St. Lawrence 2 vs. Cornell 3 1/21/17

St. Lawrence happens to be a bubble team. And quite frankly, they also have the best goaltender in the conference. A few of their best players are injured but that hasn't stopped them from showing up the last few weeks.

did anyone ever explain why they're wearing the red road helmets during this home weekend?

I mentioned on chat last night I didn't like it. Too much like BU for me. OTOH, if they wore white helmets with the road reds, it would look more like Ned's 60s and 70s teams. Old time hockey!

I was thinking more along the lines of Wisconsin because BU at least always has the white gloves.

If I had to guess, I'd say they were playing well on the road and this was a kind of good luck superstition goof.

Probably a good guess. But I saw a lot of wins way back with the white lids on the red jerseys. Let's do THAT again.

Very nice win tonight, and a great weekend over all.

Back up to 11 in the pairwise after the Providence sweep of Lowell and Yale getting the tie.

It feels good to be "warm" again.

Iceberg
Back up to 11 in the pairwise after the Providence sweep of Lowell and Yale getting the tie.

We win the comparison with Lowell because we're ahead of them in RPI by .0001. lol

i thought the STL goalie was awful all night, he was beat on the glove side repeatedly. the McCarron goal was really soft. he left a ton of rebounds and got saved by pipes a couple times.

upprdeck
i thought the STL goalie was awful all night, he was beat on the glove side repeatedly. the McCarron goal was really soft. he left a ton of rebounds and got saved by pipes a couple times.

But then again we got saved by at least 1 pipe and 1 late crossbar. Those things happen. We also had a few that just missed, when Gillam was out of position. I certainly didn't think he was awful. We played so much better than last night. Partially that was because Clarkson was so good with their 2.5 man forecheck. I sure hope we work out a plan before we play them again.

I also have to point out that we have been able to at least keep up with the faster teams that we've faced. I haven't noted much discussion about how Schafer can't change. Maybe the team is starting to show new colors.

Jim Hyla

upprdeck
i thought the STL goalie was awful all night, he was beat on the glove side repeatedly. the McCarron goal was really soft. he left a ton of rebounds and got saved by pipes a couple times.

But then again we got saved by at least 1 pipe and 1 late crossbar. Those things happen. We also had a few that just missed, when Gillam was out of position. I certainly didn't think he was awful. We played so much better than last night. Partially that was because Clarkson was so good with their 2.5 man forecheck. I sure hope we work out a plan before we play them again.

I also have to point out that we have been able to at least keep up with the faster teams that we've faced. I haven't noted much discussion aout how Shafer can't change. Maybe the team is stating to show new colors.

I thought we played about equally well tonight and last night, but I didn't watch all of both games. I think we're very solid defensively and that most of the goals we give up are individual momentary lapses, not a system-wide or talent-based problem. Our goals tonight did seem pretty soft for the most part, but that's why you fire 30 SOG instead of 20.

I thought we played vastly better friday night. Were it not for 2 awful clears we win that game 3-1 and feel pretty good.

STL i thought had a bit more speed entering the zone but still the killer for this team is just bad clears leading to scoring chances. Its one thing to be out worked and be forced into turnovers, its another under no pressure to not move the puck properly.

Both teams had chances to score, but A pipe on a clear shot from 15 ft to me is different than pipe on a 30 ft shot thru a maize of people. We were lucky on a couple give aways for sure.

Both games though we were far better on the cycle.

the bad penalties continue at times. we went from ending the game on the PP to a 4-4 with the goalie pulled twice in the last 4-5 minutes because we went after guys..

We may have caught SLU at the perfect time: they had a bad night and they had injuries. But. We did put 3 past the best goalie in the ECAC (statistically).

upprdeck
I thought we played vastly better friday night. Were it not for 2 awful clears we win that game 3-1 and feel pretty good.

STL i thought had a bit more speed entering the zone but still the killer for this team is just bad clears leading to scoring chances. Its one thing to be out worked and be forced into turnovers, its another under no pressure to not move the puck properly.

Both teams had chances to score, but A pipe on a clear shot from 15 ft to me is different than pipe on a 30 ft shot thru a maize of people. We were lucky on a couple give aways for sure.

Both games though we were far better on the cycle.

the bad penalties continue at times. we went from ending the game on the PP to a 4-4 with the goalie pulled twice in the last 4-5 minutes because we went after guys..

I can't agree. SLU is a much better team than Clarkson and I thought that we looked like we could beat them, whereas with Clarkson, I ended up hoping we could beat them.

For what it's worth, from the CHN article on the weekend:

"We didn't play (Friday) with the intensity we played with on the road," Schafer said. "Last night they were excited to play but not excited to compete. Tonight our guys competed for the most part. We let our foot off the gas a little in the second, but it was tight in the third.

"On the road, we played hard, not worrying about what the result is but focused on our game plan. We got distracted Friday night because we were back here (at Lynah Rink). You could tell they were excited, but they weren't ready.

Plan A: When they forecheck and backcheck hard, when they use their speed, and their passing is crisp they look like a team on fire. See periods #1 & 3 last night.
Plan B: When sit back and play zone, when they lackadaisically skate the puck up ice, when they ever so deliberately slide the puck from man to man to man on on the power play they look like a team on Valium. See period #2 last night.
Fortunately, they managed enough of Plan A this weekend to be successful.

Here's hoping they utilize more of Plan A this upcoming weekend.

"LGR"

I thought more we were going to lose to Clarkson even though we completely controlled the game and had tons of chances. I never felt we couldnt win it, the talk in our section was more I cant believe we aren't winning this game and we are going to let 15 shots beat us.

STL was a much more even game but the 2 periods we played we controlled pretty well, the 2nd I thought we came out flat.. had chance to make it 3-0 and didnt do it and then STL got back into it by making less mistakes.

The unforced penalties will bite us and it did the first game against Harvard.

Unforced penalties are a symptom of poor discipline.

I don't think we've been THAT undisciplined. The retaliation penalty with two minutes left last game was bad, but honestly I blame the refs for that. SLU already had a minor coming, then a scrum occurred that SLU started, and I didn't see Cornell scrumming any more than SLU did. I'd be curious to see some sort of penalties per game stat comparing us to other teams, but that's tough because you usually measure PIM, which gets wonky with majors, misconducts, etc.

They've been calling lots of penalties this year in general, though fewer as of late. For what it's worth, we have 90 power plays and 85 penalty kills. We have the third fewest penalty kills in college hockey, though we've played fewer games.

Looks like we're 23rd in penalty kills per game, as in 23rd from best, not 23rd from worst. There's room for improvement, but let's not act like this is worth panicking over, especially compared to the past few years. Without naming names, some of our pestier pests are getting a little more disciplined, and I recall the team that kinda crashed three or four years ago being an unforced penalty machine.

Hooking
Unforced penalties are a symptom of poor discipline.

Or youth.

Dafatone
I don't think we've been THAT undisciplined. The retaliation penalty with two minutes left last game was bad, but honestly I blame the refs for that. SLU already had a minor coming, then a scrum occurred that SLU started, and I didn't see Cornell scrumming any more than SLU did. I'd be curious to see some sort of penalties per game stat comparing us to other teams, but that's tough because you usually measure PIM, which gets wonky with majors, misconducts, etc.

They've been calling lots of penalties this year in general, though fewer as of late. For what it's worth, we have 90 power plays and 85 penalty kills. We have the third fewest penalty kills in college hockey, though we've played fewer games.

Looks like we're 23rd in penalty kills per game, as in 23rd from best, not 23rd from worst. There's room for improvement, but let's not act like this is worth panicking over, especially compared to the past few years. Without naming names, some of our pestier pests are getting a little more disciplined, and I recall the team that kinda crashed three or four years ago being an unforced penalty machine.

Total number of penalties is fine; it's the types of penalties we're taking (completely unnecessary ones) that's so frustrating because it's completely preventable.

BearLover
Total number of penalties is fine; it's the types of penalties we're taking (completely unnecessary ones) that's so frustrating because it's completely preventable.

I have not noticed this except for the last weekend. Prior I thought just the opposite: as opposed to the last 4 years we seemed very disciplined.

Trotsky

BearLover
Total number of penalties is fine; it's the types of penalties we're taking (completely unnecessary ones) that's so frustrating because it's completely preventable.

I have not noticed this except for the last weekend. Prior I thought just the opposite: as opposed to the last 4 years we seemed very disciplined.

IIRC, the entire third period vs. Princeton was one stupid penalty after another. The next night against Q, at least three of our five penalties were directly off the faceoff or in the offensive zone.

BearLover

Trotsky

BearLover
Total number of penalties is fine; it's the types of penalties we're taking (completely unnecessary ones) that's so frustrating because it's completely preventable.

I have not noticed this except for the last weekend. Prior I thought just the opposite: as opposed to the last 4 years we seemed very disciplined.

IIRC, the entire third period vs. Princeton was one stupid penalty after another. The next night against Q, at least three of our five penalties were directly off the faceoff or in the offensive zone.

These were the only games I saw in person. Not saying you're wrong but I have no memory of this.

He means the road games, not the ones at Lynah. He's right about the third period in Princeton. That was a parade to the penalty box.

Iceberg
He's right about the 3rd period in Princeton.

Agree completely.

I doubt many serious sports fans would disagree in general with the statement "Unforced [unnecessary, unprovoked] penalties are a sign of poor discipline." Probably the greatest benefit realized by competitive athletes is how to keep focused in times of stress, and the finest coaches surely are the best at instilling this virtue.

Hooking
I doubt many serious sports fans would disagree in general with the statement "Unforced [unnecessary, unprovoked] penalties are a sign of poor discipline." Probably the greatest benefit realized by competitive athletes is how to keep focused in times of stress, and the finest coaches surely are the best at instilling this virtue.

You do look for every possible way to knock Schafer, don't you. Tiresome, to say the least. You don't even seem to like winning games. Tough way to go through life.

Hooking
Unforced penalties are a symptom of poor discipline.

Cornell Penalty minutes = 231
Opponent Penalty minutes = 254

Therefore, given your statement above, we are:
a) more disciplined than our opponents or
b) better at forcing our opponents into committing penalties or
c) both a) and b)

My comments about lack of discipline were general in nature. Nobody likes their team to take foolish penalties. I accuse no particular individuals and still maintain that the ability to maintain focus under pressure is a valuable life skill and the best coaches of all athletic endeavors excel at instilling it. Obviously some Cornell hockey fans are pretty touchy on the subject of team discipline, but that's their problem.

I have lamented, many times, the lack of discipline shown by Mike's teams of late, when compared to his early teams..... I used to brag about the way his players would skate away from a scrum with their hands down by their sides. Until this year, that "art" seemed to be lost on Mike's teams....

The 16-17 version seems to have gotten that back and I'm very proud of the team and the coaching staff for it!! I admit that the poor officiating led to some bad feelings building up against SLU and resulting undisciplined penalties. Prior to that, this team was stellar in any action I've seen.....

Keep it going guys!!!

Not to act touchy, but looking at the stats from collegehockeyinc, it's hard to say we've been anything but average in conference penalty minutes over the last 7 seasons.

Season Rank
16-17   5
15-16  10
14-15   2
13-14   8
12-13   4
11-12   8
10-11   1

Granted it's only 7 seasons, but it's really hard for me to see a trend here. The overall average for position in those years is 5.4/12. Not bad for being average.

(Hopefully I've copied the data correctly.)

Too many variables to use this metric. Retaliatory penalties muddy the water, as do "technicals" such as too many men, or highly subjective obstruction/interference, embellishment, etc. I prefer Jims tabulation below of year by year comparisons across the conference. As an observation, totally unsupported by any data, seems to me SLU is always a pretty chippy game, sometimes Clarkson and RPI.

TimV
Too many variables to use this metric. Retaliatory penalties muddy the water, as do "technicals" such as too many men, or highly subjective obstruction/interference, embellishment, etc. I prefer Jims tabulation below of year by year comparisons across the conference. As an observation, totally unsupported by any data, seems to me SLU is always a pretty chippy game, sometimes Clarkson and RPI.

I think it's easier to be disciplined when you are cheering or swearing in the stands as a 40+ year old than it is when you are 20+, tired with adrenalin rushing and some dope just hit you or your goalie. Some here seem to think that not retaliating is easy to teach. Try teaching a leopard to shed his spots or a bear to retract his claws.

Hopefully a Cornell student is more easily educated than a leopard or a bear. Channeling aggression into performance is a prerequisite for top athletes and top teams.

Hooking
Hopefully a Cornell student is more easily educated than a leopard or a bear. Channeling aggression into performance is a prerequisite for top athletes and top teams.

I agree but my lower limbic system sometimes does not. I believe much of our personality is hard wired. We all hate dumb penalties. That doesn't mean it's easy to coach away that which causes them.

Hooking
Hopefully a Cornell student is more easily educated than a leopard or a bear.

You ever eaten with one?

I tried and tried, but they all rushed off to study when I began to eat.

Hooking
I tried and tried, but they all rushed off to study when I began to eat.

Yup. Those leopards grind and grind. Real gunners. Especially the pre-meds.

I just caught this quote in the Daily Sun article. Did anyone else notice?

Coach Schafer
“I think our crowd — our students — have to show up,” he said. “We were excited but I saw our players looking up in the crowd and going, ‘Where the hell are the fans? … I know not everybody is back but this has been continuing on here … To skate out and hear the roar of your student body, there’s no better feeling than it … If we’re going to carry our title as the best fans in college hockey, we have to be the best fans in college hockey.”

I sure hope Any Noel heard him.

imafrshmn
I just caught this quote in the Daily Sun article. Did anyone else notice?

Coach Schafer
“I think our crowd — our students — have to show up,” he said. “We were excited but I saw our players looking up in the crowd and going, ‘Where the hell are the fans? … I know not everybody is back but this has been continuing on here … To skate out and hear the roar of your student body, there’s no better feeling than it … If we’re going to carry our title as the best fans in college hockey, we have to be the best fans in college hockey.”

I sure hope Any Noel heard him.

Really sad. I've said this before, but the crowd is the most unique and therefore best recruiting tool we have. It factors into every player's decision to attend Cornell. Hell, it factored into my decision to attend Cornell. The crowd dies and the entire program dies.

BearLover

imafrshmn
I just caught this quote in the Daily Sun article. Did anyone else notice?

Coach Schafer
“I think our crowd — our students — have to show up,” he said. “We were excited but I saw our players looking up in the crowd and going, ‘Where the hell are the fans? … I know not everybody is back but this has been continuing on here … To skate out and hear the roar of your student body, there’s no better feeling than it … If we’re going to carry our title as the best fans in college hockey, we have to be the best fans in college hockey.”

I sure hope Any Noel heard him.

Really sad. I've said this before, but the crowd is the most unique and therefore best recruiting tool we have. It factors into every player's decision to attend Cornell. Hell, it factored into my decision to attend Cornell. The crowd dies and the entire program dies.

Another quote:

St. Lawrence appeared to have stricken first just 1:41 into the game, but a goalie interference call erased the goal and kept the game scoreless.

I thought that at the game they said it was kicked. That's what the Game Recap says. Anyone else remember?

Jim Hyla

BearLover

imafrshmn
I just caught this quote in the Daily Sun article. Did anyone else notice?

Coach Schafer
“I think our crowd — our students — have to show up,” he said. “We were excited but I saw our players looking up in the crowd and going, ‘Where the hell are the fans? … I know not everybody is back but this has been continuing on here … To skate out and hear the roar of your student body, there’s no better feeling than it … If we’re going to carry our title as the best fans in college hockey, we have to be the best fans in college hockey.”

I sure hope Any Noel heard him.

Really sad. I've said this before, but the crowd is the most unique and therefore best recruiting tool we have. It factors into every player's decision to attend Cornell. Hell, it factored into my decision to attend Cornell. The crowd dies and the entire program dies.

Another quote:

St. Lawrence appeared to have stricken first just 1:41 into the game, but a goalie interference call erased the goal and kept the game scoreless.

I thought that at the game they said it was kicked. That's what the Game Recap says. Anyone else remember?

I think Jason said it was kicked but that was not the first impression.

imafrshmn
I just caught this quote in the Daily Sun article. Did anyone else notice?

Coach Schafer
“I think our crowd — our students — have to show up,” he said. “We were excited but I saw our players looking up in the crowd and going, ‘Where the hell are the fans? … I know not everybody is back but this has been continuing on here … To skate out and hear the roar of your student body, there’s no better feeling than it … If we’re going to carry our title as the best fans in college hockey, we have to be the best fans in college hockey.”

I sure hope Any Noel heard him.

I hope the students hear him.... They're the ones that have to put down their electronic toys & get their butts to Lynah.....ON TIME!!!!

Notice he specifically mentioned "skate out and hear the roar of your student body"..... I've been saying for years what a disappointment it is that (much of) the student body can't find their way to Lynah until after the game has started....Apparently, they don't understand or care about what an inspiration it is to the team to have a full house roaring when they come onto the ice to start a game.... A damned shame.... And, it's probably not going to change any time soon....

The traditions are kept alive by older fans handing them down to younger fans, like any folk culture. Just like the band hands down its repertoire, the fans hand down the cheers.

We're seeing generation loss. The accumulation of "bad data" (less enthusiasm overall, not getting there early, not cheering throughout the game but only in response to cheers) has made the student fan section deteriorate to where it is now.

A lot of this is the result of the slow, cautious, boring style of play we saw even when the team was excellent in 2010 and 2012. Combined with losing, and at Lynah at that!, this took the Secret Sauce out of the crowd.

But ti's reparable, because it's happened before. During that execrable stretch 93-95 attendance and enthusiam were in the toilet and people made the same observations about Kids Today -- it was just they were talking on their phones rather than tweeting or gaming or masturbating or whatever they do now.

tl; dr: Lose less; score more.

Still lynah is far better experience than almost every other rink we play in..

St. Lawrence appeared to have stricken first just 1:41 into the game, but a goalie interference call erased the goal and kept the game scoreless.

Not sure what dialect of English this sentence is written in, but the referee told me the goal was disallowed because it was directed in with a "distinct kicking motion", and that's what I announced.

Agree w/Upperdeck - today's Lynah is still a much better environment than found at other rinks.

CAS
Agree w/Upperdeck - today's Lynah is still a much better environment than found at other rinks.

But it could be so much better, very easily: show up on time. I don't care if the chants/cheers are stale or lame, or if they only react to goals or stare at their devices for a majority of the time. How hard is it to get to the rink for the opening faceoff? Maybe they treat it like a movie where the feature starts at 7:25 for a 7:00 movie due to the loads of ads and trailers. Do classes and lectures start late now?

I can't communicate to them how fun it was to have a full student section a full half-hour before the anthems. There were plenty of opportunities to socialize and even get individual taunts going during the opening warm-up period. And I get that schedules & priorities have changed, and you can't force people to buy tickets when factors like cost and other entertainment options exist. But if you're going to the game, GET. TO. THE. GAME.

This is the most disappointing change that has happened, and it makes a world of difference in the energy of the building.

RichH

CAS
Agree w/Upperdeck - today's Lynah is still a much better environment than found at other rinks.

But it could be so much better, very easily: show up on time. I don't care if the chants/cheers are stale or lame, or if they only react to goals or stare at their devices for a majority of the time. How hard is it to get to the rink for the opening faceoff? Maybe they treat it like a movie where the feature starts at 7:25 for a 7:00 movie due to the loads of ads and trailers. Do classes and lectures start late now?

I can't communicate to them how fun it was to have a full student section a full half-hour before the anthems. There were plenty of opportunities to socialize and even get individual taunts going during the opening warm-up period. And I get that schedules & priorities have changed, and you can't force people to buy tickets when factors like cost and other entertainment options exist. But if you're going to the game, GET. TO. THE. GAME.

This is the most disappointing change that has happened, and it makes a world of difference in the energy of the building.

Current students can't get to the game on time. There are too many demands on their plate. What with binge watching everything on Netflix, texting with their high school friends all over the country, and texting with their college roommate 6 feet away from them. They don't even bother to attend classes, since many lectures are recorded and they can be watched without leaving their rooms. School spirit is dead (or at least dying), and this will not be changed no matter how good the team gets.

so many townies are late as well.. and its no different at other arenas as sports.. go to the dome and see people come in 20-30 min late too.

nshapiro

RichH

CAS
Agree w/Upperdeck - today's Lynah is still a much better environment than found at other rinks.

But it could be so much better, very easily: show up on time. I don't care if the chants/cheers are stale or lame, or if they only react to goals or stare at their devices for a majority of the time. How hard is it to get to the rink for the opening faceoff? Maybe they treat it like a movie where the feature starts at 7:25 for a 7:00 movie due to the loads of ads and trailers. Do classes and lectures start late now?

I can't communicate to them how fun it was to have a full student section a full half-hour before the anthems. There were plenty of opportunities to socialize and even get individual taunts going during the opening warm-up period. And I get that schedules & priorities have changed, and you can't force people to buy tickets when factors like cost and other entertainment options exist. But if you're going to the game, GET. TO. THE. GAME.

This is the most disappointing change that has happened, and it makes a world of difference in the energy of the building.

Current students can't get to the game on time. There are too many demands on their plate. What with binge watching everything on Netflix, texting with their high school friends all over the country, and texting with their college roommate 6 feet away from them. They don't even bother to attend classes, since many lectures are recorded and they can be watched without leaving their rooms. School spirit is dead (or at least dying), and this will not be changed no matter how good the team gets.

In my experience, this sort of "generational" thing cuts across generations. Older people can't put down their phones, either.

While it might help some if they could start the games at 7:30, I assume that the league wants the earlier start time so the visitors can get out sooner than later after the game.

upprdeck
so many townies are late as well.. and its no different at other arenas as sports.. go to the dome and see people come in 20-30 min late too.

Townies have always been late because of real life stuff: kids needs to be fed, jobs needs to be worked, snowstorms need to be navigated for 20 miles.

The kids don't have anything pressing to do, frankly. They're still safe in the academic womb. Get to the game, snowflakes.

scoop85
While it might help some if they could start the games at 7:30, I assume that the league wants the earlier start time so the visitors can get out sooner than later after the game.

When I was a student and Gary Cullen roamed the ice, start time was 7:30.

I belief it is correct that they moved it up because the bus trips were disappearing into white outs in Potsdam at 12:30 a.m. rather than 12:00 a.m.

Trotsky

scoop85
While it might help some if they could start the games at 7:30, I assume that the league wants the earlier start time so the visitors can get out sooner than later after the game.

When I was a student and Gary Cullen roamed the ice, start time was 7:30.

I belief it is correct that they moved it up because the bus trips were disappearing into white outs in Potsdam at 12:30 a.m. rather than 12:00 a.m.

Maybe watching Cullen slow down as he aged inspired the move to an earlier start time, although it was apparent that nothing could speed him up.

And I remember when they moved the basketball start times to 5:00 so people might consider going to those games in addition to hockey (at 7:30).

Trotsky

scoop85
While it might help some if they could start the games at 7:30, I assume that the league wants the earlier start time so the visitors can get out sooner than later after the game.

When I was a student and Gary Cullen roamed the ice, start time was 7:30.

I belief it is correct that they moved it up because the bus trips were disappearing into white outs in Potsdam at 12:30 a.m. rather than 12:00 a.m.

Yeah, I thought the games started at 7:30 back when we were on campus in the 80's (aka the Stone Age). At least then you might be able to get to Lynah on time and still have a bite to eat without having to resort to the 5:00 early bird special (or having to eat the delicacies provided at Lynah).

nshapiro
Maybe watching Cullen slow down as he aged inspired the move to an earlier start time, although it was apparent that nothing could speed him up.

Not smoking three packs a day could have helped.

Trotsky

nshapiro
Maybe watching Cullen slow down as he aged inspired the move to an earlier start time, although it was apparent that nothing could speed him up.

Not smoking three packs a day could have helped.

Cullen was pretty skilled, but certainly not a skating dynamo. I do remember one instance (I don't remember the opponent) where he deked past 2 or 3 defenders and scored a gorgeous goal. Trotsky, do you have any recollection of that?

scoop85

Trotsky

nshapiro
Maybe watching Cullen slow down as he aged inspired the move to an earlier start time, although it was apparent that nothing could speed him up.

Not smoking three packs a day could have helped.

Cullen was pretty skilled, but certainly not a skating dynamo. I do remember one instance (I don't remember the opponent) where he deked past 2 or 3 defenders and scored a gorgeous goal. Trotsky, do you have any recollection of that?

I recall his passing more than anything else. That and his outright refusal to get back on the play.

Cullen had the best hands of any player I have ever seen wear the Cornell sweater. My friends on the women's team at the time said he was probably getting about 25% out of his talent. But I also get the impression he had a helluva good time for four years. And he was a highly accomplished player. But from many accounts he could have been truly great.

going back thru the sun archives the game times in the 80's seemed to be pretty consistent at 7:30.

I dont recall when it switched to 7.

the good ol days.. I also remember extended pre and post game radio shows when BBALL didnt get in the way.

Trotsky

scoop85

Trotsky

nshapiro
Maybe watching Cullen slow down as he aged inspired the move to an earlier start time, although it was apparent that nothing could speed him up.

Not smoking three packs a day could have helped.

Cullen was pretty skilled, but certainly not a skating dynamo. I do remember one instance (I don't remember the opponent) where he deked past 2 or 3 defenders and scored a gorgeous goal. Trotsky, do you have any recollection of that?

I recall his passing more than anything else. That and his outright refusal to get back on the play.

Cullen had the best hands of any player I have ever seen wear the Cornell sweater. My friends on the women's team at the time said he was probably getting about 25% out of his talent. But I also get the impression he had a helluva good time for four years. And he was a highly accomplished player. But from many accounts he could have been truly great.

He certainly put his time in at Dunbars

upprdeck
going back thru the sun archives the game times in the 80's seemed to be pretty consistent at 7:30.

I dont recall when it switched to 7.

In the early-mid 1990s, the Friday games started at 7:30 and the Saturday games started at 7:00. My guess was for a workday accommodation. I'm pretty sure the switch to having all the games start at 7pm happened in the late-90s.

RichH

upprdeck
going back thru the sun archives the game times in the 80's seemed to be pretty consistent at 7:30.

I dont recall when it switched to 7.

In the early-mid 1990s, the Friday games started at 7:30 and the Saturday games started at 7:00. My guess was for a workday accommodation. I'm pretty sure the switch to having all the games start at 7pm happened in the late-90s.

I'm fairly certain that the change to 7 for all games came in the 2000 season. I'd love to see Friday games pushed back again.

scoop85

Trotsky

nshapiro
Maybe watching Cullen slow down as he aged inspired the move to an earlier start time, although it was apparent that nothing could speed him up.

Not smoking three packs a day could have helped.

Cullen was pretty skilled, but certainly not a skating dynamo. I do remember one instance (I don't remember the opponent) where he deked past 2 or 3 defenders and scored a gorgeous goal. Trotsky, do you have any recollection of that?

I do!! A thing of beauty!!!!

Its interesting to look across hockey and see the majority of the games start around 7. someone made the decision across all the leagues that 7 is the way to go.