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

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

Whoo hoo. Now that pretty goal by Calle makes up for his ugly ones to start this season. He hesitated just long enough to force Hunwick to commit too soon and his shot found plenty of room between Hunwick and the goal post. And double whoo hoo for Kevin Lind who gets mentioned in the Hockey News (along with Anders Lee) and then gets the GWG, the 1st of his career.

While ND got a few spurts of opportunities in the first period, Michigan controlled the play for most of the first 20 minutes. However, ND took control for the last 40 minutes. I was very pleased with their play in the last 2 stanzas. Good cycling, good opponent pass disruption, decent passing, hard skating. They still need some work in their zone, but blocked quite a few shots to help Mike Johnson out. While their shift immediately after the first goal left everything to be desired, the shifts after their other 2 scores were quite strong.

I wonder when the last time ND had no PP opportunities? Michigan played a clean game. So did ND for that matter. Skill tends to do that for teams.

I'd sure like to see more breathing room between ND and the next coupla teams.
 
Re: Irish hockey '10-11-Everyone bets on a sure thing, but it takes guts not to fold.

Savage said:
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. :eek:
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Actually that was his 8th goal vs. Michigan. ND's media guide stats are incorrect. You can find the box scores for past seasons here and his individual stats here. Regardless, I still like his numbers!
 
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Re: Irish hockey '10-11-Everyone bets on a sure thing, but it takes guts not to fold.

Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres. said:
I wonder when the last time ND had no PP opportunities? Michigan played a clean game. So did ND for that matter. Skill tends to do that for teams.
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Obviously the most important part of the game was the final score, but did anyone else notice the near complete lack of extra stuff after the whistles? Even the pile ups in front of Johnson and Hunwick were not met with all the endless face washing, grabbing and jabbing. A welcome change after some of the recent games. The most egregious infraction of the night, Voran's running of Hunwick, was not met with a bunch of crap from UM. In any of the last 4 games there would have been a 5 on 5 dance, where everyone grabs a partner until Shegos or Sergott decide which two other guys to haul to the box. Amazing what kind of hockey you can see when you have two teams full of skilled players and two coaching staffs who excel at matching wits. And I have to hand it to Keith Sergott. For an awful ref he sure did a pretty good impersonation of one with a modicum of competence. The officials kept a good flow to the game and let the players play while still keeping things under control.
 
Re: Irish hockey '10-11-Everyone bets on a sure thing, but it takes guts not to fold.

I'm happy with a split on the road. I'm happy with a split on the road. I am. I am. I am.

Were it not for 3 of the flukiest goals I've seen in, well, forever, ND would've won 3-2. 2 off bodies that were not even shots on net and one where the puck morphed into a superball in front of the net. 2 goals within 25 seconds is tough to bounce back from, especially for a young team.

Flukes or not, ND has to get better in their end. 2 of those flukes came after ND failed to control (or at the very least clear) the puck.

It may sound like sour grapes, but I was not as pleased with the officiating tonight. There was an interference (that came awfully close to being CTH) on Sean Lorenz that wasn't called and I thought grabbing the facemask was now a penalty. How did the scrum behind the net end up coincidental? Calle committed a penalty, the UM player retaliated (hence the coincidentals), but he also grabbed and held on to Calle's facemask.

Grape stomping over. Bounce back boys. Control those flukes and you'll come out on top.
 
Re: Irish hockey '10-11-Everyone bets on a sure thing, but it takes guts not to fold.

Michigan is simply too big, skilled, and quick to make mistakes like we still make.

If Friday was like a chess match, then last night was more like checkers. Or maybe whack-a-mole.

Part of that is youth. Its the age old truth that defense is taught and learned and offense is skill and instinct. There are almost always defensemen on the ice who weren't playing college hockey last year, and often there are two. Combine that with inexperienced forwards who are out there with them on many occasions who often fail to offer the requisite help and you have the formula for all those mistakes.

But after 11 games ideally you'd like to see these mistakes cropping up a little less. I often hold that freshmen/first year players are that for just the first semester. Come the second half these guys should see how its done up here. From what I am seeing I have no doubt we'll see that improvement. Because they are working so hard a lot of those mistakes are being covered up, to the tune of a 7-3-1 record. Not a bad trade-off at all, in my mind. Imagine how good this team could look when they learn all the tricks of the trade. But learn them they must. This is where one hopes that the lure of Notre Dame and the love of learning most of the students naturally have pays off. Time will tell.
 
Re: Irish hockey '10-11-Everyone bets on a sure thing, but it takes guts not to fold.

Third Family Member said:
6 weeks of Players of the Week, and Notre Dame has 50% of the ROTW awards. Well done.
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Yeah, but don't we have like 90% of the freshmen in the league?:D

I'm having a hard time deciding which one of these freshmen is playing the best hockey. There's been an amazing amount of maturity out of them. Some are standing out with some great games, others have just been grinding on people, a couple are a great mix. They've been an eager bunch and have accepted a pretty hefty challenge having to collectively play such a huge part on the team. And they seem to be an extremely coachable lot, and you just know Jackson loves that.
 
Re: Irish hockey '10-11-Everyone bets on a sure thing, but it takes guts not to fold.

Third Family Member said:
6 weeks of Players of the Week, and Notre Dame has 50% of the ROTW awards. Well done.
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Well deserved. He and Lee were the two best players on the ice consistently this weekend. Tynan may have changed the game saturday if he would have scored on that wraparound. Want to trade freshmen forwards? ;)
 
Re: Irish hockey '10-11-Everyone bets on a sure thing, but it takes guts not to fold.

I'm still okay with splitting on the road...if we can (continue to) win at home.

This young season seems to still be a riddle thus far. MSU is in 10th place in the league in the early goings, but some of their numbers are outstanding. ND is in 1st place, but some of their numbers stink.

Nationally, ND has 2 of the top rookies in T.J. Tynan (4th in the country) and Anders Lee (12th). It gets even better when you weed out the other leagues. Tynan is the top rookie scorer in the CCHA.

MSU's top scorer is Brett Perlini with 11 points overall, 7 in the league. ND's top guy is Ryan Guentzel with 14 points overall and 9 in the CCHA. Torey Krug is MSU's top D with 6 points in league play. Kevin Lind leads ND's D with 5 points in the league.

MSU averages 2.67 GF in league play, while giving up a fairly stingy 2.17. ND averages a healthy 3.38 GF while giving up 2.5 in the CCHA. MSU is +16 as a team. ND is +32 as a team.

MSU's PK is ranked 35th nationally at 81.2%, but in the league, they rank 2nd at 90.5%. Their PP is a healthy 20% nationally and an even fatter 26.1% in the league, ranking them first. ND is ranked 6th nationally on the PK at 89.8%, but they are only middling in the league at 87.5%. ND's PP is still on life support, both nationally and in league play at 13.1% and 14.6%, respectively. Amazingly, they are not in last place on either chart when a man up.

Drew Palmisano should be in net both nights as he's been in net the entire season for the Spartans. He's 4-3-3 with a GA of 2.25 and a save % of .919. Mike Johnson most likely will be in net both nights. He's 5-2-1 with a GA of 2.37 and a save % of .918.

So often it happens that we live our lives in chains and we never even know we have the key.

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

I posted in the game thread for this weekend that I could see MSU maybe taking some points if they correct a little of what woes them. I figure I'll leave the chest thumping for this thread (ya know, because it isn't like we've friended anyone else :D) and say we should sweep and less than that would be a disappointment to me.

We're playing focused and efficient hockey at the Joyce and Michigan State has dropped the only two games in which they've ventured out of Munn. We've handled 3 pretty speedy teams so far quite well and I don't think MSU matches up on that count like some of the others. Getting leads will be big. If the mistakes are limited Notre Dame should take two.
 
Re: Irish hockey '10-11-Everyone bets on a sure thing, but it takes guts not to fold.

I noticed that MSU gives up more and scores less as the game wears on. A distantly familiar issue. If ND can continue their forechecking prowess in their zone, I like our chances. That said, the skeptic in me is always waiting for the other shoe to go "plop."
 
Re: Irish hockey '10-11-Everyone bets on a sure thing, but it takes guts not to fold.

The good: Getting a hot chocolate from the concession stand, turning around and seeing the Greek NHL god that is Chris Chelios. :cool:

The better: ND holding MSU's previously 26.1% PP to 0%. Scoring a PPG on MSU's previously 90.5% PK. That means ND's PP went 20% on the night. :)

The best: Seeing solid to great efforts from all the guys in white. 9 different guys getting on the score sheet. 5 of those recording multi-point nights. All the captains registering points. Cap'n Lavin scoring a shortie on his way to a 2-pt. night. Staying in first place in the league. :D
 
Re: Irish hockey '10-11-Everyone bets on a sure thing, but it takes guts not to fold.

That was a pretty dominating win. MSU has some talent and some size but they are really missing something. At times during their PPs I was reminded of a Mason team, just looking to run clock as opposed to actually scoring. We saw them do a really good job of limiting mistakes and playing a much more patient game I thought. Defensive zone mistakes were quickly corrected by good hustle and positioning. Guys look like they are really learning how to make the most of each shift right now, and if Notre Dame gets a lead and forechecks like last night, I see a sweep.
 
Re: Irish hockey '10-11-Everyone bets on a sure thing, but it takes guts not to fold.

Sec2 said:
Best Ending Ever.
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Except for Calle's OT GWG in Denver! ;)
Sec2 said:
But how does Michigan State explain how they lost ?
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By scoring fewer goals than ND. :D

Wow. 2 majors. Both fair calls. Fortunately 2 of the 3 goals scored during the PK were by the shorthanded team! I have never seen Calle Ridderwall commit a penalty like the boarding call in his time here. He checked Daulton Leveille with near-reckless abandon. He had been animated all night, and it spilled over at the end. Thankfully he did not receive a misconduct...or worse. Thankfully Leveille is "only" concussed.

3 shorties on the weekend. 22% on the PP for the weekend. 90% on the PK for the series. Great play, score sheet contributions and energy from the seniors. Same goes for the freshmen. And special kudos to junior Sean Lorenz with the game winner. Shorthanded and pretty. Nice combination.

It was nice to see many different players dressed over the weekend and see most of them have great games. That's a happy conundrum to have lots of choices. Lots of good choices.

Go easy on the turkey, boys. NoDak awaits.
 
Re: Irish hockey '10-11-Everyone bets on a sure thing, but it takes guts not to fold.

The win tonight impressed me more than Friday in a number of ways. First of all, I'm a big fan of resilience. And Notre Dame was the definition of resilience tonight. They outskated MSU pretty thoroughly in the first, but like last night had little to show for it. They had to hold on for the final couple of minutes in the second to take a lead into the third. Then when the Spartans scored late to tie it up and appeared to have all of the momentum going their way, the light scoring Sean Lorenz rips an absolute beauty of a shot that nearly tears a hole in the net behind Yanakeff. Through all the bad calls they kept skating, kept playing to the whistle, kept making the next play.

A lot of things are going well for them right now. The penalty kill is unreal. Throw in the 6 short-handed goals and the opposition has netted zero advantage on their power plays. Through 13 games and 59 chances, that is a pretty remarkable stat. Our number 1 goalie is starting to remind me just a little of Jordan Pearce. Not in his mechanics, style, or his gaudy numbers, necessarily, but in the confident way he is playing between the pipes. He is managing to be both aggressive and patient at the same time. Has he had a game yet with two bad goals? And the scoring is being spread around pretty well too. 11 of the 21 skaters who dressed this weekend scored at least a point. And all four of the forward lines played well defensively, probably the best weekend worth of back-checking we've seen so far from them.

It gets really tough for the next two weeks. 4 tough games in two tough environments. As well as they have been playing, the season could easily hit the skids a little against teams like Miami and North Dakota. If you're not slumping going into those games, those are two teams that can PUT you in a slump. We need to keep making fewer mistakes (still a work in progress but improving) and probably see some power play improvement to have any success.
 
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Re: Irish hockey '10-11-Everyone bets on a sure thing, but it takes guts not to fold.

Oh how I wish I could go to North Dakota for the weekend, but alas, I'll settle for watching the 2 ND's on t.v. Friday's is scheduled now. I suspect Saturday's will be picked up later this week. So, what would I be more thankful for than pumpkin pie and leftover turkey? A couple road wins.

The 2 ND's have quite a few similarities other than their logo. NoDak is 8-5-1 while ND is 9-3-1. Both teams are 3-1 in their last 4 games. Both teams have 5 players in double digits on the stats pages. Matt Frattin (15 points), Corban Knight (14), Chay Genoway (11) and Evan Trupp and Jason Gregoire (each with 10) are NoDak's top guys. ND's top scorers are T.J. Tynan, Ben Ryan and Ryan Guentzel (each with 16 points), Anders Lee (12) and Calle Ridderwall (11).

NoDak averages 3.14 GF while giving up 2.86 GA. ND averages 3.77 while giving up 2.54.

Both teams have sophomore goalies who have gotten the majority of starts. Fighting Sioux Aaron Dell is 7-4-0 with a save % of .895 and a GA of 2.26. Fighting Irish Mike Johnson is 7-2-1 with a save % of .915 and a GA of 2.3. That's not to say Sioux junior Brad Eidsness or Irish freshman Steven Summerhays won't get a start in this OOC matchup. My guess is Dell and Johnson will be in net both nights...

The differences between the 2 teams are noticeable in special teams. NoDak's PP is a robust 22.1%. ND's is still malnourished at 14.3%. NoDak has scored 15 PPG's, 8 of them coming off the sticks of Frattin and Knight. (Here's a thought: don't let them tee up...). They've given up 10 PPG's. ND has 10 PPG's, 6 of which are from Ridderwall and Mike Voran. ND has given up 6.

As for the PK, NoDak is 84.4% in that category. They have scored 3 shorties, but given up 2. ND is 89.8% on the PK. ND has scored 6 shorties (thus negating the opponents 6 PPG's...) and given up a big fat goose egg. Those are stats I can smile at. NoDak is +2 as a team. ND is +54 as a team. Again. Smiling.

Another difference would be in who dresses each night. NoDak has averaged 8 freshmen and sophomores per game. ND has averaged 12 first- and second-year guys in the lineup.

The Apache say, "It is better to have less thunder in the mouth and more lightning in the hand."
 
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