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UAH Hockey 2014-15: The 30th Varsity Season

Re: UAH Hockey 2014-15: The 30th Varsity Season

gfmorris said:
Well, here's my take:

1. UAH has not played very well on the road this year (and are winless on the road in 2015), with just two road wins and only one in conference.
2. As cpp notes, LSSU is coming back from a trip to Fairbanks, and that's tough, because you have to go from the interior to Anchorage and then to the Lower 48, which apparently adds a couple of hours and is, well, another travel headache. I have no idea whether they fly into MSP or DTW — I'd guess DTW — but doing those three flights and then the bus is a hard trip.
3. It's a minor legend that Defiel got new contact lenses over the holiday break and has been lights out since. Well, we all know that goalies don't score and can't, as such, win you games, but they can steal them. Sure, Defiel shut out UAH 1-0 in November, but UAH looked like crap that game during one player taking two majors in the same game. Defiel looked awful the next night.
4. If you want to talk about resilience, let's consider this:
a. UAH bounced back just fine from a butt-kicking in Bemidji to handle Northern reasonably well.
b. UAH has bounced back from really tough losses this year, tying NMU after a terrible series in Mankato (including a 41-9 SOG disparity in the Saturday game), the whole Omaha series, and the Alaska OT game after a tough series against Tech at home.
c. The Chargers have had only one truly dreadful two-weekend stretch (BG at home and Mankato on the road — early for a young team and against two of the top three teams in the league), and the only other multi-game stretch of terror is the Ferris-Tech-Tech series.

The Chargers have to split and really could use a sweep. UAH won't be idle the rest of the season (vFSU, vUAF, @BGSU), while the Lakers will next weekend. You can figure that Tech is going to handle the Seawolves another pair of losses this weekend, so getting at least two points from the Lakers puts the Chargers four clear with six to play, and what a six: @BSU, vBGSU, vUAF.

Two wins this weekend puts UAH a lot closer to a playoff trip. They'd be 8-12-0, a mark that could tie Ferris if their woes against the league's elite continue. (They're winless in six straight against MSU and BGSU, with the final two BGSU games this weekend.) At that point, they have the chance to really make a move.

I think that I concocted a way for UAH to make it to 5th. But all of that starts with wins this weekend. I don't expect a sweep on the road, but I sure want it, and I expect a split.

GFM
Click to expand...



5. It should be Extremely fun hockey to watch.
 
Re: UAH Hockey 2014-15: The 30th Varsity Season

I will be watching Saturday night's game from one of the least hockey-aware parts of the United States: rural southeastern Mississippi. Hooray.

GFM
 
Re: UAH Hockey 2014-15: The 30th Varsity Season

It sounds like the boys are banged up and a bit ill — I'm sick, too, but nothing terrible — and that might affect things. They're men, though.

GFM
 
Re: UAH Hockey 2014-15: The 30th Varsity Season

gfmorris said:
I think that our high water mark is eight wins. And we need a home win something fierce. The only member of the hockey program who was around the last time UAH won a D-I game at home is trainer Jeff Kinard. New players, new coaches, new AD, new SID.

GFM
Click to expand...

ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED.

Next up: Double-digit wins. Possible with four more games at home.
 
Re: UAH Hockey 2014-15: The 30th Varsity Season

I would have laughed at you if you'd told me that we'd have eight wins before Ferris rolled into to town, much less that we'd have five at home and four in a row coming into that time. Holy smokes.

GFM
 
Re: UAH Hockey 2014-15: The 30th Varsity Season

I thought you guys played hard both nights and came right at the Lakers. Both Guerero and Defiel played well both nights. The difference Friday was that in addition to our lone goal, the Lakers had about 5 or 6 other grade A opportunities but in each case fired the puck just wide of the net or in one case over the net. On Saturday, the Lakers were 0 for 7 on the pp which did us in. In addition, there were two other key points in the game, both in the second period. With the Lakers up 1-0, Perfetto make a great pass from the corner out to Wright who was coming in back door from the opposite point. Wright couldn't handle the pass and it went over his stick. It could have been an easy goal if Wright handled the pass. Guerero wouldn't have had a chance. Second, a Laker player passed the puck back to Chatham at the right point. Again, Chatham couldn't handle the pass, it went over his stick, and Reid who was already skating towards Chatham then outraced him down the ice to pick up the puck and score on a breakaway to tie the game. Whether the puck was bouncing a little too much or our guys just were'nt strong enough on the puck to handle the passes I couldn't tell or don't know. Both teams are obviously offensively challenged.
 
Re: UAH Hockey 2014-15: The 30th Varsity Season

We need another year of forward development from the kids and the rising juniors.

The three points this weekend make it pretty likely that UAH will make the playoffs. It's going to be hard for both the Lakers and Seawolves to pass the Chargers. Pick up 3-4 points on the next two home weekends — and that's realistic from Ferris and maybe a little less so from Alaska — and we'll be just fine.

GFM
 
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