Irish hockey '10-11-Everyone bets on a sure thing, but it takes guts not to fold.

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish hockey '10-11-Everyone bets on a sure thing, but it takes guts not to fold.

Congrats to Kyle Palmieri on his first NHL goal. He tied the game up in the 3rd and Anaheim went on to win.

 

[swedenflag_inSEC7]

Re: Irish hockey '10-11-Everyone bets on a sure thing, but it takes guts not to fold.

My posse and I are making our first road trip of the season. The only fear is that every time we travel to BG games, the temp plummets to well below freezing. I hope we're safe this weekend.

Not quite sure how all this works yet so hang in there with me for a bit.

All going to BG this weekend, you HAVE to order from COOKIE JAR. They will bring you HOT, delicious cookies (whatever kind you want) to your hotel room in a pizza box accompanied by cartons of milk if you wish. After sitting in a jank rink like BG's, the ND win (knock on wood) will make you happy but these cookies will warm your heart!

GO IRISH!

 

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish hockey '10-11-Everyone bets on a sure thing, but it takes guts not to fold.

Not quite sure how all this works yet so hang in there with me for a bit.

All going to BG this weekend, you HAVE to order from COOKIE JAR. They will bring you HOT, delicious cookies (whatever kind you want) to your hotel room in a pizza box accompanied by cartons of milk if you wish. After sitting in a jank rink like BG's, the ND win (knock on wood) will make you happy but these cookies will warm your heart!

GO IRISH!

That sounded so good at first read, but then you said "hotel room..." We're not staying overnight. There and back and there and back again. (I wonder if they'd deliver to the rink...)

 

[swedenflag_inSEC7]

Re: Irish hockey '10-11-Everyone bets on a sure thing, but it takes guts not to fold.

That sounded so good at first read, but then you said "hotel room..." We're not staying overnight. There and back and there and back again. (I wonder if they'd deliver to the rink...)

Haha, I wonder if they would. Or if they have an actual store that you could just stop by and pick them up. The website for it is http://www.cookiejarandmore.com/
Check it out and have a great time, hopefully they win. We went to BG, OSU for playoffs, and Miami OH but we're just doing Miami OH for my birthday and OSU this year to see a game in the big rink since we all got kicked out of it last year! We love travelling though, maybe we'll see you out and about!

 

[Freddie]

Re: Irish hockey '10-11-Everyone bets on a sure thing, but it takes guts not to fold.

BG has been employing both goalies each weekend. Sophomore Andrew Hammond (who has greatly improved from last season) has been in net Fridays, while senior Nick Eno has worked Saturday nights. I actually wouldn't be surprised to see Hammond in net both nights as his numbers are more solid than Eno's. He has a GA of 2.57 and a save % of .919 compared to Eno's GA of 3.77 and save % of .867.

Actually, ENO has played on Fridays and HAMMOND in Saturday. I would expect to see both again this weekend, but wouldn't be shocked if the order were reversed. Both have played better than those stats would indicate. BG's a work in process...biggest weakness (beyond the obvious struggles on special teams) is in the neurtal zone. Lots of turnovers leading to odd man rushes. You're right, BG has got to win their first conference game sometime, how bout tonight.

 

[IrishHockeyFan]

Re: Irish hockey '10-11-Everyone bets on a sure thing, but it takes guts not to fold.

I believe the Blues have called on Ian Cole, so add another Notre Dame hockey product to an NHL roster. Not sure if he is playing in the Blues next game (Saturday @ Boston), but he will be rostered.

 

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish hockey '10-11-Everyone bets on a sure thing, but it takes guts not to fold.

Just some quick notes about the game as I am tired and heading for my pillow: Nick Eno made quite possibly the most amazing save I have seen in the last decade of college hockey. Too bad this game wasn't televised as that would've been highlight reel fodder for sure. He is the reason BG won. BG's first 2 goals came on complete gaffes by ND and Eno came up huge against some quality tries by ND. That and ND decided to make BG's PK look impenetrable rather than unremarkable. ND did do pretty well on cycling the puck and winning face offs. But that doesn't really matter much when you have an "L" at the end of it all. I'll call out Cap'n Lavin, too as he had his worst game in an Irish jersey tonight.

Here's to a better effort all around tomorrow.

Oh. And while it snowed and the temp is definitely below freezing, I did NOT get a ticket. I guess I have to grateful for some things.

 

[IrishHockeyFan]

Re: Irish hockey '10-11-Everyone bets on a sure thing, but it takes guts not to fold.

It looks like a couple of the bugs in the early going are what came back to haunt them in this one. Once they got the puck into the BG end, they were *somewhat* effective, but in their own end, they couldn't make plays.

The most troubling aspect of the loss is that Notre Dame came within 46 seconds of playing a third of the game (think about that for a bit) on the power play -- including nearly a full 2 minutes with a 2-man advantage -- and could muster but one PP goal. I don't know BGs special team rotation well enough to know for sure, but all that time on the PK has got to jumble up your lines and tire a few people out. You aren't dividing that PK time equally between 18 skaters. When you have that many opportunities you have to cash in. The Irish will not continue to win if they play so ineffectively on their power play. They have had the most PP chances in the league, yet only 2 of the 11 teams have netted fewer PP goals than Notre Dame. I think it's fair to see some improvement in that stat a quarter of the way into the year.

Tonight will be a coaches match-up. How will Notre Dame adapt to last night's struggles? Will Bergeron stand pat, or will he anticipate what Jackson has planned? Will Jackson look to change some of the lines, or special team units? Does either coach make a change in net to give a different look? A win tonight salvages the weekend and keeps the Irish at least tied for the top spot. Losses always provide more opportunity for learning and growth. This is perhaps the best thing of all about having someone like Jeff Jackson coaching your team.

 

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish hockey '10-11-Everyone bets on a sure thing, but it takes guts not to fold.

What I didn't like about tonight: Seeing several dead deer on the Toll Road. The ho-hum Rob Blake welcome back. I expected an on-ice interview, a poster, a retired #, something. The fact that ND got away with 2 blatant penalties for the simple reason that it gave ammo to the kinds of fans I loathe (whether you root for the opponent or my team)--the ones who believe that every time their guy goes down it's an infraction and every time their guy gets called for an infraction, the call is "bullpoo." Careless passes up the middle. Not capitalizing enough on the oh-so-many PP opportunities. Giving up another goal on a 2-part ND gaffe.

What I liked about tonight: Not being a part of the dead deer on the Toll Road. Seeing Doc Emerick in person. Seeing Rob Blake in person. Remembering that BG has a great hockey history. Seeing Cap'n Lavin take his first, and likely only, face off in an Irish jersey . Seeing Ryan Guentzel earn several points--with one of them being a goal! Seeing ND control the vast majority of the game and the tempo with hustle, puck possession and lots of shots. Scoring 2 PPG's. Seeing 6 different guys score, including a tasty goal by Sean Lorenz. Seeing Jared Beers have his first multi-point game. Seeing 4 others have multi-point games. Seeing 10 different guys get on the scoresheet tonight. Seeing my team win on the road. Seeing my team in 1st in the league.

 

[swedenflag_inSEC7]

Re: Irish hockey '10-11-Everyone bets on a sure thing, but it takes guts not to fold.

What I liked about tonight: Not being a part of the dead deer on the Toll Road. Seeing Doc Emerick in person. Seeing Rob Blake in person. Remembering that BG has a great hockey history. Seeing Cap'n Lavin take his first, and likely only, face off in an Irish jersey . Seeing Ryan Guentzel earn several points--with one of them being a goal! Seeing ND control the vast majority of the game and the tempo with hustle, puck possession and lots of shots. Scoring 2 PPG's. Seeing 6 different guys score, including a tasty goal by Sean Lorenz. Seeing Jared Beers have his first multi-point game. Seeing 4 others have multi-point games. Seeing 10 different guys get on the scoresheet tonight. Seeing my team win on the road. Seeing my team in 1st in the league.

Doc came to my college and spoke a couple months ago, he is such a wonderful man! Great to talk too as well, a little surprised a college girl knew so much hockey though! It is wonderful when guys like Guentzel and Lorenz score and it's even more wonderful when you have 6 different scorers. What a solid team we have this year!! On the road wins are ALMOST as great as seeing wins at HOME. 1ST IN THE LEAGUE!!!!! <- that shows my excitement.

Also, Ian Cole got his first start last night in the NHL which ended in a win for the Blues in a shootout. Very nice, Ian Cole!

 

[IrishHockeyFan]

Re: Irish hockey '10-11-Everyone bets on a sure thing, but it takes guts not to fold.

Minor concerns, but concerns nonetheless:

Summerhays gave up gave up a lot of goals for just 13 shots, including a goal on the first shot he saw in the third, and two goals on just 3 first period shots. Back-up goalies are not going to win the Hobey Baker, but he needs to be sharper and more focused than that. As well as Notre Dame appeared to control the tempo of the game and with as few shots as Bowling Green put on the net, I would like to have seen this game not be a 1 or 2 goal contest until the waning minutes. I'm not convinced that this is a team that can be carried by one goalie 90% of the time, and we'll need Summerhays to be better. As such, I actually like that Jackson has now worked him into the mix 3 times in just the first 9 games. With enough work in the right circumstances, he will be an effective 2nd goaltender.

It also seemed like a ton of shots taken by our defense (or anyone playing the blueline) in the first two periods were blocked by BG skaters before they got anywhere near Hammond. Our pointmen have got to recognize that quicker and move the puck more efficiently. Yes you do need to take shots and be aggressive when putting the puck on the net, but you have to get it ON the net. I'm not sure what the problem is there, but I'm betting it has a fundamental fix on the part of our guys on the blueline, as opposed to something that Bowling Green was doing effectively all night long.

All in all, I'm thrilled with a 6-2-1 mark after 1/4 of the season. They've played some pretty good teams so far, including two in WMU and BGSU that appear to be a lot better than last year. With one more win BG will equal last year's 5 wins and they have 3/4 of a season in which to do it. And other than the 2 games against Notre Dame, WMU finished the 2010 portion of last season failing to win once in 19 games. They just got done sweeping a Michigan State team that to this point had not lost a game. Going 2-1-1 against them (with 3 on the road) actually looks good. And while I only mention it as a point of reference because it is still kind of early for numbers to mean a whole lot Notre Dame finds themselves rated 4th in both the RPI and an early PWR comparison.

With lots of youth on the team can they keep it up? As long as THEY think they can, that's good enough for me.

 

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish hockey '10-11-Everyone bets on a sure thing, but it takes guts not to fold.

It also seemed like a ton of shots taken by our defense (or anyone playing the blueline) in the first two periods were blocked by BG skaters before they got anywhere near Hammond. Our pointmen have got to recognize that quicker and move the puck more efficiently. Yes you do need to take shots and be aggressive when putting the puck on the net, but you have to get it ON the net. I'm not sure what the problem is there, but I'm betting it has a fundamental fix on the part of our guys on the blueline, as opposed to something that Bowling Green was doing effectively all night long.

BG blocked a ton of shots and when ND did manage to work the puck in, BG collapsed on their goalie. Both nights. It was hard to get shots through no matter where they came from. That's why I was happy with 36 shots last night. More and more, teams have a difficult time scoring outside that "golden triangle" and those poetry-in-motion slapshots from the blueline are getting to the net less and less (Sean Lorenz excepted). There have been a few times this season when a one-timer from the blueline and closer would've at least made it to the net, but guys have missed their opportunities, last night included.

 

[AVFC]

Re: Irish hockey '10-11-Everyone bets on a sure thing, but it takes guts not to fold.

Can someone tell me how Riley Sheahan has looked this season? As a wings fan, I was hoping for a big spike in his production this season. Perhaps this will not be the case. Thanks in advance for any comments or observations, and good luck to your Irish.

 

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish hockey '10-11-Everyone bets on a sure thing, but it takes guts not to fold.

Can someone tell me how Riley Sheahan has looked this season? As a wings fan, I was hoping for a big spike in his production this season. Perhaps this will not be the case. Thanks in advance for any comments or observations, and good luck to your Irish.

He was a 1/2 point/game guy last season. He's a little off the mark this season, but it's early and he's a sophomore (slump?). He is by a good margin ND's top face off guy, not only in amount taken (more than double everyone except one and he's taken 50% more than that player), but in % won (54.5%). His points have all come on special teams. While he hasn't scored a shortie yet this season (yet being the operative word), he has had 3 shorthanded breakaways. Should he stay at least one more year (something I expect), he should wear a letter next year.

 

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish hockey '10-11-Everyone bets on a sure thing, but it takes guts not to fold.

As Veterans' Day (nee Armistice Day) approaches and Germany can celebrate the fact that finally, after nearly a century, WWI is over (they recently made their last reparations payment) and the Marines get ready to blow out 235 candles, Notre Dame readies itself for a month of likely the most intense battles of the season.

First up is Michigan. Calle Ridderwall has to be champin' at the bit as this weekend may be his last chance to twist that knife. That said, Ryan Guentzel is the senior of note so far. He leads the team with 13 points. Sean Lorenz leads the junior class with 4, Nick Larson leads the sophomores with 5 and CCHA ROTW T.J. Tynan leads the rookies with 10 points. Mike Johnson should be in net both nights this weekend. He's got a GA of 2.15 and a save % of .925 behind a record of 4-1-1.

UM's seniors are led by Louie Caporusso, who has 10 points. Leading the juniors is David Wohlberg with 6. Chris Brown has 6 for the sophomore class and Jon Merrill leads the new guys with 7 points. Bryan Hogan and Shawn Hunwick (2.68 GA with a .911 save %) were splitting time in net, but Hogan has started the last three games. Hogan has a GA of 2.0 and a save % of .919 behind a record of 4-1-0.

ND averages 3.67 goals/game while giving up 2.56. Michigan averages 3.3 goals while giving up 2.4 as a team. ND is back above the 50% mark in face offs (51.4%) while Michigan wins 56.2%. That's what I would call an opportunity for improvement. Both teams are 2-1-1 in their last 4 league games, although ND has the extra point from their SO win.

ND takes just over 6.5 penalties/game. Their PP is slightly yucky at only 13.8% (another opportunity for improvement), but their PK is tops in the league at 88.9%. They average almost a PPG/game and give up about 1/2 a PPG/game. Ridderwall and Anders Lee lead the team with 3 PPG's each. ND has not given up a shortie but has scored 3 so far. Michigan takes 7.5 penalties/game and has a decent PP at 17% with a PK of 83.3%. They average almost a PPG/game while giving up one PPG against/game. Kevin Lynch leads the Wolverines with 2 PPG's. They have given up one shortie and registered 2 themselves.

I'm once again reminded of the locker room speech in "Miracle." Great moments are borne from great opportunity. Run with that opportunity, boys.

 

[Third Family Member]

Re: Irish hockey '10-11-Everyone bets on a sure thing, but it takes guts not to fold.

Drat. There is an article about Ryan Guentzel in the pay per view section of USCHO. How long do we have to wait before we can see it without paying??

 

[IrishHockeyFan]

Re: Irish hockey '10-11-Everyone bets on a sure thing, but it takes guts not to fold.

Very funny feeling going into the UM series. I want to be excited and confident, but for some reason there is still some trepidation on my part.

Maybe it's all the youth on the team, wondering if it is going to hit the wall at some point, and if so when? Or maybe it is that the team, for the most part, has looked better than I thought it would to this point, and is it talent, good fortune, smoke and mirrors, or -- more likely -- a combination of those factors? Maybe it's the jumbled start for so many teams in the CCHA. No one looks dominant yet. But a lot of the teams look pretty good. A couple of the teams we are used to seeing struggle have come out of the gate looking little like they had of late. 7 have winning records, no one looks awful, and I believe only NMU has a losing record outside of the league. I don't know that CCHA teams have played the RPI elite so far out of league, but at least in our case, 2 of 3 out of conference games have come against teams ranked #1 at some point in the young season.

I do know one thing that comes with a 6-2-1 start: Raised expectations going forward. How will this team respond to success? Teams that answer that question in a positive fashion play meaningful games in March and April.

 

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish hockey '10-11-Everyone bets on a sure thing, but it takes guts not to fold.

Tried to post the link, but it wouldn't work, so here's the article the old fashioned cut-and-paste way:

"Simon hails record breaker Globke
Posted on November 10, 2010 by andy.turner

Sheffield Steelers player-coach Ben Simon today hailed Rob Gloke after the former NHLer entered the Elite League record books on Sunday. During an 8-0 defeat of the Newcastle Vipers, Globke not only recorded four goals against the Tynesiders but also posted a league first of three shorthanded goals since the competition was formed in 2003.

”I thought Rob was outstanding against Newcastle” said Simon. “He’s been in top form ever since he joined us and on his day he’s one of the best if not the best forward in the whole league. Taking into account the concussion he recently picked up, he’s come back raring to go and he’s become a very important hockey player for this club.

”It’s always nice when records are broken by someone on your team. Three shorthanded goals is pretty much unheard of in hockey circles, I believe the only other notable player to have achieved this was Theo Fleury during his NHL days. I’d like to take this opportunity to publically congratulate Rob on his accomplishment.”

The Steelers are next in action on home ice on Wednesday 17th November when the Hull Stingrays are visitors to iceSheffield. Tickets are available now priced at £16.00 for adults, £10.50 for concessions, £5.00 for under 16′s and £2.50 for under 10′s."

 

[Third Family Member]

Re: Irish hockey '10-11-Everyone bets on a sure thing, but it takes guts not to fold.

Wow. Now when I head back to that part of the world, maybe I will go during hockey season, so I can see these teams in action! May have to send the Detroit born, Merseyside raised cousin over to the other side of the country to scope these teams out--payback for having to feed him Red Wings info for the last 20 years!

 

[Savage]

Re: Irish hockey '10-11-Everyone bets on a sure thing, but it takes guts not to fold.

JJFP noted that this might be Calle's last weekend to twist the knife for the Wolverines, well scoring the insurance goal tonight brings him to an astounding 10 goals in 11 career outings against Michigan.