Brown Hockey 2013-2014 - Climbing to the Top of the ECAC Ladder

[kdiff77]

Re: Brown Hockey 2013-2014 - Climbing to the Top of the ECAC Ladder

Watched the BC game today at my leisure on the ILDN in high-def. We passed the puck well. The tie was a condign result.

Ostensibly a sell-out, and perhaps actually, too, at the box office. But the north-side seats near the ice (the only seats on camera) were half empty.

Lots of commentary during the broadcast about Brown-BC history pre-Hockey East. In the 1960s I used to drive up there with my classmates for away games. In one Brown win (1968?), Curt Bennett scored a Gordie Howe goal in the crease. Bennett was an immovable object.

I saw a "Wheeler School" advertisement on the boards. Used to be Mary C. Wheeler School. And who are "Alex and Ani" in the ice-surface ad?

Again, Rubin's announcing is good, although in his excitement he yanks the wires loose and the screen goes black (repeatedly). As for Rubin's Rhode Island-accented sidekick -- let's just say he thinks "corps" -- as in defensive corps -- is pronounced "corpse" as in embalmed corpse. He's used that pronunciation repeatedly this season, so it's not jocular.

Eavesdropped the BC forum in USCHO. A range of intellects over there. Mostly gentlemen, but a couple of coarse imbeciles.

Officially, every ticket was sold. But there were a bunch of no-shows, and some people (not a lot, but some) left before the start of the third period, as the south side had more open seats in the third than beforehand. Still, that's the best crowd we've had in nearly a decade, and it was nice that most of them were rooting for Brown. I thought for sure it would be very pro-BC, and it wasn't at all- maybe 30% were BC fans.

Alex and Ani is a local jewelry manufacturer that every teenage girl in the state is currently obsessed with.

Rubin definitely needs to tone it down, and realize that a microphone is a delicate, sensitive instrument. Both guys routinely scream into the mic, which depreciates the clarity of the sound. On the other hand, I suppose it's good to have some animation, as opposed to listening to Joe Buck call a game in his drab, monotone voice.

BC fans are...interesting. Many seem very nice, but some are rather confrontational and obnoxious. My guess is that the older alums are the nicer, friendlier ones, while the current students and local fans with no relation to the school are the annoying ones who come off as pompous/arrogant. There was one awful BC fan sitting near me at the game, and he repeatedly kept screaming at the refs, players, and other fans in his suburban Massachusetts drawl. It was dreadful!

 

[Carmine Scarpaglia]

Re: Brown Hockey 2013-2014 - Climbing to the Top of the ECAC Ladder

I was really surprised with the crowd. I'd say 2/3 of the seats were actually occupied. It was strange. And I agree that I expected more BC fans. Even with the 5 pm game I think a lot of people probably stayed home for the football. IDK. I don't know what it's like there on most nights but I expected the place to have a buzz about it with the sellout but there really wasn't because of all the no-shows.

I thought it was an interesting place. A cross between Matthews Arena and Bright Arena IMO.

 

[paulfb]

Re: Brown Hockey 2013-2014 - Climbing to the Top of the ECAC Ladder

I'm a longtime BC fan who went to some BC-Brown games at Meehan in the 1970s and always liked the place. Took in some non-BC games there, too. Crowd support was generally much better in the '70s when they had some excellent teams with Gilligan, Mastrullo, Tim Bothwell, etc. Didn't go Saturday as I live now in NY and went to Harvard-Yale, but I'm glad Meehan had a good turnout. Hope to see the Eagles play there again soon and next time I'll go.

 

[Humanoid]

Re: Brown Hockey 2013-2014 - Climbing to the Top of the ECAC Ladder

Officially, every ticket was sold. But there were a bunch of no-shows, and some people (not a lot, but some) left before the start of the third period, as the south side had more open seats in the third than beforehand. Still, that's the best crowd we've had in nearly a decade, and it was nice that most of them were rooting for Brown. I thought for sure it would be very pro-BC, and it wasn't at all- maybe 30% were BC fans.

Alex and Ani is a local jewelry manufacturer that every teenage girl in the state is currently obsessed with.

Rubin definitely needs to tone it down, and realize that a microphone is a delicate, sensitive instrument. Both guys routinely scream into the mic, which depreciates the clarity of the sound. On the other hand, I suppose it's good to have some animation, as opposed to listening to Joe Buck call a game in his drab, monotone voice.

BC fans are...interesting. Many seem very nice, but some are rather confrontational and obnoxious. My guess is that the older alums are the nicer, friendlier ones, while the current students and local fans with no relation to the school are the annoying ones who come off as pompous/arrogant. There was one awful BC fan sitting near me at the game, and he repeatedly kept screaming at the refs, players, and other fans in his suburban Massachusetts drawl. It was dreadful!

There are fans like that anywhere. There are current Brown fans who I've experienced can be borderline obnoxious as well. There are those fans everywhere; it's not exclusive to BC.

For the Alex and Ani point - it's not just teenage girls in RI. It's a major sponsor of the Patriots and the Boston Bruins, and it's like the new Pandora bracelet. They're also not ludicrously expensive, which makes them infinitely more popular among all age groups.

As for the radio broadcast point, I'll debunk this. Everyone always says Rubin and John need to tone down their act. This isn't the first time I've read that. But you'll also remember that you guys have torched Mike for his exuberance for years; at least once a year the discussion comes up that he yells or screams. I don't think he does; I never thought he did. I'd rather listen to my guy get excited when the puck goes into the slot or there's a drop pass with a height of anticipation of a beautiful top shelf shot. I'd rather have my color guy get excited and be a local who has a passion for Brown than some guy who's just passing through. I love the RI accent because it makes me feel like I'm actually watching a RI broadcast. Last year, I listened to a game on 790 and heard the two guys talk about pro wrestling. They couldn't have cared less about the game in front of them, and it infuriated me. I'd rather have my guys have passion for Brown, and honestly, they're not yelling and screaming into the microphone. I fail to think that Mike and John are even remotely close to that bumbling moron Zolak on the Patriot broadcasts. The ILDN has done a solid job in terms of improving their quality of broadcast; I remember when it was just starting out with video, and it was bad. Now, with the banners, the quality is great, and I've never had a problem dialing into the games or dropping the broadcast. LIke anything new, there's still room for improvement, but thank God it's not 2001 anymore.

As for the game itself - some thoughts. I don't think BC took this game seriously at all, and it showed. I would love to see BC play Brown later on down the line (without sounding fanboy, that would mean the NCAA Tournament) because I felt like BC didn't give Brown their best effort. Brown played up to BC because that's what Brown does, but realistically, BC looked disinterested and tried to turn it on late and come away with the game. That's what they did against Holy Cross, and they lost that game. I guess that's a byproduct of being an ultra-talented team and pasting teams like ARmy, 11-0. When they want to win, they're awesome. But when they're disinterested, they get REALLY lazy. The only guy who really didn't quit was Gaudreau, but that's standard operating procedure that he can score "when he wants to." The final score should've been Brown 3, BC 2, Gaudreau 1. But that said, Brown needs to be able to put THAT effort into the rest of their games. Right now, they're the highest rated .500 team in the Pairwise, and if they can put together a good showing and deep playoff run, they could work their way onto the bubble.

 

[kdiff77]

Re: Brown Hockey 2013-2014 - Climbing to the Top of the ECAC Ladder

Humanoid, it's not that we don't like Rubin- as I alluded to above, I do appreciate the passion and it certainly beats listening to some disinterested, bland guy who doesn't care about what he's watching. With that said, it's evident that Rubin and his color guy are talking too closely into the mic, if not yelling. It's best to be about 4-6 inches from the microphone; it sounds like they're around 2-3. I also want to point out that I've never listened on the radio, I just listen to them over the video broadcast. Maybe the sound quality is different on the internet as opposed to on the air.

And if they aren't shouting and they are positioned a proper length away from the microphone, that means the equipment is crappy and needs to be replaced, which obviously isn't within their control.

 

[Humanoid]

Re: Brown Hockey 2013-2014 - Climbing to the Top of the ECAC Ladder

Humanoid, it's not that we don't like Rubin- as I alluded to above, I do appreciate the passion and it certainly beats listening to some disinterested, bland guy who doesn't care about what he's watching. With that said, it's evident that Rubin and his color guy are talking too closely into the mic, if not yelling. It's best to be about 4-6 inches from the microphone; it sounds like they're around 2-3. I also want to point out that I've never listened on the radio, I just listen to them over the video broadcast. Maybe the sound quality is different on the internet as opposed to on the air.

And if they aren't shouting and they are positioned a proper length away from the microphone, that means the equipment is crappy and needs to be replaced, which obviously isn't within their control.

I've never had a problem with their audio. So if it's a setting issue on the video broadcast, then that's something that would need to be addressed by the producer, as you mention.

 

[Humanoid]

Re: Brown Hockey 2013-2014 - Climbing to the Top of the ECAC Ladder

Brown is currently tied for 24th in the PWR rankings. It looks like they'll need to get to 15 in order to get into the tournament. Right now, the only ECAC teams ahead of them are Colgate (bubble), Clarkson (in), Cornell (in) Union (in), and Quinnipiac (lock).

If the league is going to get a fifth team in, I assume Brown might have to finish in position to go top 5 instead of top 4, and win their way into the tournament. In all likelihood, this might require them running the table or close to it.

Sound crazy? it shouldn't. Brown has games left against everyone, and they don't have to go to Cornell/Colgate. Their worst road trip is this weekend against SLU/Clarkson, but they historically have success against SLU and Clarkson has leveled off since their hot start. If they can pull big weekends out of this week and next (against Yale, another team they play well against), the biggest weekends to worry about are the Cornell weekend, and four games against Union/RPI. They are benefitting from playing Quinnipiac on a Saturday, meaning the Bobcats and Yale will have to play on Friday, which means Saturday could leave Qpac a little spent.

It's a tall order, but I don't think anyone would count out Brown as being a player down the stretch as long as they only lose maybe one or two the rest of the way.

 

[kdiff77]

Re: Brown Hockey 2013-2014 - Climbing to the Top of the ECAC Ladder

I've never had a problem with their audio. So if it's a setting issue on the video broadcast, then that's something that would need to be addressed by the producer, as you mention.

Right. I watched the highlights provided by the Ivy league Digital Network, and it sounded pretty bad.

 

[kdiff77]

Re: Brown Hockey 2013-2014 - Climbing to the Top of the ECAC Ladder

Brown is currently tied for 24th in the PWR rankings. It looks like they'll need to get to 15 in order to get into the tournament. Right now, the only ECAC teams ahead of them are Colgate (bubble), Clarkson (in), Cornell (in) Union (in), and Quinnipiac (lock).

If the league is going to get a fifth team in, I assume Brown might have to finish in position to go top 5 instead of top 4, and win their way into the tournament. In all likelihood, this might require them running the table or close to it.

Sound crazy? it shouldn't. Brown has games left against everyone, and they don't have to go to Cornell/Colgate. Their worst road trip is this weekend against SLU/Clarkson, but they historically have success against SLU and Clarkson has leveled off since their hot start. If they can pull big weekends out of this week and next (against Yale, another team they play well against), the biggest weekends to worry about are the Cornell weekend, and four games against Union/RPI. They are benefitting from playing Quinnipiac on a Saturday, meaning the Bobcats and Yale will have to play on Friday, which means Saturday could leave Qpac a little spent.

It's a tall order, but I don't think anyone would count out Brown as being a player down the stretch as long as they only lose maybe one or two the rest of the way.

We have 14 league games left. I'd say we need to win 11 of them (and have some success in the ECAC tournament) to get an at-large bid at this point. That would put our record at 17-9-3 for the year. Let's say we get a first round bye (we'd be 14-7-1 in the ECAC, so we'd definitely be in there) and then win our series 2-1 before winning one and losing one in LP. That puts our record at 20-11-3, which is tournament-worthy so long as we beat some of the higher-ranked teams in our conference along the way- Yale, QU, Union, Cornell, Clarkson, and possibly Colgate if they keep this up. A loss to, say, Harvard will hurt us less than a big win over a top 10 (or perhaps top 5) team will help us.

With the way the team is playing, this is not impossible. However, it is unlikely. I think it would be much more realistic and feasible to hope to win the ECAC tournament. Whittet's teams are hard to play in the playoffs, and if Steel gets hot, we could be very difficult to face. I doubt to some extent the ability of the team to rattle off 11 wins out of their final 14, despite their very impressive play of late.

 

[Mike Hutter]

Re: Brown Hockey 2013-2014 - Climbing to the Top of the ECAC Ladder

Nice to see Lamacchia get ECAC player of the week. He was flying against BC. I would think his DNP days are over as coach really lit the proverbial fire under him.

This weekend at the dreaded North Country trip can produce 2 wins and show that Brown has to be treated as a favorite for home ice in the playoffs if not top 4.

 

[Euler18]

Re: Brown Hockey 2013-2014 - Climbing to the Top of the ECAC Ladder

Nice to see Lamacchia get ECAC player of the week. He was flying against BC. I would think his DNP days are over as coach really lit the proverbial fire under him.

I was also very happy for Massimo. He's a good team guy, and very coachable. And the Lamacchia family is terrific. I didn't hear them complain when Massimo wasn't playing much. Very different from some parents who actually rooted AGAINST Brown because their son wasn't getting as much time as other players.

 

[Mike Hutter]

Re: Brown Hockey 2013-2014 - Climbing to the Top of the ECAC Ladder

I am watching the Penguins v. Capitals on MSNBC. They showed the fight Volpatti had last night with Mike Brown of the Sharks. Blood all over the ice and from the TV shot of Brown it may have been all from Brown. Of course, the announcers made much of Brown v. Brown. Having said all that, Volpatti is more than an enforcer. He like Garbutt is skating very well.

 

[Mike Hutter]

Re: Brown Hockey 2013-2014 - Climbing to the Top of the ECAC Ladder

i was also very happy for massimo. He's a good team guy, and very coachable. And the lamacchia family is terrific. I didn't hear them complain when massimo wasn't playing much. Very different from some parents who actually rooted against brown because their son wasn't getting as much time as other players.

that's good to hear as over the years i have sat next to or close-by parents who were as you said rooting against brown. As k-diff says, "in whittet we trust."

 

[LTsatch]

Re: Brown Hockey 2013-2014 - Climbing to the Top of the ECAC Ladder

Some props for Brown's recruiting on CHN. http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2014/01/15_top_13_recruiting_stories.php

 

[kdiff77]

Some props for Brown's recruiting on CHN. http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2014/01/15_top_13_recruiting_stories.php

Exciting! Let's just hope nobody bails because they can't wear their preferred jersey number (AHEM Kevin Roy).

Sounds like Yale's going to be stacked going forward, which should come as no surprise at this point. What Allain has done with that program is incredible (even though I think he's a blowhard and can't stand him as a person ). With the exception of the excellent 1997-98 team, Yale was largely irrelevant for most the history of the ECAC.

 

[kdiff77]

I was also very happy for Massimo. He's a good team guy, and very coachable. And the Lamacchia family is terrific. I didn't hear them complain when Massimo wasn't playing much. Very different from some parents who actually rooted AGAINST Brown because their son wasn't getting as much time as other players.

That's pathetic and embarrassing. If your kid isn't playing, there's a reason- there is nothing arbitrary about coaching decisions at this level. It's good to hear that there are people like the Lamacchias involved with the program.

Mike, I think you're right about the wake up call. He's been a different player recently in the best of ways. He's reaching the potential he showed his freshman year.

 

[Mike Hutter]

Re: Brown Hockey 2013-2014 - Climbing to the Top of the ECAC Ladder

Some props for Brown's recruiting on CHN. http://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2014/01/15_top_13_recruiting_stories.php

With the recruiting it may be that for the rest of the decade and beyond Yale and Brown will be the dominant teams.

 

[kdiff77]

Re: Brown Hockey 2013-2014 - Climbing to the Top of the ECAC Ladder

Nice win tonight. St. Lawrence put a lot of pressure on the defense and Steel after we took a big lead, but they held the fort.

Something that slipped by me and that isn't mentioned in the link LTsatch posted is that Brown got a commitment from Blake Weyrick, the THIRD-ranked goaltender in the 2014 NHL Draft. THIRD. That's absolutely HUGE!

http://www.uscho.com/2014/01/17/ple...tral-scoutings-midterm-rankings-for-14-draft/

I wonder when he plans to actually play college hockey. Anyone have knowledge on whether he'll be on College Hill in 2014-15, or if it'll be later? In a way, I hope he waits a couple years because I'm really starting to like Steel and I think he has a chance to be a very, very good starter for the next four years. But on the other hand, if this kid comes along and is clearly on a different level, the decisions become difficult (albeit desirable).

 

[Onion Man]

Re: Brown Hockey 2013-2014 - Climbing to the Top of the ECAC Ladder

Nice win, but more important, another solid effort. Thus tem has the feel of one that can find its way into the NCAAs.

 

[kdiff77]

Re: Brown Hockey 2013-2014 - Climbing to the Top of the ECAC Ladder

Nice win, but more important, another solid effort. Thus tem has the feel of one that can find its way into the NCAAs.

Let's just hope we don't hit a cold streak, like PC has. They're certainly more talented than they're playing right now, though perhaps they were always overrated as a top five team.

Robertson is a huge loss tonight against a Clarkson team that:

A. Is tough and physical, and will jump at the opportunity to push us around without our big, hard-hitting D-man who often keeps other teams' enforcers in check. Hathaway, Hourihan, Prescott, Middleton, and Pryzbek will have to make sure CU doesn't take liberties with our skill players.
B. We have bad blood with, in part due to the physical nature of both teams. It boiled over in the playoffs last year and picked right up where it left off in Providence earlier this year. For whatever reason, Brown-Clarkson (and this is dating back a couple decades now) have always had a bone to pick with each other on the ice. The bands seem to be good friends, however.

Wondering what the defensive pairings will look like.

Pfeil-Goldberg
Wahl-De Concylis
Wood-Quick

The first two were paired together last night, and Wood was with Robo. But maybe Whittet will want to keep the freshman with an experienced guy, like Wahl?