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Maine - the Golfing Season

Re: Maine - the Golfing Season

BearNecessity said:
Chad Denny has played about 160 pro grames between AHL and ECHL, and is a 25 yo Sophomore..... I guess the dream dies harder for some than others....should be interesting skate againts a very mature Varsity Reds team on October 7 Bears will have 18 yo against former pros...will be a test, much more than folks may think
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UNB is missing nine players from their AUS conference championship team of last season who graduated (most of them), left early for the minor pros (one), or is focusing on school or family issues (two). They graduated their top three d-men, their best faceoff man (and captain) and several other useful players. They've added only three rookie recruits from major junior (Cam Braes, Cam Critchlow and Adrian Robertson) and two senior-year transfer students (Bryce Swan and Colby Pridham). One of their veteran forwards (Daine Todd) has been converted to a defenceman this season and is still figuring it out.

In the CIS you get five years of eligibility, and normally if you transfer schools you have to red-shirt a year and lose that year of eligibility. However, if you graduate with your degree from one school, you are allowed to enroll in a different school for a full-time "post-first-degree" program (eg. Law, MBA, Medicine, Education, Dentistry, or normal "grad school"), play right away (soon as your academics are sorted out) and not lose any eligibility. Swan was an AUS all-star who played four years for UNB-rival StFX, while Pridham was another all-star who was captain at Saint Mary's last year (another UNB rival). The two of them just became eligible to play for UNB last week, and made their debut with the Varsity Reds this past weekend in Montreal against McGill and Concordia.
 
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Re: Maine - the Golfing Season

FreddyFoyle said:
UNB is missing nine players from their AUS conference championship team of last season who graduated (most of them), left early for the minor pros (one), or is focusing on school or family issues (two). They graduated their top three d-men, their best faceoff man (and captain) and several other useful players. They've added only three rookie recruits from major junior (Cam Braes, Cam Critchlow and Adrian Robertson) and two senior-year transfer students (Bryce Swan and Colby Pridham). One of their veteran forwards (Daine Todd) has been converted to a defenceman this season and is still figuring it out.

In the CIS you get five years of eligibility, and normally if you transfer schools you have to red-shirt a year and lose that year of eligibility. However, if you graduate with your degree from one school, you are allowed to enroll in a different school for a full-time "post-first-degree" program (eg. Law, MBA, Medicine, Education, Dentistry, or normal "grad school"), play right away (soon as your academics are sorted out) and not lose any eligibility. Swan was an AUS all-star who played four years for UNB-rival StFX, while Pridham was another all-star who was captain at Saint Mary's last year (another UNB rival). The two of them just became eligible to play for UNB last week, and made their debut with the Varsity Reds this past weekend in Montreal against McGill and Concordia.
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Freddy, your posts this time of year are always very informative and interesting. Thanks for taking the time to get us all up to speed on UNB hockey.

Having said that, I have to wonder if playing this annual exhibition- albeit against a quality team- is worth it.

Most of the feedback in recent years seems to indicate that these affairs are, well, a bit *chippy*... I don't see any point in risking injuries (on either side) in a game that means nothing.
 
Re: Maine - the Golfing Season

Fishman'81 said:
Freddy, your posts this time of year are always very informative and interesting. Thanks for taking the time to get us all up to speed on UNB hockey.

Having said that, I have to wonder if playing this annual exhibition- albeit against a quality team- is worth it.

Most of the feedback in recent years seems to indicate that these affairs are, well, a bit *chippy*... I don't see any point in risking injuries (on either side) in a game that means nothing.
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If you ask the players, every game means "something", even if it is not a factor in standings or rankings. If the players are taking the game at least semi-seriously then you'll have some intensity and body contact and some emotion and maybe some chippiness .... you know, a real hockey game.

Maine and UNB have good programs. They both have team pride. They both want to win. In Maine's case, isn't it more valuable to play a season tune-up game against a Canadian opponent who actually believe they can/might beat you to you test your new players, or players in new roles, under 'live fire'? And no matter what happens in the game, since it is an "exhibition" game, it has zero impact on rankings/standing. Or would rather play a soft opponent who doesn't really give the Black Bears much of a battle for their first game and doesn't give you a good barometer of how this year's team might fare in real games?

There's a coach in Fredericton who likes to say about team injuries, "if you're not getting banged up, you're not playing hockey."

Plus, UNB is Maine's closest "geographical rival"

Plus, plus ... because of the nearness most New Brunswickers are fans of Maine if they're fans of any NCAA hockey program.
 
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Re: Maine - the Golfing Season

Fishman'81 said:
Freddy, your posts this time of year are always very informative and interesting. Thanks for taking the time to get us all up to speed on UNB hockey.

Having said that, I have to wonder if playing this annual exhibition- albeit against a quality team- is worth it.

Most of the feedback in recent years seems to indicate that these affairs are, well, a bit *chippy*... I don't see any point in risking injuries (on either side) in a game that means nothing.
Click to expand...

I like how Maine's exhibitions are against a team that there are some ties to, not some random team the fans see once every decade.

Plus, I think UNB would be a great natural rival for Maine if Canadian schools ever join the NCAA en masse.
 
Re: Maine - the Golfing Season

FreddyFoyle said:
If you ask the players, every game means "something", even if it is not a factor in standings or rankings. If the players are taking the game at least semi-seriously then you'll have some intensity and body contact and some emotion and maybe some chippiness .... you know, a real hockey game.

Maine and UNB have good programs. They both have team pride. They both want to win. In Maine's case, isn't it more valuable to play a season tune-up game against a Canadian opponent who actually believe they can/might beat you to you test your new players, or players in new roles, under 'live fire'? And no matter what happens in the game, since it is an "exhibition" game, it has zero impact on rankings/standing. Or would rather play a soft opponent who doesn't really give the Black Bears much of a battle for their first game and doesn't give you a good barometer of how this year's team might fare in real games?

There's a coach in Fredericton who likes to say about team injuries, "if you're not getting banged up, you're not playing hockey."

Plus, UNB is Maine's closest "geographical rival"

Plus, plus ... because of the nearness most New Brunswickers are fans of Maine if they're fans of any NCAA hockey program.
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Spot on man. I agree completely. Injuries are going to happen and you learn to live with them and work around them. As you say, its hockey.
 
Re: Maine - the Golfing Season

FreddyFoyle said:
If you ask the players, every game means "something", even if it is not a factor in standings or rankings. If the players are taking the game at least semi-seriously then you'll have some intensity and body contact and some emotion and maybe some chippiness .... you know, a real hockey game.

Maine and UNB have good programs. They both have team pride. They both want to win. In Maine's case, isn't it more valuable to play a season tune-up game against a Canadian opponent who actually believe they can/might beat you to you test your new players, or players in new roles, under 'live fire'? And no matter what happens in the game, since it is an "exhibition" game, it has zero impact on rankings/standing. Or would rather play a soft opponent who doesn't really give the Black Bears much of a battle for their first game and doesn't give you a good barometer of how this year's team might fare in real games?

There's a coach in Fredericton who likes to say about team injuries, "if you're not getting banged up, you're not playing hockey."

Plus, UNB is Maine's closest "geographical rival"

Plus, plus ... because of the nearness most New Brunswickers are fans of Maine if they're fans of any NCAA hockey program.
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I haven't seen a single game v. UNB; all I've heard from friends is that the games have gotten a little cheap of late. I could easily have heard it wrong, but I seem to remember reading about a lot of penalties in the box-scores recently.

It's really not in Maine's best interest to play against a team with nothing to lose in terms of consequences for bad behavior, whether it be UNB or anyone else. There is ongoing discipline to be dealt-with in a sanctioned NCAA game, but absolutely nothing to preclude cheap shots in a meaningless exhibition... That's a recipe for a free-for-all.

I don't see the game as being a barometer of anything, either, nor any kind of a real rivalry... I'm pretty confident that nobody cares much about the outcome, whether they be in Maine or New Brunswick, because it doesn't count for anything in either place.

I would much prefer to see Maine play a real game, or just stay home and get ready for one.
 
Re: Maine - the Golfing Season

Fishman'81 said:
I haven't seen a single game v. UNB; all I've heard from friends is that the games have gotten a little cheap of late. I could easily have heard it wrong, but I seem to remember reading about a lot of penalties in the box-scores recently.
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They never saw the games when Shawn was coach if they think the past few years have been cheap. NB plays hard but I haven't noticed alot of cheap stuff as compared to the old days( when they played other Canadian schools)
 
Re: Maine - the Golfing Season

Fishman'81 said:
I haven't seen a single game v. UNB; all I've heard from friends is that the games have gotten a little cheap of late. I could easily have heard it wrong, but I seem to remember reading about a lot of penalties in the box-scores recently.

It's really not in Maine's best interest to play against a team with nothing to lose in terms of consequences for bad behavior, whether it be UNB or anyone else. There is ongoing discipline to be dealt-with in a sanctioned NCAA game, but absolutely nothing to preclude cheap shots in a meaningless exhibition... That's a recipe for a free-for-all.

I don't see the game as being a barometer of anything, either, nor any kind of a real rivalry... I'm pretty confident that nobody cares much about the outcome, whether they be in Maine or New Brunswick, because it doesn't count for anything in either place.

I would much prefer to see Maine play a real game, or just stay home and get ready for one.
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UNB plays tough and they are a skilled team. There's some lessons to be learned from facing that kind of adversity, which is probably one reason I suspect that Yorkie schedules them also. Not that Timmay and Yorkie are in the same coaching class, mind you. :D

Because they aint. :D
 
Re: Maine - the Golfing Season

Fishman'81 said:
I haven't seen a single game v. UNB; all I've heard from friends is that the games have gotten a little cheap of late. I could easily have heard it wrong, but I seem to remember reading about a lot of penalties in the box-scores recently.

It's really not in Maine's best interest to play against a team with nothing to lose in terms of consequences for bad behavior, whether it be UNB or anyone else. There is ongoing discipline to be dealt-with in a sanctioned NCAA game, but absolutely nothing to preclude cheap shots in a meaningless exhibition... That's a recipe for a free-for-all.

I don't see the game as being a barometer of anything, either, nor any kind of a real rivalry... I'm pretty confident that nobody cares much about the outcome, whether they be in Maine or New Brunswick, because it doesn't count for anything in either place.

I would much prefer to see Maine play a real game, or just stay home and get ready for one.
Click to expand...

Well in last year's game there were a lot of "interesting" calls and non-calls by the refs (Black Bear bumps UNB goalie, goal counts, while UNB player bumps goalie and gets penalty, for example ...). This I believe ballooned the penalty count. There are consequences for the CIS players too. One of the UNB players ending up missing two games of AUS conference play due to automatic suspensions from an incident late in last year's game against Maine where the ref threw the book at him (which the V-Reds thought was unjust).

I'm one person who cares about the outcome. As does my buddy who is travelling with me to the game. As do the UNB players when they talk about the games. I haven't talked to many Maine players so I can't speak for them.

Try coming to the game. You might be surprised and enjoy it.
 
Re: Maine - the Golfing Season

FreddyFoyle said:
Well in last year's game there were a lot of "interesting" calls and non-calls by the refs (Black Bear bumps UNB goalie, goal counts, while UNB player bumps goalie and gets penalty, for example ...). This I believe ballooned the penalty count. There are consequences for the CIS players too. One of the UNB players ending up missing two games of AUS conference play due to automatic suspensions from an incident late in last year's game against Maine where the ref threw the book at him (which the V-Reds thought was unjust).

I'm one person who cares about the outcome. As does my buddy who is travelling with me to the game. As do the UNB players when they talk about the games. I haven't talked to many Maine players so I can't speak for them.

Try coming to the game. You might be surprised and enjoy it.
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No doubt I'd enjoy seeing the game; if I had the opportunity to do, so I'd probably have a different opinion about whether it's worth playing or not!

I'm surprised to hear that any UNB players had to sit following at game at Maine, though... How does that sort of international reciprocity work? Was that a coaches decision?

Pretty sure that nothing like that has ever been officially enforced South of the border. Is that only in play in international games? (If so, that goes to my point re: lack of consequences following this sort of match-up.)
 
Re: Maine - the Golfing Season

Fishman'81 said:
Pretty sure that nothing like that has ever been officially enforced South of the border. Is that only in play in international games? (If so, that goes to my point re: lack of consequences following this sort of match-up.)
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I think Jeff Marshall sat after a blatant cheap shot at UNB a few years ago. I think it was Timmays decision but
 
Re: Maine - the Golfing Season

Fishman'81 said:
No doubt I'd enjoy seeing the game; if I had the opportunity to do, so I'd probably have a different opinion about whether it's worth playing or not!

I'm surprised to hear that any UNB players had to sit following at game at Maine, though... How does that sort of international reciprocity work? Was that a coaches decision?

Pretty sure that nothing like that has ever been officially enforced South of the border. Is that only in play in international games? (If so, that goes to my point re: lack of consequences following this sort of match-up.)
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I can't speak in certainty about the whole CIS, but in the AUS rules are that any game misconducts, major penalties, etc. that happen in any game (NCAA or CIS, exhibition or conference) carry over to the team's next game(s). This is one of the risks for AUS teams (and maybe all CIS teams, but each conference has own rules) when they play in the States, as games are certainly called differently at times in the NCAA. For example, because AUS players wear half-visors, that NCAA "holding the facemask" (or whatever it is) penalty is a foreign rule. Also, CIS has no-touch icing and not this hybrid icing I've seen at times in the NCAA (is that a rule now?).

Now this afternoon UNB is playing the Portland Pirates. That game is being called a "scrimmage". Because of that there is no "official" scoresheet. And because of that there would be no potential penalty carry-overs for UNB. Just the kind of non-sanctioned stuff that would probably drive the NCAA nuts.
 
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