#5 Maine vs #4Merrimack HEA quarterfinals

[dmjossel]

Re: #5 Maine vs #4Merrimack HEA quarterfinals

MC backed their way into the playoffs

That point is incorrect. The phrase "backed in" is used to describe a situation where a team controls its own destiny, fails to meet the requirement, and then gets in anyway because another team fails to meet their requirements.

Merrimack clinched a playoff berth weeks ago.

You might be speaking of home ice, rather than the playoffs, but that's incorrect as well. In the last 4 games Merrimack needed 1 point to clinch home ice, and got 2. It took them 3 games to get it, but once they had those two points there was no one else who had enough games left to knock them out of 4th no matter what they had done. They missed a chance to move up to 3rd, but given that NU and BU are tied at one game apiece, I'm not sure that would have been much better of a draw. On that point it may be telling that Da Costa sat for the last game. He looked OK tonight though.

 

[irishfan85]

Re: #5 Maine vs #4Merrimack HEA quarterfinals

That point is incorrect. The phrase "backed in" is used to describe a situation where a team controls its own destiny, fails to meet the requirement, and then gets in anyway because another team fails to meet their requirements.

Merrimack clinched a playoff berth weeks ago.

You might be speaking of home ice, rather than the playoffs, but that's incorrect as well. In the last 4 games Merrimack needed 1 point to clinch home ice, and got 2. It took them 3 games to get it, but once they had those two points there was no one else who had enough games left to knock them out of 4th no matter what they had done. They missed a chance to move up to 3rd, but given that NU and BU are tied at one game apiece, I'm not sure that would have been much better of a draw. On that point it may be telling that Da Costa sat for the last game. He looked OK tonight though.

Semantics Dave. Merrimack played poorly the last three weekends of the regular season. Call it what you want. The Warriors better play better if they want anything better than a moral victory at the Garden.

 

[dmjossel]

Re: #5 Maine vs #4Merrimack HEA quarterfinals

Semantics Dave. Merrimack played poorly the last three weekends of the regular season. Call it what you want. The Warriors better play better if they want anything better than a moral victory at the Garden.

If you mean that Merrimack has not played its best hockey in the past two weekends, you're correct. If you mean they need to play better to advance, you're correct. I'm hoping they play better tomorrow night than they did tonight. However, the phrase "backed in" has a specific and well-known meaning, and it does not apply either to Merrimack's playoff berth or to having home ice. That's all.

Ron Anderson told me I think sometime in the depths of 1994, I think at Schneider, that the program was beyond having an interest in "moral victories". I don't know if it was true then, but it's certainly true now-- at home or anywhere else.

 

[walrus]

Re: #5 Maine vs #4Merrimack HEA quarterfinals

Once again Team D kills Maine. Tim and goalies don't mix and MC was the better team, sure recipe for a loss. I stopped paying attention after Maine blew the 2 goal lead in about 2 secs, the end was near and all Maine fans knew it if they payed any attention at all this season. A chance to redeem themselves tonight but I'll bet MC plays one tight defensive game and Maine gets frustrated.

 

[Hokydad]

Re: #5 Maine vs #4Merrimack HEA quarterfinals

testing, 1 2 3

testing

 

[Salvo1017]

If you mean that Merrimack has not played its best hockey in the past two weekends, you're correct. If you mean they need to play better to advance, you're correct. I'm hoping they play better tomorrow night than they did tonight. However, the phrase "backed in" has a specific and well-known meaning, and it does not apply either to Merrimack's playoff berth or to having home ice.

Couldn't agree more. If anything, the sloppy play is the result of NOT backing into the playoffs, not the inverse.

 

['MackFan]

Re: #5 Maine vs #4Merrimack HEA quarterfinals

Da Costa got leg checked twice. maine is a dirty freaking team. holy crap. couldn't believe what I saw. Diamond is an embarassment to hockey to the way he was taking hacks at Cananta on the PP, literally whacking him in the pads. where was effing benedetto on that one? da costa was mugged all night. they (the refs) dont protect him like they do other "stars" in the league. a complete joke.

And shemansky deserved that run bigos took at him. everyone wearing maine shirts seem to forget or not notice shemansky put his stick between bigos legs and jam it up into his balls. nice move, you punk.

 

[Salvo1017]

Re: #5 Maine vs #4Merrimack HEA quarterfinals

great highlight reel of game 1

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/20946471?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="398" height="224" frameborder="0"></iframe>

 

[Carmine Scarpaglia]

Re: #5 Maine vs #4Merrimack HEA quarterfinals

Da Costa got leg checked twice. maine is a dirty freaking team. holy crap.

How's the weather in your glass house there chief?

 

[AMC]

Re: #5 Maine vs #4Merrimack HEA quarterfinals

Da Costa got leg checked twice. maine is a dirty freaking team. holy crap. couldn't believe what I saw. Diamond is an embarassment to hockey to the way he was taking hacks at Cananta on the PP, literally whacking him in the pads. where was effing benedetto on that one? da costa was mugged all night. they (the refs) dont protect him like they do other "stars" in the league. a complete joke.

And shemansky deserved that run bigos took at him. everyone wearing maine shirts seem to forget or not notice shemansky put his stick between bigos legs and jam it up into his balls. nice move, you punk.

Ha, funny. MC has been committing borderline felony assault every year since they came into the league. Remember a few years ago, when Chris Kunitz and Ferris State had a big year and made the NCAAs, and everyone outside the CCHA was like "oh cool, new blood in the tourney?" The CCHA fans all said "Wait until you see Ferris play, they are a dirty team, have always been a dirty team, and will always be a dirty team." They were right, I don't think the national mood has ever turned on a team any quicker. And where is FSU now?

My point? Substitute "Stephane Da Costa" for "Chris Kunitz" and "Merrimack" for "Ferris State" and we have the same situation. Merrimack may seem like a cute story from afar, but everyone in Hockey East knows what you have been, what you are and what you will be. Enjoy your good year or two.

 

[Yuppie Scum]

great highlight reel of game 1

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/20946471?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="398" height="224" frameborder="0"></iframe>

Elliot Sheen.. wait for it, wait for it.... WINNING

 

[Salvo1017]

Re: #5 Maine vs #4Merrimack HEA quarterfinals

Ha, funny. MC has been committing borderline felony assault every year since they came into the league. Remember a few years ago, when Chris Kunitz and Ferris State had a big year and made the NCAAs, and everyone outside the CCHA was like "oh cool, new blood in the tourney?" The CCHA fans all said "Wait until you see Ferris play, they are a dirty team, have always been a dirty team, and will always be a dirty team." They were right, I don't think the national mood has ever turned on a team any quicker. And where is FSU now?

My point? Substitute "Stephane Da Costa" for "Chris Kunitz" and "Merrimack" for "Ferris State" and we have the same situation. Merrimack may seem like a cute story from afar, but everyone in Hockey East knows what you have been, what you are and what you will be. Enjoy your good year or two.

Strict penalty minutes does not compute into dirtiness. They play a rough and tough style of hockey, that's their identity. If they get called for tick tacky roughing penalties that's fine, Dennehy has always said in the past "we have no problem killing those, and will kill them every time". What he means by that is that he has no problem taking those kinds of penalties that he feels is just part of the identity of the team.

There are plays every year on every person's club that makes people cringe and say..."ya, that was a stupid penalty". I don't think either of these teams are "dirty" per se, they're just playing rough physical hockey which makes for an AWESOME playoff game. There were some bad calls on both sides and some good ones...the embellishment call left me scratching my head though. But that's the way it goes...especially with Hockey East reffs who, I'm sorry, might be the worst in D1 Hockey. I've said it before, I've seen many WCHA games and I leave those games with much less "scratching my head" moments.

If you'd rather watch non-physical hockey...that's fine...go watch the women play.

 

[REDMEN2002]

Ha, funny. MC has been committing borderline felony assault every year since they came into the league. .

Ever watch your precious Prestin Ryan play? I'm sorry, but any Maine fan that wants to talk about borderline felony assault can just look at a highlight reel of that goon. Stomping on S. Gionta at BC a few years back.

 

[Salvo1017]

Re: #5 Maine vs #4Merrimack HEA quarterfinals

haha was poking around on the BC-MASS thread....did anyone else catch their weak weak attendance for last night's game?

 

[walrus]

Re: #5 Maine vs #4Merrimack HEA quarterfinals

Ever watch your precious Prestin Ryan play? I'm sorry, but any Maine fan that wants to talk about borderline felony assault can just look at a highlight reel of that goon. Stomping on S. Gionta at BC a few years back.

1 guy or a team full of goons, which is worse? Whatever Prestin did to BC was payback for all the stickwork the little smurfs do

 

[Salvo1017]

Re: #5 Maine vs #4Merrimack HEA quarterfinals

1 guy or a team full of goons, which is worse? Whatever Prestin did to BC was payback for all the stickwork the little smurfs do

lol so stomping on someone is the right level of payback for little stickwork that is apart of every hockey game...makes perfect sense to me.

and team full of goons? really have no idea what you're talking about. You can make the argument for Bigos....(I would oppose the argument....but I can see that there is an argument to be made there), but a "team full of goons"?

Boo hoo....while the original term might be baseball...there's no crying in hockey.

 

[irishfan85]

Re: #5 Maine vs #4Merrimack HEA quarterfinals

lol so stomping on someone is the right level of payback for little stickwork that is apart of every hockey game...makes perfect sense to me.

and team full of goons? really have no idea what you're talking about. You can make the argument for Bigos....(I would oppose the argument....but I can see that there is an argument to be made there), but a "team full of goons"?

Boo hoo....while the original term might be baseball...there's no crying in hockey.

Bigos is a goon. There was no need for that hit nor the high hit to Nyquist in Orono. He's a decent player, but if he can't control himself, go to the AHL. Everytime he puts an opposing team on the PP, it is not helping Merrimack.

 

[walrus]

Re: #5 Maine vs #4Merrimack HEA quarterfinals

lol so stomping on someone is the right level of payback for little stickwork that is apart of every hockey game...makes perfect sense to me.

and team full of goons? really have no idea what you're talking about. You can make the argument for Bigos....(I would oppose the argument....but I can see that there is an argument to be made there), but a "team full of goons"?

Boo hoo....while the original term might be baseball...there's no crying in hockey.

The talk was about MC the last few years not just this years team. MC has talent this year in years past they were nothing but goons and you know it.

 

[Salvo1017]

Re: #5 Maine vs #4Merrimack HEA quarterfinals

Bigos is a goon. There was no need for that hit nor the high hit to Nyquist in Orono. He's a decent player, but if he can't control himself, go to the AHL. Everytime he puts an opposing team on the PP, it is not helping Merrimack.

I don't think he's a goon, I think he plays a style of hockey that Hockey East officials (and apparently fans) hate. I think he'd have far less penalty minutes in the WCHA, and he'd be a perfect player for the AHL or NHL. Should he realize this and dial it down? Some say yes, others no.

Let's just agree to disagree on Bigos, it certainly seems that you understand how his play might be fine at a higher level, and I certainly can see the flip side of him having to realize that and take that into account.

But MC a team of goons? Sounds like excuses for blowing a 2-0 lead if you ask me. I hope we send all the Maine fans crying all the way back to Orono.

 

[Maine Pudge]

Re: #5 Maine vs #4Merrimack HEA quarterfinals

great highlight reel of game 1

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/20946471?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="398" height="224" frameborder="0"></iframe>

Great video from different angles. Looks like Flanagan's goal from the weak angle actually hit the outside of the net first, bounced off sullivan's blocker and then dribbled in off the top of his pad.....wow. Should be another barn burner tonight.