BG-ND game 2....

[Falconboy]

BG loses 6-1, yikes.How long is Eno out again.

[bgsufalcon24]

Well, I said we were overmatched, and that was clearly the case. This team still has a LONG way to go if they want to be anywhere near the top of this conference.

[dannyk]

I agree. We never really stood much of a chance this weekend. We have alot of work to do to try and get back near the top 6 in the league

[Falconboy]

Since I don't see too many hockey games a year , will those of you who do see most games tell what is the biggest difference between us and the likes of ND right now? Is it the size difference , are they still faster than us or simply more skilled? I had thought that we were about 2 or 3 years away from competing with the ND's , Michigans, MSU's of our league but that was out 2 years ago. Our next class is sounding pretty good from what I've heard but who knows. Paluch simply must compete in the recruiting wars for the same caliber of players that ND and Mich are getting , not just compete with LSS or N.Michigan or Alaska Fairbanks.

[FMBfan07]

BG loses 6-1, yikes.How long is Eno out again.

actually it was 9-1... i guess we can say 6-1..

[dforde]

How about we lose 9 -(NINE) 1 not 6-1. Despite some crap officiating, we were schooled tonight. ND beat us in every facet of the game. They are bigger, faster, stronger and fitter. I really think we will once again finish in the 6-8 slot in the standings and at least host a playoff series.

Only positive tonight was the good attendance. Had to be over 3,000.

[Freddie]

BG loses 6-1, yikes.How long is Eno out again.

you must have left early.

9-1 was the final.

much of the game looked like grown men playing against little boys

[DWhite21]

Since I don't see too many hockey games a year , will those of you who do see most games tell what is the biggest difference between us and the likes of ND right now? Is it the size difference , are they still faster than us or simply more skilled?

I'd say that they're bigger, faster and more skilled than us. A perfect example of our lack of skill is our piss poor powerplay. We simply cannot manage to one, set up good scoring chances, and two, finish them off. Having Kyle Page getting power play time says a lot. No offense to him, he's a great defensive dman, but he had 5 points in 72 collegiate games coming into this season. Then again I guess Paluch has to stick someone out there.

I seriously felt sorry for Spratt tonight. Paluch's hands were kind of tied with Greer as his only other option but Spratt seriously got crucified out there as he was hung out to dry time after time.

In terms of us competing with the ND's, MSU's and Michigans on a regular basis, it's def. not happening within the next few years. Those schools are all getting commitments from a lot of the top kids coming out of the NTDP and USHL. A decent percentage of the kids who choose those schools are drafted players. ND even had a kid, Ian Cole, who was a first rounder in 2007. Honestly, those types of players don't really have much of a reason to come here instead of those schools, and until that changes we'll continue to be a mediocre team at best.

[Altoid_storm]

We simply cannot manage to one, set up good scoring chances, and two, finish them off. Having Kyle Page getting power play time says a lot. No offense to him, he's a great defensive dman, but he had 5 points in 72 collegiate games coming into this season. Then again I guess Paluch has to stick someone out there.

I sort of disagree. I understand that Kyle doesn't put up the numbers that a lot of other people do, but every time someone screws up and the puck goes somewhere it shouldn't, he's almost always there to keep it in the zone or block the shot when they somehow get it back on a powerplay and are trying to score a shortie. I feel like every time something is going wrong and I see Kyle Page there I breath a sigh of relief and then nothing happens because we get back in it.

As for tonight, I enjoyed the first period. The boys were moving their feet and getting physical. A lot of those calls were pretty bogus considering directly in front of me I saw at least two slashings that weren't called and two high-sticks. I understand that the refs can't see anything, but at some point it was just getting ridiculous...somewhere around the 5th goal...

I'm not saying anything about the goals being Jimmy's fault because for most of them I was in the front of the student section, but I don't think he's a bad goalie at all. I've seen some of the spectacular saves he's made (some making him look a bit like Hasek) and once the defense in front of you gives up (like many of them were doing tonight) and once a someone goes for a hit instead of the puck, leaving the puck for a different Irishman, the other team is just up against the goalie. I'm not saying he couldn't have saved them, I'm just saying not everything is just his fault and I don't think it's really fair just to say "when's Nick coming back?" Who's to say he wouldn't have done the same thing if people just gave up on him? Eh, who knows.

Sorry...that was my 2 cents after staying through that game.

[dannyk]

Speed and size are the biggest problems. Take Cepis for example. He is a fast kid with decent hands but he almost becomes irrelevant against regular sized teams.

I never understood why guys like Boyd are on our roster, unless a smaller player can play the game like a Brian Gionta type player I'd rather take a guy thats 6'1" anyday. Why take an avg small guy when you can sign an average big guy?

It doesn't really matter how much a guy like Boyd or Cepis work out they really cant add much muscle to a 5'6" frame.

[MACMAN]

I disagree, and lastnight was a total disgrace. None of which was any fault of our players, players who have demonstrated time and again they can play every bit as good as any kids from any school....we lost to due to coaching every aspect of our game lastnight comes right back to coaching, they guy were doing what they are being asked to do in every practice, and they were doing it, Ive seen many practices and Ive seen them in the games, doing every thing they are asked to do in practice, so to say were not big enough or fast enough or skilled enough doesnt wash.
when you come with a game plan and execute that plan and it fails, that is coaching....what kills me is that I think SP is getting advice from Brandon....and not making the appropriate changes between periods or games for that matter to prep the team.
This is no reflection on our guys, other than that they are doing EXACTLY what they are being asked to do. We need to change our coaching staff

[Drago]

Notre Dame is very good. I caught the second and third last night and I thought they did a good job of attacking through the neutral zone. They got a step on us and we either took a penalty or they scored a goal off the rush. They are bigger and stronger than we are. If we don't get a good night from our goalie and find a way to score 3 or 4 goals we probably won't beat them.

Bottom line is that this team is still 5-7-2 and have been playing the back up goalie all season. Every team has a weekend where nothing goes right. There are still about twenty games left, I don't think it is quite time to hit the panic button yet.

That being said it isn't going to get any easier with Minnesota St. then ND again two weeks later.

[DWhite21]

We simply cannot manage to one, set up good scoring chances, and two, finish them off. Having Kyle Page getting power play time says a lot. No offense to him, he's a great defensive dman, but he had 5 points in 72 collegiate games coming into this season. Then again I guess Paluch has to stick someone out there.

I sort of disagree. I understand that Kyle doesn't put up the numbers that a lot of other people do, but every time someone screws up and the puck goes somewhere it shouldn't, he's almost always there to keep it in the zone or block the shot when they somehow get it back on a powerplay and are trying to score a shortie. I feel like every time something is going wrong and I see Kyle Page there I breath a sigh of relief and then nothing happens because we get back in it.

.

I def. see what you're saying. I also breath a sigh of relief when I see Page back there, he's probably the best d-man we have when it comes to playing on the defensive side of things.

But the powerplay isn't about playing defense. Sure, you have to keep the puck out of your own net but it's not your primary focus. Look at the NHL for example, there's a reason why Lidstrom and Rafalski man the point on the power play in Detroit and Andreas Lilja typically doesn't. Also, a lot of coaches use 4 forwards and 1 dman on the PP to bolster the offense. Ilya Kovalchuk is often on the blueline in Atlanta and he's a left wing, same with Ovechkin in Washington. That's my just my opinion though so I'm not saying it's right.

[pdt1081]

But the powerplay isn't about playing defense. Sure, you have to keep the puck out of your own net but it's not your primary focus. Look at the NHL for example, there's a reason why Lidstrom and Rafalski man the point on the power play in Detroit and Andreas Lilja typically doesn't. Also, a lot of coaches use 4 forwards and 1 dman on the PP to bolster the offense. Ilya Kovalchuk is often on the blueline in Atlanta and he's a left wing, same with Ovechkin in Washington. That's my just my opinion though so I'm not saying it's right.

McIlrath was playing point last night. I know Svendsen and Cepis have also seen time there this year. I don't remember seeing Schmidt on the powerplay at all last night. He acts like a forward sometimes. That being said, it doesn't matter what "position" you play. It's about having the right people in the right places. Our passing needs to greatly improve if we want success on the powerplay. How many times did the open man wind up for a one-timer only to have the pass in his feet? Or behind him, or etc...

[aweber2]

Here are some photos from last nights game between #9 Notre Dame and Bowling Green. Definitely a few physical game and I captured the best of it. Be sure to check out more images from the game at http://blog.aweberphoto.com










check out more at the blog http://blog.aweberphoto.com