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Post by cruskater31 on Mar 5, 2024 10:09:33 GMT -5
So far, no Holy Cross games are listed for this weekend on either NESN or NESN+.
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Post by cruskater31 on Mar 4, 2024 13:30:05 GMT -5
I used to subscribe to Flo for AHA. The first year I subscribed to Flo, it was only AHA regular season and I couldn't watch other conferences/sports. The following year it changed and I was able to watch some games. Overall the cameras, scoreboards, and feed stunk. I would say it was a half a step up from Stadium.
They should re-negotiate with ESPN+. It has been great watching women's games on ESPN+ and NESN, but I wish the men's games were on the same platform.
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Post by cruskater31 on Mar 4, 2024 11:22:36 GMT -5
Pitching didn't hold up and we did not add-on any runs, resulting in 7-4 loss both teams had 8 hits and no errors We're competitive against schollie programs. And...we'll have another Big West opponent next weekend in UC Riverside. Good to see we are gaining exposure out West as well. I believe we've had a small, but not insubstantial amount of players from California and the Western US. I feel like when I started at HC, Najarian was the head coach and we were not playing that difficult of a non-conference schedule. I want to say Ryder and Stetsons of the world. DiCenzo brought us to Cali, to LSU, Mississippi State, and A&M. Glad to see us getting back to a solid non-conference schedule. Nonetheless, we still need to win in the PL.
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Post by cruskater31 on Mar 3, 2024 20:58:42 GMT -5
I think the biggest factor is quality recruiting. Riga was the recruiting coordinator at Q and had championship teams. Shows the importance of recruiting and the importance of quality assistant coaches. It's great to see many former players who not only understand the culture and academics at HC but have a passion for the game. It is too bad we don't see that on the women's side.
This next part is more spitballing here, but there are a lot of junior and prep players desperately trying to play D1 men's hockey. We have an established reputation and a heck of a workout facility. In terms of capacity, we aren't really far off for AHA teams. Of course Bentley and SHU opening new barns means a bit more pressure on us. I know more than a few guys who had dreams of playing for Hockey East teams or even making it to a team out West but even before juniors knew that goal was out of reach (unless they really lit it up in the BCHL or something) but the goal of D1 hockey in AHA was still alive. Bigger player pool I suppose.
One other note...Meredith Roth is a great coach and a good offensive mind. Although she was a D3 coach previously, she was a head coach. Can't underestimate that loss. HCKL has an excellent defensive system but her teams have consistently struggled to generate shots and scoring chances. It is important as a coach to know your strengths and challenges and surround yourself with assistants who balance you out.
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Post by cruskater31 on Mar 3, 2024 20:52:55 GMT -5
with the amount of effort it appears we put into a Hockey East program we might as well be back in ECAC East. New barns for some of the D1 ECAC programs and recruiting will only become tougher. New D1 programs like Assumption and Stonehill put recruiting pressure on HC. In theory being in HE, a better conference than the NEWHA, would help HC but it hasn't proven fruitful yet. Stonehill or Franklin Pierce will make the NCAA Tournament this year. auto-bid, no?
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Post by cruskater31 on Mar 2, 2024 22:52:32 GMT -5
We looked like an over 50 beer league team at times speed and stamina-wise. Time to invest in assistant coaches and recruiting. I would also move on from HCKL but I am sure there are people who will say "she just won the program's first D1 playoff game." After this many years in HE we should not be content winning a play-in game. As long as there's no doubt TPTB want to be in that league, then by all means, yes. Time to stop doing things half-assed. with the amount of effort it appears we put into a Hockey East program we might as well be back in ECAC East. New barns for some of the D1 ECAC programs and recruiting will only become tougher. New D1 programs like Assumption and Stonehill put recruiting pressure on HC. In theory being in HE, a better conference than the NEWHA, would help HC but it hasn't proven fruitful yet.
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Post by cruskater31 on Mar 2, 2024 15:54:19 GMT -5
We looked like an over 50 beer league team at times speed and stamina-wise.
Time to invest in assistant coaches and recruiting. I would also move on from HCKL but I am sure there are people who will say "she just won the program's first D1 playoff game." After this many years in HE we should not be content winning a play-in game.
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Post by cruskater31 on Mar 2, 2024 15:52:35 GMT -5
4-2 final. UConn much faster and great defensively.
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Post by cruskater31 on Mar 2, 2024 14:30:32 GMT -5
3-1 UCONN end of 2
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Post by cruskater31 on Mar 2, 2024 14:30:15 GMT -5
And 2.5" clear of the next guy
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Post by cruskater31 on Mar 2, 2024 13:22:56 GMT -5
1-0 UConn 10:13 in the first.
Lazy penalty hooking I think. UConn PP came out in an umbrella and we stayed in a box, actually a straight line. Nobody on the weak side and UConn sniped one.
Not strong on clearing attempts. A bunch of muffins if you know hockey lingo
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Post by cruskater31 on Mar 2, 2024 10:50:03 GMT -5
Happy gameday Crossports! 1pm on NESN+
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Post by cruskater31 on Mar 1, 2024 8:26:14 GMT -5
IIRC, the men's tourney used to be best of 3 in the quarterfinal round (1 vs. 8, etc) and then the semis and championships were one game. They moved to that all-in single elimination format a couple of years ago. Did they do that win the departure of ND and an unbalanced schedule?
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Post by cruskater31 on Feb 29, 2024 19:45:13 GMT -5
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Post by cruskater31 on Feb 29, 2024 12:49:40 GMT -5
Beck was outstanding. The BU powerplay was very potent and worked the puck around well. Lot of weak side looks for one timers and hard wristers. The rest of BU's game especially in transition was not too strong and they did give up a few rushes. Our neutral zone game/forecheck was strong.
We'll need that to bottle up #11 UConn. They beat us 3-0, 3-1, 5-1 this year. The earlier games were somewhat close. We just couldn't do anything offensively against them. The 5-1 win was about as lopsided as a game has been this year. (Outshot 36-21, FO were close though).
Saturday afternoon 1pm on NESN +
FYI...HC leads the league in both powerplays and powerplay opportunities against. Lot's of whistles in our games. 7th in PP and 8th in PK. Dead last in faceoffs. 3rd in blocks
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Post by cruskater31 on Feb 29, 2024 12:38:52 GMT -5
I am sure the state of the art rink will help Union continue recruiting. They went to the Frozen Four in 2012 and 2014 and won the whole thing in 2014. They have fallen off a bit since then and I am sure a new rink not that far off campus will help. That being said, I love Messa Rink. It's a quirky rink shoehorned into a round dome, but has good sightlines up top between the bluelines. They also installed a center ice jumbotron a few years back. Reminds me of all the classic ECAC barns. In some ways a new rink will really make Union stand out in the ECAC since many of the buildings are...full of character...and aging. I wonder if that's what has helped Colgate women's hockey bounce back. They opened a new barn in 2016. Likewise, no coincidence that Q plays in one of the newer buildings in the league.
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Post by cruskater31 on Feb 27, 2024 16:13:56 GMT -5
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Band
Feb 25, 2024 12:32:31 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by cruskater31 on Feb 25, 2024 12:32:31 GMT -5
NBC had the HBCU battle of the bands from Houston today at noon.
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Post by cruskater31 on Feb 23, 2024 22:30:06 GMT -5
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Post by cruskater31 on Feb 22, 2024 11:37:53 GMT -5
Some great quotes from Riga. Love what he said about linear development, the portal, and recruiting. Seems like neither he nor the team want to wait so long in between Thursday's regular season finale and their second round home series (bye in the first).
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Post by cruskater31 on Feb 22, 2024 11:34:37 GMT -5
I like balancing FBS gamesm have a non P4 game like a Buffalo or Northern Illinois followed by BC then back to a non P4 and back to someone like a Syracuse, Pitt, UVA. I like the idea of academic FBS schools like Vandy, UVA, Duke, Rice, Tulane, California, Stanford (who visited for women's lax- how did we pull that schedule off?)
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Post by cruskater31 on Feb 20, 2024 20:56:21 GMT -5
Coker 3 and Hanson 6.
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Post by cruskater31 on Feb 20, 2024 11:21:28 GMT -5
This year, HE is definitely down. Not sure why, but BC and Northeastern had some great seasons in recent memory making it to the final before losing. I think BU also had a couple of finals appearances. With the strength of the WCHA, it would be hard to reach that level, but I see no reason why the ECAC is so much stronger the last few years. Clarkson is a powerhouse and Colgate is back after a few down years.
New coach and fully funded schollies will be a great help
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Post by cruskater31 on Feb 20, 2024 11:16:35 GMT -5
Back in the 2010-11 season, AHA broke into two divisions, East and West. That year the East was much easier as RIT and AFA were really loaded. We easily won the East division and earned a bye into the next round where we played Canisius, a wild card birth from the West and 8 seed overall. Beat them 2 games to 1 before falling 3-2 to AFA in the semifinals.
The experiment did not last long. Geographically it would make sense to play 3 or 4 against Eastern teams and only 2 against the West, alternating sites each year. Another team like Stonehill would help scheduling. We have held our own against Hockey East foes this year and in recent memory. I think the men are better positioned to join HE and be a middle of the pack team than the women.
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Post by cruskater31 on Feb 20, 2024 11:11:07 GMT -5
Is this the same Vinny DePalma that ended our hopes vs BC this year? If it is, thats a heck of a jump to the NFL coaching ranks even as a defensive assistant.
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