Re: Hockey East Preseason Thread. Predict and Win Eternal Glory
Oh no, keep it coming. As I've learned from this thread, part of the deal with being on top is that everyone else is gunning for you. Something we Dogs should enjoy while it lasts. They're the defending champs until they're not. Come and take it. It will be really interesting to see what their own expectations are for this coming season, how they deal with a new reality, how they respond. Different set of challenges this year.
Who cares if they lost to Bentley in October - who cares how they got there - all that matters is they got a trophy in the end. So the process last year of getting to a title was messy and convoluted - it's Northeastern hockey, would it be any other way?
No worries about losing to North Dakota, they were a quality opponent. Nothing here but pride and admiration for last year's team.
It sounds like the Terrier fans are hesitant to heap too many expectations on their highly touted incoming squad but if it's true that many of these guys won't stay long, they kinda have to expect a lot early. The window will be short (unless they can pull in recruits like that every year) and the clock is ticking. But that success would kinda lead to its own demise, the better these guys do the more likely the teams that drafted them will come calling early. A nice problem to have!
UNH - it would be interesting to hear what the plan is to get back to the level they're accustomed to. Doing the same things as they've always done obviously isn't working. Is that something the current coaches are capable of or does it require a change?
BC - did the greater turnover in players (more it seems than most of the other teams around them) finally catch up to them? Very talented recruits every year file in but do they need more of a veteran presence? How will that be different this year?
Lowell and PC - they've really benefitted, as all good teams do, in the past couple years from excellent goaltending. Boyle is gone, Ellis is gone, do they have qualified replacements ready to go? As we saw at NU last season, Witt graduated, and the transfer period to the next starter was pretty rocky.
