cornell 2 - brown 3 OT

[BigRedHockeyFan]

We knew what he meant.  Give the kid a break.  Spelling mistakes weren't the problem tonight.  The lack of offense on the ice was.

[Beeeej]

We knew what he meant.  Give the kid a break.  Spelling mistakes weren't the problem tonight.  The lack of offense on the ice was.

You're right, Toni, I'll lay off.

[Al DeFlorio]

brown wins..

shot from way outside isles makes toe save and the puck sits for ever and finally gets swept in.

bad loss considering brown played well for all of 5 shifts in the game..

I don't know what game you were watching, but sitting in Meehan it was clear Brown was all over Cornell from the opening faceoff until the five minute major.  They beat Cornell to the puck all night, bottled up the Cornell breakout, and were in control of the game until that penalty.  Schafer even had to call a time-out 2:04 into the third period to kick the crap out of the team because they looked like they were just going through the motions.  When was the last time you saw a coach feel he had to do that?  Unbelievably indifferent effort by a team playing for home ice in the playoffs.

[munchkin]

brown wins..

shot from way outside isles makes toe save and the puck sits for ever and finally gets swept in.

bad loss considering brown played well for all of 5 shifts in the game..

I don't know what game you were watching, but sitting in Meehan it was clear Brown was all over Cornell from the opening faceoff until the five minute major.  They beat Cornell to the puck all night, bottled up the Cornell breakout, and were in control of the game until that penalty.  Schafer even had to call a time-out 2:04 into the third period to kick the crap out of the team because they looked like they were just going through the motions.  When was the last time you saw a coach feel he had to do that?  Unbelievably indifferent effort by a team playing for home ice in the playoffs.

I couldn't agree more.  It was sloppy, they weren't recovering pucks from the boards, they weren't aware of each other on ice and were sending pucks to empty areas (or Brown players), they allowed a number of weak turnovers.  I know AJH will have words about this as he and I sat next to each other during the game.  They were sluggish, and only during the extended power play did they seem to have it together.  While I'm not saying Brown played stellar hockey, they played with greater intensity and speed than Cornell tonight.

Also, attendance wise: all the Cornell fans were on the opposite side of the rink from the Brown sections and there were several hundred of us, easily.  Before the game I chatted with high school seniors who have been accepted and were experiencing their first game, an unfortunate one, but they did start learning some of the cheers.

[Trotsky]

Schafer even had to call a time-out 2:04 into the third period to kick the crap out of the team because they looked like they were just going through the motions.  When was the last time you saw a coach feel he had to do that?  Unbelievably indifferent effort by a team playing for home ice in the playoffs.

Ugh.  This even came across on the radio broadcast.  I know Providence is depressing, but still.  The 1985 team had an eerily similar game at Brown.  It was an inexplicably lazy effort after an outstanding January-February run.  That team recovered and got to the ECAC SF where they were dispatched by the most dominant squad I've ever seen, the eventual National Champion RPI team.

[ajh258]

I don't know what game you were watching, but sitting in Meehan it was clear Brown was all over Cornell from the opening faceoff until the five minute major.  They beat Cornell to the puck all night, bottled up the Cornell breakout, and were in control of the game until that penalty.  Schafer even had to call a time-out 2:04 into the third period to kick the crap out of the team because they looked like they were just going through the motions.  When was the last time you saw a coach feel he had to do that?  Unbelievably indifferent effort by a team playing for home ice in the playoffs.

We played like this all year, but our record doesn't show it. A lot of our wins after the winter break were mostly luck IMHO.


In any case, looks like we will be missing that first round bye and drawing Harvard:

If the Engineers beat the Bobcats (which they probably will), Princeton loses to Union and beats us in a comparison (tied in head-to-head, but higher winning percentage), and Harvard holding off SLU (likely since they've been playing better lately), we'll be paired up with SUCKS next weekend at Lynah.

But anything could happen obviously.

[nyc94]

If the Engineers beat the Bobcats (which they probably will), Princeton loses to Union and beats us in a comparison (tied in head-to-head, but higher winning percentage), and Harvard holding off SLU (likely since they've been playing better lately), we'll be paired up with SUCKS next weekend at Lynah.

Maybe I'm doing this wrong but if Harvard beats SLU they finish 10th.  If we finish 6th we would host 11th which would be SLU - because they lost to Harvard and own the H2H tiebreaker over Colgate.

[TimV]

We have lost SEVEN points to three of the worst teams in the league. With even just four of those back, we'd be in third, winning the tiebreaker with Dartmouth. We're probably right where we deserve to be.

[ajh258]

If the Engineers beat the Bobcats (which they probably will), Princeton loses to Union and beats us in a comparison (tied in head-to-head, but higher winning percentage), and Harvard holding off SLU (likely since they've been playing better lately), we'll be paired up with SUCKS next weekend at Lynah.

Maybe I'm doing this wrong but if Harvard beats SLU they finish 10th.  If we finish 6th we would host 11th which would be SLU - because they lost to Harvard and own the H2H tiebreaker over Colgate.

I stand corrected! Didn't notice that SLU and Harvard were tied in points.

Well, then let's add SLU to the mix. Even if Colgate wins against Brown today, they cannot finish higher than last because they lose head-to-head compared to the Saints and the Crimson. Unless we pull out something special against Yale tonight, those are our two most-likely opponents next weekend.

[Give My Regards]

... Princeton loses to Union and beats us in a comparison (tied in head-to-head, but higher winning percentage) ...

Small consolation, but Princeton cannot beat Cornell in the tiebreakers.  They split head-to-head and each would have the same number of league wins (it's league wins, not overall), so it would go to record against the top 4, and due to Cornell's better record that Princeton's against Dartmouth and RPI, the Big Red would get the higher seed no matter which (or even if both) of those teams joined Union and Yale in the top 4.

If RPI or Dartmouth wound up tied in the standings with both Cornell and Princeton, the Big Red would win the three-way tiebreaker based on better head-to-head record against the other two.

[ajh258]

... Princeton loses to Union and beats us in a comparison (tied in head-to-head, but higher winning percentage) ...

Small consolation, but Princeton cannot beat Cornell in the tiebreakers.  They split head-to-head and each would have the same number of league wins (it's league wins, not overall), so it would go to record against the top 4, and due to Cornell's better record that Princeton's against Dartmouth and RPI, the Big Red would get the higher seed no matter which (or even if both) of those teams joined Union and Yale in the top 4.

If RPI or Dartmouth wound up tied in the standings with both Cornell and Princeton, the Big Red would win the three-way tiebreaker based on better head-to-head record against the other two.

So it's top 4 league record comparison? Hmm, did not know that.

If RPI loses tonight, then we still have first round bye, assuming Princeton cannot beat Union? Maybe I should go to the Quinnipiac game tonight instead.

[nyc94]

... Princeton loses to Union and beats us in a comparison (tied in head-to-head, but higher winning percentage) ...

Small consolation, but Princeton cannot beat Cornell in the tiebreakers.  They split head-to-head and each would have the same number of league wins (it's league wins, not overall), so it would go to record against the top 4, and due to Cornell's better record that Princeton's against Dartmouth and RPI, the Big Red would get the higher seed no matter which (or even if both) of those teams joined Union and Yale in the top 4.

If RPI or Dartmouth wound up tied in the standings with both Cornell and Princeton, the Big Red would win the three-way tiebreaker based on better head-to-head record against the other two.

So it's top 4 league record comparison? Hmm, did not know that.

If RPI loses tonight, then we still have first round bye, assuming Princeton cannot beat Union? Maybe I should go to the Quinnipiac game tonight instead.

TIE-BREAKING PROCEDURES FOR CHAMPIONSHIP SEEDING
http://www.ecachockey.com/men/tournament/ChampTieBreaking

[amerks127]

If Colgate tied Yale last night, Cornell certainly has an opportunity to win tonight.

[Jim Hyla]

If Colgate tied Yale last night, Cornell certainly has an opportunity to win tonight.

But that also shows how tough the bottom teams can be. Getting a bye is all the more important this year, as first round "upsets" are likely.

[dbilmes]

If Colgate tied Yale last night, Cornell certainly has an opportunity to win tonight.

That's the great thing about sports! Is a Cornell win tonight likely? No. Is it possible? Yes. Hopefully, it will be an excellent game, as Yale is playing for first place and we're playing for a first-round bye.