Re: Wisconsin Badgers 2018-2019
For a team that was supposed to have so much fire power, it seemed like they never got much going. They could score against the lesser teams but seemed to always run into a hot goalie that stood on her head. I wonder how next year will shape up with the loss of Clark and Pankowski. I would like to see MJ take a look at the offence and his assistants and make some changes, everything seems a little stale and other teams are figuring out how to defend our offense. Also, please try one of the other goalies, Soup is good but not elite, always seems to let in some soft goals.
Lots of good conversation to be had....we have to trust MJ is playing their best goalie, why wouldn't he? When ARD graduated, it looked like the Cece/Baldwin show. When Soup became available, they recruited her and she came. Then he poached Blesi from OSU as well. Baldwin left, then it was a preseason battle between the other 3 and Soup won. This year Kronish arrives and she never dresses (I hope she redshirted), what does that tell us? Soup is the best they have. It's apparent she's not an ARD or Rigsby talent, but she's the one anchoring the team. She looked bad on the shootouts, but in the games was great. You can't fault her for giving up 3 goals all weekend.
Scoring...I think MJ is too steady eddy on the lines. Some coaches like Frosty are mad scientists with the lines changing all the time, too much. He is just the opposite. He never was able to unlock Pankowski and Clark like he as able to do with Shirley and Curl, which is just a head scratcher. With Cogan possibly out that may force a change. Playing St. Cloud gives them change to play with the lines without a lot of risk, not that he will do that. I do think it would be good for the D to take more risk and sink lower on the backside, but they won't do that without a F covering, which kinda negates the numerical of 3F down low getting the puck to a sunken D on the backside. MJ has always been D first, O second. They never change the breakout, ever. It would be good to have a couple systems and then you switch at certain times in the game between the 2, they are too predictable.
Losing Pankowski and Clark is significant, but they have Dara Greig and Grace Shirley coming in, both are highly regarded. Greig has played for Canada's national team, so has Shirley, who is supposed to be better than her big sister Sophie if you look ay the stats @ Elite Prospects. It may prove to be an issue that next year's Jr glass haven't been much more than role players and 4th liners to this point, though was the Pettet one who took Clark's spot when she was injured. I also wonder if she's still got something going on yet, she doesn't seem to have that top gear right now. (The 3 F coming in the following year are game changers, perhaps the most talent F recruiting class evah)
Obviously it does get harder to score against better teams, that only makes sense, right?
It is a bitter pill to swallow that UW couldn't score on a breakaway to save their lives when it mattered. I thought they'd pull through like they did against Harvard in those OT games earlier this year.
If UW doesn't get the CHA chumpion in the ncaa first round, I am for the first time truly concerned that they may lose at home in the first round, though there is a lot of hockey to be played yet. Hopefully they regain their confidence this weekend and get that playoff wwcha trophy the next week.
Welcome to the board, don't be a stranger.
If we've learned anything, one thing is for sure: there are no perfect teams this season; everyone has flaws that at least occasionally become obvious. This being the case, Wisconsin is one of a small handful of teams that have an excellent chance of winning it all, and it wouldn't surprise me in the least if they did.