Plattsburgh State Hockey 2016-17 - Bob's Head Coach Season 28

[PSUChamps2001]

Gritty effort by the undermanned Cards, who were a premature whistle by the Officials from tying the game last night. Clearly the Cards biggest issue going forward is goaltending, followed closely by staying out of the penalty box.

It starts ahead of them first. You can NOT leave guys wide open like they do. Unacceptable. Wether its Brady or Josh the defense can NOT miss assignments and leave guys wide open in front of the net.

I said from Day 1 this new "emphasis" horse crap will hurt Plattsburgh in both directions. They are not a skilled Geneseo, Oswego, ect team. They don't have the snipers. They need 5 on 5 hockey, cycle the puck, wear teams down, and score some team goals. Our power play is back to beyond predictable, it has zero flow compared to Geneseos. Our penalty kill is no where near what it needs to be with missed assignment after miss assignment (of which I think ALOT is due more to the age of the players).

They show signs of a competitive team and whk knows come February and March. I am sure Bob is looking for a goalie transfer and a couple defensemen, but more than anything you have to cover your assignments. Game after game opponents are left wide open in prime scoring zones. Unacceptable at this level and expect ANYONE to save it.

Has to be a rebound game tonight for sure.

 

[spwood]

Re: Plattsburgh State Hockey 2016-17 - Bob's Head Coach Season 28

Gritty effort by the undermanned Cards, who were a premature whistle by the Officials from tying the game last night. Clearly the Cards biggest issue going forward is goaltending, followed closely by staying out of the penalty box.

 

[bakdraft21]

Re: Plattsburgh State Hockey 2016-17 - Bob's Head Coach Season 28

It starts ahead of them first. You can NOT leave guys wide open like they do. Unacceptable. Wether its Brady or Josh the defense can NOT miss assignments and leave guys wide open in front of the net.

I said from Day 1 this new "emphasis" horse crap will hurt Plattsburgh in both directions. They are not a skilled Geneseo, Oswego, ect team. They don't have the snipers. They need 5 on 5 hockey, cycle the puck, wear teams down, and score some team goals. Our power play is back to beyond predictable, it has zero flow compared to Geneseos. Our penalty kill is no where near what it needs to be with missed assignment after miss assignment (of which I think ALOT is due more to the age of the players).

They show signs of a competitive team and whk knows come February and March. I am sure Bob is looking for a goalie transfer and a couple defensemen, but more than anything you have to cover your assignments. Game after game opponents are left wide open in prime scoring zones. Unacceptable at this level and expect ANYONE to save it.

Has to be a rebound game tonight for sure.

Interesting to see what happens over the break,down to 24 players and a toss up btwn the pipes.Still time to right the ship.

 

[CARDS_rule_the_Burgh]

Re: Plattsburgh State Hockey 2016-17 - Bob's Head Coach Season 28

Well, at the halfway point of the season, we're .500 overall and under that in conference. We enter the Christmas break in 7th place in the SUNYAC and face the reality that there would be no playoff hockey whatsoever if that didn't change between now and February. In the 2nd semester, this team will be fighting for playoff position while playing 6 of their 9 remaining conference games on the road.

Things look bleak, but there is talent on this team. When these Freshmen become upperclassmen, this team should be fine.

 

[Birdwatcher]

Re: Plattsburgh State Hockey 2016-17 - Bob's Head Coach Season 28

Well, at the halfway point of the season, we're .500 overall and under that in conference. We enter the Christmas break in 7th place in the SUNYAC and face the reality that there would be no playoff hockey whatsoever if that didn't change between now and February. In the 2nd semester, this team will be fighting for playoff position while playing 6 of their 9 remaining conference games on the road.

Things look bleak, but there is talent on this team. When these Freshmen become upperclassmen, this team should be fine.

Actually 15 regular season games left...Still plenty of time to turn it around.....SUNYAC is tough from top to bottom...ask Oswego who lost to Buff State tonight 5-1

 

[CARDS_rule_the_Burgh]

Actually 15 regular season games left...Still plenty of time to turn it around.....SUNYAC is tough from top to bottom...ask Oswego who lost to Buff State tonight 5-1

I was referring only to SUNYAC games, as those are the ones that matter in the context of SUNYAC seeding. There is 0 chance at this point of an At-Large bid (unless the run the table in the 2nd semester and lose to an unranked team in the SUNYAC Finals), so getting into the SUNYAC playoffs with the best seed possible is the objective from here on out, and the Non-Conference games can effectively be viewed as glorified practices.

 

[PSUChamps2001]

I was referring only to SUNYAC games, as those are the ones that matter in the context of SUNYAC seeding. There is 0 chance at this point of an At-Large bid (unless the run the table in the 2nd semester and lose to an unranked team in the SUNYAC Finals), so getting into the SUNYAC playoffs with the best seed possible is the objective from here on out, and the Non-Conference games can effectively be viewed as glorified practices.

Seeing how I see at least 3 better SUNYAC teams, there is no at large bid. It's SUNYAC or bust. But forget the NCAA Tournament, as they need to focus on just making the SUNYAC Tournament.

 

[Birdwatcher]

Re: Plattsburgh State Hockey 2016-17 - Bob's Head Coach Season 28

Seeing how I see at least 3 better SUNYAC teams, there is no at large bid. It's SUNYAC or bust. But forget the NCAA Tournament, as they need to focus on just making the SUNYAC Tournament.

Plattsburgh has only played 7 SUNYAC games.....9 to go...some have already played 9 or 10...all I am saying is do not write them off yet....not too many years ago they had to win two out of three playoff games on the road (only hosted first round game) to win SUNYAC. It can be done.

 

[Adirondack]

Re: Plattsburgh State Hockey 2016-17 - Bob's Head Coach Season 28

Random year end questions and thoughts

Any rumors on incoming players for the second semester?

Not a fan of the new 4:00 game time with the western SUNY teams. I know it's a long bus ride home, but it's only 2 times a year. Afternoon crowd for the Brockport game was the smallest I've seen in years. I would think the players would also rather have a full house. Hope this doesn't last.

Missing Mad Dog behind the mike at the games. He brings an appreciated level of enthusiasm/talent. Nothing personal against Bob P. but I hope Mad Dog returns.

 

[PrezdeJohnson09]

Random year end questions and thoughts

Any rumors on incoming players for the second semester?

Not a fan of the new 4:00 game time with the western SUNY teams. I know it's a long bus ride home, but it's only 2 times a year. Afternoon crowd for the Brockport game was the smallest I've seen in years. I would think the players would also rather have a full house. Hope this doesn't last.

Missing Mad Dog behind the mike at the games. He brings an appreciated level of enthusiasm/talent. Nothing personal against Bob P. but I hope Mad Dog returns.

Doubt you'll see it change. That's a very long trip home and certainly benefits the student athletes and team personnel. Not only are you getting back late at night, it's a lot of waiting around in the hotel the next day.

The NEHC has been playing 4pm on Saturdays for years. Although I agree it certainly hurts from a fan attendance prospective, it does have its benefits. As a team personnel member, I go back and forth every year on which I prefer. I like seeing bigger crowds for sure as the fan inside of me and I also like a little bit longer of a break before I have to be back to the work the next day after a Friday night game. However, being done with work on a Saturday at 7/7:30 is also nice too sometimes.

 

[CARDS_rule_the_Burgh]

Doubt you'll see it change. That's a very long trip home and certainly benefits the student athletes and team personnel. Not only are you getting back late at night, it's a lot of waiting around in the hotel the next day.

The NEHC has been playing 4pm on Saturdays for years. Although I agree it certainly hurts from a fan attendance prospective, it does have its benefits. As a team personnel member, I go back and forth every year on which I prefer. I like seeing bigger crowds for sure as the fan inside of me and I also like a little bit longer of a break before I have to be back to the work the next day after a Friday night game. However, being done with work on a Saturday at 7/7:30 is also nice too sometimes.

For reference regarding how late we're talking, I got an opportunity to chat about this with the Plattsburgh Men's Team's busdriver during the game at Fredonia about this. He explained that Plattsburgh (and most teams) travel Thursday afternoon for a Friday/Saturday set of games, so it makes little sense to book a hotel for 3 nights. But if Plattsburgh has a 7pm game at Fredonia, they're not leaving the rink until close to 10pm. In good weather, a bus traveling from Fredonia to Plattsburgh is going to take about 6.5 hours. At that point, we're looking at a 4:30am arrival. Factor in a quick post-game meal, and you're bus driver's mandated break halfway through, and we're looking at 5:30-6:00. Add in inclement weather, and it's a different story altogether.

But here's the kicker: your players have missed a day and a half of classes, plus it's the weekend, so they probably have a ton of homework to do. Coach Emery dedicates a couple hours on Friday and a couple hours on Saturday for the boys to focus on schoolwork, but the chances are good they still have a significant amount of work to get done. If you're bus isn't getting in until 6:00am, they're still going to need to sleep quite a bit (nobody can get enough healthy undisturbed sleep on a moving bus with the state of NY roads in the winter). If you've got players with major projects that couldn't be done on the road, you're now asking them to forego that extra bit of sleep that they need in order to make the grade. Moving the entire thing up by 3 hours, and now you're talking 2:30-3:00am, when it's normal to be asleep, and they then have the whole daytime on Sunday to get their schoolwork done.

 

[NUProf]

Re: Plattsburgh State Hockey 2016-17 - Bob's Head Coach Season 28

Doubt you'll see it change. That's a very long trip home and certainly benefits the student athletes and team personnel. Not only are you getting back late at night, it's a lot of waiting around in the hotel the next day.

The NEHC has been playing 4pm on Saturdays for years. Although I agree it certainly hurts from a fan attendance prospective, it does have its benefits. As a team personnel member, I go back and forth every year on which I prefer. I like seeing bigger crowds for sure as the fan inside of me and I also like a little bit longer of a break before I have to be back to the work the next day after a Friday night game. However, being done with work on a Saturday at 7/7:30 is also nice too sometimes.

That Saturday 4:00 games have been with us since the Cadets became a part of the ECAC East in 1983. That's the way it has always been.

 

[spwood]

Re: Plattsburgh State Hockey 2016-17 - Bob's Head Coach Season 28

That Saturday 4:00 games have been with us since the Cadets became a part of the ECAC East in 1983. That's the way it has always been.

OK, well, it's new to some of us. I am a fan of it from the team's point of view. It makes all the sense in the world. We fans will adjust. Attendance should not be effected by the difference between 4 pm and 7 pm on a Saturday night in Plattsburgh, NY...

 

[PrezdeJohnson09]

OK, well, it's new to some of us. I am a fan of it from the team's point of view. It makes all the sense in the world. We fans will adjust. Attendance should not be effected by the difference between 4 pm and 7 pm on a Saturday night in Plattsburgh, NY...

You would think that but think about everything else you could be doing during that prime afternoon time. In Vermont, skiing is huge and you have kids doing all their different activities/sports. Makes getting to a 4pm game tougher. Norwich regularly has seen 200-300 less on Saturday afternoons than Friday's.

 

[PSUChamps2001]

Re: Plattsburgh State Hockey 2016-17 - Bob's Head Coach Season 28

The teams .500 record could have an impact on things too. Attendance has always struggled as the team struggled.

 

[CARDS_rule_the_Burgh]

Re: Plattsburgh State Hockey 2016-17 - Bob's Head Coach Season 28

That was a tough game to watch. In terms of controlling possession, quick accurate passing, and overall dictating the flow of the game, that was arguably the best performance by Plattsburgh this season. The usually-inept Powerplay seemed to be easily opening shooting lanes and taking the shots. And yet we lose 7-1 score 0 Powerplay goals. Hockey can be a cruel sometimes.

There's only so much you can do when you face a goalie who is going to put in a performance like that. Pupplo saved 56 of 57 shots today, 89 of 92 over Neumann's 2 games this weekend. Thoroughly deserving of the Tournament MVP.

In the end, the non-conference games don't matter at this point. There will be no at-large bid for us this year. Prepare for the 9 conference games remaining, get into the playoffs, and roll the dice in the postseason. Fight like hell this season, and bounce back next season.

 

[Birds]

That was a tough game to watch. In terms of controlling possession, quick accurate passing, and overall dictating the flow of the game, that was arguably the best performance by Plattsburgh this season. The usually-inept Powerplay seemed to be easily opening shooting lanes and taking the shots. And yet we lose 7-1 score 0 Powerplay goals. Hockey can be a cruel sometimes.

There's only so much you can do when you face a goalie who is going to put in a performance like that. Pupplo saved 56 of 57 shots today, 89 of 92 over Neumann's 2 games this weekend. Thoroughly deserving of the Tournament MVP.

In the end, the non-conference games don't matter at this point. There will be no at-large bid for us this year. Prepare for the 9 conference games remaining, get into the playoffs, and roll the dice in the postseason. Fight like hell this season, and bounce back next season.

Agree completely. This was some of the best hockey I have seen our boys play this season. Certainly had our chances. Their goalie was indeed phenomenal. Heads up boys. Keep working.

 

[wallhd]

Agree completely. This was some of the best hockey I have seen our boys play this season. Certainly had our chances. Their goalie was indeed phenomenal. Heads up boys. Keep working.

Agree about it being a tough game to watch. The Cards moved the puck quite well thru most of the game. Lots of shots, but most were from long range and were thus easily seen by the goalie.
As usual in a game where St Louis is an official, there were some phantom penalties.
Hope the Cards start to win a few more soon as attendance is going to drop like a rock otherwise.

Wally
Cornell '67

 

[sticksnstones]

Re: Plattsburgh State Hockey 2016-17 - Bob's Head Coach Season 28

Agree about it being a tough game to watch. The Cards moved the puck quite well thru most of the game. Lots of shots, but most were from long range and were thus easily seen by the goalie.
As usual in a game where St Louis is an official, there were some phantom penalties.
Hope the Cards start to win a few more soon as attendance is going to drop like a rock otherwise.

Wally
Cornell '67

I'm curious what everyone's thoughts are on Davies. I was in favor of going with him over Rouleau earlier this year when Rouleau was seemingly struggling. Personally, I am mixed, because like someone else mentioned earlier, there are a lot of important conference games coming up, but, Rouleau is a senior, and I want to know if Davies is "the guy" going forward. Thoughts?

 

[CARDS_rule_the_Burgh]

I'm curious what everyone's thoughts are on Davies. I was in favor of going with him over Rouleau earlier this year when Rouleau was seemingly struggling. Personally, I am mixed, because like someone else mentioned earlier, there are a lot of important conference games coming up, but, Rouleau is a senior, and I want to know if Davies is "the guy" going forward. Thoughts?

I still feel Davies is the guy. I know the guys on WIRY absolutely tore into Davies Friday night post-game, but I still disagree. Is Davies playing excellently? No. But I think he's been more consistent than Rouleau was. And for the most part, I think Emery needs to keep playing Davies so he can decide whether he needs to recruit 1 goalies or 2 in the offseason, but also to allow Davies to gain experience and improve in the case that he IS the guy for the next few seasons (which I think he can be).