The highest we can mathematically finish is 11th. Again. And that's assuming we manage to get a couple points and jump RPI.
Jack Hayes seems to only care about the men's lacrosse program. While I thoroughly enjoy watching them succeed, it's completely unfair to the other programs he's neglected. Football, men's and women's hockey, men's and women's basketball, and men's and women's soccer have all been left behind. This is demoralizing. As a lifelong fan of Brown athletics - some of my very earliest memories are of watching Brown play at Meehan Auditorium - I have never seen decay of this magnitude across such a large number of programs.
The athletics department has done its very best to erode what was, at one time, a devoted and passionate fan base (albeit a relatively small one) through its negligence and utter disregard for Brown's most historically prominent athletic program. Most of the folks who used to post regularly on this thread have disappeared. Many Division 3 teams regularly outdraw Brown's home games.
I personally feel almost no desire to drive an hour-plus from north of Boston to make it to the games anymore. I've only been the three home games (Providence, Colgate, Yale) and one on the road (Harvard) this season, which is easily the smallest number since I was perhaps three years old (if not younger!). I was thinking of making the drive down for Saturday's game since it's Senior Night, but I frankly don't think it's worth the effort.
This has gone far enough. Early in Brendan Whittet's tenure, it appeared as though he was building a solid program from the ground up. This is no longer the case. As things stand, I see no reason to expect any of this to change. It's time for some fresh faces and new ideas.
How can we force change? Strongly-worded emails? Seeking Hayes out at sporting events and calling on him to act face-to-face, where he can't hide behind a screen?
It starts with the AD, there is clearly no commitment to the hockey program. He never shows at games, and clearly there is no feedback to Whittet.
Whittet was interviewed the other day and said the players are overthinking the PP. How about coaching, take them off the unit if they don't get shots on net. I am not even asking them to score any more.
The first PP unit now is now lucky to get a shot off when they are out there. At least earlier we were getting shots on net.
You have players passing reapeatedly on the perimeter, bringing it end to end, losing it and no one shooting at the net. No crashing the net, no big bodies in front.
What happened to gritty and tough Brown hockey?
Colgate we get a 5 minute PP and our defenseman lose it by pulling it back over the blue line. Then take a penalty effectively killing the man advantage.
In case no one has noticed our skilled players are not getting it on net during the PP. If you can't put it on net you can't get a PP goal. They should have been putting Marchin, Bid or Middleton in front of the net, and tell the other players stop playing with the puck and shoot it. At least you would be near the net, and not on the perimeter. We don't screen th goalie or cause any chaos in front of the net.
Our D have to keep it in the zone during the PP, the number of times it has skipped over the blue line is unbelievable. Enough offensive D, it would be great to see consistent defense and clearing the puck out in front of the net. The game winning Colgate goal may have been a lucky bounce, but it was because it was not cleared from in front of the goalie sitting at the D's feet.
Goalie, give the other goalies a chance period. Ernst or Maher should be getting time at this point, we are not seeing ANY significant advantage with Nieto in net, question is if you have not already destroyed the confidence of the other goalies.
Freshman, play the older players more we are seeing too many defensive errors, we don't have any margin for error and they are physically not strong enough to play along the boards. Two of them on the same F line, guarenteed defensive problems. Far too much playing with the puck, modeled by older players +/- isn't everything, but look at those stats. For all the points scored huge defensive issues.
I am not sure what else can be done, but I don't know how they will recruit any high quality players after this group of juniors is gone, unless they significantly improve the program.
To give the PLAYERs credit, they never stop playing and try to win every game up into the last second.
