Cornell vs Mercyhurst

[Jim Hyla]

[Q]Deltaone81 wrote:

Hotel, well there's a lot to be positive about if you start with the realization that this is a young, team with significant loses who has very little chance of competing for an at large bid this year.[/Q]Yeah, and how would you like to be in Harvard's shoes right now. For all our problems, we are still undefeated in the league. This weekend is going to be tough, but we could finally get 1, or hopefull 2, home wins and be on top of the ECAC, or, heaven forbid, be winless at home.

[Beeeej]

I understand that you already retreated a little bit on your position regarding this game, HC, but I still feel compelled to reply appropriately to your original post.

"I'm not intending to imply insult or judgment here, but I am curious to know in order to be able to respond to your posts in an appropriate manner, so please forgive what appears to be, but in fact is not intended as, an insulting question:  Are you stupid?"
   - Melinda Shore

Beeeej

[Greg Berge]

People who haven't gone through a Rebuilding Year (shiver) are never prepared for how horrible it can be.  Believe me, compared to 87 and 93, this aint nothin'.

Enjoy the good things and write the bad things off to youth.  Schafer has now put two consecutive excellent recruiting classes on the board and given the program's success this will continue.  The team will learn to play within the system and get better.  The defense will shore up, and the goaltending will get better.  By the end of the year they'll be a better team.

Enjoy watching that happen.

[HOTELCALIFORNIA]

That's right Greg... every once in a while I think about those years. Not good. We're doing alright!!!;-)

[Grad \'77]

Ouch.

[ericho_4511]

jy3 wrote:

oh and keep those damn keys in your pockets!

I couldn't agree more....a one goal game with 35 seconds to go and a face-off in our own end. Sheesh.

Eric '88

[Richard Stott \'70]

This is beginning to look like the 1998 season.  In 1997 we were 21-9-5, won the ECACs and lost in the second round of the NCAAs to North Dakota.  We were ranked No. 8 at the start of the 1998 season, but quickly worked our way out of the rankings and finished 15-16-2.

I sort of thought this team had too much talent for that to happen and still do, but now I'm beginning to wonder.

[DeltaOne81]

Nah, it won't... or at least it really really shouldn't... when we get to the conference part of our schedule, except for Brown/Harvard - which mean, starting Jan 16, this team will do well . The team's clearly getting better, and we have all our OOC / tougher games right off the bat. I'd still think we'll at least be in a battle to get a first round bye in the ECACs.

-Fred

Continued :-) : I mean, really, who in this conference can we see being better? Hahvahd and Brown, sure . ummm... Clarkon's good, but not definitely better. RPI was great against SCSU, but, well, they're RPI, so you never know. Dartmouth's been decent. Union started off well. But I think we're probably better than those by a bit, at the very least, we should be battling with them. And of course, Yale, Princeton, and Vermont will round out the bottom. I realized I skipped Colgate, I have no idea about them yet really :-).



Post Edited (12-01-03 13:51)

[Steve Marciniec \'85]

DeltaOne81 '03 wrote:


In fact, for a team that lost 7 major players (did I count right?), after 9 games, we only have two losses. Sure, we'd all rather see 7-2 instead of 3-2-4... if someone told us last year that this team would go through WMU x2, BG, OSU, SLU, and Clarkson with only 2 losses, I don't think there's anyone on this board that wouldn't have taken it.

Of Cornell's first 9 games only one has been against a ranked team (OSU) and only two others have been against teams having a good season so far (Clarkson and Mercyhurst).  A 3-2-4 record is effectively 5-4 as far as winning % goes.  No one expected the Red to be nearly as good as last year, but we have a much easier schedule with no road non-conference games as well.  

Considering Adam's optimism before the season started, our highly touted incoming freshman class, and the preseason polls (I should know better not to pay attention to them), one could easily have thought Cornell had a decent shot at an at-large NCAA bid this year.  Michigan sent a very young team to the Frozen Four last year, so I don't think it's unrealistic or delusional to hope for Cornell to at least return to the NCAA tournament, in spite of the tremendous off season losses we've had.  It's very early, but the disappointing NC results have now nearly killed those hopes outside of winning the ECAC championship, which I still think we will have a good shot at as the team matures.

I think it's OK for the team and the fans to be frustrated with the disappointing start, and not be satisfied with ties at home against inferior competition.  I'm glad Schafer is frustrated and clearly expects better results.  It's necessary if Cornell is going to improve.  Here's hoping for an upcoming 4 point weekend.  Raise the roof Lynah faithful! LGR!!!

[Will]

I think an at-large bid is kind of a longshot at this point.  I think we have a better chance at getting into the NCAA tournament much like Harvard did in 2001-2002--by upsetting the likely ECAC tournament champion and gaining an autobid.  Hopefully, it will be Harvard we can beat in that game--sweet revenge. :-D

[Steve Marciniec \'85]

Greg Berge '85 wrote:

People who haven't gone through a Rebuilding Year (shiver) are never prepared for how horrible it can be.  Believe me, compared to 87 and 93, this aint nothin'.

I agree that this is a rebuilding year, but Schafer has brought the program too far along to settle for a repeat of the results of the 80's and 90's.

[marty]

DeltaOne81 '03 wrote:

RPI was great against SCSU, but, well, they're RPI, so you never know. Dartmouth's been decent. ...I realized I skipped Colgate, I have no idea about them yet really :-).

Well this is not your father's RPI. I don't think it's Dan Fridgen's team either. My theory is that Andrew Will the new Assistant is the reason that they look so good. I don't EVER remember an RPI team that has played the way they have during their last three home games. I have hated RPI's style for ten years. In fact I have hated the style so much that it hurts me to say I like their style this year.

And Dartmouth has been at least decent. But I also think Colgate will play us tough this year based on what they have done so far. Both of these teams have upset our team recently.

Seeing the game this Saturday on I2 made me very happy. The Red dominated much of the game and I think they will do better as the season goes on. But the league isn't top heavy this year.

I can't predict who will win the tournament in Albany. I guess we'll all have to go to the rink and watch the games. But that's just what I like to do each winter. Yeah, drop the puck.