Yale Hockey 2010-2011 thread

[critsports]

Re: Yale Hockey 2010-2011 thread

In my opinion, St Lawrence matched Yale in speed and intensity and nearly matched Yale in desire. They fell short in skill -- stickhandling, playmaking and shooting -- and this made the difference. This is not a big knock on the Saints. Not many teams can skate with Yale when we're playing well. Yale played very well in the last two games of the series and should be very competitive against both Colgate and the winner of Dartmouth - Cornell. As far as the NCAAs are concerned we'll see if we can go into that tournament in the kind of top form that got us ranked #1 for six weeks earlier this year.

Amen.
SLU was flat tonight and had much more jump and competed far better in the first two games. In the end.....skill won out as it should. The difference in the skill level as you pointed out was and is significant. Our Saints have some talented players but Ylae is deep and talented all the way down the line up and that is difficult to overcome. What can overcome it.......is desire and effort. When Ylae gets into the NCAA's the talent will be their equal or better and it should be a lesson well learned that desire and effort (along with that skill and talent) is what will win out in the end.

 

[cornellgradyalefan]

Re: Yale Hockey 2010-2011 thread

As for Yale, we have our hands full with Colgate who are playing very well.

I agree that Colgate is going to be tough, but let's keep this in mind. They beat two favorites in 3-game series who each allowed Colgate to get back into the series, rather than finish them off. Both RPI and Union were ahead 1-0 after all. The series against Yale is one and done. There is no getting back into a series that is a one game affair. I believe this bodes well for Yale with their big game experience, and their superior skill. The only way that Yale loses this game is by putting forth less than their best effort, and with all that is at stake for this Yale team, I simply don't see that happening. As for the potential Championship game opponent, should Yale advance, lets also keep in mind that Yale has defeated Dartmouth 3 times this year so karma may bite them regardless of the prospective opponent.

I saw goblue78 at the game tonight and he reminded me that a loss to Colgate would not only end Yale's ECAC tournament run, but also put us behind UND and BC in the pairwise (he also explained to me again that had we lost tonight we would have ended up first in the pairwise for the season).

And herein lies the absurdity of the pairwise.

It was pleasure to meet Cornellgradyalefan And Critsports between the first and second period tonight, both nice guys who are passionate about hockey!

It was a pleasure to meet you LT, and critsports also!

It was an honor to witness Yale's most successful season at home tonight and the crowd and team tribute at the end was great. It is hard to believe we will never see eight of those guys at Ingalls again. But they will be back in CT soon!

It was a thrilling evening! I can't adequately express how much I have enjoyed this team, this season, the enthusiastic crowds, and Ingalls, which is a truly wonderful venue for hockey. In fact, I am thinking of going to the high school hockey semis at Ingalls on Wednesday where Fairfield Prep will face off against South Windsor and St Joe's will try a 4th time this season to finally get past undefeated New Canaan.

 

[hockeyenthusiast]

Re: Yale Hockey 2010-2011 thread

Congrats. Friday should be a battle.

 

[TimU]

Re: Yale Hockey 2010-2011 thread

I was at the game tonight. I acknowledge that there were some questionable calls, and there was some running around, but in the great scheme of things, or of hockey games, there was nothing which I observed -- in terms of player or officiating behavior -- which was out of the ordinary under the circumstances.

Well, that was not St. Lawrence hockey and it was out of character with the type of game that we almost always see and that makes us very proud of our program. It didn't fit with what I've seen from Ylae over the past three seasons, either. I know we've all seen worse, and a lot of it comes down to officiating, but I expect better from ECAC hockey.

In my opinion, St Lawrence matched Yale in speed and intensity and nearly matched Yale in desire. They fell short in skill -- stickhandling, playmaking and shooting -- and this made the difference.

True. We've got some guys who could play anywhere, but you've got too many good players for us to match up in terms of skill right now.

 

[goblue78]

Re: Yale Hockey 2010-2011 thread

Not sure I have a lot to add, but this is the internet, so the universe requires my two cents.

First, to TimU: The B2 guy is indeed horrible. I'm a little confused, becaused I watched him do a solo webcast on saturday (I was at the game on Sunday) but everything you say about him is true. But he's a kid and, just like in hockey, kids either improve or they do something else.

On Sunday's officiating: It seemed obvious to me that Whittemore and Ritchie got a talking-to from Stewart. And they responded by making every hard hit a penalty. Under those conditions, Yale really couldn't lose unless they failed to take note and committed penalties themselves, which they did of course, but not enough to matter. What's always interesting to me is that kids can't really change their games to adjust to the referreeing style du jour. That shoudn't be all that surprising, of course, but I don't think either coach managed to impress on his players that in the game as refereed today, any hit by the boards is going to get you a penalty. SLU actually missed about 4 checks along the boards which would have been called penalties if they'd connected. And in a game where it's now obvious that everything is going to be called, you can't be surprised when one is called. The trip on Kyle Flanagan with one second to go in the first period, essentially negating a power play, is a good example of the way a call is going to go on a night like that. And that's true whether or not the trip was legitimate. There's two seconds to go, the puck's in the corner -- walk away.

But of course the second result of calling every hard hit is that the standard response is a bunch of cheap stuff which is harder to call because it's harder to see. And we got some of that last night on both sides. For that you have to blame the refs and the arc of Saturday-Sunday, going from nothing called to everything.

On the coaches: well, everyone hugged warmly after the game, so I have to think that there was just some miscommunication Saturday night, but that stuff doesn't matter much to me.

On SLU: Those guys deserved a better record than they ended up with. And while I only say them play Yale this season (or any season, for that matter) you are the only team to beat Yale twice, and barring a Yale-Air Force disaster in the first round of the NCAAs*, the only team who did that. Full credit. Bogosian was one of the best players I saw all year. I didn't see Carey at his best (missed Friday entirely) but his success bodes well for the program.

Finally, on playing Colgate: I'd love to believe you CGYF, but I think this going to be a really, really close game. Looks like I'm not going to go because the game is the 4:30 start, but I'll have to see how that develops over the week.

OK. Enough internet narcissism. Back to work and planning for AC... probably Saturday only.

*Actually, there are another couple of possibilities too painful to mention.

 

[cornellgradyalefan]

Re: Yale Hockey 2010-2011 thread

Finally, on playing Colgate: I'd love to believe you CGYF, but I think this going to be a really, really close game. Looks like I'm not going to go because the game is the 4:30 start, but I'll have to see how that develops over the week.

Please note...I did not say that Yale was definitely going to win. What I said is that if Yale brings their best effort, and, given all that this team and senior class in particular is playing for, I see no way that doesn't happen, then Yale will win. If you read the Union thread, you will see that Union had the series in hand through the first period of game 2, then took their foot of the gas and allowed Colgate back in. Union is a bit inexperienced on this big stage, which I think may have contributed to that loss of focus. Yale has boatloads of big game experience and the long memory of what happened in last year's ECAC playoffs to draw from.

 

[Kepler]

Re: Yale Hockey 2010-2011 thread

For some bizarre and strange reason the protocol seems to be that only the losing coach gets in the line and the winning coach usually does not.

It seems like the winning coach is usually doing a media spot at that moment.

 

[cornellgradyalefan]

Re: Yale Hockey 2010-2011 thread

A thread entitled Yale 2011, the postseason has been started. I suggest we direct all comments to that thread from this point in the season forward so that everyone is on the same page. Do you all agree?

 

[LTsatch]

Re: Yale Hockey 2010-2011 thread

Sounds good to me.

 

[licwinko]

Re: Yale Hockey 2010-2011 thread

A thread entitled Yale 2011, the postseason has been started. I suggest we direct all comments to that thread from this point in the season forward so that everyone is on the same page. Do you all agree?

I disagree. Threads get locked at 1000 posts and this one is so close it'd be a shame to waste the opportunity. If we try really hard we can do it by AC. Then we can switch to the new thread.

 

[cornellgradyalefan]

Re: Yale Hockey 2010-2011 thread

OK..did not realize that...I will stick here and copy my most recent post to the other thread here...

This year, it is clear that not only do our dreams, but now also our expectations too, extend well beyond Atlantic City and Harbor Yard.

While we all like to think that Yale Hockey will continue at the level we have seen over the past 3 years, it is undeniable that this year's team is something special which we may not see for a while, and certainly cannot take for granted. We have unbelievable senior leadership, NCAA experience, and the benefit being a top seed going forward this playoff season.

I could not agree more with your sentiments and I have been trying to temper my expectations somewhat since I just don't know what is realistic to expect going forward in this season. I have come to the conclusion that I would consider this season a great success if Yale advances to the Frozen Four. I believe that is the next logical step for the program to take, given the results of last year, the fact that we will be a 1 seed, and the location of the Regional just down the road in Bridgeport. Any achievement beyond that would be wonderful, magical even, but I don't think we can expect it, given the teams I would envision us opposing in the Frozen Four. Now that is not to suggest that I don't believe we can win the whole enchilada, because I do, but in the big picture, no reasonable Yale fan would be justified in seeing the season as a failure, if we fall short of the Championship.

On the other hand, I believe that this is our year to win the championship, given the size and skill of the senior class, and the progression that the core of this team has made on a national level. I have no doubt that Yale hockey will be consistently excellent from year to year going forward, but this year is truly a unique moment in time that must be seized, since it may not come again for a long while. If you need any evidence of that, look to UND, who has not won an NCAA Championship since 2000.

So I am left with the tension of hoping and believing that Yale will be on top when the sticks and pucks are put away on April 9th, but not dismissing this team's considerable achievements if they should fall short of that goal.

If anyone needs encouragement, I suggest you go the New Haven Register online and take particular note of the comments of some of the core players. These guys have the correct mental approach as the season winnows to a one and done format. That, more than anything, fortifies my belief that this team has an excellent chance of reaching their ultimate goal.

 

[yalehockeyfan]

I disagree. Threads get locked at 1000 posts and this one is so close it'd be a shame to waste the opportunity. If we try really hard we can do it by AC. Then we can switch to the new thread.

Whoops. Didn't know that. Let's stay here then until 1000. Hopefully there are still many weeks left in the season so move will just have to wait.

As I posted overthere:

Over the past 3 years those of us living in the New Haven area (and those willing to drive further) have had the distinct privilage of seeing the dramatic transformation of Yale Hockey into a top ECAC squad and now a national contender.

2 years ago, I viewed winning the Cleary Cup and ECAC Championship as a great success, the NCAAs was a bonus. Last year, repeating as Cleary Cup winners, and then winning a first round NCAA game vs. North Dakota before falling to BC was also a great success. This year, it is clear that not only do our dreams, but now also our expectations too, extend well beyond Atlantic City and Harbor Yard.

While we all like to think that Yale Hockey will continue at the level we have seen over the past 3 years, it is undeniable that this year's team is something special which we may not see for a while, and certainly cannot take for granted. We have unbelievable senior leadership, NCAA experience, and the benefit being a top seed going forward this playoff season. With that, let's look ahead.

First off, this game with Colgate is HUGE.
A win (and as far as I can tell) we will be the #1 overall seed in the NCAAs which means we play the #16 seed. While #16 will still be tough and nothing to take for granted, a loss vs. Colgate, and we likely drop to #2/#3 overall which means our first round game is likely significantly more difficult. Having played in big games, and knowing the importance of beating Colgate, I'm sure we won't overlook them. If we survive Colgate, I'm pretty sure that even if we lost the ECAC championship we will still be overall #1 seed.

Lastly, while this weekend's series was ugly in many aspects, I couldn't be happier about the way the Little/Kearney/Limbert line played. They started the year on fire, but then struggled as O'Neill/Cahill/Miller carried us. When we have those two lines clicking, this team can fly with the best of them.

....for now it's one step at a time.....

 

[Got 6 Want More]

Re: Yale Hockey 2010-2011 thread

Not sure about protocol and if I am wrong please correct me, the SLU coach and staff then proceeded to get into the line up and shook hands the Yale players as well. Allain and staff walked off the ice and did not acknowledge or shake hands with the SLU players. Should they have?

Actually, protocol is that the coaches do not shake hands with the players. Some of the coaches in the league thought it was poor sportsmanship, especially for the winners, to shake hands. In my mind that is totally preposterous. I am sure it is Joe Marsh's mind too. He is a sincere man and a great sportsman. I was at every practice for 4.5 years with Joe as a coach and the only way he could have underscored the "no chirping, no BS after the whistles, play tough between the whistles" mentality more is if he tattood it on the foreheads of his players. He has an extremely low tolerance for that. One of our best forwards (Kyle Flanagan) took a retaliatory penalty in one of the last games (Dartmouth or Princeton) and found his *** as a healthy scratch the next night. It doesn't matter who you are, there is a zero tolerance for that. Anyway, with regard to the handshakes, I know the coaches actually had a meeting or call about that and I don't know exactly what coaches believe that shaking hands after a game or series is bad sportsmanship, but some thought it was. If I know Joe Marsh, he would never think that way. Half of these players have been recruited by SLU coaches or have come to know the program through teammates from juniors or prep. I think offering a sincere handshake is a class act...but that is just me and the ECAC has some oddballs. The coaches on the other hand, should and normally do shake hands after every game. I am not pleased that Allain did not do that but I don't follow college hockey to see who shakes hands either.

As for the series, Yale was the quicker team with more skill. That is obvious. I think SLU had nothing left in the tank by game three. I remember last year when they beat Clarkson at home in 3 and then went on the road and beat Colgate in 2, several players were thanking God the series at Colgate didn't go three because they were exhausted. Add in the distance of SLU to Princeton and then Yale....well, I am not the slightest bit surprised by them being flat on Sunday. Further, I suspect there were some guys injured who were in the lineup in addition to Keller and Baker who were lost for the season by injuries during the playoffs. We knew this year we were going to be young. Many nights we had as many as 8 freshmen in the lineup. We are losing some good guys and great leaders and Bogo is one of the fastest and strongest players I have ever seen. Pound for pound, that kid is a beast. But our most skilled forwards are Sophs and freshmen (K. Flanagan and Carey) and same for defense with (Hughes and Baker). I hope that this playoff battle will help us in a couple of years. I remember Marsh's first season when we had a 5-3 lead at Ingalls against the Kudelski led Eli's and lost 6-5 on defensive inexperience. That was 85-86 and two years after that we were the best team in the country in my opinion. I hope that the foundation is there for us to be a top team in the league in a couple of years. But, there is so much more parity in college hockey now, who knows.

I am not pleased with the spirit or the product on the ice over this series because of the BS from either team or poor officiating. You'd think we'd catch a small break every now and then since Ritchie is an in-law to a Saints hockey alum (Teddy Dent '93 and Kit Ritchie), but obviously not. They lost control on Saturday early and never got it back. While I do think it was an embarrassment to both teams in the league, I know at the same time that the opposite of that style of play is what is preached in Canton so rather than blame SLU or Yale, I'll blame the officials. I think it shows how frustrated the teams had to be at what was and was not called for it to escalate to that.

Good luck to Yale down the road. I wish I liked Yale as much today as I did last Thursday, but honestly I don't. Still, I hope they have a nice run in the NCAA's and better discipline and less chirping will help them in that regard.

 

[licwinko]

Re: Yale Hockey 2010-2011 thread

Has anyone been playing with the bracket predictor thingie? Can the ECAC potentially get 4 teams in the tourney? It like no matter who wins the Atlantic, they'll only get the final spot and barring other major upsets, there are two ECAC teams in 14th and 15th.

That's amazing. Am I missing something?

 

[Yale84]

Re: Yale Hockey 2010-2011 thread

Who's going to AC? I bought my tix last night as soon as the game was over and ended up in Section 110 (down on the end - about where the Yale Band sits at Ingalls). I also had the option to be in the upper tier above center ice but would rather be closer to the action.

Speaking of the band, I thought they brought an enormous amount of energy to games at the Whale this year. This past weekend was especially fun - it's spring break and most of the band is out of town, so alums showed up to fill their spots. They sounded fabulous - particularly the horn section. Wish we could pack them up and take them with us to AC.

 

[cornellgradyalefan]

Re: Yale Hockey 2010-2011 thread

I know that I read on some thread last night that the Top 10 in pairwise are in. Then add the Atlantic Hockey champ so that leaves 5 spots for 6 teams, I think, which are UNH, Western Mich, Neb-Omaha, Colo College, Dartmouth, and RPI. I think that BU and Maine are out and they are just below RPI, so it looks like 1 of the final 6 will be out, which means it's possible for 4 ECAC teams to get in.

 

[cornellgradyalefan]

Re: Yale Hockey 2010-2011 thread

I was working on a few scenarios then I started to drive myself crazy but there are a number of scenarios where Dartmouth and RPI get in. Assuming Dartmouth beats Cornell, the critical factors are what Western Mich and Colo College do

 

[Yale84]

Re: Yale Hockey 2010-2011 thread

Who's going to AC? I bought my tix last night as soon as the game was over and ended up in Section 110 (down on the end - about where the Yale Band sits at Ingalls). I also had the option to be in the upper tier above center ice but would rather be closer to the action.

BTW, buy tickets directly from the Yale ticket office, not online through Ticketmaster. Cheaper, and all the seats are together in a block - Section 119.

 

[LTsatch]

Re: Yale Hockey 2010-2011 thread

Some video of the Yale game on the ECAC site, turn down the volume as the announcer is really rude. http://www.ecachockey.com/men/index

 

[licwinko]

Re: Yale Hockey 2010-2011 thread

Some video of the Yale game on the ECAC site, turn down the volume as the announcer is really rude. http://www.ecachockey.com/men/index

Holy Jebus! If anyone knows what that guy is on, can you get me some?