Harvard at Cornell post-game thread

[canuck89]

But at the college level where mistakes are made, 6x5 has some insurance benefits.  If the puck is mishandled, due to the clutter, we have a greater chance of getting the puck back without getting scored on (Actually, keeping it in the zone is easier).

There are trade-offs to both, and if you asked me I would prefer a 5x4 over a 6x5 for the same reasons previously stated.  However, I don't think it (5x4) is absolutely better than the other.  There are a few pros and cons for both.

[Steve M]

Well it is pretty depressing to lose to Harvard on home ice for the first time in 6 years in a nationally televised game to boot.  Since Saturday was my birthday and I'm still in a full leg brace from knee surgery, watching the game on TV was to be the highlight of my day.  Oh well.

Maybe I've watched too much NHL and Olympic hockey this year, but our team sure looked slow.  Given that we don't quite have the size that we used to and can't dominate the corners with long cycles like in the past several years, I guess I expected the team's speed to be close to par with Harvard's.  The sad reality is that Cornell looks to be a long shot to make the Frozen Four, and might even miss the NCAAs.  Yes the ECACs will be exciting and we'll have a good shot at winning another championship, but unfortunately the ECAC is still not that good of a conference.  Cornell has the league's best Krach ranking at 13th.  Harvard is next at 22nd.  As good as the sweep of Colgate felt, they are only ranked  26th, which is fairly average.

Sorry to dampen the mood, but it's hard to be positive when the pre-season goal was a National Championship.  Maybe O'Byrne's return will improve things.

[redhair34]

[quote Steve M]
Maybe I've watched too much NHL and Olympic hockey this year, but our team sure looked slow.  Given that we don't quite have the size that we used to and can't dominate the corners with long cycles like in the past several years, I guess I expected the team's speed to be close to par with Harvard's.[/quote]

You are the second person to suggest that our team speed doesn't compare to Harvard.  Am I the only one that disagrees with this sentiment?

[Jacob '06]

[quote redhair34][quote Steve M]
Maybe I've watched too much NHL and Olympic hockey this year, but our team sure looked slow.  Given that we don't quite have the size that we used to and can't dominate the corners with long cycles like in the past several years, I guess I expected the team's speed to be close to par with Harvard's.[/quote]

You are the second person to suggest that our team speed doesn't compare to Harvard.  Am I the only one that disagrees with this sentiment?[/quote]

No.

[calgARI '07]

[quote redhair34][quote Steve M]
Maybe I've watched too much NHL and Olympic hockey this year, but our team sure looked slow.  Given that we don't quite have the size that we used to and can't dominate the corners with long cycles like in the past several years, I guess I expected the team's speed to be close to par with Harvard's.[/quote]

You are the second person to suggest that our team speed doesn't compare to Harvard.  Am I the only one that disagrees with this sentiment?[/quote]

I just finished this week's column and it touches upon this exact subject.  I think Cornell has become a lot more of a skating team and is definitely the fastest Cornell team I've seen in the last five years.  Seeing as how it's a pretty different style than the one the team has thrived off of the last couple of years, they are going through a transition, attempting to get a hybrid between the physical, cycling game and the speed and skill game.  Just because they lose races to pucks for stretches during the game doesn't mean they are slow.

[Al DeFlorio]

[quote redhair34]You are the second person to suggest that our team speed doesn't compare to Harvard.  Am I the only one that disagrees with this sentiment?[/quote]
I thought we were as fast as Harvard at the Lynah East game.  We certainly had more transition chances.  I find it hard to judge watching on TV.  Getting to loose pucks can be a matter of hustle and desire, not just speed.

[DL]

[quote Al DeFlorio][quote DeltaOne81]Hmmm, wish I'd remember to record it.[/quote]
Am I nuts or did they show a brief snippet of Dan Lodboa scoring against Clarkson in the 1970 national championship game? That would have been reason enough to have wanted to record it.  I'd pay good bucks for a tape/DVD of that game.[/quote]

They sure did, Al.  It was incredibly poor quality, and lasted all of about 2 seconds.  I zipped through my recording of periods 1 and 2, but didn't see it.  Disc 3 died a horrible death, so maybe someone else has it.

[bothman]

Also, Cornell's style lends itself to focus more on size as opposed to Harvard's which lends itself to speed.

Cornell still likes to bring the puck in the zone along the boards and cycle the puck for as long as it takes to create a 2v1 etc.

Harvard plays much more of a transition game and hates cycling the puck along the boards.  Thus, it is much easier to notice Harvard's speed.  Cornell may be just as fast, but the cycle strategy doesn't leverage that size.

I am very intrigued as to how this will play out next year.  While there is no question that Cornell's incoming class is scary legit, they are small and I'm guessing speedy as a result.  These are not the type of forwards that will thrive in the corners.  It will be interesting to see how Mike Schafer's system will have to evolve to leverage these new assets because the system that Cornell employs now, will stifle some of the gifted and speedy playmaking that a Gallagher, Milo, or Romano thrive on.  

To be determined I guess....

[ebilmes]

From Adam Wodon at CHN

[q][Cornell] got credit for one of the biggest phantom goals in hockey history. Folks, I was standing right there in the corner by the Harvard goal, along the goal line, and the puck wasn't close to going in.[/q]

The CSTV replay made it seem much closer...

[Rich S]

Bill,

You expected me to be concerned about RPI in response?  Yeah I suppose I should have mentioned them because quite honestly as another tech school, which Colgate clearly is not, both RPI and Clarkson are closer to CC than either Colgate or Union.

I believe that Union granted the first engineering degree in NYS many years ago, right?  But do I recall that they gave up the Engineering programs years ago?  Now they're considered a liberal arts school?  Oh how the mighty have fallen.  LOL.

I'll take the "Sodom on the St. Lawrence" comment as a compliment I suppose.  And it's compliments you should be doling out rather than the poor joke about CC or Clarkson students having to transfer to RPI.  I can't speak for the CC crowd but why on would a Techer want to transfer for the privilege of going to school in Troy? ::rolleyes::

As for the Clarkson president who had a cornell background, I do recall him but not his name and like most Tech alumni, I have generally forgotten his short-lived tenure in Potsdam.  Suffice to say it was not a good fit and when he left town, I don't think many tears were shed.

For what it's worth, our previous President, Denny Brown, he of Morris-firing fame, was married to a woman, whose first name I have forgotten, who had earned her Ph D high above Cayuga's waters.  I recall seeing them sitting a few rows behind me at Lynah in the late 90s.  Denny wore Clarkson colors and his wife wore red.  I magine had she done that at Cheel she'd have been roundly booed.

[Lauren '06]

[quote Rich S]Bill,

You expected me to be concerned about RPI in response?  Yeah I suppose I should have mentioned them because quite honestly as another tech school, which Colgate clearly is not, both RPI and Clarkson are closer to CC than either Colgate or Union.[/quote]
Uh, CC is a liberal arts college, and I think that was Bill's point.

[Josh '99]

[quote Rich S]I can't speak for the CC crowd but why on would a Techer want to transfer for the privilege of going to school in Troy? ::rolleyes:: [/quote]Ummm, because it's a better school?  ::rolleyes::

[Rich S]

They have, or at least use to and I presume still do have, a very good reputation in the sciences, much like Clarkson and RPI.

[Rich S]

That's certainly debateable (but please let's not do that here again) so given that, I stand by my question....Troy?  Ugh.

Potsdam may not be the greatest town in the state (and Ithaca isn't either) but at least it's not ugly like Troy.

[Josh '99]

[quote Rich S]That's certainly debateable (but please let's not do that here again) so given that, I stand by my question....Troy?  Ugh.[/quote]It's not debatable.  Look up rankings of engineering programs.  RPI is a better school than Clarkson.