Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.
I miss Christian and Mark.
I've been thinking about what was good, bad or indifferent about this past season and each column has quite a few entries.
The good includes:
1. Wins over half of the field still playing
2. T.J. Tynan disproving the "sophomore slump" theory while averaging more than a point/game
3. The emergence of Austin Wuthrich and Robbie Russo as solid players
4. The (final) emergence of Steven Summerhays between the pipes with a 2.43 GA (better than 5 of the goalies still playing) and a save % of .910 (tying him with 3 of the goalies who still have games to play)
5. A winning % of 70% when scoring first (which actually surprised me because I thought protecting a lead was difficult for the Irish at times)
The indifferent includes:
1. A winning % of 37% when giving up the first goal; not a great number but better than our opponents
2. An 18.5% PP efficacy which puts us in the top half of teams (given the struggles in offense, this number is quite acceptable)
3. A 2.67 GA which puts us in the top 40% of teams (not great, but not horrific either)
4. An 82.9% PK efficiency which amazingly puts ND in the top third in the nation (I would have loved to have seen this number around 88%)
The bad is a long list that includes:
1. 18 losses, the 2nd most in Coach Jackson's tenure here (the most was 19 in his first season)
2. A losing conference record
3. No shootout points (making us the only CCHA team to record no victories in that gimmick, in fact, we were the only CCHA team to record no goals in the SO)
4. David Gerths, Bryan Rust and Mike Voran proving the "sophomore slump" theory
5. Anders Lee's scoring drought (and pipes hit, which is part of the desert, but seemingly the more frustrating part)
6. A 2.52 GF which put ND 45th in the country in offense (and let me tell ya, the teams below them had some baaaad seasons)
7. A winning % at home of barely above .500 (they say you are supposed to sweep at home, and while it's good to strive for that, I always think of a winning % of at least .700 at home as a good benchmark)
8. A winning % on the road of .395 (they also say you should split on the road, which I totally agree with, meaning this number just sucks)
9. Coach Jackson's handling of...well, most stuff this season, but more specifically the goalie situation. A good teacher constantly re-evaluates his or her lessons, tests, assignments, etc. Reflection should be done weekly, if not daily, to be an effective teacher. A good teacher is not afraid (as difficult as it is) to say, "Man, that did not go well. I should try..."
For me, I do not know how to apologize (it sucks admitting when you messed up), I try to move on from bad situations (a virtually impossible task) and I hope to change and grow (but how I hate change). Because really without those 3 things, there's no difference between us and tree stumps. And who wants to be a tree stump?
The good includes:
1. Wins over half of the field still playing
2. T.J. Tynan disproving the "sophomore slump" theory while averaging more than a point/game
3. The emergence of Austin Wuthrich and Robbie Russo as solid players
4. The (final) emergence of Steven Summerhays between the pipes with a 2.43 GA (better than 5 of the goalies still playing) and a save % of .910 (tying him with 3 of the goalies who still have games to play)
5. A winning % of 70% when scoring first (which actually surprised me because I thought protecting a lead was difficult for the Irish at times)
The indifferent includes:
1. A winning % of 37% when giving up the first goal; not a great number but better than our opponents
2. An 18.5% PP efficacy which puts us in the top half of teams (given the struggles in offense, this number is quite acceptable)
3. A 2.67 GA which puts us in the top 40% of teams (not great, but not horrific either)
4. An 82.9% PK efficiency which amazingly puts ND in the top third in the nation (I would have loved to have seen this number around 88%)
The bad is a long list that includes:
1. 18 losses, the 2nd most in Coach Jackson's tenure here (the most was 19 in his first season)
2. A losing conference record
3. No shootout points (making us the only CCHA team to record no victories in that gimmick, in fact, we were the only CCHA team to record no goals in the SO)
4. David Gerths, Bryan Rust and Mike Voran proving the "sophomore slump" theory
5. Anders Lee's scoring drought (and pipes hit, which is part of the desert, but seemingly the more frustrating part)
6. A 2.52 GF which put ND 45th in the country in offense (and let me tell ya, the teams below them had some baaaad seasons)
7. A winning % at home of barely above .500 (they say you are supposed to sweep at home, and while it's good to strive for that, I always think of a winning % of at least .700 at home as a good benchmark)
8. A winning % on the road of .395 (they also say you should split on the road, which I totally agree with, meaning this number just sucks)
9. Coach Jackson's handling of...well, most stuff this season, but more specifically the goalie situation. A good teacher constantly re-evaluates his or her lessons, tests, assignments, etc. Reflection should be done weekly, if not daily, to be an effective teacher. A good teacher is not afraid (as difficult as it is) to say, "Man, that did not go well. I should try..."
For me, I do not know how to apologize (it sucks admitting when you messed up), I try to move on from bad situations (a virtually impossible task) and I hope to change and grow (but how I hate change). Because really without those 3 things, there's no difference between us and tree stumps. And who wants to be a tree stump?
