Cornell vs Harvard, ECAC QF Game 1, 3/13/26

[Snowball]

Curious if everyone here is still thrilled that we got Harvard instead of Colgate (currently getting clobbered by Dartmouth)

Well, it looked to me tonight that the issue was more about us than about who we were playing. From where I was sitting, it seemed like we had a million opportunities where either:
    1.    we were right in front of the net but our shot just wasn't very good, or
    2.    someone put a perfect puck into the slot and nobody was there to finish.

[ugarte]

this game felt like watching electric football

[Iceberg]

Harvard blocked or deflected several shots but it seemed like the Cornell offense was generally off and couldn't get much beyond one-and-done opportunities. There were very few quality chances below the hashmarks and even the lone goal was a point shot through a screen off the face-off. I suspect the pace of play will be different tomorrow but it's not like one team dominated the other

[stereax]

Curious if everyone here is still thrilled that we got Harvard instead of Colgate (currently getting clobbered by Dartmouth)

Well, it looked to me tonight that issue was more about us than about who we were playing. From where I was sitting, it seemed like we had a million opportunities where either:
    1.    we were right in front of the net but our shot just wasn't very good, or
    2.    someone put a perfect puck into the slot and nobody was there to finish.

Or 3. We put a shot on net and started jamming but it either flew away or went into Charette's glove.

[BearLover]

Cornell's offensive playmaking/awareness has been pretty abysmal for much of the season, and especially so tonight. They have no idea what to do on odd-man rushes. They run out what look like four third lines. Cornell got caught playing a transition game which Harvard is much better at, as they have actual offensive firepower. The freshmen have been rough in the second half of the season, save for a few. Lots of mistakes and little production.

[imafrshmn]

Cornell's offensive playmaking/awareness has been pretty abysmal for much of the season, and especially so tonight. They have no idea what to do on odd-man rushes. They run out what look like four third lines. Cornell got caught playing a transition game which Harvard is much better at, as they have actual offensive firepower. The freshmen have been rough in the second half of the season, save for a few. Lots of mistakes and little production.

I was expecting this post. We got exposed for our pedestrian playmaking approach by a Harvard team that played a more defensively disciplined style than we are used to seeing from them. Most disappointingly
for me, we had no real ability to grind in the offensive zone for extended periods, so those grade-A chances never materialized.

[stereax]

search: places to eat in the commons, "open after 10 pm", - run by a cult, - luna property

there's like. maybe two places open? and one is ale house on a reduced menu 😭

The bodega was open.

[stereax]

Cornell's offensive playmaking/awareness has been pretty abysmal for much of the season, and especially so tonight. They have no idea what to do on odd-man rushes. They run out what look like four third lines. Cornell got caught playing a transition game which Harvard is much better at, as they have actual offensive firepower. The freshmen have been rough in the second half of the season, save for a few. Lots of mistakes and little production.

I was expecting this post. We got exposed for our pedestrian playmaking approach by a Harvard team that played a more defensively disciplined style than we are used to seeing from them. Most disappointingly
for me, we had no real ability to grind in the offensive zone for extended periods, so those grade-A chances never materialized.

Were we watching the same team that pinned Harvard in the o-zone for like 90 seconds at the start of the third and got an entire line change in?

[imafrshmn]

Cornell's offensive playmaking/awareness has been pretty abysmal for much of the season, and especially so tonight. They have no idea what to do on odd-man rushes. They run out what look like four third lines. Cornell got caught playing a transition game which Harvard is much better at, as they have actual offensive firepower. The freshmen have been rough in the second half of the season, save for a few. Lots of mistakes and little production.

I was expecting this post. We got exposed for our pedestrian playmaking approach by a Harvard team that played a more defensively disciplined style than we are used to seeing from them. Most disappointingly
for me, we had no real ability to grind in the offensive zone for extended periods, so those grade-A chances never materialized.

Were we watching the same team that pinned Harvard in the o-zone for like 90 seconds at the start of the third and got an entire line change in?

I retract everything i said. Sorry BearLover

[Trotsky]

Our playmaking has been solid for most of the year.  Tonight we didn't have much of a method for exposing what would have been Harvard's backmarker vulnerability given their aggressive forecheck.  That was the issue.  It was certainly not systemic for the season, in which we produced strong offensive numbers.

I've been on enough Mets game threads to know when people want to cope by hinting at catastrophic  problems.  This is part of how certain personalities process losses.  The reality is these games are typically on a knife's edge and the best teams are the ones that are consistently on the winning side.  But losses happen, even to good teams. 

If Alexis is a little more alert for that ridiculous short angle first goal then the game probably turns out in our favor.  It wasn't the best process but it wasn't terrible and the season has certainly not been one of deficiency unless your measuring stick is 1970.

On to tomorrow, and hopefully Sunday, and hopefully LP.    Après-ski is not my priority and in any case will take care of itself.

[imafrshmn]

Our playmaking has been solid for most of the year.  Tonight we didn't have much of a method for exposing what would have been Harvard's backmarker vulnerability given their aggressive forecheck.  That was the issue.  It was certainly not systemic for the season, in which we produced strong offensive numbers.

...

What I'm trying to say is that we tend to be very deliberate and predictable with our attack sometimes, especially as compared with the top offensive teams in the country (fair or not to compare). How many times do we shoot into a block? To me it's a matter of tempo, guile, and a lack of "flow".

[BearLover]

Our playmaking has been solid for most of the year.  Tonight we didn't have much of a method for exposing what would have been Harvard's backmarker vulnerability given their aggressive forecheck.  That was the issue.  It was certainly not systemic for the season, in which we produced strong offensive numbers.

...

What I'm trying to say is that we tend to be very deliberate and predictable with our attack sometimes, especially as compared with the top offensive teams in the country (fair or not to compare). How many times do we shoot into a block? To me it's a matter of tempo, guile, and a lack of "flow".

I think our offensive vision is bad. We lack foresight as to how the play is going to develop. Watch our odd-man rushes all season-consistently a disaster. No idea what to do with the puck.

[stereax]

The McNally special.

[chimpfood]

Well shit. Im honestly more involved in basketball this weekend but if both bball and hockey lose tomorrow that would make for a real bad day. Lynah wasn't as loud as I'd like it today but tomorrow everyone should be hammered from st pats so that should help

[chimpfood]

xG were 3.9 to 2.1 in our favor. That stat isn't the be all end all but it lines up with the eye test. Play our game and we should be fine, a good team finds a way.

Also just please let DiGiulian take the third line draws, it's not that hard to take a draw and then play as a winger if that's so important to us