Re: UMass Lowell 2015-2016 Season Thread II
Agree. It's really a great story how things have worked out for Kevin.
Agree. It's really a great story how things have worked out for Kevin.
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UMass Lowell 2015-2016 Season Thread II
- Thread starter riverchief1
- Start date
riverchief1
Well-known member
Re: UMass Lowell 2015-2016 Season Thread II
This is fantastic. I'll have to admit I was in the anti-Boyle camp when he first came to Lowell from Amherst but he worked hard, reinvented himself, and turned into a top flight goalie. Best of luck to him!
This is fantastic. I'll have to admit I was in the anti-Boyle camp when he first came to Lowell from Amherst but he worked hard, reinvented himself, and turned into a top flight goalie. Best of luck to him!
Re: UMass Lowell 2015-2016 Season Thread II
http://board.uscho.com/showthread.php?115739-Exodus-Thread
http://board.uscho.com/showthread.php?115739-Exodus-Thread
riverchief1
Well-known member
leswp1
Well-known member
no comment other than thatRe: UMass Lowell 2015-2016 Season Thread II
Great season for this team, even if it didn't necessarily work out the way I had originally expected (questions with Boyle and D, but not up top, as was noted by someone here recently). Many guys stepped up, no one more than Boyle. He was outstanding.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the underclassmen return, especially CJ. I'm worried about goal for next year, but we'll see how that plays out. Some good forward talent coming in, especially Lohin and LeClerc, IMHO. Should have all the defensemen returning, but adding Goransson should help as well.
My last note ... Thank you, Seniors.
I can't see him leaving to go to another college, but pro job ... I suppose it could happen. Hoping not yet, obviously.
Great season for this team, even if it didn't necessarily work out the way I had originally expected (questions with Boyle and D, but not up top, as was noted by someone here recently). Many guys stepped up, no one more than Boyle. He was outstanding.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the underclassmen return, especially CJ. I'm worried about goal for next year, but we'll see how that plays out. Some good forward talent coming in, especially Lohin and LeClerc, IMHO. Should have all the defensemen returning, but adding Goransson should help as well.
My last note ... Thank you, Seniors.
Re: UMass Lowell 2015-2016 Season Thread II
Couple of senior notes:
@ShawnHutcheon
@RiverHawkHockey forward AJ White is heading to @mkeadmirals of #AHL on ATO contract.
@MDelZottoNews
Report: Rangers, UMass Lowell's Adam Chapie close to agreement http://www.snsanalytics.com/iuCCy8
Congrats to both!
Couple of senior notes:
@ShawnHutcheon
@RiverHawkHockey forward AJ White is heading to @mkeadmirals of #AHL on ATO contract.
@MDelZottoNews
Report: Rangers, UMass Lowell's Adam Chapie close to agreement http://www.snsanalytics.com/iuCCy8
Congrats to both!
riverchief1
Well-known member
RHawkobserver
New member
Re: UMass Lowell 2015-2016 Season Thread II
First of all congratulations to the Riverhawks for a good overall season. They represented the university and the City of Lowell in a very proud manner. Getting back to the NCAA Tourney and playing in another HE Championship are accomplishments that this group of young men will look back fondly on in the future. Lowell's record the last few years has solidified them as a contending team in HE and is something that a lot of schools would envy. Thank you to the Senior Class for their success and contributions and it is nice to see that some are getting an opportunity for the next stage in their careers.
Now that a few days have passed and the emotions of a loss to Q have settled down, it is a good time to reflect on the Regionals and perhaps the season. Like all programs, the coaching staff will eventually sit down with the players and conduct their exit interviews and review the season. If we look back to the Regional final, we saw a Lowell team that appeared to be very physically and mentally tired. It was a team that had gone to the wall too many times and didn't have much left in the tank. It is not surprising that they struggled against a team like Q because they have had difficulties with teams that play like Q all year. What was really disappointing was that we did not see a resemblance of Lowell playing consistent hockey or anywhere near the level of play that we had seen at the end of the regular season. In fact , at times we saw a team that had reverted back to bad habits and tendencies that we saw 2 months earlier in the season (some of my previous posts outline this play)
For the last few years we have heard Coach Bazin talk about the "process" during the season that is focussed on getting better each game. As a coach, you try and install good habits and tendencies in your players through practices, watching game film, placing them into situations where there is pressure and where you hold your players accountable in a style of play and a level of commitment to the structure of your game plan. You build a level of trust in your players and hope that when the pressure mounts and the games get more meaningful, the players come through with what has been taught and do not revert to old habits. Unfortunately, this has not been the case with Lowell the last couple of years. Last year we saw a mid-season slump and a long losing streak that eventually cost them a trip to the NCAA tourney. In the biggest game of last year in the HE championship game, we saw a very tentative and sluggish start that ultimately ended in a loss . This year we saw inconsistent play, a lack of execution and certainly during the biggest games of the season , a team that did not come close to playing to a level that they were capable of. One can argue many reasons for this including the level of competition is that much tougher but simply the coaching staff has to shoulder some of the blame for this. When you look at some of the problems that plagued this team all year, quite simply the game plan was not good enough and did not consist of enough adjustments to bring this team the execution they needed. If you look at the power play, it struggled most of the year and the tendency was to make very few adjustments. Attempts to try and generate more offence did not work. Obviously, there is a problem and not enough accountability when you see players resort to the same bad habits in the final game of the year as they did at the beginning or mid-season in regards to turnovers, passing up shots, trying to stickhandle through players in outnumbered situations, not making hard plays and not getting to the tough areas of the ice. An example of questionable game plan was the approach in attempting to defeat the 1-3 neutral zone forecheck that Q threw at them. Whether by design or reverting to old habits, the notion of resorting to attempt to make a long pass to an isolated or player that basically had no support or speed played into the hands of the layered defence that Q played was not effective.
If you look at the the 4 teams that made the Frozen Four, a common thread is that their best players rose to the occasion and lead them to the final. If you look at the final 3 games of this year, with the exception of #5 and #33, our top players were not recognizable and certainly did not contribute at any level of consistency. Expanding on the previous post that snipeshow made, this program has reached a point where it is time to take real look at the process and need to determine how they are going to get to the next level. The coaching staff will have to decide if they want to build a program where they average 20 wins a season and are in the mix of HE each year or do they want to get over the proverbial hump. Don't get me wrong in the sense that a hockey program is more than just wins and championships and the model that Lowell has of attracting solid student athletes and good young men is very important and they have done a good job of this.
However, the so-called process that we have heard Coach Bazin speak of should ensure that the club is playing consistent and their best hockey at the end of the season, hopefully allow the players to have a level of comfort and confidence where they are not going to resort to bad habits and previous tendencies, and to allow for the best players to rise to the occasion and be the best players that lead the team. Whether it is recruiting, structure, systems, style of play, accountability or coaching, elite teams and programs are always looking at ways to become better. Perhaps it is time for Lowell hockey to have a hard look at this as well. Obviously each year and each team is different but there have been too many inconsistencies in the level of play the last few years for this program to reach the next level.
First of all congratulations to the Riverhawks for a good overall season. They represented the university and the City of Lowell in a very proud manner. Getting back to the NCAA Tourney and playing in another HE Championship are accomplishments that this group of young men will look back fondly on in the future. Lowell's record the last few years has solidified them as a contending team in HE and is something that a lot of schools would envy. Thank you to the Senior Class for their success and contributions and it is nice to see that some are getting an opportunity for the next stage in their careers.
Now that a few days have passed and the emotions of a loss to Q have settled down, it is a good time to reflect on the Regionals and perhaps the season. Like all programs, the coaching staff will eventually sit down with the players and conduct their exit interviews and review the season. If we look back to the Regional final, we saw a Lowell team that appeared to be very physically and mentally tired. It was a team that had gone to the wall too many times and didn't have much left in the tank. It is not surprising that they struggled against a team like Q because they have had difficulties with teams that play like Q all year. What was really disappointing was that we did not see a resemblance of Lowell playing consistent hockey or anywhere near the level of play that we had seen at the end of the regular season. In fact , at times we saw a team that had reverted back to bad habits and tendencies that we saw 2 months earlier in the season (some of my previous posts outline this play)
For the last few years we have heard Coach Bazin talk about the "process" during the season that is focussed on getting better each game. As a coach, you try and install good habits and tendencies in your players through practices, watching game film, placing them into situations where there is pressure and where you hold your players accountable in a style of play and a level of commitment to the structure of your game plan. You build a level of trust in your players and hope that when the pressure mounts and the games get more meaningful, the players come through with what has been taught and do not revert to old habits. Unfortunately, this has not been the case with Lowell the last couple of years. Last year we saw a mid-season slump and a long losing streak that eventually cost them a trip to the NCAA tourney. In the biggest game of last year in the HE championship game, we saw a very tentative and sluggish start that ultimately ended in a loss . This year we saw inconsistent play, a lack of execution and certainly during the biggest games of the season , a team that did not come close to playing to a level that they were capable of. One can argue many reasons for this including the level of competition is that much tougher but simply the coaching staff has to shoulder some of the blame for this. When you look at some of the problems that plagued this team all year, quite simply the game plan was not good enough and did not consist of enough adjustments to bring this team the execution they needed. If you look at the power play, it struggled most of the year and the tendency was to make very few adjustments. Attempts to try and generate more offence did not work. Obviously, there is a problem and not enough accountability when you see players resort to the same bad habits in the final game of the year as they did at the beginning or mid-season in regards to turnovers, passing up shots, trying to stickhandle through players in outnumbered situations, not making hard plays and not getting to the tough areas of the ice. An example of questionable game plan was the approach in attempting to defeat the 1-3 neutral zone forecheck that Q threw at them. Whether by design or reverting to old habits, the notion of resorting to attempt to make a long pass to an isolated or player that basically had no support or speed played into the hands of the layered defence that Q played was not effective.
If you look at the the 4 teams that made the Frozen Four, a common thread is that their best players rose to the occasion and lead them to the final. If you look at the final 3 games of this year, with the exception of #5 and #33, our top players were not recognizable and certainly did not contribute at any level of consistency. Expanding on the previous post that snipeshow made, this program has reached a point where it is time to take real look at the process and need to determine how they are going to get to the next level. The coaching staff will have to decide if they want to build a program where they average 20 wins a season and are in the mix of HE each year or do they want to get over the proverbial hump. Don't get me wrong in the sense that a hockey program is more than just wins and championships and the model that Lowell has of attracting solid student athletes and good young men is very important and they have done a good job of this.
However, the so-called process that we have heard Coach Bazin speak of should ensure that the club is playing consistent and their best hockey at the end of the season, hopefully allow the players to have a level of comfort and confidence where they are not going to resort to bad habits and previous tendencies, and to allow for the best players to rise to the occasion and be the best players that lead the team. Whether it is recruiting, structure, systems, style of play, accountability or coaching, elite teams and programs are always looking at ways to become better. Perhaps it is time for Lowell hockey to have a hard look at this as well. Obviously each year and each team is different but there have been too many inconsistencies in the level of play the last few years for this program to reach the next level.
ScottK
Riverhawk Radio Meteorologist and Statistician
Re: UMass Lowell 2015-2016 Season Thread II
A.J. White signed with Milwaukee of the AHL yesteday. Mill City Sports is also reporting the Adam Chapie is close to signing with the Rangers.
A.J. White signed with Milwaukee of the AHL yesteday. Mill City Sports is also reporting the Adam Chapie is close to signing with the Rangers.
snipeshow10
New member
Re: UMass Lowell 2015-2016 Season Thread II
Ryan McGrath signed with the Manchester Monarchs of the ECHL.
From what I have heard, Kapla/Smith/Gambardella all had offers to move on and will be staying in school as of now.
Ryan McGrath signed with the Manchester Monarchs of the ECHL.
From what I have heard, Kapla/Smith/Gambardella all had offers to move on and will be staying in school as of now.
Re: UMass Lowell 2015-2016 Season Thread II
Started up a new thread for the off-season, if anyone wants to move their discussions there, including the expected roster.
Started up a new thread for the off-season, if anyone wants to move their discussions there, including the expected roster.