Who do we want to face?

[redredux]

I kind of like the Cornell/Union matchup.  I'd rather host Union than Clarkson or RPI.  I know they beat us at Lynah once but I liked what I saw from the Red last night.  Mayotte is good but besides him Union doesn't seem too scary.  Clarkson and RPI have more skilled players, I think.  I like Cornell's chances in a 2 of 3 series at home against a grind it out team like Union.  Plus, we'd have the revenge factor since they beat us at home.  

Also, being seeded third isn't such a big deal.  The downsides I see are no last line change in Albany and playing in the late game on Friday.  Taking those things into consideration, I like the Red's chances against Colgate more than against the Green or the Crimson.  So, even though winning the RS title would have been nice, I think we're set up pretty well for the playoffs assuming the injuries heal.

[redhair34]

If we're healthier (read: at least two of three injured d-men back), I honestly don't think it matters much.  At this point, all three of those teams are not TUC's.  Clarkson is pretty close, but I don't think any of the teams will get enough of a bump in their RPI next weekend to become TUC's.    I think Clarkson is easily the most talented, but RPI and Union have pretty solid netminders.  If we play our game, we really shouldn't have trouble beating any of those teams.

If we make it to Albany, I'd much rather see Dartmouth or SLU over Sucks or Colgate.  I know most people think this year it is "wide open," but in my mind only Sucks, Colgate or Cornell have a shot of winning the title.  Dartmouth didn't impress me at all at Lynah.  They have the weakest goaltending of the top 5 teams and are pretty undisciplined. SLU also hasn't impressed me this year either at Lynah or at Appleton.  They couldn't beat us when our whole team was sick and we only had 4 defensemen.  Also, losing Zeiler is huge for them--it would be the same as us losing Hynes down the stretch last year.  I know this might sound strange or masochistic but I wouldn't have been entirely crushed if we were dealt the 4th seed and Sucks the 3rd.  We'd get two games against a TUC at Lynah, and have to face Dartmouth (in my opinion, weaker than Colgate) before the title game.

[Dart~Ben]

[quote redhair34]If we make it to Albany, I'd much rather see Dartmouth or SLU over Sucks or Colgate.  I know most people think this year it is "wide open," but in my mind only Sucks, Colgate or Cornell have a shot of winning the title.  Dartmouth didn't impress me at all at Lynah.  They have the weakest goaltending of the top 5 teams and are pretty undisciplined.[/quote]

ok, did you actually look at the numbers for Devine or are you just basing it on the same comments that everyone else is saying (a lie told enough times becomes the truth)? It's no coincidence that Dartmouth started rolling once Devine started playing every game. Devine is 3rd in save percentage (.917) and 2nd in goals against average (2.26) in the conference.

Undisciplined? If the team that is in 7th in the conference in PIM's is undisciplined, what does that make the six teams above them, including SUNY-Ithaca?

Look, Dartmouth spotted the whole friggen conference four games, and yet still managed to win the Cleary Cup with 30 points in 18 games (14-2-2), including an absolute ass-kicking of the Big Red at Thompson. Underestimate them at your peril. In fact, please continue to do so.

[calgARI '07]

[quote Dart~Ben][quote redhair34]If we make it to Albany, I'd much rather see Dartmouth or SLU over Sucks or Colgate.  I know most people think this year it is "wide open," but in my mind only Sucks, Colgate or Cornell have a shot of winning the title.  Dartmouth didn't impress me at all at Lynah.  They have the weakest goaltending of the top 5 teams and are pretty undisciplined.[/quote]

ok, did you actually look at the numbers for Devine or are you just basing it on the same comments that everyone else is saying (a lie told enough times becomes the truth)? It's no coincidence that Dartmouth started rolling once Devine started playing every game. Devine is 3rd in save percentage (.917) and 2nd in goals against average (2.26) in the conference.

Undisciplined? If the team that is in 7th in the conference in PIM's is undisciplined, what does that make the six teams above them, including SUNY-Ithaca?

Look, Dartmouth spotted the whole friggen conference four games, and yet still managed to win the Cleary Cup with 30 points in 18 games (14-2-2), including an absolute ass-kicking of the Big Red at Thompson. Underestimate them at your peril. In fact, please continue to do so.[/quote]

Dartmouth has brutal goaltending.  You can look at statistics all you want, but ask anybody if they would rather have Dekanich, McKee, or Devine, and no one would say Devine.  Maybe it isn't a factor against the lesser-lights of the ECAC, but they won't be playing in Albany.  
As for undisciplined play, I hate to break it to you, but Dartmouth has that reputation all over the league.  And again, you can point to stats all you want, but bad penalties don't show up anywhere.  I think Cornell is underrecognized as a chippy team, but Dartmouth still takes the cake.

[billhoward]

Colgate and Harvard have the best ability to win the ECAC playoff, present company excepted. Dartmouth obviously didn't tie for the RS title just on fluke wins. But the second game showed a beatable team especially when they lost discipline.

Union is a better QF opponent for us than RPI or someone else in the 6-7-8 range. Although I thought Cornell was way better than both Union AND RPI in the season ending games.

We need to beware the other team's hot scorer ... their Matt Moulson. Eg TJ Trevelyan at St. Lawrence. Our momentary defensive lapses give an advantage to a talented opposing forward. (Although writing that, once I see it, you could say that about any team and its opponents.)

[Hillel Hoffmann]

[quote Dart~Ben said:]...SUNY-Ithaca ... an absolute ass-kicking of the Big Red at Thompson...[etc.][/quote]

Ben, are those the official statements of Dartmouth Sports Information? I hope not. If you're no longer working for the Dartmouth SID, then I apologize. But if you're still a paid representative of the University, then you need to be held to a higher standard than the average thin-skinned fan. It's ironic that you would enter a discussion on the subject of discipline under those circumstances.

[Dart~Ben]

I'm just trading some friendly banter with many people whom I've shared brews with at Albany and elsewhere in the past, as I did earlier in the year.

It should be pretty easy to tell my comments as an alum and fan vs. my official position (which doesn't involve men's hockey at all, btw).

I apologize for leaving off the requisite :-D :-}:-P that signal such intentions.

[redhair34]

[Q]
ok, did you actually look at the numbers for Devine or are you just basing it on the same comments that everyone else is saying (a lie told enough times becomes the truth)? [/Q]

None of the above.  I based it on my own observations of seeing him play twice in person.  He seems to get caught out of position a lot.  The third Cornell goal at Lynah should have never happened.

[Q]
Undisciplined? [/Q]

I guess you didn't watch the game at Lynah.  Your coach lost control as did your team...and we made them pay twice on the powerplay.

[Q]SUNY-Ithaca [/Q]

I applaud you for getting that insult right.  Many people (Colgate students) butcher it to some degree ("Suny-Cornell).  What you lack in originality you make up for in accuracy...well done.

[Q]Underestimate them at your peril.[/Q]
Hmm...I think you're giving me too much credit  

[Q]In fact, please continue to do so.[/Q]
Gladly

[scoop85]

I saw nothing about Union that scares me, EXCEPT for Mayotte -- but even he probably could steal only one game, at best.  Union's offense was simply the least imposing I have seen this year.  Clarkson and to a lesser extent, RPI, give me more concern.

If we make it to Albany, I think that if we are healthy and can play our "A" game, we will beat any of the other likely opponents.  But since we have been so spotty this year, our "A" game is anything but a certainty.  If I had to pick one opponent, I would pick Colgate.  We seem to have good match-ups with them, and I think it would be a good battle.

[Al DeFlorio]

[quote Dart~Ben][Undisciplined? If the team that is in 7th in the conference in PIM's is undisciplined, what does that make the six teams above them, including SUNY-Ithaca?
[/quote]
Pipe down, Ben...and take that SUNY-Ithaca crap and stick it up your ass.  At one time you were a useful participant in this forum, but you're rapidly approaching a jerk.

[jkahn]

[quote Al DeFlorio][quote Dart~Ben][Undisciplined? If the team that is in 7th in the conference in PIM's is undisciplined, what does that make the six teams above them, including SUNY-Ithaca?
[/quote]
Pipe down, Ben...and take that SUNY-Ithaca crap and stick it up your ass.  At one time you were a useful participant in this forum, but you're rapidly approaching a jerk.[/quote]
Al - I think you're overreacting.  Except for the SUNY-Ithaca reference, which I took to be in good fun, Ben was just making some relevant statistical arguments.

[Hillel Hoffmann]

Ben, I don't care if you only write four press releases a year for the women's softball team , and I don't care how many smilies you use, I still have a different standard for you as representative of DU SI. You've chosen to draw the line in a different place, and that's fine -- but trust me, you've stepped well outside standard apractice for our profession.

[Trotsky]

Dartmouth has indeed arrived; people are starting to get pissed at their comments.

Didn't Laing Kennedy say, "everybody thought we were cute until we started winning," or something like that? :-D

I don't see anything to choose from between the top 5 teams -- they're all good and they're all not great.

To return the thread to the topic -- here are Cornell's results against the teams they could potnetially play in the QF:

#10 Quinnipiac (8-13-1, 17-16-1), would have beaten RPI

W 2-1 H
W 6-0 A

#9 Princeton (7-12-3, 10-16-3), would have beaten Clarkson

W 4-1 H
L 0-3 A

#8 Clarkson (9-11-2, 16-15-3), would have beaten Princeton

W 4-2 H
L 1-3 A

#7 RPI (8-8-6, 14-15-6), would have beaten Quinnipiac

T 1-1 H
L 0-2 A

#6 Union (9-9-4, 16-14-6), would have beaten Yale

L 1-2 H
W 2-1 A

Weirdly, Cornell met all five of the opponents at Lynah earlier than their game on the road.

From those stats, I'd pick Quinnipiac, although Cornell only won their matchup at Lynah in the final :23.  But that's not going to happen, because Brown isn't going to upset St. Lawrence.

Of the remainder, I don't see much to choose.  I guess I'd prefer to stay away from the goalie most able to carry a series, which is Mayotte (Union).

[Dpperk29]

I want to see clarkson come to lynah. Besides the fact that my dad is a clarkson alumnus (which means I could stick it to him of clarkson lost) and I am a going there next year (which means I wouldn't be heart broken if cornell lost to clarkson), cornell simply plays better against quality opponents.

look at it, how do you get taken to overtime against brown, tie yale, lose to princeton, and whatnot and then Beat Colgate, Dartmouth, St. Lawrence, and Clarkson?

it's playoff time, we want our boys playing there best, which for this team apparently means getting them a good opponent.

Disclaimer: the harvard debacle is the flaw in my logic.

[Hillel Hoffmann]

[quote jkahn][quote Al DeFlorio][quote Dart~Ben][Undisciplined? If the team that is in 7th in the conference in PIM's is undisciplined, what does that make the six teams above them, including SUNY-Ithaca?
[/quote]
Pipe down, Ben...and take that SUNY-Ithaca crap and stick it up your ass.  At one time you were a useful participant in this forum, but you're rapidly approaching a jerk.[/quote]
Al - I think you're overreacting.  Except for the SUNY-Ithaca reference, which I took to be in good fun, Ben was just making some relevant statistical arguments.[/quote]

The funny thing is I agree with Ben about Devine (I agree with almost everything Ben has posted over the years). And if I was a Dartmouth fan, I would also be irritated with the way that Ari talks about Dartmouth and its coaching staff. [Edit:] I don't even mind the "SUNY-Ithaca" thing. As a native New Yorker, I'm proud of the way Cornell serves my home state. I can live with the elitist teasing.

What disappoints me is that Ben has chosen to violate standard codes of conduct for sports information professionals, who are normally discouraged from partisan posts on forums like this (even when the subject is outside a person's "beat" area). It's a growing problem in the profession. Different SI shops may draw the line in different places; it's possible that Kathy P's attitudes are different than most of her peers -- I doubt it, but it's possible.

It's hard to hold your fire. I'm not blameless myself -- I once let my guard down and talked about stuff related to Temple University, my current employer, on this forum. I regret doing so, and promised myself not to do so again. It reflected badly on the profession.