Colgate 1 at Cornell 2 - Postgame

[amerks127]

As for Berk...I make myself pretty clear during games when I beg Schafer for a defensive line change the second Berk steps on the ice.  He is the weakest player in the lineup right now.  Can't move the puck at all on breakouts and gets out muscled on the boards and in the corners.

I have to say that I feel comfortable with the Nash, Kennedy, and Fontas lines on the ice...not so much our 3rd line of Gallagher, P. Kennedy, and either Joe Devin or Dan Nicholls.  But Devin has now scored in the last two weekends, which doesn't bode well for Nicholls considering no one else will sit unless there is an injury.

If Mike Kennedy suffered a concussion from the hit, however, that's a huge blow to the team, not only because he has been a force since break, but also because he is a center.  Lines are gonna have to be shuffled for tonight, and will probably stay that way.  Just when lines were really starting to mesh, it seems that Schafer is gonna have to find some new combinations.  I hope Scott and Sawada continue to play well w/o Kennedy, if he is in fact injured.

Gonna be a great game tonight.  Sorry to those who cannot be there.

[redhair34]

[quote ebilmes][quote redhair34][quote ebilmes]
As for the 'no passengers' comment above...Brendon Nash looks awful. Really uninspired play, doesn't hustle. This was all the more obvious when Greening and Scali were flying around the ice last night, yet Nash was taking his time moving up to the blue line or going back to get pucks. Berk is also pretty bad, but I'll let amerks127 get into that if he wants.
[/quote]

I stand by that comment.  Where have you been?  That's how Brendon always looks (uninspired).  He plays on an even keel (a la Pokulok) which is sort of a double-edged sword. He made a few pretty poor plays in the neutral/defensive zones, but also a couple of equally good plays in the offensive zone.  While, I would agree it wasn't one of his best showings, it wasn't because he was dogging it.  Agree on Berk--the kid really should be watching in the press box at this point--he's clearly in over his head; I can't imagine that Davenport is a healthy scratch.[/quote]

I'm familiar with how Nash looks -- I've watched him the last two seasons and also got to see Sasha play about 20 times during his two years at Cornell. I have no problem with his 'even keel,' so long as it puts him in the right place at the right time. It's just that when his effort can make the difference in a shift, it's disappointing when he doesn't try a little harder.[/quote]

Fair enough, and believe me I am not huge fan of the "even keel" player, but I think there are certain guys who play their best when they're playing on the edge (Scali, Greening, Scott, Sawada, Nichols etc.) and there are certain guys who make poor decisions when they ratchet up the effort/intensity--I think Brendon is one of these players.

[oceanst41]

Agreed the two worst calls of the night came at the expense of Scali. It's not so much that they were non-calls, but that they were non-calls after similar plays were getting whistled earlier in the game.

Greening, well he's a pretty powerful skater. For being as big as he is, he can really get himself moving. And on the game winner he skated through a hook by snapping the stick in two. ::rock::

I am a little concerned that Cornell was able to muster so little offense last night, considering Colgate wasn't exactly playing very good hockey of late. Dex is a quality goaltender, but that didn't stop Yale from putting 4 past him last weekend. That being said, these Cornell/Colgate matchups of the past few seasons are always physical affairs and usually very low scoring. A win is a win and I'll take the two points.

[grizzdan24]

There are a couple of guys that I thought quietly played very solid games last night: Krueger and Barlow.  Krueger continues to be our best shot blocker and I would argue our most consistent defender thus far.  I am incredibly confident when he is on the ice and if there happens to be a 2 on 1 not in our favor, I would choose him to be the one if given the option.  Barlow, on the other hand, played one of his better games in a while highlighted by his controlling of the puck and pass to Greening to setup the first goal.

[redhair34]

[quote amerks127]Davenport is not a healthy scratch and we'd be lucky to see him again this season.

As for Berk...I make myself pretty clear during games when I beg Schafer for a defensive line change the second Berk steps on the ice.  He is the weakest player in the lineup right now.  Can't move the puck at all on breakouts and gets out muscled on the boards and in the corners.

I have to say that I feel comfortable with the Nash, Kennedy, and Fontas lines on the ice...not so much our 3rd line of Gallagher, P. Kennedy, and either Joe Devin or Dan Nicholls.  But Devin has now scored in the last two weekends, which doesn't bode well for Nicholls considering no one else will sit unless there is an injury.

If Mike Kennedy suffered a concussion from the hit, however, that's a huge blow to the team, not only because he has been a force since break, but also because he is a center.  Lines are gonna have to be shuffled for tonight, and will probably stay that way.  Just when lines were really starting to mesh, it seems that Schafer is gonna have to find some new combinations.  I hope Scott and Sawada continue to play well w/o Kennedy, if he is in fact injured.

Gonna be a great game tonight.  Sorry to those who cannot be there.[/quote]

How Schafer uses Berk could be a big factor tonight.  You know that Vaughn is going to have Burton and Winchester out there for every Gate offensive zone face-off when Berk/Devin are on the ice.  I'd like to see Schafer use Berk sparingly and only really against their 3rd/4th lines.  As you alluded to, when Berk/Devin are on the ice they default to the controlled breakout and the center is forced to carry the puck out of the zone which pretty much kills any transition offense.

Assuming no Kennedy or Fontas, I think we'll see something along the lines of...

Greening--Nash--Barlow
Kennedy--Scott--Sawada
Roezler--Gallagher--Devin
Scali--Mugford--Nichols

[lynah80]

From today's Ithaca Journal (2/2/2008):

The Raiders' Brian Day leveled Michael Kennedy with hit at center ice that left the Big Red's first line center injured on the ice.

"I thought it spurred us," said Cornell coach Mike Schafer, adding it angered the Cornell bench. "It was a high hit to his head. I thought our guys responded to that and got it going."

Notes: Friday's scratches were forwards Tyler Roeszler and Dan Nicholls, and defensemen Taylor Davenport and Jacob Johnston. ... Kennedy and Fontas did not finish the game for Cornell. No immediate update on their condition was available, Schafer said.

[lynah80]

According to the NCAA ice hockey rule book, any contact to the head can be called a penalty. It's up to the ref to decide if it was deliberate and/or dangerous.

[Oat]

Either that.. or look for him in the NHL next year.

[Jim Hyla]

[quote oceanst41]I am a little concerned that Cornell was able to muster so little offense last night, considering Colgate wasn't exactly playing very good hockey of late. [/quote]

Actually they have been playing much better of late (4-1-1) than early in the season. They are an upperclassmen team that was picked to finish second. A real disappointment. The best Colgate season of late was when their coach was off being acting AD.

[David Harding]

Rule 2, Section 3

a... A substitute goalkeeper must be on the bench at the start of the game and shall at all times be fully dressed and equipped and ready to play. Upon entering the game, the substitute goalkeeper shall take his position without delay. A team shall not start a game with less than two goalkeepers.
PENALTY—Forfeiture (score will be recorded as 1-0).
Note: A team must travel to an away game with a minimum of two goalkeepers on the roster. If one of the goalkeepers sustains an incapacitating injury or, because of extenuating circumstances, is not able to suit up, a forfeiture penalty shall not be called. Officials are instructed to play the game and report it to the rules committee and appropriate conference, if applicable. The rules committee is the sole arbitrator of these extenuating circumstances.

d. Except when all goalkeepers are incapacitated, another player shall not be permitted to wear the equipment of the goalkeeper.

[David Harding]

[quote lynah80]According to the NCAA ice hockey rule book, any contact to the head can be called a penalty. It's up to the ref to decide if it was deliberate and/or dangerous.[/quote]To be specific,

Contact to the Head
SECTION 8. A player shall not make contact with an opposing player's head or neck area in any manner.
PENALTY—Minor or major or disqualification at the discretion of the referee. Contact to the head shall be assessed in front of the infraction (i.e. contact to the head – elbow).
Note: The Rules Committee instructs officials to use a zero tolerance policy in this area.

[marty]

[quote David Harding]Rule 2, Section 3

a... A substitute goalkeeper must be on the bench at the start of the game and shall at all times be fully dressed and equipped and ready to play. Upon entering the game, the substitute goalkeeper shall take his position without delay. A team shall not start a game with less than two goalkeepers.
PENALTY—Forfeiture (score will be recorded as 1-0).
Note: A team must travel to an away game with a minimum of two goalkeepers on the roster. If one of the goalkeepers sustains an incapacitating injury or, because of extenuating circumstances, is not able to suit up, a forfeiture penalty shall not be called. Officials are instructed to play the game and report it to the rules committee and appropriate conference, if applicable. The rules committee is the sole arbitrator of these extenuating circumstances.

d. Except when all goalkeepers are incapacitated, another player shall not be permitted to wear the equipment of the goalkeeper.

[/quote]

So are we to follow the NCAA rules or the upstart NACC?::crazy::

[marty]

[quote redhair34][quote ebilmes][quote redhair34][quote ebilmes]
As for the 'no passengers' comment above...Brendon Nash looks awful. Really uninspired play, doesn't hustle. This was all the more obvious when Greening and Scali were flying around the ice last night, yet Nash was taking his time moving up to the blue line or going back to get pucks. Berk is also pretty bad, but I'll let amerks127 get into that if he wants.
[/quote]

I stand by that comment.  Where have you been?  That's how Brendon always looks (uninspired).  He plays on an even keel (a la Pokulok) which is sort of a double-edged sword. He made a few pretty poor plays in the neutral/defensive zones, but also a couple of equally good plays in the offensive zone.  While, I would agree it wasn't one of his best showings, it wasn't because he was dogging it.  Agree on Berk--the kid really should be watching in the press box at this point--he's clearly in over his head; I can't imagine that Davenport is a healthy scratch.[/quote]

I'm familiar with how Nash looks -- I've watched him the last two seasons and also got to see Sasha play about 20 times during his two years at Cornell. I have no problem with his 'even keel,' so long as it puts him in the right place at the right time. It's just that when his effort can make the difference in a shift, it's disappointing when he doesn't try a little harder.[/quote]

Fair enough, and believe me I am not huge fan of the "even keel" player, but I think there are certain guys who play their best when they're playing on the edge (Scali, Greening, Scott, Sawada, Nichols etc.) and there are certain guys who make poor decisions when they ratchet up the effort/intensity--I think Brendon is one of these players.[/quote]

I fell on a patch of ice last Thursday.  Hit my forehead, needed stiches (passed on that - so I'm growing a nice scar) and basically was lucky as hell to have a gushing cut and no broken bones.  Ever since then I have been scared and respectful of ice patches.  I'm afraid I may hurt myself (and put my career in jeopardy - not to mention my 56 year old life).

Just a few weeks ago we all wondered whether Brendon would ever play college hockey since Riley might be doing a one year stint and all that.  Now that he is relatively healthy we expect him to be a whirling dervish on ice.

I'm not saying he's hurt - though it is possible - but he may have visions of finishing the season too.  That said, I hate it when the opposition flies by him.  It is a scary site.

[oceanst41]

[quote Jim Hyla][quote oceanst41]I am a little concerned that Cornell was able to muster so little offense last night, considering Colgate wasn't exactly playing very good hockey of late. [/quote]

Actually they have been playing much better of late (4-1-1) than early in the season. They are an upperclassmen team that was picked to finish second. A real disappointment. The best Colgate season of late was when their coach was off being acting AD.[/quote]

Well I see they are 3-3-1 since the holiday break, and probably their most impressive result is the 1-1 tie with Clarkson. That aside my point really is that this is an underachieving team, and Cornell should be taking the play to them. That only happened in spurts last night. Hopefully they come out tonight and dictate play instead of letting 'Gate get under their skin with all these after whistle scrums.

[Rita]

[quote redhair34][quote amerks127]Davenport is not a healthy scratch and we'd be lucky to see him again this season.

As for Berk...I make myself pretty clear during games when I beg Schafer for a defensive line change the second Berk steps on the ice.  He is the weakest player in the lineup right now.  Can't move the puck at all on breakouts and gets out muscled on the boards and in the corners.

I have to say that I feel comfortable with the Nash, Kennedy, and Fontas lines on the ice...not so much our 3rd line of Gallagher, P. Kennedy, and either Joe Devin or Dan Nicholls.  But Devin has now scored in the last two weekends, which doesn't bode well for Nicholls considering no one else will sit unless there is an injury.

If Mike Kennedy suffered a concussion from the hit, however, that's a huge blow to the team, not only because he has been a force since break, but also because he is a center.  Lines are gonna have to be shuffled for tonight, and will probably stay that way.  Just when lines were really starting to mesh, it seems that Schafer is gonna have to find some new combinations.  I hope Scott and Sawada continue to play well w/o Kennedy, if he is in fact injured.

Gonna be a great game tonight.  Sorry to those who cannot be there.[/quote]

How Schafer uses Berk could be a big factor tonight.  You know that Vaughn is going to have Burton and Winchester out there for every Gate offensive zone face-off when Berk/Devin are on the ice.  I'd like to see Schafer use Berk sparingly and only really against their 3rd/4th lines.  As you alluded to, when Berk/Devin are on the ice they default to the controlled breakout and the center is forced to carry the puck out of the zone which pretty much kills any transition offense.

Assuming no Kennedy or Fontas, I think we'll see something along the lines of...

Greening--Nash--Barlow
Kennedy--Scott--Sawada
Roezler--Gallagher--Devin
Scali--Mugford--Nichols[/quote]

Michael Kennedy and Fontas are out for Saturday's game.

Greening--Nash--Barlow
Kennedy--Scott--Sawada
Taylor Davenport (not a typo)--Gallagher--Devin
Scali--Mugford--Nichols

I'll move this once someone starts the game thread. I'm assuming my ban from last season carries over to this one. The team has enough trouble playing on Saturdays, they do not need my "jinx factor".