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Northeastern Huskies 2014-15: Release the Hounds!

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Re: Northeastern Huskies 2014-15: Release the Hounds!

reading the NU recap.. Gophers are 0-4 at Matthews Arena.. NU is 6-6 versus Minny all time..

..wish it were a better season but this is something in right direction for sure.
 
Re: Northeastern Huskies 2014-15: Release the Hounds!

RossiRules said:
Great win Huskies, with less than 1500 in actual attendance and a Dog Pound of 20 people tops, no band and about 500 or so Minnesota fans in house you beat one of the top ranked teams in the nation and out shout them 3 to 2.

Although, I can't say the better team won for sure, we all know that's hockey anything can happen on any given night. That said, NU played gutsy D and pesky O against a bigger and in may ways vastly superior team in terms of skill. The game plan was excellent with NU only allowing goals on PP. During full strength play we rarely over committed and only gave up a handful of odd man rushes. NU delivered some fierce hits hits too. However, the biggest change I noted was in transition and neutral zone play where players dumped the puck for fresher legs if there was clearly nothing about to develop, and that takes discipline.

This was the best game they have played all year and I also must say it was fairly well coached, Madigan made good use of time outs and set up plays behind the bench to gather the troops when needed. One game does not a season make but this was a great game to build on and I am very proud of the boys tonight. Don’t get me wrong NU played up the competition and the Gophers likely played down in a classic trap game coming off a fairly easy win at the Heights yesterday.

I will say if they play like they did tonight the rest of the year we will be .500 after all. Also, nice job to K Roy who although he still never played D did get himself time and space, eventually scoring the game winner with about 4 minutes left. He looked much better tonight than he has all year with flashes of greatness in the Offensive zone particularly with his stick handling behind the net.

Really happy I went with both my son’s who were home from Thanksgiving break and both of whom had local DIV 3 games, which they also won, they even each saw a couple of shifts. Great weekend for RossiRules. Great weekend for NU too. Hope everyone had a terrific Thanksgiving. Is this "ok" with you retsap71?
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As far as you go, this is as good as it gets.
 
Re: Northeastern Huskies 2014-15: Release the Hounds!

What I saw last night was what all of us have been waiting for since October: A fast-paced attack that produced 40 shots against one of the better defenses in the country; crashing the net and generally creating havoc around the crease that led to the dirty first goal and the classic Collier re-direct; consistently winning puck battles all night long; some zip to the PP, even though it came up empty; getting in peoples faces and generally making Minnesota pay a physical price.

Very happy to see Collier on the score sheet. The kid isn't bashful about inserting himself into the grindy down-low part of the game and it finally paid off.

The better team really did win. Too bad more people weren't there to see it.
 
Re: Northeastern Huskies 2014-15: Release the Hounds!

As Split-N stated this is what we expected earlier however that is the past. Thought the boys played very well but again a dumb penalty leading to another 5-3. The people saying that Minn just came to Boston to beat BC is hog wash no Don Lucia's team who has lost 3 of 4 just comes to win only 1 game. NU played like a team that is just starting to gel. The return of ZAR was a big boost for that line and Collier deserves more playing time. Snydeman struggled as he was not on the same page with ZAR and Szmatula. The Hedges line is starting to come together and you have to love the energy Rosenthal brings to the Stevens line. Some fine tuning is yet to be done as I still believe that collier or Sikura that need to be on Szmatula line and have Reed Collier and Snydeman be your 4th line. Without a shadow of a doubt Benning was a force on defense a matter of fact the entire defense core played very well. Witt is a wall and gives these guys confidence. They are starting to finally gel. What was great to see that we had a lot of passion and enthusiasm out there. It does not mean that this team is ready for a final 4 appearance but they showed allot and if they can take this and build on it than you have players in that room who have won championships you never know
 
Re: Northeastern Huskies 2014-15: Release the Hounds!

Bad knees said:
Without a shadow of a doubt Benning was a force on defense a matter of fact the entire defense core played very well.
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I try not to be too harsh, but I can almost recall a handful of bad plays by him last night. I remember a handful of turnovers. He's trying to do way too much with the puck. He laid a huge hit though. That hit was a game changer.
 
Re: Northeastern Huskies 2014-15: Release the Hounds!

nufan2001 said:
I try not to be too harsh, but I can almost recall a handful of bad plays by him last night. I remember a handful of turnovers. He's trying to do way too much with the puck. He laid a huge hit though. That hit was a game changer.
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He had a couple of them, by far the most physical I've seen him play in a long time.

Bad Knees highlights the return of ZAR, and I think that might've been undersold. Minny is a BIG team, and ZAR is by far our most physical forward, maybe our most physical player. He fears no one and will muck it with anyone. Having that physical presence definitely helps when facing a team the skill level and the physical level of the Gophs. It's good to have him back.
 
Re: Northeastern Huskies 2014-15: Release the Hounds!

NU_Husky said:
He had a couple of them, by far the most physical I've seen him play in a long time.

Bad Knees highlights the return of ZAR, and I think that might've been undersold. Minny is a BIG team, and ZAR is by far our most physical forward, maybe our most physical player. He fears no one and will muck it with anyone. Having that physical presence definitely helps when facing a team the skill level and the physical level of the Gophs. It's good to have him back.
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If you look up "grinding it out" online, I'm pretty sure last night's game might show up in google search. The thing that stood out to me was the tremendous differences in talent and skating between the teams. Minnesota is very, very good. Northeastern set the tone, wanted it more. Also, perhaps having the night off to rest while Minnesota played BC helped. Definitely gave a chance for the NU staff to scout Minny.

I have never seen the Huskys beat a top tier opponent like that at home without the students.
 
Re: Northeastern Huskies 2014-15: Release the Hounds!

Not to throw cold water on a nice win, because it was a nice overall win, but lets slow down with we knew this was a good team, things are starting to gel, etc. They have 3 wins in 13 games. Beating the Gophers does not make them suddenly a good team. Its not like we can assume that because NU beat the Gophers who beat the Eagles that we are a shoo in to also beat the Eagles now.

Those of us who have been around a long time have seen these types of OCC wins at home and on the road before against highly ranked competition. Heck, JM has done it before himself, I think his first year had a nice run on the road against OCC teams, a sweep at ND if I remember correctly? The Daniels brothers had a big weekend? Didn't also JM go into Minnesota and pick up a win himself like two or three years ago?

Sometimes these highly ranked OCC teams do not take us "seriously", and we do not get their "A game" if you will. From what the final 2 periods on Saturday, I think that game was a combo of it being a well rested Husky team, against a tried and not fully into it Gopher team, with some real grit and "want" provided by NU.

I find that these OCC wins typically do not transfer over into Hockey East games. Not saying they lose on Wednesday to PC, but that over the long haul the cream rises to the top. Hockey East teams know how to play us, and rather not drop Hockey East points to us, something Minnesota didn't have to lose on Saturday.

Hey, hopefully this gets them on a bit of a run now. After all, I think they have what, 6 or 7 wins this calendar year? They are due for a bit of a run here. I would not be surprised if they go on one leading up to the Beanpot, just to get smoked there and the season fall apart. Have seen it before.
 
For me .. no expectation for the program until Madigan gets fired or removes himself from the hockey.. & that still holds true after this past W or the nxt. Just happy for the kids for now.
 
Re: Northeastern Huskies 2014-15: Release the Hounds!

Again Huskys-01 takes us down to earth. If you look at it it's just like previous years and yes I remember those years, however looking at the last 10 games the team has played pretty well despite not having a full team and frankly the team is starting to play well. This team has a balanced attack and not relying on just a couple of players which bodes very well once and if these players get going . I still believe that the lines need tweaking and Witt in the nets with ZAR back I just stated we will see. However if they give that type of effort every game then you never know
 
Re: Northeastern Huskies 2014-15: Release the Hounds!

Bad knees said:
Again Huskys-01 takes us down to earth. If you look at it it's just like previous years and yes I remember those years, however looking at the last 10 games the team has played pretty well despite not having a full team and frankly the team is starting to play well. This team has a balanced attack and not relying on just a couple of players which bodes very well once and if these players get going . I still believe that the lines need tweaking and Witt in the nets with ZAR back I just stated we will see. However if they give that type of effort every game then you never know
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They are better with Witt in net. Nobody will deny that. And that's not to put the horrible start on the shoulders of D. Roy, he was not cause. But that being said, over the last 10 games, and for the entire season they have yet to score more then 3 goals in a game. The magic goal number to win games in Hockey East tends to be around 4. It is really tough to win every game 3-2, 2-1. If you want to blame it on injuries, sure, go ahead, but the puck needs to hit the back of the net more for this team.

That being said, if you are a believer that our guys just got off to a slow start, that does bode well for this team as you would then expect Roy and Szmatula to go off on the rest of the league the rest of the way. I can get behind that.

I cannot get behind our team defense and goalies keeping teams to 3 goals and under the majority of nights though. Credit to DD and Fennell though. Especially Fennell. They are finally playing up to a level I would say of what I would expect out of a freshmen player in the 2nd half of the season. They do not look lost out there, and even occasionally make defensive plays! I do not know if it will last, but I am pretty bad about predicting the future. Maybe JM and staff finally coached some kids up!
 
Re: Northeastern Huskies 2014-15: Release the Hounds!

Bad knees said:
Again Huskys-01 takes us down to earth. If you look at it it's just like previous years and yes I remember those years, however looking at the last 10 games the team has played pretty well despite not having a full team and frankly the team is starting to play well. This team has a balanced attack and not relying on just a couple of players which bodes very well once and if these players get going . I still believe that the lines need tweaking and Witt in the nets with ZAR back I just stated we will see. However if they give that type of effort every game then you never know
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There are some people who post here who have an agenda. You can tell who they are that even after a nice win they are still *****ing. Notice Speed Racer's absence, just like all of last year. He is here front and center after a loss but nowhere to be found after a win. Guys its tough to win, if you can't enjoy the wins, then what are you doing?
 
Steve.. you came on this board right round the time Madigan came on board.. one with an agenda seems to be you..

and btw, as has been echoed before.. any fan of NU Hockey is (should be) welcomed on the forum.. not just the ones that sing in unison with you.
 
Re: Northeastern Huskies 2014-15: Release the Hounds!

northeastern said:
Steve.. you came on this board right round the time Madigan came on board.. one with an agenda seems to be you..

and btw, as has been echoed before.. any fan of NU Hockey is (should be) welcomed on the forum.. not just the ones that sing in unison with you.
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I have been here for 10 years. Crowder days, I have been following teams since Fernie. My agenda is to see them win, not hope they lose so they can fire the coach.
 
Re: Northeastern Huskies 2014-15: Release the Hounds!

Huskies01 said:
They are better with Witt in net. Nobody will deny that. And that's not to put the horrible start on the shoulders of D. Roy, he was not cause. But that being said, over the last 10 games, and for the entire season they have yet to score more then 3 goals in a game. The magic goal number to win games in Hockey East tends to be around 4. It is really tough to win every game 3-2, 2-1. If you want to blame it on injuries, sure, go ahead, but the puck needs to hit the back of the net more for this team.

That being said, if you are a believer that our guys just got off to a slow start, that does bode well for this team as you would then expect Roy and Szmatula to go off on the rest of the league the rest of the way. I can get behind that.

I cannot get behind our team defense and goalies keeping teams to 3 goals and under the majority of nights though. Credit to DD and Fennell though. Especially Fennell. They are finally playing up to a level I would say of what I would expect out of a freshmen player in the 2nd half of the season. They do not look lost out there, and even occasionally make defensive plays! I do not know if it will last, but I am pretty bad about predicting the future. Maybe JM and staff finally coached some kids up!
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I have to agree with you, I was not on the side of DD, Fennell, and our D corps in the offseason, but they have impressed me, improvement has been seen. Fennell has actually impressed me to the point where I'm not freaking out when he steps on the ice. I have one contention to make, regarding the D- we have been clamoring for years for it to improve. With Witt in net, it improved, but it feels like the blue line corps has improved as well. If this is an improved D that will give up 3 or less goals on the reg, and we expect the offense to eventually click and put goals up, that would bode well for the future. I know it's tough to say "this team will become a stout defensive one" but at 5v5 play, we have performed well keeping teams off the board for the last month. If they can continue to stay out of the box, I am cautiously optimistic that they can keep opponents off the board as they start to get more points on the board.

A poster on DHD made a comment that I thought was interesting- the team had a number of quality looks that could have easily been goals, but Wilcox stood on his head. He will be the best goalie we see this year, including that kid coming with PC in two days. The team was buzzing in the offensive zone. If this keeps up, we will get that 4 goal game sooner rather than later.
 
Re: Northeastern Huskies 2014-15: Release the Hounds!

Quick plug- I have no idea who operates this NU Hockey blog, but whoever does it does a really nice job providing analysis and coverage of the team. Highly recommend reading it if you haven't:

http://neuhockey.wordpress.com/
 
Bad knees said:
Again Huskys-01 takes us down to earth. If you look at it it's just like previous years and yes I remember those years, however looking at the last 10 games the team has played pretty well despite not having a full team and frankly the team is starting to play well. This team has a balanced attack and not relying on just a couple of players which bodes very well once and if these players get going . I still believe that the lines need tweaking and Witt in the nets with ZAR back I just stated we will see. However if they give that type of effort every game then you never know
Click to expand...
Balanced attack? Oh boy, that's a stretch. More like balanced medicore play from the majority and solid play from a select few. They have won some games lately and undoubtedly improved. However, I'm not overly impressed or increasing expectations until they play consistently.
 
Re: Northeastern Huskies 2014-15: Release the Hounds!

retsap71 said:
There are some people who post here who have an agenda...
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Let's put the agendas away guys and gals. The personal attacks going back and forth are childish (if not outright moronic).
 
Re: Northeastern Huskies 2014-15: Release the Hounds!

Retsap has been posting here forever. He is not a johnny come lately.

Look - I give credit where its due. And I do not have an agenda. I did not like this hire from Day 1, but as I have also said, I am really hoping to be wrong, because if I am right, it means lots of losing. And I do not like lots of losing. While it may make each individual win that much nicer, I rather grow accustomed to winning so it gets boring. Like being a BC fan.

If I felt JM could win consistently, or even at a Tim Whitehead level, great! I just do not think that. This team has flopped in the whole 2014 calendar year. Maybe 2015 will be better. Winning 3 out of the last 4 has been nice, and Witt back in net has made a difference. But Witt was in net for the collapse last season. So pardon me if I do not get ahead of myself and make plans for home ice and a long playoff run. I just see this as a typical run of good play that maybe the peak of what this team can accomplish.
 
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