What's new
By:
USCHO Fan Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • The USCHO Fan Forum has migrated to a new plaform, xenForo. Most of the function of the forum should work in familiar ways. Please note that you can switch between light and dark modes by clicking on the gear icon in the upper right of the main menu bar. We are hoping that this new platform will prove to be faster and more reliable. Please feel free to explore its features.

UNH At The Starting Gate....

Status
Not open for further replies.
Re: UNH At The Starting Gate....

irishfan85 said:
Just doing the quick math, I think that may be slightly inaccurate.

UML cannot catch BC or UNH as their max potential is 22.
UVM's max potential is 29.
PC's max potential is 30.

Obviously, it's a formality, but not mathematical yet.
Click to expand...

PC plays UVM this coming weekend twice, so one of them will be out then. And that will do it because UML is already locked into being below UNH and BC. As only one other team would have to fall below UNH and BC (considering UML is already gone), that would mean that BOTH PC and UVM can't win all the rest of their games--- as they play each other twice this coming weekend.

So... yes, UNH and BC will ABSOLUTELY finish ahead of UML and either PC or UVM... and it is a mathematical certainty. Not sure that it means anything, but both are in.
 
Re: UNH At The Starting Gate....

WildShawn said:
I know unh has embarrassingly lost 2 points in hockey east since mid november, I wonder when the next time pillb will chirp in?
Click to expand...
Incidentally, the last time PC picked up a league win was in early November (Nov. 5th).
 
Re: UNH At The Starting Gate....

Interesting thing I just noticed: After winning 8 games away from the Whitt in each of the past 2 years, this year's version of the Wildcats has already accomplished that task with lots of time to spare. Not sure whether the new corners have anything to do with it, or if we're simply "just playing better" on the road this year than in the past. Just found it interesting, is all.
 
Re: UNH At The Starting Gate....

IrishWildcat said:
Interesting thing I just noticed: After winning 8 games away from the Whitt in each of the past 2 years, this year's version of the Wildcats has already accomplished that task with lots of time to spare. Not sure whether the new corners have anything to do with it, or if we're simply "just playing better" on the road this year than in the past. Just found it interesting, is all.
Click to expand...

Perhaps changing the corners and goalline actually translated like Coach hoped it would!
 
Re: UNH At The Starting Gate....

Darius said:
Can anyone explain the 2nd period PP with one point man? Was it simply that we were so dominant we could pull it off or is it a new strategy? Thanks.
Click to expand...

Actually I thought it was more of a balanced set.

DeSimone is not a good low player, he wants to play further up the boards, and creeps up there during the PP. That pushes Kostolansky very high on the blue line to even maintain reasonable spacing. With Kessel in the middle you have Kostolansky on the blue line on the boards. I hadn't understood why this was continually being a problem until I saw the unit with Speelman.

Speelman is happy to stay low, and willing to go in front of the net. This frees Thompson of this job and keeps him better positioned for his shot. Now there are two guys good below the dots to the goal line and doing board work (Speelman and Thompson), and Kessel now truly center at the blue line. The set then balances with Sislo and DeSimone just above the faceoff dots. It is now a true umbrella.

The problem was either DeSimone or Kostolansky had to go to stop crowding each other because Desimone isn't happy or effective down low.

*****

On the game I was happy to see the more focused play from the 2-4 lines. The line of Burke-Sorkin-Moses looked like no fun for Providence. Two big guys that can move combined with a bee buzzing around picking up loose pucks those two were generating. Liked the hard work and going to the net attitude. All five goals were scored down low; I think the highest was Thomspon's 5-on-3 goal. This team was different than team than the first 6 games since New Years, more like the first half group.
 
Last edited:
Re: UNH At The Starting Gate....

JB said:
Actually I thought it was more of a balanced set.

DeSimone is not a good low player, he wants to play further up the boards, and creeps up there during the PP. That pushes Kostolansky very high on the blue line to even maintain reasonable spacing. With Kessel in the middle you have Kostolansky on the blue line on the boards. I hadn't understood why this was continually being a problem until I saw the unit with Speelman.

Speelman is happy to stay low, and willing to go in front of the net. This frees Thompson of this job and keeps him better positioned for his shot. Now there are two guys good below the dots to the goal line and doing board work (Speelman and Thompson), and Kessel now truly center at the blue line. The set then balances with Sislo and DeSimone just above the faceoff dots. It is now a true umbrella.

The problem was either DeSimone or Kostolansky had to go to stop crowding each other because Desimone isn't happy or effective down low.
Click to expand...
A helpful X's and O's explanation, JB.
Another potential bonus with the reconfigured 1st Powerplay Unit is it's contrast with the 2nd Unit. Now, the opposing penalty kill unit has to prepare for an umbrella style from the first unit and a more conventional style from the other. The Kipp-Campanale-Burke-Sorkin(Borisenok)-Moses unit runs the traditional, 2 D-men at the points setup.
 
Re: UNH At The Starting Gate....

Clark-Hislop-Cox said:
A helpful X's and O's explanation, JB.
Another potential bonus with the reconfigured 1st Powerplay Unit is it's contrast with the 2nd Unit. Now, the opposing penalty kill unit has to prepare for an umbrella style from the first unit and a more conventional style from the other. The Kipp-Campanale-Burke-Sorkin(Borisenok)-Moses unit runs the traditional, 2 D-men at the points setup.
Click to expand...

In some ways I liked what the second unit did off the set better.

Yes the first unit scored but not off sets. Both the Speelman and Thompson goals were on the break in; I like that they didn't feel the need to set up and took a good scoring oportunity.

The second unit with Burke at the top of the crease did a nice job of getting the puck to the net and Burke had a couple of nice tips. The goalie did make the saves but it is the setup that was nice to see, not only was there a man in front screening and looking to tip the puck but the D-man got the puck to the net. Too oftem they try to slap it and have it blocked instead of just wristing it past the high defender. I hope they keep it simple with this unit. To often they pass the puck between the points with the screener in front. This makes it hard for him to maintain the screen, on Saturday the screen would be set and they would get the puck to the net.
 
Re: UNH At The Starting Gate....

Interesting comments re power play. Should PP units also adjust to the large ice sheet? When Garret Strafford was so effectively guiding the PP, a poster noted a reason for his success was that he moved the passing lanes in, especially away from the boards. Have seen less of that since from UNH but BC does it when they come to the Whitt. The goals are now closer to the blue line, but still seems that shots from the point could be closer if the PP-unit made a conscious effort to move in the passing lanes. Perhaps can't play as if the sheet is 85 feet wide, but could mentally play like it was 90. Colin Hemmingway scored many goals from the side, but was 5 feet closer to the net than his brother after and now Sislo. BC's arena is 200x87, and they play like the Whitt is as well.

Have seen a very effective PP at Bowdoin; new ice sheet 200x95. They move in the passing lanes, and opponents rarely do. Not sure if it's the coach or a superb player named Kyle Shearer-Hardy. Whatever the reason, shots from the D-men are closer and the forwards skate around to get open away from the boards. Bowdoin also has some big guys in front of the net, but that's another matter.
 
Last edited:
Re: UNH At The Starting Gate....

unh_hockey said:
so a 2 point weekend followed by losing by 1 goal indicates lack of interest? Go into that lockeroom and tell the boys that.
Click to expand...

He was referencing the lack of FAN interest and concern, as indicated by the lack of a UNH/PC thread on the board.
 
Re: UNH At The Starting Gate....

5IslandsWildcat said:
Interesting comments re power play. Should PP units also adjust to the large ice sheet? When Garret Strafford was so effectively guiding the PP, a poster noted a reason for his success was that he moved the passing lanes in, especially away from the boards. Have seen less of that since from UNH but BC does it when they come to the Whitt. The goals are now closer to the blue line, but still seems that shots from the point could be closer if the PP-unit made a conscious effort to move in the passing lanes. Perhaps can't play as if the sheet is 85 feet wide, but could mentally play like it was 90. Colin Hemmingway scored many goals from the side, but was 5 feet closer to the net than his brother after and now Sislo. BC's arena is 200x87, and they play like the Whitt is as well.

Have seen a very effective PP at Bowdoin; new ice sheet 200x95. They move in the passing lanes, and opponents rarely do. Not sure if it's the coach or a superb player named Kyle Shearer-Hardy. Whatever the reason, shots from the D-men are closer and the forwards skate around to get open away from the boards. Bowdoin also has some big guys in front of the net, but that's another matter.
Click to expand...

These tack tics work at all levels of hockey. In general what I have seen is a power play with motion is always better. Motion makes it hard for the D to set up a nice box, because they are always trying to figure out what that guy moving (with or without the puck) is up to. That motion advantage is always amplified with a dynamic player, Stafford moving in the lane to draw defenders to him, or Krog standing on the high wing board and finding the player on the move or open because of a move.

The problem is the UNH power play has seemed allergic to motion since a certain coach moved to the Women’s side. It is generally easy to defend (this year as an exception). Stay in your box, clog the cross box passing lanes (PK 101) and let UNH waste 2 minutes passing the puck around the outside. If UNH would just move their feet they could cause the box to get out of shape. The result of an out of shape box is generally a tap in back door goal, like all those Krog to Haydar goals that one year.
 
Last edited:
Re: UNH At The Starting Gate....

Clark-Hislop-Cox said:
Winner of the most original member name contest.:eek:
Click to expand...

"Sweaty4Sislo" OMG. That's Too Funny! Do I need to ask? M/F? The name is more subtle than say panting4si..... can't say it. So you leave us guessing!:eek:

Which reminds me of my All Time Fave name - hockey player that is: Bear Trapp who played at Sacred Heart but at one point was listed by CH as a UMO Black Bear commit. What could have been a match made in heaven!
 
Last edited:
Re: UNH At The Starting Gate....

Paul Thompson just got some facetime in between periods of the Bruins' game on NESN. Kathryn Tappen interviewed him as a preview to this weekend's back-to-back games.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top