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

[Craig P.]

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

I don't know Craig, I just looked at the replays, and we'll have to agree to disagree.

If you've looked at them again and come to that conclusion, I'll take your word for it. I watched the replay to see if either was a really obvious goaltending blunder, but I didn't analyze them in depth.

 

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

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

I'm glad we swept Michigan all 4 games for the first time in 40 years. They didn't even play in Yost at that time. However...

Our PK is so bad right now (74.2% in 2013) that we could save a lot of time in the game by just putting the goal on the board instead of sitting our guy in the box.

Our team defense is so soft that melted butter holds its shape better (both goalies have GA over 2 now).

Now we have 2 weekends on the road against 2 of the best teams in the country, let alone the league.

Now we really get to see what the mettle of this team consists of.

 

[IrishHockeyFan]

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

Our PK is so bad right now (74.2% in 2013) that we could save a lot of time in the game by just putting the goal on the board instead of sitting our guy in the box.

Our team defense is so soft that melted butter holds its shape better (both goalies have GA over 2 now).

1. Sit Stephen Johns. Please. He has been brutal in front of our goalies.

There seems to be a great deal of overlap in those two points from what I'm seeing. Michigan's 3rd goal (and final power play goal of the weekend) would not have scored had Johns not committed ANOTHER stupid penalty. Summerhays had effectively covered the puck but Johns hitting Lynch from behind knocked him into Summerhays and pushed him into the net, along with the puck. I'm not sure it really was a good goal, but the issue once again is Johns playing out of control. He caused the goal, and then for good measure still had to serve the two minutes for the penalty.

An even bigger issue is the whole defense. Right now this team resembles some of those Indianapolis Colts teams that had great offenses, but needed to score 35 points a game because the defense couldn't stop anybody when they really needed to. While our overall number looks pretty good, 2.30 goals against a game and good for 4th in the CCHA, as we all know it has been much worse since the new year, giving up 3.33 goals per game. It has doubled since the Minnesota game.

It's not a problem with the forwards. The goalies are a bit of the problem. But the biggest problem is with the defensemen themselves. Some of them at least. Shayne Taker and Kevin Lind have both been solid. Predictably, both play to their strengths and make few mistakes. Eric Johnson has been playing better and better each weekend. And his minutes have increased steadily as a result. Initially he was getting a few shifts a game. He's getting regular minutes now and killing penalties. And he's earned it. But Russo and Calabrese have to play better. They have to make plays. Calabrese looks frozen out there half the time, and his hesitation, especially on offense results in losing the attack zone on a regular basis. Russo is starting to develop a complete lack of willingness to shoot. Of his 18 points on the season, 15 came in the first 17 games, just 3 in the last 13. I hope Johns hasn't given up, but sometimes I wish Jackson would give up on him. He rarely makes good plays anymore. His shot selection is terrible. He was whistled for 6 penalties in the team's first 15 games, and 14 in the next 15 games. He's out of position far too often for a junior who has played in all but one of his team's games in three seasons. He doesn't handle pressure well and is forced into more turnovers than anyone else on the team. But I guess he'll keep getting his chances.

Miami and Western are playing like two teams sitting atop the standings and high in the PWR. Bowling Green is playing better hockey than at any time since Jackson has been at Notre Dame. This team needs at least 3 wins over their final 6 games (and probably 4) AND a second round playoff series win to ensure a tournament bid without two wins in Detroit. Remember, no Irish hockey team has ever made an NCAA tournament needing a conference playoff title. I really hope their play next Friday and Sunday makes me eat a lot of my recent posts.

 

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

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

...sometimes I wish Jackson would give up on him. He rarely makes good plays anymore. His shot selection is terrible. He was whistled for 6 penalties in the team's first 15 games, and 14 in the next 15 games. He's out of position far too often for a junior who has played in all but one of his team's games in three seasons.

Good god.

Ever since Nick Larson was forced to sit after a bad penalty and then didn't dress the following game, he has been a different player. He was a great, solid play maker this weekend, breaking up passes, finding the open guy, taking shots, smart physical play. I had no idea the number of penalties Stephen Johns has taken in the second half. That's the mark of getting beaten, being out of position and generally being lazy.

I gotta think Andy Ryan can't be any more of a detriment than Johns has been. Dress him. Sit Johns. Maybe that wake up call would work for him as it has for Larson.

 

[IrishHockeyFan]

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

...and some of our d men continue to make really poor decisions, one in particular. Does anyone think Jackson was sending a message by starting Eric Johnson thus depriving us the big introduction " from beautiful Wampum, PA"?

Good god.

Ever since Nick Larson was forced to sit after a bad penalty and then didn't dress the following game, he has been a different player. He was a great, solid play maker this weekend, breaking up passes, finding the open guy, taking shots, smart physical play. I had no idea the number of penalties Stephen Johns has taken in the second half. That's the mark of getting beaten, being out of position and generally being lazy.

I gotta think Andy Ryan can't be any more of a detriment than Johns has been. Dress him. Sit Johns. Maybe that wake up call would work for him as it has for Larson.

You folks think maybe sometimes Jackson relies too much on "the devil you know" mentality? His reluctance to play Summerhays last season or give him any rope at all when he did, or dress more frequently some of the other forwards in place of a couple who really struggled all season makes me wonder. We all know of the huge upside in Johns' game when he is playing well by his standards. But I'm tired of waiting out all of the poor play and penalties to see flashes of it.

Johns had started 11 of 14 home games coming into the Michigan series. The ones he didn't start all followed Notre Dame losses, and he did not appear to play as well as one would have liked. He was on the ice for 7 of the 8 goals allowed in those three losses (UMD, WMU, NoDak) and I believe he was benched for a period on one of them. I have no idea If any of that was for disciplinary reasons but it would seem so. One would think that the starting lineup -- especially at home where Notre Dame has last change (and that applies to the starting lineup as well) -- is in part a function of who the other coach puts out there. He has varied his starting forwards fairly consistently between Lee's line and Tynan's. He even started the 4th line once. But the defense has almost always been Johns' pairing. If Jackson is trying to send some sort of a message by who started this weekend, I don't think it took.

 

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

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

You folks think maybe sometimes Jackson relies too much on "the devil you know" mentality?

I hope not. The devil he knows has been completely ineffective. He's got to be able to rely on the others. That's why they are part of the team. Which now begs the question: how bad is Andy Ryan that he can't crack this D lineup?

 

[WeAreNDHockey]

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

Before I get accused of being too Pollyannish last night, I realize there are still serious concerns with this team. The goaltending is still way too inconsistent this late in the season and some of our d men continue to make really poor decisions, one in particular. Does anyone think Jackson was sending a message by starting Eric Johnson thus depriving us the big introduction " from beautiful Wampum, PA"?

I made a similar comment a couple of weeks ago about the rousing Wampum PA intro to someone sitting next to me, either JJfP or Mr. JJfP. Mike Collins is a Pittsburgh guy himself, so it got a pretty innocent start, but I wondered too if it was getting out of hand. My opinion of Johns play right now is pretty one-sided so I'm hardly objective when it comes to my evaluation, but man, if that is going to his head that's pretty lame.

 

[25 years and counting]

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

If JJ ticks off "Johns" he might take his skates & sticks and go Pro.



Not judging, just saying

 

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

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

If JJ ticks off "Johns" he might take his skates & sticks and go Pro.

I would hope Johns isn't that arrogant. And I for one don't want a coach who is "afraid" to "tick off" a player. That's like a parent being afraid to discipline a child. If a player cannot accept coaching or discipline by a coach or thinks he knows more than a coach and decides to ply his trade elsewhere, he'll quickly learn he isn't the smartest guy at the rink. Think: Alexander Ovechkin.

 

[25 years and counting]

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

I would hope Johns isn't that arrogant. And I for one don't want a coach who is "afraid" to "tick off" a player. That's like a parent being afraid to discipline a child. If a player cannot accept coaching or discipline by a coach or thinks he knows more than a coach and decides to ply his trade elsewhere, he'll quickly learn he isn't the smartest guy at the rink. Think: Alexander Ovechkin.

Think Riley Sheahan


Not judging, just saying

 

[IrishHockeyFan]

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

Riley Sheahan left because the Red Wings gave him a signing bonus in the quarter of a million dollar range, in addition to a 3 year contract that will pay well over the NHL minimum any season he makes the big club. Not bad work for a college dropout if you can get it. He didn't take his skates and sticks and go home like some pouting child. Had he said no to the Wings he'd still be centering a line for Notre Dame.

As for Johns, if being benched for a game -- even if he thinks his play doesn't warrant it -- causes him to bolt, well, don't let the door hit you in the behind on your way out. Having said that, he isn't going anywhere. His play recently isn't impressing anyone who has access to the Blackhawks bank accounts, and his overall game here doesn't make me want to see him go. What I do want to see is the Steven Johns from much of his first two seasons here. Great shot from the point that finds its way to the net, great disruptive physical presence that made it hard for teams to transition on us, and leadership on the ice from his earliest days as a college player. Other than major penalties there's nothing I want to see from him that we didn't get in great quantity two seasons ago.

 

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

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

I've been debating whether or not I should admit how I think ND will fare this weekend. Then I thought, "This team never performs well when they are expected to do well, so..."

I think on Friday, ND will get their heads handed to them on a stick. If they lose by only 3 goals, I'll be surprised. I know that sounds uber-negative, but I have no reason to think otherwise. On the plus side, I think Sunday's game will be much better, likely a tie, and maybe even a SO win.

On paper, ND and Miami are not that different. In fact some of ND's numbers are better than Miami's. Our PP (especially in league play), our goals/game, even the number of players who have registered points in the double digits are all better than Miami's.

Where the chasm occurs is in everything defensive. Miami blows us away at killing penalties, goals against/game and goaltending in general. They even have 2 go-to goalies who both have stellar numbers (think Brady Hjelle on steroids), and who have split time in net, and we already know how we have performed in the second half against brick walls.

If we manage to split this weekend's points, I'll buy everyone here a drink at Fiddler's Hearth before the last home game. If we do how I expect, I'll be buying only me those drinks.

An oldie but a goodie from the mouth of Henry Ford: Whether you think you can or you think you can't, either way, you're right.

 

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

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

At least we cannot finish lower than 7th in the league.

 

[WeAreNDHockey]

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

We've given up a power play goal in 9 straight games. No other CCHA team has given up a PP goal in each of their last 9 games. We did score a shorty in that time though. Of course it was negated by a defenseman who shall remain nameless making two bad plays following the ensuing faceoff leading to a PP goal 39 seconds later.

At some point Jackson needs to do something that turns something around. Take over the special teams from Pooley. Play a couple of guys who don't see any ice time to shake things up. Radical changes in the practice regimen.

This team looks like that meteor that exploded over Russia yesterday. Speedy, bright and spectacular looking at first, only to blow up and fall to Earth in pieces.

 

[WeAreNDHockey]

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

Tonight's results mean we can now finish no lower than 5th this season. Whoopie... Lake State can tie us in points but we hold whatever tie breakers we'd need. Alaska, BG, NMU, UM and MSU cannot catch up in points.

We've still got a long way to go to ensure anything higher than 5th. 5 points clinches 4th place even if Ferris (2 games left @ UM) wins out. But clinching any other spot is open to a lot of variables. Miami has a tough schedule left, (hopefully including our game tomorrow, but I'm not holding my breath) a trip to the Soo and finishing up with a pretty hot OSU. Western, who had been as hot in 2013 as we were cold is suddenly struggling a little bit, winless in 3 straight. They close with us and an MSU team trying to get the season over with.

This team still has a chance to make me eat a few weeks worth of posts. I am hungry. I hope they at least play like they are too.

 

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

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

Holy crap. Where has this team been hiding since the Xmas break? If they play the rest of the season as they did this afternoon in Chicago, I will be one happy hockey fan. You know why they played so well (dominating most of the game) and won? The ice sucked and they had to...wait for it...keep it simple. Pucks to the net--including on the PP. Clearing pucks. Winning battles on the boards. Hustling. Backchecking. Forechecking. All the basics done by a talented team usually equals a win.

I owe the ND posters drinks. And I don't mind one bit.

 

[IrishHockeyFan]

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

You know why they played so well (dominating most of the game) and won? The ice sucked and they had to...wait for it...keep it simple. Pucks to the net--including on the PP. Clearing pucks. Winning battles on the boards. Hustling. Backchecking. Forechecking. All the basics done by a talented team usually equals a win.

This.

We have not been adjusting to conditions. Sometimes those conditions are bad ice. Really bad ice. Sometimes it's a bad ref. Sometimes it's an unexpected style of play from an opponent. But they adjusted their game to the conditions they had to play it in today and controlled most everything. We'll see how big this win is next week. I'm not ready to believe anything anymore with this team until I see it on the ice.

 

[SwedishJustice22]

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

This season is slowing killing me. It's not as bad as last years collapse, but its filled with so many what ifs its not even funny. Like what if Alaska didn't sweep us. What if we didn't lose all but 2 games in a 10 game stretch. We could be easily hanging another banner in the Compton as no one has run away with this conference, but we had another post-Christmas slump. I would love to see the team from Soldiers Field show up for the last 4 remaining battles. I would love to see us make a run to take the last cup at the Joe. I would love to see us in the NCAA's. I would love not to be so down and out on this team

 

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

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

My mother used to say, "If wishes were horses, beggars would ride." Well I wanna ride, dammit! SJ22 has said what we all feel. Now if the team would just listen...

But first...a pet peeve. The links on NDNation have us playing UWM. Is this a new D1 team? Last I checked, it's WMU.

Another pet peeve. Another link on NDNation has some reporter from HLS interviewing Anders Lee after the game Sunday. Her lead in referred to him as Andreas Lee. She talks about the upcoming last 3 weekends in the regular season. There are 2 weekends left in the CCHA.

A little research goes a long way towards credibility.

As for the University of Western Michigan, er, um... They have 2 guys who have at least 20 points (Dane Walters with 23 and Chase Balisy with 22). Their special teams are what I wish our special teams could be like. They've recorded 30 PPG's (nearly one/game) and given up only 19. They've also given up only 1 shortie all season.

ND has 4 guys with at least 20 points, led by Andreas with 30. While we've scored 24 PPG's, we've given up 23. And we've given up 3 shorties in half a season. What was I sayin' about horses and riding?

Frank Slubowski has "struggled" in net lately for the Broncos. He has 2 losses and a tie in his last 3 Saturday appearances. However, his last 3 Fridays shows 2 wins and a tie. His GA and save % are still stellar also.

Steven Summerhays looked like the goalie of the first half this past Sunday. Actually the entire team looked like they went back in time this past Sunday. His save % is virtually identical to Slubowski's while his GA is slightly above 2, so not at all like Slubowski's.

So it looks as if special teams will be the key this weekend. Can we kill penalties? Can we score a PPG or 3? Can we finally have a good showing in Lawson?

Apparently I am begging. And I've got 3 wishes. Now where's that horse?

 

[broncos24]

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

Battle for 2nd place this weekend! If one team sweeps, the other will be almost certainly resigned to 3rd place (maybe even 4th at season's end). Regardless, we're both cheering for the Lakers this weekend and the Buckeyes next weekend.

Are you guys missing anyone this weekend? I know Voran is sitting out Friday for his DQ, and Beers is suspended (correct me if I'm wrong).

We're finally back to full strength. Defenseman Garrett Haar (WSH) will be back in the lineup after missing the last 16 games.

WMU is 13-2-1 at home this season. Hopefully that dominance continues, but make it:
Fri: 3-1 UWM
Sat: 3-2 ND