A few comments related to this weekend’s outcomes.
Given the poor showings the prior two weekends and the continued absence of Harvey, I actually had feared that the scores were going to be more one-sided. Had Harvey been able to play, nor difficult to think that the outcome of the second game could have been reversed nor that Friday’s game could have closer or potentially reversed as well. But we will have to see how the next two weekends go and then wait for the second half of the season to see how the Badgers and Buckeyes stack up. Personally, I will not be surprised if Harvey remains in recovery mode until January to ensure that she is fully recovered, so these two series also may not prove satisfying.
I think Enright’s injury has proven to be costly as well. By the end of last season, she had developed into a very solid F, assertive and adept at identifying solid scoring opportunities for herself and teammates. She would have been a nice addition to any of the current top forward lines. In fact, I would have liked to have seen her on the line with Simms and O’Brien. But as matters stand, that is relegated to wishful thinking.
On to some comments on the current roster alignments:
Given the poor showings the prior two weekends and the continued absence of Harvey, I actually had feared that the scores were going to be more one-sided. Had Harvey been able to play, nor difficult to think that the outcome of the second game could have been reversed nor that Friday’s game could have closer or potentially reversed as well. But we will have to see how the next two weekends go and then wait for the second half of the season to see how the Badgers and Buckeyes stack up. Personally, I will not be surprised if Harvey remains in recovery mode until January to ensure that she is fully recovered, so these two series also may not prove satisfying.
I think Enright’s injury has proven to be costly as well. By the end of last season, she had developed into a very solid F, assertive and adept at identifying solid scoring opportunities for herself and teammates. She would have been a nice addition to any of the current top forward lines. In fact, I would have liked to have seen her on the line with Simms and O’Brien. But as matters stand, that is relegated to wishful thinking.
On to some comments on the current roster alignments:
- I would move Woz or Picard to the line with Curl and Eden. I think the style of play of either one would complement those of the other two. Both are fast and aggressive, and like the other two, not afraid of attacking the net.
- I would put Hall of the line with Simms and O’Brien. One of her strengths coming in was her ability to distribute the puck. This has been noticeably absent thus far, but this might help to trigger it.
- This would leave Woz or Picard on the third line with Wheeler and Laila and Gorbatenko. One purpose for this would be to provide Gorbatenko with more ice time on a true forward line. Frankly, another is I view Laila as too passive in her approach and this would be an attempt to try and kick start her to be more aggressive and utilize the skills and shot she receives accolades for. She definitely does have a wicked wrist shot that would wreak havoc from the slot or around the crease. She should use her size and strength to establish a presence in those areas more often.
