SHU 1/10-11

[dbilmes]

I listened to the game and it seemed like they got to the shootout pretty quickly after OT ended.  I was also getting my youngster to bed so maybe it wasn't as quick as I thought but anyone who was there or watched on TV, did they do an ice scrape?

I know a lot of times they'll scrape one lane down the middle and that's it.

They did not scrape the ice at all after the conclusion of OT and the beginning of the shootout on Friday night. I was surprised when I didn't see a Zamboni come out to do so during the break.

[Big Dingus]

Will be watching at placid.


Depressing season.

[dbilmes]

Gotta say the band has sounded great all weekend.

It was an alumni pep band both nights, with a range of 30 different years of classes, including some current students.
On Friday night, the pep band barely got a chance to play. They had to try to sneak the alma mater in during a play stoppage during the third period, and weren't able to finish it before play resumed. I spoke with the person in charge of the pep band for the weekend before Saturday's game, and she told me it had been an even worse experience then playing at Quinnipiac. But she promised me things would be better Saturday, and they were. The pep band was able to play much more, and they played the complete alma mater during the first intermission. They also teamed up in the third period with the Sacred Heart pep band to play a song. The director told me this was the first time a visiting team had ever brought a pep band to Sacred Heart, so I guess it was a learning curve for whomever was making the music decisions in the arena.

[ice]

I think Keopple should start against Princeton.  Sadly, Ian just isn't as sharp as he was last year.

[BearLover]

Did Shane let up soft goals again?

Why did Keoppel not start tonight? The world will never know.

[Chris '03]

Gotta say the band has sounded great all weekend.

It was an alumni pep band both nights, with a range of 30 different years of classes, including some current students.
On Friday night, the pep band barely got a chance to play. They had to try to sneak the alma mater in during a play stoppage during the third period, and weren't able to finish it before play resumed. I spoke with the person in charge of the pep band for the weekend before Saturday's game, and she told me it had been an even worse experience then playing at Quinnipiac. But she promised me things would be better Saturday, and they were. The pep band was able to play much more, and they played the complete alma mater during the first intermission. They also teamed up in the third period with the Sacred Heart pep band to play a song. The director told me this was the first time a visiting team had ever brought a pep band to Sacred Heart, so I guess it was a learning curve for whomever was making the music decisions in the arena.

The band spanned '96-'28 and will be similarly mixed at Q next week.

The sense I get is SHU wants a pro vibe even more intensely than Q with overproduced noise. And it was not great for either band or the eardrums of anyone.

[Iceberg]

I couldn't watch most of the game after the 1st period but I do know Shane was pulled because I started watching again midway through the 3rd when it was 3-1. I'd have to see the highlights when they come out to get a better idea, but at this point, I'd be very surprised to not see Keopple actually starting at Princeton next weekend

[BearLover]

I couldn't watch most of the game after the 1st period but I do know Shane was pulled because I started watching again midway through the 3rd when it was 3-1. I'd have to see the highlights when they come out to get a better idea, but at this point, I'd be very surprised to not see Keopple actually starting at Princeton next weekend

I still don't understand how Keopple didn't get the start yesterday. Shane had given up at least one soft goal like five straight games, he hadn't had a night off all season, and yesterday's game didn't even matter! Per Casey's comments in the Sun article, the three goals Shane allowed last night weren't even his fault. It would be pretty wild if this is what caused him to finally lose his starting job.

[Al DeFlorio]

I couldn't watch most of the game after the 1st period but I do know Shane was pulled because I started watching again midway through the 3rd when it was 3-1. I'd have to see the highlights when they come out to get a better idea, but at this point, I'd be very surprised to not see Keopple actually starting at Princeton next weekend

I still don't understand how Keopple didn't get the start yesterday. Shane had given up at least one soft goal like five straight games, he hadn't had a night off all season, and yesterday's game didn't even matter! Per Casey's comments in the Sun article, the three goals Shane allowed last night weren't even his fault. It would be pretty wild if this is what caused him to finally lose his starting job.

Won't know until Friday if he's "lost his starting job."  Sometimes a change is made to wake up the team.

[BearLover]

Anyone find it odd that Casey did the post game interview with Jane and not Shafer?

I was wondering the same.

[VIEWfromK]

Did Shane let up soft goals again?

The first was a flutterer over his head off of a tip (boy it feels like that happens a lot).  Second was a back door slam dunk when a guy went unchecked.  The third was a rebound off his glove that he lost track of that went right to an open Pioneer on the backside who put it in before anyone could react.  Cornell did come to life after the switch.  They had multiple odd man rushes but mistakes (offside on a four on two and later a rink wide pass on a three on one that was intended for and just out of reach of the far winger instead of going to the closer player headed to the net) squandered some golden opportunities.  The power play had it's moments but a couple of unforced errors led to lost possession time and ultimately no goals.  They didn't give up and they made it a game and when they avoided a couple of close calls in their zone with the empty net I thought they were going to complete the comeback.  A 190 footer sealed their fate though.

[VIEWfromK]

I listened to the game and it seemed like they got to the shootout pretty quickly after OT ended.  I was also getting my youngster to bed so maybe it wasn't as quick as I thought but anyone who was there or watched on TV, did they do an ice scrape?

I know a lot of times they'll scrape one lane down the middle and that's it.

They did not scrape the ice at all after the conclusion of OT and the beginning of the shootout on Friday night. I was surprised when I didn't see a Zamboni come out to do so during the break.

I wish everyone would adopt that practice.

[VIEWfromK]

The sense I get is SHU wants a pro vibe

I don't think you can call flipping the lights off after goals a pro thing (at least not NHL) but how about during that late timeout the building goes dark while coaches are trying to draw up plays!

Were there a lot of standing room areas that were filled or were those genuine empty seats all over that place for that sold out game?

[Chris '03]

The sense I get is SHU wants a pro vibe

I don't think you can call flipping the lights off after goals a pro thing (at least not NHL) but how about during that late timeout the building goes dark while coaches are trying to draw up plays!

Were there a lot of standing room areas that were filled or were those genuine empty seats all over that place for that sold out game?

The concourse is huge and accommodates lots of standees but I got the sense many season ticket holders no showed. Saturday crowd was better than Friday but still a ton of empty seats and no tickets available for purchase.

[BlueSky]

I have many thoughts as I attended both games and left feeling pretty empty.

First the venue. Top notch with incredible slight lines and there is no bad seat. The music was terrible and very loud. I wonder if the school was in session there might have been a different vibe in the building....maybe slightly better. It was nice to have a cold one while watching as well. Could anyone go up top to the SHU Club above the ice? Looked nice up there! Getting out of the parking garage was horrible Friday night, like 40-45 minutes to exit a venue that had maybe 2,000 spectators in it. We wondered allowed if recruits are attracted to a shiny new building, or do they like an old barn like Lynah? Would a new AD, like we have now, who is more progressive, consider a new hockey venue? I personally would hate it, but it is 2025, and times change. Did anyone notice the sounder that played when SHU returned to full strength? Felt dirty, I like the slapping goalie stick....is it legal? Things I wonder about!

Friday night: Once we woke up from 10 minutes of slumber and a one goal deficient....I thought we were absolutely dominate. We won so many battles, we forechecked like crazy and SHU had so few chances. We had what felt like dozens of chances and capitalized on just one. Goalie was very solid, the posts were helpful and we took the extra pass or tried for the highlight reel pass and shot instead of just shooting the damn puck. Could have/should have been a comfortable 4-1 win. If it's driving us all crazy, how do you think the coaches and players feel? Maddening.

Saturday night: What I thought was another great effort. Hustle and grit, taking the body, flying around, buzzing...with nothing to show for it. Ian needs a break. Those who have said we should have started Remington were right on. We have all seen it and didn't want to believe it, but Shane is just, plain, off. He's been the reason for a lot of success over the years and this year it's just not the case. We aren't blocking as many shots and the screens have been numerous and other teams have found scoring is weirdly easy against our much talked about stout defense. 1st goal was a fluke (heard that before??) the other two, somehow Ian was way out of position....he lost the puck on the 3rd goal. We, sadly had a great view from 118 at both the goals. Painful. But the team never gave up, to their credit. They created a ton of chances and hit a few posts...but no puck luck, or any luck at all came our way. Did anyone comment on the great move by #38? JC beats his defender clean, and instead of just beating the goalie clean, he goes between his legs and tries that stupid flip shot? We need goals, not flash....if we had more skaters and health, I'd bench him for that crap.

I'm not giving up on this group at all, far from it. With parity running rampant through college hockey, anyone can beat anyone on a given night, but teams can get hot too. Maybe getting Penney back is more important than any of us know....he is the captain for a reason. It's getting late, but runs have happened before and the conference is primed to be taken, not sure this group has the overall balls to take it. It starts at Hobey Baker on Friday and the hated Q on Saturday. If there was a weekend to finally show up, it's this one. We can only hope.

#LGR