2009-2010 Official Vermont Season Thread : The Sequel

[jcarter7669]

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

1) Will Lawson and Herrington have a chance to play on Saturday? They should, both of them. Will the coach have the guts to sit one of his captains - the one with 3 penalties in tonights game?

2) Will Leonard finally get a chance to replace 16 or 25 or 17? Unless he just will not be allowed out of the dog house, he can't be any worst than these 3.

3) Will Irwin ever pass the puck on the PP? This guy is seriously in love with his shot. Any puck movement on this PP unit comes to a screeching halt when the puck hits the blade of his stick. Like Melrose said last weekend, if Irwin wants to shoot from the blue line on the PP, the other team will let him do it all game long. Although Irwin leads the team in scoring, if he were to pass the puck more, I have to believe he would have at least double the assists he currently has. Afterall, he plays on a non PP line with a pure goal scorer, Justin Milo. Then he might actually be a Hobey candidate.

At least the Milo/Stacey PP unit keeps the puck down low with good passing. Was that a great pass by MacKenzie to Milo on the 1st goal or what?

4) Is Downing going to be back in the lineup? It would be a shame to move McCarthy off that line with Roloff and Stacey, they move the puck so well. Perhaps Irwin would be a better fit with Higgins/Marshall. Since neither of these 2 can score, maybe Irwin can hog the puck on this line...since he does not really like to pass.

5) Will the coaching staff get any sleep tonight? Should they?

1.) Sneddon should bench Cullity but it's doubtful

2.) I think this one is a good possibility. Put Leonard in the Line up

3.) Irwin is a shooter, that's his job although he needs to pass once in awhile to keep the D guessing. And I still think Melrose is a bafoon.

4.) I expect to see Downing playing tonight. His suspension is up so I see no reason he wouldn't. McCarthy and Stacey have played well together, I think that's a good line and agree stick Downing somewhere else.

5.) Sneddon sleeps but dreams that the entire team is in the penalty box and it's just Madore on the ice for the cats against the entire Maine team.

[snwbrdr]

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

That Miller to Cullity bad pass/turnover for the first UM goal was horrendous.

The Irwin turnover for the 4th UM goal was just as bad. Maybe worse given the timing.

Cullity should sit. I think they might miss his emotion but they certainly don't need the penalties. Kind of looking forward to next year without his idiot penalties. He's predictable - you can sense them coming.

The UVM powerplay is HORRENDOUS. That is my only valid complaint with the coaching staff. They could not get it in the zone for better than half of them last night. Hire a consultant, do something. It's so bad I don't want them to have PP's any more because it gives the other team momentum.

Great pass from McCarthy to Milo for the second goal. McCarthy needs to get a little stronger in the corners but he is going to be a great playmaker over the next three years.

They had some nice momentum in the 3rd. Somebody beat Darling and rang a nice opportunity off the iron around the 8 minute mark IIRC. If that goes in it's really an interesting game.

The final UM goal was a 4 on 1 as three PK cats were caught up ice on an add man rush and turned it over high in the zone (and were spent on that shift also). If only UVM could have executed the shorty it would have been interesting.

Stalberg is looking SO much better than the first half. The freshman line was the best line last night. Gives me hope for the future, meanwhile the seniors were a collective disappointment last night.

We are not seeing enough step up from Roloff, Vock and Irwin. Irwin never looked dangerous to me once last night.

Home ice is gone. They need to concentrate on winning some games and finishing 5th or 6th and having a shot at winning a road QF or their PWR will be gone also and they'll have an early summer. This year is looking like its possibly going to be their worst HE finish yet. That will be unfortunate.

Have to keep everything in perspective. Under Gilligan UVM would still be in the bottom third of EZAC. I'll take fighting for a spot in the middle of HE.

Let's hope they come out and play tonight.

[jcarter7669]

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

The UVM powerplay is HORRENDOUS. That is my only valid complaint with the coaching staff. They could not get it in the zone for better than half of them last night. Hire a consultant, do something. It's so bad I don't want them to have PP's any more because it gives the other team momentum.

I don't remember how long ago it was maybe two years ago, but the power play was so terrible that Sneddon just played it like a 5 on 5, keeping the regular lines together on the power play. He may want to revert back to that strategy. For the most part they tend to play better then their opponent 5 on 5. I agree with you there are times you see a penalty called and it's almost a dissappointment because you know another terrible PP is coming. They definitely need to do something. The PP is certainly a valid complaint. It is the same tired PP, try something, anything..... and I'm not talking line changes but the setup.

[jcarter7669]

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

Is 'it' the third person?

If you're just going to attack grantfan, at least call it a racist or a homophobe,

.

[justinD]

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

As far as 16, 17 and 25 playing so much...well, Vermont is a "liberal" state and a "liberal" university, thus everyone should be equal or attempts should be made to allow for equal playing time. For all we know, the coaching staff might be operating under some state mandated guideline(s) that require equal pay for equal time...or something to that effect. And somehow the coaching staff much apply these principals in order to continue to receive state funding.

Just a thought...

This is without a doubt the most insane thing I have ever read on this board.

Or my inability to pick up sarcam on a message board has struck again.

[jcarter7669]

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

This is without a doubt the most insane thing I have ever read on this board.

Or my inability to pick up sarcam on a message board has struck again.

I believe it's that latter

[observer85]

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

I believe it's that latter

Totally the latter...should have used a smiley face...

[observer85]

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

3.) Irwin is a shooter, that's his job although he needs to pass once in awhile to keep the D guessing. And I still think Melrose is a bafoon.

It must be nice to get a paycheck for doing basically nothing. The guy should pay ESPN to allow him to be on the air. Appears to be NO pregame prep time in his work.

That Miller to Cullity bad pass/turnover for the first UM goal was horrendous. But it is not the first time we have seen this...no pressure, simple play. Both are upper classmen that have not developed in their time at the UVM.

The Irwin turnover for the 4th UM goal was just as bad. Maybe worse given the timing. Is there a reason why a big canadien kid - from the hot bed of hockey, Toronto - does not get drafted by the NHL? Perhaps it is because he is not really that good...

Cullity should sit. I think they might miss his emotion but they certainly don't need the penalties. Kind of looking forward to next year without his idiot penalties. He's predictable - you can sense them coming. I am not sure his emotion is that appreciated on this team. Some times guys have issues - like his freshman year downtown incident - and then gets a pass by the coaching staff. Like in real life, when a worker in a company gets a boss or manager to look the other way, the rest of the workers lose a little bit of faith in management....just saying...

Great pass from McCarthy to Milo for the second goal. McCarthy needs to get a little stronger in the corners but he is going to be a great playmaker over the next three years. Totally agree. McCarthy appears to be one of the few kids on this team that actually has the ability to "see the ice".

The final UM goal was a 4 on 1 as three PK cats were caught up ice on an add man rush and turned it over high in the zone (and were spent on that shift also). If only UVM could have executed the shorty it would have been interesting. Stacey, Roloff, Burrows and Miller were the 4 on the ice...did not see this but I am glad you did snwbrdr...no surprise anytime Burrows is on the ice, he still plays like a forward

I don't remember how long ago it was maybe two years ago, but the power play was so terrible that Sneddon just played it like a 5 on 5, keeping the regular lines together on the power play. He may want to revert back to that strategy.

Probably would not hurt...unless he uses that "valuable" 4th line if it is their turn to go over the boards. It that were to happen, it is just more wasted time.

[justinD]

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

Totally the latter...should have used a smiley face...

Good to know. I'll take you off my crazy list. (see what I did there?)

[Cat lover]

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

Maine is not a team we want to have a powerplay contest with. While our PP has trouble getting set up and gets predictable when it does Maine's seems to have a plan of attack when coming up ice, that tip in goal in the last seconds of the first was a great example.

Not blaming the refs because it surely went both ways but did anyone actually see half of what was called in the second period?

Highlight of the night is when the Maine player took 2 steps out of the box and got another penalty, it didnt look like he hit the VT player very hard but it was a preview of what was coming later.

Roos needs to hit the weights this summer, he has potential but gets taken off the puck way to easy.

Hard to blame Madore to much as all goals were from guys walking in or deflections from uncovered players right in front of him.

PP numbers are hard to judge, sure Vermont was 2 for 10 but how many of those PP were a full 2 mins?

After his 3rd goal last night Sebastian Stalberg is at 3-6-9 so far, Victor was 7-8-15 his freshman year.

[grantfan]

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

Why is it that as soon as the team has one misstep, plays one bad period, everyone descends on Brayden Irwin? Is it personal because he is Canadian (or Canadien as observer85 likes to pronounce it)? The Toronto Maple Leafs are all over this kid and are already projecting him on a line with Vik Stalberg with the Marlies, so you 'fans' don't really know what you're talking about.

I'm with Sneddon on this one, if I coached a kid that shot like Big Brayden, I'd build a powerplay around his shot, too. I wouldn't care if the other team knew it was coming from him, I'd dare them to try to stop his bomb of a shot. Yes, even the wrist shots that hit goalies in the belly. I'd say, 'Brayden, I want you shooting. I don't want to see you passing to kids who can't shoot like you and couldn't carry your stick to the rink. Let Roloff and Vock dig out the puck along the boards and then everybody try to get the puck to you and you shoot it. That's how you're going to be my next NHLer, so shoot the puck. If I see you pass it, I'll bench Wahs Stacey, so shoot the darn puck.'

Barry Melrose, who follows college hockey pretty closely and whose college hockey blog on espn.com is quite insightful, speaks highly of Brayden's ability to handle the puck and 'dish it,' which is hockey vernacular for passing and setting up linemates. So, observer85, between former NHL coach Barry Melrose and you, I'm going with Melrose's opinion of Brayden as a player.

Brayden's errant pass that led to Maine's 4th goal was another example of him trying to carry the team singlehandedly, trying to "do too much" as we say in hockey. Nobody cares as much as Brayden and nobody is as selfless and tries to do as much to help his team as Brayden, with the possible exception of Jack Downing, so if he stayed out on the ice longer than his conditioning allowed, at least he was trying to help.

So climb off Brayden's back, 'fans.' If the Hobey Baker voters see that Vermont's own fans aren't 100% behind Brayden's candidacy, they're not going to vote him the 2010 Hobey Baker Award. That, I guarantee you.

And jcarter, it might feel good to think it was 2 years ago that Sneddon went without PP units and just threw out the next line up, including the 4th line, but it was LAST year. You remember, that was the year the team had Hobey candidate Vik Stalberg and native Vermonter Peter Lenes and captain Dean Strong and smart Corey Carlson, all of glorious memory. And coach Sneddon couldn't put together ONE powerplay unit. To be fair, though, Matt Marshall wasn't yet ready for PP time, nor was Kevan Miller and even Kyle Medvec hadn't yet been hand molded into a PP point man by his coach.

As for Downing being back in the lineup tonight, we NEED him. He MUST play. He is INVALUABLE to this team and I am sure that he has fully learned whatever lesson he was to learn from his mild, exagerrated and overblown little violation. To not let Jack play would be to cut off the team's nose to spite its face. Why should the coach penalize the team any more than he already has? I fully expect Jack to rededicate himself to the team and parlay this minor blip into a fabulous stretch run and senior year as a captain and leader of the UVM Catamounts. Let's raise a toast to Jack Downing being back in the lineup (I'm drinking Vodka tonic).

Everyone wants to make McCarthy into some kind of folk hero. A monkey could have tapped in his passes to Stacey (against UMass) and Milo last night. But I don't see him setting up goals for Brian Roloff, so how good can he be? If you can't set up Roloff, maybe you should be playing on the 4th line, though not necessarily taking icetime or PK time from 16, 17, and 25.

While all you 'fans' lament last night and the past, I look ahead. I believe that all Vermont has to do tonight is throw their jerseys on the ice and we will win the Saturday night game like we always do. The boys can take bad penalties, Sneddon's PK will be great. They can give up goals BOTH in the first minute of periods AND in the last minute of periods, it won't matter. UVM always wins the second night, no matter how humiliating the first night loss may have been and no matter how lousy they play the second game. So, expect a BIG UVM win tonight that will right the ship and set the club on an upward trajectory through the Hockey East standings, through the playoffs, through the Pairwise and through the NCAA Tournament.

And finally, I hope Sneddon does NOT bench Patrick Cullity. I apologize to everyone on this esteemed board, I probably reacted hastily and emotionally last night. I should have slept on it before making my decision. This morning, I think that Patrick feels bad enough about what happened, in fact, I believe he feels bad enough about his whole season, and I do not think the team could function properly without his emotion and leadership. And when you stop and think about it in the big picture, don't many of his penalties make us smile? We're going to miss Patrick's emotion and penalties next season, so let's enjoy them while we still can. Coach Sneddon, please DO NOT bench the emotional leader of your team, for the fans' sake if not for the team's sake.

Snwbrdr, you believe this team is "fighting for a spot in the middle of HE"? Was that "fight" I was watching in the 1st period last night? You believe this team is "fighting" for something, anything? This team has no 'fight' in it whatsoever. This team is on a crash course for what coach Sneddon said last week was the worst thing imaginable for a team, being told that it had the talent to be good and wasn't. That is the story of the 2009-10 UVM Catamounts, so far, through January 28, 2010, and Kevin Sneddon is its coach.

[4035]

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

Two dumb-*** penalties for Cullity - Two Goals for Maine.

http://www.collegehockeystats.net/09...s/mmnever1.j30

Total liability.

time to ride some pine.

[observer85]

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

Wow, what a day for UVM hockey. A tie that when listening to the player interviews after the game, it sounded like it was a win....

Looked at the BFP this morning and someone wrote in the comment section the following:

"Patrick Cullity, who arrived at the University based primarily on his last name, commits too many penalties and costly turnovers in almost every game. If I had a dollar for every mistake this "talented" defenseman made...I'd have enough money to pay for season tickets next year. Brayden Irwin, Jonathan Higgins, and Colin Vock have not come close to fulfilling expectations and continue to be largely diasppointing. I understand that the Hockey East schedule is brutal. We all new it would be when UVM made the move, and I also understand that they will probably never be a team that is a perrenial home ice winner. But is it too much too ask for the Hockey Cats to not be embarassed and so outplayed in their own rink? Can they atleast rise to the level of competitve? I will continue to go to every home game to cheer on my beloved Cats, but I've decided to lower my expectations!"

Then I read the following from the message board today:

Grantfan, I will agree with you on one of your hockey points. Cullity is a liability when he is on the ice. Why he got a "c" is beyond me. He has always taken penalty after penalty. UVM gets called for one its a toss of the coin if it will be Cullity or one of the other 18 guys. He has throughout his career consistently take bad penalties. I think he needs to ride some pine for a game or two until he can control himself a tad better. It maybe 3 years too late, but there are still a lot of big games for the cats and they can't afford him on the ice.

Yet he played...and it seemed as if what happened in the game tonight happened before. Then I remembered...it did. Cullity's 2 penalties and major turnover in the national semi-final game last spring that cost UVM a chance to play in the National Championship game. Tonight, 2 needless penalty's resulting in 2 PP goals for Maine and no win for UVM.

And...he still got to play at the end of the game and in overtime. My faith in this coaching staff just dropped significantly. How far into the doghouse must Dan Lawson and Lance Herrington be to not get to play?

Maybe I just picked the wrong season to try to find fault with the great, infallible and beyond reproach Kevin Sneddon. I have tried to believe in this coaching staff and discount your posts grantfan...it appears you may have been ahead of the curve with your criticism of Coach Sneddon. Considering how he has handled his players, the power play, penalty kill...he is killing my faith as a fan.

The Cats got away with penalties against UMass so there was really nothing to address in the area of discipline. Didn't get away with it as well tonight, but I don't think penalties are a concern. Cullity's double minor was classic, you know he 'knew' the ref wouldn't call a second penalty against him so he snapped a guy's stick with a slash, but then son of a gun, he got called for 2 minors. Bad reffing, good D, good captaining. The really neat thing about Cullity, and who would know it better than his coach, is that you never have to say anything to Patrick after his idiocy, he knows he messed up and nobody feels worse than him. Well, fans and I'm sure teammates feel worse, like ****ed off, but you know what I mean. I wonder what he might have said after tonight's game - maybe something like "I know that at some point you will learn from your mistakes...you have my utmost confidence."

I stand corrected. Sneddon is doing a great job this season. In his post game press conference, he might NOT be thinking that right now.

Maine is not a team we want to have a powerplay contest with. While our PP has trouble getting set up and gets predictable when it does Maine's seems to have a plan of attack when coming up ice, that tip in goal in the last seconds of the first was a great example.

I wonder if you asked the Maine players to explain what they are doing on the power play, they could tell you and then back it up by showing you. If you did the same with UVM players, not sure they would have a clue.

As for Downing being back in the lineup tonight, we NEED him. He MUST play. He is INVALUABLE to this team... Spoken like a prophet...

[UMZero]

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

Thank you Vermonter-Fans for a fun weekend. We loved the Gutt and for the multiple folks who recommended the Windjammer - THANK YOU!!!! Tough Tie for you Saturday - but it certainly was an exciting game! Thanks for the hospitality. You have a great friendly fan base - I am biased but I'd say second only to Maine's in Hockey East! Even though it was D@MN cold in Burlington this weekend, we'll be back!!!! Good luck with the rest of the season and hopefully we'll see you at the Gahden in a couple of Months!

[jcarter7669]

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

Thank you Vermonter-Fans for a fun weekend. We loved the Gutt and for the multiple folks who recommended the Windjammer - THANK YOU!!!! Tough Tie for you Saturday - but it certainly was an exciting game! Thanks for the hospitality. You have a great friendly fan base - I am biased but I'd say second only to Maine's in Hockey East! Even though it was D@MN cold in Burlington this weekend, we'll be back!!!! Good luck with the rest of the season and hopefully we'll see you at the Gahden in a couple of Months!

Good luck to Maine the rest of the year, at least until the playoffs. Glad you enjoyed the hospitality.

The weather was cold, where is that dam global warming when you need it ??

And see, you can't always go off neg. rep.

Good luck from here on out.