ECAC Prelims

[ithacat]

Watching, no.  Listening, yes.

It's a bad end to a bad year.  I just think we should keep things in perspective.  This is the worst year we've had in what, 15 seasons or more?  (I'm putting this one below almost knocking out Q a couple years ago).  Plenty of teams have worse years.  In fact, very few haven't.

Let me be clear: losing by itself is not the issue. It's *how* Cornell is losing. If they lost a close-fought series on the backs of mostly shut-down defense and some tragically missed shots, that would be one thing; but they are getting blown away by teams that walk all over whatever our supposed system is.

Enough. Something has to change. I'm not even qualified to say exactly what that is, but I do know it doesn't look like what Cornell is running right now.

Something just doesn't feel right about the direction of the team. It's starting to feel like we're stuck in a decaying building with a withering program. I don't think this is close to rock bottom. We lose 4 of the top 10 scorers with more of the same coming in next season. Players don't seem to improve that much over the years any more. We can't score on breakaways. We can't score on penalty shots. We generally can't find the back door with a map and seem to have little understanding of how to run a two on one...how many years do we have to groan through this power play? Team speed?

We stopped our Coaches Club membership last year. Can't see giving the program $500 (on top of our season tickets) for what is basically dump and chase hockey with lipstick.

[Trotsky]

In 2012, only three years ago, we were 2nd in the ECAC with a +20 goal differential.  We finished that season 10 games over .500 and within a whisper of the Frozen Four.

Still, 2013 - 2015 have been three frustrating and depressing years.  Even though we were 4th last year, our goal differential was +1, only 2 goals better than this season.  2015 just ended very, very badly.  We lose our three best players (Lowry was already gone while Ryan and Bardreau just played their final game).  As of right now there is no reason to think 2016 will be any better.

I have fiercely defended Schafer through this 3-year downturn.  Now, with the passing of the Class of '15, which I thought had much more in it, we have reached a potential inflection point.  The last time we were in this position was 1999. We had just potted out of the First Round under extremely embarrassing and alarming circumstances, with a winning percentage of .452 -- exactly the same as this year's.  That was the point at which Schafer's great run and Cornell's "Silver Age"  began.  In 2000 they turned upwards to .531, followed by .561, .743, and .847 in 2003.

If he can turn things around (1) we'll all be extremely happy and (2) he'll have earned another free pass.  If not, I'll join the group calling for change.

Hopefully there are two McRaes, a Baby, and a Murray somewhere among these guys.

[ugarte]

I'm not calling for him to be fired yet. I think a lot of this grousing is unfair. But this season was shit and it wasn't the first.

[scoop85]

I just read the USCHO game recap. Fascinating quote from Schafer: "I tried to make some changes this year, and they failed miserably. We've got to go back to the drawing board. I did one thing a certain way for 19 years, then I changed something this year, but I'm going back to it next year."

Is he implying that he tried to open things up this year?  Hard to imagine that, but what else could he be saying?

[Icy]

Schafer probably has a tough time recruiting goal scorers.  Offensively-minded junior hockey guys who want to make a good impression on people in the NHL are unlikely to choose Cornell.  They know they are going to be required to stick with Mike's disciplined approach.  

On the subject of discipline, Mike should be given a lot of credit for keeping the team clean.  No Cornell player has ever fractured their foot during an after hours swimming pool event.

[Icy]

Mike's comments:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qX2j0-Vbc4

[BearLover]

Mike's comments:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qX2j0-Vbc4

"...I have to go back to what I really believe in..."
So Schafer's plan is to scrap whatever new ideas he had and go back to the previous system.  To me this says he has no clue how to change/adapt.  I have no faith that things are going to improve.

[Rosey]

If he can turn things around (1) we'll all be extremely happy and (2) he'll have earned another free pass.  If not, I'll join the group calling for change.

At some point, you just have to accept that this may be another Richie Moran situation, with the coach's glory days two decades behind him when he finally passes the torch. Moran, like Schafer, had some success in his second (and third) decade, but nothing like his dominance in the early part of his career.

[Trotsky]

If he can turn things around (1) we'll all be extremely happy and (2) he'll have earned another free pass.  If not, I'll join the group calling for change.

At some point, you just have to accept that this may be another Richie Moran situation, with the coach's glory days two decades behind him when he finally passes the torch. Moran, like Schafer, had some success in his second (and third) decade, but nothing like his dominance in the early part of his career.

I understand that.  You may have found the perfect analogy. Part of the "turnaround" has to be an adaptation to the new conditions of the college game.  If we see retrenchment, even if the record improves that does not constitute progress.

[Juggernaut]

To pile on: Cornell was originally the first choice of a quality player who chose another ECAC school.  He lost interest in Cornell when, during his visit, he said Shafer was "too proud of himself" - and the player didn't want to be associated with someone who thought himself to be "a legend".

[Towerroad]

Mike's comments:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qX2j0-Vbc4

"...I have to go back to what I really believe in..."
So Schafer's plan is to scrap whatever new ideas he had and go back to the previous system.  To me this says he has no clue how to change/adapt.  I have no faith that things are going to improve.

I think the reality is that he tried something new because what he was doing no longer worked as well as it once did. Going back is not the answer. I am afraid we will have to wander in the wilderness a while.

[Dafatone]

Mike's comments:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qX2j0-Vbc4

"...I have to go back to what I really believe in..."
So Schafer's plan is to scrap whatever new ideas he had and go back to the previous system.  To me this says he has no clue how to change/adapt.  I have no faith that things are going to improve.

I think the reality is that he tried something new because what he was doing no longer worked as well as it once did. Going back is not the answer. I am afraid we will have to wander in the wilderness a while.

If we throw this year out because it was a different system, then I'm not convinced that the old system's lack of success over the past five years is more than a random lull.  Even including this year, we've been above average, as a whole, for the past five or six.  That being said, there's a clear downward trend.

Strategically speaking, anyone have an idea what we did differently this season?  The numbers obviously look more defensive, not less.  At least until the last month or so.  It did seem like our defensemen were pinching more often, but that's about all I noticed.

[scoop85]

Mike's comments:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qX2j0-Vbc4

"...I have to go back to what I really believe in..."
So Schafer's plan is to scrap whatever new ideas he had and go back to the previous system.  To me this says he has no clue how to change/adapt.  I have no faith that things are going to improve.

I think the reality is that he tried something new because what he was doing no longer worked as well as it once did. Going back is not the answer. I am afraid we will have to wander in the wilderness a while.

If we throw this year out because it was a different system, then I'm not convinced that the old system's lack of success over the past five years is more than a random lull.  Even including this year, we've been above average, as a whole, for the past five or six.  That being said, there's a clear downward trend.

Strategically speaking, anyone have an idea what we did differently this season?  The numbers obviously look more defensive, not less.  At least until the last month or so.  It did seem like our defensemen were pinching more often, but that's about all I noticed.

I thought we got more quality chances this year, but were unable to bury the vast majority of them.  I don't think the solution is to go back to the "old way" with the same type of players, but instead is to recruit more kids who can put the puck in the net.

[Rosey]

To pile on: Cornell was originally the first choice of a quality player who chose another ECAC school.  He lost interest in Cornell when, during his visit, he said Shafer was "too proud of himself" - and the player didn't want to be associated with someone who thought himself to be "a legend".

Care to provide the name of the recruit so someone can verify this story?

This sort of unsubstantiated anonymous character assassination is "evidence" of the lowest order. And frankly, it's beside the point: Schafer could fancy himself the Vince Lombardi of college hockey, or be the meekest person on earth, and it would have very little effect on my opinion. If he's winning games, he can stay; if he's not, then he should move on and let someone else try. Results are what matter here, and he's been trying unsuccessfully to right the ship for the better part of a decade now. At this point I have no reason to believe he has any idea what the problems with this team even are, much less an idea of how to fix them.

[Jim Hyla]

We still have the best fan base. We didn't equal the total, but were the largest (and the best).

Ours 3791
Hvd   662
Clk  1496
Dart 2102