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NESCAC '12 to '13
- Thread starter obserbear
- Start date
Re: NESCAC '12 to '13
Since giving up predicting anything, it must be time for a few thoughts on the NESCAC quarter-finals.
Colby@Middlebury-I am sure if these teams palyed 100 times there would be a few Colby wins in there somewhere, but as they only play once I have to feel the Panthers win; the first NESCAC game I saw this season was Midd's 3-2 win over the White Mules way back in November; Jones was not especially strong in that contest (10/12) but in February has probably been the hottest goalie in the NESCAC with a .968 saves %.
Williams@Bowdoin-last season saw the Ephs take the Polar Bears to OT in the NESCAC quarter-final; this season Bowdoin sports 5 20 point scorers and a consistently excellent Lessard (.952 saves %) in net; hard to figure the PB's losses to Trinity, Amherst's wins over Trinity and Bowdoin's handling the Lord Jeffs, all in the past couple of weeks, but that's the NESCAC; anyway, I did see the Ephs play both games against Conn College and they were pretty sloppy with the puck in their D zone and that will cost them against the Bowdoin sharpshooters.
Hamilton@Amherst-the Continentals have a bit more firepower, but their goal play has been spotty and they have gone 3-4 the past month; Amherst has gone 4-3 against stiffer competition in the month of February; Lord Jeffs have some stars, but some soft spots on D (one D was on for 5/7 Bowdoin goals, and while I am told Coach Matthews does not keep +/-, eventually you have to notice this kind of stuff); let's hope the Lord Jeffs shake things up, solidify the D and make it back to Midd for the semis.
Conn College@Trinity-the good thing that comes of this match up is one of the goalies you would not want to face in the semis next weekend will not be playing next weekend; Pujol (.952) and Fralick (.948) are 2 of the top 3 goalies in the NESCAC; neither team scores much (55 goals for Conn, 59 for Trinity), but obviously neither gives up a lot either; big ice in Hartford maybe an advantage for Trinity, as the Conn clutch and grab may look more obvious on the bigger sheet; Dumont has been hot for the Camels and could be the difference, but I figure to pack a snack for the game, as it could go on and on in OT
Since giving up predicting anything, it must be time for a few thoughts on the NESCAC quarter-finals.
Colby@Middlebury-I am sure if these teams palyed 100 times there would be a few Colby wins in there somewhere, but as they only play once I have to feel the Panthers win; the first NESCAC game I saw this season was Midd's 3-2 win over the White Mules way back in November; Jones was not especially strong in that contest (10/12) but in February has probably been the hottest goalie in the NESCAC with a .968 saves %.
Williams@Bowdoin-last season saw the Ephs take the Polar Bears to OT in the NESCAC quarter-final; this season Bowdoin sports 5 20 point scorers and a consistently excellent Lessard (.952 saves %) in net; hard to figure the PB's losses to Trinity, Amherst's wins over Trinity and Bowdoin's handling the Lord Jeffs, all in the past couple of weeks, but that's the NESCAC; anyway, I did see the Ephs play both games against Conn College and they were pretty sloppy with the puck in their D zone and that will cost them against the Bowdoin sharpshooters.
Hamilton@Amherst-the Continentals have a bit more firepower, but their goal play has been spotty and they have gone 3-4 the past month; Amherst has gone 4-3 against stiffer competition in the month of February; Lord Jeffs have some stars, but some soft spots on D (one D was on for 5/7 Bowdoin goals, and while I am told Coach Matthews does not keep +/-, eventually you have to notice this kind of stuff); let's hope the Lord Jeffs shake things up, solidify the D and make it back to Midd for the semis.
Conn College@Trinity-the good thing that comes of this match up is one of the goalies you would not want to face in the semis next weekend will not be playing next weekend; Pujol (.952) and Fralick (.948) are 2 of the top 3 goalies in the NESCAC; neither team scores much (55 goals for Conn, 59 for Trinity), but obviously neither gives up a lot either; big ice in Hartford maybe an advantage for Trinity, as the Conn clutch and grab may look more obvious on the bigger sheet; Dumont has been hot for the Camels and could be the difference, but I figure to pack a snack for the game, as it could go on and on in OT
hockeydad3
New member
Re: NESCAC '12 to '13
I just read the NESCAC All Conference selections. For the most part, I think most of the selections make sense but how does Conn beat Middlebury, Amherst and Trinity and make it to the semi-finals and not get a single player named to either team? Can someone explain who does the selections and what's taken into consideration?
I just read the NESCAC All Conference selections. For the most part, I think most of the selections make sense but how does Conn beat Middlebury, Amherst and Trinity and make it to the semi-finals and not get a single player named to either team? Can someone explain who does the selections and what's taken into consideration?
Re: NESCAC '12 to '13
http://nescac.com/sports/wice/2012-13/honors/allconference
None of the Conn forwards had the numbers to make All Conference and, like it or not, scoring from the blueline does not hurt your chances as a D (kudos to the electors on recognizing Salerno's talent and intelligence on the ice). Lessard had a great regular season for the Polar Bears, but her D was probably better than the one Conn had in front of Fralick, so, if I had a vote she would have gotten mine. I have heard there is some "horse trading" involved in selection over the years and I am sure the NESCAC coaching fraternity has a political structure.
Anyway, congratulations to Ms. Lloyd on POTY, again, (it hsas been a pleasure to watch you play these 4 seasons and all the best for the Laura Hurd) and further congratulations to all those selected and good luck in the NESCACs to those lucky enough to still be playing!
Time to watch Bethel and Gustavus.
http://nescac.com/sports/wice/2012-13/honors/allconference
None of the Conn forwards had the numbers to make All Conference and, like it or not, scoring from the blueline does not hurt your chances as a D (kudos to the electors on recognizing Salerno's talent and intelligence on the ice). Lessard had a great regular season for the Polar Bears, but her D was probably better than the one Conn had in front of Fralick, so, if I had a vote she would have gotten mine. I have heard there is some "horse trading" involved in selection over the years and I am sure the NESCAC coaching fraternity has a political structure.
Anyway, congratulations to Ms. Lloyd on POTY, again, (it hsas been a pleasure to watch you play these 4 seasons and all the best for the Laura Hurd) and further congratulations to all those selected and good luck in the NESCACs to those lucky enough to still be playing!
Time to watch Bethel and Gustavus.
Re: NESCAC '12 to '13
It is early March and typically if you are still playing NESCAC women's hockey you are making a trip to Kenyon (except for that silly inter-regnum when Amherst hosted the NESCACs and won those back to back NCAA titles). This season, back in mid January when Bowdoin and Middlebury split their 2 regular season games, there was talk we might have been heading Downeast for the NESCACs, but down the stretch the Panthers went 5-1 in conference, while the Polar Bears went 5-2-1, so here I am back in Middlebury.
I was lucky enough to witness all 8 games played between the NESCAC semi-final participants this season.
Middlebury and Conn College played down in New London in early February and the Camels earned their first ever win over the Panthers. That said, it was not an easy win, with Midd outshooting Conn 41-26, but the Goal Gods (and an outstanding evening in net by Conn goalie Fralick) rewarded the Camels. The next afternoon the Panthers goalie, Jones, held Conn scoreless on 30 shots, and although Fralick made a strong effort (48/51) you just do not win many games with 0 goals. My feeling is the big Kenyon ice favors the skating and tape to tape passing of Middlebury. The Panther powerplay is clicking at something in excess of 27% (19/70) in NESCAC play (their PK is 86%); Conn kills penalties at about the same 86% (60/70), but has a powerplay that is successful only about 5% of the time (3/57 in conference). Needless to say, Conn better hope the officials are not calling things too close on Saturday (they took 121 penalties this season, while Midd took 75). Two hot goalies (Fralick vs Jones), lots of wide open ice, a Cinderella team and a storied program that is looking for another shot to advancce to the NESCAC title (and beyond). Can't wait!
The Bowdoin-Amherst contest appears to favor the Polar Bears. They average a plus 2.44 goals per game (3.56 scored/1.12 allowed) while the Lord Jeffs have a thinner plus 1.12 (3.25 scored/2.12 allowed). Both squads feature All-Conference performers (http://nescac.com/sports/wice/2012-13/honors/allconference) but head to head Bowdoin's offense seemed a bit too much for the Lord Jeffs. Amherst has played its way back after a season that was chaos before the ice was even in at Orr, with the departure of Coach Plummer, followed by the messy resignation of his replacement (his former assistant Coach Johnson) and the late appointment of Coach Matthews. I guess my point is they can be a dangerous team and in the 2nd meeting with Bowdoin 2 weeks ago, the Polar Bears did not put them away, despite jumping out to a 3-0 in the 1st period. The Polar Bears had the NESCAC season in their control and let things slip away (lost weekend in Hartford); do they have the toughness to win the title? The Bowdoin squad has a lot of senior leaders; do they want it enough to bring the hammer down and get to the final after avenging last season's 1-0 semi loss to Amherst? The Polar Bears were there for those first 2 NCAA DIII finals (those Black and White dreams I have sometimes): is this their time to return to the NCAAs?
It is early March and typically if you are still playing NESCAC women's hockey you are making a trip to Kenyon (except for that silly inter-regnum when Amherst hosted the NESCACs and won those back to back NCAA titles). This season, back in mid January when Bowdoin and Middlebury split their 2 regular season games, there was talk we might have been heading Downeast for the NESCACs, but down the stretch the Panthers went 5-1 in conference, while the Polar Bears went 5-2-1, so here I am back in Middlebury.
I was lucky enough to witness all 8 games played between the NESCAC semi-final participants this season.
Middlebury and Conn College played down in New London in early February and the Camels earned their first ever win over the Panthers. That said, it was not an easy win, with Midd outshooting Conn 41-26, but the Goal Gods (and an outstanding evening in net by Conn goalie Fralick) rewarded the Camels. The next afternoon the Panthers goalie, Jones, held Conn scoreless on 30 shots, and although Fralick made a strong effort (48/51) you just do not win many games with 0 goals. My feeling is the big Kenyon ice favors the skating and tape to tape passing of Middlebury. The Panther powerplay is clicking at something in excess of 27% (19/70) in NESCAC play (their PK is 86%); Conn kills penalties at about the same 86% (60/70), but has a powerplay that is successful only about 5% of the time (3/57 in conference). Needless to say, Conn better hope the officials are not calling things too close on Saturday (they took 121 penalties this season, while Midd took 75). Two hot goalies (Fralick vs Jones), lots of wide open ice, a Cinderella team and a storied program that is looking for another shot to advancce to the NESCAC title (and beyond). Can't wait!
The Bowdoin-Amherst contest appears to favor the Polar Bears. They average a plus 2.44 goals per game (3.56 scored/1.12 allowed) while the Lord Jeffs have a thinner plus 1.12 (3.25 scored/2.12 allowed). Both squads feature All-Conference performers (http://nescac.com/sports/wice/2012-13/honors/allconference) but head to head Bowdoin's offense seemed a bit too much for the Lord Jeffs. Amherst has played its way back after a season that was chaos before the ice was even in at Orr, with the departure of Coach Plummer, followed by the messy resignation of his replacement (his former assistant Coach Johnson) and the late appointment of Coach Matthews. I guess my point is they can be a dangerous team and in the 2nd meeting with Bowdoin 2 weeks ago, the Polar Bears did not put them away, despite jumping out to a 3-0 in the 1st period. The Polar Bears had the NESCAC season in their control and let things slip away (lost weekend in Hartford); do they have the toughness to win the title? The Bowdoin squad has a lot of senior leaders; do they want it enough to bring the hammer down and get to the final after avenging last season's 1-0 semi loss to Amherst? The Polar Bears were there for those first 2 NCAA DIII finals (those Black and White dreams I have sometimes): is this their time to return to the NCAAs?
Re: NESCAC '12 to '13
Bowdoin 1 Amherst 0 end of the 1st.
Lane scored on a lofted shot in off Stuart's glove for the only score so far.
Amherst put a lot of pressure on Polar Bear goalie Lessard toward the end of the period, but she did some nice work to hold them at bay.
Bowdoin 1 Amherst 0 end of the 1st.
Lane scored on a lofted shot in off Stuart's glove for the only score so far.
Amherst put a lot of pressure on Polar Bear goalie Lessard toward the end of the period, but she did some nice work to hold them at bay.
Re: NESCAC '12 to '13
Great afternoon of hockey at Kenyon saw Middlebury and Bowdoin advance to the NESCAC final with hard fought victories.
Middlebury beat Conn College 4-1 in a game that saw big changes in the flow of the action. The Panthers started slowly with the Camels getting the better of play the first 5 minutes of the game. Following a Midd powerplay the action turned in the Panther's favor with Bielawski getting an open look from the slot and missing the net up to goalie Fralick's gloveside at about 7 minutes; at the 10 minute mark Greer went down right wing and made a cute feed inside to Fluke who worked into some open space in the slot but just wasn't able to rip off a strong shot. The Panthers opened the scoring on a powerplay when Bielawski worked down the left wing and passed the puck out to Styrbicki at the top inside the blueline; Styrbicki's shot was not cleanly struck, a bit of a change up, that Fluke got a tip on and the puck was in off Fralick's blocker and over her shoulder. Fralick made several eye-popping saves as Midd worked another powerplay late in the 1st, including a pad save of a deflection from her back as the buzzer sounded. Middlebury opened a 2 goal advantage early in the 2nd on a powerplay goal in transition. Downey fed Krakower in the neutral zone and she had space breaking down the right wing, drawing the D wide before passing back to an open Joyce; Joyce had space and an open shot on Fralick beating her up gloveside for the 2-0 lead. Conn answer quickly when Dumont worked the puck from out of deep in the left wing corner back to Bogue on left point; Bogue's shot made it through traffic at the top of the crease beating Midd goalie Jones up gloveside. The goal ignited the Camel offense and they peppered Jones the rest of the period. A flurry at 8:10 saw a loose puck snatched from the crease behind Jones by an alert Fluke. Conn was on a powerplay and Jones then made a nice aggressive move to deny Corbett who niftily had walked in to the edge of the right faceoff circle. The turning point in the game came when Dumont rifled a shot from the right circle which Jones fougth off only to see the puck trickle behind her, but Sullivan was there to clear it into the left corner. Another Conn powerplay saw Jones lose her stick and play a good :30 without one before Midd was able to clear the zone. The Camels were clear winners of the 2nd period. THe 3rd saw Midd regain momentum and pull away scoring 2 nearly identical goals. Early in the 3rd Joyce and Bielawski worked on the end boards behind the Conn goal and Bielawski got a perfect feed from behind the goalline to Sullivan parked in the slot; Sullivan was able to shovel the puck in up to Fralick's gloveside for a 3-1 Midd lead. The Panther work on the backboards paid off again when Bielawski worked the puck to Sullivan and she was able to feed the puck from left corner out to Joyce in the slot; Joyce shovelled it home up to Fralick's stickside for the 4-1 final.
Bowdoin advanced with a 3-1 win over a feisty Amherst squad. I honestly felt this would be an easier game than it proved to be for the Polar Bears and althought they grabbed an early lead Lessard had a much more difficult 1st than Stuart did in net for the Lord Jeffs. The lone 1st period goal belonged to Lane when she took a feed from Holtz and from right point lofted a shot that came down and was deflected off a D and into the net. Lessard made a nice sticksave on Salmon's drive from the left circle at 12:20 of the 1st and stuffed Martin at the gloveside post when Martin was in clean later in the period. Things swung in the Polar Bears favor after an opening end to end 5 minutes in the 2nd. Again Lessard denied Martin in close from low in the right circle with a right pad save. Despite a big advantage in shots Stuart was hanging tough and keeping the Lord Jeffs in the game. Late in the 3rd Bowdoin was able to add a classic powerplay deflection to make it 2-0. Lane advanced the puck from right point down to Novak in the right circle; Novak's shot was redirected by Ludy from the gloveside of the crease and under Stuart. Amherst did not go quietly and was pressuring the Bowdoin zone when Lloyd was taken down in the slot. On the ensuing powerplay Amherst pulled Stuart and was rewarded when Baranek moved the puck from the left half boards out to Salerno; she fed Lloyd just inside the blueline; Lloyd stepped into the high slot and rocketed a low shot through the scrum and under Lessard to make it 2-1. Seconds later Kennedy grabbed a loose puck in center and drilled the enpty net for the 3-1 final.
The general feeling seemed to be both Middlebury and Bowdoin will go to the NCAAs with the winner of tomorrow's contest playing at home, probably hosting Elmira, and the loser palying on the road, probably at Norwich. The upset out west, with St.Norbert taking down River Falls in OT may change that if indeed the NCAA will take 3 western teams and fly someone somewhere for a quarter-final???
Great afternoon of hockey at Kenyon saw Middlebury and Bowdoin advance to the NESCAC final with hard fought victories.
Middlebury beat Conn College 4-1 in a game that saw big changes in the flow of the action. The Panthers started slowly with the Camels getting the better of play the first 5 minutes of the game. Following a Midd powerplay the action turned in the Panther's favor with Bielawski getting an open look from the slot and missing the net up to goalie Fralick's gloveside at about 7 minutes; at the 10 minute mark Greer went down right wing and made a cute feed inside to Fluke who worked into some open space in the slot but just wasn't able to rip off a strong shot. The Panthers opened the scoring on a powerplay when Bielawski worked down the left wing and passed the puck out to Styrbicki at the top inside the blueline; Styrbicki's shot was not cleanly struck, a bit of a change up, that Fluke got a tip on and the puck was in off Fralick's blocker and over her shoulder. Fralick made several eye-popping saves as Midd worked another powerplay late in the 1st, including a pad save of a deflection from her back as the buzzer sounded. Middlebury opened a 2 goal advantage early in the 2nd on a powerplay goal in transition. Downey fed Krakower in the neutral zone and she had space breaking down the right wing, drawing the D wide before passing back to an open Joyce; Joyce had space and an open shot on Fralick beating her up gloveside for the 2-0 lead. Conn answer quickly when Dumont worked the puck from out of deep in the left wing corner back to Bogue on left point; Bogue's shot made it through traffic at the top of the crease beating Midd goalie Jones up gloveside. The goal ignited the Camel offense and they peppered Jones the rest of the period. A flurry at 8:10 saw a loose puck snatched from the crease behind Jones by an alert Fluke. Conn was on a powerplay and Jones then made a nice aggressive move to deny Corbett who niftily had walked in to the edge of the right faceoff circle. The turning point in the game came when Dumont rifled a shot from the right circle which Jones fougth off only to see the puck trickle behind her, but Sullivan was there to clear it into the left corner. Another Conn powerplay saw Jones lose her stick and play a good :30 without one before Midd was able to clear the zone. The Camels were clear winners of the 2nd period. THe 3rd saw Midd regain momentum and pull away scoring 2 nearly identical goals. Early in the 3rd Joyce and Bielawski worked on the end boards behind the Conn goal and Bielawski got a perfect feed from behind the goalline to Sullivan parked in the slot; Sullivan was able to shovel the puck in up to Fralick's gloveside for a 3-1 Midd lead. The Panther work on the backboards paid off again when Bielawski worked the puck to Sullivan and she was able to feed the puck from left corner out to Joyce in the slot; Joyce shovelled it home up to Fralick's stickside for the 4-1 final.
Bowdoin advanced with a 3-1 win over a feisty Amherst squad. I honestly felt this would be an easier game than it proved to be for the Polar Bears and althought they grabbed an early lead Lessard had a much more difficult 1st than Stuart did in net for the Lord Jeffs. The lone 1st period goal belonged to Lane when she took a feed from Holtz and from right point lofted a shot that came down and was deflected off a D and into the net. Lessard made a nice sticksave on Salmon's drive from the left circle at 12:20 of the 1st and stuffed Martin at the gloveside post when Martin was in clean later in the period. Things swung in the Polar Bears favor after an opening end to end 5 minutes in the 2nd. Again Lessard denied Martin in close from low in the right circle with a right pad save. Despite a big advantage in shots Stuart was hanging tough and keeping the Lord Jeffs in the game. Late in the 3rd Bowdoin was able to add a classic powerplay deflection to make it 2-0. Lane advanced the puck from right point down to Novak in the right circle; Novak's shot was redirected by Ludy from the gloveside of the crease and under Stuart. Amherst did not go quietly and was pressuring the Bowdoin zone when Lloyd was taken down in the slot. On the ensuing powerplay Amherst pulled Stuart and was rewarded when Baranek moved the puck from the left half boards out to Salerno; she fed Lloyd just inside the blueline; Lloyd stepped into the high slot and rocketed a low shot through the scrum and under Lessard to make it 2-1. Seconds later Kennedy grabbed a loose puck in center and drilled the enpty net for the 3-1 final.
The general feeling seemed to be both Middlebury and Bowdoin will go to the NCAAs with the winner of tomorrow's contest playing at home, probably hosting Elmira, and the loser palying on the road, probably at Norwich. The upset out west, with St.Norbert taking down River Falls in OT may change that if indeed the NCAA will take 3 western teams and fly someone somewhere for a quarter-final???
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Re: NESCAC '12 to '13
So it comes down to one big game, Bowdoin-Middlebury, and the winner gets home ice next weekend.
Any thoughts out there?
I have heard unknown refs (Waitkus and a name I missed) are coming in to call the game. Yesterday I thought Zanetti and Murphy were pretty consistent (Conn fans probably don't agree), while Collamore and Cross seemed to call their 3rd period a bit tighter than the first 2. These days consistency is the best you can hope for. Like it or not special team play probably decides this one.
So it comes down to one big game, Bowdoin-Middlebury, and the winner gets home ice next weekend.
Any thoughts out there?
I have heard unknown refs (Waitkus and a name I missed) are coming in to call the game. Yesterday I thought Zanetti and Murphy were pretty consistent (Conn fans probably don't agree), while Collamore and Cross seemed to call their 3rd period a bit tighter than the first 2. These days consistency is the best you can hope for. Like it or not special team play probably decides this one.
dontyelldad
old n slo
Re: NESCAC '12 to '13
Watching online, end of first period, 1-1. Bowdoin scored first, but Midd. tied on the power play.
Watching online, end of first period, 1-1. Bowdoin scored first, but Midd. tied on the power play.