Spratt

dannyk · Post by **dannyk** » Sun Nov 09, 2008 9:10 pm

Much of the discussion this year has been on the play of Spratt. While the goalie does have the most important role on the team in terms of affecting wins and losses we have not touched much on the inconsistent play of the team as a whole.

I know alot some of you will be mad when I say this but we are a mediocre team. We have mediocre players, and a mediocre goalie. This = a mediocre record.

Yes we see great games here and there. Or a great period where we net 3 pp goals or something, but that is what mediocre teams do, they do that stuff occasionally. I'm not surprised when I see bad penalties or soft goals go in on Spratt because we as a program have become happy with mediocrity. I'm not calling for Pooch's head or anything like that becasue I doubt Scotty Bowman could navigate a team with this little of university and town support anywhere near the NCAA tourney.

rood · Post by **rood** » Sun Nov 09, 2008 9:55 pm

I agree that most of the team overall has under-achieved. But the play of Sexton, Solway and Svendsen has been nothing less than outstanding. I've been disappointed with the play of McIlrath and Kantola for two plus years and the fact that it took Cepis 10 games to get his first goal this year was ridiculous. People keep saying that teams are keying on him and that prevents him from getting good chances but in the games I've been to so far he's had plenty of chances and didn't follow through. Besides, great scorers find a way to score. Is anyone going to say that nobody paid attention to Nelson Emerson thus enabling him to score 290+ points in his career?

But this thread is about Jimmy Spratt. His mediocre play cannot be viewed in a vacuum, it affects how the team plays in front of him. If a forward doesn't have faith in his goalie he will be reluctant to take the extra chance down deep that might force a turnover and create a scoring chance. If a defenseman has doubts about his goalie he's not going to pinch in to keep the puck in the offensive zone opting instead to back up and let the other team bring the puck out. (I saw this happen half a dozen times or more on Saturday at LSSU.)

Good goaltending can make all the difference in a close game and we just aren't getting that.

DWhite21 · Post by **DWhite21** » Sun Nov 09, 2008 10:47 pm

I def. agree with dannyk in saying that we're a mediocre team. We have 2 lines at most that can score consistently and right now we only seem to have one. These last few games remind me of back in 2005-2006 when you could look at the score-sheet after a game and see Foster, Matsumoto, and Falk's names 2 or 3 times and nobody else on the team's name once. Only difference is this time around it's been Svendsen, Solway and Sexton, who in my mind are nowhere near the level of Matsumoto and Foster. We also finished last place in the CCHA that year.

As for Cepis, I really don't see a reason for him not being able to score more. The best players on the ice are keyed in on regardless of who you're playing against. I'm sure guys like Porter, Jones, Gerbe and Kennedy were all keyed on heavily last season and they still all managed to put up numbers.

When it comes to the goalie situation I think that most people, including myself, believe that we have a better chance of winning with Eno in goal. For a mediocre team like we have to have a good record you need to have good, consistent goaltending. In my opinion, good and consistent are two things that Spratt will never be. I didn't go to school here back when Jordan Sigalet played but I really think that if we had an excellent goalie like him we'd have 3-4 more points in the standings right now and finish a few places higher at the end of the season.

jpfalcon09 · Post by **jpfalcon09** » Wed Nov 12, 2008 1:30 am

Well, I'm a former goalie so I see things a bit differently. Goalies get criticized pretty hard, especially when things are going south. Everyone needs a scapegoat. Yes, a goalie's confidence is important to his team, but the opposite works as well. A goalie has to be confident in the 18 guys in front of him to score goals, play solid defensively and stay out of the box. Most nights in hockey, you'll win games giving up 2-3 goals. Most nights.

Most goalies are good because of the system they play in. Very rarely has a goalie ever had a season with great numbers on a team that played wide open, it can't happen. Your offense and defense funnel down into your goaltending and that ultimately affects how every game turns out. So, next time you watch a hockey game, keep an eye on how long the opposing team has the puck in the BG zone compared to the puck in the opposing zone. You limit the chances, goalie makes the saves he should make, confidence grows.

Falcon Fanatic · Post by **Falcon Fanatic** » Wed Nov 12, 2008 7:19 am

jpfalcon09 wrote:Well, I'm a former goalie so I see things a bit differently. Goalies get criticized pretty hard, especially when things are going south. Everyone needs a scapegoat. Yes, a goalie's confidence is important to his team, but the opposite works as well. A goalie has to be confident in the 18 guys in front of him to score goals, play solid defensively and stay out of the box. Most nights in hockey, you'll win games giving up 2-3 goals. Most nights.

Most goalies are good because of the system they play in. Very rarely has a goalie ever had a season with great numbers on a team that played wide open, it can't happen. Your offense and defense funnel down into your goaltending and that ultimately affects how every game turns out. So, next time you watch a hockey game, keep an eye on how long the opposing team has the puck in the BG zone compared to the puck in the opposing zone. You limit the chances, goalie makes the saves he should make, confidence grows.

Thanks for the your post!!! It's great having personal experience and insight into a situation!! I hate to see anyone taking shots at any inidividual player. (:evil: = this moderator's face) But I REALLY do understand the frustration people feel!! (Especially long time fans...) Imagine Spratt's frustration; it has to be 100 times more than anything fans feel!!

That said:
GO FALCONS!!
SWEEEEEEEEP THE WILDCATS!!!!

Rightupinthere · Post by **Rightupinthere** » Wed Nov 12, 2008 11:44 am

Falcon Fanatic wrote:(:evil: = this moderator's face)

YOU may look like that, FF, but I don't.

Falconboy · Post by **Falconboy** » Wed Nov 12, 2008 3:52 pm

Don't look now but someone just registered under the name JimmySprattFather.

rood · Post by **rood** » Wed Nov 12, 2008 4:20 pm

Is that for real or somebody's idea of a joke?

DWhite21 · Post by **DWhite21** » Wed Nov 12, 2008 8:11 pm

Falconboy wrote:Don't look now but someone just registered under the name JimmySprattFather.

Haha that's hilarious. If that actually happened and he looked back at my posts he'd probably have it in more for me than anyone else on this board.

Falcon Fanatic · Post by **Falcon Fanatic** » Wed Nov 12, 2008 8:21 pm

Rightupinthere wrote:
Falcon Fanatic wrote:(:evil: = this moderator's face)
YOU may look like that, FF, but I don't.

Yeah, that personal photo/avatar of yours doesn't look ANTHING like you!!!

jgeyer · Post by **jgeyer** » Thu Nov 13, 2008 1:40 am

So with almost the same team coming back this year what is missing? Eno in net. And the two ass. coaches. Rerdein's and Shueller's coaching might be the difference. I think they took over the coaching last season and made it fun for the players. Now it's back to Pooch running the show. Don't think winning will come back till everyone is on the same page working together. We need a new direction which means a new head coach. I different coaching style/system, defense first.

rood · Post by **rood** » Thu Nov 13, 2008 9:29 am

We're also missing Whitmore's 27 goals. I can't speak to the coaching as I'm not at practices or in the locker room between periods. I'm pretty satisfied with the defensive side of our game. We've outshot nearly everyone we've played this year but we aren't getting enough offense from people whose names don't start with the letter S. Id like to see Vargas and definitely Sinclair get some ice time. Too many forwards have done nothing so far to merit their continued playing time.

MACMAN · Post by **MACMAN** » Thu Nov 13, 2008 9:41 am

Gulp...
well the season is still early, and some good things have been said in this thread, however; I do not believe we have mediocre players. Sure we dont have as many top tier guys as some the other top teams, but as a whole BGSU has not done crapola in years to get that many when compared to a BC, Miami, Uor M etc... and the more of those players you have the more likely...the more likely you are to succeed. I am confident that this group is the best group BG has had in a long time. Spratt is a good goalie, good enough that we should not be where we are right now.
We are where we are right now because of coaching...ie the gulp at the start.
Scott is a a great guy, I like the coaching tactics, but he is just not getting the production he should be getting out of this group, and that is funnel.
I am now believing we need to change our coaching staff in its entirity, sure we have produced tons of great coaches, but i think its time we look outside and beyond former BG players for our own coaching needs.
I had faith, still do, but I dont see how it can get done now, when it could have been with this group of players, its got to be the coaching.

jgeyer · Post by **jgeyer** » Thu Nov 13, 2008 10:47 am

Yes I forgot I agree about Whitmore and not only his 27 goals but his leadership. Hope BG can step it up as a group, not just one line. All the travel probably has not helped. We need points this weekend with 4 games vs Notre Dame before the first of the year. Go Icers!

Drago · Post by **Drago** » Thu Nov 13, 2008 1:00 pm

I've seen several games this season and think that this is a good group of players. I know that as soon as the team doesn't win right away it immediately turns into coaching. That may or may not be the case with this group, but I have to agree about the goaltending. The bottom line is that this team would probably be 3 games over .500 if Eno was healthy. It would be nice to get Cepis going, hopefully his goal last weekend will be a spark.