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Wisconsin Hockey 2018-2019 Part 2: Still not time for the witty thread title.

WiscTJK

WiscTJK

Well-known member
Continue on here.

Stats after MSU:

PWR T31st of 60 down 2 spots
GPG 3.08 down 7 spots to 19th
GAA 3.35 down one spot to tie for 47th
PP% 18.18% tie for 27th, down 5 spots
PK% 71.56% up one spot to 59th
Pen Minutes 12.50 up one spot (worse) to tie for 16th (1st is the most penalties)
Faceoff % 41.9% still dead last at 60th (and still dead last)
 
Re: Wisconsin Hockey 2018-2019 Part 2: Still not time for the witty thread title.

Hey Folks.

This is my first comment, but I've been a lurker here for a long time and a Badger Fan/Season Ticket holder since before the move to the Kohl Center, so I've seen a lot of seasons come and go.

I want to echo WiscTJK's question from the just finished thread regarding why, given the talent that we do in fact have, things aren't getting better. It's not like we've got a bunch of hacks out there skating around, we have some talented, I would say above average guys that just aren't producing. Everyone likes to talk about Miller, Dooghie, Mersch, Caufield, but guys like Malone, Freitag, Baker, Gorniak (who is an unbelieveable skater by the way), Kalynuk (another phenominal skater/puck handler who in fairness could look to pass the puck more) are no slouches. I guess what I'm trying to say is we've got talented players, but they're not producing, that to me is a coaching deficiency. There's no way this season's lackluster performance is due to a lack of talented players. 59th/60 on the PK? 60th on Faceoffs? 16th in PIMs? With the talent we have, these numbers are not acceptable at all.

Look, I want to be positive, I'm still clinging to the fact that if you can win 5 games in a row down the stretch, you can be the National Champion, but I'm not placing a significant bet on it. I hope things are better next year, I really do, but a good coach should be able to take any group of players and at least end up in the middle of the pack. The fact that some of these guys aren't "Tony's guys" is a cop out at the very least.

I'll see you at the game tomorrow night.

Go Red!
 
Re: Wisconsin Hockey 2018-2019 Part 2: Still not time for the witty thread title.

Badger_Bretzky said:
Hey Folks.

This is my first comment, but I've been a lurker here for a long time and a Badger Fan/Season Ticket holder since before the move to the Kohl Center, so I've seen a lot of seasons come and go.

I want to echo WiscTJK's question from the just finished thread regarding why, given the talent that we do in fact have, things aren't getting better. It's not like we've got a bunch of hacks out there skating around, we have some talented, I would say above average guys that just aren't producing. Everyone likes to talk about Miller, Dooghie, Mersch, Caufield, but guys like Malone, Freitag, Baker, Gorniak (who is an unbelieveable skater by the way), Kalynuk (another phenominal skater/puck handler who in fairness could look to pass the puck more) are no slouches. I guess what I'm trying to say is we've got talented players, but they're not producing, that to me is a coaching deficiency. There's no way this season's lackluster performance is due to a lack of talented players. 59th/60 on the PK? 60th on Faceoffs? 16th in PIMs? With the talent we have, these numbers are not acceptable at all.

Look, I want to be positive, I'm still clinging to the fact that if you can win 5 games in a row down the stretch, you can be the National Champion, but I'm not placing a significant bet on it. I hope things are better next year, I really do, but a good coach should be able to take any group of players and at least end up in the middle of the pack. The fact that some of these guys aren't "Tony's guys" is a cop out at the very least.

I'll see you at the game tomorrow night.

Go Red!
Click to expand...

Welcome into the den. It almost has to be coaching/systems. Are the systems they are running a good fit for these players? I have a lot of confidence in Oz. My confidence is waning on TG. I don't believe MS has it. He coached 2000-2004, then was not a coach until 2015 when he ended up at OSU as assistant H/C, which seems quite a stretch. He was out of the game for 10 years. I don't know. Since OSU lost him and gained Miller they have been lights out.
 
Re: Wisconsin Hockey 2018-2019 Part 2: Still not time for the witty thread title.

Thanks for the welcome.

I really do want TG to be successful, I think it's a great story, and I am willing to wait and see for at least a couple seasons more. I'm heartened by the fact that our 5 on 5 play appears very potent on most nights; I think this team can play with any team in the country 5 on 5, so there's that anyway.

I have a friend in MN who has season tickets and we take the other along when our respective teams are hosted by the other. It has been PAINFUL the last several years. Quite honestly, I don't know if the wheels fall off more when we're playing the Gophers, or if it just seems that way, but I don't ever remember any other team hanging 9 goals on us. That kind of thing is just completely unacceptable, kind of like this dry spell. I have higher hopes and expectations of this team, but I'm going to keep my tickets in the hopes that this is a pothole along the way, and that the Badgers will return to being a perennial participant in the NCAA tournament. When we do return, all this pain will make it that much sweeter.

Go Red!
 
Badger_Bretzky said:
Hey Folks.

This is my first comment, but I've been a lurker here for a long time and a Badger Fan/Season Ticket holder since before the move to the Kohl Center, so I've seen a lot of seasons come and go.

I want to echo WiscTJK's question from the just finished thread regarding why, given the talent that we do in fact have, things aren't getting better. It's not like we've got a bunch of hacks out there skating around, we have some talented, I would say above average guys that just aren't producing. Everyone likes to talk about Miller, Dooghie, Mersch, Caufield, but guys like Malone, Freitag, Baker, Gorniak (who is an unbelieveable skater by the way), Kalynuk (another phenominal skater/puck handler who in fairness could look to pass the puck more) are no slouches. I guess what I'm trying to say is we've got talented players, but they're not producing, that to me is a coaching deficiency. There's no way this season's lackluster performance is due to a lack of talented players. 59th/60 on the PK? 60th on Faceoffs? 16th in PIMs? With the talent we have, these numbers are not acceptable at all.

Look, I want to be positive, I'm still clinging to the fact that if you can win 5 games in a row down the stretch, you can be the National Champion, but I'm not placing a significant bet on it. I hope things are better next year, I really do, but a good coach should be able to take any group of players and at least end up in the middle of the pack. The fact that some of these guys aren't "Tony's guys" is a cop out at the very least.

I'll see you at the game tomorrow night.

Go Red!
Click to expand...

That’s just it. Guys (especially chuck Schwartz who no longer posts here) really hyped up Malone and a few others and then Zimmer whom evidently is either a lights out practice player or exudes potential that is never realized.

Those numbers you quote are an utter embarrassment. A good coach can take 22 of us out of the stands and coax better numbers. But here with some talent Granato, Osiecki and Strobel just flail around like they’re new to coaching.

No way the special teams deficiency is as bad as it is unless the coaches are failing.

Oz needs to step up and prove version 2.0 can match 1.0
 
Re: Wisconsin Hockey 2018-2019 Part 2: Still not time for the witty thread title.

Timothy A said:
Are the systems they are running a good fit for these players?
Click to expand...

IMO the systems are a good fit for the guys that can really skate. In other words most of the Fr and Soph's. If this were FB or Bouncy Ball, the Sr.'s would be guys you play cover 3 or a 2-3 zone with because that is a style of play they were recruited for. The new guys are built for man to man D. You can have success with either style, but we are playing man to man, as that is the way Tony wants to play.

I've said it before and I think DPlaya mentioned this earlier as well, but it has struck me several times that this has been a 5 year project from the beginning. There are several decisions that have been made during the course of the last two seasons that have seemed to me to be based on what would be best long term, rather than what might help us win today. I've been ok with that for the most part, as I gather the goal is to rebuild to a sustainable powerhouse program, rather than just a great season.

solovsfett said:
That’s just it. Guys (especially chuck Schwartz who no longer posts here) really hyped up Malone and a few others and then Zimmer whom evidently is either a lights out practice player or exudes potential that is never realized.
Click to expand...

Malone needs 3 points to become just the 74th Badger in history with 100 career points. Chuck wasn't wrong, that's a pretty freakin' big contribution to the program. If the Badgers were playing in the WCHA they could probably get by with their top line a lot easier. But look at the top lines around the B1G. (plus the elite NC teams we've played this year) The B1G is loaded with elite top lines that are just better skaters and athletes than Malone is. Malone is a really good (dominating even) 3rd line center that has been asked to go up to the top. (Same stuff applies to Johnson, good player, not an elite top line F) Now if he had a couple of elite guys on the wings, I think he'd handle it no problem as he has excellent vision and awareness, but he's not the kind of player that can go to the top line and just carry it by himself against the other high end B1G 1st lines.
Also, I could be wrong, but I just don't think Malone has been the same player since he blew out both of his shoulders last year. I'm not even sure how he was able to play so much last year or this. He's plenty good enough to play some pro hockey, but I wonder if his body is up to it. Seems like a lot of nights in the last year he is just relying on guts and determination to get through.

I think Zimmer is a mystery to everyone. Great skates, shot, and hands-- he has it all-- but he just can't seem to make it happen in the games. Either he has zero confidence, or the D1 game just happens too fast for him, which is a possibility I guess. Tyler Barnes is an elite top scorer in the ECHL, but he just cannot make anything work in the AHL. Who knows why? It's not because he can't skate, he's a terrific skater, it's just been a step too far for him. Maybe that is the case with Zimmer, I don't know. He looks like such a fantastic player, and it just doesn't happen for him. It's gotta be very tough on him mentally. All that elite skill he has is a product of years of very hard work and when he is just not producing it just has to be a nightmare.
Here's hoping that maybe that big shootout goal he had last Saturday will jump start his confidence and get him going a bit.
 
Re: Wisconsin Hockey 2018-2019 Part 2: Still not time for the witty thread title.

It's easy to say now, with Wisconsin kinda muddling along this season, but I never bought into the excitement of the "dream team coaching staff" of all alums that came along three years ago, led by Tony Granato and former assistant Mark Osiecki. It's not that there's anything wrong with that trio. Far from it. They will be fine. I just thought it was wrong to suggest they'd automatically be better than what they'd replaced just because of "name recognition." They were replacing a guy in Mike Eaves who was also an alum and a national championship winning coach, and that 2006 team had Osiecki on its staff as well.

Eaves ran into a number of issues, and the team hit rock bottom. I felt he deserved a chance to turn it back around. And I think there's every reason to believe he'd have done at least as well as Wisconsin has done the last three years. Again, don't take this as a knock on Granato. Not at all. I just don't see the difference between the two, and I think Wisconsin's continuing struggle to rise back above mediocre would be the same either way. It's a struggle for all the big programs right now. They'll all figure it out eventually, I believe.
Click to expand...

https://www.collegehockeynews.com/news/2019/02/08_Between-the-Lines-State.php
 
Re: Wisconsin Hockey 2018-2019 Part 2: Still not time for the witty thread title.

Mark Johnson spoke at the Wisconsin Hockey Backers luncheon today. Such a humble guy, it's unbelievable. He had praise for the men's program and said it takes 4-5 years these days to get your system up and running. He says he likes what he sees on the ice in the men's program and likes where it is at. He said we have to be patient!

Tony Granato says they feel really good where the program is at right now. They are excited for the players coming in who can finish and loves the base being built by the young guys in the program. Sounds like 2 of the signees for next year are having their official visit this weekend (Holloway and Vorlicky I think is what he said). He said Holloway is coming in young and will be a top ten pick in the NHL draft in 2020.

The luncheon's are great, especially if you work in Madison. Today there was about 10-15 alumni there including Shane Connelly. There is one March 1 and they are hoping Mel Pearson will speak at it. www.wisconsinhockeybackers.com is the place to learn more. I have attended the last two and have really enjoyed them.
 
Timothy A said:
Welcome into the den. It almost has to be coaching/systems. Are the systems they are running a good fit for these players? .
Click to expand...

When Granto started he said that the players would do less dump and chase and more possession with the puck. So instead of dumping it at the blue line they would cross the blue line and try to keep possession... rather than "giving it up". Apparently that was an NHL thing he brought. And it was very evident the first year or 2. Now they are dumping and chasing more.

He also said they would be not finishing checks as much bc if a guy spends an extra 3 seconds finishing his check than that's 3 less seconds he'll be able to get back into the play.

He's obviously adjusting his systems bc they dump and chase all the **** time and they finish their checks more. I'm a fan of finishing checks but not a fan of dumping and chasing when you can keep possesion of the puck.

Maybe he is experimenting with systems for college. Either way whatever he's doing now ain't working. I'd say go back to possession hockey and less dump and chase.

And some people have said this team has plenty of talent... on defense I agree but not on offense. The forwards rarely make any nice plays... they rarely make something out of nothing. Most of the time they just do bare bones hustle plays. There are no Pavelskis, Heatleys, Earl's, Fredericks. Malone and Johnson can make a nice toe pull play here and there, a nice little stick handle deal. That's it. Dooghie isn't the guy we thought he'd be. They're 2nd and 3rd liners.
 
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Re: Wisconsin Hockey 2018-2019 Part 2: Still not time for the witty thread title.

WiscTJK said:
Mark Johnson spoke at the Wisconsin Hockey Backers luncheon today. Such a humble guy, it's unbelievable. He had praise for the men's program and said it takes 4-5 years these days to get your system up and running. He says he likes what he sees on the ice in the men's program and likes where it is at. He said we have to be patient!

Tony Granato says they feel really good where the program is at right now. They are excited for the players coming in who can finish and loves the base being built by the young guys in the program. Sounds like 2 of the signees for next year are having their official visit this weekend (Holloway and Vorlicky I think is what he said). He said Holloway is coming in young and will be a top ten pick in the NHL draft in 2020.

The luncheon's are great, especially if you work in Madison. Today there was about 10-15 alumni there including Shane Connelly. There is one March 1 and they are hoping Mel Pearson will speak at it. www.wisconsinhockeybackers.com is the place to learn more. I have attended the last two and have really enjoyed them.
Click to expand...

Today one was one of two I've missed since it's inception; my loss. I had a commitment in FIB-land and couldn't get out of it; when I saw the date, I KNEW I'd miss MJ. Believe it or not TJK, I was going to buy you a "big orange" even if you had to go back to work. :)

Here we are in last place....AGAIN. It wasn't a real bad game, but the defense....oy vey. If it weren't for Lebby, it could've been much worse. Had some chances but missed the water from the boat.
 
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Re: Wisconsin Hockey 2018-2019 Part 2: Still not time for the witty thread title.

Kalynuk whiffs on the open net in the first. Dhoogie holds the puck too long on the 2-0, should have fed Linus sooner, but Linus should have roofed that puck, not re-directed it, maybe it was out of reach. PP 0 for on the pp. PK gives up one. They really played well through 2, but the penalties in the 3rd and that goal got OSU going. Oh and the Hammer was awesome, he better start the rest of the season. Malone had a good game, Linus looked good too.
 
Re: Wisconsin Hockey 2018-2019 Part 2: Still not time for the witty thread title.

Timothy A said:
Kalynuk whiffs on the open net in the first. Dhoogie holds the puck too long on the 2-0, should have fed Linus sooner, but Linus should have roofed that puck, not re-directed it, maybe it was out of reach. PP 0 for on the pp. PK gives up one. They really played well through 2, but the penalties in the 3rd and that goal got OSU going. Oh and the Hammer was awesome, he better start the rest of the season. Malone had a good game, Linus looked good too.
Click to expand...
Those missed shots on an open net were a real gift! I was stunned you guys didn't score.
 
Re: Wisconsin Hockey 2018-2019 Part 2: Still not time for the witty thread title.

It's rather ironic that we seem to have quite a Wisconsin connection through our coaches past & present and even some of our players and their parents.
 
Re: Wisconsin Hockey 2018-2019 Part 2: Still not time for the witty thread title.

Hockeybuckeye said:
It's rather ironic that we seem to have quite a Wisconsin connection through our coaches past & present and even some of our players and their parents.
Click to expand...

I had some "hawkey tawk" with friends today and one "sort of fan" brought up Mark Johnson. He said somebody with his background, knowledge, experience, etc, it's shocking that Johnson hasn't been the head coach for the men. I don't remember why Eaves was chosen over Johnson, but Eaves was good for about 10 years sans a couple years. Nobody knows what it would be like if Mark were coaching all these years, but ........
 
MadCityRich said:
I had some "hawkey tawk" with friends today and one "sort of fan" brought up Mark Johnson. He said somebody with his background, knowledge, experience, etc, it's shocking that Johnson hasn't been the head coach for the men. I don't remember why Eaves was chosen over Johnson, but Eaves was good for about 10 years sans a couple years. Nobody knows what it would be like if Mark were coaching all these years, but ........
Click to expand...

Johnson recruited for Sauer and I distinctly recall he was hesitant to travel a lot at that time. It was due to family which is great but it led to subpar recruiting and he was/is tied to Sauer’s last few years which I believe led to Richter’s decision on Eaves.
Someone (joeyv, timothya, et al) correct me if i’m wrong.
 
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