2010 Post-season Thread

1996: 21-9-4, RS sweep of Harvard, Playoff victory over Harvard, ECAC Champions, NCAA 1st round loss
2010: 21-9-4, RS sweep of Harvard, Playoff victory over Harvard, ECAC Champions, NCAA 1st round loss

Coach Schafer has not improved this program at all.

No improvement? Hah! 33% increase in wins over Harvard.

Nice gathering of the facts. Sort of like taking two snapshots of a AC sine wave just above zero and not noticing that ~ 160 volt peak in between.

So is it "wait till next year" or "let's see in a year or two?" If getting to Albany (or Lake Placid or Atlantic City) and to the ECAC final four is the baseline for a reasonable Cornell season, it's seldom that we fail at that two years running.

Unlike the Is Donahue Leaving? thread that lit off the minute the New Year's ball tounched down in Times Square, eLynah has been reasonably quiet about Riley Nash. Maybe it's just that we assume he's out of here so why waste keystrokes?

billhoward
Unlike the Is Donahue Leaving? thread that lit off the minute the New Year's ball tounched down in Times Square, eLynah has been reasonably quiet about Riley Nash. Maybe it's just that we assume he's out of here so why waste keystrokes?

I don't have any information, but it would shock me if he stayed.

See:

[thepipelineshow.blogspot.com]

[lowetide.blogspot.com]

ebilmes

billhoward
Unlike the Is Donahue Leaving? thread that lit off the minute the New Year's ball tounched down in Times Square, eLynah has been reasonably quiet about Riley Nash. Maybe it's just that we assume he's out of here so why waste keystrokes?

I don't have any information, but it would shock me if he stayed.

See:

[thepipelineshow.blogspot.com]

[lowetide.blogspot.com]

2nd weakest conference of the major 6? Does that put AHA ahead of ECAC?

Flyers1037

ebilmes

billhoward
Unlike the Is Donahue Leaving? thread that lit off the minute the New Year's ball tounched down in Times Square, eLynah has been reasonably quiet about Riley Nash. Maybe it's just that we assume he's out of here so why waste keystrokes?

I don't have any information, but it would shock me if he stayed.

See:

[thepipelineshow.blogspot.com]

[lowetide.blogspot.com]

2nd weakest conference of the major 6? Does that put AHA ahead of ECAC?

Their champion's looking pretty good.

ebilmes

billhoward
Unlike the Is Donahue Leaving? thread that lit off the minute the New Year's ball tounched down in Times Square, eLynah has been reasonably quiet about Riley Nash. Maybe it's just that we assume he's out of here so why waste keystrokes?

I don't have any information, but it would shock me if he stayed.

See:

[thepipelineshow.blogspot.com]

[lowetide.blogspot.com]

So one guy says he should be on a plane today. Is he? The other is not certain. What does that prove?

NM

Flyers1037

ebilmes

billhoward
Unlike the Is Donahue Leaving? thread that lit off the minute the New Year's ball tounched down in Times Square, eLynah has been reasonably quiet about Riley Nash. Maybe it's just that we assume he's out of here so why waste keystrokes?

I don't have any information, but it would shock me if he stayed.

See:

[thepipelineshow.blogspot.com]

[lowetide.blogspot.com]

2nd weakest conference of the major 6? Does that put AHA ahead of ECAC?

Obviously talking about CHA. I mean, half of their league made the NCAA Tournament. Not even the WCHA can say that.

RichH

Flyers1037

ebilmes

billhoward
Unlike the Is Donahue Leaving? thread that lit off the minute the New Year's ball tounched down in Times Square, eLynah has been reasonably quiet about Riley Nash. Maybe it's just that we assume he's out of here so why waste keystrokes?

I don't have any information, but it would shock me if he stayed.

See:

[thepipelineshow.blogspot.com]

[lowetide.blogspot.com]

2nd weakest conference of the major 6? Does that put AHA ahead of ECAC?

Obviously talking about CHA. I mean, half of their league made the NCAA Tournament. Not even the WCHA can say that.

An intersting post by Bob McKenzie on the topic of the ECAC's standing relative to other leagues [board.uscho.com].

billhoward
is it "wait till next year" or "let's see in a year or two?"

A year or two or more. Bad things can happen. Ask Clarkson.

Cornell has had an 11-year run finishing in the top 4 RS in all but one, and that a 5th, the most consistent since Clarkson 1989-2002 (one 5th) or Harvard 1982-1995 (one 6th). Conversely, decade-long streaks prove you can sustain for non-overlapping cohorts if you can keep talent rolling in.

ebilmes

billhoward
Unlike the Is Donahue Leaving? thread that lit off the minute the New Year's ball tounched down in Times Square, eLynah has been reasonably quiet about Riley Nash. Maybe it's just that we assume he's out of here so why waste keystrokes?

I don't have any information, but it would shock me if he stayed.

See:

[thepipelineshow.blogspot.com]

[lowetide.blogspot.com]

So the one thing that the lowetide commenters have finally gotten is that Riley holds most of the cards in this negotiation. There was a rumor on a board or blog that his agent was saying "NHL or he's headed back to school." All Riley has to do is come back for his senior year and that August (i think that's the right month), he's a free agent and can pull a Blake Wheeler and sign somewhere for the rookie max contract. If he ends up back at CU next year, I don't think it's just to finish his degree or to win another ECAC title. I think it's a calculated move to get the contract he (feels he) deserves.

ursusminor

RichH

Flyers1037

ebilmes

billhoward
Unlike the Is Donahue Leaving? thread that lit off the minute the New Year's ball tounched down in Times Square, eLynah has been reasonably quiet about Riley Nash. Maybe it's just that we assume he's out of here so why waste keystrokes?

I don't have any information, but it would shock me if he stayed.

See:

[thepipelineshow.blogspot.com]

[lowetide.blogspot.com]

2nd weakest conference of the major 6? Does that put AHA ahead of ECAC?

Obviously talking about CHA. I mean, half of their league made the NCAA Tournament. Not even the WCHA can say that.

An intersting post by Bob McKenzie on the topic of the ECAC's standing relative to other leagues [board.uscho.com].

Great post. I literally ran into McKenzie at every game Cornell played against SLU(t) over the last four years in Lynah, as well as Albany this year and once in Appleton and the Hoot Owl afterward. For working full time in Toronto, it's pretty amazing how many games he caught.

pfibiger

ebilmes

billhoward
Unlike the Is Donahue Leaving? thread that lit off the minute the New Year's ball tounched down in Times Square, eLynah has been reasonably quiet about Riley Nash. Maybe it's just that we assume he's out of here so why waste keystrokes?

I don't have any information, but it would shock me if he stayed.

See:

[thepipelineshow.blogspot.com]

[lowetide.blogspot.com]

So the one thing that the lowetide commenters have finally gotten is that Riley holds most of the cards in this negotiation. There was a rumor on a board or blog that his agent was saying "NHL or he's headed back to school." All Riley has to do is come back for his senior year and that August (i think that's the right month), he's a free agent and can pull a Blake Wheeler and sign somewhere for the rookie max contract. If he ends up back at CU next year, I don't think it's just to finish his degree or to win another ECAC title. I think it's a calculated move to get the contract he (feels he) deserves.

Does he really have all the negotiating room? I'm a huge fan of his but I wonder if his numbers and overall achievement have impressed them that much. I'm just speculating though. Is the thought that surrounded by higher quality players he'll be more of a scorer? I think he's a very smart player and very good in terms of puck control but question whether he has the wheels to play in the NHL. I really hope that he does.

RatushnyFan

pfibiger
So the one thing that the lowetide commenters have finally gotten is that Riley holds most of the cards in this negotiation. There was a rumor on a board or blog that his agent was saying "NHL or he's headed back to school." All Riley has to do is come back for his senior year and that August (i think that's the right month), he's a free agent and can pull a Blake Wheeler and sign somewhere for the rookie max contract. If he ends up back at CU next year, I don't think it's just to finish his degree or to win another ECAC title. I think it's a calculated move to get the contract he (feels he) deserves.

Does he really have all the negotiating room? I'm a huge fan of his but I wonder if his numbers and overall achievement have impressed them that much. I'm just speculating though. Is the thought that surrounded by higher quality players he'll be more of a scorer? I think he's a very smart player and very good in terms of puck control but question whether he has the wheels to play in the NHL. I really hope that he does.

I think so. Higher end NCAA free agents are in big demand. His numbers are very similar to Chris Higgins and he's become a very responsible two way player. For the opportunity to snag a first round talent (even if Edmonton took him high) for free I bet half the teams in the league would be beating down his door, regardless of whether he pans out in the end.

pfibiger
he's become a very responsible two way player

And he did it at Cornell, rather than on the Olympic team afterward.

I ran into an Ottawa Senators scout in the hotel after the UHN loss. They have the rights to Colin Greening.

The scout said a couple of interesting things. He noted that Schafer's style of play "is no fun the for the players" and he thinks if the style were a bit more offense oriented (for example using two forecheckers routinely), that Cornell would be very tough in the NCAA's every year. He also said Cornell has a great reputation in hockey and that "you can have any players you want" because we provide both an Ivy education and good hockey.

I'm not passing judgement on the comments, but I was intrigued to hear something from someone who sees a lot of hockey for a living.

Karl '77

Trotsky

pfibiger
he's become a very responsible two way player

And he did it at Cornell, rather than on the Olympic team afterward.

Manderville dig? I'm with you T.

heykb
I ran into an Ottawa Senators scout in the hotel after the UHN loss. They have the rights to Colin Greening.

The scout said a couple of interesting things. He noted that Schafer's style of play "is no fun the for the players" and he thinks if the style were a bit more offense oriented (for example using two forecheckers routinely), that Cornell would be very tough in the NCAA's every year.

Hear, hear. And sometimes it's no fun for the fans either. Did you record that and sent it to the coaching staff?

heykb
The scout said a couple of interesting things. He noted that Schafer's style of play "is no fun the for the players" and he thinks if the style were a bit more offense oriented (for example using two forecheckers routinely), that Cornell would be very tough in the NCAA's every year.

Karl '77

I'm perplexed. When Cornell isn't making a player change, it sends in two forecheckers the overwhelming majority of the time.

Also, Cornell had its defensemen pinch this season more often than it has in years past. The adjustment made a lot of sense, given the mobile defense corps on the team.

this is a beautiful part of the game...mobile defenceing

Final USA Today Poll. I'm too lazy to post it. We flip-flop with RIT. They move down from 9 to 10, we do the opposite. Of course that makes sense, after all, we lost and they won. Maybe there were some undisclosed intangibles?

heykb
I ran into an Ottawa Senators scout in the hotel after the UHN loss. They have the rights to Colin Greening.

The scout said a couple of interesting things. He noted that Schafer's style of play "is no fun the for the players" and he thinks if the style were a bit more offense oriented (for example using two forecheckers routinely), that Cornell would be very tough in the NCAA's every year. He also said Cornell has a great reputation in hockey and that "you can have any players you want" because we provide both an Ivy education and good hockey.

I'm not passing judgement on the comments, but I was intrigued to hear something from someone who sees a lot of hockey for a living.

Karl '77

Nice way of passing along information and having us take it for what it is. Thanks.

Jim Hyla
Final USA Today Poll. I'm too lazy to post it. We flip-flop with RIT. They move down from 9 to 10, we do the opposite. Of course that makes sense, after all, we lost and they won. Maybe there were some undisclosed intangibles?

I'd guess that the drubbing RIT received in the semi convinced some voters that the Tigers had just gotten lucky/hot in the regional so they lost some support. Yes, we got beat pretty solidly in the tournament too, but that was a couple weeks ago and besides Cornell is an "established top program" these days.

Boilerplate about meaningless polls removed. It is the offseason after all.

Jim Hyla
Final USA Today Poll. I'm too lazy to post it. We flip-flop with RIT. They move down from 9 to 10, we do the opposite. Of course that makes sense, after all, we lost and they won. Maybe there were some undisclosed intangibles?

Maybe they lost points because Gary Thorne referred to them as RPI during the waning moments of the semi.

marty

Jim Hyla
Final USA Today Poll. I'm too lazy to post it. We flip-flop with RIT. They move down from 9 to 10, we do the opposite. Of course that makes sense, after all, we lost and they won. Maybe there were some undisclosed intangibles?

Maybe they lost points because Gary Thorne referred to them as RPI during the waning moments of the semi.

Poor RIT. Three simple letters and very few people with the NC$$ and TV could get it right.

Some of the NC$$ FF clothing for sale had "Rochester Institute" on it. We pointed out to one of the guys that it should be Rochester Institute of Technology. His reply was that they were charged by the inch for the lettering. Our response: Well, you could have saved money and been correct by using RIT.

It was a nice jacket and probably due to low (no?) sales destined to end up in Africa somewhere along with the "Wisconsin 2010 NC$$ hockey champions" t-shirts.

Jim Hyla
Final USA Today Poll. I'm too lazy to post it. We flip-flop with RIT. They move down from 9 to 10, we do the opposite. Of course that makes sense, after all, we lost and they won. Maybe there were some undisclosed intangibles?

They just missed out (swap UNH and RIT) on ranking the teams in our regional in the opposite order in which they performed.

Not only on the Cape of Hope is the "destroyed " merchandise sold. There was a hat store on Cape Cod that had 2000 Frozen Four B.C. championship hats a while back.

Rita
Maybe they lost points because Gary Thorne referred to them as RPI during the waning moments of the semi.


Poor RIT. Three simple letters and very few people with the NC$$ and TV could get it right.

The guy from Ohio (and "Big Ten Country" next to me at the baseball game Saturday called them "RTI" and had never heard of 'em. I also talked to the group of Gopher fans about how RIT had sent a bus from Rochester, and had to correct them when they asked "Rochester, Minnesota?"

Some of the NC$$ FF clothing for sale had "Rochester Institute" on it. We pointed out to one of the guys that it should be Rochester Institute of Technology. His reply was that they were charged by the inch for the lettering. Our response: Well, you could have saved money and been correct by using RIT.

Before leaving for the airport Sunday, I looked over the leftover merchandise and a hotel employee was asking the vendor how he did over the weekend. The response was a shake of the head and a "not good." I think he was holding back because I was around, but he mumbled something about the Frozen Four "just isn't as big" as what I assumed to mean "as the basketball tournament." Which...well DUH. And frankly, I'm happy about that.

RichH
Before leaving for the airport Sunday, I looked over the leftover merchandise and a hotel employee was asking the vendor how he did over the weekend. The response was a shake of the head and a "not good." I think he was holding back because I was around, but he mumbled something about the Frozen Four "just isn't as big" as what I assumed to mean "as the basketball tournament." Which...well DUH. And frankly, I'm happy about that.

A vendor who goes to the Frozen Four expecting it to be just like the basketball tournament deserves to lose money.

KeithK

RichH
Before leaving for the airport Sunday, I looked over the leftover merchandise and a hotel employee was asking the vendor how he did over the weekend. The response was a shake of the head and a "not good." I think he was holding back because I was around, but he mumbled something about the Frozen Four "just isn't as big" as what I assumed to mean "as the basketball tournament." Which...well DUH. And frankly, I'm happy about that.

A vendor who goes to the Frozen Four expecting it to be just like the basketball tournament deserves to lose money.

The guy manning the souvenier table in our hotel lobby seemed to be a CCHA (host) volunteer, so I don't think he personally was out to make a profit. But it wouldn't surprise me if he also volunteered for the Basketball finals when they were in Detroit, and yeah by comparison definitely not the same volume.

I must say, I like my (pricey) zip up frozen four fleece hoody. It is keeping me quite warm at work where I swear the building temps are in the low 60's!

To give you an idea, at the basketball regional, they were handing out free samples of candies and crackers. I haven't seen that at a hockey tourney, either.

Jeff Hopkins '82
To give you an idea, at the basketball regional, they were handing out free samples of candies and crackers. I haven't seen that at a hockey tourney, either.

After the final, we got handed free cans of Coke Zero.

RichH

Jeff Hopkins '82
To give you an idea, at the basketball regional, they were handing out free samples of candies and crackers. I haven't seen that at a hockey tourney, either.

After the final, we got handed free cans of Coke Zero.

We also got free cans after the Thursday games, an excellent pick-me-up before staying up until 5am .