UMaine: No Cure for the Summertime Blues but to BEAR the Months 'till October!

[gscott13]

Re: UMaine: No Cure for the Summertime Blues but to BEAR the Months 'till October!

But who is going to put the puck in the net for the Huskies? And I kind of think Vermont is rated a bit too high as well.

8 of their top 10 and 12 of their top 15 point scorers return from a team that scored more goals (117) than Maine did last year (102). NE returns 87 goals to Maine's 77. The 8 returning scorer's in their top ten were all freshman (5) and sophomores (3). I wouldn't sell Northeastern short at all. Their biggest question will be like Maine, who will be between the pipes and how well will they perform...

 

[FiveHole12]

Re: UMaine: No Cure for the Summertime Blues but to BEAR the Months 'till October!

8 of their top 10 and 12 of their top 15 point scorers return from a team that scored more goals (117) than Maine did last year (102). NE returns 87 goals to Maine's 77. The 8 returning scorer's in their top ten were all freshman (5) and sophomores (3). I wouldn't sell Northeastern short at all. Their biggest question will be like Maine, who will be between the pipes and how well will they perform...

Clay Witt will be in net for NU. Same guy as last season.
Northeastern 2014-2015 Roster

Check out post #499. TERRIERFANinLA nailed all of the above in one sentence.

 

[gscott13]

Re: UMaine: No Cure for the Summertime Blues but to BEAR the Months 'till October!

Clay Witt will be in net for NU. Same guy as last season.
Northeastern 2014-2015 Roster

Check out post #499. TERRIERFANinLA nailed all of the above in one sentence.

Agreed on TFinLA re: roy/szmatula > shore. Didn't realize Witt had redshirted which is why I looked up his stats...

 

[BBDiehard14]

Agreed on TFinLA re: roy/szmatula > shore. Didn't realize Witt had redshirted which is why I looked up his stats...

Don't be shocked if Devin is a Hobey finalist

 

[blackbearbandie]

Re: UMaine: No Cure for the Summertime Blues but to BEAR the Months 'till October!

Don't be shocked if Devin is a Hobey finalist

He's got talent, and we shouldn't be shocked if he plays to his potential and that happens, but I think in order for that to happen everyone else needs to be firing on all cylinders. We won't know what we'll see until we see it and they start playing a few games. I can't wait to see the team dynamic with the new pieces to the puzzle, and how goaltending will hold up through it all. I'd feel much more confident about not being shocked if Shore were a hobey finalist were it not for the fact that our administrators kicked to the curb one of the bigger role players in the supporting cast, but the team is greater than any individual and it's up to everyone to come together and play as a team to get the job done. I'd much rather see a balanced scoring team than one or two guys dominating the score sheet every game.

 

[FiveHole12]

Re: UMaine: No Cure for the Summertime Blues but to BEAR the Months 'till October!

Don't be shocked if Devin is a Hobey finalist

What kind of numbers do you expect, ie., games played, goals, assists, points?

 

[Drew S.]

Re: UMaine: No Cure for the Summertime Blues but to BEAR the Months 'till October!

What kind of numbers do you expect, ie., games played, goals, assists, points?

He had 14-29-43 last year, which is actually more than I thought. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets something like 20-30-50, that is very impressive but still a few short of being a hobey baker finalist in my opinion. The thing that will really hold him back is not having another great player as a line mate. Maine will have half a dozen decent forwards but Shore is the only elite one.

 

[gscott13]

Re: UMaine: No Cure for the Summertime Blues but to BEAR the Months 'till October!

Don't be shocked if Devin is a Hobey finalist

i wouldn't be shocked at all... if he really puts it together, he'll have a chance, but that means someone else really needs to have a breakout season... I think TFLA's point was that the Combination of Roy/Szmatula (Combined 34-51-85) is going to be better than Shore (14-29-43) and anyone else you put with him (Leen if you go with the next highest point scoring forward with 6-17-23) for 20-46-66.

Roy and Shore in and of themselves, are pretty comparable, with only three points separating the two... the drop off is in that secondary scorer....

I'm with Drew though, Devin will need to do more than 20-30-50 to get there... something like 25-30 goals 35-40 assists... essentially 60+ points to be a finalist.... for that to happen, a Hutton cannot be the team's second leading scorer... one or two other forwards need to make the jump...

 

[BBDiehard14]

i wouldn't be shocked at all... if he really puts it together, he'll have a chance, but that means someone else really needs to have a breakout season... I think TFLA's point was that the Combination of Roy/Szmatula (Combined 34-51-85) is going to be better than Shore (14-29-43) and anyone else you put with him (Leen if you go with the next highest point scoring forward with 6-17-23) for 20-46-66.

Roy and Shore in and of themselves, are pretty comparable, with only three points separating the two... the drop off is in that secondary scorer....

I'm with Drew though, Devin will need to do more than 20-30-50 to get there... something like 25-30 goals 35-40 assists... essentially 60+ points to be a finalist.... for that to happen, a Hutton cannot be the team's second leading scorer... one or two other forwards need to make the jump...

I can see a first-year guy stepping up and contributing right away. This can be a frozen four team if things fall the right way

 

[Pucknut]

Re: UMaine: No Cure for the Summertime Blues but to BEAR the Months 'till October!

But who is going to put the puck in the net for the Huskies? And I kind of think Vermont is rated a bit too high as well.

Don't we have two teams in Hockey East with the same nickname?

 

[Hockeyman99]

Re: UMaine: No Cure for the Summertime Blues but to BEAR the Months 'till October!

Devin's going to get his points and make whoever is on the ice with him better. Balanced scoring and tight D play will be the key in my opinion. Too many times in the last few years our D were physically dominated in the D zone especially in the corners, and in the slot losing the battles you can't lose. Hopefully another year of physical maturity and strength training and another year under Red and Jay will cure this weakness. Great D play will make the goalies job much easier.

 

[TERRIERFANinLA]

Re: UMaine: No Cure for the Summertime Blues but to BEAR the Months 'till October!

But who is going to put the puck in the net for the Huskies? And I kind of think Vermont is rated a bit too high as well.

i am wondering if you have had many chances to see Roy and Szmatula. They are special when they are healthy... (Although Roy has Luc Aquino's disease where he does not seem to know that there IS a defensive end of the ice), Roy is an NHLer (as is Shore, and Shore is a lot bigger), but Szmatula and a bunch of other sophomores and juniors are pretty special on Madigan's team (Szmatula is one of Jimmy Montgomery's boys from the USHL). Plus iirc the Northeastern D is BIG. (most are lumbering and slow, but big).

 

[gscott13]

Re: UMaine: No Cure for the Summertime Blues but to BEAR the Months 'till October!

I can see a first-year guy stepping up and contributing right away. This can be a frozen four team if things fall the right way

One big IF in that statement though... goaltending is a huge question mark... all three guys are largely unproven... this is a team that was .500 with great goaltending last year (2.25GAA and .925 Save%)... one of the new guys has to perform at that level to have a chance at the ncaa's, let alone the frozen four... Maine went 5-8-4 (half of their schedule) in games decided by a goal or less... that's a slim margin for error... it could go either way, maybe they get some more scoring, or maybe they give up 1 more goal a game because the goaltending isn't at the same level as Ouellette... Right now, claims of the Frozen Four "if things fall right" is like saying the weather will be nice tomorrow if it doesn't rain....

don't get me wrong, I want to see things go perfectly for Maine... I've been to the FF every year since 2003 and hope like hell that they'll get there every time, but there are so many question marks right now i think it's a bit premature to be thinking anything more than a bubble NCAA team...

 

[NU_Husky]

Re: UMaine: No Cure for the Summertime Blues but to BEAR the Months 'till October!

Plus iirc the Northeastern D is BIG. (most are lumbering and slow, but big).

Both sides of this statement are accurate. Of the six that I expect to be in the lineup for the NU blue line, four are all at least 6 feet tall, all over 200lbs. A fifth is close at 5'11/205, and then we have one smaller defender known more for his offensive game. At least two of these players qualifies as "lumbering and slow" but I am hopeful that this year they use their size more to shut down passing lanes.

As for scoring, NU lost only 22.2% of their offense last season, most of that coming from one player (Braden Pimm). Madigan has brought in a handful of players I expect to contribute right away, potentially even collectively pass Pimm's 37 points from last season. Roy and Szmatula will get theirs, no doubt. Similar to one poster's belief that Shore will get 50 (which I can also see happening), I anticipate Roy to crack 50 and Szmatula to break 40.

 

[HHound]

Re: UMaine: No Cure for the Summertime Blues but to BEAR the Months 'till October!

i am wondering if you have had many chances to see Roy and Szmatula. They are special when they are healthy... (Although Roy has Luc Aquino's disease where he does not seem to know that there IS a defensive end of the ice), Roy is an NHLer (as is Shore, and Shore is a lot bigger), but Szmatula and a bunch of other sophomores and juniors are pretty special on Madigan's team (Szmatula is one of Jimmy Montgomery's boys from the USHL). Plus iirc the Northeastern D is BIG. (most are lumbering and slow, but big).

That's a reasonable assessment. While Roy isn't likely to be considered for the Defensive Forward award, he will surprise you as he uses his speed to compensate for his lack of heft to make some clever defensive plays. I got the feeling that he wasn't completely healthy last year. Szmats is a perpetual motion machine with serious offensive skill. The D isn't all that big, but has lumbered a bit (more than a bit at times). The coaches are mixing in smaller puck movers in the next couple of classes.

Having a home in Lyman, Maine qualifies me to root for UMO when NU isn't involved. You've got some pretty good talent, but I'm not sure that you're a home ice candidate unless you find a real gem among your goaltenders. We all know how frustrating "strange" goaltending can be.

BTW, any clues about where Lomborg winds up next year? He was a royal pain to play against.

 

[Drew S.]

One big IF in that statement though... goaltending is a huge question mark... all three guys are largely unproven... this is a team that was .500 with great goaltending last year (2.25GAA and .925 Save%)... one of the new guys has to perform at that level to have a chance at the ncaa's, let alone the frozen four... Maine went 5-8-4 (half of their schedule) in games decided by a goal or less... that's a slim margin for error... it could go either way, maybe they get some more scoring, or maybe they give up 1 more goal a game because the goaltending isn't at the same level as Ouellette... Right now, claims of the Frozen Four "if things fall right" is like saying the weather will be nice tomorrow if it doesn't rain....

don't get me wrong, I want to see things go perfectly for Maine... I've been to the FF every year since 2003 and hope like hell that they'll get there every time, but there are so many question marks right now i think it's a bit premature to be thinking anything more than a bubble NCAA team...

Maybe I'm insane but I'm not super worried about the goaltending. Red has had 15 months to get this resolved and it's hard to believe he would go into this season without one or two guys he was really confident in. Another important thing to keep in mind is that Maine's defense should be much better this year. I also think that Maine will have one or two lines that can really shut down the other team, which was an area they were sorely lacking in last year. Higgins was a lot bigger loss than people realized, especially the Notre Dame weekend.

 

[BBDiehard14]

Maybe I'm insane but I'm not super worried about the goaltending. Red has had 15 months to get this resolved and it's hard to believe he would go into this season without one or two guys he was really confident in. Another important thing to keep in mind is that Maine's defense should be much better this year. I also think that Maine will have one or two lines that can really shut down the other team, which was an area they were sorely lacking in last year. Higgins was a lot bigger loss than people realized, especially the Notre Dame weekend.

Bingo. We have the size that can protect Morris and Co

 

[all bear]

Re: UMaine: No Cure for the Summertime Blues but to BEAR the Months 'till October!

Maybe I'm insane but I'm not super worried about the goaltending. Red has had 15 months to get this resolved and it's hard to believe he would go into this season without one or two guys he was really confident in. Another important thing to keep in mind is that Maine's defense should be much better this year. I also think that Maine will have one or two lines that can really shut down the other team, which was an area they were sorely lacking in last year. Higgins was a lot bigger loss than people realized, especially the Notre Dame weekend.

You're insane. . No really, agree with the goaltending. I fail to see it as a problem. Think they will be fine. You can bet your azz the Redster prepped one of those guys for this season.

 

[walrus]

Re: UMaine: No Cure for the Summertime Blues but to BEAR the Months 'till October!

I can see a first-year guy stepping up and contributing right away. This can be a frozen four team if things fall the right way

I realize fan is short for fanatic but I'll have whatever you are smoking. This team won't even be top 4 in HE. They might be better than last year but given what happened at the end of last season, that ain't saying much.

 

[ck1969]

Re: UMaine: No Cure for the Summertime Blues but to BEAR the Months 'till October!

I realize fan is short for fanatic but I'll have whatever you are smoking. This team won't even be top 4 in HE. They might be better than last year but given what happened at the end of last season, that ain't saying much.

Agreed. They are still a year away IMO. And until I see what's going on between the pipes I will be keeping my expectations very low.