Defining Weekend...

BGDrew · Post by **BGDrew** » Sun Oct 30, 2005 4:45 pm

In my opinion, this weekend against Nebraska-Omaha will define our season. If we can somehow get 3 points this weekend It'll help get us over the hump. If not, I have a bad feeling about what the rest of this season can bring.

Bleeding Orange · Post by **Bleeding Orange** » Sun Oct 30, 2005 5:05 pm

Oh, I don't know that it will be that definitive, Drew, but you are right in saying that the team needs to step up on our home ice and prove some things. We need to prove that we can keep the puck off of our netminder (whoever it might be). It sounded last night like our defensemen were hanging Horrell out to dry way too much. Not having been there, I can't say this for sure, but it sounds like they were either a.) out of position at the point in the offensive zone, or b.) too deep into the offensive zone to get back in time to defend the breakaway. That needs to change - immediately. We have the talent.

I think we also need to prove that we can put the puck away on offense. We have been getting a TON of shots all year, but those shots haven't produced goals. We can only say for so long that opposing goalies are having the games of their lives. I think that two things may be happening here: a.) we are simply throwing the puck at the net without any kind of a game plan, with the hopes that it simply goes in, or b.) our shots are coming from wide angles outside of the circles, rather than between the points. Either way, the solution is to cycle the puck more around the perimeter, get traffic in front of the goalie and start taking fewer, but higher percentage shots. Again, we have the talent to do this, but in both cases that talent is very young. It may take a bit of time for them to get the hang of this stuff, but they will.

All that being said, even if we do get swept this coming weekend (which is very unlikely), it certainly won't be the end of our hopes for home ice this season. It will make the trek more difficult, but it won't be the end. I actually suspect that, due to the youthfulness of this team, we will see a very, very different team in the second half of the year. These kids are going to continue to learn, and we have some great veteran leadership. Theirs was due to early injuries, but look at UAF last year.

BGDrew · Post by **BGDrew** » Sun Oct 30, 2005 5:58 pm

I think it's such an important weekend because of confidence. It's your home ice and you should make it a hard place to play. Thus far, we haven't taken the home ice to our advantage.

Bleeding Orange · Post by **Bleeding Orange** » Sun Oct 30, 2005 6:01 pm

BGDrew wrote:I think it's such an important weekend because of confidence. It's your home ice and you should make it a hard place to play. Thus far, we haven't taken the home ice to our advantage.

Well, now that you put it that way...

This is something we have really struggled with under Paluch, but I think we are slowly getting there. Every time I would go to Michigan or OSU during a split weekend, we always played better on the road.

McConvey · Post by **McConvey** » Mon Oct 31, 2005 9:21 am

Bleeding Orange wrote:
BGDrew wrote:I think it's such an important weekend because of confidence. It's your home ice and you should make it a hard place to play. Thus far, we haven't taken the home ice to our advantage.
Well, now that you put it that way...

This is something we have really struggled with under Paluch, but I think we are slowly getting there. Every time I would go to Michigan or OSU during a split weekend, we always played better on the road.

Maybe the athletic dept. will start putting them up in a hotel before each home game like they do the football team.

Oh wait... that will never happen.

Tricky_Falcon · Post by **Tricky_Falcon** » Mon Oct 31, 2005 9:34 am

I see what Drew is saying. We need a winning streak, a confidence booster to gain some momentum. Heck if you read what the Chicago Blackhawks beat writer is saying in the Chicago Tribune they are already out of the playoff picture after the first couple of weeks.

Oh yeah and about the hotel. I don't think the players would even want to stay in the hotel. If they did that would mean that they couldn't go to Ziggy's and dance with their shirts off to the Isley Brothers...

BGSU Crazy Fan 58 · Post by **BGSU Crazy Fan 58** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 6:28 pm

Yeah this is 2 big games on home ice. We have to win one, have to get a home win! It would be real nice to win both of them, and that can be done but we'll have to play real well to accomplish that. Of the two games, I really want to see us play a great game, start to finish. Solid goaltending, Good D (no goals on the opposition's breakout please!), offense- put the puck in the back of the net, and play a strong physical game and show UNO who's Ice this is. Let's Go Falcons- time to start getting some W's!!!

Defining Weekend...

Defining Weekend...

Big Weekend