From: The Clarion
by Tyler Perimutter
The Clarion (DU's student newspaper) sat down with Beau Bennett to discuss Bennett's first year on campus and some of the things he enjoys.
What made you decide to come to the University of Denver?
BB: I was visiting schools and I narrowed it down to BC (Boston College) and DU. When I came out to Denver I really liked the city, the coaches and the players [read entire article].
5 comments:
Question #15: You can't score if you don't shoot. Why don't/didn't you and your linemates strive to OVERWHELM the opposing goaltenders with pucks during attacking/PP situations?
I thought Bennett had a decent year--25 points and flashes of his ability. He's definitely raw--needs to "up" his compete level on a more consistent basis, get stronger, make better decisions with the puck etc. But he's got talent. Hopefully he gets some inspiration from Drew Shore and has a big soph campaign.
Shooting all the time on the PP is stupid. Taking ill-advised shots on the PP will lead to more SHG's than anything else. It's about taking smart shots, not necessarily how many. Taking an ill-advised point shot on the PP, banging the puck off someone's leg, the puck going out of the zone, a quicker forward picking it up, a breakaway and, bam, a SHG...when teams try to force too much on the PP is when it goes wrong.
Bennett had a quality freshman season which was comparable to Colborne's and better than, say, Gabe Gauthier's...though not comparable to a Stastny or Zucker's freshmen seasons. Once he found out that he had to play with a little more grit and get dirty in the corners and along the boards is when Bennett started to shine a bit more.
IMHO, DU's biggest problem with the PP is and continues to be too much play on the perimeter and not enough traffic in front of the net. For the last few years the Pios just haven't had a guy or two who can camp out in front of the opposing goalie, create screens and havoc, and bang in a tough goal. I think with our smaller, more finesse forwards, we see a PP that can move the puck but doesn't get enough effective scoring opportunities. The goalies are too good at this level to give them clean looks, and DU has been too dependent on the pretty pass or flashy back door play.
He's a freshman. yes he's not Zucker but I think he put a pretty good freshman year. Looking forward to see how he develops next year!
Post a Comment