Maine 4 - Denver 2 (Weekend Recap)Maine played incredibly well all weekend, perhaps the best 120 minutes that has been played against Denver in many years. They played the trap flawlessly and DU had all kinds of trouble getting the puck through the neutral zone. As both games wore on, our veteren players got clearly frustrated and tried to bring the puck through the zone themselves and ended up getting their pockets picked a few times. Nonetheless, this series hinged on what Maine did well, not what DU did poorly.
Maine goalie Ben Bishop was enormous in goal, and the entire Maine team defended and protected him. DU had free reign around the boards and blue line, but could NEVER penetrate inside. It seemed like most shots taken were either blocked by defensemen or wide. If this is beginning to sound like DU was playing the 2004 or 2005 National Championship Pioneers, except in blue jerseys, that was what it looked like.
When DU was on the Power Play, Maine still usually ended up with a good scoring opportunity i.e.- a one on none or two on one breaks. DU controlled the puck on the PP, but seemed to be a second slow getting a good shot off. Obviously, rust and timing issues caused this. Denver did a very good job on the penalty kill all weekend.
Both games were pretty similiar. DU came out with intensity, Maine fought back & then DU didn't have any answers. Maine patiently waited for DU to overextend its attack and would counter with solid scoring chances.
.
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
All that being said, DU never quit, they played really hard and its going to take some time to pull it all together. I hope we stick with the same lines and combos and work our way through this, because there plenty of postives that I saw:
1). Matt Carle was the best player on the ice. The way he handles the puck is a joy to watch.
2). JD Corbin flew around the ice all weekend and drew at least three penalties.
3). I thought Mannino played very well. It could have easily been 7-2 or worse on Saturday.
4). The team played with a ton of pride, in a very hostile environment. The scores could have been a lot worse.
5). All of the Freshmen showed flashes of whats to come and Butler netted his first goal.
6). Helgason is easily the most improved player on the team. He's going to have a nice season.
Things that surprised me (but probably shouldn't have):
* DU would play better on the PP. There's a ton of talent out there, but it obviously takes time to jell.
* The game delays (TV timeouts on Friday & repreated "fog" delays on Saturday) would favor DU, by allowing the veterns to play longer. It didn't. Both games had little or no "flow" to them and this could have been a factor.
* The offense would be further along and that DU would have more 2nd chance opportunities on offense. Credit Maine for that.
Plenty for everyone to work on. The team doesn't need a whipping, I thought they played with great heart. Some easier opponents, in friendly confines will go a long way to curing what ills us. Good luck to Maine the rest of the way. I think they will be a solid contender for the Hockey East title and they certainly have the kind of team that can go far in the NCAA's.
6). Helgason is easily the most improved player on the team. He's going to have a nice season.
Things that surprised me (but probably shouldn't have):
* DU would play better on the PP. There's a ton of talent out there, but it obviously takes time to jell.
* The game delays (TV timeouts on Friday & repreated "fog" delays on Saturday) would favor DU, by allowing the veterns to play longer. It didn't. Both games had little or no "flow" to them and this could have been a factor.
* The offense would be further along and that DU would have more 2nd chance opportunities on offense. Credit Maine for that.
Plenty for everyone to work on. The team doesn't need a whipping, I thought they played with great heart. Some easier opponents, in friendly confines will go a long way to curing what ills us. Good luck to Maine the rest of the way. I think they will be a solid contender for the Hockey East title and they certainly have the kind of team that can go far in the NCAA's.
