Re: Wisconsin Hockey T*M2=NCA2*7
Getting shutout by a non-ranked opponent nonetheless. I believe I posted about it on one of the hockey sites I visit, maybe this one, but if you watch the offensive forecheck it is different than last year. There’s a lot of sitting back. There needs to be more pressure on the opponent’s defense, similar to what North Dakota did to our defense. Pressure creates mistakes which result in goals. Defense needs to hold the defensive blue better too. Can’t just let them into the zone so easily.
This weekend we need at least a win and a tie/shootout win. Time for the puppies to stop crapping the bed.
I would agree with you in that I have always been a fan of UND pressure forecheck and given the skaters we have, I would prefer playing that way. Having said that though, it's two different systems. UND is playing a 2-1-2 and UW is playing (like most everybody) a 1-2-2. UND's forecheck rely's on the forwards to pressure the D to eat it or move the puck behind the net laterally where F2 and F3 jump up to trap it in the corner. In the 1-2-2 you're generally trying to force the puck carrier to the side wall, or to pass it laterally and then push it to the sidewall. At that point it relies heavily on the onside D to read the play and pinch to turn the puck over, everybody rotates to cover, and hopefully F1 reads and circles to the high slot to receive the puck, or gets back to cover on the rush. The main thing being when the puck gets to the sidewall, that D has to be confident and aggressive in deciding to get up on it, as that's where you really put the screws to the other team in this system. Right now our D are generally very conservative at that point. Probably because they're young and don't want to screw up. The more experienced Tischke and Linhart will jump up a little more there, but they are more often on the offside. Oz is a very good D coach and I think as we go along we are going to see more aggressiveness from the D there as they gain confidence. (Hopefully.)
In the losses both to St. Lawrence and Mich St., the Badgers Corsi for % was a ridiculously high 68.2% and 68.3% respectively. In theory that translates to time with the puck being close to 42 minutes in each game. Not withstanding the one stretch in the second where the Badgers were soft, got pinned in for a couple minutes without a change and iced it, that would indicate that not only is the offense hanging on to it, but the D is getting it back quickly when they lose it.
It's primarily two very simple things: Put the puck in the net. Keep the puck out of the net.
Badgers have given up 33 goals on an .891 sv%. If that was .925 it would be close to 10 less GA.
Offensively, the top lines aren't getting to the net. Saturday, Frederic wasn't shooting, Weissbach either. Wag's was, but it should be Freddy and Linus shooting and Wag's cleaning up. Second line just isn't going to the net either to clean up. Getting a lot of one shot... recover the puck and reset or fall back. And nobody on the top two is burying it.
On the bright side there's no reason to believe Hayton won't be better, and the top lines won't be better. One would think there's just too much talent there to not be better.
