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ProudCanadian
Member
Colgate will undoubtedly be a strong contender for the ECAC title. Most of the top teams have lost key players. Still, Cornell should remain the team to beat, with Bergmann between the pipes and a very intimidating defensive corps. However, in my opinion, they lack offensive firepower. I’m fully aware that Kalty’s departure will also have a significant impact on the Raiders’ scoring production. That said, Coach Decosse can rely on a much more balanced attack and a far more solid defense than last year. Murphy will also be hard to replace, but I firmly believe that Walker and Davis will step up. Healthy competition between them will push each to surpass expectations for the #1 spot. One thing is certain: Colgate will be a very tough opponent.
Totally agree but in addition to Cornell, our favorite rival Clarkson looks like they have also reloaded well. Lost their 2 All American D to the PWHL and they will be hard to replace no doubt, but they got the Manness sisters and a lot more. It will be fun. Hope to make it up that first weekend to see the OSU series. If we play respectably we will be competitive. I really like our group on paper...
ProudCanadian
Member
Raiders fans, let's have some fun! What do you think Coach Decosse's lineup will be for the first game of the 25-26 season? Here is mine:
Pais-Aubin-Biederman
Palumbo-Stewart-Petford
Beauchamps-Goofers-Copetti
Wood-Roger-Cronan
Pickering-Borgiel
Spring-Senecal
Sambrano-Sawyer
Svejkovsky
Walker
Davis
Seeley
Pais-Aubin-Biederman
Palumbo-Stewart-Petford
Beauchamps-Goofers-Copetti
Wood-Roger-Cronan
Pickering-Borgiel
Spring-Senecal
Sambrano-Sawyer
Svejkovsky
Walker
Davis
Seeley
I like your lines to start the season but it will probably take 5-10 or more games to get it right. On offense I'm really interested to see what Cronan is all about. She's really the only new player with little press to be found. Other than reading she was voted the best female athlete at Groton starring in both hockey and lax, there's nothing. If she's real good I'd swap her with Petford. The third line as configured could be a nightmare for the opposition with Copetti's size and the speed of the other 2. On D based only on what I've read about the newcomers, I'd put Senecal and Sawyer 2nd, Sambrano and Svejkovsky 3rd (if Svej is fully healthy) and Spring at #7 but no higher than 3rd pairing if Svej is not completely healthy. Jaime improved immensely physically last year, but still struggled with game time decision making and staying in the present. If she somehow fixed that over the summer she could be great though because of her size but she needs to prove she's totally reliable first. I really like Sambrano, she showed real grit last year as a first year and I would have no problem moving her up to any pairing based on the circumstance.
Other items. We need Emma to score this year. She had a big offensive fall off last year and although she still keeps getting selected for international teams because of her other skills and leadership, we need her on the scoreboard more. Maybe it's simply unselfishness. Please think shoot first Emma! We also need Avery to have more of an impact in games primarily offensively. She is a big body and is a very good stay at home D but it's time for her to start using her natural talents on the rush too and start muscling into the slot once in a while. She's got all the tools she just needs to be encouraged and trust herself. On paper she looks great. If Borgiel could completely change her game in one season to the point where she's predicted to go top 20 in the PWHL draft Picketing can too. You're great Avery!
Other items. We need Emma to score this year. She had a big offensive fall off last year and although she still keeps getting selected for international teams because of her other skills and leadership, we need her on the scoreboard more. Maybe it's simply unselfishness. Please think shoot first Emma! We also need Avery to have more of an impact in games primarily offensively. She is a big body and is a very good stay at home D but it's time for her to start using her natural talents on the rush too and start muscling into the slot once in a while. She's got all the tools she just needs to be encouraged and trust herself. On paper she looks great. If Borgiel could completely change her game in one season to the point where she's predicted to go top 20 in the PWHL draft Picketing can too. You're great Avery!
I left Ava Wood out of my discussion yesterday by mistake. I think she's going to be like Biederman and Stewart, a real pest and fast so I don't see her in the last line either. Friday night we'll finally see what we have and how the coaches look at the team to start. Also very interesting will be who they all look to as the alpha dog. No clear favorite after years of Danielle and Kalty.
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TchrBill
Go'Gate...
I love what Colgate WIH has become in the last 10 years. There is nothing more inspiring than having a winning program. Would be great to win in the NCAA tournament on a consistent basis. That said, I don't see Colgate in the ECAC Top 3 this season due to goaltending. There is just no path to success IMO without it, and we are untested. Colgate feels like an underdog to me and is possibly overrated in the USCHO national poll. I hope I am wrong and that a new goaltender shines. We have three cracks at OSU and former Raider, Kaia Malachino. Hate to see transfers to another program for any reason :-/ Hope to hear from you scouts at the SLU exhibition game. Here's to a winning season with some upsets along the way.
The program's recent success has earned respect which accounts for the preseason ranking. That's a nice problem to have. We'll know soon enough whether we merit it. On the plus side we've always had very good goalies even when the team was mediocre prior to 2015 so I have no reason to think this year will be markedly different. Having said that, we've just come off 6 years of great goalies so some fall off is to be expected. Tonight will be fun to see the new moving parts for the first time. The fact we made it as far as we did last year with a depleted D was amazing so I'm thinking new goalies with a revitalized D in front is similar, hope the results are. Also, on paper the offense looks promising. If it can find its leadership and mojo early on that will be a huge plus.
OSU out of the box in 2 weeks will quickly help us identify any major shortcomings I am sure.
OSU out of the box in 2 weeks will quickly help us identify any major shortcomings I am sure.
We lost on a seeing eye screened goal, but there was a lot to like. We double or triple outshot them but just could not score as their goalie was fantastic and we missed a lot of shots that we should have put in. Hopefully this won't continue. Our goalies seemed very good particularly Walker who made a few great saves and our D looked solid. Looking especially sharp to me were Senecal, Sawyer, Aubin, Beauchamp and Palumbo. We were snakebit tonight.
ProudCanadian
Member
I completely agree with your analysis, Oldtimer. When a team gets three times as many shots as its opponent, it usually comes out on top. There were plenty of missed chances in the slot. Coach Decosse didn’t hesitate to shuffle his lines, and I have to say he showed great clarity.
I really liked seeing Beauchamp on the second line. She was nervous in the first period, but showed some promising flashes alongside Stewart and Palumbo. The latter also had an excellent game — her speed really stood out. Her team play seems noticeably improved compared to last season.
On the top line, Pais and Biederman had an up-and-down game. That might explain why Decosse quickly promoted Aubin to the right wing. We got a full glimpse of her talent: creative, composed, powerful skating, and physically engaged. With 2 faceoff wins out of 3 compared to Biederman’s 8 out of 20, I believe #23 should be playing center — her natural position. In the NCAA, a first-line center needs a significantly higher faceoff percentage. On the other hand, Colgate desperately needs goal scorers, and that’s Biederman’s strength. She’ll burn too much energy working deep in the zone. On the right wing, she could conserve more energy and use her speed to generate scoring chances.
On defense, I was also pleasantly surprised by Sawyer and Senecal’s performance. Pickering showed some great things too. Like Biederman and Pais, I found Borgiel had a rather modest outing. Once those three get back up to speed, I believe the offense will regain its punch.
Finally, although she wasn’t tested much, Walker showed she can hold her own between the pipes. All in all, despite the scoreline, the Raiders should be contenders for the ECAC title in 2025–26.
I really liked seeing Beauchamp on the second line. She was nervous in the first period, but showed some promising flashes alongside Stewart and Palumbo. The latter also had an excellent game — her speed really stood out. Her team play seems noticeably improved compared to last season.
On the top line, Pais and Biederman had an up-and-down game. That might explain why Decosse quickly promoted Aubin to the right wing. We got a full glimpse of her talent: creative, composed, powerful skating, and physically engaged. With 2 faceoff wins out of 3 compared to Biederman’s 8 out of 20, I believe #23 should be playing center — her natural position. In the NCAA, a first-line center needs a significantly higher faceoff percentage. On the other hand, Colgate desperately needs goal scorers, and that’s Biederman’s strength. She’ll burn too much energy working deep in the zone. On the right wing, she could conserve more energy and use her speed to generate scoring chances.
On defense, I was also pleasantly surprised by Sawyer and Senecal’s performance. Pickering showed some great things too. Like Biederman and Pais, I found Borgiel had a rather modest outing. Once those three get back up to speed, I believe the offense will regain its punch.
Finally, although she wasn’t tested much, Walker showed she can hold her own between the pipes. All in all, despite the scoreline, the Raiders should be contenders for the ECAC title in 2025–26.
TchrBill
Go'Gate...
OSU is not your grandmother's SLU team whom we outshot handily - and lost - in an exhibition game. Last night we were outshot 16-55; last season we were outshot by Minnesota, 23-44 and by UMD, 27-33 & 37-44, respectively. The year prior, we were outshot by OSU 25-32 and 33-44. We've finished 2-4 in those games with some last-minute heroics and better goaltending. I appreciate OSU making a long trip to a non-league school in a remote location, but we do not quite measure up to the elites of the WCHA. We will win more than we lose in the ECAC, and there is some optimism with freshmen talent, but as I said in an above text, it's all for show unless we win in net. I predicted 'Gate to finish 4th in league play, give or take. Here's hoping for the split at home.
I agree with the Wisconsin guy which is rare. Other than the start of the third period I thought we played as expected for our first game against the #2 team in the country. As for the WCHA their top 4 teams are very tough, but the rest of the league our top 3 teams can beat so don't sell your soul to the devil yet! I just hope we come prepared today and show them what we've got. Go Gate!
A weekend with a lot of teaching opportunities before BU comes to town. We were impressive at times as our stars other than Borgiel were quiet and our non-stars shone. We got killed by two stretches of bad play as we got worn down and pressured by a bigger team. That said, we are making a mistake by continuing to play members of last year's D we had to play then with all our injuries. We don't have to do that now with the excellent first year additions and a good injured player returning. It's not always fun when you have to sit people who have been there for you, seem to be nice and popular but it's all about what is best for the team. A change is needed. I would much rather see us take a chance playing fewer players than include players in the rotation who consistently make the same mistakes shift after shift and don't have the speed to stay up with the pace of play or get back when they are caught out of position.
ProudCanadian
Member
Totally agree! Some of our defenders are seriously lacking speed and grit. I still can't believe how easily OSU was crashing the net all weekend long. Thankfully, our goalies were solid from start to finish. On the flip side, that first line needs to step it up—big time. Coach Decosse has to make a call once and for all on who’s centering that trio. Right now, Biederman takes the faceoffs on the right side, Aubin on the left. But starting in the second period, it’s all Aubin. Thing is, she looked hesitant in her own zone and barely generated any offense, especially in Saturday’s game. Maybe she’s just not ready for that role yet? Either way, I really hope the team bounces back against BU. Confidence could take a hit fast if they don’t. Let’s go girls—show us what you’re made of!
Wow, a lot for the coaches and team to work on. We seemed to have nothing left on D from about half way through the 3rd period on while BU was going full blast. Conditioning? Thank God Casey continues to play fantastic and Emma awoke from the dead or this weekend would have been ugly. Please bring Sambrano back and healthy scratch our two West Coast D for a few weeks to see if that helps with grit and being able to get back on the break aways. Still waiting on a number of our awol offensive stars to start their seasons. Nobody seems ready to plant themselves in front of the goal and wreak havoc, we need someone to do that. Maybe Copetti will be thst person as the season goes on? One good thing, athough we're away the schedule should be slightly easier the next several weeks...
ProudCanadian
Member
Once again, I can only agree with your analysis, Oldtimer. On BU’s third goal, we really fumbled in the defensive zone. Pickering made a weak attempt to clear the puck and ended up causing a turnover. That kind of thing can happen, but what I have a hard time accepting is that she then let Welcke drive into the slot and bury her own rebound. I would’ve liked to see #21 make her pay for that. It’s unacceptable from a veteran like Avery — we’re talking about a player who finished last season with at +20. As for Svejkovsky, she’s clearly lacking speed. I think we need to give her time. She was out all of last season, after all.
On offense, Biederman is getting chances but just can’t buy a goal. I believe once she gets her first, the floodgates will open. Pais played up to her talent. I was reassured by Aubin’s performance at center. Now that she seems set to play that position, she’ll be able to fine-tune her faceoff work. With 5 assists over the weekend, her confidence should be on the rise. Since the 2024–25 playoffs, Pais and Aubin seem to be building some solid chemistry. That said, we’ll need better offensive contributions from the second line if we want to stay in the ECAC championship race.
On offense, Biederman is getting chances but just can’t buy a goal. I believe once she gets her first, the floodgates will open. Pais played up to her talent. I was reassured by Aubin’s performance at center. Now that she seems set to play that position, she’ll be able to fine-tune her faceoff work. With 5 assists over the weekend, her confidence should be on the rise. Since the 2024–25 playoffs, Pais and Aubin seem to be building some solid chemistry. That said, we’ll need better offensive contributions from the second line if we want to stay in the ECAC championship race.
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