Northeastern 2022-23: Unfinished Business - Great Expectations

[RossiRules]

This team is toast, I'll go out on a limb not likely going to finish in the top 4 in HE, not going to be high enough in pairwise for NCAA selection and they are not going to win a beanpot, with Harvard playing off the hook.The bottom line is that they are too undisciplined. Also noteworthy, our goalie has regressed a bit, we also don't seem to have enough fire power. Team often looks lost gassed and just rally sloppy. Not sure what happened but they can't beat a good team and play as the have historically done for nearly 8 or 9 decades to the level of their competition, good or bad. Total disappointment.

 

[PullTheGoalie]

Are they under achieving or were they over rated?

 

[navy44]

Underachieving. Undisciplined. You are correct, they will not finish in top 4, and will go out like lambs in the "playoffs".
This team has everything to go to a Frozen Four, but has had no sense of urgency since day 1. This season is already lost.
The tie against LIU should have been the wake up call. The games against BC should have been where they were putting money in the bank against the weaker teams, and one win against either PC or UML.
After the BU series, i was projecting out the rest of the season. We were 7-4-3, 14 games down 20 to play.

The will not run the table in Dec. 3-1 (at best) is reasonable. They will be 10-6-3.
There will be almost guaranteed losses to Harvard, Uconn (at least 2), Mack(at least 1), BU (pot), PC, Pot Consol Game, UMass (2), UML (at least 1). This is if they are playing "well"........15-16-3.
If they are (gulp) subpar, they will be swept by UConn, Mack, UML............12-19-3

What could have been..........

 

[Split-N]

Are they under achieving or were they over rated?

I take all pre-season polls with a grain of salt...except for the coaches poll. It's usually spot-on, as it should be since the coaches know the players better than anybody and most were recruiting against each other for the top-level prospects. IIRC, NU got seven first-place votes in that poll, which is unusually decisive.

So, either the coaches have suddenly gone clueless or something is seriously wrong.

 

[Ryecheers]

Underachieving. Undisciplined. You are correct, they will not finish in top 4, and will go out like lambs in the "playoffs".
This team has everything to go to a Frozen Four, but has had no sense of urgency since day 1. This season is already lost.
The tie against LIU should have been the wake up call. The games against BC should have been where they were putting money in the bank against the weaker teams, and one win against either PC or UML.
After the BU series, i was projecting out the rest of the season. We were 7-4-3, 14 games down 20 to play.

The will not run the table in Dec. 3-1 (at best) is reasonable. They will be 10-6-3.
There will be almost guaranteed losses to Harvard, Uconn (at least 2), Mack(at least 1), BU (pot), PC, Pot Consol Game, UMass (2), UML (at least 1). This is if they are playing "well"........15-16-3.
If they are (gulp) subpar, they will be swept by UConn, Mack, UML............12-19-3

What could have been..........

Navy 44,
Welcome aboard. I don't know whether your are a student, long time fan or something in between. I would suggest you will see that projecting wins and losses is only slightly more accurate than most of the preseason polls. Yes, we have been inconsistent during the first half of the season. The second half of the season, beginning in January will be where the team will make a statement about what they are.

 

[OnePack]

While projections may be futile, I think the case is readily made that if things remain status quo this season will be massively disappointing.

As a fan this schedule just sucks. 40 days until our next home game. Maybe I’ll make it out to Harvard on the 1st.

Meanwhile all our upcoming games just feel bad. We can only really hurt ourselves until the new year. If they get the job done and run the table it doesn’t prove anything.

 

[Lemonade]

Next 4 games should be easy wins. Then Harvard which should be a good one.

 

[Split-N]

Not to lean on the injury crutch but I'm thinking the extended absence of Tyler Spott is being felt. Not having a veteran presence (besides Struble) on an otherwise young defense corps can't be helping.

 

[Ryecheers]

Not to lean on the injury crutch but I'm thinking the extended absence of Tyler Spott is being felt. Not having a veteran presence (besides Struble) on an otherwise young defense corps can't be helping.

Jeremie Bucheler fills the bill for an experienced defenseman. Freshman, Hunter McDonald is (for us, at least) an older D who has been playing like a veteran and is leading the team in blocks and +/- with a plus 17. Not helping the defense is our 2nd line centerman with a team low -7, a 1-3-4 -4 line after 30 SOGs and the highest draft pick on the team. Improved play from this gentleman would make a meaningful difference.

 

[navy44]

Navy 44,
Welcome aboard. I don't know whether your are a student, long time fan or something in between. I would suggest you will see that projecting wins and losses is only slightly more accurate than most of the preseason polls. Yes, we have been inconsistent during the first half of the season. The second half of the season, beginning in January will be where the team will make a statement about what they are.

Thanks very much, Rye. Long-time fan, new poster. I've been a fan and season ticket holder since 1982 (gulp). We all want the same thing, just like we all wanted a Red Sox World Series, we all want an NCAA banner hanging at Matthews. Its pretty frustrating seeing this season headed down the tubes with no clear evidence of a u-turn. (I'd say, "on the brink of going down the tubes", but how many weeks can one continue to say, "on the brink", or rely on, "well, if we win HE tournament")........for me its been 40 years of moral victories, and "nice try". And you are correct, the team "could" get hot and show who they really are.

However, after 44% of the schedule has been played, this is who they are so far:

1. Z-e-r-o top quality wins.
2. Conference cupcakes in rear view.
3. Nothing that points to a sweep of anyone the rest of the way.
4. Levi not playing well (Levi-like) on a consistent basis. (wondering if there is an injury/other).
5. Twelve conference games left against the iron (okay, 11 of 12). And nothing easy in the Beanpot.
6. Defense that collectively isn't stopping anyone.
7. Inconsistent offense at best.

Let's hope the next 4 games are used effectively to get this team back on track, and realizing how good they can be (or should be). Its going to be very, very tough to find wins in the 15 games after that.
Nobody will be happier to come on here and say, "I was wrong" than i will be if the team goes on a run and dominates HE the rest of the season.

 

[OnePack]

Navy’s points are unfortunately all pretty sound. Not having a top tier win (except maybe for the BU shutout) is troubling.

saturdays game is against our old friend, rebound murph. To give him some credit he stoned a lot of breakaways for us.

if we can muster some offense and really take it to them maybe there’s some hope left. We should be crashing the net hard.

meanwhile on Hughes, who has been getting some hate here and on DHD, is troubling. Not only is his stat line garbage, his assists are all against weak teams vermont and Maine. His BC goal was clutch, but besides that one goal he has zero contribution in games that were remotely close. Not exactly the clutch playmaker he was hyped up to be.

edit: additional note: Hughes is tied for 1525 place nationally in plus/minus at -7. McDonald is tied for first at plus 15.

 

[navy44]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...rances_by_team

Please take a look at this link. I will grant you, we are not currently Minnesota, BC, BU, Denver, Michigan, Michigan St, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and perhaps Harvard and Cornell in terms of history or tradition. But what do any of the other schools on this list have that we do not?

 

[PullTheGoalie]

Looking at that list and a quick response that comes to mind is that a lot of those schools have competed at the higher levels of collegiate hockey for longer periods of time. Many of those schools have produced iconic players that they can use as examples when recruiting. NU lacks that. Who do we hold up as the guy you can say "you can be the next X " for NU. We've had a lot of really good players. But think of them. Is there a top tier NHL player?

 

[Split-N]

...what do any of the other schools on this list have that we do not?

To put this in perspective, the top nine (x-Harvard) qualify as Usual Suspects (Minnesota State and Minnesota Duluth are wannabes). Longstanding institutional commitment, oodles of $$$, statewide fan bases, friendly admissions offices, etc. Most of the others are also-rans who haven't seen a FF for at least 20 years. It's the rich (huge state universities) getting richer, as is the case with all of the other marquee sports. NIL will (IMO) make it even worse.

The usual suspects aside, several of the former frequent flyers haven't been back in ages. Michigan Tech hasn't been there since the '80s; Cornell 2003.) Harvard is the occasional exception to the rule; a few make it there out of pure dumb luck (looking at you, Union).

BTW, I'll be in NJ next Tues. and thinking of shipping up to Bridgeport for the SHU game. Anyone else?

 

[PullTheGoalie]

Split-N, you've detailed many of the reasons why we weren't able to break into the college hockey stratosphere very well. Realistically, how often can NU be expected to compete with those programs? Should an NCAA bid once every decade be the ceiling?

 

[Ryecheers]

Split-N,

Should an NCAA bid once every decade be the ceiling?

That would be a real disappointment considering what the team has accomplished during the past decade. Our Beanpot performances are not only important to our students (who really show their support) and alumni whose support is more $tangible$, they have been a huge recruiting tool. The sight of the Beanpot sitting on the coach’s desk has undoubtedly influenced more positive decisions than our NC$$ record.

 

[Split-N]

Split-N, you've detailed many of the reasons why we weren't able to break into the college hockey stratosphere very well. Realistically, how often can NU be expected to compete with those programs? Should an NCAA bid once every decade be the ceiling?

There's only one reason why NU isn't in the "college hockey stratosphere:" NU hasn't been to the Final/Frozen Four since 1982! BU, BC, and even Harvard have been there before and after. Look, NU can more than hold its own in Hockey East and should be able to qualify for a regional--either by autobid or PWR standing--more often than not. Things aren't nearly so bad as a once per decade appearance.

The trick to becoming a national brand is getting past the regionals and into the FF more than once in several generations. Northeastern has a helluva lot more going for it, at least off the ice, than North Dakota (#285 in the USNWR rankings) and the talent gap on the ice has narrowed in recent years. But NODAK has showed up in the FF so often that it has become a household name in the college hockey world. It's not easy to get there but it starts with winning a game or two in the regionals.

 

[navy44]

There's only one reason why NU isn't in the "college hockey stratosphere:" NU hasn't been to the Final/Frozen Four since 1982! BU, BC, and even Harvard have been there before and after. Look, NU can more than hold its own in Hockey East and should be able to qualify for a regional--either by autobid or PWR standing--more often than not. Things aren't nearly so bad as a once per decade appearance.

The trick to becoming a national brand is getting past the regionals and into the FF more than once in several generations. Northeastern has a helluva lot more going for it, at least off the ice, than North Dakota (#285 in the USNWR rankings) and the talent gap on the ice has narrowed in recent years. But NODAK has showed up in the FF so often that it has become a household name in the college hockey world. It's not easy to get there but it starts with winning a game or two in the regionals.

I was thinking along these same lines (with my "what to they have that we dont?' comment). NU has Hobey winners and multiple finalists, multiple Richters, HE Championships, HE Reg Season, Scoring Champs, a string of Beanpots over all those teams with pedigree. The school has spent tons of money on the old barn, facilities off the hook for the team, a scoreboard that you can see from Comm Ave. From what i have stumbled upon, there are plans for more mods to Matthews to expand the footprint and improve the fan experience/concessions. The coach's position is funded, and the fans have come out to support the team this year. In recent years, my BU and BC friends are dreading the games with NU. UConn and UMass games were layups for NU for long, long time. So although NU isn't college hockey royalty......yet...... i would respectfully state that all of the above is exactly what has led to the roster we have this season, which is what finally led me to post based on the start.

The year NU lost to Mich in the regional (yes, tough call, and tough break), nobody on the planet thought BU could win a game against us in that regional final, as we had their number all year long. So, in my humble opinion, NU is already there. Schools with academic standards as high or higher than NU go the FF. (As an aside, WMU could argue, "Hey we don't have any NHL draft choices, we're just happy to be here". But they have sent us packing a couple of times, with arguably much less).

In short, NU is "there" as an institution and as a hockey program. I think its very realistic and reasonable to expect more in general, especially this season when virtually every expert in the country gushed about high the expectations were for this group.

 

[OnePack]

I’m pulling for Merrimack this year. I think they’ve got a frozen four shot and might take down the whole thing.

I do think northeastern should have ncaa appearance well within reach each year. If it doesn’t happen this year it will be especially disappointing because of the hype they received, but that’s ok.

I am a little fed up with the hype some individual players receive. Maybe I need to get out of the weeds in our recruiting because the more I get excited about some players the more disappointed I’ve been. Especially over the last 4 years. Either they’re overhyped, or worse, something is going wrong in their development.

 

[Split-N]

...The year NU lost to Mich in the regional (yes, tough call, and tough break), nobody on the planet thought BU could win a game against us in that regional final, as we had their number all year long.

NU has been absolutely snakebit in the regionals:

• 1994 vs Lake State: Go-ahead goal in the third period ruled a save despite clear video evidence to the contrary. But that was in the pre-replay era.
• 2009 vs Cornell: NU was having its way but elected to shorten its bench too soon. Cornell got the GW with 18 seconds left.
• 2016 vs NODAK: No snakebite in this one. NODAK was far and away the best team in the country.
• 2018 vs Michigan: Tying goal disallowed because of goalie interference although video clearly showed a Michigan dman checking an NU forward into the Michigan goalie.
• 2019 vs Cornell: Probably the worst game of Cayden Primeau's otherwise illustrious career.
• 2022 vs Western Michigan: What looked like a highlight reel save in OT turns out to be a WMU goal on replay.

​​​​​​​Their luck has to change sometime.