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Re: UNH Wildcats 2013-14 Season Thread
I think we can agree on that much. 
And I agree 100% with freak. Getting the goalie to move is always the key, and the ability to move effectively is what sets the truly elite goalies apart. There have been an awful lot of good-but-not-great goalies playing for the top HE programs in recent years, whose stats have benefitted from having top-notch talent playing in front of them, which minimizes quality chances AND the necessary puck movement required by the opposition to force them to move.
Look no further than the 2006-2007 HE season, when BU had HE Player of the Year John Curry between the pipes, also earning First Team All-HE honors with two HE First Team defensemen (Sullivan and Gilroy) and two future NHL'ers (Gryba and Strait) manning the blue line. In the meantime, soph Jonathan Quick earned Second Team All-HE honors on a UMass Amherst team with only a very young Justin Braun (frosh) and eventual NHL'er Michael Kostka of note in front of him. It was pretty apparent (to me anyway) that Quick was the more talented of the two, but he had to wait a couple of years after he left college hockey to get his overdue recognition.
Since then, Curry (who unlike Quick was not drafted) has floundered mostly between the AHL and ECHL, albeit he did make 4 emergency appearances in Pittsburgh relatively early in his career. Guys like Millan (BU), Muse (BC), and Milner (BC) all collected some great honors at the college level, but are all floundering in the minors, with very little likelihood of getting beyond that level. They all benefitted from having tremendous blue line talent playing regularly in front of them.
Guys like Gillies and Hellebuyck are NHL drafted goalies, so someone has seen the raw talent (including movement) in their skill sets. Neither PC nor UML play wide-open hockey (although I suspect PC will migrate there as their younger players mature), but my thought is that if you want to just put traffic in front of them and throw pucks at the net from the perimeter, you are probably just playing right into their hands. IF you can get either of these teams to open up a little - and getting the first goal/holding the lead help that a lot - then your forwards should enjoy more open ice in the attacking zone, allowing them to pass and in doing so, moving the opposing goalie.
It will be VERY interesting to see if UNH can force PC out of its comfort zone. They weren't able to do it to UMass Lowell a few weekends ago. But even if they can force PC into a more open game, I suspect the Friars can handle that adjustment better than UML can. PC proved to be a tough match-up for UNH last season, and they are only going to get better this season (barring key injuries). Frankly, I'll be happy if UNH can get anything out of this weekend's games. But as always, I'd be very happy to be pleasantly surprised should UNH emerge with 2 or more points this weekend on the road. JMHO.
Originally posted by e.cat
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I don't care how many SOG UNH has as long as it is enough to be on top by one goal. The rest is irrelevant
And I agree 100% with freak. Getting the goalie to move is always the key, and the ability to move effectively is what sets the truly elite goalies apart. There have been an awful lot of good-but-not-great goalies playing for the top HE programs in recent years, whose stats have benefitted from having top-notch talent playing in front of them, which minimizes quality chances AND the necessary puck movement required by the opposition to force them to move.Look no further than the 2006-2007 HE season, when BU had HE Player of the Year John Curry between the pipes, also earning First Team All-HE honors with two HE First Team defensemen (Sullivan and Gilroy) and two future NHL'ers (Gryba and Strait) manning the blue line. In the meantime, soph Jonathan Quick earned Second Team All-HE honors on a UMass Amherst team with only a very young Justin Braun (frosh) and eventual NHL'er Michael Kostka of note in front of him. It was pretty apparent (to me anyway) that Quick was the more talented of the two, but he had to wait a couple of years after he left college hockey to get his overdue recognition.
Since then, Curry (who unlike Quick was not drafted) has floundered mostly between the AHL and ECHL, albeit he did make 4 emergency appearances in Pittsburgh relatively early in his career. Guys like Millan (BU), Muse (BC), and Milner (BC) all collected some great honors at the college level, but are all floundering in the minors, with very little likelihood of getting beyond that level. They all benefitted from having tremendous blue line talent playing regularly in front of them.
Guys like Gillies and Hellebuyck are NHL drafted goalies, so someone has seen the raw talent (including movement) in their skill sets. Neither PC nor UML play wide-open hockey (although I suspect PC will migrate there as their younger players mature), but my thought is that if you want to just put traffic in front of them and throw pucks at the net from the perimeter, you are probably just playing right into their hands. IF you can get either of these teams to open up a little - and getting the first goal/holding the lead help that a lot - then your forwards should enjoy more open ice in the attacking zone, allowing them to pass and in doing so, moving the opposing goalie.
It will be VERY interesting to see if UNH can force PC out of its comfort zone. They weren't able to do it to UMass Lowell a few weekends ago. But even if they can force PC into a more open game, I suspect the Friars can handle that adjustment better than UML can. PC proved to be a tough match-up for UNH last season, and they are only going to get better this season (barring key injuries). Frankly, I'll be happy if UNH can get anything out of this weekend's games. But as always, I'd be very happy to be pleasantly surprised should UNH emerge with 2 or more points this weekend on the road. JMHO.
haha.
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