Re: BOO! Clarkson @ tUMD: Oct 30th and 31st
Drew gave a pretty good rundown on the team. Being a young team, we really don't know what to expect from them. The game against (t) last weekend was their best 60 minute effort of the season. In their wins against RIT and Niagara, they had very uninspiring second periods but managed to hold on to win. Against Michigan State, they were undermanned and looked it on Friday, but they did skate very well Saturday in the "replay assisted" loss.
Here's a little rundown of what I've seen this season:
Goaltending -
Paul Karpowich had his best game of the season against (t) last weekend and was named ECAC Goaltender of the Week. He's had a few issues seeing pucks in traffic early in the season. He is excellent on breakaways or 2 on 1 situations.
Offense -
Matt Beca (8) is our leading scorer. The senior always seems to be around when a scoring opportunity presents itself. He is the only true "finisher" we've seen so far this season.
Scott Freeman (9) is our junior captain and the team's best table-setter. He has scored but his best ability seems to be setting up others, evidenced by his scoring totals last year.
Louke Oakley (19) is a sophomore who is starting to stand out on the ice as an offensive threat. Fellow classmates Corey Tamblyn (7) and Nick Tremblay (12) have also been skating stronger and creating more opportunities this year. Julien Cayer (81) is a big center with a good quick release shot.
Defense -
The Knights have only 7 defensemen on the roster this year. As the defense goes, so will the team, in my opinion.
Bryan Rufenach (89) is the point man on the power play and a strong offensive defenseman with a hard shot. His defense has improved dramatically this year but offense is the best part of his game.
Mark Borowiecki (55) is the top defensive-defenseman but in this early season he's shown some offensive talent, including his first goal at MSU. If you're in his path, you'll definitely know it.
Power Play
Often referred to as the powerless play last season, the power play has actually produced pretty well this year. They don't seem to do a lot of cycling like you see from teams like SCSU or CC, generally keeping the puck up high until they see an opportunity. They've been much better at getting traffic in front. They are prone to giving up short-handed breaks.
Penalty Kill
The statistics look horrible from the MSU series but I think the penalty kill has actually looked pretty decent this season. The forwards generally put a lot of pressure on the puck-handler.
I think we will be far and few between. 
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