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Maine 2012 - The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly??

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Fishman'81 said:
It's been a big enough sample to evaluate, and clearly TW is not the man for the job at Maine. I'll have no problem at all with him being fired, and the sooner the better, while Maine still has enough (inexplicable) cache left them to attract any talent whatsoever. (It amazes me that some recruits still refer to a Maine tradition of excellence that's been ancient history for a long while
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I don't think our tradition of excellence is a thing of the past at all, and although these past few years have been rather disappointing seasons, especially not making the NCAA playoffs until last year, during the Hockey East playoffs they have performed admirably when you consider their record which shows that the potential to win has been there but they have not been as consistent as we have grown to expect.

Coach Whitehead certainly has been on the hotseat for a while, but championships aren't won in October —and even BC lost a game to Northeastern yesterday so these things do happen. It's a younger team with lots of raw talent and, barring many injuries, should be battling it out for home ice Hockey East playoff seeding late into the season. I'm not overly optimistic, but my expectations are high because Maine Hockey does have a tradition of excellence that not even a Spencer Penrose Award winner can destroy.
 
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Re: Maine 2012 - The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly??

blackbearbandie said:
I don't think our tradition of excellence is a thing of the past at all, and although these past few years have been rather disappointing seasons, especially not making the NCAA playoffs until last year, during the Hockey East playoffs they have performed admirably when you consider their record which shows that the potential to win has been there but they have not been as consistent as we have grown to expect.

Coach Whitehead certainly has been on the hotseat for a while, but championships aren't won in October —and even BC lost a game to Northeastern yesterday so these things do happen. It's a younger team with lots of raw talent and, barring many injuries, should be battling it out for home ice Hockey East playoff seeding late into the season. I'm not overly optimistic, but my expectations are high because Maine Hockey does have a tradition of excellence that not even a Spencer Penrose Award winner can destroy.
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Oh puhleeeze. Maine is relegated to a run of the mill 500 team under whitehead. That is all they can ever hope for under him. Change him out and try to excel once again.
 
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Re: Maine 2012 - The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly??

blackbearbandie said:
, but championships aren't won in October —and even BC lost a game to Northeastern yesterday so these things do happen.
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Their have been a lot of timmay cheerleaders on here but comparing BC to Maine is the biggest joke I've ever read on here
 
Re: Maine 2012 - The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly??

blackbearbandie said:
I don't think our tradition of excellence is a thing of the past at all, and although these past few years have been rather disappointing seasons,.
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I guess a conversation is going to be tough.

you seem to have different definitions for the same words that many of use to mean completely different things.

it DOES seem that you and the Oakland Raiders/the late Al Davis, have the same definitions of "commitment to excellence".
 
Re: Maine 2012 - The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly??

I don't want to stir-up any infighting here; there is clearly a generational difference in terms of what is considered acceptable re: Maine's performance, but all of us pull hard for the Bears just the same.

Still, as Wally likes to say: "This is not your daddy's Maine team", and it hasn't been so since about 2003. The bar from the late 80's until then was set high, as in, top-5 nationally... These days, we salivate at getting the odd one-and-done in the NCAAs every several years. Apples and oranges.

Maine might not be too far gone to land a coach who can revive the program, though... Look at how Brian Kelly resuscitated a ND football program that had been left for dead for years.

Having said that, if Whitehead somehow gets renewed yet again, clearly the AD has thrown in the towel, and Maine has become another Northeastern for keeps.

I do NOT expect a cup of coffee as a low seed in the tournament in this season or the next... Does anyone?
 
Re: Maine 2012 - The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly??

I think we all need to take a step back a bit. It's very early in a long coll. hoc season. There's alot we just don't know about this team. There is some talent in the newcomers and sophs. They have at least been generating scoring chances. Whether it all comes together over the coming weeks is anyones guess. We do have the goaltending as we all thought, and the defense seems reasonable. The difference between winning and losing in div 1 coll hockey is a fine line.
 
Re: Maine 2012 - The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly??

'93 said:
I think we all need to take a step back a bit. It's very early in a long coll. hoc season. There's alot we just don't know about this team. There is some talent in the newcomers and sophs. They have at least been generating scoring chances. Whether it all comes together over the coming weeks is anyones guess. We do have the goaltending as we all thought, and the defense seems reasonable. The difference between winning and losing in div 1 coll hockey is a fine line.
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Agree with some of this but the goaltending....it is never under Whitehead a sure thing. I just hope Sully doesnt lose his confidence over one or two bad games because I dont think this coach knows how to handle goalies, never mind one that has lost confidence.
 
Re: Maine 2012 - The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly??

Fishman'81 said:
I
Still, as Wally likes to say: "This is not your daddy's Maine team", and it hasn't been so since about 2003. The bar from the late 80's until then was set high, as in, top-5 nationally... These days, we salivate at getting the odd one-and-done in the NCAAs every several years. Apples and oranges.?
Click to expand...

I watched the Maine games this weekend and then I watched the D for UNO and ND. Opponents would skate over the blue line against Blais's and Jacksons's D men, and the D men would stand them up. the forwards did not get to skate in with the puck and they did not get to skate in even after dumping the puck, they were hit be Dmen who knew how to time a hit and take the body.

It was nice to see and it brought back memories of Matt Martin and "your daddy's Maine teams"

that said. It was also nice to see Nemec, Cornell and OCononnor cleaning opponents out of the crease and risking penalties. That sort of physciality is NECESSARY in college hockey. I can think of two goals already this season that were the result of D men just standing around and watching opponents taking whack after whack at rebounds in the crease... and, ummm, one was the game winner this weekend. (granted, Tynan is hard to keep up with, but he cannot be left alone out front by Dmen who are more interested in using their sticks and never using their bodies... especially when the Dman "covering Tynan" was incapable of much more that whiff after whiff after whiff all weekend long)
 
Re: Maine 2012 - The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly??

KnowItAll said:
I watched the Maine games this weekend and then I watched the D for UNO and ND. Opponents would skate over the blue line against Blais's and Jacksons's D men, and the D men would stand them up. the forwards did not get to skate in with the puck and they did not get to skate in even after dumping the puck, they were hit be Dmen who knew how to time a hit and take the body.

It was nice to see and it brought back memories of Matt Martin and "your daddy's Maine teams"

that said. It was also nice to see Nemec, Cornell and OCononnor cleaning opponents out of the crease and risking penalties. That sort of physciality is NECESSARY in college hockey. I can think of two goals already this season that were the result of D men just standing around and watching opponents taking whack after whack at rebounds in the crease... and, ummm, one was the game winner this weekend. (granted, Tynan is hard to keep up with, but he cannot be left alone out front by Dmen who are more interested in using their sticks and never using their bodies... especially when the Dman "covering Tynan" was incapable of much more that whiff after whiff after whiff all weekend long)
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For this years team to have a chance in every game they have to play a physical type game in all 3 zones,they need to be tough in there own end,like you have said before clearing out the front of the net,beating and winning the loose puck battles in the corners and making it a pain in the butt to come thru the blueline/center ice areas,that said will/could it happen....well it did happen for about 10-12 minutes of the 1st period vs Quinnipiac then it was gone....there's some skill on this team but to win and compete this has to be a team that stands up for each other and gives back the sh#t also....Notre Dame on Friday took it to Maine and never allowed Maine any free areas in any of the zones...and TW never changed the game plan...so bet on a Roller/Coaster type season if they don't play a phsyical game...
 
Re: Maine 2012 - The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly??

Fishman'81 said:
I don't want to stir-up any infighting here; there is clearly a generational difference in terms of what is considered acceptable re: Maine's performance, but all of us pull hard for the Bears just the same.

Still, as Wally likes to say: "This is not your daddy's Maine team", and it hasn't been so since about 2003. The bar from the late 80's until then was set high, as in, top-5 nationally... These days, we salivate at getting the odd one-and-done in the NCAAs every several years. Apples and oranges.

Maine might not be too far gone to land a coach who can revive the program, though... Look at how Brian Kelly resuscitated a ND football program that had been left for dead for years.

Having said that, if Whitehead somehow gets renewed yet again, clearly the AD has thrown in the towel, and Maine has become another Northeastern for keeps.

I do NOT expect a cup of coffee as a low seed in the tournament in this season or the next... Does anyone?
Click to expand...
If Vegas had the ODDS out on that...could very well be 100 to 1.
 
Re: Maine 2012 - The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly??

all bear said:
Agree with some of this but the goaltending....it is never under Whitehead a sure thing. I just hope Sully doesnt lose his confidence over one or two bad games because I dont think this coach knows how to handle goalies, never mind one that has lost confidence.
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Handle the Goaltenders...he can't handle in game planning...there's never a Plan b or c...just Plan a and if it doesn't work,oh well....you can fill in the blank type excuse you will read in the BDNews the following day....ask Matt Lundin what he thinks of the Great TW.
 
Re: Maine 2012 - The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly??

all bear said:
Agree with some of this but the goaltending....it is never under Whitehead a sure thing. I just hope Sully doesnt lose his confidence over one or two bad games because I dont think this coach knows how to handle goalies, never mind one that has lost confidence.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure that Sully will ever be any more than a *slightly* below-average goalie whether he's confident or not, and I can't figure out why anyone else would think differently, based on the evidence.

The problem with Tim has always been his lack of recruiting, and having Dan as his #1 'tender speaks volumes about that.
 
Re: Maine 2012 - The Good, the Bad, or the Ugly??

fiqure8 said:
Maybe we will see Ouillette in net this Friday to completer the rotation. Maybe he will also be getting the nod after not expecting to play. He looked good at the NB game from what I heard.
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You may be right in terms of Ouellette starting the St. Lawrence game, but I would sooner think that Sullivan will go if healthy. He established the starting role late in the past season and I feel he will get the start Friday. We may see a different goal tender Saturday, depends I think on how he and the team perform on Friday. I agree with you on Ouellette, in fact all three goal tenders have done well. It's hard for me at this point to say if one is better than another.
 
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