Re: Brown Hockey 2010-2011 - Onward and Upward
I came back to campus Saurday to see both the football and hockey games. Football was really disappointing. As to hockey, three words come to mind - "work in progress." I am sure Brendan and staff will make good use of the next two weeks before play resumes,
I also went to both games. Football was a huge letdown, and then hockey compounded the letdown of a sports day. I thought after the first period we looked sloppy and disorganized, and most of the players (Farnham and Zoly in particular) were more concerned with picking fights and roughing Princeton up than with actually playing hockey. Princeton easily adapted to our style of play after the first period. It's very simply: you just need to clog the middle, and then we're useless. The puck movement was, again, fantastic, but in terms of execution, we are seriously deficient. I don't know how DiFilippo looked last week, but I wasn't impressed with what I saw. He was slow to react, gave up some of the juiciest rebounds I've ever seen, and in congruence with the rebound problems, often did not simply cover the puck to escape danger when he should have, thus leading to more opportunities for Princeton in high-pressure situations. I hate to rip on the kid (because I'm sure that's what it seems like I'm doing), but I really wasn't very confident with him in net for us.
However, it wasn't all negatives- it's very encouraging to see us moving the puck the way we do, and rarely squandering possession in dangerous situations, which has been one of our biggest problems over the years. We seem to have cut down on the number of breakaways we give up, which I would posit has been another of our significant downfalls over Grillo's and the beginning of Whittet's tenures. Discipline remains a problem, but I do like the scrappy, in-your-face, cocky style we're playing. We don't look intimidated by anyone (granted, we weren't playing top-notch opponents this weekend) and we dictate the flow of the game for the most part. It's a great departure from the Grillo era, in which the players sat back and sulked while other teams would drive the puck to the net and light the lamp repeatedly. Some of the freshman look like they have promise, especially the defenseman Robertson, who ripped a nasty clapper from the blue to tie it up in the third on Friday (which, I think, makes him our leading scorer with 3 goals).
It's still going to be a transition year, especially with such a young team, but the cornerstone for future success has been laid. Whittet's ultimate vision for consistent success is easily attainable for players of this caliber playing with such fire, intensity, and pride. I'm anxiously anticipating the next several years, and hoping that we can find some moderate success this year. Another good playoff run is certainly in the cards, and I don't see us finishing lower than 10th this year.
