2009-2010 Official Vermont Season Thread : The Sequel

[observer85]

Re: 2009-2010 Official Vermont Season Thread : The Sequel

Good result for the Cats on Sunday...They have to bring their A game next weekend versus Mack.

Maine is coming to town next weekend.

Watched the game on ESPN-U...hard game to watch, too many penalties and no flow. Vermont is fortunate to have Madore rounding into form for the stretch run.

Was really curious with the Sneddon interview b/n 2nd and 3rd periods. Parphrasing...he said he is still looking for the leadership on this team? Regular season only has 6 more weekends - 12 more games. I have to wonder why he would say something like this, seems like a black mark on the 2 captains and 1 assistant captain. Most teams have a player vote to determine captains each year, wonder if Roloff, Miller and Cullity were picked this way or picked by the coaching staff? Maybe the BFP staff writer Ted Ryan can expand on this in his next blog posting.

[Cat lover]

Re: 2009-2010 Official Vermont Season Thread : The Sequel

Maine is coming to town next weekend.

Watched the game on ESPN-U...hard game to watch, too many penalties and no flow. Vermont is fortunate to have Madore rounding into form for the stretch run.

Was really curious with the Sneddon interview b/n 2nd and 3rd periods. Parphrasing...he said he is still looking for the leadership on this team? Regular season only has 6 more weekends - 12 more games. I have to wonder why he would say something like this, seems like a black mark on the 2 captains and 1 assistant captain. Most teams have a player vote to determine captains each year, wonder if Roloff, Miller and Cullity were picked this way or picked by the coaching staff? Maybe the BFP staff writer Ted Ryan can expand on this in his next blog posting.

There is a big difference between on-ice leadership which can come from any player and the off-ice which usually falls on the captains and seniors. I think Sneddon is looking for his older players(Stacey,Irwin,Milo,Medvec etc)as well as the captains to show more consistancy game to game.

[jcarter7669]

Re: 2009-2010 Official Vermont Season Thread : The Sequel

In some of the interviews previously, Roloff has been mentioned as a "lead by example" type of captain. Also, Sneddon has repeatedly talked about the team taking responsibility for the team. I think what he is looking for is for the captains to lead by example, but to also hold the players accountable for their on ice performances. More vocal. Sneddon can rant and rave at them all he wants but sometimes it means a lot more coming from a line mate or the Miller/Roloff.

The game was rough, I think they were lucky to scrape by with a W. Madore was good and the PK was awesome. THe D held Wellman, Marcou, and Synor in check. The offense was horrible, the second goal was nice, but they were lucky to be up 2 goals on 8 shots. Madore and the D saved them the win.

2 against ME next week and 2 against PC the following weekend. Cats need to capitalize at home and then go to PC and play them like they are a #1 team. Should be able to manage 6-7 points.

[GreenCat]

Re: 2009-2010 Official Vermont Season Thread : The Sequel

The game was rough, I think they were lucky to scrape by with a W. Madore was good and the PK was awesome. The D held Wellman, Marcou, and Synor in check. The offense was horrible, the second goal was nice, but they were lucky to be up 2 goals on 8 shots. Madore and the D saved them the win.

Have to agree 100%. The passing was atrocious and the team looked slow. A lot had to due with the officiating with so many penalties. Neither team could get any rhythm with so many whistles. I never understand refs who want to control a game like that for no apparent reason.... The 3rd was a little better because there were fewer whistles.

[GreenCat]

Re: 2009-2010 Official Vermont Season Thread : The Sequel

Aside from Milo there is no one to really fear. Irwin has scored but there is no sense of fear/respect from the other teams (unlike you guys with Marcou and Wellman).

UVM has to rely on the D staying decent. The scoring is way too hit or miss for them. Good weekend for both sides at the end of the day. Aside from the penalties it was a matter of puck bounces not complete breakdowns.

As I watched the Wellman line I was thinking the exact same thing. UVM has no line, like most teams, where you are on the edge of your seat cause you know they are scorers and are the best players on the ice when out there and anything can happen.

I think this is why Melrose kept saying UVM was the less skilled team.....Not sure why he kept harping that as outside of the Wellman line I am not sure that carries from D and lines 2-4.

[GuttCheck]

Re: 2009-2010 Official Vermont Season Thread : The Sequel

Ok, I agree, we don't have a line as good as Marcou, etc. But.........you guys are comparing to the top line in the country. Few teams, if any, have a line as dangerous as the Marcou line.....

I am not sure about the Melrose less skilled comment. While UVM is certainly not flashy by any means, I think overall we can skate with anyone as shown by our record.

Talent is not our problem, consistency is.

[snwbrdr]

Re: 2009-2010 Official Vermont Season Thread : The Sequel

I agree that its not so much lack of skill as lack of cohesiveness, and sometimes effort (move the feet) that is holding the Cats back.

I think if you actually compared the skill depth of UMASS to UVM that UVM is probably stronger. But UMASS has that awesome line and that takes pressure off the rest of their team while UVM has no such offensive threat

I watched that game and I was mentally comparing it to where UVM was in the stretch run last year and they had poor games like that in the second half last year also (Friday night loss at NU that I attended, Friday night loss to Mack at home, second QF loss at home to UML)

So, the fact that they can play relatively poorly and still win due to strong goaltending (which has generally been a weakness all year until now) and defense bodes well

However, on the flip side, they are definitely not as strong on offense so they are more like the 2006/7 and 2007/8 team in terms of having to trap, dump and chase, grind it out, play a good PK, rely on a good offense, and hope to pop a couple of goals home - whereas last year they had VStalburg attracting the attention of the other teams best D line and that gave some room to the other lines to create. Plus they had Lenes who was more of a finisher than anyone they have currently.

Due to the lack of offense I think they'll be lucky to finish better than 5th in HE - although they might still sneak into the tournament if they win 7 or 8 of the remaining 12 and are lucky with the TUC's

Huge weekend coming up with Maine. Gotta figure Maine is the most likely team ahead of the Cats that is possibly going to drop back to them. The Cats are not going to catch UNH, BC, or Umass and UML should pick it up a bit from their early January problems.

They certainly need Downing back.

I still like what I see from McCarthy, Pacan, Stalburg, Franzon and Roos(although dumb penalty by Pacan Sunday) and I think that class has a lot of potential.

[grantfan]

Re: 2009-2010 Official Vermont Season Thread : The Sequel

Not a lot of joy in Mudville after a big shutout win on the road over a highly-ranked, high in the standings UMass team. Therefore, please let me vent.

First, thank you, Jack Downing, on behalf of some of the people who support the Catamounts, for your commitment and dedication to the team. As the team flounders and 'tries' to 'find itself,' a first line player, a junior, violating the student code is a wonderful contribution to make to your team. Thank you and keep up the good work. I would also like to nominate you to be a captain next year as you are obviously a person and player who can lead both on AND off the ice. The funny thing is, you were replaced by a better hockey player, Chris McCarthy, who made a play to Wahs Stacey that you could never have seen, let alone made.

On January 24, coach Sneddon's team is working on its leadership. I hope the work starts by looking in the mirror. I liked Pacan's penalty early in the 1st period but I loved Cullity's running the goalie penalty that negated a powerplay opportunity. What a disciplined team the coach is running. And then the too many men penalty deserves a real tip of the cap to the coach. Running a real tight bench, you are, coach. Maybe things are just happening too quickly out there for the mastermind.

Any team that has more than one captain does NOT have a leader. Despite holding out 2 players as captains, this team very obviously does not have much leadership. Roloff's 'C,' with all due respect, appears to stand for nothing more than 'Center,' the position he plays. Miller's 'C' appears to stand for 'Ceriously?' And Cullity's 'A' obviously stands for 'Another stupid penalty,' and that was before his running the goalie penalty yesterday. A veteran team with too much leadership to name just one captain operates like this one? Am I missing legendary leadership here? As for Jack Downing - and thanks again, Jack - any fault for his lack of discipline or commitment on the coach? Or his captains' leadership? It's working great, guys.

I am on a mission. I am in search of a powerplay unit at any level of hockey from high school up that has 3 players (Marshall, Miller, MacKenzie) with 1 goal each, now that MacKenzie got his 1st goal of the season. If you spot one, please let me know. To me, if you put a unit together with 3 1-goal scorers - and it ain't like any of them are big set up guys, either - you are coaching at the wrong level of hockey. I am sure that Matt Marshall's mom and dad love watching him play, but I don't. Is there any such thing as a player who does not belong at the level he's playing at? Matt Marshall (1g-3a) plays a regular shift - and the 4th line does NOT miss a shift, ever - and he kills penalties AND he plays on the powerplay. And he has 1 goal and 3 assists. I know that Marshall and Higgins and Anctil played a ton yesterday, being penalty killers, but did Brayden Irwin or Justin Milo, non-penalty killers, even play yesterday? I saw a lot a 19, 7, 14, and 10 for UMass and I saw way too much of 16, 17, and 25 for UVM.

Argue all you want for playing a 4th line, with 3 combined goals now that Anctil got one, but when the UMass assistant coach was asked before the 2nd period if their 1st line was going to get a bit of a rest after playing so much in the 1st period, he said, "Our playmakers play." A little different philosophy than Sneddon's let's play guys who cannot possibly score, even in the dying minutes of Saturday's game trailing 2-1. Good luck, coach, regularly using a 4th line against teams that don't play their 4th line nearly as much as they play their top 2 lines.

So, the team played with fire, giving UMass 9 PP opportunities, and got away with it. Because the PK is so darn good, Pacan can take a senseless cross checking penalty less than a minute after Irwin's silly interference penalty, and Marshall can run into the goalie with the team on the PP, and the coach can take an out of control too many men penalty, and Cullity, a defenseman, can run the goalie during a delayed penalty, and everything is alright.

And the fans are still not happy.

So this team's losses suck and their wins just stink. Coach Sneddon, with the help of his 'leadership team,' is doing a great job of trying to get this team to reach its (overrated?) potential.

That was an ugly, ugly win to conclude an ugly, ugly series in a season that has some wonderful performances and wins yet looks ugly and smells stinky. Guys quitting, guys taking leaves of absences. This season that began with such (overrated?) promise for the most part just stinks.

If they can just work out that leadership thing they're working on as January and the season wind down, and if that 4th line can keep doing what it does - and it ain't scoring - regardless of the game situation, and if we can just get a couple more 1 goal scorers for the Marshall, Miller, MacKenzie PP unit - Higgins? Anctil? Cullity? - the team is going to be fine. Even if it sucks watching them play hockey.

Go Cats! Go!

P.S. - Thanks, Jack.

[PuckVoice]

Re: 2009-2010 Official Vermont Season Thread : The Sequel

Hey g-RANT-fan ...
I didn't put your post in quotes ... why take up all that space ... but just wanted to say ... Simmer down there a little boy ... take a deep breath ... step outside a little and let the rain wet you down!
My God ... have there ever been so many cheap shots in one post? ... ah, wait ... this IS USCHO Fan Forum ... of course there have been.
But that one is among the leaders.

Comments like these from a FAN? Wow!

[Cat lover]

Re: 2009-2010 Official Vermont Season Thread : The Sequel

Let's just drop the G and go with "rantfan"

All you do is complain as if this was a pro team and you are the owner who pays thier salaries. These kids and coaches dont need to please you or anyone else here, and we all know that its impossible to please you even with a road shutout of a ranked team.

[watching]

Re: 2009-2010 Official Vermont Season Thread : The Sequel

Who was the best recent captain ?

[snwbrdr]

Re: 2009-2010 Official Vermont Season Thread : The Sequel

gRantfan - get a life or find something else you hate and write about that.

You cannot seriously call yourself a UVM hockey fan with the crap that you write.

[snwbrdr]

Re: 2009-2010 Official Vermont Season Thread : The Sequel

I don't think fans at arms length can tell who the best captains were but I would think Strong and Sifers were among the best.

[Martin St. Louis Fan]

Re: 2009-2010 Official Vermont Season Thread : The Sequel

gRantfan - get a life or find something else you hate and write about that.

You cannot seriously call yourself a UVM hockey fan with the crap that you write.

I am surprised that so many people plunk down hard earned cash for season tickets, only to be miserable each and every game!

[Martin St. Louis Fan]

Re: 2009-2010 Official Vermont Season Thread : The Sequel

I don't think fans at arms length can tell who the best captains were but I would think Strong and Sifers were among the best.

They really need to bottle Sifers, he is a one of kind player!