Cornell-BU

[Beeeej]

And how much "more prepared" would we have been? At the game, I thought it was pretty even and, like others have said, we just didn't get the bounces. When I watched on TV the next day, I thought we outplayed them on balance (and held that offense to 3 third period shots). We were very ready to play the best teams out there.

It's not like BU was the best team in the country, even as much as they'd improved recently. Just because we played them "pretty even" (and I agree we did) doesn't mean we couldn't have been even better prepared, and perhaps even outplayed them, had we faced stronger opposition during the regular season. Unfortunately, we'll never know.

[BearLover]

I think generally, RPI evens everything out. That is, if we have a tougher schedule, then we'll get in with a lower win%. If our schedule is weaker, we need a higher win%. This isn't perfect, and we've had some years where we barely missed getting in and maybe a win over a cupcake would have done more than a loss to a good team, but I don't think it's that significant a factor.

I'd rather see us get tested a little throughout the year, but that's easier said than done. Miami's usually a strong team, and they had a down year. And we lost to them once anyway, so it's not like weaker teams are automatic wins.

I've been thinking about this a lot. I, for one, have started to come around to buying more into bearlover's argument that playing in a cupcake league is preferable based on watching Cornell's season develop.

There's a wide range between wanting to play a cupcake schedule and not wanting our biggest rivals to win the national championship before we do. I don't want Cornell to play a super easy schedule, though there is a benefit to it: the increased chance of winning the automatic bid from being in an easy league. The benefit  of playing a hard  schedule is of course gaining experience against top teams. I can't say with any high degree of certainty given the tiny sample, but I don't think our relatively weak opposition hurt us this year. We played well against BU in both games, while St. Cloud, who played in the toughest conference in the country, lost to an Atlantic Hockey team in the first round, etc. Beyond that, the PWR/RPI, in theory at least, accounts for whatever mathematical advantage/disadvantage would come from playing an easier/tougher schedule.

[BigRedHockeyFan]

There are different types of tough schedules.  I would rather Cornell play a tough schedule against highly skilled teams (and stay healthy through the season) than a tough schedule against thug teams (and get all banged up).  I never liked when they played North Dakota or other teams in the old WCHA.

[upprdeck]

there is a limit to who we can play because there is a limit to which teams will come here.  We can get the teams like Niagara to come without a return but only so many of the big boys will come here and we wont go there without a return trip.  

I dont think playing a tougher schedule makes us any more ready, if may show that we are better but we were #3 with this schedule how much better would we have been playing a few better teams

[Swampy]

there is a limit to who we can play because there is a limit to which teams will come here.  We can get the teams like Niagara to come without a return but only so many of the big boys will come here and we wont go there without a return trip.  

I dont think playing a tougher schedule makes us any more ready, if may show that we are better but we were #3 with this schedule how much better would we have been playing a few better teams

Maybe one or two games in the postseason.

[upprdeck]

SCst played a tougher SOS and that got them beat by air force..

[Beeeej]

SCst played a tougher SOS and that got them beat by air force..

I don't think anybody was suggesting that playing a tougher schedule was a guarantee of better post-season success.

[redice]

I noticed that BU's Jordan Greenway signed with the Minnesota Wild....   Makes me wish that Doug Murray was still in the NHL to take some of the dirtiness out of his game...   In fact, I'd love to watch Doug beat the hell out of that kid!!!

[jkahn]

Yates and Rauter are now gone and we had better pray Angello doesn't leave.

This vein of speculation is getting unduly thick. Keeping it civil but being as blunt as possible, Angello leaving would be "misguided" on a level beyond even Shane Hynes. It would be "shocking" beyond belief.

Nevermind that he has only one more year left in his degree. We have a chance to finish a good amount of unfinished business next year, and I can only imagine that his central role in such a campaign will raise the value of his stock significantly.

I agree with what  you said. As I understand it, Pittsburgh has to make a decision this year, either sign him or give him up to free agency. If that's true, I suspect he'll be back.

I don't think he's had such a great year/career that he'd be offered a wonderful contract. Therefore coming back to finish his degree and improve would make the most sense.

Maybe I've got it wrong, anybody know?

Pittsburgh would still have his exclusive rights through August 15, 2019.  He would have the option to wait until Aug. 16, 2019 and sign with any team (as Jimmy Vesey did after his senior year).

[upprdeck]

Its says 2 yrs for Juniors and 4 yrs for college kids. So what is the real incentive for him to go now and not next year?

[ugarte]

I don't think anybody was suggesting that playing a tougher schedule was a guarantee of better post-season success.

come on be fair. it's no different than the anecdata that we played a soft schedule and lost to BU in the first round.

[Jeff Hopkins '82]

I don't think anybody was suggesting that playing a tougher schedule was a guarantee of better post-season success.

come on be fair. it's no different than the anecdata that we played a soft schedule and lost to BU in the first round.

Anecdata...great word.

[Swampy]

I don't think anybody was suggesting that playing a tougher schedule was a guarantee of better post-season success.

come on be fair. it's no different than the anecdata that we played a soft schedule and lost to BU in the first round.

Anecdata...great word.

+1

[abmarks]

have none of you that advocate for playing the weaker schedule ever actually played a sport yourselves?   Sure, a weaker schedule might well make it easier to get in to the tournament...but what it won't do is help prepare us to *win* against the best in the country.  If you want to be able to beat the best out there come tourney time, you need to take the measure of yourself having some serious competition against the best you can find.

No one ever got better by only playing lesser opposition.  

Also, the experience of playing the best competition is useful to the players in that game for as long as they are playing with us, not just this year.

[billhoward]

When I walked out of the Worcester DCU, that was it for me. Good ride, better season than I expected. For once, I'm not re-playing the playoffs with what-ifs. I thought we played BU even. They got a couple breaks. We didn't. I don't feel as crushed as the St. Cloud State fans. I was ready for St. Paul because I don't know if I'll live long enough to see Cornell in another title game, and I think I might feel that way if I was 30. LGR ... in the fall. Time to see how far lax can go.