Cornell @ Hahvahd 1/26/18

[upprdeck]

it was the sloppiest game they have played in awhile.

[osorojo]

USCHO: "Cornell and Minnesota were both able to hold on on Friday night . . . " A 1-0 win could fairly be a "hold on" win, but 3-0?

[BearLover]

it was the sloppiest game they have played in awhile.

Was it Cornell being sloppy, or was it Harvard playing a very aggressive forecheck and giving the Red very little time and space to find/complete a pass to an open man? Cornell has had this same issue with Harvard the past few years and with Yale before that. Seems like more of a quality-of-opposition thing than a being-sloppy thing. The reality of the way this team is built is that they're going to have trouble with an aggressive forecheck by fast and skilled players. By virtue of getting faster, the Red are better at skating/passing through pressure these days than they've been in the past, in the sense that they get outshot 35-25 by these teams now rather than 55-20 (like the Yale games I watched when I was attending Cornell), but it's still the team's biggest weakness.

[upprdeck]

its one thing to miss passes while covered.   its another to throw passes 10ft off line while unpressured or throwing pucks up the wrong board or trying to carry out under pressure when open passing lanes exist.   we missed a ton of passes last night on the passing and receiving end.

[Swampy]

it was the sloppiest game they have played in awhile.

Was it Cornell being sloppy, or was it Harvard playing a very aggressive forecheck and giving the Red very little time and space to find/complete a pass to an open man? Cornell has had this same issue with Harvard the past few years and with Yale before that. Seems like more of a quality-of-opposition thing than a being-sloppy thing. The reality of the way this team is built is that they're going to have trouble with an aggressive forecheck by fast and skilled players. By virtue of getting faster, the Red are better at skating/passing through pressure these days than they've been in the past, in the sense that they get outshot 35-25 by these teams now rather than 55-20 (like that Yale games I watched when I was attending Cornell), but it's still the team's biggest weakness.

You may be right about Harvard's forecheck, but I saw lots of passes between two open men that didn't connect. I also saw several instances when open players didn't keep the puck on their sticks. Mike also said "It was not a masterpiece," implying that he's seen and expects better.

So combining the two thoughts: a strong forecheck is likely to cause us trouble, as it might any team, but we also can play a better possession game than we saw last night. Maybe sickness & light practices are the cause, maybe it was the import of the game, and maybe it was some other, random cause. But some of these things cannot be avoided, which may be why there's the old aphorism: "Defense wins championships" ::banana::

[BearLover]

In 20 games, Cornell has given up...29 goals.

[Tom Lento]

In 20 games, Cornell has given up...29 goals.

That is unsustainably ridiculous. I hope they keep it up.

[Robb]

11 of which have been power play goals.  Less than 1 even-strength goal per game.

[upprdeck]

a couple with the goalie pulled too i think

[Trotsky]

a couple with the goalie pulled too i think

Opponent extra skater goals:

2017-11-25 BU goal 2 (but also pp so we can't double count it)
2018-01-12 Yale goal 3

So: 17 even strength goals in 20 GP.

[marty]

HIghlights from S. U.

[Give My Regards]

In 20 games, Cornell has given up...29 goals.

That is unsustainably ridiculous. I hope they keep it up.

Yeah, hopefully they will, but we don't have to look too far to find out how quickly things can change.  Clarkson had given up 28 goals in 22 games this season, and then last Friday coughed up 6 to Harvard.  At home.

[Swampy]

Thanks to USCHO for fixing the title of the page for Friday's games.