Re: Bentley Hockey 2012-2013: The New Era of JAR Pride Begins
So I did some reviewing of the new NCAA rules and how it might help or hurt Bentley. I posted them earlier, and I figured what the heck, it might generate some type of conversation on our board since we're in the dog days of summer.
Overtime:
The NCAA is going to give conferences and institutions the option of playing 4-on-4 for 5 minutes starting this year. The AHA hasn't adopted this, but it's the same system as used in the NHL. Goalies still need to switch ends of the ice, which causes long line changes and additional scoring opportunities. NCAA games will still be 5-on-5 for a 20-minute frame with the goalies switching ends, playing full periods until there's a winner. If teams can't agree on a system, then they'll revert to the old model of the 5-on-5 for 5 minutes and end in a tie (except for I think the WCHA which has Shootouts).
Bentley:
I think it really depends on the rink, but I like the prospect of 4-on-4. The last two years, Bentley's been built around really being able to fly. Taking an extra forward off or taking a defenseman off really will increase the team's chance at skating up ice. I like the prospect of having more ice to work with on the smaller rinks, and a line of Grieve-Switzer-Gensler-Weinstein could essentially run a team right off the rink. I'd love if the AHA went to this, but I'm also all for the shootout instead of a tie.
Hand Pass:
All hand passes are illegal, including in the defensive zone. Violation results in faceoff in offending team's zone. Offending team cannot change lines.
Bentley:
Hate it. Hate it. Hate it. The defensive hand pass was a required move for a team on a PK to get it out of their zone. It's how Bentley killed 5-on-3's, especially that 5-on-3 against Holy Cross that was a seminal moment of the season on the year's last weekend with the season hanging in the balance (and playoff seeding). If a line is gassed, that's sometimes a desperation move. For Bentley, who's a smaller team, they need the hand pass to just swat the puck out of the zone against larger, more physical teams. The only thing this rule can do is hurt Bentley, lengthen the game, interrupt the flow, and result in more faceoffs in someone's defensive end.
Offensive hand passes were already illegal, so that doesn't change much. Now if only we could get too many men on the ice legal since I'm pretty sure Bentley got penalized for that at least 72 times last year.
Net Dislodgement:
NCAA will move to the NHL rule in which the goal is allowed "some" displacement as long as the pegs remain in contact with the post
Bentley:
So what we're saying here is that the net can be disloged by some bonehead defender who's hung out to dry. And then it becomes a judgment call by the officials. Anytime the term "judgment call by the officials" is used in any hockey terminology, it's bad. The AHA refs are the dregs to begin with, guys who couldn't get into the ECAC, Hockey East, and probably were reffing mites the weekend before. I hate this one too. Can't wait for someone to whack the net, have it come off, and then have it not called.
Kicking:
Most goals coming off attacking players' skated are goals, with the exception of the distinct kicking motion. The committee is trying to put a clear-cut interpretation into what results in a puck being kicked in.
Bentley:
Don't hate it. But don't love it. Bentley throws a lot of pucks into the center from the corner. If they center and Gensler pulls up or Kubiak pulls up and deflects off his skate, it's a goal. I can see this working. But I don't love it because I can picture more guys trying to Pele the puck in than do it traditioanlly. Plus this made it from an interpretation rule with gray area to an interpretation rule with grayer area. I don't like any time we get the officials to do anything judgmental.
Postgame Review of Game DQ (Can I just call this the Bobby Preece Rule now?)
NCAA will allow a postgame review of all game DQs by on-ice officials. This will allow officials to rescind game DQs before anything gets kicked upstairs to the conferences. It used to be a game DQ was a game DQ, an automatic ejection, 1-game suspension, and it'd be reviewed by the league. This will allow the refs to overturn calls after a game before it ever gets there.
Bentley:
Bobby Preece, Ryan Kayfes, Mike Switzer, and Jamie Nudy all graduated already. I think we can objectively state that it's okay that this goes through. Otherwise they'd be more susceptible to game DQs since this rule will probably result in more of them called. It does make me miss Bobby and the fact that every hit he made made it sound like the glass would dislodge and turn on the light in the JAR office over in the farside corner near the Bentley bench..........which happened a handful of times this past year.
Is it October yet?
So I did some reviewing of the new NCAA rules and how it might help or hurt Bentley. I posted them earlier, and I figured what the heck, it might generate some type of conversation on our board since we're in the dog days of summer.
Overtime:
The NCAA is going to give conferences and institutions the option of playing 4-on-4 for 5 minutes starting this year. The AHA hasn't adopted this, but it's the same system as used in the NHL. Goalies still need to switch ends of the ice, which causes long line changes and additional scoring opportunities. NCAA games will still be 5-on-5 for a 20-minute frame with the goalies switching ends, playing full periods until there's a winner. If teams can't agree on a system, then they'll revert to the old model of the 5-on-5 for 5 minutes and end in a tie (except for I think the WCHA which has Shootouts).
Bentley:
I think it really depends on the rink, but I like the prospect of 4-on-4. The last two years, Bentley's been built around really being able to fly. Taking an extra forward off or taking a defenseman off really will increase the team's chance at skating up ice. I like the prospect of having more ice to work with on the smaller rinks, and a line of Grieve-Switzer-Gensler-Weinstein could essentially run a team right off the rink. I'd love if the AHA went to this, but I'm also all for the shootout instead of a tie.
Hand Pass:
All hand passes are illegal, including in the defensive zone. Violation results in faceoff in offending team's zone. Offending team cannot change lines.
Bentley:
Hate it. Hate it. Hate it. The defensive hand pass was a required move for a team on a PK to get it out of their zone. It's how Bentley killed 5-on-3's, especially that 5-on-3 against Holy Cross that was a seminal moment of the season on the year's last weekend with the season hanging in the balance (and playoff seeding). If a line is gassed, that's sometimes a desperation move. For Bentley, who's a smaller team, they need the hand pass to just swat the puck out of the zone against larger, more physical teams. The only thing this rule can do is hurt Bentley, lengthen the game, interrupt the flow, and result in more faceoffs in someone's defensive end.
Offensive hand passes were already illegal, so that doesn't change much. Now if only we could get too many men on the ice legal since I'm pretty sure Bentley got penalized for that at least 72 times last year.
Net Dislodgement:
NCAA will move to the NHL rule in which the goal is allowed "some" displacement as long as the pegs remain in contact with the post
Bentley:
So what we're saying here is that the net can be disloged by some bonehead defender who's hung out to dry. And then it becomes a judgment call by the officials. Anytime the term "judgment call by the officials" is used in any hockey terminology, it's bad. The AHA refs are the dregs to begin with, guys who couldn't get into the ECAC, Hockey East, and probably were reffing mites the weekend before. I hate this one too. Can't wait for someone to whack the net, have it come off, and then have it not called.
Kicking:
Most goals coming off attacking players' skated are goals, with the exception of the distinct kicking motion. The committee is trying to put a clear-cut interpretation into what results in a puck being kicked in.
Bentley:
Don't hate it. But don't love it. Bentley throws a lot of pucks into the center from the corner. If they center and Gensler pulls up or Kubiak pulls up and deflects off his skate, it's a goal. I can see this working. But I don't love it because I can picture more guys trying to Pele the puck in than do it traditioanlly. Plus this made it from an interpretation rule with gray area to an interpretation rule with grayer area. I don't like any time we get the officials to do anything judgmental.
Postgame Review of Game DQ (Can I just call this the Bobby Preece Rule now?)
NCAA will allow a postgame review of all game DQs by on-ice officials. This will allow officials to rescind game DQs before anything gets kicked upstairs to the conferences. It used to be a game DQ was a game DQ, an automatic ejection, 1-game suspension, and it'd be reviewed by the league. This will allow the refs to overturn calls after a game before it ever gets there.
Bentley:
Bobby Preece, Ryan Kayfes, Mike Switzer, and Jamie Nudy all graduated already. I think we can objectively state that it's okay that this goes through. Otherwise they'd be more susceptible to game DQs since this rule will probably result in more of them called. It does make me miss Bobby and the fact that every hit he made made it sound like the glass would dislodge and turn on the light in the JAR office over in the farside corner near the Bentley bench..........which happened a handful of times this past year.
Is it October yet?
