Cornell at RPI

One lineup change: Anderson in for Patrick McCarron.

Cornell down 3-0 at 12:54 in the 3rd period.

while the result was not great I thought cornell played a better game than what the played vs union.. a couple mistakes on D led to goals but tons of scoring chances and creative play on offense. just nothing went in the net.

upprdeck
while the result was not great I thought cornell played a better game than what the played vs union.. a couple mistakes on D led to goals but tons of scoring chances and creative play on offense. just nothing went in the net.

Kasdorf, too?

The final 3 minutes with the goalie pulled, we won every faceoff in the offensive end and set up a ton of screened shots. It was pure bad luck we didn't get at least one goal out of it, particularly Dias' (?) who had Kasdorf dead to right from 2 feet away, and Ryan's perfect angle shot that just brushed the blocker and went an inch wide of the far post.

Losing sucks, but we played well except for the first 5 minutes of the final period. That was where we lost the game.

Trotsky
The final 3 minutes with the goalie pulled, we won every faceoff in the offensive end and set up a ton of screened shots. It was pure bad luck we didn't get at least one goal out of it, particularly Dias' (?) who had Kasdorf dead to right from 2 feet away, and Ryan's perfect angle shot that just brushed the blocker and went an inch wide of the far post.

Losing sucks, but we played well except for the first 5 minutes of the final period. That was where we lost the game.

Bad luck, or the fact that this team doesn't really know how to play offense?

marty

upprdeck
while the result was not great I thought cornell played a better game than what the played vs union.. a couple mistakes on D led to goals but tons of scoring chances and creative play on offense. just nothing went in the net.

Kasdorf, too?

IMO, Kasdorf was the difference. He appears to have returned to the form of two years ago after a couple of injuries. Neither team has a potent offense, and both teams' defenses played pretty well.

BTW, I am curious as to how well the Cornell audio was synched to RPI-TV's feed. I assume that some of you watched RPI-TV with the Cornell audio link.

Kasdorf was good, but the offense seems to have some issues setting themselves up for good offensive chances. Lots and lots of boardplay but nothing really resulting from it.


The RPI guy also seemed to have a lot of trouble with pronouncing names (Bardeau).

Iceberg
The RPI guy also seemed to have a lot of trouble with pronouncing names (Bardeau).

"Gillam" was an adventure, too. I heard at least four variations.

Iceberg
Kasdorf was good, but the offense seems to have some issues setting themselves up for good offensive chances. Lots and lots of boardplay but nothing really resulting from it.

This seems to me the crux of the matter, and is a concern to me for the remainder of this season and especially the next few seasons. Right now Bardeau is clearly our most creative and dangerous forward, and there doesn't appear to be anyone in the classes behind him who will be able to fill his role. We just don't have enough guys who can create off the rush, and notwithstanding the oft-repeated comments about our great size, we do not seem to win enough battles in the corners that produce even reasonable scoring opportunities, except on the power play.

Add in next year's loss of Ryan and MacDonald on the blueline, and the offensive problems only seem to be more glaring.

We can only hope there are some decently talented forwards in next year's Freshman class, as we sure are going to need them.

Iceberg
Kasdorf was good, but the offense seems to have some issues setting themselves up for good offensive chances. Lots and lots of boardplay but nothing really resulting from it.

(born about 1670 Fürth, died 31 January 1721 Aub
The RPI guy also seemed to have a lot of trouble with pronouncing names (Bardeau).

Whose offense are you referring to by "the offense seems to have some issues setting themselves up for good offensive chances"?

Even I noticed that "Bardeau" was pronounced differently almost every time that Tom said his name. That surprised me because I am sure that he knows the proper way. Perhaps it was nervousness since he doesn't do play-by-play often. I am surprised that you listened to WRPI's audio rather than Cornell's, or didn't the link to that from RPI-TV work properly ?

scoop85
Right now Bardeau is clearly our most creative and dangerous forward, and there doesn't appear to be anyone in the classes behind him who will be able to fill his role.

I can't more strenuously disgree. With the exception of McCarron, whose troubles (.62 ppg frosh–junior; .35 ppg senior) are almost not worth going into, Bardreau is our least dangerous forward, precisely because he probably wouldn't hit the broadside of a barn with an 18-wheeler these days. Indeed, I saw him given a lane to the net last night with no one stepping in because, obviously, RPI knows what's going on with us and with him. He's also the king of the the unnecessary, ticky-tacky extra pass that, in its unfathomable brilliance, absolutely wastes a golden scoring opportunity. For all his flash and dash, what he needs to do is simplify his game and put the puck on net, low and hard to the stick side to generate some rebounds. Until he starts scoring at somewhere near the pace he has historically, teams are going to wait for him to dish. He needs to restore league-wide respect for his scoring ability.

Our only dangerous forwards are Buckles and Hilbrich. Why? Because they shoot without being fancy and can put the puck in the net. If I were Schafer, I'd put McCarron and Bardreau back together (maybe with Dias) as some kind of "super checking line" and fill the rest of the lines with junior-sophomore combos that can start developing chemistry for next year. This would not be throwing in the towel, either; rather, I think it's the best use of these guys. Maybe Bardreau would fire McCarron back up; maybe Dias's speed could be used by Bardreau to offensive benefit.

PS Kubiak's been out for three games now? Out of favor or injured? I think we miss him.

Scersk '97

scoop85
Right now Bardeau is clearly our most creative and dangerous forward, and there doesn't appear to be anyone in the classes behind him who will be able to fill his role.

I can't more strenuously disgree. With the exception of McCarron, whose troubles (.62 ppg frosh–junior; .35 ppg senior) are almost not worth going into, Bardreau is our least dangerous forward, precisely because he probably wouldn't hit the broadside of a barn with an 18-wheeler these days. Indeed, I saw him given a lane to the net last night with no one stepping in because, obviously, RPI knows what's going on with us and with him. He's also the king of the the unnecessary, ticky-tacky extra pass that, in its unfathomable brilliance, absolutely wastes a golden scoring opportunity. For all his flash and dash, what he needs to do is simplify his game and put the puck on net, low and hard to the stick side to generate some rebounds. Until he starts scoring at somewhere near the pace he has historically, teams are going to wait for him to dish. He needs to restore league-wide respect for his scoring ability.

Our only dangerous forwards are Buckles and Hilbrich. Why? Because they shoot without being fancy and can put the puck in the net. If I were Schafer, I'd put McCarron and Bardreau back together (maybe with Dias) as some kind of "super checking line" and fill the rest of the lines with junior-sophomore combos that can start developing chemistry for next year. This would not be throwing in the towel, either; rather, I think it's the best use of these guys. Maybe Bardreau would fire McCarron back up; maybe Dias's speed could be used by Bardreau to offensive benefit.

PS Kubiak's been out for three games now? Out of favor or injured? I think we miss him.

I get that Bardreau's shooting is imperfect (to say the least) and Buckles and Hilbrich can actually hit the net. But at least watching Bardreau I have at least a faint belief that something might happen to create a scoring opportunity.

ursusminor
I am surprised that you listened to WRPI's audio rather than Cornell's, or didn't the link to that from RPI-TV work properly ?

I clicked the Cornell audio button but still got the RPI feed. It really wasn't enough of a big deal to figure out whether I was doing something wrong.

KeithK

ursusminor
I am surprised that you listened to WRPI's audio rather than Cornell's, or didn't the link to that from RPI-TV work properly ?

I clicked the Cornell audio button but still got the RPI feed. It really wasn't enough of a big deal to figure out whether I was doing something wrong.

Thanks. That's interesting.

ursusminor
Even I noticed that "Bardeau" was pronounced differently almost every time that Tom said his name. That surprised me because I am sure that he knows the proper way. Perhaps it was nervousness since he doesn't do play-by-play often.

I didn't realize that wasn't the normal PBP guy. Please pass on that despite the occasional re-christening, I thought he did an excellent job calling the action.

scoop85

Scersk '97

scoop85
Right now Bardeau is clearly our most creative and dangerous forward, and there doesn't appear to be anyone in the classes behind him who will be able to fill his role.

I can't more strenuously disgree. With the exception of McCarron, whose troubles (.62 ppg frosh–junior; .35 ppg senior) are almost not worth going into, Bardreau is our least dangerous forward, precisely because he probably wouldn't hit the broadside of a barn with an 18-wheeler these days. Indeed, I saw him given a lane to the net last night with no one stepping in because, obviously, RPI knows what's going on with us and with him. He's also the king of the the unnecessary, ticky-tacky extra pass that, in its unfathomable brilliance, absolutely wastes a golden scoring opportunity. For all his flash and dash, what he needs to do is simplify his game and put the puck on net, low and hard to the stick side to generate some rebounds. Until he starts scoring at somewhere near the pace he has historically, teams are going to wait for him to dish. He needs to restore league-wide respect for his scoring ability.

Our only dangerous forwards are Buckles and Hilbrich. Why? Because they shoot without being fancy and can put the puck in the net. If I were Schafer, I'd put McCarron and Bardreau back together (maybe with Dias) as some kind of "super checking line" and fill the rest of the lines with junior-sophomore combos that can start developing chemistry for next year. This would not be throwing in the towel, either; rather, I think it's the best use of these guys. Maybe Bardreau would fire McCarron back up; maybe Dias's speed could be used by Bardreau to offensive benefit.

PS Kubiak's been out for three games now? Out of favor or injured? I think we miss him.

I get that Bardreau's shooting is imperfect (to say the least) and Buckles and Hilbrich can actually hit the net. But at least watching Bardreau I have at least a faint belief that something might happen to create a scoring opportunity.

I agree with this. If I was looking at the seniors, I wouldn't cite 22 as the dropoff. That belongs, incomprehensibly, to 14.

Among the underclassmen Weidner and Freschi have found another gear since last year, Buckles is (gasp) a finisher, and I think Bliss has the makings of a creative playmaker on the point. I think we've raised the floor, too -- there aren't guys skating who don't belong on a D1 sheet, as there were the prior couple seasons. The frosh who play are farther along than the last two classes were as second semester freshmen.

Trotsky

scoop85

Scersk '97

scoop85
Right now Bardeau is clearly our most creative and dangerous forward, and there doesn't appear to be anyone in the classes behind him who will be able to fill his role.

I can't more strenuously disgree. With the exception of McCarron, whose troubles (.62 ppg frosh–junior; .35 ppg senior) are almost not worth going into, Bardreau is our least dangerous forward, precisely because he probably wouldn't hit the broadside of a barn with an 18-wheeler these days. Indeed, I saw him given a lane to the net last night with no one stepping in because, obviously, RPI knows what's going on with us and with him. He's also the king of the the unnecessary, ticky-tacky extra pass that, in its unfathomable brilliance, absolutely wastes a golden scoring opportunity. For all his flash and dash, what he needs to do is simplify his game and put the puck on net, low and hard to the stick side to generate some rebounds. Until he starts scoring at somewhere near the pace he has historically, teams are going to wait for him to dish. He needs to restore league-wide respect for his scoring ability.

Our only dangerous forwards are Buckles and Hilbrich. Why? Because they shoot without being fancy and can put the puck in the net. If I were Schafer, I'd put McCarron and Bardreau back together (maybe with Dias) as some kind of "super checking line" and fill the rest of the lines with junior-sophomore combos that can start developing chemistry for next year. This would not be throwing in the towel, either; rather, I think it's the best use of these guys. Maybe Bardreau would fire McCarron back up; maybe Dias's speed could be used by Bardreau to offensive benefit.

PS Kubiak's been out for three games now? Out of favor or injured? I think we miss him.

I get that Bardreau's shooting is imperfect (to say the least) and Buckles and Hilbrich can actually hit the net. But at least watching Bardreau I have at least a faint belief that something might happen to create a scoring opportunity.

I agree with this. If I was looking at the seniors, I wouldn't cite 22 as the dropoff. That belongs, incomprehensibly, to 14.

Among the underclassmen Weidner and Freschi have found another gear since last year, Buckles is (gasp) a finisher, and I think Bliss has the makings of a creative playmaker on the point. I think we've raised the floor, too -- there aren't guys skating who don't belong on a D1 sheet, as there were the prior couple seasons. The frosh who play are farther along than the last two classes were as second semester freshmen.

The only Class of '15ers who markedly improved since freshman year are MacDonald and Ryan. The forwards, including Lowry and Ferlin, started out great but ended up largely stuck in the mud.

The reality of the game last night was that the play was even and RPI's goals were flukish/great individual efforts. But Cornell is almost completely incapable of setting up/finishing a scoring chance, so they couldn't overcome those unlucky goals, and deservedly so.

Mike needs to take a good look at either his staff or his recruiting profile. As the game increasing opens up his offense numbers continue to regress. The last 3 seasons (including this one) have produced the 3 lowest scoring teams in the past 12 seasons -- and the 4 lowest have been during the past 5 seasons. 7 NHL draft picks and the #1 goalie in the country and we have a losing record. Gillam is the only goalie ranked in the top 15 nationally who plays for a school with a losing record.

Looking at the incoming recruits for next year, I don't see a bunch of prolific scorers joining the team.

Looking at their stats thus far, of the 8 recruits listed for next year, 6 of them have a combined 16 goals.

margolism
Looking at the incoming recruits for next year, I don't see a bunch of prolific scorers joining the team.

Looking at their stats thus far, of the 8 recruits listed for next year, 6 of them have a combined 16 goals.

Are they big?

Mike Schafer has done a good job and no one disputes his contributions to the team, but it has been more evident year after year that he should start thinking about passing the torch. Maybe there will be a good season here and there, but bigger picture, fans have lowered their expectations over time and the program has reached a plateau.

ajh258
Mike Schafer has done a good job and no one disputes his contributions to the team, but it has been more evident year after year that he should start thinking about passing the torch. Maybe there will be a good season here and there, but bigger picture, fans have lowered their expectations over time and the program has reached a plateau.

The much lower level of interest resulting from the program's troubles reflects itself in much lower traffic to ELynah. Evidently, a lot of long-time fans can't bring themselves to care if the team isn't doing well, a decision that isn't necessarily made consciously but may simply be a result of drifting towards more entertaining ways to spend Friday and Saturday nights. I certainly plead guilty, though (as I've said many times in the past) I am probably a poor fan as I can't bring myself to live or die by a team simply because of the name on the uniform. My entertainment dollars/minutes are precious to me.

ajh258
Mike Schafer has done a good job and no one disputes his contributions to the team, but it has been more evident year after year that he should start thinking about passing the torch. Maybe there will be a good season here and there, but bigger picture, fans have lowered their expectations over time and the program has reached a plateau.

I've never advocated for firing Schafer in the past, but I think he should get one more year (his contract runs out in 2016, I believe) and if nothing changes then it's time to move on. Schafer apologists' arguments have always been predicated upon the notion that with Cornell's academic and scholarship restrictions, it would be unfair to hold the team to a higher standard than being successful in its own conference and hoping to make noise at the national level. Two things have changed: one, Cornell is no longer especially successful in its own conference; many teams have passed us by. Two, the notion that Cornell cannot be an elite national program due to its restrictions has been proven invalid: Yale won it all and has been nationally competitive for years now, and Harvard is among the best few teams in the nation thus far this year. That is to say, there was nothing truly exceptional about Cornell's success over the past decade or so.

This team is not good. It has not been very good for a number of years. The Lynah atmosphere is nothing like it used to be. I think it's about time to move on.

BearLover

ajh258
Mike Schafer has done a good job and no one disputes his contributions to the team, but it has been more evident year after year that he should start thinking about passing the torch. Maybe there will be a good season here and there, but bigger picture, fans have lowered their expectations over time and the program has reached a plateau.

I've never advocated for firing Schafer in the past, but I think he should get one more year (his contract runs out in 2016, I believe) and if nothing changes then it's time to move on. Schafer apologists' arguments have always been predicated upon the notion that with Cornell's academic and scholarship restrictions, it would be unfair to hold the team to a higher standard than being successful in its own conference and hoping to make noise at the national level. Two things have changed: one, Cornell is no longer especially successful in its own conference; many teams have passed us by. Two, the notion that Cornell cannot be an elite national program due to its restrictions has been proven invalid: Yale won it all and has been nationally competitive for years now, and Harvard is among the best few teams in the nation thus far this year. That is to say, there was nothing truly exceptional about Cornell's success over the past decade or so.

This team is not good. It has not been very good for a number of years. The Lynah atmosphere is nothing like it used to be. I think it's about time to move on.

I'm not 100% sure I disagree (I wouldn't make any moves until the end of next year. If his contract is up then, it may be a good time to change coaches. Depending on how the next season and a half goes), I do want to point out that our "bad" stretch is, roughly, about six seasons where we alternate between doing well and going .500. A .500 season still only puts you in the middle of the pack (roughly, given disparities in conferences).

We haven't had the success we'd like to have lately, and an argument could be made that Schafer has lost the ability to achieve that success, but it's not like we've been a dumpster fire.

As to vanishing Lynah energy, eLynah traffic, etc, I'm not really sure. Lack of success is a part of it, but as to the rink itself, I still blame students getting harassed by ushers from '07 on just for being loud.

2 of the recruits due to arrive in the fall are NHL draft picks - one taken in the 3rd round and one in the 5th round.

CAS
2 of the recruits due to arrive in the fall are NHL draft picks - one taken in the 3rd round and one in the 5th round.

That's Starrett and Angello. Both are big (6-5). Here are their numbers this year:

Angello: 9-7-16 with 43 PIM in 30 GP for the Omaha Lancers of the USHL. He's 6th on a team whose leading scorer is 10-26-36.

Starrett: According to Elite Prospects he hasn't played a game this year for South Shore Kings in the USPHL. The only articles about him I found expected him to come in and replace Ferlin this year. Last year he was 11-36-47 with 94 (?!) PIM in 48 GP for the Kings.

tl; dr: Neither is going to be Matt Moulson.

Trotsky

CAS
2 of the recruits due to arrive in the fall are NHL draft picks - one taken in the 3rd round and one in the 5th round.

That's Starrett and Angello. Both are big (6-5). Here are their numbers this year:

Angello: 9-7-16 with 43 PIM in 30 GP for the Omaha Lancers of the USHL. He's 6th on a team whose leading scorer is 10-26-36.

Starrett: According to Elite Prospects he hasn't played a game this year for South Shore Kings in the USPHL. The only articles about him I found expected him to come in and replace Ferlin this year. Last year he was 11-36-47 with 94 (?!) PIM in 48 GP for the Kings.

tl; dr: Neither is going to be Matt Moulson.

Starrett was out with a shoulder injury at the start of the season. Played seven games (2 goals, 3 assists), but apparently out with an injury again.
[www.usphl.com]

jkahn

Trotsky

CAS
2 of the recruits due to arrive in the fall are NHL draft picks - one taken in the 3rd round and one in the 5th round.

That's Starrett and Angello. Both are big (6-5). Here are their numbers this year:

Angello: 9-7-16 with 43 PIM in 30 GP for the Omaha Lancers of the USHL. He's 6th on a team whose leading scorer is 10-26-36.

Starrett: According to Elite Prospects he hasn't played a game this year for South Shore Kings in the USPHL. The only articles about him I found expected him to come in and replace Ferlin this year. Last year he was 11-36-47 with 94 (?!) PIM in 48 GP for the Kings.

tl; dr: Neither is going to be Matt Moulson.

Starrett was out with a shoulder injury at the start of the season. Played seven games (2 goals, 3 assists), but apparently out with an injury again.
[www.usphl.com]

Thanks. Any idea if the injury was why he didn't jump to Cornell this year?

Trotsky

CAS
2 of the recruits due to arrive in the fall are NHL draft picks - one taken in the 3rd round and one in the 5th round.

That's Starrett and Angello. Both are big (6-5). Here are their numbers this year:

Angello: 9-7-16 with 43 PIM in 30 GP for the Omaha Lancers of the USHL. He's 6th on a team whose leading scorer is 10-26-36.

Starrett: According to Elite Prospects he hasn't played a game this year for South Shore Kings in the USPHL. The only articles about him I found expected him to come in and replace Ferlin this year. Last year he was 11-36-47 with 94 (?!) PIM in 48 GP for the Kings.

tl; dr: Neither is going to be Matt Moulson.

Of the forwards most likely to arrive next fall, Vanderlaan is currently 36th in scoring in the Alberta league (42nd in goals), that's about as good as it gets right now. The following year doesn't look like it's any better as it appears to be almost exclusively power forwards.