Re: UNH Commits & Recruiting: 2016 and Beyond
No problem at all Greg, I'm done arguing with the enablers and - as they would be called on other boards - sunshine blowers. I deal with and post about reality. I think it is completely bogus when posters try to play the "I'm a better fan and my opinion is more valid because I attend more games card" - but despite living out of market I still made it to FIVE games this season and I watch every home and road game I can find a stream for. I watch the highlights over and over. I dive into the stats. I read every recap and analysis I can get my hands on. To sum it up, UNH hockey means way more to me than it should. I think I've earned the right to have an opinion and I think I consistently support my opinions with facts and strong evidence rather than just feelings and personal anecdotes...
As far as Tirone, he's athletic and flashy. He'll make a great save and nobody will notice the soft goal he gives up minutes later. He'll steal a game and everyone will forget the previous game where he gave up two soft goals in a 3-2 loss. Meanwhile, a goaltender like Clark simply works to get into the right position and let pucks hit him. He's boring. He makes very few highlight reel stops. As you stated, goaltending is a results based position and Tirone's results merit questions and the criticism.
Good coaches, players and goalies are consistent. Anyone can turn in an amazing performance, but can you do it most every night? UNH played great games against UML, BU and Providence down the stretch. They're DI athletes who can rise to the occasion, but over a 37 game schedule they proved to be a below average team this season.
Last season, Clark and the defense struggled early in the season. Tirone's arrival coincided with Borek taking over responsibility for the defense. Chuck makes a great point about the coaching influence - so kudos to Borek in that regard. The defense got noticeably better instantly (and not just Pesce) and played a HUGE role in Tirone's second half success. Now that Borek is gone, the defense reverted to its first half of 2014-15 form and suddenly Tirone looks more than human.
Tirone played almost the entire season, so its a small sample size for Clark & Reagan - but both outplayed him statistically. Tirone game up 16 goals in the first four games of the season. Clark came in the night after the UMass debacle and gave up four goals over the next two games - both wins (behind the same defense) - before getting hurt. Tirone returned to the crease the next weekend and gave up 12 goals against an offensively deficient MSU. Tirone was beaten 10 times against Northeastern and then four more times in half a game versus Notre Dame. Reagan replaced him in that game and gave up one goal on 20 shots, before posting a 26 save performance the next night (behind the same defense). Three of the four goals Reagan allowed were ND PP goals.
As for the excuses - I've made my points about what I think of them. I'm tired of listening to posters who think that UNH was fortunate to have the run they had and that in today's reality this is who they are. I'm tired of hearing about how UNH can't win with a facility better than 80% of those in college hockey. I'm tired of hearing about how UNH can't recruit against the big boys when they always have before. I'm tired of hearing blame heaped on the admissions office when the unreachable standard that keeps killing us is simply a second year of French class and the same academic mistakes are made over and over by the coaching staff. I'm tired of hearing about how UNH is not in Boston when schools in isolated locations all over the country are winning. I'm tired of hearing about how EIGHTEEN scholarships is not enough for them to attract enough talent (I broke it down in a previous post - if you can't build a team with 15 full scholarship kids, 6 fifty percent rides and 4 Chris Millers/Nick Nonis then you're in the wrong business).
(and yes - admissions should be figuratively dragged through the streets for what they did in the Johnny Gaudreault situation)
I'm sure many of you have noticed my signature and realize that I went to Miami (OH). Blasi turned that program into a success at the old Goggin Arena, before the new arena was any more than a dream. He did it despite the fact that he has to recruit in the shadow of Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, North Dakota, Denver, Minnesota and Wisconsin. He did it at a better academic school with higher admission standards. Have any of you ever been to Oxford? Sure its gorgeous - but you want to talk about isolated and rural?! Its half an hour from a highway of any kind! They haven't had a problem competing for top-rated recruits with anyone...
As far as supporting another team - that's not happening. Not even Miami. I love the RedHawks - and I'll prefer any other Miami team to their UNH equivalent - but I grew up literally immersed in UNH hockey. I'm not going to apologize for Watcher, Greg, myself or others having high expectations for the program. As Watcher stated earlier - whether were talking about the coaching staff, the program's support or the recruiting its time to strive for more. Right now I hear so much about settling for who we are and I hate it...
Greg, you're right - we're getting impatient with Souza, but every player they've brought in so far has been an upgrade over the players they've been brought in to replace. So while there is a lot of work to do, and much more important players to replace, I'll try to be more patient.
Catsfan1983, I'm an over the top guy - I appreciate you're understanding!
1932 - take a look at the last few days of posts and tell me if you think there is anyone who has shown themselves to be more optimistic about next season (and with the understanding that Tirone likely makes the majority of the starts!)? I apologize for my heinous opinion that he actually earn the position and play better than he did this season to do so...
Originally posted by Greg Ambrose
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As far as Tirone, he's athletic and flashy. He'll make a great save and nobody will notice the soft goal he gives up minutes later. He'll steal a game and everyone will forget the previous game where he gave up two soft goals in a 3-2 loss. Meanwhile, a goaltender like Clark simply works to get into the right position and let pucks hit him. He's boring. He makes very few highlight reel stops. As you stated, goaltending is a results based position and Tirone's results merit questions and the criticism.
Good coaches, players and goalies are consistent. Anyone can turn in an amazing performance, but can you do it most every night? UNH played great games against UML, BU and Providence down the stretch. They're DI athletes who can rise to the occasion, but over a 37 game schedule they proved to be a below average team this season.
Last season, Clark and the defense struggled early in the season. Tirone's arrival coincided with Borek taking over responsibility for the defense. Chuck makes a great point about the coaching influence - so kudos to Borek in that regard. The defense got noticeably better instantly (and not just Pesce) and played a HUGE role in Tirone's second half success. Now that Borek is gone, the defense reverted to its first half of 2014-15 form and suddenly Tirone looks more than human.
Tirone played almost the entire season, so its a small sample size for Clark & Reagan - but both outplayed him statistically. Tirone game up 16 goals in the first four games of the season. Clark came in the night after the UMass debacle and gave up four goals over the next two games - both wins (behind the same defense) - before getting hurt. Tirone returned to the crease the next weekend and gave up 12 goals against an offensively deficient MSU. Tirone was beaten 10 times against Northeastern and then four more times in half a game versus Notre Dame. Reagan replaced him in that game and gave up one goal on 20 shots, before posting a 26 save performance the next night (behind the same defense). Three of the four goals Reagan allowed were ND PP goals.
As for the excuses - I've made my points about what I think of them. I'm tired of listening to posters who think that UNH was fortunate to have the run they had and that in today's reality this is who they are. I'm tired of hearing about how UNH can't win with a facility better than 80% of those in college hockey. I'm tired of hearing about how UNH can't recruit against the big boys when they always have before. I'm tired of hearing blame heaped on the admissions office when the unreachable standard that keeps killing us is simply a second year of French class and the same academic mistakes are made over and over by the coaching staff. I'm tired of hearing about how UNH is not in Boston when schools in isolated locations all over the country are winning. I'm tired of hearing about how EIGHTEEN scholarships is not enough for them to attract enough talent (I broke it down in a previous post - if you can't build a team with 15 full scholarship kids, 6 fifty percent rides and 4 Chris Millers/Nick Nonis then you're in the wrong business).
(and yes - admissions should be figuratively dragged through the streets for what they did in the Johnny Gaudreault situation)
I'm sure many of you have noticed my signature and realize that I went to Miami (OH). Blasi turned that program into a success at the old Goggin Arena, before the new arena was any more than a dream. He did it despite the fact that he has to recruit in the shadow of Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, North Dakota, Denver, Minnesota and Wisconsin. He did it at a better academic school with higher admission standards. Have any of you ever been to Oxford? Sure its gorgeous - but you want to talk about isolated and rural?! Its half an hour from a highway of any kind! They haven't had a problem competing for top-rated recruits with anyone...
As far as supporting another team - that's not happening. Not even Miami. I love the RedHawks - and I'll prefer any other Miami team to their UNH equivalent - but I grew up literally immersed in UNH hockey. I'm not going to apologize for Watcher, Greg, myself or others having high expectations for the program. As Watcher stated earlier - whether were talking about the coaching staff, the program's support or the recruiting its time to strive for more. Right now I hear so much about settling for who we are and I hate it...
Greg, you're right - we're getting impatient with Souza, but every player they've brought in so far has been an upgrade over the players they've been brought in to replace. So while there is a lot of work to do, and much more important players to replace, I'll try to be more patient.
Catsfan1983, I'm an over the top guy - I appreciate you're understanding!
1932 - take a look at the last few days of posts and tell me if you think there is anyone who has shown themselves to be more optimistic about next season (and with the understanding that Tirone likely makes the majority of the starts!)? I apologize for my heinous opinion that he actually earn the position and play better than he did this season to do so...
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