Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

[IrishHockeyFan]

Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

Voran is out and Beers hadn't played, so barring a couple of injuries, he wouldn't have seen the ice this weekend.

I don't know what to think going into tonight and tomorrow. I haven't got the first clue as to which Irish hockey team is going to show up. I just know what this team is capable of if they play to the limits of their potential. WMU scare me because we do not pay well up there. In the last three or four years we have maybe one complete game up there. We also have had a couple that looked like we were boys against men.

I'll believe all the talk (or not) once we see how this team plays this weekend. They still have a lot to prove.

 

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

All that effort for one point. While I'm pleased with the way the team battled and controlled the puck, this result rests solely on the shoulders of Steven Summerhays. WMU's 2nd and 3rd goals were scored off rebounds that I believe I may have been able to control better. What happened to his "athleticism?"

And I gotta call out T.J. Tynan and Robbie Russo. Actually if anyone has seen them around campus please ask them to report to the CFIA because their team needs them. They have been virtually invisible for too much of 2013. Both Tynan and Russo had 15 points in the first half of the season. While Tynan has 9 points since Jan. 1, he has been kept off the score sheet for the last 4 games. And Russo has just 3 measly points this half.

If Tynan doesn't come out on fire and pot a few tomorrow and if Summerhays doesn't control those rebounds, ND stands no chance of pulling their fat out of the fire in order to save what started out as a promising season.

 

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

Okay. The total sum of the weekend's efforts combine for a split on the road against a great team. Same result as last weekend. I am happy with that as that is the desired outcome of a road series. Our ceiling is first our floor is third.

Steven Summerhays was much stronger in net tonight, hence the SO win, but T.J. Tynan still baffles. He has picked a bad time to dry up.

On the plus side, I have been increasingly impressed with Eric Johnson on the blue line. It was his effort that led directly to the goal tonight. Where others on the back end are faltering, he has remained quite solid and has a few points to show for his play lately.

Now we have to root for MSU tonight in the Great White North to seriously assist our PWR. Then we have to sweep at home next weekend (a frighteningly difficult task of late) to get us off the bubble.

 

[BII]

Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

That was the hardest I have worked in a while and I was just sitting in the stands. A great series. I hope the rumors are true and these two teams will be getting together every season.

 

[ND1]

Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

I know Coach Jackson was holding one of his Q&A's for season ticket holders tonight. Anyone go and if so anything interesting particularly concerning whether coach thinks ND has turned a corner this year?

 

[IrishHockeyFan]

Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

I know Coach Jackson was holding one of his Q&A's for season ticket holders tonight. Anyone go and if so anything interesting particularly concerning whether coach thinks ND has turned a corner this year?

I don't know that they have, but can't imagine him saying anything other than we've turned the corner. I'm getting closer to feeling that this year may not be last year, but I'm not quite there yet. At the least the ship has been righted to a great extent. But we still have potential to realize.

I like how they competed against WMU. They fought back each time they were down Friday, and played a tight game defensively Saturday. To do it in a place they have, on numerous times, crapped the bed was a good sign too. Summerhays looked shaky Friday and followed up with a great effort Saturday. That's likely the final piece of the puzzle. He has to be consistent and playing some of his best hockey the rest of the way.

Looking at a lot of things makes me wonder if we have overrated some aspects of this team. Maybe the talent level, while still formidable, is not as high as we'd like to think. It's also possible that Jackson, who I admit to thinking was as good as York or anyone else 3 or 4 years ago, also may not be quite that good. While in the end I probably wouldn't trade the talent and the coaching straight up for anyone elses, is it possible that intangibles and leadership got this team to the levels we've seen them reach in earlier seasons? The proof is in the pudding, as they say. I guess I'd like to throw a T.J. Jindra, Mark Van Guilder or Erik Condra in the mix somewhere to see if that stirs the pot in the right way. At some point I'd like to see the personnel we have on the deck now grow tired of us comparing the failures of the some of the recent seasons to their accomplishments and prove many of us wrong with a run to another title game, only this time going those boys of 2008 one better.

Before any of that happens, we need to take care of business Friday against Bowling Green. And then do it again Saturday. That alone is a tall enough order. BG scares me. They play a brand of hockey that has been known to give Jackson's teams fits. He's preaching a simplified game and that is what it will take this weekend. The better we are able to control tempo and get pucks deep, the better our depth and size will become a deciding factor. Which means the defense HAS to make the right plays. I want to see Johns play his best games of the season this weekend. Which doesn't mean he has to be spectacular. It means he has to make smart plays with the puck. Play his position well. Support his partner, move the puck forward and be physical when the play dictates it. He can set a tone for success. Then the other five D-men can then complement that tone. The best Jeff Jackson teams always started their success on the back end and moved it forward. If this one does that too, we may have the kind of finish we envisioned before we opened our presents 2 months ago.

To quote the oft overused NIKE slogan, just do it. There's still time to make a few of us eat our words...

 

[spiehler]

Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

Before any of that happens, we need to take care of business Friday against Bowling Green. And then do it again Saturday. That alone is a tall enough order. BG scares me. They play a brand of hockey that has been known to give Jackson's teams fits.

If my Falcons play like they did Friday, ND has nothing to worry about. We had a chance to put some distance between us and 10th place and get a good handle on home ice in the first round, and we blew it. Saturday was much better, other than the checking from behind major 12 seconds in. Now, we probably need a sweep for home ice. We also need Hammond in goal; he's still day-to-day. Better to have him 100% in the playoffs than 90% this weekend and lose him to re-injury. Burke is decent enough, but Hammond has four years of experience.

 

[klbaum1077]

Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

If my Falcons play like they did Friday, ND has nothing to worry about. We had a chance to put some distance between us and 10th place and get a good handle on home ice in the first round, and we blew it. Saturday was much better, other than the checking from behind major 12 seconds in. Now, we probably need a sweep for home ice. We also need Hammond in goal; he's still day-to-day. Better to have him 100% in the playoffs than 90% this weekend and lose him to re-injury. Burke is decent enough, but Hammond has four years of experience.

All BG needs is a split and they have home ice. If they get 1 victory that gives them 37 points which eliminates Northern from catching them. It also eliminates Michigan from catching them because even if Michigan sweeps ferris and ends up with 37 points as well Bg wins the 2nd Tie breaker because of better goal difference in the head to head series with michigan.

 

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

So it all comes down to this. Anything less than 4 points this weekend will KILL our PWR. And even though there's the 2nd round of the playoffs to help, who wants to rely on that? Besides, while I don't think first place in the regular season is gonna happen for us, I'd like ND to make it interesting.

I don't know if Andrew Hammond will be back in net or if Tommy Burke will continue to help out. Both have had some success and while Hammond has a better save % (.917), Burke has the better GA (2.42). BG is averaging 2.35 goals/game, but they give up 2.56. Their special teams are a huge Achilles heel. While they have only 18 PPG's, they have negated 7 of them by allowing shorties. They've also given up a whopping 30 PPG's against and have scored only one short-handed goal. That's even worse than ND's numbers.

Steven Summerhays is starting to look sharp in net again with a GA back under 2, but a save % that is only slightly better than Hammond's. Hence the -ing on the verb. He's not back at completely sharp yet, but he's in the ballpark. ND is only averaging 2.91 goals/game, but gives up only 2.26. ND has 24 PPG's with 3 of those being erased by shorties. While we have scored 5 short-handed goals, we've given up a mini-whopping 24 PPG's against.

Defenseman Robert Shea is the player to keep an eye on for BG. He's 4th in points for BG with 19, but he has figured into 5 of their game-winners. When he registers a point, BG's winning % is .714.

Believe it or not, T.J. Tynan is one of ND's 2 players to watch. He has had a hand in 7 of the game-winning goals this season. Jeff Costello is the other to pay attention to. He's also 4th in scoring with 23 points and when he gets on the score sheet, ND's winning % is an eye-popping .846.

Another interesting stat is BG's ability to win games in which they do NOT score the first goal (an anomaly in hockey these days). They have a record of 7-11-3 (a winning % slightly better than 40%) when giving up the first goal, so no lead is safe against them. ND on the other hand wins only about 27% of the time when they give up the first goal.

Season ticket holders get appreciated this weekend. And don't forget to show up early Saturday for senior night.

I like IHF's oft-used Nike slogan: Just do it.

 

[Freddie]

Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

I hope and believe that we are going to see a great college hockey series this weekend. All the ingredients are there: both teams have plenty to play for, as BG tries to hang on for home ice in the playoffs, and ND tries to stay inside the PWR bubble. Final regular season CCHA series for both teams, senior night, a great facility that will be jammed to the rafters...the only way this could get better would be if they sold beer in college hockey rinks.

BG knows they CAN win, but we've GOT to stay out of the box. The more of this game that's played 5x5, the more it plays to BG's strength. We're dead last in the CCHA on both PP and PK, altho both numbers have been improving after a dismal start. Still no official word on who will be in goal for the Falcons. Hammond's injury was, obviously, more serious than we'd been led to believe. Burke has shown moments of brilliance, but he seems prone to allowing some softies, and (for whatever reason) the team seems to play with more intensity with Hammy in the net.

 

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

Wow. BG can forecheck. And they can keep the puck in the zone. And they score on the PP. And they never give up. And they had a goal waived off.

ND won and slipped in the PWR. I played around with the PWR and it is conceivable that ND could win the regular season tomorrow night and fall completely out of the tourney. Makes you really wonder about those last 3 seconds in the loss to UA(F). Or the PK that weekend. Or the PK against OSU. Or what our PWR would be if we could have beaten BC. Or Minnesota. Or not suffered a bad loss to MSU.

Here's to not losing another game the rest of the way.

 

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

So as of this moment we are 14th in the PWR. Second in the regular season is quite acceptable given the month of January and my cynicism. I'm pretty happy with the way this year's team did not fold up the tent.

Mike Johnson had a great game. Nick Larson had a nice goal and an assist. Sam Calabrese hit a post. Kevin Nugent had a great block on a bomb while killing a penalty. Not a bad showing for the seniors.

I continue to be super-impressed with Eric Johnson; tonight sticking up for T.J. Tynan. David Gerths has completely put his sophomore slump in the dumpster. Our PK (finally) was perfect (on the one chance BG had).

So MSU plays in Alaska, Northern travels to Michigan and BG goes to Lake Superior. I'm guessing that UA(F), Michigan and BG will advance, which means Michigan would come here for the 2nd round. The disclaimer would be that I am never right about this stuff.

 

[IrishHockeyFan]

Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

I'm pretty happy with the way this year's team did not fold up the tent.

As am I. With all they had on the line they played pretty well over the final 4 weekends, sweeping two teams we should have, and splitting 4 away from home with 2 of the best three in the league.

My big concern though is it too little or too late? At 14th in the PWR we are nowhere near in the clear as far as making the tournament goes. Some of what happens going forward may not even be in our hands. While the February recovery from the January meltdown is nice, we'll all still be cursing January if we don't find a way to win at least two, maybe three -- or who knows, maybe even four -- in a row starting in two weeks. As has been noted before, Notre Dame has yet to make an NCAA run when winning the auto-bid was our ONLY path. There is still work needed to be done -- like fixing the penalty kill once and for all -- but the team that has taken the ice the last 8 games has a good chance to do it.

My end of the regular season shoutouts are for three in particular. As JJfP wrote, Eric Johnson has been a great addition to the blueline. What a workhorse. He makes plays. What this team needed sorely was a steady defenseman who could move the puck out of danger or keep a forecheck alive. To do it while making few mistakes -- despite a lack of experience coming into his increased playing time -- and to chip in with a couple of late goals as well, that's icing. If they give the award for most improved to someone who saw his first game action this season, Eric Johnson wins it hands down.

Mario Lucia popped into the lineup, and immediately things changed. Our PP became more effective. We became much deeper up front. We became a much harder team to defend against. He scored a goal in his first weekend, and his best night came when Notre Dame desperately needed a win, the second FSU game. He's had a growing pain or two, but he's definitely grown and looks like he might be rounding into form at the perfect time. Here's to another weekend or 4 like the one we just saw.

And lastly, Brian Rust. Not enough has been said about this guy. He quietly is the most dynamic player on the team. He's a huge reason the team has 21 wins right now. He's been consistent. He's scored some big goals. He's used his skating and stick handling to create options for others on the ice. He's tied for the team lead in assists and game winning goals, tied for second in goals overall, and no regular has taken fewer penalties. He's a solid candidate for the All-CCHA team. He better get some notice from the voters.

And now the waiting game begins...

 

[SwedishJustice22]

Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

Quick question for the you guys here. I know its a long shot but do you know where I might be able to get a Green Jersey? My Dad wants one (although Im not a big fan of them). We got one for my sister about 3 years ago but that was just by luck. Ive looked on the web and found nothing. I know they probably don't sell them anymore but he wanted me to ask so here I am

 

[LSSULaker889294]

Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

So if Michigan plays Notre Dame in the 2nd round and pulls the upset, will the Irish get knocked out of the NCAA tournament?

 

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

So if Michigan plays Notre Dame in the 2nd round and pulls the upset, will the Irish get knocked out of the NCAA tournament?

Yes.

 

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

So I've been trying to work on this glass half full concept. Yay! We don't have to play Michigan.

But then the glass half empty creeps in. Ugh. We have to play Bowling Green. The team that last year marched to JLA and had to force Michigan to go double OT before they could advance.

BG and ND have both scored the same number of goals in their respective 3rd periods, they've both given up the same number of goals in their respective 2nd periods. They both have 12 players in double digits in scoring. Of those players, Ryan Carpenter and Mario Lucia lead their teams in PPG's with 6 and 5, respectively. Dajon Mingo and Robert Shea lead BG in game winning points with 5 each. T.J. Tynan and Sam Calabrese lead ND in that category with 7 each. Should the game be close at the end, watch for those guys to be on the ice.

BG's special teams total is 89.2 while ND's total is 100.6. BG gives up a hair more than they score while ND scores nearly 3/4 of a goal more than they give up. Andrew Hammond and Steven Summerhays are pretty evenly matched. Their save % is nearly identical, but Summerhays has a slightly lower GA.

Whichever team loses goes home for the season. Whichever team wins goes to Detroit to keep playing.

Charles Lindbergh was once quoted as saying, "I never had a dull moment at Detroit."

 

[IrishHockeyFan]

Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

Whichever team loses goes home for the season. Whichever team wins goes to Detroit to keep playing.

I thought this to be true too, until seeing information that says otherwise. CHN also has us out with a loss, referring to us as "toast" should we lose this weekend series. Who knows? CraigP? Are you out there? I imagine there are still millions of permutations with so many teams still alive for their conference titles.

As for the weekend games, we know all too well what happens when this team doesn't play their best hockey. They lose. Oddly enough, when they play their best hockey, they win. Have we played a single game all year where you said "man we were great" and we still lost? I can't think of any. I think the results the second night of the split weekends speak for themselves. 1 goal loss one night when we see a game full of mistakes, poor goaltending or selfish plays, and the next night everybody buys in to the team concept and we win by 4.

Noting that, I still think I overestimated the quality of this particular team early in the season. I had us up along with Boston College and Minnesota as the top three teams in the NCAA. Along with BC, we have fallen a bit from that. BC in fact looked like us over the second half. Losing to Minnesota was both teams' Kryptonite I guess. I had BC pegged for 40 wins before we played them. I guess that was a little off... I still think this team is an NCAA caliber bunch, and has the wherewithal to win in the tournament, but I no longer see them as Frozen Four material. We can still get there (see 2009 for example, or for us, 2011), but it will take some extraordinary effort and maybe even some luck.

BG will be flying into South Bend on firm wings of confidence. The way they dismantled LSSU was impressive. I hope the coaches have ND prepared to play whatever style is needed for wins. I don't want to hear about BG's system, or BG clogging the shooting lanes and blocking shots, or a hot goaltender. We have the depth and talent to win. Will we have the effort and will to win?

 

[SwedishJustice22]

Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

Hammond really scares me. When he is healthy and locked in it seems like he can be a brick wall. Hopefully we can secure this in 2 games because if it goes to 3 I have a feeling that BG might be headed to the "lovely" city of Detroit next weekend.

Heres another question: I saw that our PWR slipped again. Are we gonna have to win this whole thing to go to the Frozen Four Tournament?

 

[IrishHockeyFan]

Re: Irish hockey '12-'13: Why would you not wanna go there?

Hammond really scares me. When he is healthy and locked in it seems like he can be a brick wall. Hopefully we can secure this in 2 games because if it goes to 3 I have a feeling that BG might be headed to the "lovely" city of Detroit next weekend.

Heres another question: I saw that our PWR slipped again. Are we gonna have to win this whole thing to go to the Frozen Four Tournament?

Uh uh uh uh uhhh, no hot goaltenders.

The PWR must have quite a few of us stumped this time around. Like I noted, CHN has us out with a loss this weekend, but over at NDNation a site was posted that has us nearly a lock for the tourney and still a great chance if we lose this weekend. I know the games against BG won't do much to move us one way or another, since our RPI is relatively high and BG can't negatively affect our TUC numbers (than God...). We have been 15th since our last games 2 weeks ago, though. The results last weekend didn't move us. My guess, and it is just that, is we are in regardless if we get to the CCHA championship game.