Why Cornell Will No Longer Dominate the ECAC

[Ice Meets Metal]

It appears Cornell is no longer the powerhouse team it once was and will mostly likely not be for some time. For the simplistic reason it can no longer score more goals than it allows. Schafer was fortunate and had a pretty good recipe for winning the last few years, but now some of those important ingredients from last season are missing. Namely; Moulson, McKee, O'Byrne among a few others.

In the past CU was able to grind out wins by capitalizing on a very highly effective power play. They were able to achieve those 2 or 3 PP goals that gave them the lead. In addition, they were able to keep scoring against to a minimum with good goal tending. McKee was a good goaltender, but not great. What made him great was a good core of defensemen on the blue line.

Even last season CU had trouble scoring at even strength. Schaffer has never trained the lines well enough to "manufacture" a goal, but has instead relied heavily on a man advantage system to ensure goals. But those ingredients are no longer available.  A quick fix was initiated to bring in what seemed to be at the time decent scoring freshman to fill some top spots, but to no avail. The freshman experiment has failed, and failed bad. The power play has not been effective because it has not been adapted for the group of players that make up the units now, as well, there should have been some major player modifications.  Schaffer should have groomed his sophomores better last season. Instead he demoralized good forwards like Barlow, Connors, Fontas and Kindret, guys that had paid their dues and could have made a strong contribution in offense this season.

The problem of poor game results will ultimately compound the team's ability to dominate the division in the future with recruiting. Just what kind of recruits will CU get in the future with poor rankings, probably not quality that it has obtained in the recent past

CU will most likely wallow in 4th or 5th place in the seasons to come. CU may get lucky and go deep in the playoffs, but unlikely. The other universities have raised the bar in their hockey programs and CU will no longer enjoy its dominance that it once held in the ECAC for some time. I am sure at the end of the season, we'll see comments like; "this was rebuilding year", "our freshman were having a transitional year" "Our veteran players didn't provide the leadership" etc. etc., we might even see one of the assistant coaches depart. However, it won't change anything. That magical recipe is gone and until Schaffer starts becoming successful in creating lines that can manufacture goals, or he leaves, which is unlikely with his long term contract, will CU be able to once again dominate the ECAC. The team didn't need some internal soul searching, it needed coaches who could orchestrate an effective scoring offense, practice it everyday and refine it. You can't will players to play better through articles, and comments in and out of the dressing room, it comes with hard and focused training and building chemistry.  It's funny how once a team starts scoring goals and winning, that then do all these issues with leadership, motivation and other stuff melt away.

The bottom line is that the  "Schaffer System" has failed because it has not adapted well to the challenges that CU is facing both internally and externally. You can get lucky sometimes and be dealt a good hand for a year or two, but to be a consistent winner you have to work at what you have every year. How long will it be until the CU crowd shouts, "Its all your fault" and starts pointing to the coaches on the bench? But...of course that could never happen.

[ebilmes]

Spelling guide ---->

It would be really great to wait a couple days before starting these kinds of threads.

[oceanst41]

I think it's important to remember that this team is exactly what most people thought it was going to be. A middle of the pack team that had the chance to attain the 4th seed for the playoffs. I don't think anyone expected a long playoff run. However, we have been spoiled most of the last few years and once the playoffs come around I think we start forgetting that the team is 14-11 and not 25-5.

I wouldn't call this the end of an era until we another season or even two.

[DeltaOne81]

The reason Cornell won't dominate is cause the ECAC is a good deal better than it was 4, 5 years ago. Clarkson, SLU, and sometimes Dartmouth & Q can play with most teams in the country. Harvard can too, but not when its an important game :-P (see: Beanpot, NCAAs).

Anyway, no, we won't dominate much like we did in the past because the competition is much better. And I for one, am glad to see it (although not so much tonight of all nights ).

That said, losing two major D and a goalie and a very solid senior class, this was a rebuilding year all along. Cornell can and will probably have dominant years again. Lets let Romano, Greening, Nash, Krueger, Milo, etc get another year under their belt and see how it goes.

[Oat]

In the past few decades, we won the ECAC in 1967 1968 1969 1970 1973 1980 1986 1996 1997 2003 2005.

It's only been two years since we last won. In terms of ECAC dominance, nothing is wrong here.

[duffs4]

Are you saying I should sell my season tickets while they're worth something?  What would your position be had they won tonight? Best team in the nation for the next decade?  ::smashfreak::

[Oat]

Next year, I don't care too much about dominating the ECAC. I just want us kick BU's ass in the MADISON SQUARE GARDEN!!

[Tom14850]

I was thinking today about the effect of Jamie Russell leaving Cornell a few years back to take over behind the bench at Michigan Tech. He's now in his fourth season there and has been making some very positive strides in what is perennial the cellar dweller of the WCHA. Is it possible that our recruiting has slowly been wilting over the past few years? Or am I thinking this way simply because of the recent sting of a less than stellar year?

[bandrews37]

Probably the most well-thought-out post on here in history. Something I've been thinking of for the last three weeks....

The Schafer glory years are over. The game has evolved, and he's still coaching his style of play from when he wore the Red and White. It's a shame, the players he hoodwinked into coming here deserve better.

[johnny923]

I'm not sure that anybody has been "hoodwinked" into coming here.  They can make visits, see games and see the style of hockey we play.  They then make a decision about where they want to play.  Not to mention the reputation we have for playing grind-it-out hockey.  In the years that I've been here, it seems like our style of play is pretty well known in college hockey circles, so no player who signs on here should be surprised about what they find when they get here.

I am also amazed by the fact that everybody seems to think the world is falling apart because we had a mediocre year.  It's a young team with a lot of talent on it.  I'm upset at the way everything ended as I'm a senior and I don't know how of their games I'll be able to get to in the future but I'm really optimistic about the next few years.  This seems to me to be the most purely talented team that we've had in my 4 years and I expect that we will see better results in the years to come.  We're a couple of defensemen and a goalie who doesn't give up bad rebounds away from being right back where we were before.  Clearly those positions were filled by O'Byne, Pokulok and McKee the last few years and losing all of them was a huge hit but we're not that far off for a team that finished 4th in the ECAC with this many freshmen and sophomores playing big roles.  

Finally, what's with everybody saying Schafer doesn't change his style.  Look at last year's recruiting class and it looks like a pretty big shift in philosophy to me.  This year's team is extremely hard to gauge because he was stuck with the old type of players that Cornell is used to and the new fast-paced, offense-heavy system.  It seems to me that as the old guard moves on, we'll get a better idea of what he's trying to do.  If he tries to make Romano, Gallagher and Milo play a physical, pounding type of game the next couple of years you can complain that he's not adjusting.  But give the guy a chance with this new breed of player that he's recruiting.

[Dafatone]

We had a very good year last year.  At the end of last year, we all thought that if we lost McKee, O'Byrne, and Pokulok, we'd be in trouble.

So that happened, and we managed to have a decent year.  Playoffs ended early, but we were in legitimate contention to win the ECAC's.

So stop panicking, we'll be good next year, and real good the year after that.

[French Rage]

Wait, I thought Schafer glory years were over back in 2004?  Also, I think Castro's days are numbered.

[jtwcornell91]

The irony is that it's the successes of the Schafer era that have raised expectations to the point where some think a season like this is a disaster.  Here's what we've had in his 12 seasons:

ECAC Champs: 1996 1997 2003 2005
ECAC Finalists: 2001 2002 2006
ECAC Semifinalists: 2000
ECAC Play-In Victims: 1998
ECAC Quarter/Quintafinalists: 1999 2004 2007

ECAC RS #1: 2002 2003 2005
ECAC RS #2: 1997 2004
ECAC RS #3-4: 1996 2000 2001 2006 2007
ECAC RS #5-8: 1998 1999

NCAA Semifinalists: 2003
NCAA Quarterfinalists: 1997 2002 2005 2006
NCAA Tournament: 1996

For comparison, here's what we achieved in the 13 seasons Reycroft and McCutcheon had between them:

ECAC Champs: 1986
ECAC Finalists: 1992
ECAC Semifinalists: 1985 1989 1990 1991
ECAC Quarterfinalists: 1988 1994 1995

ECAC RS #2: 1991
ECAC RS #3-4: 1985 1986 1989 1990
ECAC RS #5-8: 1989 1992 1994
ECAC RS #9-12: 1983 1984 1987 1993 1995

NCAA Quarterfinalists: 1986
NCAA Tournament: 1991

[marty]

Stop harping on the facts.  Can't you just let IMM wallow in his misery?

As for me, I'm selling all my Cornell gear and making a bee line for Cambridge.  I want to be first in line at the Coop to buy some Crimson paraphernalia. ::looking::

[Townie]

[quote jtwcornell91]The irony is that it's the successes of the Schafer era that have raised expectations to the point where some think a season like this is a disaster.  Here's what we've had in his 12 seasons:

ECAC Champs: 1996 1997 2003 2005
ECAC Finalists: 2001 2002 2006
ECAC Semifinalists: 2000
ECAC Play-In Victims: 1998
ECAC Quarter/Quintafinalists: 1999 2004 2007

ECAC RS #1: 2002 2003 2005
ECAC RS #2: 1997 2004
ECAC RS #3-4: 1996 2000 2001 2006 2007
ECAC RS #5-8: 1998 1999

NCAA Semifinalists: 2003
NCAA Quarterfinalists: 1997 2002 2005 2006
NCAA Tournament: 1996

[/quote]

Thanks fot the stats, John.  Note that most of the success has come with Schafer's recruits (post-1999).

It's easy to abandon ship after this disappointing end to a frustrating year.  Keep the long view in sight.  All the comments concerning the transition year and loss of personnel are valid, not merely excuses.  

Concerning the Jamie Russell issue, IIRC, Scott Garrow was the Cornell assistant whose last recruiting class before leaving Cornell was 02-03, a high-water mark for sure.  I also recognize that he's been here for 3 or 4 years now, and this team belongs to the existing coaches.

Concerning the "condemned to mediocrity" prediction, it's too early to tell.  Granted that Schafer enjoyed huge success when the game rewarded a more defensive, "clutch & grab" playing style, my jury's still out on whether he and his assistants can adapt to the more wide-open, offense-oriented game.  They've shown they can do it in streaks.  Whether that's a glimpse into the future or just a few "lucky" games is up for conjecture.

The thing I find most disconcerting is our weakness on special teams - some may say lack of creativity.  This is the most orchestrated part of the game where coaches should be able to exert influence, yet we saw little improvement over the course of the year.

In my view, 07-08 will be a tell-tale year.  By then the new offensive core will have matured, the coaches will have had time to refine their systems, we should have more stable goaltending (one way or another) and our young defense will have matured.  I believe next year's freshmen will have a major impact on the success of that team.  Much rests on them.