Obstruction Crackdown

Does anyone care to guess how the crackdown on hooking and holding will affect Cornell this year? Will our formula of big, tough defense and forechecking help or hurt us, as compared to the speed & stickwork teams?

I personally think it could change the way the ECAC teams play, IF it is enforced past the first few weeks..

See:

[elf.elynah.com]

Ithaca Journal article on "the crackdown" with quotes from Mike Schafer:

[www.theithacajournal.com]

The most important point from the Journal article: Cornell is big and doesn't need to resort to some of the tactics that smaller teams may use. Why would a Doug Murray and his spiritual heirs need to grab your jersey when you try to skate around when you can just put you flat on your butt with a nice clean bodycheck?

>>> "Really, these rules are going to benefit us as a hockey team because I think we are a team that defensively is always very solid," Schafer continued. "We are good positionally. You don't draw penalties if you are between the man and the net. You draw penalties when you allow your man to get between you and the net and they have to obstruct them or hook them or haul them down.

The crackdown should work to Cornell's disadvantage with respect to the pick play Cornell runs after winning offensive-zone faceoffs. Referees have been specifically instructed to call interference penalties when players in the offensive zone prevent opposing forwards from skating toward defensemen who have the puck at the point.