Re: "Next Year" Begins Now: Michigan Tech 2010-11 Season Thread Part I
We scored three PPG in the Vienna game, and one in the Klagenfurt game, but I don't know exactly how many opportunities we had in those final two games. Even still, 5/15~20 would be pretty solid. As for the PK, Vienna and Klagenfurt had 2-3 PPG on us between them.
I wouldn't read too much into these preseason stats, but I think our special teams will be alright if we stay healthy. Everything hinges on that.
I do not quite subscribe to this. Healthy is of course good, but it is too easy to blame our failings on the fact that we were hurt. The fact was our top forwards at times in every game, dogged it and didn't do their job at least part of the time. Resulting in turnovers. We simply can't continue to turn the puck over in the neutral zone so much. It is just almost suicide.
Our defensemen, all of them, were collectively bad. Not head-manning the puck, not giving the goal-tenders a good look, not moving the puck out of the zone promptly, and often were generally out of position or if they were in position, not being aggressive enough in front and letting other teams roam at will in the slot. Not to mention the failings of the goaltending.
This is a lot of holes to fill. However, if the young guys from last year who generally were not to be counted on, can up their game as it appears they have, and if the goaltending is better, we will be a lot better and teams will no longer take us for granted.
BTW, BC pp runs at over 20% consistently. We need to be in the low 20's in my opinion and suddenly we will find teams treating us differently. Right now they know that even if they do commit some infraction and it is called they most likely will escape intact. So they hold and grab in front and do stuff that really does impact our ability to score/defend/ counterattack.
There was a whole lot away from the puck that the opposition got away with last year, and which caused me at times to have apoplexy over the non calls. It's imperative we make them pay for their aggressiveness on the scoreboard. similar to the Red Wings. .
Watching the top teams, and this is not in the WCHA generally, they are real good at puck movement, and this causes someone to be eventually out of position which gives them an opportunity.
He did a really good job of noting the stats in the game summaries for the first 3ish games and then nothing definitive.
I knew that.
