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Northeastern Hockey 2013-14 Season

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Re: Northeastern Hockey 2013-14 Season

I haven't had that much fun at a sporting event in a loooong time. Was able to meet up with a couple friends and moved up to seats that were both higher up for a better view and covered by the upper deck. Watching my school take 2 more points from the defending HE champs, in my favorite ballpark...doesn't get much better than that! Real nice turnout on the NU side too, that added to the experience.

Obviously pleased with the result, though the ice was like a constant puddle it seemed from the get-go. Witt continues to be a monster and Pimm has been out of his mind. 5 game points streak, he has quietly been a big part of this team's success. Only negative of the game was Benning's brutal turnover that led to a goal at the end of the 2nd...that was just straight up bad.

2nd Place in HE, and this W will surely give us a bump in Pairwise too. This team is playing with confidence and an identity, and it's a real treat to see. They deserve to relish this week's results. Looking forward to the UVM series. Go NU!
 
Re: Northeastern Hockey 2013-14 Season

SkinsFan09 said:
You said the freshmen class would suck (they don't), you implied we'd be horrible (we aren't) and you mentioned nothing of your expectations from Witt. You then implied Szmatula would half *** it and he's been one of the best freshmen in the nation.. And yet you think you weren't far off? It's okay to admit you were wrong, really it is. A lot of people, including the HEA coaches expected us to be miserable. Irrelevant of Witt, it's nice to have a team that can actually score in bunches.
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They're are many people who bashed everything about this team, from coach to players that were so dead wrong! I am so happy to see the success that I knew Jim Madigan would bring the school in time. Keep basking Huskies 01 and Speedracer.
 
Re: Northeastern Hockey 2013-14 Season

Happy Husky Victory! said:
Not for nothing, but NU SpeedRacer has been a passionate fan and supporter of NU Hockey for many years. His criticism of the team and its coaches comes out of frustration, that we all have, due to the historical mismanagement of the Hockey Operations and the status quo "yes men" surrounding the program. It is unfortunate that you feel that you have to call him out because he is choosing not to comment on the current success of the team. I think we are all excited and pleasantly surprised with the team this year. Hoping we can keep it going.....
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He refuses to comment on the success of the team, only cares to comment on the negativity of the team. With friends like that, who needs enemies!.
 
NU_Husky said:
I haven't had that much fun at a sporting event in a loooong time. Was able to meet up with a couple friends and moved up to seats that were both higher up for a better view and covered by the upper deck. Watching my school take 2 more points from the defending HE champs, in my favorite ballpark...doesn't get much better than that! Real nice turnout on the NU side too, that added to the experience.

Obviously pleased with the result, though the ice was like a constant puddle it seemed from the get-go. Witt continues to be a monster and Pimm has been out of his mind. 5 game points streak, he has quietly been a big part of this team's success. Only negative of the game was Benning's brutal turnover that led to a goal at the end of the 2nd...that was just straight up bad.

2nd Place in HE, and this W will surely give us a bump in Pairwise too. This team is playing with confidence and an identity, and it's a real treat to see. They deserve to relish this week's results. Looking forward to the UVM series. Go NU!
Click to expand...

just talked to 2 friends who had a good time at the ballpark as well. glad we got that early gm in without incident.. but I sincerely feel for the maine & bu fans.
 
Re: Northeastern Hockey 2013-14 Season

NU_Husky said:
I haven't had that much fun at a sporting event in a loooong time.
Click to expand...

I'll second that motion. Compared to two years ago, I had much better seats (didn't have to watch on the Jumbotron), didn't freeze half to death, and didn't see the NU goaltender cough up two easy ones. I'm lighter in the wallet but it was worth it.

Yes, NU got outshot but most were relatively harmless perimeter shots and Witt was there when he needed to be (and spectacular when he had to be). At the end of the day, NU was the better team.

I don't fault Benning all that much on the lone UML goal. From where I sat, the puck seemed to bounce over his stick blade and plop down right in front of Pendenza, who fed Kamrass for the goal. Even if he was at fault, I see Benning as having great potential and the guy who will anchor a more formidable defense in the future. Also of note is the fact that Cody wasn't available because of injury.

A couple of things I liked (besides the scoreboard):

--A last-second goal like the one they gave up can take the starch out of a team. But these kids came out in the third, didn't back down or go into a shell, and played very smart, opportunistic hockey.
--PIMs seem to have been declining lately as the wins have been piling up

It will be interesting to see how this win and the PC win reflect in the national rankings. I'm usually the first guy to say the only poll that matters is the last one but hey, this is turning into a really nice ride so let's sit back and enjoy it.
 
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Re: Northeastern Hockey 2013-14 Season

retsap71 said:
I am so happy to see the success that I knew Jim Madigan would bring the school in time.
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I'm still far from sold on Jim Madigan as a coach. I'm becoming more sold on Jim Madigan as a recruiter. As nice as it is to get top USHL scoreres in Roy and Szmatula, its more impressive that he was able to find guys like Hedges, McMurtry, Pond and even a transfer like Snydeman who weren't on many teams radar, to fill roles. Going forward I'd like to see some bigger and more physical D-men, and of course the big question is who is going to be his next big goalie recruit. As far as coaching goes, I think he's improved this year but he still has a long way to go. Its pretty obvious that he wants to play a free-flowing game, and let his skill players make plays. While this certainly leads to more offense, it also can lead to blown leads and can put a very young (and not very good) d-core in vulnerable and often odd-man situations. I'd like to see a bit more structure, particularly through the neutral zone. I'd also like to see him play the bottom 6 more for 2 reasons. One, to give our top 6 guys some sort of a rest so they're not completely spent come playoff time and two, they're pretty darn good for what they are! Pond and Belonger bring energy every time they're on the ice. Our special teams net is also 9th in the conference, ahead of only bu and Merrimack.

If I was the AD, I would have sent JM packing at the end of the lat year, after 2 years of missing the playoffs, numerous players leaving and seemingly no positive direction for the program as a whole. 22 games into this season, I have to admit, that opinion was premature. I'm still pretty far from the JM bandwagon, but I'm much closer to the "wait and see" camp.
 
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Re: Northeastern Hockey 2013-14 Season

Got to Boston Baseball Tavern (alumni) gathering @ 10am, walked to Boston Beer Works @ 11am, entered the game @ 12pm and left happy at 2:30pm. I was under the overhang in SEC 25 1st row of the grandstand and the weather never seemed to bother me, of course the game was slow and lots of the Lowell fans around me were complaining about the condition of the ice, which sucked especially after he rains came, most were also grumbling that they has wished this wasn't a league game.

Although, I noted and robustly reminded them that both teams had the same conditions to deal with, that said, Pimm looks confident, if you double team Roy in the offensive zone, he is open a lot. Carr didn't appear to be on his game and Witt just plays a 45 shot night like it's just another day at the office, 50 shots he yawns and greater 60 he doesn't look concerned.

Anyway, I really enjoyed the day with alumni and old co-op students who have worked in my office over the years, so much so that we wound up at Who's on 1st for a celebratory round on the old man. I haven't been in that place in years and it hasn't changed much since the last time I was in there in 1987 or 1988. LOL! Its still a dump, but the bouncer today was the same guy from 88. Who informed me, its the same owner and he only gets called in for a special event every now and then, it was good Karma because this team plays like the teams of 1980's in every game and believing they are going to win and can win.

Not sure when that corner was turned but that's the feeling I have, they still of course, have some holes on D, are sloppy at times in transition, and a prone to a stupid penalty, but you have to like the way they are playing right now.

If you had told me this team would be in 2nd place on January 10th, I would have been calling you in for a psychological consultant at McClain and shipped you off to Belmont for a happy stay. Let's just continue to support them and enjoy every day of this surprise season. Nice job JM and the entire coaching staff and most of all great job Huskies, we have a few big miles stones in the weeks ahead, keep your eyes on the prize.
 
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Re: Northeastern Hockey 2013-14 Season

Thiessen'sBetter said:
I'm still far from sold on Jim Madigan as a coach. I'm becoming more sold on Jim Madigan as a recruiter. As nice as it is to get top USHL scoreres in Roy and Szmatula, its more impressive that he was able to find guys like Hedges, McMurtry, Pond and even a transfer like Snydeman who weren't on many teams radar, to fill roles. Going forward I'd like to see some bigger and more physical D-men, and of course the big question is who is going to be his next big goalie recruit. As far as coaching goes, I think he's improved this year but he still has a long way to go. Its pretty obvious that he wants to play a free-flowing game, and let his skill players make plays. While this certainly leads to more offense, it also can lead to blown leads and can put a very young (and not very good) d-core in vulnerable and often odd-man situations. I'd like to see a bit more structure, particularly through the neutral zone. I'd also like to see him play the bottom 6 more for 2 reasons. One, to give our top 6 guys some sort of a rest so they're not completely spent come playoff time and two, they're pretty darn good for what they are! Pond and Belonger bring energy every time they're on the ice. Our special teams net is also 9th in the conference, ahead of only bu and Merrimack.

If I was the AD, I would have sent JM packing at the end of the lat year, after 2 years of missing the playoffs, numerous players leaving and seemingly no positive direction for the program as a whole. 22 games into this season, I have to admit, that opinion was premature. I'm still pretty far from the JM bandwagon, but I'm much closer to the "wait and see" camp.
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Excellent observations, one season does not a team make and we haven't achieved anything yet. I have been more critical of JM then most but if he is a better recruiter than coach I can deal with it, as long as his assistants are strong enough to make up for this deficiency, if it does really exist. However,wWhatever is happening right now seems less about coaching or recruiting and more about chemistry.
 
Re: Northeastern Hockey 2013-14 Season

retsap71 said:
They're are many people who bashed everything about this team, from coach to players that were so dead wrong! I am so happy to see the success that I knew Jim Madigan would bring the school in time. Keep basking Huskies 01 and Speedracer.
Click to expand...

I still dont think Jim is the right guy for the job. Jim fell into a goalie that has played beyond expectations in Clay Witt. And for anyone who thinks "they knew what they had" I call BS! If Clay is league average, this team probably has around 7 to 8 wins, lets keep in mind the first 4 games of the year were pretty easy ones. Everybody saw what happened up at Dartmouth when they do not receive top of the line goaltending. They suck!

They could have lost (probably should have) both PC games. 3-0 at UVM was again more Witt and opportunistic scoring by Roy. The score in that game was not reflective of what really went down in the Gut.

But hey, here they are in 2nd place. As long as Witt keeps playing like this, Roy, Szmatula and Pimm keep scoring and setting up other guys, they can keep winning.
 
Re: Northeastern Hockey 2013-14 Season

Thiessen'sBetter said:
I'm still far from sold on Jim Madigan as a coach...If I was the AD, I would have sent JM packing at the end of the last year, after 2 years of missing the playoffs, numerous players leaving and seemingly no positive direction for the program as a whole. 22 games into this season, I have to admit, that opinion was premature. I'm still pretty far from the JM bandwagon, but I'm much closer to the "wait and see" camp.
Click to expand...

At this point in the season, I think it's fair to say that, barring a major collapse, JM has the inside track on COTY.

Coaching, IMO, is much more than Xs and Os. Among other things, it involves--

--Recruiting. The effectiveness of the freshmen speaks for itself and if those who follow recruiting on a national level are to be believed, the pipeline seems to be filling up with genuine talent. And let's not forget the hidden gems, Exhibit 1 of which is Snydeman.
--Motivation. This group seems to carry itself with a quiet confidence that suggests they truly believe they can win every game; and as we've seen, they don't quit when things turn against them.
--Judgment. JM got universally lambasted for releasing Gillies from his LOI and sticking with Witt (who was then on medical red-shirt) as the successor to CR. This tells me he knew what he had in Witt from the beginning. There was also criticism in some quarters about his decision not to release Szmatula from his LOI because of possible attitude issues. If you don't know how that turned out, see "Motivation" above.
--Credibility For the most part, the "system" a coach uses isn't nearly as important as the willingness of the players to buy into it. This kids have clearly bought in.
--Conditioning. One of the things that's been the most fun to watch is the other team getting gassed late in the game.

Again, it's way too early to be counting post-season awards but as I said in an earlier post, this is turning out to be a great ride so let's all just enjoy it.
 
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Re: Northeastern Hockey 2013-14 Season

Huskies01 said:
I still dont think Jim is the right guy for the job. Jim fell into a goalie that has played beyond expectations in Clay Witt. And for anyone who thinks "they knew what they had" I call BS! If Clay is league average, this team probably has around 7 to 8 wins, lets keep in mind the first 4 games of the year were pretty easy ones. Everybody saw what happened up at Dartmouth when they do not receive top of the line goaltending. They suck!

They could have lost (probably should have) both PC games. 3-0 at UVM was again more Witt and opportunistic scoring by Roy. The score in that game was not reflective of what really went down in the Gut.

But hey, here they are in 2nd place. As long as Witt keeps playing like this, Roy, Szmatula and Pimm keep scoring and setting up other guys, they can keep winning.
Click to expand...

Let's be fair, that weekend was pure rust for everyone, everyone sucked not named Braden Pimm. The defense is inconsistent but it's not that bad, giving up 8 to Dartmouth was clearly a fluke.

I think the wins and losses have evened themselves out. We should've won that first PC game if we'd kept the foot on the gas and lost the second, instead a tie and W. We should have a W against BC but let it slip and deserved to lose to Lowell once but won. The Vermont game we definitely got outplayed, but hey, we'll take it.

Witt is this team's engine but let's put it into perspective how much better this team is because of this year's freshman class etc. We scored 81 goals last season. 81. It looks even more shocking since we are at 77 this season with like what, 14 games left? Last year's team was as bad as the record showed and this is a much improved team with the benefit of elite goaltending. It's not just about Witt.
 
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Re: Northeastern Hockey 2013-14 Season

Huskies01 said:
I still dont think Jim is the right guy for the job. Jim fell into a goalie that has played beyond expectations in Clay Witt. And for anyone who thinks "they knew what they had" I call BS! If Clay is league average, this team probably has around 7 to 8 wins, lets keep in mind the first 4 games of the year were pretty easy ones. Everybody saw what happened up at Dartmouth when they do not receive top of the line goaltending. They suck!

They could have lost (probably should have) both PC games. 3-0 at UVM was again more Witt and opportunistic scoring by Roy. The score in that game was not reflective of what really went down in the Gut.

But hey, here they are in 2nd place. As long as Witt keeps playing like this, Roy, Szmatula and Pimm keep scoring and setting up other guys, they can keep winning.
Click to expand...

And if they Sox don't have Uehara they don't win the WS. You could say that about every team
 
Re: Northeastern Hockey 2013-14 Season

Split-N said:
At this point in the season, I think it's fair to say that, barring a major collapse, JM has the inside track on COTY.

Coaching, IMO, is much more than Xs and Os. Among other things, it involves--

--Recruiting. The effectiveness of the freshmen speaks for itself and if those who follow recruiting on a national level are to be believed, the pipeline seems to be filling up with genuine talent. And let's not forget the hidden gems, Exhibit 1 of which is Snydeman.
--Motivation. This group seems to carry itself with a quiet confidence that suggests they truly believe they can win every game; and as we've seen, they don't quit when things turn against them.
--Judgment. JM got universally lambasted for releasing Gillies from his LOI and sticking with Witt (who was then on medical red-shirt) as the successor to CR. This tells me he knew what he had in Witt from the beginning. There was also criticism in some quarters about his decision not to release Szmatula from his LOI because of possible attitude issues. If you don't know how that turned out, see "Motivation" above.
--Credibility For the most part, the "system" a coach uses isn't nearly as important as the willingness of the players to buy into it. This kids have clearly bought in.
--Conditioning. One of the things that's been the most fun to watch is the other team getting gassed late in the game.

Again, it's way too early to be counting post-season awards but as I said in an earlier post, this is turning out to be a great ride so let's all just enjoy it.
Click to expand...

All this team has done is ride a hot goalie and gotten opportunistic scoring. Nothing special. No great system put in place that is fooling other teams. Turtle, hope Witt makes the save, and hope they get a goal on the counter. That's been about it.

Where is this hidden gem in Snydeman? He has 8 points in 20 odd games. He has not scored a goal since November. On his best night he is a league average player. I do not think he is even playing more then 10 minutes a game at this point. Is Tanner Pond another one of these hidden gems? Also, how come he cannot recruit guys to play defense or find hidden gems there, you know, where the major holes are.

Motivation, I am not in the lockerroom, never claimed to be. Most of these guys seemed unmotivated by him last year and the year before. I doubt much has changed on that front.

Conditioning I will give you.

As for Dartmouth, yeah they had like 10 games off prior to the Air Force game. Air Force has like 25 days off prior to that game. So not an excuse.

Has the offense gotten better. Yeah, a bit, mostly cause of Pimm and Szmatula. Roy has continued on, Pimm showed up to play this year and Szmatula is chasing $$$. Outside of those 3, anybody else going to score 10 goals on this team? Maybe Hedges, but his play has slowed down. Maybe Stevens if he can continue to pick up rebounds from his linemates. Outside of that, probably nobody. Its really 3 guys generating it all, which I guess is better then 2 guys from last year. Maybe Cody goes on a run, but as long as he is paired with McMurty out there, seems unlikely, and he is injured now too.

Again, its been a fun, unexpected year. But all they did was put lipstick on a pig. From here on out, the schedule cooperates a bit too. 2 out at ND could be tough, but they have won there enough times already. 2 with Maine could be really big. 2 with UVM next week you expect a sweep at worst a W and a T. All things coming up JM this year.
 
Re: Northeastern Hockey 2013-14 Season

Huskies01 said:
Has the offense gotten better. Yeah, a bit, mostly cause of Pimm and Szmatula. Roy has continued on, Pimm showed up to play this year and Szmatula is chasing $$$.
Click to expand...

What does this even mean? Every kid playing wants to play professionally...

And 77 goals with 14 left to play is more than "a bit better" than 81 goals total last season. This team is top-10 in the nation in scoring.

They are an opportunistic team with a great goalie but seriously, if you're going to be the "glass half empty" guy of the thread because we aren't Boston College, at least make reasonable points.

If Providence didn't have Gillies, they wouldn't be that good, Doug Carr took Lowell to the Frozen Four, Cannata took Merrimack to the tournament. Every good team has a good goalie. Witt is clearly the most important player on the team, but this team is a lot better than thought, whether you want to accept it or not is your choice. Certainly flawed, but improved.
 
Re: Northeastern Hockey 2013-14 Season

C'mon Huskies01.. JM is no Bear Bryant.. heck I am still skeptical. But, as has been rightly pointed out, he's recruited well.. convinced the Szmatula family to give this a shot & his assistants ARE doing a decent job with conditioning & practices. The real nuts & bolts guys..

I've been critical of him as much as any fan.. but, as I've also said.. wouldn't mind being wrong on him.. as I love NU.. so, nice job 'TEAM'.. keep it up!!! & hopefully this success attracts more like minded players. Go Huskies!

ps: cheer 'em on.. let's enjoy this! :-)
 
Re: Northeastern Hockey 2013-14 Season

Skinsfan09, like your new sig. :) Hoping I can change part of mine sometime.. well ..let's just see.
 
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