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Wisconsin Hockey 24-25 Improving With All Due Haste.

The wagon wheels have completely fallen off. They have 1 single goal scorer, and just can't produce goals. They put a lot of shots on net, but not with any accuracy and can't take advantage of any real scoring opportunities. Been the story the entire season. I think it really was a death knell to lose Whitelaw and Lucious. McClellan would have been a lot better, but he didn't shoot the puck. Great defense kept them in a ton of games, but defense doesn't win games, scoring does, at least in college.
 
Timothy A said:
I don't think that was major worthy at all. Certainly wasn't rocketing into the guy. The goalie was on his knees so his head did touch Finley but it wasn't like nothing more than a hockey play.

The second goal there, Dexheimer was right there on the guy but he just didn't lift it tie up the stick. It's just the little things like that that they're not doing right that have dire consequences.
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Meh. The side angle doesn't look as bad. The angle from above makes it look worse.

Those little details have been haunting us for a long time.
 
Jfc, you can't score if you don't shoot the effing puck. We had offensive zone time for basically 5 straight minutes to end the game and it never felt like we were going to score.
 
It's like deja vu all over again, and again, and again, and.... Can't score and when they give up one they inevitably give up several more.
 
The Big10 is basically an NHL proving ground for 1st/2nd round picks (who generally go right to AHL or NHL), and the Badgers have just not put near the goal scoring together like almost every other team over the past 10yrs (save for Caufield). Every other team seems to attract genuine goal scorers, especially the goofs, ped st, weasels. The closest team to the badgers D wise is Sparty (in terms of system), and they are on fire with guys Nightengale recruits, and their strength & conditioning is 2nd to none.

My fear, high end offensive players don't want to play the style Hastings brings (just an assessment, not an indictment), so we will always be chasing goals, and those 4 teams. That doesn't work in the Big10. My hope is with majors opening up next year when access to more talent opens up.
 
1-15-2 (W-L-T) when scoring less than 3 goals. 11-2-1 (W-L-T) when scoring 3 or more goals. 2-6-3 in OT. Woof.

And considering the above, if they had just beaten Longwood, A-A, and Long Island in regulation/OT for the straight up win, they'd be at 17 in the PW, still with a fighter's chance.
 
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It's certainly true that there isn't a lot of high end scoring talent on this team. What I can't understand is why it's looks like the players on the ice too often look like they've never played together. They seem to have little or no idea what each other will do.
 
According to Todd Milewski's article, Horbach's goal today was Wisconsin's first 5v5 goal in 12 periods of play...

That is simply insane.
 
WiscTJK said:
I’m going to raise my concerns about strength and conditioning again. Listen to these stats from Todd Milewski:

x.com

x.com x.com
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The opponent sv% tells me: they are not getting/taking shots, taking very low % shots, and/or shooting into very high % sv areas. Likely all 3.

The own goal sv% tells me: defense is hanging G out to dry, they have poor back check and/or not getting to the puck bc they are gassed, or the G are not all that good. Likely all 3.
 
srkbadger said:
It's certainly true that there isn't a lot of high end scoring talent on this team. What I can't understand is why it's looks like the players on the ice too often look like they've never played together. They seem to have little or no idea what each other will do.
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It's season ending burn out like last season. One thing about Eaves, he had them plying thier best at playoff time in most cases. With all those one goal losses and OT nightmares this season, it beat them down. They are had mentally.
 
wjefwhite said:
It's season ending burn out like last season. One thing about Eaves, he had them plying thier best at playoff time in most cases. With all those one goal losses and OT nightmares this season, it beat them down. They are had mentally.
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I don't disagree with you on this year. Last year, however, they were flying pretty high until the crash came. There was no reason to get down mentally last year after a bad game or two after the break. If those couple of bad games after a terrific start led to the downfall of last season, and the continuation of it this season, then Hastings has his hands more than full.
 
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In the interest of bringing some hope for next year, we do have recruits that look pretty capable offensively. Two of them being really good offensive forwards. This group also adds some size to a forward group that could use it in the top 9.

F - Grady Deering (6'2" 209lbs) 9g 17a 26pts in 41 games in the USHL

F - Blake Montgomery (6'4" 196lbs) 21g 22a 43pts in 35 games in the OHL (!)

F - Oliver Tulk (5'8" 174lbs) 32g 52a 84pts in 52 games in the WHL (!)

F - Vasily Zelenov (6" 181lbs) 10g 13a 23pts in 38 games in the USHL

F - Finn Brink (5'10" 185lbs) 14g 12a 26pts in 34 games in the USHL

D - Luke Osburn (6'1" 185lbs) 8g 20a 25pts in 34 games in the USHL


I am pretty dang excited to see Montgomery and Tulk. With Canadian major junior players now able to leave to play college hockey, this is a HUGE pipeline for Hastings to explore. Glad to see he has already received commitment from two really good offensive forwards.
 
Phelan had a horrible game as well. Assists on an OSU goal, and gets walked and the puck slips through Scarfone.
 
digitalbooya said:
Our goalies are trash. My god, that third Ohio State goalie was fugly.
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How does he lose sight of that puck? Why aren't his pads on the ice and closed? Why isn't his stick down? I don't get it. That wrap around goal makes me angry. These are technical issues.

Castro was slow post to post on the wrap arounds. That was troubling.

Phelan is not good. At all. That play on the first goal was horrendous, passes right to the opposing player. Goal 2 he gets caught flat footed and spun around and the OSU F blows right by him at the blue line. Goal 3 play was horrendous, too slow going backwards and he doesn't force the OSU player-wide or physically engage him. The speed of the game is too much for him right now. Put Horbach back there again.
 
I just watched the "highlights", other than the empty net one all the goals for both teams were not very highlight reel worthy. Not sure what the thought process was on some of those goals. Does either team have a goalie coach?
 
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