Irish Hockey: Straight Inta Compton

[NotreDameFan27]

Re: Irish Hockey: Straight Inta Compton

I hope the coach sticks with Summerhays. I understand he wasn't that great last night, and i'm not sure if others will agree with me here, but I think he needs to stick with one guy and go with it. Confidence has to be playing a part in our goaltending situation. I think switching back and forth, even when one plays badly, actually exasperates the problem. If one guy knows HE'S THE GUY, he will play like it. He will play like it because he knows the team is counting on him.

I stand by my original opinion that Summerhays is the better goalie of the two. In the long run we'll do better with him in net. Others may disagree but that's how I feel.

What do you guys think?

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish Hockey: Straight Inta Compton

... actually exasperates the problem.

I chuckled at this because I think you meant to say the team (and fans) are exasperated with the goalie problem, which is exacerbated by the constant switching.

I think I agree with your reasoning, though goalies know going in that they have to earn that start.

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish Hockey: Straight Inta Compton

A split on the road is good. As long as they win at home. However, something seems off about this team. Watching them all weekend I couldn't help thinking they were half-assing it. Surely they aren't sick again. But are some players "playing through" dings? That first round bye might be needed in more ways than one.

5th in the league. 12th in the PWR. Time will tell if they are righting the ship, or if that ship is still listing.

[NotreDameFan27]

Re: Irish Hockey: Straight Inta Compton

The CCHA has been crazy this year and Notre Dame hasn't been exempted from that craziness. Incredibly, even after losing four of our last six conference games, Notre Dame is only four points out of first place in the toughest conference in the NCAA. Of the five teams ahead of the Irish in the standings, three have two games on hand and we're playing one - Ferris State - in a home-and-home series in two weeks. The attrition in the CCHA doesn't seem to be letting up any time soon either. It's possible we can be in FIRST PLACE (or very close to it) in TWO WEEKS.

This means we hold our own destiny in our hands. The only team we need to lose is Western Michigan, who are only one game ahead of us.

God must be a Notre Dame fan. I can't believe how much better I feel today than I did yesterday. Let's finish the season strong and use these losses as a learning experience.

[IrishHockeyFan]

Re: Irish Hockey: Straight Inta Compton

We actually have games in hand on Miami, Ohio State and Lake Superior. Ferris has also played 20 CCHA games and has 8 remaining.

A couple of issues were righted, at least for 60 minutes that is. It's nice to see the special teams come through. Especially the PK. It was nice to see Johnson pull it together after another horrible start. The momentum goal Alaska scored half a minute after Notre Dame took their first lead and a second goal on just the 'Nooks second shot because we had the nerve to turn the puck over seemed to spell doom and I expected yet another change in the net. But since Forrest Karr is now Alaska's athetics director and has used up all his eligibility, Jackson decided to stick with his starter. What they hey, it worked.

I think we won't know what we've got with this team until the final horn sounds on their season. Whether that is sometime in the middle of March, or after the first of Springtime, or in the fun and the sun of an early April in Florida is up to them.

[NotreDameFan27]

Re: Irish Hockey: Straight Inta Compton

[QUOTE=IrishHockeyFan;5336240]We actually have games in hand on Miami, Ohio State and Lake Superior. Ferris has also played 20 CCHA games and has 8 remaining.

I know Ferris has played the same number of games. What I wrote was that WE ARE PLAYING FERRIS STATE in two weeks. If we beat them, we will jump them in the standings. Thus, we control our own destiny. The only exception is Western Michigan who have played the same number of games and are three points ahead of us. They are the only team that we need to lose and have no control over.

[Irish83]

Re: Irish Hockey: Straight Inta Compton

Hard to believe it but I just checked WMU's schedule. Can today's sports menu be any lighter? It's bad when the top events are over by 11:30 (Tiger playing overseas and the Australian Open finals) and yes this does include the Allstar "game". Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

[NotreDameFan27]

Re: Irish Hockey: Straight Inta Compton

Hard to believe it but I just checked WMU's schedule. Can today's sports menu be any lighter? It's bad when the top events are over by 11:30 (Tiger playing overseas and the Australian Open finals) and yes this does include the Allstar "game". Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Asides from next weekend, when they play Alaska at home, the final three weekends look pretty tough for WMU (vs. Ohio State; @Lake Superior State; home-and-home vs. Ferris).

There's still a lot of attrition left. We can definitely do this as long as we play well.

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish Hockey: Straight Inta Compton

Hard to believe it but I just checked WMU's schedule. Can today's sports menu be any lighter? It's bad when the top events are over by 11:30 (Tiger playing overseas and the Australian Open finals) and yes this does include the Allstar "game". Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

What on earth does this post mean?

[Irish83]

Re: Irish Hockey: Straight Inta Compton

It means just win this weekend and do not worry about the other teams at this time. What did you think it meant Dr. Melfi? Hint HBO.

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish Hockey: Straight Inta Compton

What did you think it meant Dr. Melfi? Hint HBO.

Still don't understand you, but thanks for the, uh, clarification...

[IrishHockeyFan]

Re: Irish Hockey: Straight Inta Compton

I assume the HBO/Dr Melfi reference has something to do with The Sopranos, but I also have no idea how that has anything to do with this thread. If memory serves isn't Dr. Melfi Tony Soprano's psychiatrist? Anyway...

Not that it matters today, but I was kind of surprised we dropped so far in the pairwise. I would have thought that with the results of so many of the teams being so schizophrenic our number would still be a little higher. We dropped quite a bit further than Alaska jumped (from 5th to 11th in RPI, Alaska went to 33rd from 35th and is now a TUC). UMD had a worse weekend against a similarly rated opponent (MTU, 30 spots behind them in the RPI) and went to number 1 in the PWR. This is the time of year where these numbers really start to make you scratch your head. Either very fun to watch, or nerve wracking, depending on which direction your team moves.

No matter what happens, Notre Dame controls their destiny. We could see them finish just about anywhere in the CCHA. We could see them miss the tournament or get in as a number 1 seed somewhere.

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish Hockey: Straight Inta Compton

I've seen one episode of The Sopranos. Gotta say, The Godfather did it better and 3 and a half decades sooner.

Speaking of something akin to a godfather, this weekend is the "Lefty fest" when supposedly many former players will be on hand to honor their former coach. Will I now finally get to see John Schmidt after 30 years?!

So I looked at BG's last 10 games, as I did for UA(F), and while they have not fared as well as Alaska did in their preceding 10, Bowling Green does have a few feathers in their cap (Get it? Feathers? Cuz they're the Falcons...). Anyhoo. They are 2-5-3 in their last 10. In that mix are 2 shootout wins against the former top team in the league and a victory against another former league leader. In those 10, their GF is 1.6 (like I stated earlier, if they had anyone who could score, they'd likely be in the middle of the league), while their GA is 2.8. They have only 2 players in the teens in scoring, Cam Wojtala and Ryan Carpenter, each with 16 points. Wojtala and Bryce Williamson lead the team with 3 PPG's each. Williamson leads the team in G's with 7. Andrew Hammond will be in net. He's got a save % of .897 and a GA of 2.62. BG's PP stinks, going 11.1% overall, 8.3% in CCHA play, but their PK is pretty decent both overall (85%) and in league play (83%).

ND over the last 10 games is 5-5 with a few solid victories. Their GF in that span is 2.8/game while their GA is 2.7. Phew. That's a little close. ND has 8 players who are in the teens or higher in scoring; 3 of those in the 20's; 1, T.J. Tynan, in the 30's. Scoring should not be an issue. Anders Lee still leads the team in G's (14) and PPG's (6), but that's because he built up such a cushion to start off the season... I bet I would have an easier time getting struck by lightning-twice-than guessing who will be in net this weekend for ND, but my guess is: both of them. Steven Summerhays has a save % of .893 and a GA of 2.76 while Mike Johnson has a save % of .885 and a GA of 2.63. ND's PP is still awesome at 20% overall and 18.9% in the league, but the PK smells a little at 80.2% overall. You don't even want to know what the PK is in conference play.

Coach Jackson has assured the students that the team is going to "Bring it." The great Vince Lombardi once said, "The strength of the group is the strength of the leaders."

[Jeff_Jackson_for_Pres.]

Re: Irish Hockey: Straight Inta Compton

Forgot to mention the ND alumni game at 1:00 Saturday afternoon. Come out and relive the past with some former players. {please, please, please let John Schmidt show up}

[IrishHockeyFan]

Re: Irish Hockey: Straight Inta Compton

Does anyone else find it odd to look at the overall statistics and see Notre Dame dead last in goals allowed? No CCHA team has given up more than Notre Dame's 77. Granted counting just conference games we are 5th, and much closer to first in goals allowed than last.

This series is a trap series. If the Irish treat Bowling Green like anything other than the best college hockey team going, they will fail this weekend. I hope every Notre Dame player taking the ice realizes this.