Future Coaching?

[BearLover]

Schafer is starting to bring in smaller, speedier players.  But does anyone think he can actually coach them?

[underskill]

shouldn't we wait till the end of the season for the post-mortem?

[ithacat]

The recruited forwards are getting smaller.  Hopefully that means quicker and higher skilled.  This year they brought in Vanderlaan (5-7) and Lalor (5-11).  (Though Angello and Starrett are both 6-5, I'm not going to complain about them).

Coming soon we've got a whole bunch of smaller forwards: Donaldson at 5-6, Hoffman and Regush at 5-9, Murphy and Nelson at 5-10.  Of 16 commitments only one is over 6-2 (and he's just 6-3).  On the current roster of 28, 13 are over 6-2, and that includes 4 at 6-5 and Hillbrich at whatever ridiculous height he is.

Now, just because the personnel profile is changing doesn't necessarily mean the playing style will, but I'd say it's a good bet.  The team I saw this weekend was far more up tempo and aggressive -- they aren't playing The System anymore.  The problem is they aren't actually finishing on the chances they create, but they are creating chances.  The big problem this past weekend was bad decisions and defensive breakdowns -- exactly the sort of risk you take when you open things up.

They did have 69 shots this weekend; many from in close.  That's good pressure.

That's an interesting observation and I'm curious to see how that translates, if at all, to Mike's playing style. I fully expect Mike to receive an extension. Given the youth of this year's squad, and Andy's track record hiring coaches, handing Mike a couple more years might be for the best. He's got to know better than any of us that he has one of the slowest teams in college hockey and it's killing his NCAA chances. Most ECAC teams have better speed among their defensive corp than Cornell does among its forwards. It's become brutal to watch.

The team's performance in 2016 has been dreadful. They haven't won a game at Lynah in almost two months. They're 0-4-2 at home since Merrimack and have been beaten by an aggregate 11-24 score. Given Union's last three games at Lynah I have a hard time believing the team is playing past Saturday. Scoring first and winning Friday is imperative if they hope to advance.

PS, Regush is listed at 6' on his team's roster.

[RichH]

Rich, are you supporting the way Andy runs the athletic dept?  Do you think Andy holds coaches accountable for their team's record?  Who was the last coach that Andy fired because they didn't win?  I am not referring to Mike and hockey, but to other programs which have abysmal records.

I never have. I have no idea, as it depends how you define "hold accountable," but I also believe that a team's record isn't a be-all/end-all measurement of success. I also believe that the AD doesn't treat all athletic teams equally. Lastly, I don't know, and I'm too busy to look it up.

[marty]

Schafer is starting to bring in smaller, speedier players.  But does anyone think he can actually coach them?

Yes, some people do. Do you?

[Trotsky]

Schafer is starting to bring in smaller, speedier players.  But does anyone think he can actually coach them?

One of the coaches is one of the best small players we've ever had.

[RichH]

Schafer is starting to bring in smaller, speedier players.  But does anyone think he can actually coach them?

One of the coaches is one of the best small players we've ever had.

Knopp, Vesce, Scott, and Gallagher. All 100+ career point marks for small guys, spanning each "era" of Schafer. And now Vanderlaan looks like a very good small player.

[Towerroad]

Given the turmoil at the head of the University I suspect that no one is thinking about changes in Athletics in the very near term. Regardless of the record the current AD will not make any changes in the Men's Hockey leadership this year since that would bring the Eye of Day Hall on him. Doing nothing is probably his best bet, the only question is how long the extension will be.

[BearLover]

Schafer is starting to bring in smaller, speedier players.  But does anyone think he can actually coach them?

Yes, some people do. Do you?

No idea.  He'd have to completely revamp his system if these players become the norm.

[BearLover]

Schafer is starting to bring in smaller, speedier players.  But does anyone think he can actually coach them?

One of the coaches is one of the best small players we've ever had.

Oh, I'm aware, but he's only an assistant.  It's still Schafer's system.

[RichH]

Schafer is starting to bring in smaller, speedier players.  But does anyone think he can actually coach them?

One of the coaches is one of the best small players we've ever had.

Oh, I'm aware, but he's only an assistant.  It's still Schafer's system.

I'll take a friendly exception to the phrase "only an assistant." I think the strengths of the assistant coaches in college hockey matter a great deal, from established recruiting relationships to application and teaching of on-ice skill/conditioning drills during practices to simple motivation and/or communication with student-athlete leadership. There are those of us here who give varying degrees of credit to Brent Brekke and Jamie Russell during the modern "glory years." Additionally, Casey was known for his recruiting prowess that secured a stretch of national success for Ohio State, and during his time here brought some in-roads to Eastern talent. Ever wonder why CU's roster is currently over 50% USA kids? (I feel that started when Syer joined the staff). Odd to say, but once Willcox & Knisley graduate, Gillam will be the only product of the BCHL left on the roster.

Personally, I wouldn't mind if somehow an offensive specialist joined the staff. Somebody who can work with the players to overcome what I see as our three weaknesses: an inability to handle an aggressive forecheck in our own zone, a way to defeat the left-wing lock regularly, and a more goal-oriented, confident passing plan in the o-zone. I'm more pleased with our performance on face-offs than I have been, so I've removed that from my wish-list.

[Jim Hyla]

I still don't understand how people can still imply that Schafer hasn't changed. The way the team tries to play now is nothing like when he came in the mid-90s. Nor is it like the glory days of 2003. He is playing a much more uptempo game and when he finds a line that can do it, the "JAM" line, he keeps them together and lets them go. He has been mixing and matching other players, mainly because he can't find a good combo. If we had 3 lines like them, don't you think our "style" and flow would be much different? Kubiak has blossomed this year. He had 1 goal in each of his first 2 years. Don't you think that the new line-mates allowed his talent to show?

Have you watched McCrea play? He's a great D'man with terrific offensive talent.

No, there's no doubt in my mind that Schafer wants to play a more uptempo game. We just need to give some time to assemble more of the right kind of players. I'm sure that he thought he had them with last years seniors, but he didn't. As I posted on the Awards Thread, "Along the Boards" rates CU's freshmen class #1 in the ECAC. It's not surprising that 3 of our top 4 scorers, the fourth is Kubiak, are freshmen. I hope we can get more like those.

With talented freshmen like that the AD would be crazy to not extend Schafer's contract and see what a few more years would bring.

I was going to make it a separate post, but it's okay here. For all those who feel we can get a better coach, what coaches in the ECAC have show the kind of consistent, long term (at least 5 years) success that you think we're lacking? Yale, yes. Q, yes, but I wouldn't take him. SLU, maybe, but it's still too early to tell. Do you think there are other coaches that you'd trade for? Not I.

[KeithK]

I still don't understand how people can still imply that Schafer hasn't changed.

It's easy to ignore the changes when you are frustrated with the results.  Especially when the process doesn't match what onlookers would like to see. While Cornell has certainly changed it's sty;e of play over Schafer's tenure I think it's clear that Mike will always be a defense first coach. That's easy to criticize when the goals aren't coming.

No, there's no doubt in my mind that Schafer wants to play a more uptempo game.

I think it's entirely plausible that Schafer wants to play the same physical cycling style that worked a decade or more ago.  But he's smart enough to have changed in response to the way the game has developed.  The question is whether he can and will adapt enough to field a top ranked team.

Personally I am very encouraged by the play of this year's freshman class.  I think it's something to build on.

[scoop85]

This team is brutal to watch, especially once we're down by two goals

During the slide this year I mentioned to Dr. Mrs. that this was the first time watching games wasn't entertaining any more.  Even during the absolute nadir of my fan tenure, the 11-game 1993 losing streak, it was still fun.  During the retrenchment phase this year when Mike tried to pull the team back to solidify the defense and only succeeded in generating a stifling, monotonous entropic field of sadness perpetually 1 goal worse than the opponent, I had an epiphany that I wasn't watching for the game itself anymore, but dutifully doing my sentence until The Reprieve.

If I had an audience with the coaching staff, I would politely request a more entertaining product on the ice.  Yes, winning is of course the biggest determinant of that, but given the choice of trying to win 2-1 or 4-3, I cannot tell a lie: I'm ready for some 4-3.  It doesn't have to be the late 70's 8-7 insanity.  But during the times this season when the team played open, both generating and giving up more good chances in a few shifts than generally happens during an entire game, so help me I was pumped!  I understand the beauty of a shutout, but this team has now been playing in a minor chord for what feels like decades.  I would like something chromatic now and then, please.

Beautifully stated.  They're just not as much fun to watch, win or lose.

[BearLover]

I still don't understand how people can still imply that Schafer hasn't changed. The way the team tries to play now is nothing like when he came in the mid-90s. Nor is it like the glory days of 2003. He is playing a much more uptempo game and when he finds a line that can do it, the "JAM" line, he keeps them together and lets them go. He has been mixing and matching other players, mainly because he can't find a good combo. If we had 3 lines like them, don't you think our "style" and flow would be much different? Kubiak has blossomed this year. He had 1 goal in each of his first 2 years. Don't you think that the new line-mates allowed his talent to show?

Have you watched McCrea play? He's a great D'man with terrific offensive talent.

No, there's no doubt in my mind that Schafer wants to play a more uptempo game. We just need to give some time to assemble more of the right kind of players. I'm sure that he thought he had them with last years seniors, but he didn't. As I posted on the Awards Thread, "Along the Boards" rates CU's freshmen class #1 in the ECAC. It's not surprising that 3 of our top 4 scorers, the fourth is Kubiak, are freshmen. I hope we can get more like those.

With talented freshmen like that the AD would be crazy to not extend Schafer's contract and see what a few more years would bring.

I was going to make it a separate post, but it's okay here. For all those who feel we can get a better coach, what coaches in the ECAC have show the kind of consistent, long term (at least 5 years) success that you think we're lacking? Yale, yes. Q, yes, but I wouldn't take him. SLU, maybe, but it's still too early to tell. Do you think there are other coaches that you'd trade for? Not I.

Schafer literally stated after last season ended that he tried new things, they failed, and that he's reverting to his old system.  I don't know how generally he was speaking or if he was only speaking about one strategy in particular (forechecking, perhaps).  And if you listen to the player interviews, it's all about "being strong on D" and "sticking to the system."  Again, I don't know if that system is the same system Schafer employed in 2002, but at the very least it's facially similar, and the players he has are almost carbon copies of those of Schafer's entire tenure.  Sure, there's the occasional Vanderlaan; there's also the occasional Roeszler, Gallagher, Vesce, etc.  

The closest thing we've had to an up-tempo style of play was last year's senior class, and that ended in complete disaster.