From the stands

Am I a coach? Naw!
A great hockey player? Naw!

I do have eyes!
And a good vantage point from the stands!
And season tickets!

What did I see from the stands?

Once again this year, I saw coached, designed plays with one or two designated shooter! "Work the puck around the perimeter until you can set up this player or these players (Sawada or Scott perhaps) to take the good shot. Gee, if the coaches went to Iraq to coach with GUNS and bullets instead of sticks and pucks. Would this be a good game plan.
Well this is a WAR out there on the ice ....... Let the shooters shoot!!!!!!!!! Lest we get shot down again!!!!!!!

I'm not sure who said this great coaching tip but " Sometimes a good offense is the best defense!"

Last night, RIT was continuiously in our zone harrassing us, that is what won the Ottawa game 8-0, we harrassed them !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Last, if I were an opposing coach I would find it easy to prepare to play us. We are opening the season the same way we have the last few years. Live or die on defense!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now back in Iraq, Mike, let the all the soldiers shoot it my save your life !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TCH

tvset
Am I a coach? Naw!
A great hockey player? Naw!

I do have eyes!
And a good vantage point from the stands!
And season tickets!

What did I see from the stands?

The exclamation point key?

RichH

tvset
Am I a coach? Naw!
A great hockey player? Naw!

I do have eyes!
And a good vantage point from the stands!
And season tickets!

What did I see from the stands?

The exclamation point key?

Not anymore. He wore his out.

tvset
Shoooooooooooot!

In all seriousness, for those of us who aren't Schafer fanboys---and FWIW I think he's a good coach, but no coach deserves loyalty or sentimentality in lieu of results---there is clearly a problem if Cornell can't beat RIT, much less not being embarrassed by RIT. I imagine there will be a lot of brain-wracking going on in the bowels of Lynah this week.

My dad and I will be @Yale and @Brown in two weeks, and of course I'll be @Harvard the following weekend. I hope to see some of you there.

Kyle

True Kyle. But let's wait for more than one game of results plus a couple of exhibitions before deciding how big we think the problem is. Judging from past years a loss to weaker opponents to start the season does point to a season of struggles but it's not written in stone.

While I'm not pleased with this result, remember that we've had some decent success in years that we've lost to the likes of Army and Sacred Heart; I'm not quite ready to hit the panic button.

I still say that if someone in the stands can see that there are designated shooters used on our power plays, that the other coach already knows it and has fashioned his defense to take advantage of it#

Sorry my exclamation point is malfunctioning #$^*&(

tvset
I still say that if someone in the stands can see that there are designated shooters used on our power plays, that the other coach already knows it and has fashioned his defense to take advantage of it#

Sorry my exclamation point is malfunctioning #$^*&(

I don't think it's at all new this year or last year that we've had designated shooters on the power play - the great power play units of 01-02 and 02-03 relied heavily on Doug Murray's and Mark McRae's ability to shoot the puck from the point, and it's not like those PP units were the first in the history of hockey to do so effectively.

So, I guess my point is, the problem isn't that the power play HAS a designated shooter or shooters. But if those shooters aren't good at getting the puck through on goal, or if there isn't somebody crashing for rebounds or somebody setting the shooter(s) up for one-timers, then the system isn't effective. It's not a bad system, but maybe the players being used in it are square pegs in round holes. (Or maybe there are a lot of new guys playing the power play and they're still just learning their roles.)

I agree... having designated shooters can work fine when you have guys who get the puck on net.

Even at the NHL leve- look at the 06-07 Montreal Canadiens- 22.8 PP% (good for #1 in the league) with basically Souray/Ryder taking all of the initial shots.

The other thing about having designated shooters is that it only works effectively if you've got other guys darting to the net to pick up a pass slid inside or jump on the rebound. It's like needing the running game to set up the long strike -- you need agile guys stretching and collapsing the defense. Otherwise, they can just form a fence and channel the shooter to the lane where the goalie has an easy angle.

Good points All , But it seems that there's more positoning and very little shooting ! Perhap the phrase " if you get a good look take the shot !", should be included . The shot will either go in or give us a chance at the rebound shot . Passing the puck around for 2 minutes while the other team shuts down the shooting lanes of our designated shooters seems inane .

Your assessment of the situation is quite simplistic, tvset. Suggest something more constructive next time, perhaps a "grande" game strategy. I bet you scream "shoot, shoot" constantly during power plays, like some kind of amateur.

That's about the behavior I'd expect from a Johnson School prick. If you feel like returning the favor, his e-mail address is sam235@cornell.edu. Enjoy.

Pretty sure thats not him. Besides he was an undergraduate here anyway.

You must just be jealous that the "Johnson School Prick" makes more money than you is probably 10 years younger than you.