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Nescac 2011-2012

Re: Nescac 2011-2012

jimmy d said:
Ohio Mule, I was just reviewing the Pick-ems, and most everyone made the same historically safe picks. Seems that Neumeyer and I are the only ones that have any faith in your team winning a game this weekend. Can't believe that you only gave them a tie!:) I didn't really think that anyone would beat Norwich last weekend, but I NEVER Pick against my team, so I took the ten point hit:eek: Seriously, though Bowdoin didn't show me anything opening weekend, I think that your Mules have a very good shot at home, if not both games.
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I was going to pick them. Was even thinking about picking them to win on the road and lose at home. Even when Bowdoin is up and Colby is down, the Mules usually pull one out. However, even though Bowdoin hasn't shown much, I just don't think Colby is ready to make it all the way over the hump. Losing to Salve Regina was the final straw for me. I have this vision: Colby goes up 3 -0 in the first period. Bowdoin chips away and ties it in final minute of the third. Sadly, goal tending will be the difference. I look for them to gel in the second half of the season.
 
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Bowdoin/Colby tonight and tomorrow night, 197th and 198th editions. Both games to be Webcast. Both will be sold out. A Colby student called me last night as a part of the annual fund drive. She reported that there's a lot of excitement on campus. She said she got her ticket for tonight's game early.

Sometime next year, depending on whether they meet in the playoffs this season, the Polar Bears and the Mules will play game number 200. It's great to be part of something like this: two of the nation's oldest colleges all the way up in Maine; rivals in all sports. It's cold here in SW Ohio right now, so the mood is set. I'm looking forward to two exciting games as I sit by the wood stove with my laptop.
 
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Re: Nescac 2011-2012

OhioMule said:
Sometime next year, depending on whether they meet in the playoffs this season, the Polar Bears and the Mules will play game number 200. It's great to be part of something like this: two of the nation's oldest colleges all the way up in Maine; rivals in all sports. [...] I'm looking forward to two exciting games as I sit by the wood stove with my laptop.
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I shared your anticipation at 6:59pm as I sat in front of the computer getting ready to watch the webcast (great camera, awful announcer) last night but by 9:00pm I had become bored with a game that was surprisingly one-sided and lacked the usual intensity of Bowdoin-Colby matchups. It was hard to watch. And I'm a Bowdoin alumnus...

Former Colby coach Jim Tortorella drew quite a bit of criticism for his personality and mannerisms, but the fact is that under his guidance the White Mules always played well as a team (at least against Bowdoin) regardless of individual players' talent level. Last night the Mules looked confused defensively and were very ineffective offensively -- most of the shots came from bad angles.

As for Bowdoin, it seems to be a team with quite a bit of depth. They have speed, size and scoring ability. It's hard to understand what went wrong at Middlebury (a lopsided 1-6 loss). Even with Dan Weiniger, their All-America forward, playing a subpar (for Dan) game, the Polar Bears still managed six goals. Tim McGarry, Ryan Carney, Jordan Lalor and Jay Livermore (who goes about his job in an unspectacular but steady manner) all had an excellent game at defense. I was very impressed with freshmen Danny Palumbo, Ryan Collier, Tim Coffey and especially John McGinnis. Known primarily as an offensive player in juniors, McGinnis made a terrific defensive play on a Colby breakaway, catching up to the Colby forward and cleanly sweeping the puck away. He also assisted on three of the Bowdoin goals.

On a personal note, it was nice to see junior Scott Harff playing a leading role for the White Mules. I knew Scott as a Brown freshman two years ago. He wasn't going to play much at the Division I level, and made the wise decision to transfer to Colby, where he's getting the chance to play regularly while getting an excellent education. I'm so glad Scott is doing well.

Finally, I expect a much more competitive game tonight. The Sid will be rocking, and I wish I could be there, but I'm tied up with the celebration of th 50th Anniversary of Brown's venerable Meehan Auditorium today (and an important matchup with Yale).
 
Re: Nescac 2011-2012

Euler18 said:
I shared your anticipation at 6:59pm as I sat in front of the computer getting ready to watch the webcast (great camera, awful announcer) last night but by 9:00pm I had become bored with a game that was surprisingly one-sided and lacked the usual intensity of Bowdoin-Colby matchups. It was hard to watch. And I'm a Bowdoin alumnus...

Former Colby coach Jim Tortorella drew quite a bit of criticism for his personality and mannerisms, but the fact is that under his guidance the White Mules always played well as a team (at least against Bowdoin) regardless of individual players' talent level. Last night the Mules looked confused defensively and were very ineffective offensively -- most of the shots came from bad angles. ...
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Funny, I was thinking the same thing about Tortorella this morning. He did manage to get the team up for Bowdoin no matter what the disparity in the rankings might be. Even last year, when Bowdoin won all three games, they were close, exciting games. It looked like it was going to be that way until about midway in the second period last night, when the roof caved in on Colby. Colby's power play was horrendous, the defense lax and, while the goalie made a lot of saves, he didn't make any of the spectacular kind that would have been needed to keep them in the game.

I don't hold out much hope for tonight being any better. If Tortoralla were behind the bench, maybe... But, I'm not giving up on the new coach just yet. I'm sure this is a learning experience for both the players and him. He only got the job a couple months ago. He's definitely a hockey guy and I hope this works out for him. Colby is a great place to live and work for him and his wife and family. I'd trade places with him in a minute.

As the game wore down last night, I checked in on the Castleton - Norwich game. It was the kind of game we are used to seeing between the Mules and the Polar Bears. I will be watching Colby/Bowdoin again tonight. But I'm not expecting much.
 
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Kudos to UCBadger who picked Bowdoin to win at Colby and Colby to win at Bowdoin. Brilliant!
 
Re: Nescac 2011-2012

Yes, Barchard is a very good goal tender. Fortunately Midd got just enough by him to win it!
 
Re: Nescac 2011-2012

Congratulations to the Colby players and their loyal fans. Due to another commitment I was unable to watch the webcast, but from the reports I've read the Mules demonstrated quite a bit of character in coming back from a three-goal deficit to win at Bowdoin after five consecutive losses to the Polar Bears.

Maybe Ohio Mule can fill in some of the details of the game, but without taking anything away from the Colby players, who deserve all the credit in the world for their victory, it appears to me that Bowdoin may have been a little too cocky. Hopefully this loss will teach the Polar Bears a valuable lesson for the rest of the season.

Finally, not only am I pleased to see that the Bowdoin-Colby rivalry is alive and well (though I'm never happy with a Bowdoin loss), but, from the selfish perspective of this Bowdoin fan, I hope Colby continues to do well. A strong Colby team will only help the Polar Bears, as the combination of two strong teams in Brunswick and Waterville would make the Maine trip a nightmare for visiting teams.
 
Re: Nescac 2011-2012

Euler18 said:
Finally, not only am I pleased to see that the Bowdoin-Colby rivalry is alive and well (though I'm never happy with a Bowdoin loss), but, from the selfish perspective of this Bowdoin fan, I hope Colby continues to do well. A strong Colby team will only help the Polar Bears, as the combination of two strong teams in Brunswick and Waterville would make the Maine trip a nightmare for visiting teams.
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As weird as it may sound, I always root for Bowdoin when they are not playing Colby and watch a lot of their games on webcasts. Besides tenderizing the opposition as travel partners, I feel that the teams, and this may be due to the rivalry, reflect on one another.

I did watch the game last night and, regardless of who won, it had all the earmarks of a typical Bowdoin/Colby game. It reminded me very much of the 6-5 game Bowdoin won last year at Colby. About halfway through the game, despite being down by a couple of goals, Colby was out-shooting the Polar Bears by about 10 shots. They rarely out-shoot anybody, and when they do, they usually lose. Ironically, they were out-shot in the third period. Before the game, I thought it would be goal-tending that would be the difference. Messina played very well for the first half of the game. I'm not sure if what happened the rest of the way can be blamed on him. Again, Colby's power play was non existent to the point of even giving up a short-handed goal. But somehow, in the third period, they looked like the old Tortorella Mules digging their way out of a hole.

I think Bowdoin is off to a slow start (1-2-1 in NESCAC play). The tie at Williams was a good sign, but I don't think they are playing particularly well right now. The drubbing at Middlebury had me wondering if the team had come down with the flu. And letting a Colby team that lost to Salve Regina and that the the Bears beat handily the night before score four unanswered goals to steal the game in their barn is not a good sign. I believe they are playing a lot of freshman. It's early in the season, they have two solid goalies. I see them coming around soon. I think Colby has a few things to work on before they really put it together. At least last night showed they have the ability to be competitive. The parity in this league amazes me. Every year, just a few points separate the top from the bottom. So, a slow start for either of these teams isn't much to be concerned about.
 
Re: Nescac 2011-2012

Hey, how about this: Middlebury, Williams, and Amherst all ranked in the top 15 in the USCHO poll!:D
 
Re: Nescac 2011-2012

Another third period let-down for Bowdoin last night. I think I nailed it when I said they are off to a slow start... I haven't made my picks yet for this week. This is definitely going to influence me.
 
Re: Nescac 2011-2012

Amherst, in may opinion just might have the best goalie in DIII hockey. That being said they have faced teams with a combined record of 15-13-1. Williams on the other hand has faced teams with a combined record of 10-18-1. Middlebury is the real deal and is odds on to walk away with the NESCAC. Amherst and Williams I would wait to see how they do against some of the top teams.
 
Re: Nescac 2011-2012

CROSBYNU63 said:
Amherst, in may opinion just might have the best goalie in DIII hockey. That being said they have faced teams with a combined record of 15-13-1. Williams on the other hand has faced teams with a combined record of 10-18-1. Middlebury is the real deal and is odds on to walk away with the NESCAC. Amherst and Williams I would wait to see how they do against some of the top teams.
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We'll know more this weekend when Amherst entertains both Middlebury and Williams . . However, you've done some cherry picking on the records as the teams that Middlebury has beaten have not compiled very good records either . . .
 
Re: Nescac 2011-2012

I would say that both Elmira and Plattsburgh are high level teams. Yes they lost to Elmira but I was at the game and believe me Elmira hung on for the win. A tie against a very good Plattsburgh team also stands them well.


d3follower said:
We'll know more this weekend when Amherst entertains both Middlebury and Williams . . However, you've done some cherry picking on the records as the teams that Middlebury has beaten have not compiled very good records either . . .
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Re: Nescac 2011-2012

OhioMule said:
Another third period let-down for Bowdoin last night. I think I nailed it when I said they are off to a slow start... I haven't made my picks yet for this week. This is definitely going to influence me.
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I watched the Bowdoin game last night. I have to say it wasn't just a third period let down. Both teams sucked the whole game. It looked like high school hockey. I hope that I didn't offend anyone, but that's how I saw it.
 
Re: Nescac 2011-2012

jimmy d said:
I watched the Bowdoin game last night. I have to say it wasn't just a third period let down. Both teams sucked the whole game. It looked like high school hockey. I hope that I didn't offend anyone, but that's how I saw it.
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Interesting.....It looked a whole lot different from ice level but what do I know....I will be sure to let the guys know that the team they are playing on New Years Day thinks they couldn't beat a decent high school team....:)
 
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