In 2013-2014 we started out 2-2-1 but IMO you could see that the team was tenacious. They kept coming at you. The previous two years they had won the ECAC. They had something to prove. They were driven and you could see it from the start of the season. During the course of the season they continued to improve. They could adjust their play to the competitor. They could skate if you needed to skate. They could bang the boards if that was needed as well. When they were down, they seemed to have an extra gear, an overdrive. The seniors set expectations. Losing was not acceptable. Someone always seemed to "step up" when the need arose. They finished #2 in scoring and #2 in defense. They were hungry and as the season progressed, they got hungrier.
This year we have an outstanding group of young men. They are to a man a credit to the school and their families. They are a very good team. We have forwards with skill. We got off to a good start because he had everyone returning and a large and experienced senior class.
I think we will do well again this year. IMO I think we will finish around 20th in the pairwise and perhaps in the top 6 in the ECAC and maybe a trip to Lake Placid. You can see the progress the other teams in the league are making, as well as improvements in Hockey East teams. You can see which teams in the league are "hungry" and which teams are not.
IMO we are not playing like we are hungry. We are not playing like we have something to prove. We are not tenacious. We are not improving as fast as some of the other ECAC and HE teams are. We have some skill. The coaches can only do so much. The will to win and the will to never accept defeat has to come from within the players. I don't see it.
The good news is that we have a potentially championship calibre goalie in Hanson. He certainly is hungry and has something to prove.
