Cornell 6 USMNTU-18 2 (FINAL)

So far, looking like... a bunch of 22 year olds playing a bunch of 17 year olds.

Tough to start the season with CC after only this game and Brock. Hopefully they can tighten up.

Attendees: impressions of the freshmen?

Willcox and Stoick are big and worked hard to turn over the puck. Willcox seemed to get more ice time. Their playing style seems more like Birch than D'Agostino or Ryan.

Knisley is small and quick and was not selfish with the puck. His positioning and passing were good and helped set up a goal and several other chances.

Tiitinen, as in the Red-White game, has some speed. He showed some flashy moves in the Red-White game but didn't catch my eye as much last night.

Hilbrich, carrying over my impressions from the Red-White game, has really shown what he's got, so far. He is 6'6" and 208, but more than just a body smashing machine. Yes, he was laying out devastating hits, but he's also highly skilled. His passing is spot-on and as the scoreboard reflected, he knows how to score (though, to be fair, his first goal seemed a bit fluky). He should prove to be a serious offensive threat to opponents. Can't say enough good things about his performance thus far.

Thank you. Thoughts on Michael McCarron?

Box here.

How did the power play look? I see we were 1 for 7 and gave up a shorthanded goal.

nyc94
How did the power play look? I see we were 1 for 7 and gave up a shorthanded goal.

Like last year, they didn't take very many shots during the power play. If this game is any indication, that will once again be an issue for us this year.

Mike McCarron seemed even more physically imposing than Hilbrich. He seems even grittier than his brother and was very effective in forcing us to turn over the puck. I got a little anxious any time he got near our puck carriers because he was so good at breaking up the plays. I also streamed the American Prospects game some weeks ago and his play there was even more impressive than last night, as he set up a goal from his rebound and generated a lot of good chances. My impression was that when paired with guys who mesh well with his skills, he could really rack up some points. He was chirping quite a bit (much like his brother), which instigated the "little brother" chant from the Faithful. Hard to tell whether he was really riled up or just some tongue-in-cheek smack talk. I'd guess the latter since he seems really excited to play at Cornell.

Regarding the power play, it did not look good. Much like it was the same time last year, lots of passing around looking for a good shot, then eventually getting a pass intercepted and cleared, without getting off a shot. I don't like being the guy yelling "SHOOT IT!" but that's exactly how it felt. On average, they got just barely over 1 shot per PP. It should get better over time, like last year. The second US goalie (Demko) took over halfway through the second and made some good stops on PP chances and gave up no PP goals. The Cornell PK looked okay but gave up 1/3.

Regarding the SHG, it was six seconds after the faceoff starting the second period. The guy just deked past the defender and shot it to the side of Iles. Andy got caught with his pants down, unprepared for the start of the period, it seemed. The first US goal was on the PP and there was a guy screening Iles and it looked like a point blank poke-in. Other than the SHG, Iles looked good and was very aggressive (not sure if it was just because it was an exhibition). However, his aggressiveness was not like the random crease flopping that spurred the "Iles is not the answer" thread early last year.

Some other notes:
Axell, Bardreau, Mowrey (and I think Mihalek) were all scratches. Bardreau and Mowrey looked good in the Red-White game so not entirely sure why they didn't play.
Ferlin and Miller did not disappoint. Whoever pairs with them in the season should be interesting and pocket a lot of points. On the PP breakout, Ferlin was parked at the blue line waiting for the pass. Miller is Miller and if he gets near the net, he's going to score.
Esposito, just like the Red-White game, always seems to always know where to be to intercept the puck. Unfortunately for him, he always seemed to be in the zone alone without too many quality looks. Should be excellent on the forecheck and generate lots of chances. Totally unselfish playing from him.
Dias seems to have improved quite a bit from last year, which was nice to see.
MacDonald saw quite a bit of ice time and his passing was really helpful for setting up the attack.
Cole also saw the ice and looked decent, got off a few shots. I'll be curious to see how much ice he sees in the regular season.
Gotovets, Birch, Ryan, and D'Agostino were all reliable and I'd expect them to put up impressive stats again, just like last year.

TheMatrix
Willcox and Stoick are big and worked hard to turn over the puck.

Am I reading this right (sarcasm in print can be hard to discern) or is there a "not" missing?

Whoops, what I meant to say is they worked hard to force opponents to turn over the puck.

nyc94
How did the power play look? I see we were 1 for 7 and gave up a shorthanded goal.

At Friday's luncheon, Schafer said they haven't spent a minute on the PP yet.

Here are the first period Cornell goals:

Hilbrich (1/2)--not entirely sure what happened here. Hilbrich goes down while trying to pass and his stick falls near the net. Whether the puck hit the stick or the glove and bounced in, or Miska just wasn't ready and it slid past isn't clear from this angle. The game writeup says it knocked off the D-man who slid into Miska and in.




Miller--he gets right in front of the net to receive the pass beautiful pass from D'Agostino and immediately puts it in the back of the net.




Hilbrich (2/2)--J. McCarron's shot yielded a rebound to Dias who passed it behind the goalie. Hilbrich whacks the airborne puck into the back of the net for his second of the night.

TheMatrix
Esposito, just like the Red-White game, always seems to always know where to be to intercept the puck. Unfortunately for him, he always seemed to be in the zone alone without too many quality looks. Should be excellent on the forecheck and generate lots of chances. Totally unselfish playing from him.

What about Craig Esposito, did he play this past weekend? Huge kid, seems like a great story. Since he's played varsity golf for a couple of years I think, does he only have 2 years of varsity hockey eligibility? Was he on the practice squad the last couple of years? I'm curious if anyone thinks he'll get playing time or if he's a depth addition to the roster and being rewarded for hard work. I hope it works out for him.

RatushnyFan
What about Craig Esposito, did he play this past weekend? Huge kid, seems like a great story. Since he's played varsity golf for a couple of years I think, does he only have 2 years of varsity hockey eligibility? Was he on the practice squad the last couple of years? I'm curious if anyone thinks he'll get playing time or if he's a depth addition to the roster and being rewarded for hard work. I hope it works out for him.

According to the box score, he was +1 on Friday against USA. He is not on the roster for Saturday against Brock. I didn't notice him on the ice, but they also don't have first initials on the jerseys (though I should've noticed the difference in number and size between the two Espositos).

Given the talent in the freshmen Stoick and Willcox, I'd venture a guess that C. Esposito won't see much ice time.

No, Craig did not play this past weekend as he was golfing with the golf team in its final tournament. I would be very surprised if he sees much ice time this season. But if the injury bug happens, you never know.

slh10
No, Craig did not play this past weekend as he was golfing with the golf team in its final tournament. I would be very surprised if he sees much ice time this season. But if the injury bug happens, you never know.

Kevin Marvin McLeod played 8 games as a last-resort 8th defenseman in 2006-07. He even got power-play time on the North Country road trip. (For those who don't remember, McLeod was a varsity forward as a freshman and sophomore, played for the club team his junior year, and returned to the varsity team as a defenseman for his senior year.)

If any Cornell student gets mono, please stay the heck away from our defensemen (and Andy Iles).