Schafer Strategy?

[twh2]

Here's a quote from Shafer from the USCHO recap of the Yale/Cornell series:

Yale gives us the kind of preparation we need going to Lake Placid," (Shafer) said. "They battled us tooth and nail. I have a lot of respect for them. They are a disciplined, hard-working team. I don't understand why more teams can't play as disciplined as they do. So many teams get into all that extra-curricular stuff.

Is this the coach, in his own subtle way, fighting back for all the crap Cornell's been taking in the press for playing a physical game, while others get frustrated and start firing pucks into the Cornell bench and start fights because they know they can't win?  Hmm....

[Stewart]

A very wise comment to make... Of course it is easy to compliment a team you won't see again for a while.

Schafer is smart to look ahead... anyone we beat at Lake Placid sees their hopes of an NCAA bid disappear, and some teams may be prone to getting FRUSTRATED!! (um... Clarkson?)

Also it just stands on its own... Schafer, his team, and Yale all played very sportsmanlike for two games... Yale can come get beat anytime they want =:)

[RichS]

Guys,

I was there and I'll agree that Clarkson was frustrated for various reasons at Lynah, mostly because they played hard and reasonably well, and still lost...I did not see or hear the game at Cheel...but "start the fight"...nope.

Having seen the video and the comments here...I thought the consensus was that Palahicky was responsible for "starting the fight".  He was clearly the most aggressive and his actions escalated the thing that resulted in the fighting DQs.  Everything before that in that scrum was fairly routine and tit for tat stuff in the corner, etc.  In the end they are all responsible for their own actions.

Firing the puck into the bench, assuming it was intentional, was inexcusable and I think the act of one guy.   Its certainly not the kind of action Coach Morris teaches or encourages.  And while it's not an excuse for it, it was probably a poor response to the considerable trash talking coming from the cornell bench at the time.

I'm quite sure the Clarkson team's attitude is not..."we can't beat cornell"...more likely..."we have to play better, our best game...to beat these guys".  Remember, they did defeat UNH this year, so they have at least one major upset behind them.

I like Schafer's candor.  His team does give better than it gets and I'm sure he's not surprised by the reaction of other teams.

A potential matchup on Saturday with Clarkson will be interesting to say the least.

[Al DeFlorio]

Thoughtful posting.  Agree--although I don't think any of us observers, on either side, is really in a position to say how the "fight" started.

And I don't think anyone here in the Cornell camp doesn't think Clarkson has what it takes to turn the tables in a game three.

[twh2]

Perhaps I was a little heavy on the Clarkson bashing (as much as I hate to agree with Rich, he does have some valid points), but this is a Cornell Hockey Fan Forum, why wouldn't I be?

Gave proof through the night SUCKS

More of the point I was trying to make but obviously didn't is that maybe Shafer is giving the refs more to think about than just calling chippy penalties on Cornell simply because they're bigger than everyone else in the ECAC.

[RichS]

That could be as well, I had thought of that.  

A coach who thinks he may not have been getting a fair shake often plants the seed publicly to give the officials something to think about.

Gee, what happened to those other Tech fans who used to post here?  ::uhoh::

I'm sure cornell would not take Clarkson lightly, nor any of the other teams they could meet, but they have to feel confident they have an edge on Tech, having swept this year.  It's the..."if we play our game"...confidence.

Clarkson would have to play better to win on Saturday, and I think they are capable of that.

[CowbellGuy]

It's quite clear why Palahicky lost it actually. He got slashed across the hands by Poapst. Sure, Shane threw the first punch, but it was in reaction to a cheap shot from the master dirtbag himself.

[RichS]

I dont think that's what the video showed.  Palahicky skated into the crowd from quite a distance away and went right after Poapst who previously was nowhere near him.  He then nailed Poapst three times.

Perhaps Palahicky's actions were motivated by something that took place earlier in the game.

Calling Poapst a "dirtbag" is rather an exaggeration.  Matt has had a frustrating second half of the season and has taken some ill-advised and flagrant penalties in that time.  Prior to that in his 3+ years, he had a reputation as a hard nosed and aggressive player...but not a dirty one.

Guees I'm not surprised at YOU calling him that however... ::rolleyes::

[Beeeej]

Hey, gang, I know I'm probably running the risk of gaining a reputation as the Speeling & Grammer Police around here, but would it be too much to ask to show our incredibly talented coach enough respect to spell his name right?  It's Schafer.

Beeeej

P.S. Yes, Josh.  They were intentional.:-P

[Josh '99]

Me?  Correct your spelling, merely because you do so to everyone else?  Never!  :-P

Personally, I would've spelled "Police" wrong in there too, though.

[Beeeej]

Not surprisingly, I considered it.

Beeeej

[CowbellGuy]

Actually, the video shows it quite clearly. I don't remember if that's included in the QT clip, but that's irrelevant (just as your blathering opinions have become). It happened.

Oh, poor Poapsty. He had a bad year, so it's ok for him to be a jackass on the ice. I'm not the only one who thinks it. Hell, even Grady said he was a dirty player. For the love of god, shut the hell up, Rich.

[RichS]

Relax a bit, eh?

You're not one to be complaining about "blathering". ::rolleyes::   Before you tell someone else with an opinion as worthwhile as yours to "shut up", you ought to look in the mirror.

What is it you refer to saying "its on the video"?  it's not clear what you mean...Palahicky's charging at Poapst is clearly seen.

What does seem to be clear is that you feel Palahicky's actions...three clear shots at Poapst...are warranted...but that Poapst's were not...whatever they were.  Apparently, the refs thought they were both "guilty", given the DQs.

I did not say Poapst's being a "jackass" was okay...if you read correctly, you'll see that I was critical of his recent penalties.  Was just pointing out that he has been playing "frustrated"...not defending it.  Got it?  :-D

I heard Grady's comment...and that's not an accurate characterization of Matt's play in  my view.  He later ammended his comment in writing, by the way.  Poapst is a very skilled player...more so than Palahicky, judging by their offensive stats.

[CowbellGuy]

Meaning the video of the game, as in the physical VHS tape of the whole game that I could smack you in the head with if you were in front of me.

I said there was a reason Palahicky went nuts, not necessarily that it was warranted.

[RichS]

You could smack me at LP this weekend but it looks like I won't be making the trip...sorry.

Can you hold your temper until you get the chance to "smack me" next year at Lynah? ::rolleyes::

So "poor Shaney" got slashed across the wrists...and then waited til the end of the game to go after "Poapsty"?   Hmm...sounds like they deserved each other that night!

Yes, and Scuderi had a "reason for going nuts"...and that wasn't warranted either.  Let it go!

Thanks for that great pic by the way...loved it!....must be your screen saver, huh?  Someone you're real "close to"!  :-D