ChickHicks86
New member
Re: Ohio State Buckeyes 2018-19
A few thoughts from Duluth this weekend:
1) UMD is a very talented team. Ohio State was not at their best, and as others have pointed out, Jincy Dunne was nowhere to be seen, but it wasn't a case of the Buckeyes taking the weekend off. The Bulldogs played some really good hockey, getting timely scoring and converting power play chances with regularity. Rogge and Brodt were particularly impressive. On top of it all, Rooney played up to her full capability, making a number of ridiculous saves that do not belie her international pedigree. Duluth's win-loss record is not very good, but when you look at their strength of schedule, it's pretty clear they can skate with the best teams in the country.
2) The OSU forward lines did not seem to have any chemistry this weekend. There were a number of times that someone would make a backdoor feed or get a rebound chance and nobody was home. Even when the Buckeyes seemed to finally have the momentum (and there were definitely times the Bulldogs were on their heels), they struggled to cash in on their chances, unlike UMD who seemed to score on all of their A grade chances. The OSU lineup was different on Friday and Saturday, and I think the lines were getting shuffled quite a bit during the game. It didn't appear anybody was hurt, but the top 2 lines were definitely looking tired toward the end of the 2nd game. It'll be interesting to see if they are more in sync next weekend when the Gophers fly out to Columbus.
3) I have to wonder if the coaches are struggling to get through to the team. The things Muzerall emphasizes in her interviews seem to be the exact things the team struggles with. For example, she talks about the importance of staying out of the box, and then the team goes out on Friday and takes 3 penalties in the 1st period, giving up 2 power play goals. At the end of the day, the players have to go out and execute in the games, but it seems like however the coaching staff is communicating with the girls, they are not responding the way one would hope.
It was definitely not the results that Buckeye fans were hoping for this weekend, but the good news for Ohio State is that all of their goals are still in front of them. Strong showings against Minnesota and Wisconsin will go a long ways in the PairWise, and the conference tournament is always an opportunity to improves one's national standing.
A few thoughts from Duluth this weekend:
1) UMD is a very talented team. Ohio State was not at their best, and as others have pointed out, Jincy Dunne was nowhere to be seen, but it wasn't a case of the Buckeyes taking the weekend off. The Bulldogs played some really good hockey, getting timely scoring and converting power play chances with regularity. Rogge and Brodt were particularly impressive. On top of it all, Rooney played up to her full capability, making a number of ridiculous saves that do not belie her international pedigree. Duluth's win-loss record is not very good, but when you look at their strength of schedule, it's pretty clear they can skate with the best teams in the country.
2) The OSU forward lines did not seem to have any chemistry this weekend. There were a number of times that someone would make a backdoor feed or get a rebound chance and nobody was home. Even when the Buckeyes seemed to finally have the momentum (and there were definitely times the Bulldogs were on their heels), they struggled to cash in on their chances, unlike UMD who seemed to score on all of their A grade chances. The OSU lineup was different on Friday and Saturday, and I think the lines were getting shuffled quite a bit during the game. It didn't appear anybody was hurt, but the top 2 lines were definitely looking tired toward the end of the 2nd game. It'll be interesting to see if they are more in sync next weekend when the Gophers fly out to Columbus.
3) I have to wonder if the coaches are struggling to get through to the team. The things Muzerall emphasizes in her interviews seem to be the exact things the team struggles with. For example, she talks about the importance of staying out of the box, and then the team goes out on Friday and takes 3 penalties in the 1st period, giving up 2 power play goals. At the end of the day, the players have to go out and execute in the games, but it seems like however the coaching staff is communicating with the girls, they are not responding the way one would hope.
It was definitely not the results that Buckeye fans were hoping for this weekend, but the good news for Ohio State is that all of their goals are still in front of them. Strong showings against Minnesota and Wisconsin will go a long ways in the PairWise, and the conference tournament is always an opportunity to improves one's national standing.
