Cornell 2 Brown 5 postgame thread

Brown's first win at Lynah against Schafer.

Despite being in the press box, Schafer is the official coach for the game? Not Brekke?

Jordan 04
Despite being in the press box, Schafer is the official coach for the game? Not Brekke?

Correct. The coach is the coach. His assistants do not get credit for the decisions.

is anyone else wondering if cornell's new years resolution was to not win?

Trotsky

Jordan 04
Despite being in the press box, Schafer is the official coach for the game? Not Brekke?

Correct. The coach is the coach. His assistants do not get credit for the decisions.

In the NHL if the coach is out, then the lead Asst gets credit for the win.

I thought teams were supposed to get better as the season goes along. Particularly if they are YOUNG and therefore getting used to eachother and a new level of hockey. How is it that we seem to be getting worse with time.

Edit: I make more sense and less mistakes when I am not half asleep. Fixed the mistaken word.

PK was very good tonight. Despite the powerplay goal, it is still terrible. The last few games have been miserably boring. Cornell gave up more odd man rushes in the third period than they have all season. Thought they just got outworked in the third period. Davenport may have let up that bad one last night, but he's still been the far better goalie than Scrivens. Scott is totally invisible and is playing the worst hockey of his career. It is not fun going to games right now. They are playing horribly but also just playing boring hockey. I don't know when this miserable stretch is going to end.

They just aren't getting enough pucks to the net and playing along the perimeter the entire game.

I am 100% sure that the reason they have sucked so much lately is NOT the level of talent on this team. They played extremely well early in the season and did so much more on the ice, playing with so much more energy. This group has shown they are capable of it. The coaches need to make adjustments and abandon some of the shit they have been sticking with all season. Some of the passengers which is like 15 players need to play harder, play smarter, and play better.

Very disappointing game...

We outplayed them through most of the game, but I couldn't believe the break-aways they ended up getting. Once again, we should have had many more goals than we did, and I'm not sure why. The PP and PK looked OK most of the time.

Their goalie looked scared of the puck when we shot it hard, so I thought this was going to be a huge blowout for us. We had some great chances, but it seems to be a pattern that they're just not going for us.

Nice to see Glover back in person, though.

The sense I got was they're afraid to take the man off the puck. Everything is stick checking. And on the first Brown goal, four guys waved at the puck and nobody took the man.

On offense I saw a lot of dump and no chase. They'd throw the puck in deep then sit at the blueline to be ready for when Brown broke it out. What happened to the concept of forechecking?

Everything I said was good in last night's game sucked tonight. And the things that sucked last night, didn't get much better.

Except for the fans. They were much more vocal tonight. Although it's still sad that the only cheer they can sustain for more than 20 seconds is "bend over." Tho the corner where I sat definitely has White Man's Disease - no rhythm. I don't know if they can't hear the band or are just ignoring it.

Cornell drops out of the Pairwise Rankings with tonight's loss - [www.collegehockeynews.com]

Dpperk29
is anyone else wondering if cornell's new years resolution was to not win?

No, it's Bertrand's curse.

Jeff Hopkins '82
Except for the fans. They were much more vocal tonight.

Really? Still seemed pretty bad to me. Even at crucial points like penalty kills, PPs, and nice flurries, any LGRs or KRKs died down after 10 seconds. Disappointing.

I unfortunately had to leave after 2 periods, but it seemed like the stretch I saw was a pretty typical Cornell game, with the Big Red dominating play yet being unable to take the lead. Another lousy weekend...

cth95
I thought teams were supposed to get better as the season goes along. Particularly if they are long and therefore getting used to eachother

The good: Continue to excel at faceoffs...PK seems to be improving...ECAC auto-bid.

The bad: The crowd is making the decision to not build a new wow-inspiring recruiting magnet type facility look worse each game...Hockey doesn't allow a team the option of declining a PP...What happened to Goalie U?

The ugly: 6 chances to give their coach the most career victories and 6 stickers...Heart-breaking loss to Yale (feels like it) leads to devastating loss to Brown...It's time to call the C-police, something's missing.

Jeff Hopkins '82
The sense I got was they're afraid to take the man off the puck. Everything is stick checking. And on the first Brown goal, four guys waved at the puck and nobody took the man.

Right on!

Aside from short, sporadic stretches, I don't see us using the body very effectively.

I wonder how much of this is that they simply don't have the size advantage we are used to. How many guys are genuinely behemoth types who can win by sheer throw-weight: Bitz, Greening, nobody else on the forecheck.

At least a dozen time during each game this past weekend I felt like one of those elegantly twirling oak trees would have made the difference -- both Yale and Brown allowed a lot of loose pucks between the circles which resulted in rugby scrums. That (along with the corners) is where those physical players really make the difference, as they have the reach and strength to settle, control and direct the puck back to our players. We do not have them anymore, so most of those pucks wind up either harmlessly drifting to the boards, or, worse, picked up and quickly played by the opponent into a breakout chance.

Trotsky
At least a dozen time during each game this past weekend I felt like one of those elegantly twirling oak trees would have made the difference -- both Yale and Brown allowed a lot of loose pucks between the circles which resulted in rugby scrums. That (along with the corners) is where those physical players really make the difference, as they have the reach and strength to settle, control and direct the puck back to our players.

Seems to me a lot of national championships have been won by teams that had few "elegantly twirling oak trees," so there is a way to be successful without them.

Size didn't seem to be a problem early in the season.

calgARI '07
Size didn't seem to be a problem early in the season.

Size does matter. In the recent past, one of the "secrets" of Cornell Hockey was that the team physically punished their opposition. As a result, the other team got worn down and we "owned" the third periods. We no longer have that advantage. The (small & mobile) freshmen class is fun to watch. But, they are not enough to outgun their opponents.

redice

calgARI '07
Size didn't seem to be a problem early in the season.

Size does matter. In the recent past, one of the "secrets" of Cornell Hockey was that the team physically punished their opposition. As a result, the other team got worn down and we "owned" the third periods. We no longer have that advantage. The (small & mobile) freshmen class is fun to watch. But, they are not enough to outgun their opponents.

I agree that size matters but I don't agree that this team doesn't have the size to win. They may not be as big as recent years, but size wasn't a problem in the games Cornell has won this year. Size of heart may be an issue though.

Trotsky
I wonder how much of this is that they simply don't have the size advantage we are used to. How many guys are genuinely behemoth types who can win by sheer throw-weight: Bitz, Greening, nobody else on the forecheck.

At least a dozen time during each game this past weekend I felt like one of those elegantly twirling oak trees would have made the difference -- both Yale and Brown allowed a lot of loose pucks between the circles which resulted in rugby scrums. That (along with the corners) is where those physical players really make the difference, as they have the reach and strength to settle, control and direct the puck back to our players. We do not have them anymore, so most of those pucks wind up either harmlessly drifting to the boards, or, worse, picked up and quickly played by the opponent into a breakout chance.

It's true our team may be smaller than in past years, but I'm not sure we don't have them anymore....at least as measured in physical terms:

Bitz 6-4, 225
Carefoot 6-2, 210
Sawada 6-2, 210
Greening 6-2, 200
Fontas 6-2, 210
Kennedy 6-2, 195
Mugford 6-1, 200

From the 02-03 team:

Cam Abbott 6-0, 190
Chris Abbott 5-9, 195
Hornby 5-11, 220
Iggulden 6-3, 200
Palahicky 6-1, 210
Bâby 6-5, 235
Paolini 6-1, 210
Knoepfli 6-1, 195
Hynes 6-3, 210


Paolini, Palahicky and Knoepfli are sized similar to Mugford, Fontas and Greening, but Sammy, Shane and Mike seemed to play much bigger. I hate to say it, but in my view, they played with more heart and conviction; with religion! It wasn't Hornby's size that made him a menace, it was his mentality. They created opportunities and kept opponents on their toes...and kept the fans in the game. This mentality defined the team, and I don't pretend to know why it seems to be missing now. I also recognize and appreciate the change in players and strategy, but hockey will always be a physical game. Not to say that it's always appropriate to focus just on the body, but close physical play can interrupt your opponents game plan while forcing turnovers and creating opportunities.

I don't know.....I'm frustrated too!

"Size of heart." That says it all, Ari. Now, how to fix it?

redice
"Size of heart." That says it all, Ari. Now, how to fix it?

Make hockey fun again.

redice
"Size of heart." That says it all, Ari. Now, how to fix it?

Transplant surgery?

You are 100% correct. Scrivens was horrible 3/5 goals were his fault. He never moved out only back. Isn't the goalie stick supposed to be used for something, like poke checks etc....

Change the dam lines...Can Gallagher stay on his skates for one single shift??? WEAK ON HIS SKATES.... And lets not forget the inmature, bad timing type penalties.

Make one POWER LINE who can skate, be creative, score goals...
Romano is far the best offensive weapon on this team. He is exciting and makes his own chances. Do you think anyone can ever pass him the puck or its easy to watch like the other 4000+ at Lynah do his thing. Our section at LYNAH can not wait until he is out there, because he is always moving the team in the right direction. Last weekend w/o him, we were dead, there was no spark what so ever...Put McCuthen and Scott with him and let them just play. McCuthen is strong and can make space for Romano, Scott is creative enough to draw his opponents, but he has to move the puck quickly, not hold onto it so long...Scotts production went down because why, he was moved off of Romanos PP line look back at the stats, there is more players in the same boat .....Check please...Play that line every 3rd shift, forget 4 lines we need ONE line to produce not two or three players every other game. Make sure Seminoff who has been great all season is out there with those three. This will work!!!

And what about MILO, give this player a chance on the PP or with another line like BITZ, MILO and SAWADA. Let MILO stay in the high slot area and get him the puck, he is a proven scorer in the USHL etc....
Another thing, why does Mugford get rewarded with ice time when every game he is good for at least one stupid penalty, Scali would be better because he is more skilled, but Mugford is very good on the PK.
We are all frustrated, just think of the team whats going thru their heads...
LGR Never Give UP

redhair34

redice
"Size of heart." That says it all, Ari. Now, how to fix it?

Make hockey fun again.

Beachball practice after meeting the Northstars?

Al DeFlorio

Trotsky
At least a dozen time during each game this past weekend I felt like one of those elegantly twirling oak trees would have made the difference -- both Yale and Brown allowed a lot of loose pucks between the circles which resulted in rugby scrums. That (along with the corners) is where those physical players really make the difference, as they have the reach and strength to settle, control and direct the puck back to our players.

Seems to me a lot of national championships have been won by teams that had few "elegantly twirling oak trees," so there is a way to be successful without them.

Al, to be fair, we've managed to not win national championships with hardwoods fronting the goalie, and now we've got a chance to not win a championship with a speedy, (formerly) high-scoring team. Cornell is committed to diversity.

jtwcornell91

cth95
I thought teams were supposed to get better as the season goes along. Particularly if they are long and therefore getting used to eachother

edited in original post. I meant "Young". That's what I get for typing while falling asleep.

plrd78
Another thing, why does Mugford get rewarded with ice time when every game he is good for at least one stupid penalty, Scali would be better because he is more skilled, but Mugford is very good on the PK.

Mugford and Sawada are just about the only two truly hard-hitting forwards we have. Bitz and Greening are big, but neither of them seem to use their size all that effectively to lay people out. Scali looked like a very strong checker for his size, I'd like to see him play again.

Dafatone

Mugford and Sawada are just about the only two truly hard-hitting forwards we have. Bitz and Greening are big, but neither of them seem to use their size all that effectively to lay people out. Scali looked like a very strong checker for his size, I'd like to see him play again.

I think that Greening hits pretty hard. Mugford has gotten away from his game and hasn't been nearly as affective physically. Barlow and Milo despite being small can actually play a good physical game. Milo isn't playing for some reason while Barlow has been missing since the last weekend before exams. Scali hasn't shown much in terms of physical play at least not as much as I expected.

cornell's passing sucks. they need to make more crisp, accurate passes.
this includes stick handling, which is weak, too. Brown won on some wonderful individual efforts by a pair of forwards and their freshman goalie. they never backed down as a team. the power play would be better if we could make more than 2-3 passes before running into an opposing player's stick. And for god's sake pinch the boards and keep the puck in the zone so we don't have to reset the PP every 15 seconds!!

calgARI '07

Milo isn't playing for some reason while Barlow has been missing since the last weekend before exams.

Barlow missing? I'm pretty sure I saw him all over the ice this weekend, in many cases failing to convert on some decent offensive efforts. Did you mean to say Evan S.?

sah67

calgARI '07

Milo isn't playing for some reason while Barlow has been missing since the last weekend before exams.

Barlow missing? I'm pretty sure I saw him all over the ice this weekend, in many cases failing to convert on some decent offensive efforts. Did you mean to say Evan S.?

I meant he is doing nothing.

The team is certainly smaller than in previous years but we still have some size as Townie points out. Could it be that the ckloser enforcement of penalties this season has left some of the guys afraid to play the physical game? Or maybe with a crowd of younger faster guys the team mindset has moved away from playing that style? The team definitely has a different personality this season and we'v yet to see how it will play out (over the rest of this season and the next couple).

ithacat
What happened to Goalie U?

We got too good at producing gaudy goaltending stats that guys left early. And we're stuck in between with what are probably a couple journeyman goalies right now.

plrd78
You are 100% correct. Scrivens was horrible 3/5 goals were his fault. He never moved out only back. Isn't the goalie stick supposed to be used for something, like poke checks etc....

Not to say Scrivens was good because he definitely could have done much better, but all 4 goals he let in were because of defensive breakdowns that caused odd-man rushes. The 5th goal was an empty netter.

Omie

plrd78
You are 100% correct. Scrivens was horrible 3/5 goals were his fault. He never moved out only back. Isn't the goalie stick supposed to be used for something, like poke checks etc....

Not to say Scrivens was good because he definitely could have done much better, but all 4 goals he let in were because of defensive breakdowns that caused odd-man rushes. The 5th goal was an empty netter.

Well, the first goal was a 1 on 4, so I think he let down because he expected SOMEBODY would do something. I think they may be afraid of taking penalties, too.

Other than that, they were all odd man ruishes in Brown's favor. One of the goals was a two on one and it looked like between the goalie and the d-man, they weren't sure who had what responsibility. Does the d-man play the puck carrier or the pass? It looked like they both went for the same man. A fundamental mistake for a goalie. Makes me wonder if Scrivens it getting taught fundamentals in practice (or if he needs more of that).

Jeff Hopkins '82

Omie

plrd78
You are 100% correct. Scrivens was horrible 3/5 goals were his fault. He never moved out only back. Isn't the goalie stick supposed to be used for something, like poke checks etc....

Not to say Scrivens was good because he definitely could have done much better, but all 4 goals he let in were because of defensive breakdowns that caused odd-man rushes. The 5th goal was an empty netter.

Well, the first goal was a 1 on 4, so I think he let down because he expected SOMEBODY would do something. I think they may be afraid of taking penalties, too.

Other than that, they were all odd man ruishes in Brown's favor. One of the goals was a two on one and it looked like between the goalie and the d-man, they weren't sure who had what responsibility. Does the d-man play the puck carrier or the pass? It looked like they both went for the same man. A fundamental mistake for a goalie. Makes me wonder if Scrivens it getting taught fundamentals in practice (or if he needs more of that).

The convention is that the goalie always plays shot, and the d-man always plays pass.

Greening looks as strong on his skates as anyone on this team or opposing teams at Lynah this year. Maybe you don't see it because he is not as prone to taking runs at people as Sawada is, but this guy keeps his feet in the corners, and in traffic, and can be as physical as anyone out there. He looks like Hynes.

Jacob '06

Jeff Hopkins '82

Omie

plrd78
You are 100% correct. Scrivens was horrible 3/5 goals were his fault. He never moved out only back. Isn't the goalie stick supposed to be used for something, like poke checks etc....

Not to say Scrivens was good because he definitely could have done much better, but all 4 goals he let in were because of defensive breakdowns that caused odd-man rushes. The 5th goal was an empty netter.

Well, the first goal was a 1 on 4, so I think he let down because he expected SOMEBODY would do something. I think they may be afraid of taking penalties, too.

Other than that, they were all odd man ruishes in Brown's favor. One of the goals was a two on one and it looked like between the goalie and the d-man, they weren't sure who had what responsibility. Does the d-man play the puck carrier or the pass? It looked like they both went for the same man. A fundamental mistake for a goalie. Makes me wonder if Scrivens it getting taught fundamentals in practice (or if he needs more of that).

The convention is that the goalie always plays shot, and the d-man always plays pass.

In that case, the d-man screwed up. He should have let the puck carrier have the shot and let the goalie try to stop it, right?

Jeff Hopkins '82

Jacob '06

Jeff Hopkins '82

Omie

plrd78
You are 100% correct. Scrivens was horrible 3/5 goals were his fault. He never moved out only back. Isn't the goalie stick supposed to be used for something, like poke checks etc....

Not to say Scrivens was good because he definitely could have done much better, but all 4 goals he let in were because of defensive breakdowns that caused odd-man rushes. The 5th goal was an empty netter.

Well, the first goal was a 1 on 4, so I think he let down because he expected SOMEBODY would do something. I think they may be afraid of taking penalties, too.

Other than that, they were all odd man ruishes in Brown's favor. One of the goals was a two on one and it looked like between the goalie and the d-man, they weren't sure who had what responsibility. Does the d-man play the puck carrier or the pass? It looked like they both went for the same man. A fundamental mistake for a goalie. Makes me wonder if Scrivens it getting taught fundamentals in practice (or if he needs more of that).

The convention is that the goalie always plays shot, and the d-man always plays pass.

In that case, the d-man screwed up. He should have let the puck carrier have the shot and let the goalie try to stop it, right?

More or less. You cut off as much angle on the shot as you can while still blocking the possiblity of a pass. Then the goalie should stay square to the remaining angle the shooter has to shoot from.