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Lake Superior State Hockey Lakers 2013-2014 (part II)

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Re: Lake Superior State Hockey Lakers 2013-2014 (part II)

With the 500 a game they're drawing? Last in the league in attendance! Flying high alright.

If you add those fans, to the ones that are actually at the games up there in the Norris Center, then you might get to 1000. Build it, and they will come, and Jim Roque is doing that at Lake Superior. They might even climb to 8th place and make the playoffs this season in the always tough WCHA!!

The next four years under him will be the best ones yet. Just you wait and see!!!
 
Re: Lake Superior State Hockey Lakers 2013-2014 (part II)

Congratulations to Gus Correale for getting WCHA Rookie of the Week!
It will be interesting to see if the Lakers keep the freshmen line of Nardi/Miller/Correale together next season. They seem to be playing fairly well.
 
The main reason players leave early is money. A player who has that cash sitting in front of him risks losing it and the corresponding opportunity if he is injured, if the team declines around him and he is unable to match his numbers again. Also, when NHL teams pursue free agents, they go for the openings that are there in their organization now. Is Robinson guaranteed to get the same offer if he waits a year? It's very likely that Czuczman will get a pretty good NHL offer when the season ends. He would be wise to take it. And there wouldn't be much any coach could do to convince him to stay. I don't know who all these high end prospects are that are staying at other schools are, but I do recall Red Berenson a couple years ago bemoaning the increase in the loss of underclassmen and UM was one of the best at retaining them. The key factor has been the most recent NHL CBA. Early departures have gone way up across the board because of it.

I'm glad someone on here understands. Hit the nail right on the head dave!
 
Re: Lake Superior State Hockey Lakers 2013-2014 (part II)

I was all for Ravn being put in when Murdock got shelled in the third. I would have taken that chance, personally.

That being said; anyone on this thread who says it doesnt matter if you lose 5-1 or 8-1 clearly has not played sports before. It has a huge mental effect. Losing a close game can almost give you confidence for a better result the next game. Getting blown out feels like dog crap and gets worse as the lead grows.
 
Re: Lake Superior State Hockey Lakers 2013-2014 (part II)

RED berenson has said, and I agree with him, if a player is going to be a first round draft pick and get first round money that is more than "normal" people make in a lifetime, go for it. Otherwise, staying in college and earning a degree is better than going pro and playing in the AHL or lower leagues. Good advice!
 
Re: Lake Superior State Hockey Lakers 2013-2014 (part II)

Money talks and bull**** walks. Been that way for thousands of years.
 
RED berenson has said, and I agree with him, if a player is going to be a first round draft pick and get first round money that is more than "normal" people make in a lifetime, go for it. Otherwise, staying in college and earning a degree is better than going pro and playing in the AHL or lower leagues. Good advice!

That's easy for Red to say. He has plenty of money. It's a bit more difficult for a kid and his family to turn aside a couple hundred thousand bonus. From a hockey perspective, I agree with Red. But even those #1 picks rarely skip the AHL.
 
Re: Lake Superior State Hockey Lakers 2013-2014 (part II)

Well, to get back to talking about hockey. As much as this season has been a disappointment there are some positives to take away. I've kind of given up on this season, but I think we've got a young team with some talent developing. Globke is probably the best freshman we've had in years, he's well rounded and he's got great instincts. The freshman line of Correale, Miller, and Nardi has improved steadily through the season and our recruiting in general seems to have improved a bit. Regardless of what you think of the coaching, if we hadn't lost a few people to the AHL we'd probably be sitting in 4th on talent alone. I also think our conditioning is the best its been in years. It hasn't paid off just yet, our saturday record is abysmal, but I think the effort has been there in a way that wasn't happening for a long time at Lake State.
The highlight games for me this season were the two against Ferris. Both losses, but the team played with an intensity that I just don't see here very often. They outskated and out hustled Ferris both nights, the difference is that the Ferris team knows how to win. Ferris played with so much confidence where we seemed desperate and frantic even at our best. We always seem to pass when we should shoot and then shoot when we should have passed. I can't believe how good we make the goalies look sometimes.
So for next year I'm hoping for a freshman forward that can jump in an contribute the way Globke has and maybe build some scoring chemistry. We need to rebuild the defense a bit. My biggest complaint with Roques scheme is the way he coaches the D. They're always dancing around trying to block shots with their toes and not challenging the skater. Especially Sternberg, for a senior he has terrible judgment. Hopefully we can bring some good D recruits that already know how to play.
The goalie situation will be interesting. It's a gamble not having a know quantity for next year. But maybe telling the recruits they could start from day 1 will give us some leverage on a stud goalie who doesn't want to ride the bench.
Maybe the biggest thing to talk about is our inability to win on saturdays. I think the effort is usually there, but the execution has been very poor. Are teams adjusting to our scheme and getting the edge? It would seem like they could do that on fridays just as well given that we play the same lines and the same style week to week. I just don't know what to make of a team that can beat anybody in the country on a friday, even on the road, but can't be counted on to beat UAH on a saturday. What do you guys think?
 
Re: Lake Superior State Hockey Lakers 2013-2014 (part II)

Well, to get back to talking about hockey. As much as this season has been a disappointment there are some positives to take away. I've kind of given up on this season, but I think we've got a young team with some talent developing. Globke is probably the best freshman we've had in years, he's well rounded and he's got great instincts. The freshman line of Correale, Miller, and Nardi has improved steadily through the season and our recruiting in general seems to have improved a bit. Regardless of what you think of the coaching, if we hadn't lost a few people to the AHL we'd probably be sitting in 4th on talent alone. I also think our conditioning is the best its been in years. It hasn't paid off just yet, our saturday record is abysmal, but I think the effort has been there in a way that wasn't happening for a long time at Lake State.
The highlight games for me this season were the two against Ferris. Both losses, but the team played with an intensity that I just don't see here very often. They outskated and out hustled Ferris both nights, the difference is that the Ferris team knows how to win. Ferris played with so much confidence where we seemed desperate and frantic even at our best. We always seem to pass when we should shoot and then shoot when we should have passed. I can't believe how good we make the goalies look sometimes.
So for next year I'm hoping for a freshman forward that can jump in an contribute the way Globke has and maybe build some scoring chemistry. We need to rebuild the defense a bit. My biggest complaint with Roques scheme is the way he coaches the D. They're always dancing around trying to block shots with their toes and not challenging the skater. Especially Sternberg, for a senior he has terrible judgment. Hopefully we can bring some good D recruits that already know how to play.
The goalie situation will be interesting. It's a gamble not having a know quantity for next year. But maybe telling the recruits they could start from day 1 will give us some leverage on a stud goalie who doesn't want to ride the bench.
Maybe the biggest thing to talk about is our inability to win on saturdays. I think the effort is usually there, but the execution has been very poor. Are teams adjusting to our scheme and getting the edge? It would seem like they could do that on fridays just as well given that we play the same lines and the same style week to week. I just don't know what to make of a team that can beat anybody in the country on a friday, even on the road, but can't be counted on to beat UAH on a saturday. What do you guys think?
Globke certainly has had an excellent season. Next season will be a good test to see how good Globke really is. He had the benefit of playing on our top line with Radke and Campbell this season. Next season that won't be the case. I think I remember Roque saying Globke is a natural center so maybe that's where he'll be playing next season.

We lose 4 of our top 6 D, so definitely we have to rebuild there. I like the 2 D recruits who have committed so far.

I think the coaches are hoping Aldridge will turn out to be a Jakaitis type goalie. Neither is very big. Megariotis is a transfer from OSU who saw no playing time in net there last season; he's kind of an unknown quantity at this point.

As for guys leaving early for the pros, it's a sign we're getting better players, but it's not an excuse for not finishing higher in the standings. Other teams lose talented underclassmen to the pros also. It's part of the game.

I didn't see the Ferris games so I can't comment on that.

When I have seen the Lakers play, one thing on D that we could do better is clearing (or tieing up) opposing players from in front of our net. Granted it's tougher to do that nowadays without taking a penalty. You can't play as physical as you could in the past.

Saturday nights. When we win on Friday, our opponent comes out with more energy and intensity on Saturday because they don't want to get swept. We usually seem to have trouble matching that energy and intensity.
 
Re: Lake Superior State Hockey Lakers 2013-2014 (part II)

... our saturday record is abysmal, but I think the effort has been there in a way that wasn't happening for a long time at Lake State.

While I agree with many of your points, your point about effort I have to disagree with you. I have been attending Laker games for many years and I have always respected the effort the team put forward in the last 2 or 3 minutes. Always. I have some very exciting finishes either winning or tying in the last minute. However this year I have not seen it, the last Saturday home game I felt they mailed it in and quite frankly they did a disservice to previous teams that busted their tails at the end. They for gosh sakes they pulled Murdock for the last 4 minutes and couldn't score a goal! Just an observation.
 
Re: Lake Superior State Hockey Lakers 2013-2014 (part II)

KK = Wins.

Glory is upon us, my friends.

Lets buckle and see if the boys can make a late season push.
 
Re: Lake Superior State Hockey Lakers 2013-2014 (part II)

While I agree with many of your points, your point about effort I have to disagree with you. I have been attending Laker games for many years and I have always respected the effort the team put forward in the last 2 or 3 minutes. Always. I have some very exciting finishes either winning or tying in the last minute. However this year I have not seen it, the last Saturday home game I felt they mailed it in and quite frankly they did a disservice to previous teams that busted their tails at the end. They for gosh sakes they pulled Murdock for the last 4 minutes and couldn't score a goal! Just an observation.

I haven't been to a game since december, so maybe you're right and that's part of the later season collapse. And I would agree that they haven't really shown the extra effort in the closing minutes. But they have been a third period team, most of the time. They've fought back from a number of early game deficits over the season. As for never scoring with the extra man, that problem goes beyond effort. Their power play needs serious work. In theory I like the spacing scheme they run with the puck cycling on the outside and the wingers collapsing in for the precisely timed double move, but in practice they just can't make it work. It's actually more of a pro style power play than most college teams run. Most teams just try to screen the goalie and bat it at the net hoping for a bounce. Which isn't as pretty but certainly requires far less execution for the pp percentage than we're getting. I'd like to see Roque get back to basics on that. Our pp would be far more effective if we had at least one defenseman with a great shot, a quick release slapshot that consistently hits the net. Czuczman is almost that guy, but needs to develop his timing a little more, and will probably do that in the pros. Nobody else comes close, maybe Drapluk eventually.
 
Re: Lake Superior State Hockey Lakers 2013-2014 (part II)

I haven't been to a game since december, so maybe you're right and that's part of the later season collapse. And I would agree that they haven't really shown the extra effort in the closing minutes. But they have been a third period team, most of the time. They've fought back from a number of early game deficits over the season. As for never scoring with the extra man, that problem goes beyond effort. Their power play needs serious work. In theory I like the spacing scheme they run with the puck cycling on the outside and the wingers collapsing in for the precisely timed double move, but in practice they just can't make it work. It's actually more of a pro style power play than most college teams run. Most teams just try to screen the goalie and bat it at the net hoping for a bounce. Which isn't as pretty but certainly requires far less execution for the pp percentage than we're getting. I'd like to see Roque get back to basics on that. Our pp would be far more effective if we had at least one defenseman with a great shot, a quick release slapshot that consistently hits the net. Czuczman is almost that guy, but needs to develop his timing a little more, and will probably do that in the pros. Nobody else comes close, maybe Drapluk eventually.
I don't get to see many games, usually a couple of series a season, but the PP hasn't looked that good in the games I have seen over the past few seasons. A lot of passing around the outside of the umbrella, not enough movement away from the puck, eventually we take a shot from the outside, but not enough traffic in front of the net for a deflection or rebound. And yes, too many of those outside shots miss the net. I'm not sure what kind of shot he has, but Jim Roll, the incoming D recruit from Carleton Place, is putting up pretty good numbers for a D (35 pts in 40 games) so he is evidently an offensive minded D. In the games I've seen, I thought Czuzcman's snap wrist shot was better than his slap shot.
 
Re: Lake Superior State Hockey Lakers 2013-2014 (part II)

Interview: Coach, when will you play Ravn
Coach: Nevermore

Want to see fans who already hate the coach go gorilla poo (I ripped that term off from another poster)? Give Ravn a start in Huntsville and have him give up a couple in the first period!
 
Re: Lake Superior State Hockey Lakers 2013-2014 (part II)

Interview: Coach, when will you play Ravn
Coach: Nevermore

Want to see fans who already hate the coach go gorilla poo (I ripped that term off from another poster)? Give Ravn a start in Huntsville and have him give up a couple in the first period!
It's easy to hypothesize about a situation you know will never happen. No one can prove you're wrong.
 
Re: Lake Superior State Hockey Lakers 2013-2014 (part II)

I'm the lout who does play-by-play, so I may duck in here for pronunciation help tomorrow. I hope to not flub names too badly, and I promise not to listen to our PA guy, who WILL flub them up badly.

GFM <— preparing for an SQC exam at the moment.
 
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