A few musings from a new member...

Hi, all-

In the past few weeks, I have been all agog to see how the Lynah Faithful would react to the success or disappointment of this enigmatic team. I feel compelled to offer a few observations (though it is probably against my better judgment, yet I digress...) of topics that have been brought up or those that might nip in the bud, with an unnecessarily verbose presentation. These are things I feel to be true, but obviously my opinions are going to differ with many of you, though please, just as I have offered up my sentiment, I hope that you will do the same. In addition, it goes without saying that my first post will naturally be met with dubiety of what I, of all people, have to offer. I feel I offer a comprehensive look of what is going on immediately in the program and in the nation. Why should you believe me? I guess you will just have to trust me... I must stress that I will not claim something I have opined to be fact, as generating speculation is not my motive, nor will I vice-versa. Although I cannot claim to offer you anything of importance if posters continue the gradual deteoration of common respect for fellow forum members, what with the ever-present cynicism growing by the minute.

With all that being completely uncalled for, let's talk CU hockey...

-Tony Romano is an impressive young man, with a great passion for the game. He respects the demands of both Scottie and Coach Schafer with great exactitude. Tony's father is a tremendous Cornell Hockey fan, but also a very kind, respectful man, with high hopes for both Cornell and Tony. As for Tony's future prospects, I cannot begin to speculate what route he may take, or, for that matter, what routes he may even be considering, with any accuracy. I can say that Tony loves the university, especially it's concomitant factors such as his teammates and coaches.

-Much has been discussed in the past about what status Cornell has on the recruiting trail, and rightfully so. Though at the same time, Cornell's ora with prospective players is completely subjective with the individual recruit. For some, the scholarship (or lack thereof) poses a significant issue. For others, the combination of a perennial top 15 University and hockey team is incomparable. Kyle Okposo committed early in his high school career, but not before contacting Cornell to express their interest in the program. Cornell made his top 5, but ultimately Kyle grew up in Minneapolis and was going to stay there. The same goes for TJ Oshie of UND, except he was a tougher player to peg out of the Minnesota High School league. Cornell catches the eye of top talent, and the coaching staff are great recruiters (Romano wanted to commit on his visit), so it eventually just comes down to what fits each kid.

Many players nowadays look for the facilities to be an important stipulation, with the Ralph, Magness, Xcel center, and others reigning supreme on the landscape of college hockey. Each has the bells and whistles that can blind a recruit's judgment, but Cornell took great strides with the new locker room and training rooms to go with the already top-notch Athletes S & C facility. Cornell would rank in the top 5 of the WCHA in those categories, with only the immaculate Ralph, the World Arena, and Xcel preceding it.

As far as fan support or game atmosphere goes, you, Lynah Faithful, should be very proud. Cornell bests the "big-time" schools like Wisky, Denver, CC, and Boston College. The only schools I saw with comparable support this year were UNH and North Dakota, though keep in mind that the Ralph holds many times over the amount of fans to achieve such a high level of support. This does not go unnoticed by recruits, trust me...

-This team is not without great talent, strength, or the intangibles to be a supremely successful team in the coming years. In talking to a highly respected GDI scout recently, he stated that Troy Davenport "is really top-notch" and has drawn the attention of Ian Clarke at the Pro Camp run by GDI. An interesting comment by this scout stated that one cause of Troy's up-and-down play might be due to the fact that he came from Des Moines, a team that gave up 30 or more shots a game, and now he is making a transition to a great defensive team that allows in the 20s. This can take away from a goalie's rhythm and concentration, something that he will be more comfortable with as he matures. The team has offensive talent in Gallagher, Greening, Romano, Milo, and Barlow, as well as obvious grit in players like Kennedy and Mugford. This tandem should prove to be very successful as both classes mature with the goalies. I would not worry about the talent level of the team, as Cornell would actually fit in the top 10-15 of college hockey in bringing in good talent, except much of it goes unheralded due to the Canadian dominance and Brent and Scottie's eye for picking out the diamonds in the rough and talent that fits the program. Think David McKee...

-The staff is hot on the '08 trail right now, much moreso than what has been reported, though what has been is promising. Garman's coach proclaims that he is better at this stage than LeNeveu, which are pretty tall words, but his words nonetheless. Any reports on Grimshaw leaning or liking certain schools more than others can be taken with a grain of salt... right now. What remains true about him is that he a GREAT kid, the type of student-athlete Cornell and other players want in the program. Very bright kid that wants a great education in addition to great hockey. There are other kids looking to make contact with the staff that possess high-skill levels and other ECAC options... all I can really divulge.


The Lynah faithful are an integral part of this program, and it absolutely is noticed by the recruits and existing players. When I first talked to David McKee about Cornell, he told me of the fanatical fans they had, and in talking to Carl (David's Dad) recently, he mentioned that David has a large part of him that wishes he returned for his senior year. That does not happen to a high-profile college player without an incredible fanbase and overall appreciation for the program. I ask that you please remain hopeful for seasons to come and optimistic for what they will bring, because how you conduct yourselves does not go undetected by the eyes of those who matter. I can promise you that...

My greatest desire is to have provided some comfort for those who have lost some faith in the program, not to have rubbed any posters the wrong way. I apologize ahead of time, as I am sure I still managed to do just that. I tend to be oblivious like that.

Have a great off-season, maybe indulge in some basketball or lax, but above all else...

LET'S GO RED!

Boy, that's the nicest post I've read here.

Thanks!

Fantastic post! Welcome to the Elf!!

Bravo!

very nice post, you summed up everything my limited exposure to cornell had me thinking in a clear well thought out manner.

-Devin
LGT

Thank you "lurkering" a thoughtful and "positive' commentary! I agree with you. I am alreadylooking forward to the next couple of years and wish all of the Big Red and elf folks a wonderful spring and summer!

profudge
I am already looking forward to the next couple of years

Me too. The outlook for next year is as positive as the outlook for this year was daunting. The core of this team was the two underclasses.


There are still questions of senior leadership, but Topher is a firey competitor. If the recruiting class ended without additions there would be serious problems with defensive depth, but Garrow still has time -- hey, he's free to travel early this year...

If we added no new offensive threats we would still have a very solid group, and an offseason on the skating treadmill has worked wonders with former players (think of the "before" and "after" shots of Mark McCutcheon), and with high profile guys like Riley Nash still under consideration, Garrow may not be done there, either.

SLU loses Rank, Taylor and Bagnall.
Clarkson loses nobody of importance.
Dartmouth loses Glass and Lovejoy.
Quinnipiac loses only Cashman, though that's a big loss.

The league as a whole will be stronger, but Cornell will challenge for home ice again, and with break out years from the kids might be right back on top of the conference again.

Trotsky
Clarkson loses nobody of importance.

I'd be surprised if they didn't lose at least one member of their outstanding Junior class to the pros.

and saying Michael Grenzy, Brodie Rutherglen, Mike Sullivan, Max Kolu, and Kyle McNulty aren't important is an understatement. I can think of atleast 2 times this year when each one of them stepped up in some way shape or form and changed the course of a game.

we might not be losing the ones that you see on the scoresheet every night, but we are losing some incredibly vaulable players.

Dpperk29

[CCT] might not be losing the ones that you see on the scoresheet every night, but we are losing some incredibly vaulable players.

Good!

lurkering
not to have rubbed any posters the wrong way. I apologize ahead of time, as I am sure I still managed to do just that.

Other than using some big words that don't mean what you think they mean, not at all. Your insight is welcome here.

Dpperk29
and saying Michael Grenzy, Brodie Rutherglen, Mike Sullivan, Max Kolu, and Kyle McNulty aren't important is an understatement.

No offense intended to those guys, but I am thinking of the very top-tier conference players, here. Cornell, after all, loses Bitz (second on the team in scoring and captain), McCutcheon (at times, seemingly the only guy on the ice with a natural touch, and the only bright spot on the pp), Carefoot (excellent two-way player) and Glover (steady, quiet, anchoring Dman). These too are the kind of valuable players you don't win championships without. However, they are "replaceable" in the sense that there are guys who always seem to develop and fill these slots.

OTOH, guys like Bagnall, Rank, and Cashman you don't replace. When they leave, you are immeasurably poorer. Dodge is a guy like that. If he and a few friends decide to defect, Clarkson may be looking at the kind of season Cornell just endured.

Trotsky
OTOH, guys like Moulson, McKee, O'Byrne, Pokulok you don't replace. When they leave, you are immeasurably poorer.

In light of the ALL-CAPS thread, FYP.

Thank you for providing these details from your inside / outside perspective. By that I mean...the inside (exceptional) access to information and (required) sensitivity for what should be shared online...combined with an outsider's objective, comparative perspective on Cornell vs. other programs.

It's easy for us Faithful to obsess...ECAC, coaching, recruits, leadership, the CU system, etc., etc., etc...to see the world through our CU carnelian-colored lens. Obsessing will make the next seven months more fun. Your "few musings" will help keep me grounded!

Thanks much for your insights.

Dpperk29
and saying Michael Grenzy, Brodie Rutherglen, Mike Sullivan, Max Kolu, and Kyle McNulty aren't important is an understatement. I can think of atleast 2 times this year when each one of them stepped up in some way shape or form and changed the course of a game.

we might not be losing the ones that you see on the scoresheet every night, but we are losing some incredibly vaulable players.

This sounds a bit like comments some Cornell fans made in 2005 when it was said that that year's senior class (Knoepfli, Iggulden, Varteressian, Cook, Downs) wasn't going to be a huge loss with the strong rising senior class returning (Moulson, Hynes, Pegoraro, Abbott, Abbott, Gleed). Now, obviously Clarkson's rising senior class is REALLY deep, but even so, I believe the parallel stands.

lurkering
Hi, all-

**snip**

LET'S GO RED!

That (if reproduced in its entirety, of course) was better than anything I've ever posted here.

Josh '99
that that year's senior class (Knoepfli, Iggulden, Varteressian, Cook, Downs) wasn't going to be a huge loss

Except it turned out Iggy could score goals. Who knew?

Thanks for the post.

...Al-ways faith-ful...

CowbellGuy

Josh '99
that that year's senior class (Knoepfli, Iggulden, Varteressian, Cook, Downs) wasn't going to be a huge loss

Except it turned out Iggy could score goals. Who knew?

Dude, let it go...

KeithK

CowbellGuy

Josh '99
that that year's senior class (Knoepfli, Iggulden, Varteressian, Cook, Downs) wasn't going to be a huge loss

Except it turned out Iggy could score goals. Who knew?

Dude, let it go...

Seriously.

Josh '99
This sounds a bit like comments some Cornell fans made in 2005 when it was said that that year's senior class (Knoepfli, Iggulden, Varteressian, Cook, Downs) wasn't going to be a huge loss with the strong rising senior class returning (Moulson, Hynes, Pegoraro, Abbott, Abbott, Gleed). Now, obviously Clarkson's rising senior class is REALLY deep, but even so, I believe the parallel stands.

I, for one, new that class would be irreplaceable. Man, that was a good year of Cornell hockey to watch, right up there with 02-03.

Josh '99

KeithK

CowbellGuy

Josh '99
that that year's senior class (Knoepfli, Iggulden, Varteressian, Cook, Downs) wasn't going to be a huge loss

Except it turned out Iggy could score goals. Who knew?

Dude, let it go...

Seriously.

if I patted myself on the back that much I would throw out my shoulder...

j/k

Ha... It would not have been the first time my brain has failed me at 2 in the morning, and it definitely won't be the last! Darn sleeping habits have eliminated any possibility of me having insomnia; rather, I keep myself up until my eyelids collapse under the weight of my exhaustion. Now that I think about it... it's probably more appropriate for me to wonder if I am now nocturnal!

Edit note... I, ironically, forgot to insert the word "brain" in my first sentence. How's that for calling your shot?

Beeeej

lurkering
not to have rubbed any posters the wrong way. I apologize ahead of time, as I am sure I still managed to do just that.

Other than using some big words that don't mean what you think they mean, not at all. Your insight is welcome here.

Dude, do you have to be a pompous asshole everytime you post?
Go watch Caddyshack.

fullofgas

Beeeej

lurkering
not to have rubbed any posters the wrong way. I apologize ahead of time, as I am sure I still managed to do just that.

Other than using some big words that don't mean what you think they mean, not at all. Your insight is welcome here.

Dude, do you have to be a pompous asshole everytime you post?

Yes, as a matter of fact. Yes, I do. And you have to take things I say way too seriously and overreact to them, even when they're clearly meant in jest and friendship. It's in the fine print.

Great post. If your information is accurate and you continue to post with this level of respect, I am really looking forward to reading more of your posts in the future.

Let me echo the kudos on your well written and informative post.
See what others are saying:
"The feel good post of the off season" - Roger Ebert
"The kind of post that you actually read all the way through before replying" - Gene Shallit
But I am also writing becuase I want to ask a question. You clearly have access to info that others don't. This invariably makes one wonder who you are and how you know such things. I can respect your desire for anonymity but perhaps you could just let us know something like:
1. Just an informed and gregarious fan
2. Friend of someone on the coaching staff
3. Hockey Dad or Mom (parent of a player)
4. Clarkson fan toying with our emotions like a yo-yo just for fun
etc.
P.S. If Beeej's comment annoyed you then just drop an "e" from his name. It drives him crazy.

Roy 82
This invariably makes one wonder who you are and how you know such things.

Some of us narrowed him down pretty quickly with just one click.

Roy 82
P.S. If Beeej's comment annoyed you then just drop an "e" from his name. It drives him crazy.

Who?

Beeeej

Roy 82
This invariably makes one wonder who you are and how you know such things.

Some of us narrowed him down pretty quickly with just one click.

Bully for you.

Roy 82
Let me echo the kudos on your well written and informative post.
See what others are saying:
"The feel good post of the off season" - Roger Ebert
"The kind of post that you actually read all the way through before replying" - Gene Shallit
But I am also writing becuase I want to ask a question. You clearly have access to info that others don't. This invariably makes one wonder who you are and how you know such things. I can respect your desire for anonymity but perhaps you could just let us know something like:
1. Just an informed and gregarious fan
2. Friend of someone on the coaching staff
3. Hockey Dad or Mom (parent of a player)
4. Clarkson fan toying with our emotions like a yo-yo just for fun
etc.
P.S. If Beeej's comment annoyed you then just drop an "e" from his name. It drives him crazy.

You are too kind. I have no problem answering your question, though I am sure that there will be topics in the future I simply must refrain from commenting on. I humbly ask that in those times my choice will be understood, as I will remain silent purely because I think it is my best course of action.

With another disclaimer (I have no idea where they are coming from, btw) out of the way, the answer to your question:




None of those. To give you something of substance, though... probably an amalgamation of 1 and 2, I guess one could say.



And in attempt to possibly clear something up... I have no problem with Beeeeeeeeeej's (too many e's?) initial post in the thread. I have long had a habit of stretching the meanings of words I particularly enjoy so that they might haphazardly fit into my context (I think it's rooted in my growing up in a household with a know-it-all older sister). So by him taking exception to my word-selection is really no surprise to me; quite the contrary, as I would be most surprised if no one called me out on my inherent egregious grammatical and diction errors.



Edit note: I realized I really provided no answer at all the first time around, so I attempted to give something of value, which with this being only my 4th post remains decidedly subjective in my mind.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/13/2007 01:04AM by lurkering.

Sure thing, just as soon as I catch up to all the shit I took defending him.

Roy 82

Beeeej

Roy 82
This invariably makes one wonder who you are and how you know such things.

Some of us narrowed him down pretty quickly with just one click.

Bully for you.

Sorry, it didn't occur to me that my moderator privileges for Ticket Exchange would allow me to see "hidden" profiles, so I don't even know which ones are hidden at this point.

Beeeej

Roy 82

Beeeej

Roy 82
This invariably makes one wonder who you are and how you know such things.

Some of us narrowed him down pretty quickly with just one click.

Bully for you.

Sorry, it didn't occur to me that my moderator privileges for Ticket Exchange would allow me to see "hidden" profiles, so I don't even know which ones are hidden at this point.

Heh. Lawyers.

Beeeej
Sorry, it didn't occur to me that my moderator privileges for Ticket Exchange would allow me to see "hidden" profiles, so I don't even know which ones are hidden at this point.

Oh, I thought that you were taunting me for my lack of web savvy because I was missing something obvious.

We're cool.

Nice post lurkering. I look forward to hearing more from you in the offseason as well as during next season.

This seems to be the place to ask a question that I have been wondering for a while but didn't want to ask until the season was complete. ( I wish I hadn't had an opportunity yet.) So, since some of you guys kind of hinted at what next year would be like, basically, will we be able to challenge as a top team in the ECAC and nationally next year? Obviously speaking as if everything is going to go as planned along with some possible bonus' (Riley Nash).

I think that Cornell is poised to make a serious run both in the ECAC and nationally in '07, but especially '08. There will be factors that we undoubtedly are not going to account for (such as injuries, NHL defections, inexplicable losses/skids, etc), but I think that the sophomores to-be will be given an excellent opportunity to really start building something special as a class. The keys to me next season are as follows:

-Sophomores step up offensively. A year of experience might do wonders for a few's scoring touch (ie Gallagher, Milo).

-Juniors provide the toughness, both pysicallly and mentally. Their experience paired with their grit could be invaluable to the success of this team.

-Another pair of D step to help Seminoff lock down the backend. A key to offensive success, especially with smaller, quicker forwards, is the ability of the D to provide stability defensively. This will allow the forwards to fly more, thus taking more chances with less consequences, and, hopefully, leading to more goals. This is one area where Pokulok and OB were missed this year. Nash and Krueger have the potential to be that kind of pair in future, as well.

-Consistenty is needed from the goaltenders. Either Scrivens or Davenport needs to seize the job and cannot let go. Aside from regular off-outings, they need to give efforts that are consistent. The team needs to know what they are getting with their tender.

Yep, that covers it admirably. Another potential barrior to improvement could be coaching staff discontinuity. Both Scott (recruiting) and Brent (defense) have had 8 years as Mike's assistants, and either (or both) could be offered head coach jobs someplace.

As far as where they will be next year, assuming no defections (Ray could go, I suppose, but he'd be crazy to, as he'd be signing up for years of bus trips in the ECHL), I would look at the 2000-01 season as a potentially comparable point in the team's recent history. The stellar sophomore class (Bâby, Paolini, the McRaes, Murray) accounted for 4 of the top 5 scorers. The hard-working, large junior class (Kozier, Wieckowski, Ladouceur, Francis, McMeekin Underhill) was the leadership. The goaltenders entering the season, Burt, Underhill and Gartman, had looked okay but nothing special. The '01 team finished fourth, for the second straight year, but fought all the way to the ECAC title game. And it was just staging for finishing in first place in 3 of the next 4 years, winning 2 ECAC titles, and reaching the F4.

Now, the most significant thing that happened in 2001 which almost certainly won't happen next year was the retrenchment to the pure defensive style. Despite the maturation of so many talented freshmen, the team dropped from 3.5 to 2.0 GF/GP. (Team D was in the middle of a freefall from 3.1 to 1.3 GA/GP between '98 and '03.)

This may very well be the most informative and enjoyable thread I have read in my few years on here.