Cornell 4 at Brown 1 (postgame)

[Trotsky]

[quote billhoward]Speaking of Nash and awesome play: When was Cornell's last ECAC rookie of the year? (What about outside goaltenders?)[/quote]

Kyle Knopp, 1996.  There has never been a Cornell goaltender ROTY.

Edit: Um, except McKee that is.  ::whistle::

[BCrespi]

I totally agree on the Scott, Gallagher, Roeszler (perhaps he should be added to the spelling guide?) line.  They did a couple of nice things, but I thought they were more impressive Friday night.  The bigger body of Devin certainly helped.  I thought, for his size especially, Roeszler looked slow tonight.  As this is the first time I've seen him in person, is this others' impression as well?  For him to provide anything to that line it would need to be grit, speed, or least finishing ability, and I didn't notice any of those things at first glance.  I also thought Scali looked particularly slow tonight and could see him being replaced when Mugford comes back.  

I thought Fontas had a particularly strong weekend.  He looked great defensively and was impressive carrying the puck.  Definitely a stabilizing force on that line that would have little chance at anything but a chip-forward/dump-in offense.

Barlow's improvement, in all facets of the game, has been remarkable.  Kudos to him, he must have put a lot of work in.

Pumped for Harvard, Let's Go Red!

[Cactus12]

The ability to win close games is tremendous... says a lot about a team.

As far as Nash goes... will teams with top defenses be able to bottle him up or is he that step above already? (haven't seen him play yet)

[LaJollaRed]

So all I keep hearing about is this amazing Nash Goal. Ari liked it more than I think I've ever seen him like anything.

Does ANYONE have video of it? Some photos? One giant cotton photo-rug from Wegmans?

[RichH]

Some great comments and observations have already been made on the two postgame threads from this weekend.  I'll probably wind up combining my thoughts from both Yale and Brown into this post...

First and foremost: Colin Greening and Riley Nash are just getting comfortable playing with each other, and when they finish learning and start knowing...instinctively knowing...what the other is going to do and where the other is going to be, this is going to be a very special line.  They're already a force.  Those two were far and away the best forwards on the ice this weekend, and when you throw in Barlow to be the "banger" on this line...to clear paths, direct traffic, take care of bodies, and generally clean up trash while his linemates are doing their thing...oh, I love this line.  I think Chartrand-Cooney of 1996, but with two Chartrands.  I get excited when I see these guys on the ice.  They simply play "bigger" than everyone else facing them.  By the 2nd half of this season, this could be one of the great lines of this decade in the ECAC.  I never want them broken up.  This is your reason to buy tickets to see this team, IMO.

Now on Riley specifically.  Wow.  I can count at least three times this weekend where he went into a crowd of 3-5 people and calmly cut and weaved right through them all to emerge with puck possession and ready to make a play.  The 3rd goal at Brown was an obvious example, but he also did this in the 2nd carrying the puck behind the Brown net (and made a brilliant pass on the other side), as well as another weave through slot traffic at Yale followed by an undressing of the Y goaltender...he misplayed his shot just a bit and it slid wide of an open goalmouth.  I must say I was skeptical of Nash's hype from what I saw in Red/White and Princeton, but I can now say he's a little above average.  ;-)  I think he's still getting used to the pace and learning where the "sweet-spot" is for physical play in this league, but yeah...I think he's a keeper. (Again, ;-) ) Smooth and effortless in stick-handling and skating ability, like his brother.  I'll even throw in a freshman-year Pokulok comparison also.  But this guy is a forward.  I'm looking forward to seeing him develop.  With that goal tonight, I don't think I've ever seen the group of people I was with not leap into the air with a goal, but just blink with a look of slack-jawed amazement and say "what just happened?"  We basically forgot to celebrate, it was so good.

All the lines:  Hard working.  Each one of them.  Good to see.  I'm reminded of a Herb Brooks-ism:  "We don't have the talent to win on talent alone."  That's pretty much how I feel about this team.  But if they continue to put in the effort that they showed this weekend, I'll be very satisfied at the end of this season, no matter what the end result.

Defense:  Worlds better than what they showed vs. Princeton.  Blocking shots, and sacrificing their body.  It was all there.  Positioning and picking off the free opponent still needs work, but it's getting better.  The breakout and transition game, I fear, will always be a soft spot with this team.  But honestly, the shot totals for the weekend didn't perfectly reflect the game.  Save for several periods of sustained pressure where Cornell had difficulty gaining possession and clearing, many of the shots that made it to Scrivens were low-percentage.  Yale seemed to have some suspect shot-counting in general.

Scrivens: Can't complain at all.  I think his performance in the 3rd tonight showed he can be a big-game goaltender, in the sense that he made all the saves he was supposed to make.  In a 1-goal game, Brown put on some very good pressure and he didn't make mistakes in the 3rd.  I'm usually fine with his roaming tendencies, but his flub in the 2nd was a big one and cause for concern.  I still don't know how Brown didn't score on what seemed to be a tap-in opportunity.

I think the book on Rosen was to shoot high, because we did that a lot.  Greening finally picked off that spot late in the 2nd.  Cornell was also more effective than they have been in creating traffic in front of the net to get the puck deflecting around a bit, but didn't cash in until Topher happened to be swooping by at the right moment after it squirted free.

Crowds were generally subdued as others have said.  Good to see a standing CU student group at Brown.  Also good to see some face-painted Brown fans who actually give a crap about their team.  The band was missed, but it was the final home football game.  A last-week attempt to organize an alumni band for Yale fell through, unfortunately.

Really??  Not one ref-bashing post on eLF??!  I'm in shock.  Officiating was pretty good all weekend.  Didn't see the hit for the major at the end of the Brown game, but c'mon...Roger Grillo is in the house.  I think this is the first Brown game I've been to in a while where there hasn't been some sort of a significant scuffle.

[Jim Hyla]

My 2 cents now back home after a great weekend. Scrivens played very well, but I still have to stop breathing whenever he starts skating away to play the puck. It's only a matter of time till he gets burned.

I'll second everybody's  comments about Nash's goal. Nobody in our area didn't cheer, of course we were sitting right in front of his family.:-) They came down (and over) from British Columbia for last weekend and this weekend. Unfortunately they can't stay for next weekend. At the game Al made the comment about it being like Joe Nieuwendyk, and I have to agree. Yes the Shier goal was wonderful, but you just realize that Nash will be doing a lot more of these.

I really like what Fontas is doing this year, his play is solid and he really looks like he belongs, not so last year.

Our biggest problem, like all have said, is being bottled up in our own defensive end. This has happened too many times. I'm used to us doing it against others. With better opponents, like skating out of the net, this will come to haunt us. I don't know what the problem is, as it's happening with all lines. I can't remember how many times I was wishing for an icing.:-/

That said, this team looks so much more together than last year. These frosh, unlike some others, seem to have bought into the system. As good as their offensive skills are, they all are willing to check. I just get the feeling they will fix it. I worry it won't happen by next weekend, and that could lead to a sad time. I can't see us beating Clarkson at this point. Fortunately our schedule is good to us and we don't see them till next year.

Having the band makes a huge difference, and as I said in another thread, your financial support, even $10, can help their travel costs. I thought the crowd at Brown was more into it than at Yale. Maybe practice helps us as well.

Well off to bed. I hope not too much of this::coffee:: while doing this::drive::.

[Al DeFlorio]

[quote calgARI '07]I liked Joe Devin on the line with Scott and Gallagher because he is pretty good along the boards and a consistent physical presence.  No clue why he was taken out for the too small, too tentative Roezler.  
[/quote]
Agree wholeheartedly.  Without Devin that line gets pinned in its own end for long periods.  Last night such a situation led to Gallagher finally taking a penalty in a vain attempt to end Brown's possession, and nine seconds later Brown scored the game's first goal on the subsequent power play.  Devin, or one of the other bigger forwards, should play with Scott and Gallagher.

[Al DeFlorio]

Schafer on the goaltending rotation (from the USCHO recap of Friday's game against Yale):  

"For Schafer, evening the record is a product of consistent effort, not only in the offensive zone, but also from Scrivens. The Big Red came into the season returning two experienced goaltenders, but a lackluster 2006-07 season left the job up for grabs.

"'This is back-to-back games that he's played very well. It's exactly what we wanted, for one of those guys to take charge, and that's what Ben did here tonight,' said Schafer."

[billhoward]

Crowds were generally subdued as others have said. Good to see a standing CU student group at Brown. Also good to see some face-painted Brown fans who actually give a crap about their team.  

Face painting at Brown needs to be done carefully and with sensitivity.

[jeh25]

[quote Jim Hyla] I thought the crowd at Brown was more into it than at Yale. Maybe practice helps us as well.
[/quote]

Providence is only 50 minutes from Boston, and it was the Saturday game. I suspect that while the roadtrip fans were consistent across the two games, the "local" alums may have made the difference.

Besides, the Hayeseses and the DeFlorios were at Brown but not Yale....

[Al DeFlorio]

[quote jeh25]Besides, the Hayeseses and the DeFlorios were at Brown but not Yale.... [/quote]
And we're glad to see you inching closer to Cape Cod, John.;-)

And thanks for the Beeeej intro.  (Hope I got the number of "e"s right.)

[Doug '08]

I am just getting back into Ithaca this morning.  I can't say I have anything new to add to this discussion, other than that Cornell was outworked in the 1st period and was lucky not to have been down going into the second.  It was great to see some other students at this game as well.  Even without the band, our fans provided far more support that the skeleton Brown crowd.

Obviously a 4 point weekend is great result, although that being said I wouldn't say Cornell dominated either game, instead playing just good enough to win.  I will be posting more of my thoughts in a column-style format that I will submit to Age later this evening or tomorrow.

[oceanst41]

A few thoughts from the game, now that I've finally seen one in person this year...

Considering the type of team Cornell has this year, they played a pretty good start to the game. Brown obviously came out and tried to throw their weight around, and to Cornell's credit they didn't back down or get goaded into penalties.

They did get bottled up at times, but again did a good job, for the most part, at avoiding any calls. They also did a great job of team defense, especially the Brown PP with 10 min left in the 2nd or 3rd. Mike Kennedy lost his stick and it was effectively a 5 on 3 for 30-45 seconds. Nobody panicked, and eventually Kennedy was able to dive and push the puck out of the zone for the clear and a very important line change.

While there were a number of PPGs last night, they PP still isn't moving a whole lot. Topher's goal resulted off of some good traffic in front, but prior to that they were just passing around the outside, feet firmly planted. The second PPG was much better, where Greening was able to work into the middle of the defensive box and Nash found him. I'm hopeful this can lead to more confidence and therefore more movement on the PP from now on.

Finally, looking at the box score, I'm shocked Brown outshot Cornell. It didn't feel that way while watching the game. And while Brown has a lovely shots on goal scoreboard, it was not functioning for this game. Cornell did a good job at keeping Brown to the outside for most of the game and the majority of those shots were more or less dump ins. That being said, and I'll echo what others have said here, the chances were pretty even. Brown put the pressure on in the 3rd and Scrivens made some nice stops (the poke check on a partial Brown breakaway to start the 3rd sticks out in my mind right now).

Looking forward to next Friday.

[Doug '08]

yeah I wouldn't look too much into the shot count of either game, there was definitely some home ice bias in both of those totals.

[Al DeFlorio]

[quote oceanst41]Finally, looking at the box score, I'm shocked Brown outshot Cornell. It didn't feel that way while watching the game. And while Brown has a lovely shots on goal scoreboard, it was not functioning for this game. Cornell did a good job at keeping Brown to the outside for most of the game and the majority of those shots were more or less dump ins. That being said, and I'll echo what others have said here, the chances were pretty even.[/quote]
My sense is that Schafer has a different approach to away games (whether any of us likes that or not).  Here's a quote from the Ithaca Journal after the Yale game on Friday:

"'It was a big opportunity for us to go on the road and keep it simple, and that's just what we did,' Cornell coach Mike Schafer said."

My sense is that on the road he wants the team to take few chances that might lead to odd-man rushes and therefore limit the good scoring opportunities for the home team.  If we catch a break (see Nash's goal against Yale) that can lead to a win because the game is likely to be close.  I'd say the result of that approach is reflected in your comment about "keeping Brown to the outside for most of the game" and therefore giving them few good scoring chances, despite the apparent shot advantage.