A thread for all the positives.
McKee.
We had no right to expect him to be as solid as he has been. First, he gets the call a year earlier than he had planned. Next, Marr goes down and it's baptism under fire. I can't recall -- and it may never have happened -- a Cornell goalie playing so many of the team's consecutive minutes from the start of his freshman season.
By the numbers, he's doing very well:
1.90, .920 overall
1.47, .938 ECAC
To put this in perspective, Matt Underhill was
1.88, .928 overall, as a junior
1.80, .922 overall, as a senior (and all-ECAC first team).
But outside of the numbers, McKee seems to be getting more self-assured and is developing nicely.
I would call this an unmitigated and unexpected positive.
Great thread idea, Greg.
I would say another big positive is our overall defense. Cooks, Downs, and Wallace continue to perform well, as they did last year. Gleed really bounced back in a huge way this season. And I'm very impressed with how Glover and O'Byrne are shaping up so far. Cornell's excellent defensive tradition is in good hands.
I think the AHA line just continues to do better and better... and Bitz is going to be AMAZING by the time he's a senior (not that he's not amazing already!)...
You really have to give Schafer a lot of credit, he had a top prospect ready to step in case LeNeveu left early.
QuoteRichard '70 wrote:
You really have to give Schafer a lot of credit, he had a top prospect ready to step in case LeNeveu left early.
Don't think Lenny was on his mind as much as Baby, Murray, McRae and McRae. Either way your main point goes undiminished -- coach had a great recruiting year.
Greg, great points all around. I expected this to be a rebuilding year, and to some degree it is, but the level of performance, especially out of the freshman, has exceeded my early expectations. In terms of the future, this year's freshmen have the potential to be every bit as great as last year's graduating class.
Also, when I need perspective about the state of the team, I only need to look back to my freshman and sophomore years when I was afraid I would graduate without seeing a home playoff game. Then that amazing '99-00 recruiting class arrived and the program really turned the corner. Like that year, things are looking up in the not too distant future. (And, I also think we have as good a shot as anyone at the ECAC Tournament title this year, so long as we can earn a bye.)
[Q]I can't recall -- and it may never have happened -- a Cornell goalie playing so many of the team's consecutive minutes from the start of his freshman season.[/Q]
1988? All of the games were started by a freshman (since there were two). ;-)
In any case, CDA quickly became the only goalie playing and while his numbers on an absolute level may not compare to McKee's, given where the team goaltending and team defense were the season before, CDA's performance as a freshman has to rank as one of the best in school history.
I also want to point out that we beat HAHVAHD! TWICE!!!
3 highlights of the season so far:
Everblades Championship
Regular Season sweep of Harvard
Vesce's amazing 7 point night + McKee's first career shutout
Post Edited (01-26-04 15:20)
Same with 78-79. Hayward started everything. Not that goaltending mattered as much in those days.
And I believe 79-80, too. Eliot started all the games because Hayward got mono.
JH
I'll throw in the fact that even in games that the team has lost and/or in which they've been outplayed, they're staying competitive. 5 losses have been by a combined total of 6 goals.
The penalty kill has been laudable. The Big Red have killed 86.4% of its opponents' power plays, which is tied for 11th in the nation. Although that is a dropoff from last year, the team graduated five of its eight primary penalty killers: Stephen Baby, Shane Palhicky, Doug Murray, Mark McRae, and Travis Bell. Plus, David LeNeveu turned pro.
In addition, the team defense has been great, despite losing LeNeveu and three defensemen. The team has allowed 1.95 goals per game, which is fourth best in the nation.
On that defensive note, I'd like to add that Charlie Cook and Jeremy Downs have really impressed me with their smart plays and their offensive-minded defense. They are solid.
and Cook's attempt at the penalty shot was beautiful - too bad he got robbed.::rolleyes::
http://www.cornelldailysun.com/articles/10619/
They're still in this game, to the end, for better or for worse.