scouting harvard

[A-19]

though i did not attend the harv. exhibition game tonight, harvard seems off to a pretty sad start:

Windsor 2, Harvard 2
Exhibition Game
Saturday, October 23, 2004 at Bright Hockey Center (Att: 175)

i'm surprised 175 people even showed up, given the world series. now i don't know anything about windsor, but princeton beat them 9-2 the other day, so that's saying alot.

i'll post a more substantive review of harvard after watching the game against U-18 next weekend.

-mike '04

ps: it doesn't seem like you can blame it on hypen either; the second-string let in the 2 goals.

[calgARI '07]

Wow.  That is a pathetic result for Harvard.  I'm pretty sure Windsor is one of the worst teams in the CIAU.  This was evident in last night's blowout at the hands of Princeton.

[A-19]

even with only 175 people there, i doubt i would have gotten inside windsor's head enough to affect the game had i gone. and i just can't get too excited for harvard hockey, considering they make me pay out the ass for season tickets (which didn't even include tonight's game for some reason). they should be paying fans to actually show up.

[KeithK]

[q]i doubt i would have gotten inside windsor's head enough to affect the game[/q]Inside Windsor's head?  Wouldn't you want to get inside Harvard's head?  After all, this isn't a non-conf game that counts, so a Harvard loss is the best possible result...

[jtwcornell91]

[Q]KeithK Wrote:

 [Q2]i doubt i would have gotten inside windsor's head enough to affect the game[/Q]
Inside Windsor's head?  Wouldn't you want to get inside Harvard's head?  After all, this isn't a non-conf game that counts, so a Harvard loss is the best possible result...[/q]

Really.  It's perfectly acceptable to get Hahvahd season tickets, but for frell's sake root against them!

[A-19]

the better harvard does against all teams besides cornell, the better for cornell.
this is in regard to mathematical rankings, national reputation of the conference, etc. i don't think there's any question about it. we don't look so big if we win in a league where the second best team ties some canadian b-team in an exhibition, i'm sorry.

[Will]

[Q]A-19 Wrote:

 the better harvard does against all teams besides cornell, the better for cornell.
this is in regard to mathematical rankings, national reputation of the conference, etc. i don't think there's any question about it. we don't look so big if we win in a league where the second best team ties some canadian b-team in an exhibition, i'm sorry.[/q]

Well, the thing is, a Harvard exhibition game against a Canadian college team means nothing, so at that time, root against Harvard.  In fact, I'd say root against Harvard in all games except when it would directly benefit us, such as if they could beat a team ahead of us in the rankings, or in a nonconference game, when we should always root for the ECACHL team.

[Redscore]

Take a look at the box score - 47 shots to 8.  These things happen.  I wouldn't read too much into this result.

[KeithK]

Well, it makes sense to root for Harvard, or any ECAC team, when it's a non-conf game since it will help us indirectly via RPI, etc.  But a non-conf game is different.  

[A-19]

i still disagree. you are thinking too much in terms of rpi. think instead about the reputation of our league. is it irrelevant to cornell and our rank if harvard and colgate and dartmouth lose to teams like american intl or robert morris or the us under 18 team? pretty much. but what does it say about our league, our competition and ultimately our schedule if we play a bunch of teams who can't beat awful opponents. cornell needs ecac teams to do as well as possible, whether the games count or not. let's put it like this: if minnesota and duluth and all the other "great" wcha teams start losing consistently to bad opponents, this would devalue our opinion of the team leading the wcha (like north dakota). in addition to its own game play, a team gets credibility when its conference teams perform well consistently.

that's why i will root for any ecac team in an out of conference game, and i will root for the strong ecac teams to do away with all others except us. i'd rather be in a conference where the top 3-4 teams consistently play well than where we lead a conference of inconsistent and mediocre opponents.

mike

[KeithK]

I understand.  But it's an EXHIBITION game and it's HARVARD.

No point arguing over this though. :-)

[Al DeFlorio]

UConn upset UMass today in OT.  Some interesting results in interleague play thus far.

[Jeff Hopkins '82]

[Q]Al DeFlorio Wrote:

 Some interesting results in interleague play thus far.[/q]

That's an understatement, Al.  

One wonders wheter Niagara is that good, or Vermont is that bad.  Probably a little of both.  And I'm starting to get a bit nervous about SLU.  They're big, they gave us some tough games last year, and they're off to a good start so far this year.

[Will]

[Q]Jeff Hopkins '82 Wrote:

One wonders wheter Niagara is that good, or Vermont is that bad.  Probably a little of both.[/q]

A lot of both, I'd say.  Niagara is probably (arguably) the best overall team in the CHA.  Even in a weak conference, the strong teams can do some damage.  Meanwhile, Vermont is the team last year that didn't get its first win until December 20, the latest for any NCAA D-I team last year as I recall.  Have fun being Hockey East's doormat next year, Catamounts!

[q]And I'm starting to get a bit nervous about SLU.  They're big, they gave us some tough games last year, and they're off to a good start so far this year.[/q]

This team was bound to become dangerous again some time.  I don't know what went wrong in the past few years and now what's suddenly going nearly right.

[Josh '99]

[Q]Will Wrote:
(SLU) was bound to become dangerous again some time.  I don't know what went wrong in the past few years and now what's suddenly going nearly right.[/q] I'll believe that when I see it with my own two eyes.  SLU(t) has had too much talent and done too little with it over the past three seasons for me to assume things will be different just based on on the strength of a couple of early wins.