Maine Black Bears, 2010-2011, Redemption or FORE, I say......

[walrus]

Re: Maine Black Bears, 2010-2011, Redemption or FORE, I say......

Honest question, can anyone explain to me Maine's goaltending rotation? As an outsider who doesn't know if there's been injuries/suspensions, etc..

Can you think of any D1 hockey team ever, that has carried 3 (starting?) goalies on their roster and then played all 3 pretty much equally?

Ouellette was hurt early, Sullivan is hurt now, Ouellette is supposedely the 14th best North Amrican born prospect, was drafted and looks great but he isn't mentally ready if you ask me. He takes up space, is quick, moves side to side but has made the same mistakes you saw Sirman make last night. Sully plays tall, takes up space, is a little slow side to side but is older and has some poise. Either of these 2 guys would be adequate but they are both Freshman. I thought Sirman was history when these 2 guys came. He beat BC, looked good doing it, I have 0 confidence in him.

 

[BoSox3066]

Re: Maine Black Bears, 2010-2011, Redemption or FORE, I say......

Honest question, can anyone explain to me Maine's goaltending rotation? As an outsider who doesn't know if there's been injuries/suspensions, etc....I see two freshmen and a sophomore. All have subpar numbers. Sirman has the best winning percentage and save percentage. Sullivan the most wins and best GAA.

Given how shaky they've all been, has it pretty much been picking out of a hat who to start? Is there a consensus with the fans on who gives them the best chance to win? Who's been the "best" in regard to the eyeball test? Anyone in the pipeline supposed to be better than these guys?

It might seem like there are a lot of issues with your team, but the not even average goaltending is obviously #1 on that list and a big reason Maine hasn't met expectations this year. Although, the goaltending concerns before the season couldn't have been more accurate.

Sure, Sullivan emerged as the go to guy and they rode him. He wore down andhad a couple tough games. They started using the other guys. Repeat. Sullivan is now hurt, so he's been out of the mix for 3 weeks-ish maybe. Basically, with the 2 guys now, Tim's starting a guy and if he plays well enough to "be hot" to earn another start he rides him. If he flops, the coach tries the other guys. It's really not dissimilar to how Claude Julien's running the Timmy/Tuukka show right now....Timmy started back to back when he plays well, when he shows fatigue or plays poorly, it's Tuukka Time. Huge difference is Whitehead's goalies suck.

I really don't have issue with the way Whitehead's handled the goaltending rotation this season. None of these guys have earned the job and they've all had ample opportunity. Whitehead's problem in net this year was recruiting and Scott Darling being a phuck up. These guys make Darling look like Jaroslav Halak for chrisssakes.

 

[walrus]

Re: Maine Black Bears, 2010-2011, Redemption or FORE, I say......

Grant? Grant? Grant ain't been coaching goalies or recruiting anyone for a few years now. He ain't gonna be the one to right this ship.

To start, they need to can this part-time goalie coach and hire someone else on a full-time basis. And also hire someone who knows something about coaching defensemen. A forward as defense coach just doesn't cut it.

I don't see how Tim goes thru this off season without one asst coach going away. He can't hire a full time asst without canning either Kerluke or Corkum

 

[Hockeypuck]

Re: Maine Black Bears, 2010-2011, Redemption or FORE, I say......

Grant? Grant? Grant ain't been coaching goalies or recruiting anyone for a few years now.

http://new.bangordailynews.com/2010...ach-standbrook-assists-montgomerys-ushl-team/

 

[Slapshot08]

I'm realistic about the amount of talent, its no where near a Walshy team, I'm only looking at the last 4 years, all the rest of the guys Tim has had are Walshy and Grants guys. The D and goaltending are the weak points with little doubt. The D especially. The goalies are Freshman so having a rough game isn't out of the ordinary especially when the D is awful.

I didn't say or imply this team was Natl Championship caliber team, but they are underachieving and have been for 2 years

To blame this team's problems on the D is just wrong. If you have no goaltending behind you -- which they don't -- you have to play a different game. You go from playing to keep rebounds away from opponents and clearing out the net front to trying to keep ANY shots from getting though. Goalies from any other team in HE (except UML) would have saved the last 2 goals last night. Maine wins, 4-3. Goaltending is by far the biggest problem here, other than coaching. And to blame it on being freshmen, please! Didn't seem to be a problem for Muse, Millan, Madore, Rawlings, Thiessen, Canatta, Dainton, Quick, ..... Thanks for sending Grant to the USHL, Timmay!!!!

 

[Hockeypuck]

Re: Maine Black Bears, 2010-2011, Redemption or FORE, I say......

To blame this team's problems on the D is just wrong. If you have no goaltending behind you -- which they don't -- you have to play a different game. You go from playing to keep rebounds away from opponents and clearing out the net front to trying to keep ANY shots from getting though. Goalies from any other team in HE (except UML) would have saved the last 2 goals last night. Maine wins, 4-3. Goaltending is by far the biggest problem here, other than coaching. And to blame it on being freshmen, please! Didn't seem to be a problem for Muse, Millan, Madore, Rawlings, Thiessen, Canatta, Dainton, Quick, ..... Thanks for sending Grant to the USHL, Timmay!!!!

The D and the goaltending have equally sucked. The goalies are giving up goals left and right that should be routine saves there is no question about that and they should get their fair share of the blame. The only word I can use to desribe the D is atrocious. Dimmen is the only one that is a top 4 defenseman on other teams the rest probably wouldn't be on the roster or would be getting limited ice time on most teams.

 

[MEbear]

Re: Maine Black Bears, 2010-2011, Redemption or FORE, I say......

Uhmmm, this sounds like pretty serious stuff, don't get yourself into any trouble, it's not worth it....

Just what sort of "trouble" do you suppose someone could get into for vocally expressing their opinion about the poor job a coach is doing, especially when there is lots of evidence that they are right? If we were members of the UMaine hockey team or were assistant coaches for the team, then I suppose your worries might be well founded, but instead, we Maine taxpayers and ticket buyers are the ones who pay Whiteheads salary so I think we have every right to say what we think about his performance.

 

[walrus]

Re: Maine Black Bears, 2010-2011, Redemption or FORE, I say......

And to blame it on being freshmen, please! Didn't seem to be a problem for Muse, Millan, Madore, Rawlings, Thiessen, Canatta, Dainton, Quick, ..... Thanks for sending Grant to the USHL, Timmay!!!!

They all had D in front of them.

How many goals did UNh score Friday night when the Maine D man was behind the UNH shooter? at least 3. Its happened all season. I'm not saying the goalies are blameless, the Goalies have to bail out the D at times and lord knows that hasn't happened this year. The last 2 goals Sirman let in last night were a joke and not the Ds fault at all

 

[Onion Man]

Re: Maine Black Bears, 2010-2011, Redemption or FORE, I say......

I appreciate the viewpoint, but the 2nd half is total heresay. There are 58, working on 59 programs to choose from. Do you know these kids' preferences, personally? Maine wasn't the only school trying to land Paul Kariya; conversely, Shawn didn't exactly land every single Canadien kid he wanted either.

Honest question, do you think Paul Kariya goes to Maine if he were choosing today? I'm going with 'no'

 

[carltonbarrett]

Re: Maine Black Bears, 2010-2011, Redemption or FORE, I say......

Honest question, do you think Paul Kariya goes to Maine if he were choosing today? I'm going with 'no'

Even up until 4 or 5 years ago, top recruits were at least "mentioning" Maine when it came time to whittling down their possible choices, but now you rarely hear that.

 

[walrus]

Re: Maine Black Bears, 2010-2011, Redemption or FORE, I say......

Honest question, do you think Paul Kariya goes to Maine if he were choosing today? I'm going with 'no'

Of course not. Shawn and Grant sold the program

 

[Onion Man]

Re: Maine Black Bears, 2010-2011, Redemption or FORE, I say......

Even up until 4 or 5 years ago, top recruits were at least "mentioning" Maine when it came time to whittling down their possible choices, but now you rarely hear that.

Carlton, you seem like a reasonable Maine fan. Do you think it's Tim Whitehead's coaching or the loss of Standbrook, etc? To me, Whitehead is still the guy who got Maine to back to back Frozen Fours a few years ago. I doubt he simply "forgot" how to coach at that level.

 

[carltonbarrett]

Re: Maine Black Bears, 2010-2011, Redemption or FORE, I say......

Just what sort of "trouble" do you suppose someone could get into for vocally expressing their opinion about the poor job a coach is doing, especially when there is lots of evidence that they are right? If we were members of the UMaine hockey team or were assistant coaches for the team, then I suppose your worries might be well founded, but instead, we Maine taxpayers and ticket buyers are the ones who pay Whiteheads salary so I think we have every right to say what we think about his performance.

Well, I was kind of joking, but it seemed like this guy was getting ready to instigate an uprising or coup, more so than express an opinion

 

[carltonbarrett]

Re: Maine Black Bears, 2010-2011, Redemption or FORE, I say......

Carlton, you seem like a reasonable Maine fan. Do you think it's Tim Whitehead's coaching or the loss of Standbrook, etc? To me, Whitehead is still the guy who got Maine to back to back Frozen Fours a few years ago. I doubt he simply "forgot" how to coach at that level.

I think Maine is going to have a very difficult time EVER getting back to where they were regardless of who's the coach. Whether it was Tim or anyone else, once the aura that surrounded the program under Walsh slowly slipped away, it was going to be tough sledding. They'll have their years, but their days as a powerhouse are likely over for good in my humble opinion.

 

[Slapshot08]

They all had D in front of them.

How many goals did UNh score Friday night when the Maine D man was behind the UNH shooter? at least 3. Its happened all season. I'm not saying the goalies are blameless, the Goalies have to bail out the D at times and lord knows that hasn't happened this year. The last 2 goals Sirman let in last night were a joke and not the Ds fault at all

A D1 goalie -- and especially one in HE -- has to stop EVERY shot he's supposed to, and a few he's not supposed to. Not saying that the D didn't have some lapses in coverage, but the goals that these tenders are letting in are the equivalent of a Dman putting one in his own net. That isn't happening. The costliest mistakes being made on this team are in the crease.

 

[Onion Man]

Re: Maine Black Bears, 2010-2011, Redemption or FORE, I say......

A D1 goalie -- and especially one in HE -- has to stop EVERY shot he's supposed to, and a few he's not supposed to.

That's crazy. There isn't a goalie on Earth who never allows a soft goal.

 

[walrus]

Re: Maine Black Bears, 2010-2011, Redemption or FORE, I say......

A D1 goalie -- and especially one in HE -- has to stop EVERY shot he's supposed to, and a few he's not supposed to. Not saying that the D didn't have some lapses in coverage, but the goals that these tenders are letting in are the equivalent of a Dman putting one in his own net. That isn't happening. The costliest mistakes being made on this team are in the crease.

No arguement from me, they aren't making all the stops they should. Sully is probably closest to that description.

 

[walrus]

Re: Maine Black Bears, 2010-2011, Redemption or FORE, I say......

That's crazy. There isn't a goalie on Earth who never allows a soft goal.

Maine has them nearly every game and some at junctures of the game that really kill the team, see the last 2 goals last night

 

[UncleRay]

Re: Maine Black Bears, 2010-2011, Redemption or FORE, I say......

Maybe somebody has posted this and I didn't see it. I went through the box scores looking for scores in the last five minutes that changed the outcome of a game.

10/15 @ Mich St 14:53 gave up GWG. -1 point
11/6 @ BU 18:39 gave up tying goal. Tied game. -1
12/3 @ Prov. 15:10 gave up tying goal (shorthanded). Tied game. -1
12/10 vs. UNH 19:42 gave up tying goal. Lost game. -2
1/14 vs. Prov. 16:16 gave up tying goal. Won in OT. 0
1/22 @ NU 17:24 gave up tying goal. Tied. -1
2/5 @ UNH 19:44 gave up GWG. -1

So I fudged the five-minute rule by seven seconds for Michigan State, but the point is that Maine has not changed the course of a game for the better in the last five minutes. They have neither won nor scored a tying in the last five minutes of a game. In 7 of 26 games so far this season (27%!) they have given up a goal in 0- or 1-point games. Only once did they salvage the win. And, yes, I looked at games decided by two points in case there was an empty-netter.

A team that can't close out wins will be golfing early.

 

[gscott13]

Re: Maine Black Bears, 2010-2011, Redemption or FORE, I say......

extend that 5 minutes to 8 and you pick the GTGs from Uconn and UVM... (T -1, and OTW 0)