McKee Runner up

[puff]

McKee was runner up for USCHO/ITECH Defensive player of the week.

[Lauren '06]

Okay, I don't want to take anything away from the guy.... I've seen him be stellar, I was at the Notre Dame game in Florida.  But really, has he had to do much yet this season that makes him nationally praiseworthy?

[calgARI '07]

[Q]Section A Banshee Wrote:

 Okay, I don't want to take anything away from the guy.... I've seen him be stellar, I was at the Notre Dame game in Florida.  But really, has he had to do much yet this season that makes him nationally praiseworthy?[/q]

USCHO doesn't know that.  The ECACHL doesn't know that either.  These guys don't watch the games, they have no clue, so they base all their awards, etc. on stats.  McKee's stats were good last weekend, but he was barely tested.  USCHO and ECACHL don't know that though.  All those ECACHL awards and the Hobey are voted on by people who have not seen most of the candidates play more than a couple games.

[puff]

From what i'm looking at, he was one of few goal tenders who posted a shutout on the weekend who played both games. He did post it agains harvard, which atleast from an outside view looks better than say Fallon's against Princeton. And overall it was a solid performance. I didn't spend too long pouring over the stats and recaps, but from what i saw nothing else jumped out as that much more deserving.

But... I'll be honest and admit that i was surpised to see it.

[Pace]

He made a few nice saves last weekend, and a few the weekend before. On the whole though, I think he's been pretty bored. Which team-wise is a good thing.

[billhoward]

These honors will do nicely to make up for the time in January when some defenseman from BC or Michigan scores a hat trick over Northeastern, it gets big play, and he gets D-man of the Week the same weekend McKee kicks out a combined 45 really tough shots in 5-2 and 4-3 wins in spite of defensive lapses.

I'd say the honor really was for giving up just four goals in four games, of which two games happened to be the previous weekend against the halt and the lame.

The player of the week awards rest in the back of the voters' minds just a little bit come time to vote on all-league and All-America.

[Jeff Hopkins '82]

Let's turn it around.  He has an an amazing GAA, a high saves percentage, and everybody says that "It's not that the goalie is that great.  It's Schafer's system."

Sound familiar?  Let's be happy he's getting credit for his/the team's achievements.

[Beeeej]

[Q]Jeff Hopkins '82 Wrote:
He has an an amazing GAA, a high saves percentage, and everybody says that "It's not that the goalie is that great.  It's Schafer's system."[/q]
Frankly, I've never heard a satisfactory response to my theory that, with such a stifling defense, the shots that actually get through are generally of higher quality than the ones the skaters block.  Lenny and Dave may have to stop fewer shots, but I really think they've done an incredibly good job playing positionally, and they're both very good technical goalies.

Beeeej

[DisplacedCornellian]

[Q]Beeeej Wrote:

Frankly, I've never heard a satisfactory response to my theory that, with such a stifling defense, the shots that actually get through are generally of higher quality than the ones the skaters block.  Lenny and Dave may have to stop fewer shots, but I really think they've done an incredibly good job playing positionally, and they're both very good technical goalies.

Beeeej[/q]

Well, to play devil's advocate, I think an argument is that because of the defense, a lot of the shots are low quality, rushed shots from the outside that are relatively easy for the goaltender to deal with.  The team plays such good D down low that the opposition is forced to take shots from outside and pray that McKee gets screened (which does seem to be the only way he has been scored on so far this season).  

[canucksfan]

[Q]Beeeej Wrote:

Frankly, I've never heard a satisfactory response to my theory that, with such a stifling defense, the shots that actually get through are generally of higher quality than the ones the skaters block.  Lenny and Dave may have to stop fewer shots, but I really think they've done an incredibly good job playing positionally, and they're both very good technical goalies.[/q]

I agree...I think that because Cornell blocks so many shots, McKee and LeNeveu have been much more likely to either be screened or to be dealing with open shots than with bad ones.

[CUlater 89]

[Q]DisplacedCornellian Wrote:

 [Q2]Beeeej Wrote:

Frankly, I've never heard a satisfactory response to my theory that, with such a stifling defense, the shots that actually get through are generally of higher quality than the ones the skaters block.  Lenny and Dave may have to stop fewer shots, but I really think they've done an incredibly good job playing positionally, and they're both very good technical goalies.

Beeeej[/Q]
Well, to play devil's advocate, I think an argument is that because of the defense, a lot of the shots are low quality, rushed shots from the outside that are relatively easy for the goaltender to deal with.  The team plays such good D down low that the opposition is forced to take shots from outside and pray that McKee gets screened (which does seem to be the only way he has been scored on so far this season).  [/q]

I think that's a good argument.  

An interesting thing about this subject (and the thread about Cornell's clutch-and-grab tactics) is how subjective it is.  Some of the same people who have argued (or would argue) that Martin Brodeur is not as good of a goalie as some others because he sees relatively few shots, or that the Devils clutch and grab, are arguing on the other side of the fence when it comes to defending Cornell and its goalies.

[billhoward]

[Q]canucksfan Wrote:

 [Q2]Beeeej Wrote:

Frankly, I've never heard a satisfactory response to my theory that, with such a stifling defense, the shots that actually get through are generally of higher quality than the ones the skaters block.  Lenny and Dave may have to stop fewer shots, but I really think they've done an incredibly good job playing positionally, and they're both very good technical goalies.[/Q]
I agree...I think that because Cornell blocks so many shots, McKee and LeNeveu have been much more likely to either be screened or to be dealing with open shots than with bad ones.

[/q]

Agree. If all the shots from the point get through to the goalie, like say because the defensemen stay out of the line of fire, the goalie sees them all and can react to them all. Most but not all he'll get a glove or stick on. LeNeveau and now McKee are seeing -- sorry, facing -- a lot more shots that get through a tangle or players or bounce off other bodies en route to the goalie. Plus the close-in wrist shots make up a higher percentage of the shots the goalie faces. So the goalie may not be seeing a higher percentage of quality shots, but he's seeing a higher percentage of tough shots.