UMaine Black Bears, 2017-2018 season, is this Reds last stand?

[NorthMike]

The Maine PK being dead last in the nation at 63% is a massive disappointment in what has otherwise been a decent start to the season.

Is the PK personnel the problem? The scheme? Something needs to change for that to improve.

What I see on the PK is puck staring and the D easily getting drawn out of position by puck movement. Leaves weak side and slot vulnerable. But, when they practice against a bad PP side how can the PK get better.

 

[ticapnews]

Re: UMaine Black Bears, 2017-2018 season, is this Reds last stand?

Your Hockey East Rookie of the Week is....

http://goblackbears.com/news/2017/1...maks-as-pro-ambitions-rookie-of-the-week.aspx

 

[Fishman'81]

Re: UMaine Black Bears, 2017-2018 season, is this Reds last stand?

The same metric Maine fans used to use. Maine used to be good therefore they are. Now Lowell may turn it around and by end of season be decent. But their chance to be a ncaa team is real slim as is there HE chances.

Maine has to win consistently before I'm going to get excited. A road win is great, doesn't mean **** unless you can string some more wins with it. Let's see them beat BU in 2 weeks.

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(What he said.)

Maine hasn't had anything close to a good win so far, and they've had a bunch of bad losses. No two ways about it.

Sweeping at BU would help, but I won't bet the farm on that one.

 

[Bhall44]

Re: UMaine Black Bears, 2017-2018 season, is this Reds last stand?

Teddy Purcell was named to Team Canada pre olympic squad

 

[Fishman'81]

Re: UMaine Black Bears, 2017-2018 season, is this Reds last stand?

Teddy Purcell was named to Team Canada pre olympic squad

Love Teddy. He sure could toe-drag and create his own shot. And my funniest Maine hockey moment ever was listening to him jaw with an opponent in an NCAA game in Rochester years ago...

Teddy and the other guy had received matching minors. Once in their respective sin-bins, Teddy stood up and yelled: "Hey *Smith*..! What you got, 4 goals all year..??? Fu#&k1n+ LOSER!!!"

Then, Purcell sat down, pointedly ignored the guy, and calmly had a few refreshing sips of Gatorade while *Smith* went absolutely apoplectic, banging on the glass with his stick like a rabid chimpanzee, and challenging Teddy to leave their boxes and fight him at center-ice right that minute.

Guess you had to be there, but it was hilarious, and I was impressed that Teddy had bothered to accurately memorize the guy's stats just for the sake of possibly trotting them out, should the opportunity present itself...

That's doing your homework, folks!

 

[NorthMike]

Re: UMaine Black Bears, 2017-2018 season, is this Reds last stand?

Looks like Purcell is playing in a Russian league, at 32. Still loving it evidently.

 

[AMC]

Re: UMaine Black Bears, 2017-2018 season, is this Reds last stand?

Who would have foreseen a day where the only UMaine winter sport team that will even sniff .500 is women's hockey?

 

[Fishman'81]

Re: UMaine Black Bears, 2017-2018 season, is this Reds last stand?

Looks like Purcell is playing in a Russian league, at 32. Still loving it evidently.

He had 8 or 9 good years in the NHL. Not an All-Star player, but a solid contributor. Tampa was my favorite NHL team to watch during the time(s) that Bish, Torts and Teddy were still there.

Still have Maine guys to watch, of course. Shore and Bish at Dallas, Goose and Jimmy in Detroit, and the list goes on... I seriously wonder if any of Red's recruits will provide me any reason to watch the NHL down the road, though. ( I'm guessing not. )

 

[Fishman'81]

Re: UMaine Black Bears, 2017-2018 season, is this Reds last stand?

Who would have foreseen a day where the only UMaine winter sport team that will even sniff .500 is women's hockey?

I feel your pain, but football has a legit shot at .500 this year, and with all the young talent on the roster, maybe a decent chance at the field of 16 next season.

They have several overlooked underclassmen with D-1 skill-sets... That's how you have to do it at Maine now.

 

[walrus]

Re: UMaine Black Bears, 2017-2018 season, is this Reds last stand?

Who would have foreseen a day where the only UMaine winter sport team that will even sniff .500 is women's hockey?

Womens BBall?

 

[AMC]

Re: UMaine Black Bears, 2017-2018 season, is this Reds last stand?

Womens BBall?

Seeing as they got waxed by D-II Stonehill, no.

 

[Fishman'81]

Re: UMaine Black Bears, 2017-2018 season, is this Reds last stand?

Seeing as they got waxed by D-II Stonehill, no.

Saw that. Not encouraging.

It's all about field hockey and football right now, my brothers!

Or, does Maine have a curling team..???

 

[walrus]

Re: UMaine Black Bears, 2017-2018 season, is this Reds last stand?

Saw that. Not encouraging.

It's all about field hockey and football right now, my brothers!

Or, does Maine have a curling team..???

You mean it's all about field hockey. Football is done, Fore

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[Fishman'81]

Re: UMaine Black Bears, 2017-2018 season, is this Reds last stand?

You mean it's all about field hockey. Football is done, Fore

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Too harsh, Wally. Football has a real shot at not having a losing season, which is pretty good by Maine's recent standards.

 

[walrus]

Re: UMaine Black Bears, 2017-2018 season, is this Reds last stand?

Too harsh, Wally. Football has a real shot at not having a losing season, which is pretty good by Maine's recent standards.

I've watched them play a few times, they have beaten the teams they should have and lost to every team thats good. I guess at this point finishing .500 is ok but I doubt its a goal of the program. The coach has already said they are out of the playoffs and its his job to keep their heads in the game. I know nothing about UMass but I believe they went FBS? so a win against them at Fenway would be great. They have some good players but not enough of them. Unless the QB play gets better by next season they won't play for anything next year either. He has improved over the course of this season.

 

[e.cat]

I've watched them play a few times, they have beaten the teams they should have and lost to every team thats good. I guess at this point finishing .500 is ok but I doubt its a goal of the program. The coach has already said they are out of the playoffs and its his job to keep their heads in the game. I know nothing about UMass but I believe they went FBS? so a win against them at Fenway would be great. They have some good players but not enough of them. Unless the QB play gets better by next season they won't play for anything next year either. He has improved over the course of this season.

Went to the UNH/Maine game in Durham. Your QB was very good. Big, strong and could throw the ball. UNH went on to win the game 24-23 but it could easily have gone the other way!

 

[umhockey91]

Re: UMaine Black Bears, 2017-2018 season, is this Reds last stand?

Went to the UNH/Maine game in Durham. Your QB was very good. Big, strong and could throw the ball. UNH went on to win the game 24-23 but it could easily have gone the other way!

But it didn't Blanche!

Men's hockey has a chance to have the best season of any UM team! Seriously...they bottomed out last season. I just hope that they continue to develop & improve. Red has not demonstrated that his teams improve over the course of a season....that is the biggest bugaboo IMO. Their talent level can compete with HE teams on most nights.

 

[AMC]

Re: UMaine Black Bears, 2017-2018 season, is this Reds last stand?

I've watched them play a few times, they have beaten the teams they should have and lost to every team thats good. I guess at this point finishing .500 is ok but I doubt its a goal of the program.

I think it is the goal of the program, if the athletic department is going to make them play two body-bag FBS games per year. Being basically 0-2 before a ball is kicked means they have to pretty much go at least 7-2 in games against FCS teams every year to even be in the playoff discussion. 8-1 may be more realistic.

 

[AMC]

Re: UMaine Black Bears, 2017-2018 season, is this Reds last stand?

Men's hockey has a chance to have the best season of any UM team! Seriously...they bottomed out last season. I just hope that they continue to develop & improve. Red has not demonstrated that his teams improve over the course of a season....that is the biggest bugaboo IMO. Their talent level can compete with HE teams on most nights.

My money is still on women's puck. 7-5 against a harder schedule than they usually play, 12th in KRACH, 13th in pairwise, 2-3 against ranked teams.

Men are 3-5, 49th in KRACH, 52nd in pairwise, 0-2 against ranked teams.

 

[Fishman'81]

Re: UMaine Black Bears, 2017-2018 season, is this Reds last stand?

I've watched them play a few times, they have beaten the teams they should have and lost to every team thats good. I guess at this point finishing .500 is ok but I doubt its a goal of the program. The coach has already said they are out of the playoffs and its his job to keep their heads in the game. I know nothing about UMass but I believe they went FBS? so a win against them at Fenway would be great. They have some good players but not enough of them. Unless the QB play gets better by next season they won't play for anything next year either. He has improved over the course of this season.

Have to agree, in general... But the D-line is pretty good, the D-backs too, and Ferguson is showing signs of being a real force. I'm definitely not counting Maine out as far as contending for an NCAA berth next year. Might spend more time traveling to see football next year, and less time barking up the wrong tree spending money to watch *another* Maine sport.