2019-01-05: Cornell 2 Quinnipiac 2 (ot)

[Swampy]

Last night was my first chance to see this year's team in person. Others have pointed out issues on display: losing stick battles, almost random passing (often as much the fault of the recipient as the passer), lack of finishing, failure to pass to open teammates, etc. When Schafer watches the film of that first period, he's going to be sicker than he already was.

Nonetheless, Q's keeper leads the country in GAA and save %, and the defense as a whole leads the country in goals, assists, and points. After an atrocious first period, coming back from 2 down against such a quality opponent is no mean feat, and it says a great deal about this team's character and resilience, and Syer's coaching.

But one thing really stood out for me. Last night Cornell's #7 single-handedly skated around and through the entire Quinnipiac team and took a point-blank shot at goal, only to have Shortridge stop it. I can't remember the last time I saw a Cornell player with the speed and skating and stick-handling skills to get through the entire defense of a top-five team. But the scene last night seemed eerily familiar. At first I felt back in my undergraduate days, when it was common for another #7 to skate around and through other teams. I had to remind myself that this was a different century and a different #7.

For a moment I was transported back to the old Boston Garden on Dec. 17, 1966. That night, for the championship of the annual ECAC Holiday Hockey Tournament, Cornell played Michigan State, the defending national champ. The game was tied 2-2 and went into overtime. About a minute in, Cornell's #7 stole the puck for a breakaway and skated in on the Spartan's keeper. But instead of taking a shot, he made a blind drop pass to a trailing #8; as #7 faked a shot to the keeper's right, #8 buried the puck to the keeper's left and won the game. That team went on to beat North Dakota and BU to win Cornell's first national championship. The team had the kind of coordinated team play and trust in teammates that wins championships.

But last night Cornell's #7 went in alone, and while his teammates followed, none of them seemed to have trusted enough to get a jump and follow closely behind him. And he probably didn't have confidence to just to drop off the puck, knowing a trailer was there.

The legendary group of seniors in 1966-7 had been together four years: time to develop such coordination. The extraordinary group of sophomores on Cornell's 2018-9 team have only been together two years. If they can develop the same degree of trust and coordination -- that second sense of knowing without looking that someone is there and will deliver (even then, attempt such blind plays only in the offensive zone, please!), then that's when players like Cam Donaldson will rise to the level of players like Doug Ferguson, and Cornell will be favored to win its next national championship.

::banana::::banana::::banana::

Another thing that helps players develop that second sense is playing with the same line combinations over a period of time...It is my recollection that Ned did far less changing of his line combinations than does Mike..  While it is common for coaches today, I have always seen it as a weakness for Mike...  From my perspective, by this time of year, a coach should know his players' strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies. He should assemble his lines based on that information.  And, except for injuries, let them play and develop chemistry.  It shouldn't take long for that chemistry to flourish.

Excellent point! I'm not sure why, other than injuries, there's so much moving around of individual players today. But counting the freshman year, I think that line of the two Ferguson twins and Mike Doran played as a unit for four years. Add a defender or two, like Harry Orr, and night after night the exact entire units would be on the ice together. The synergy was something else.

[Trotsky]

It is my recollection that Ned did far less changing of his line combinations than does Mike..

Ned also had just 3 lines, and 2 of those skated most of the game.  ;-)

[redice]

It is my recollection that Ned did far less changing of his line combinations than does Mike..

Ned also had just 3 lines, and 2 of those skated most of the game.  ;-)

That does change th and math, but the fact that he possessed the wisdom to put the right guys together and leave them there, remains unchanged.

[Jim Hyla]

It is my recollection that Ned did far less changing of his line combinations than does Mike..

Ned also had just 3 lines, and 2 of those skated most of the game.  ;-)

That does change th and math, but the fact that he possessed the wisdom to put the right guys together and leave them there, remains unchanged.

You also have to realize that those 3, Ferguson, Ferguson, and Doran, were by far the best 3. In '67 we basically, with apologies to Skip Stanowski, had 2 classes, a great senior class, led by those 3 and an excellent sophomore class, led by Pete Tufford and Brian Cornell. So the main lines were pretty clear.

At that time there was no way the number of players to chose from like coaches have today. As good as our teams were, they were generally not able to be picked from the top players in Canada. At that time those guys almost uniformly went to the major juniors. The US college route was not considered to be the track to be able to go pro. The Ferguson's played in Syracuse for a while.

Dryden was a major exception and our first drafted player.

[Swampy]

Dryden was a major exception and our first drafted player.

Was he really our first drafted player, or just the first to be drafted and actually play in the NHL?

(I'm not questioning what you're saying. I just seem to recall that around the late sixties and through the seventies is was common for players to be drafted but never even get a cup of coffee in the pros.)

[Beeeej]

Dryden was a major exception and our first drafted player.

Was he really our first drafted player, or just the first to be drafted and actually play in the NHL?

(I'm not questioning what you're saying. I just seem to recall that around the late sixties and through the seventies is was common for players to be drafted but never even get a cup of coffee in the pros.)

First drafted player, period. 3rd round (14th pick) in 1964.

Literally the very next pick, Gordie Lowe (3rd round, 15th pick, 1964) was the second Cornellian ever drafted.

[dag14]

Remember, too, that freshmen couldn't play varsity when Ned coached so the possible line combinations for each incoming class were more limited.  By default a line could be pretty well established when the players moved to varsity.

[upprdeck]

so many injuries the last few years i dont know we keep any lines intact.

[Swampy]

Remember, too, that freshmen couldn't play varsity when Ned coached so the possible line combinations for each incoming class were more limited.  By default a line could be pretty well established when the players moved to varsity.

True, but he could have juggled personnel when they moved up to varsity. If the lines gelled so well during the frosh year that he didn't want to change things the next year (and did not want to move around upperclassmen who were already on the varsity), then this is testimony that he valued the chemistry players developed by playing together more than he valued whatever advantages mixing personnel across years might provide.

[redice]

True, but he could have juggled personnel when they moved up to varsity. If the lines gelled so well during the frosh year that he didn't want to change things the next year (and did not want to move around upperclassmen who were already on the varsity), then this is testimony that he valued the chemistry players developed by playing together more than he valued whatever advantages mixing personnel across years might provide.

You're spot-on....  That is exactly my point.   I think Mike does not place enough value on the chemistry...  This is akin to management in this world today.   Employees are largely seen as interchangeable, when, in fact, a chemistry develops that management often does not see... But, PLEASE, this is a discussion that I do not wish to pursue on here... Just a side thought.

[dag14]

My point was by default guys would often play together for an entire year, making it more likely that the "correct" choice would be to leave them together.

[osorojo]

Polite hockey fans recoil at the thought of "enforcers" - but they take a lot of pressure off the referees and they might even reduce the number of serious injuries. A well-timed trip or push is more likely to result in permanent physical damage than a punch to the body or the face mask.