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UNH Hockey: Treading Water or Trending Upward

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Chuck Murray said:
Not quite, Ray. If the players aren't moving that much, then they won't be changing the angles on the defense, which can then anticipate where those angles and seams might be, and clog those lanes much more easily. I do agree, puck movement is the most important piece, but if the attacking players are semi-stationary, it doesn't force defenders to move, and it's when you get defenders to move that scoring chances open up.

When I was younger, in a decidedly less high-tech world, I used to explain to players that the straight-line movement you see in one of those vintage table hockey games of our youth was exactly the way NOT to score goals. You create chances either when you can beat someone with skill and/or speed while on the puck, OR with creative movement off the puck, in doing so allowing yourself or a teammate to get a clean look at goal.

Sometimes you get lucky and there's a friendly bounce, or you can set things up for a screen or deflection. Forcing opponents to give up possession deep in their own zone is good, too. But so long as we're talking effective PP production, movement is at the top of the list of how to make it work. And it can't all be just puck movement. Only so many permutations/combinations to be played between 5 fixed position players around 4 (or sometimes 3) defenders. And whatever you do ... don't get Snives all worked up about the approach that puts 3 attacking players below the opponent's goal line … :eek: ;)
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You got that straight on my feelings about MS7's 5-3 PP strategy, Chuck, as uncommon as the opportunity is. And, I agree entirely that skaters need to keep their feet moving, which I hear Jack and Brick obsessing on constantly. One timers and rebounds is the key on the PP, imho. I agree with Ray, DeltaBravo, and others that time should not be wasted getting into predictable positions on the PP, which is a double whammy. How many times have I screamed "shoot the .... 'ing puck!" at the Whitt, Snively, and Batchelder Rink over the past six decades? "A bundle!" to quote a favorite POTUS of the right wingers (heh, heh) here.
 
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Chuck Murray said:
HUGE turnout on both Monday night at Manch, and at the polls yesterday. BIGLY!!! :) :) :) ;)
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Just to stay focused on UNH hockey, I met the former Massachusetts governator, who garnered over 12,000 votes yesterday in New Hanoshire, at Conte Forum a couple of times when our Cats were playing there, as apparently he was a BC hockey fan at the time, and maybe still is?
 
Re: UNH Hockey: Treading Water or Trending Upward

Speaking of winning. It is going to be a very fine line between making the Hockey East playoffs or not. Six games remaining for UNH so we are going to have to do some winning. It starts with Boston University this weekend. It appears the BU supporters are not very happy after Monday night. The word is that their goaltending has been a little shaky this season.


My three keys to the BU games this weekend are:

1. The UNH forwards must backcheck hard and defend the BU defenseman who joins their offensive attack. BU has one or two defensemen who likes to jump up in their offensive rushes.

2. The UNH defensemen need to exploit the fact that a BU defenseman will likely over commit to their offense so we need to counterattack quickly from defense to offense. We need to get the puck up ice 80 to 100 feet as quickly as possible to take advantage of this. We can create a few odd man rushes, mostly 2 on 1's, from a quick transition to offense.

3. Special teams play will be important. The BU powerplay is better than what we have seen over the last couple of weeks. Our penalty kill needs to rise to the challenge. The best way to keep BU from scoring on their powerplay is to not give them powerplay opportunities. Don't take bad penalties.


Other thoughts?
 
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Dan said:
"I'm not tired of all the winning"

-Dick Umile, upon retirement, reflecting on his last three years at UNH...
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If only he had gotten over the top and won the Big One! Can't say he was a loser though with all that winning!
 
Ray Dorn said:
Speaking of winning. It is going to be a very fine line between making the Hockey East playoffs or not. Six games remaining for UNH so we are going to have to do some winning. It starts with Boston University this weekend. It appears the BU supporters are not very happy after Monday night. The word is that their goaltending has been a little shaky this season.


My three keys to the BU games this weekend are:

1. The UNH forwards must backcheck hard and defend the BU defenseman who joins their offensive attack. BU has one or two defensemen who likes to jump up in their offensive rushes.

2. The UNH defensemen need to exploit the fact that a BU defenseman will likely over commit to their offense so we need to counterattack quickly from defense to offense. We need to get the puck up ice 80 to 100 feet as quickly as possible to take advantage of this. We can create a few odd man rushes, mostly 2 on 1's, from a quick transition to offense.

3. Special teams play will be important. The BU powerplay is better than what we have seen over the last couple of weeks. Our penalty kill needs to rise to the challenge. The best way to keep BU from scoring on their powerplay is to not give them powerplay opportunities. Don't take bad penalties.


Other thoughts?
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Sure. First, BU fans were not very happy mostly because they thought they got screwed on the tripping call in the second overtime. Sure it was penalty, especially based on what was called during regulation. But in the typical fashion that officials have used in overtime ever since I started watching hockey, they swallowed their whistles in OT, letting slashes and a couple of marginal trips go, that is, until this one. Mind you, in the 50 odd years I have been watching BU play, more often than not they have been the beneficiary of these types of calls so it’s difficult to engender much sympathy for them. And, note that for PWR purposes the game ended in a tie anyway.

As for BU’s overall performance, they pretty much dominated the game against NU except the second period when Northeastern overwhelmed them, in part due to a few PP, including a 5-on-3 when they scored two. I know this was the Beanpot and both teams gave that extra push the entire game, but from what I’ve seen on TV this year (vs. PC, Lowell, BC) BU is way more skilled top to bottom than UNH. While their goalies (both of them) are no great shakes, UNH is going to have to play a superior defensive game on Friday to beat them. I don’t give them much of a shot at Agganis on Saturday.

I think UNH has no more than four or five points left in them these last three weeks. Looking back, losing two at Maine, then two more vs. UConn was a killer. You need to gain points against the teams you are really competing against to be successful and 0-4:just doesn’t cut it.
 
Re: Post of the Night - We Have a Winner!!

Re: Post of the Night - We Have a Winner!!

So just heard that UNH's Steve Metcalf is up for the HE commish!
 
Ray Dorn said:
Speaking of winning. It is going to be a very fine line between making the Hockey East playoffs or not. Six games remaining for UNH so we are going to have to do some winning. It starts with Boston University this weekend. It appears the BU supporters are not very happy after Monday night. The word is that their goaltending has been a little shaky this season.


My three keys to the BU games this weekend are:

1. The UNH forwards must backcheck hard and defend the BU defenseman who joins their offensive attack. BU has one or two defensemen who likes to jump up in their offensive rushes.

2. The UNH defensemen need to exploit the fact that a BU defenseman will likely over commit to their offense so we need to counterattack quickly from defense to offense. We need to get the puck up ice 80 to 100 feet as quickly as possible to take advantage of this. We can create a few odd man rushes, mostly 2 on 1's, from a quick transition to offense.

3. Special teams play will be important. The BU powerplay is better than what we have seen over the last couple of weeks. Our penalty kill needs to rise to the challenge. The best way to keep BU from scoring on their powerplay is to not give them powerplay opportunities. Don't take bad penalties.


Other thoughts?
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I agree; stay out of the penalty box. But, that is always what I suggest, longing for the good old days of the SMT's.
 
Re: UNH Hockey: Treading Water or Trending Upward

...and that makes 40 goals for Pasta!!!:D...and a HATTIE baby!
 
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Re: UNH Hockey: Treading Water or Trending Upward

How many HE points do those of you in the know think at a minimum we need to make it into the post season? Obviously a big finish is required with top competition to boot. Didnt see a MS7 presser yesterday so wonder if Charlie returns this weekend? Go 'Cats!
 
HockeyRef said:
How many HE points do those of you in the know think at a minimum we need to make it into the post season? Obviously a big finish is required with top competition to boot. Didnt see a MS7 presser yesterday so wonder if Charlie returns this weekend? Go 'Cats!
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RECALCULATING!

We are currently 9-8-1 in Hockey East and 15-11-2 overall.

With 6 games left, 2 with BU, UML and BC, 20 wins in the RS is possible but highly improbable! I'm thinking we split with UML and BU and lose and tie BC to go 17-14-3 overall 11-11-2 in Hockey East.

UNH has 19 points right now and could finish as high as 31 points in the standings. I'm thinking we finish with 24 points going 2-3-1 through this stretch. The standings are so tight it's difficult to say where this puts UNH in the end.
 
Re: UNH Hockey: Treading Water or Trending Upward

HockeyRef said:
How many HE points do those of you in the know think at a minimum we need to make it into the post season? Obviously a big finish is required with top competition to boot.
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The 8th place team finished with 20 and 22 points in 2018 and 2019 respectively. Those are the only completed seasons under the 24 game schedule so really the only fair comparison. It will likely take more than that this season, for a number of reasons. An overlooked one is how poorly Vermont has performed. Even the last place team in the league got into double digits pointswise the past two seasons, As bad as the 2017-18 UNH team was it still got to 15 points. Barring a miraculous turnaround UVM isn't getting anywhere near that number and you have to take those points into consideration when all is said and done.

Bottom line is UNH needs points this coming weekend as they definitely won't get any the following week.

EDIT: Sure it sucks that some team is going to be left out when March 7th gets here but I'm so glad that HE went back to teams actually having to earn their way into the playoffs. Given the nature of the situation there should be a league wide intensity over the final month that wouldn't be there if everybody was assured of a seat when the music stopped. For those of us who have been around since the days when more than half of some leagues didn't play in the post season it is a welcome change.
 
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Re: UNH Hockey: Treading Water or Trending Upward

Felger said:
Sure it sucks that some team is going to be left out when March 7th gets here but I'm so glad that HE went back to teams actually having to earn their way into the playoffs. Given the nature of the situation there should be a league wide intensity over the final month that wouldn't be there if everybody was assured of a seat when the music stopped. For those of us who have been around since the days when more than half of some leagues didn't play in the post season it is a welcome change.
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+1

I can give you Rob Manfred's number so he can learn this lesson.

(Now, if we can move onto campus regional games for the NCAA play-ins.;)
 
Re: UNH Hockey: Treading Water or Trending Upward

NCAA watcher said:
+1

I can give you Rob Manfred's number so he can learn this lesson.

(Now, if we can move onto campus regional games for the NCAA play-ins.;)
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Would love a return to campus sites for NCAA regionals. Of course Providence might not - they would actually have to EARN a home game:D

I like what the WCHA has done with its postseason tourney moving it back to on campus sites. Doubt it would ever happen in HE and it might not be realistic. Although if you read about the search for Bertagna's replacement what to do with the league tourney is a topic of discussion. But imagine what the last month of this season would be like if teams were jockeying not just to get in the playoffs but for home ice slots all the way though the tournament?
 
Re: UNH Hockey: Treading Water or Trending Upward

Felger said:
I like what the WCHA has done with its postseason tourney moving it back to on campus sites. Doubt it would ever happen in HE and it might not be realistic. Although if you read about the search for Bertagna's replacement what to do with the league tourney is a topic of discussion. But imagine what the last month of this season would be like if teams were jockeying not just to get in the playoffs but for home ice slots all the way though the tournament?
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I'm not sure I agree with the HE tourney being on campus. The WCHA has too large a footprint, which is why there is no easy central locale. I'm good having the playins be on campus, but for the final four HE torney, the Gahden is a close enough central location, and it makes it an "event."
 
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