cornell, but only came up with a single goal to show for it. If we keep generating large numbers of quality scoring chances each game, the goals will come.
This team is miles ahead of last year. Even when they don't win, at least it's exciting to watch.
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