"Jury Still Out"

[calgARI '07]

http://www.elynah.com/?articles&id=64

[Omie]

I disagree that Troy Davenport has been consistent or even more consistent than Mckee last season. He has had several awful first periods, including Dartmouth, Wayne State, and RPI. He has been good, but not consistent. If anything I think one of the questions that this team has right now is who is going to be the starting goalie in Estero, FL. Troy has shown shakiness at times and has been relieved twice, while Scrivens got a shutout on his first collegiate start and has only allowed two goals in over 137 mins of play.

[calgARI '07]

Scrivens has not looked very comfortable in any of the games he has played.  I'm pretty sure Davenport is still the number one guy.  He hasn't been great, but he's been pretty solid considering it has been his first season.  

McKee was brutal for parts of last season, letting in terrible goals at bad times.

[Omie]

I guess we haven't been watching the same games but if you look at the games I referred to (Dartmouth's 1st period, Wayne State #1, and RPI) Davenport looked brutal. I think Scrivens looks more comfortable in net than Davenport and came through in RPI after we were in a deep hole and got a shutout against Union.

[calgARI '07]

[quote Omie]I guess we haven't been watching the same games but if you look at the games I referred to (Dartmouth's 1st period, Wayne State #1, and RPI) Davenport looked brutal. I think Scrivens looks more comfortable in net than Davenport and came through in RPI after we were in a deep hole and got a shutout against Union.[/quote]

I'm not saying Davenport has been great, but he's been very solid for a guy who has never played at this level.  Scrivens faced a grand total of four shots in the 30 or so minutes he played against RPI.  He did make the great glove save late in the game.  Against Union, he made 22 saves and faced maybe 3 good chances the whole game.  Against Wayne State, he stopped 16 of 18 shots and got the loss.  He's been OK but hasn't really faced much.  Again, Davenport hasn't been extraordinary but Schafer has clearly liked him and he is unquestionably the number one guy.

[evilnaturedrobot]

Right now I would say that davenport ia clearly calmer in net and better positionally, which you would expect since he is 2 years older then Ben.  Right now I'm still more comfortable with him in net.

However, Scrivens probably has alot more potential long term.  He's bigger and probably more athletic.  This debate will get more heated as time goes on and I wouldn't be suprised if Ben has surpassed Troy by the beggining of next year.

[billhoward]

Nice stuff. Just make sure schoolwork doesn't interfere with the column or game travel.

Priorities.

[Trotsky]

[quote Omie]I disagree that Troy Davenport has been consistent or even more consistent than Mckee last season.[/quote]

It is true, though, that McKee in 05-06 was much less consistent than in his other two seasons. The blowout loss to Dartmouth; the struggles against Niagara.  It wasn't his usual high standard.

In Troy and Ben it looks like Cornell has competent goaltending for this season, and that is the best we could have hoped for -- McKee's departure was way too late to fill in with a true blue chip goaltender.  I would bet the coaches have another great prospect or two in their sights right now, and coming to Cornell as a goalie is like going to USC as a tailback -- Schafer shouldn't have trouble closing with at least one.

Anyway, Scrivens is 0.87, .955.  Not even Dryden was that good.   ::burnout::

[Omie]

I thought about that but if you look at it we have three goalies (two sophmores and one freshman). I don't think any goalie recruit would want to come into a program were at least for the next two years they would be competing for playing time; even more so, when Schafer just does not split time between goalies and only starts one of them.

I am not saying Mckee was his 04-05 self last year, he was at time inconsistent. With that said, it is a bit of a stretch to say that Davenport has been more consistent. When he has had to be relieved twice already in 11 games, and I consider Niagara to somewhat tougher to Wayne State.

[BCrespi]

[quote Omie]I thought about that but if you look at it we have three goalies (two sophmores and one freshman). I don't think any goalie recruit would want to come into a program were at least for the next two years they would be competing for playing time; even more so, when Schafer just does not split time between goalies and only starts one of them.[/quote]

I see your point, and know what you mean when you say an incoming recruit could be daunted by a young-ish stable of goaltenders, however, it's not like there is a freshman LeNeveu in net right now.  Potential top-tier recruits need look no further than the 03-04 season (which playoffs never happened) to see that, even with more experienced (read longer-tenured) goaltenders on the roster, a talented kid would not be overlooked.  McKee got pushed right in ahead of Marr and Chabot, as could be the case if the coaches brought in a big time talent (or even not as highly-touted, as with McKee) next season.

[Omie]

True, but I still think it's improbable. Marr left right after Mckee came in. When Mckee came in there were two goalies one of which would be graduating his freshman year. A new goalie recruit would have to compete with three goalies for at least two years. Plus are there any programs with four goalies on the roster?

[billhoward]

[quote Omie]True, but I still think it's improbable. Marr left right after Mckee came in. When Mckee came in there were two goalies one of which would be graduating his freshman year. A new goalie recruit would have to compete with three goalies for at least two years. Plus are there any programs with four goalies on the roster?[/quote]
A goalie recruit who's got the potential to be Cornell's best goalie should not scared off by having a good (but not all-league caliber) goalie ahead of him is still going to come. The recruit knows from the history of Leneveu that a freshman can get playing time even when the other goalie is All-American caliber as Underhill was.

Anyway, you just have to convince one kid, the right one person, to sign on.

Also, maybe Davenport will get a lot better this year and next. The defense in front of him this year has not been as solid as those fronting for McKee, LeNeveu, and Underhill.

[Beeeej]

[quote Omie]True, but I still think it's improbable. Marr left right after Mckee came in. When Mckee came in there were two goalies one of which would be graduating his freshman year. A new goalie recruit would have to compete with three goalies for at least two years. Plus are there any programs with four goalies on the roster?[/quote]

I don't agree with your assumption that three 2006-07 goalies + new class of 2011 goalie recruit = four goalies in 2007-08.  If DiLeo is a clear third choice now, behind two guys who weren't blue-chip recruits, I wouldn't expect to see him on the roster at all next year if a real blue-chipper arrives as a freshman.  And potential recruits know that.

[Drew]

Hey man, we will take a loaner::help::
Have a nice holiday!
Cheers!
Drew

[Trotsky]

;-)[quote billhoward]A goalie recruit who's got the potential to be Cornell's best goalie should not scared off by having a good (but not all-league caliber) goalie ahead of him is still going to come. The recruit knows from the history of Leneveu that a freshman can get playing time even when the other goalie is All-American caliber as Underhill was.

Anyway, you just have to convince one kid, the right one person, to sign on.[/quote]

Or we could focus on an outstanding prospect who needs another year in juniors.  Nanaimo needs goaltending too, right?