Harvard Crimson 2013-2014

[clarksoncluck]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2013-2014

I've watched Frazier play, and she's ok. A little like a bull in the china chop, but effective. Like Hux says, give it time and it will work out. Can't push these things. If ice time is a concern this year wait until next year when Pucci, Picard, Fry, Armstrong and Heffernan show up. The tears might be flowing.

 

[clarksoncluck]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2013-2014

The way I see it, Harvard is stacked barring injuries for 14/15. Forwards 1 thru 9 Fry, Armstrong, O'Dench, Crowe, Reber, Heffernan, Parker, Daniels, Laing. Defense Pucci, Gedman, Picard, Edney, Mastel, Rachlin. Goalies Maschmeyer, Laing. I try to pick a lot of holes in the line up and I can't. Others: Crugnale could definitely be in these top 9 F's. Tiley will have to be good.

 

[wwhyte]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2013-2014

The way I see it, Harvard is stacked barring injuries for 14/15. Forwards 1 thru 9 Fry, Armstrong, O'Dench, Crowe, Reber, Heffernan, Parker, Daniels, Laing. Defense Pucci, Gedman, Picard, Edney, Mastel, Rachlin. Goalies Maschmeyer, Laing. I try to pick a lot of holes in the line up and I can't. Others: Crugnale could definitely be in these top 9 F's. Tiley will have to be good.

As I remember it they have a great recruiting class coming in too, several U18s.

 

[driventoit]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2013-2014

The way I see it, Harvard is stacked barring injuries for 14/15. Forwards 1 thru 9 Fry, Armstrong, O'Dench, Crowe, Reber, Heffernan, Parker, Daniels, Laing. Defense Pucci, Gedman, Picard, Edney, Mastel, Rachlin. Goalies Maschmeyer, Laing. I try to pick a lot of holes in the line up and I can't. Others: Crugnale could definitely be in these top 9 F's. Tiley will have to be good.

This is indeed a powerhouse roster, especially if you include D'Oench, who will probably see more ice time than O'Dench . . .

 

[Skate79]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2013-2014

The way I see it, Harvard is stacked barring injuries for 14/15. Forwards 1 thru 9 Fry, Armstrong, O'Dench, Crowe, Reber, Heffernan, Parker, Daniels, Laing. Defense Pucci, Gedman, Picard, Edney, Mastel, Rachlin. Goalies Maschmeyer, Laing. I try to pick a lot of holes in the line up and I can't. Others: Crugnale could definitely be in these top 9 F's. Tiley will have to be good.

There is no question that next year, Harvard will field its deepest roster since '03. Lots of experience on D and up front with the return of Armstrong and Fry. It will be tough to parcel out ice time but having such a deep roster affords Coach Stone the opportunity to use her bench and get away from focusing on 12 skaters. That should make us much stronger late in close games, something we have had problems with in the past few seasons.

 

[Watson Rink]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2013-2014

The nice thing about recent recruiting is that the classes of '17 and '18 look so excellent and deep despite the one big bulge upcoming in the '14-'15 season described above which will result in some current '13-'14 regulars being shunted to the bench for one season in the middle of their careers (i.e. until the '14-'15 squad graduates 4 Fs and 3Ds and ice time opens up again).

The problem with recruiting the class of '12 was that they knew they were going to join a 32-0-2 team that was graduating only 1 or 2 players, and not surprisingly only 3 players even showed up and none stayed in the program for long. The absence of a class of '12 was felt for years thereafter. In contrast, although the '13-'14 team will graduate only 2 players and 4 seasoned veterans will be added back to the '14-'15 team, the class of '18 looks promising.

You wonder exactly how incoming players today feel about having to wait before getting substantial ice time. After all, it wasn't that long ago that Katey was reluctant to use first-year players. And what a contrast to the QBs on recent Harvard football teams, who have been replacing one another on an annual basis so that their playing careers typically consist of a start or two their junior year if there's an injury, and up to ten starts their senior year, minus any injuries.

 

[whoop87]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2013-2014

Watson Rink - I think you mean 32-2-0 back in '07-'08. I happened to see an excellent Harvard team play twice that year and I witnessed both losses in person, once to UNH just before the Christmas break and then to Wisconsin in the FF semi-final in Duluth. Apparently, I was bad luck for your team as they were the only two Harvard games I saw that season.

 

[Call It]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2013-2014

Feels like a parent talking.

I know that the parent from Connecticut does a lot of talking…

I find it weird that Harvard has a Team U18 Canada player riding pine. I'm sure she had many D1 offers and could have been the stud but I did notice that her dad went to Harvard too.

 

[Skate79]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2013-2014

You wonder exactly how incoming players today feel about having to wait before getting substantial ice time. After all, it wasn't that long ago that Katey was reluctant to use first-year players. And what a contrast to the QBs on recent Harvard football teams, who have been replacing one another on an annual basis so that their playing careers typically consist of a start or two their junior year if there's an injury, and up to ten starts their senior year, minus any injuries.

I think it depends on the player. In the case of Rugger, Julie Chu and Sarah Vaillancourt, those players were going to play right away and get heavy minutes because of their recruiting status. A player like Randi Griffin had to wait her turn but did well when she saw the ice particularly in her junior and senior seasons. Kate Buesser got regular ice right away; Jennifer Skinner not so much but got more time until she decided to focus on academics. Again, developing a bench has been Katey's weakness as a coach and I hope it doesn't carry over into Sochi. I don't think she has been reluctant to play freshmen right away unless they are considered second tier recruits and need more time to adjust to D-1. Or if there are better players in front of them.

D'Oench is a perfect example. She wasn't anything to write home about early last year but as the season wore on, she got into the flow and began making an impact. This year, she is playing great hockey and is drawing the attention of every opposing coach.

 

[Watson Rink]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2013-2014

It's not as though the four players getting more minutes aren't also all former Canadian and U.S. U-18s too, n'est-ce pas?

 

[clarksoncluck]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2013-2014

Does anyone have insight in terms of who is carrying (televising) the Northeastern game vs Harvard for the Frozen Fenway on Jan 2?????

 

[Skate79]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2013-2014

Does anyone have insight in terms of who is carrying (televising) the Northeastern game vs Harvard for the Frozen Fenway on Jan 2?????

I don't think the game will be televised.

 

[Trillium]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2013-2014

I think it depends on the player. In the case of Rugger, Julie Chu and Sarah Vaillancourt, those players were going to play right away and get heavy minutes because of their recruiting status. A player like Randi Griffin had to wait her turn but did well when she saw the ice particularly in her junior and senior seasons. Kate Buesser got regular ice right away; Jennifer Skinner not so much but got more time until she decided to focus on academics. Again, developing a bench has been Katey's weakness as a coach and I hope it doesn't carry over into Sochi. I don't think she has been reluctant to play freshmen right away unless they are considered second tier recruits and need more time to adjust to D-1. Or if there are better players in front of them.

D'Oench is a perfect example. She wasn't anything to write home about early last year but as the season wore on, she got into the flow and began making an impact. This year, she is playing great hockey and is drawing the attention of every opposing coach.

If you had watched D'Oench prior to her time at Harvard, you would not be in the least surprised at the impact she is now making. The only surprise (unless familiar with Stone) is that she did not get a lot of ice time last season. I saw one game where she got only 2 shifts. Similarly, Griffin while selected to attend a prestigious IIHF camp as a teenager, did not get major minutes until she was a senior.

The list of players with top tier talent which was wasted at Harvard is a long one. It does still happen to players every year, and Skinner was a prime example even back when the depth of talent in D1 was not where it is today. Anywhere else, she would likely have been a top line D based on her minor league impact.

It is generally assumed that those players not receiving consistent ice time at Harvard (which generally means first or second line minutes) must be second tier talent at best. If you were familiar with the previous track records of proven performance against top competition by many of these players, you would know that is a bad assumption.

As to your comments about D'Oench the previous year (among countless others) ....Any player can tell you that it is virtually impossible to perform even close to your abilities in a situation where you are getting ~1-5 shifts per game. Not only are you cold and stiff from sitting on the bench, it's tough to get in any kind of groove without a regular shift, and challenging to not try to do to much (and thus make mistakes) when given very few opportunities to make an impact. Further, add the negative psychological impact on performance from a coach who lacks confidence in your ability to contribute, and you have a formula for play which "isn't anything to write home about". Fortunately for D'Oench and Griffin, circumstances were such for them that they were finally able to show their true colours. Many others were never lucky enough to get that opportunity.

 

[Skate79]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2013-2014

I don't think the game will be televised.

I stand corrected. I just read where the Ivy Digital Network will be streaming the game live. However, given the snowstorm that is coming on Thursday, I wonder if they will play the game. Actually, it would be cool to see them play if the storm isn't blinding. Remind me of my pond hockey days.

 

[Skate79]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2013-2014

If you had watched D'Oench prior to her time at Harvard, you would not be in the least surprised at the impact she is now making. The only surprise (unless familiar with Stone) is that she did not get a lot of ice time last season. I saw one game where she got only 2 shifts. Similarly, Griffin while selected to attend a prestigious IIHF camp as a teenager, did not get major minutes until she was a senior.

The list of players with top tier talent which was wasted at Harvard is a long one. It does still happen to players every year, and Skinner was a prime example even back when the depth of talent in D1 was not where it is today. Anywhere else, she would likely have been a top line D based on her minor league impact.

It is generally assumed that those players not receiving consistent ice time at Harvard (which generally means first or second line minutes) must be second tier talent at best. If you were familiar with the previous track records of proven performance against top competition by many of these players, you would know that is a bad assumption.

As to your comments about D'Oench the previous year (among countless others) ....Any player can tell you that it is virtually impossible to perform even close to your abilities in a situation where you are getting ~1-5 shifts per game. Not only are you cold and stiff from sitting on the bench, it's tough to get in any kind of groove without a regular shift, and challenging to not try to do to much (and thus make mistakes) when given very few opportunities to make an impact. Further, add the negative psychological impact on performance from a coach who lacks confidence in your ability to contribute, and you have a formula for play which "isn't anything to write home about". Fortunately for D'Oench and Griffin, circumstances were such for them that they were finally able to show their true colours. Many others were never lucky enough to get that opportunity.

Well, first off, I didn't watch D'Oench prior to Harvard. I don't get to see these young women before they arrive in Cambridge so I can only go on what I see once they are here. And frankly, what happens at the minor level isn't always a true indicator of what will happen once they reach the 'big time' or D-1 in this case. If you don't believe me, read Bobby Orr's book. He gives one of the best explanations of what is happening in minor hockey today that I have read anywhere. It should be required reading for anyone following the game.

Second, when I say 'second tier talent' I use that term not to chastise but to make a distinction between someone of D'Oench's playing ability and players such as Julie Chu and Rugger. That was the point of my post. Randi Griffin was a good player but she was nowhere near a top tier talent. I agree that Skinner would have been a Top 4 D at any other school but the D playing ahead of her here were equal or more talented. Sorry if you don't agree but that is my opinion. Again, nothing against Jennifer who made the most of her ability and ice time. We definitely missed her when she decided to focus on academics.

Every coach has his/her favorite players and go-to players in key situations. Yes I have heard that at Harvard, there tends to be the 'it' group of girls and then the rest of the team. That comes from a parent who was obviously displeased that her daughter was not part of the 'in' group. I have no way to verify this other than what was told to me. I have voiced in previous posts my displeasure over the fact that Katey does not use her bench and instead wears down her key players so that by tournament time, they are fried. Certainly D'Oench should have been used more often last year and we're seeing the result of more ice time this season. But that doesn't mean every player who is sitting on the Harvard bench deserves the same minutes. Some will produce, some won't and their standing in minor hockey has no bearing on what happens today going forward.

 

[Watson Rink]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2013-2014

While we're speculating about players' ice time next year, I was intrigued to observe that Coach Stone is currently playing three lines of Olympians but SEVEN defensemen (rotating 12, 34, 56, 71, 23, 45 and 67). Maybe she'll cut down to running 6 Ds at Sochi (though 7 will always dress because there are only 11 Fs on the squad) and use the 7th D as a fourth-line forward, but in any case, right now the average D is getting LESS ice time than the average F! Where else in hockey is that the case?

 

[Skate79]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2013-2014

Congratulations to Michelle Picard, Lyndsey Fry and Jo Pucci who will join Julie Chu on Team USA's final roster. The number of Massachusetts born players on the roster was also impressive. I lost count but it had to be around seven or eight players.

I know that Caitlin Cahow was chosen to represent the US delegation to Sochi. She wasn't announced as a member of the team so I can only assume that it was an honorary selection to represent our government. True or false?

 

[Hux]

Congratulations to Michelle Picard, Lyndsey Fry and Jo Pucci who will join Julie Chu on Team USA's final roster. The number of Massachusetts born players on the roster was also impressive. I lost count but it had to be around seven or eight players.

I know that Caitlin Cahow was chosen to represent the US delegation to Sochi. She wasn't announced as a member of the team so I can only assume that it was an honorary selection to represent our government. True or false?

I believe she is part of the USOC delegation and not specific to the team.
Edit: she is part of a special presidential delegation.

Also Molly Schaus was not born in Mass, and if I recall, Alex Carpenter was born in New Jersey...though I coulld be wrong on that.p

 

[D2D]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2013-2014

No. 4/5 Women's Hockey Frozen Fenway Game Cancelled Due to Inclement Weather

http://www.gocrimson.com/sports/wice/2013-14/releases/20140102yca85k

Looks nasty out there!
http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/boston-ma/02108/weather-forecast/348735

 

[OnMAA]

Re: Harvard Crimson 2013-2014

No. 4/5 Women's Hockey Frozen Fenway Game Cancelled Due to Inclement Weather

http://www.gocrimson.com/sports/wice/2013-14/releases/20140102yca85k

Looks nasty out there!
http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/boston-ma/02108/weather-forecast/348735

You mean they could not get the snow shovel crew from the Big House in Ann Arbor over in time ?.


BTW, it might be nasty down there, but it is a bitter artic cold up here, 7 hours north. That cold is probably to blame for the snow further south. Heading down there tomorrow for the start of the the second half, vehicle fully equipped with snow tires (Mandatory up here) and other winter gear. Canadians are not phased by a little snow.