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- Aug 27, 2011
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I have not had the chance to put up a post since the game Wed night. It has also given me some time to think about that night...the team...and both how special it was, and how we must temper optimism against reality.
Good memories came back for me that night...like walking back in time going to Hartford for a Whalers game having a pre-game meal with-in walking distance from the XL Center. Walking into the XL Center that night it was evident that Comcast may not have been prepared for the crowd. When you go up to the merchandise booth and all they are taking is cash...that is a pretty good indication. I was a bit in shock to find my seats were directly behind the bench/next to the tunnel from the locker room. It made watching the game action a bit getting used to...BUT getting to see the satisfaction on the face of Wade Manuel and Susan Herbst as the place filled up...to seeing the expressions on the faces of the kids and coaching staff was PRICELESS! The kids and staff genuinely appreciated the support of the fans...they went from having the capacity of Freitas backing them to 8,000+ fans screaming..just like at a hoops game on campus. I can say that the looks on some of the kids faces showed they were in awe of what was happening.
Now for the game...they played within the system Cav set for the game plan...Robbie Nicholls continued his steady/stellar play in net (he always seems to be in very good position to make the save)...the kids seems to play confidently. Like someone posted earlier, aside from the second PSU game where they lost 7-1, they have been in every game losing by a 1-2 goal margin. They needed to put together a whole game effort to win a game. I thought the play in the first period was very well...they pushed back when BC pushed...showed they weren't intimidated. Similar to what they did the first game at Merrimack. They moved the puck well, gave Nicholls clear sight lines on shots, and put the puck on net. Richardson's goal was pretty. the second period started to go as they have all season...the team started to show their youth...this is where I thought Cav made the right decisions and showed why he was a GREAT choice to lead this program into HE...the ship was able to be righted through the storm, the kids showed some good confidence. The third period I thought was like the first, with the kids skating well, moving the puck, and cab again making the right decisions when he needed to. The penalty killing was top notch...killing off 5-3's against a team like BC is no small feat.
Where does this team go from here: They are young (Freshman and Sophmore's take up 14 spots on the roster), and will have their up's and down's for sure. In my opinion it will be a long up and down season...one filled with some big wins and some frustrating losses...a season typical to having 10 freshman on the roster..with a lot of them skating serious minutes. They will have to bring it night in and night out now...and beating BC announced to the league that they can not be over looked. Winning will not come over night, and will be frustrating at times over the next few years. This will be a program that will take time for Cav to build...I think 2-3 season from now Cav will have his first team that can make a run at the top 25 poll and needs to be talked about when the conversation is held about the top teams in HE for that season. The on-campus barn is a MUST for the future growth of this program! They also need to look at crowd attendance before holding firm to a 4500 capacity. I think they need to look at 5500 as the capacity. I can see having games like BC and BU at the XL Center BUT this team needs to be on-campus based! People travel to Storrs to see hoops games, they will travel to campus to see hockey!
No matter where this team plays..one thing is for sure..this is one hockey team that NO ONE can move out of CT..one hockey team that NO ONE can take from CT hockey fans...this is OUR team..UCONN Hockey!!!
Oh yeah..Warde Manuel was heckled like crazy about not leaving for Michigan...he had the same line..with a SERIOUS smile on his face..an ear to ear grin.."I'm not going anywhere..I LOVE it here". Now time will tell if that is true, if his alma mater came calling and he decided to stay..maybe we as fans should read the tea leaves.
Good memories came back for me that night...like walking back in time going to Hartford for a Whalers game having a pre-game meal with-in walking distance from the XL Center. Walking into the XL Center that night it was evident that Comcast may not have been prepared for the crowd. When you go up to the merchandise booth and all they are taking is cash...that is a pretty good indication. I was a bit in shock to find my seats were directly behind the bench/next to the tunnel from the locker room. It made watching the game action a bit getting used to...BUT getting to see the satisfaction on the face of Wade Manuel and Susan Herbst as the place filled up...to seeing the expressions on the faces of the kids and coaching staff was PRICELESS! The kids and staff genuinely appreciated the support of the fans...they went from having the capacity of Freitas backing them to 8,000+ fans screaming..just like at a hoops game on campus. I can say that the looks on some of the kids faces showed they were in awe of what was happening.
Now for the game...they played within the system Cav set for the game plan...Robbie Nicholls continued his steady/stellar play in net (he always seems to be in very good position to make the save)...the kids seems to play confidently. Like someone posted earlier, aside from the second PSU game where they lost 7-1, they have been in every game losing by a 1-2 goal margin. They needed to put together a whole game effort to win a game. I thought the play in the first period was very well...they pushed back when BC pushed...showed they weren't intimidated. Similar to what they did the first game at Merrimack. They moved the puck well, gave Nicholls clear sight lines on shots, and put the puck on net. Richardson's goal was pretty. the second period started to go as they have all season...the team started to show their youth...this is where I thought Cav made the right decisions and showed why he was a GREAT choice to lead this program into HE...the ship was able to be righted through the storm, the kids showed some good confidence. The third period I thought was like the first, with the kids skating well, moving the puck, and cab again making the right decisions when he needed to. The penalty killing was top notch...killing off 5-3's against a team like BC is no small feat.
Where does this team go from here: They are young (Freshman and Sophmore's take up 14 spots on the roster), and will have their up's and down's for sure. In my opinion it will be a long up and down season...one filled with some big wins and some frustrating losses...a season typical to having 10 freshman on the roster..with a lot of them skating serious minutes. They will have to bring it night in and night out now...and beating BC announced to the league that they can not be over looked. Winning will not come over night, and will be frustrating at times over the next few years. This will be a program that will take time for Cav to build...I think 2-3 season from now Cav will have his first team that can make a run at the top 25 poll and needs to be talked about when the conversation is held about the top teams in HE for that season. The on-campus barn is a MUST for the future growth of this program! They also need to look at crowd attendance before holding firm to a 4500 capacity. I think they need to look at 5500 as the capacity. I can see having games like BC and BU at the XL Center BUT this team needs to be on-campus based! People travel to Storrs to see hoops games, they will travel to campus to see hockey!
No matter where this team plays..one thing is for sure..this is one hockey team that NO ONE can move out of CT..one hockey team that NO ONE can take from CT hockey fans...this is OUR team..UCONN Hockey!!!
Oh yeah..Warde Manuel was heckled like crazy about not leaving for Michigan...he had the same line..with a SERIOUS smile on his face..an ear to ear grin.."I'm not going anywhere..I LOVE it here". Now time will tell if that is true, if his alma mater came calling and he decided to stay..maybe we as fans should read the tea leaves.
