Second half of the season

[Bomber36]

First half of the season is over.....mixed reviews from all of us. The second half looks brutal, starting with BC away on December 30. Brown, Merrimack and Quinnipiac are our only second half opponents ranked below us in the Pairwise. Discuss...would love to hear some insights from the Boneyarders....our most knowledgeable and rabid fans. Happy Holidays to all!

 

[Bomber36]

Wow....I didn’t think this was that hard of a question.

 

[dbmill]

Wow....I didn’t think this was that hard of a question.

Look at it this way, people have three weeks before the start of the second half of the season to think about the question.

 

[zls44]

The first two games out of the break are big tests, but I think the series after those will tell us more about how high they can climb in the standings. The predictable UNH collapse is underway, should get at least 2 points out of that.

 

[ct06111]

I think they're playing the best stretch hockey all year and maybe since joining HE. 5 out of last 6

Tied longest winning streak of 3.
That early lead and 3 goals in 1:18 was tough. Coulda had 6 ina row

Huska has been great, but I think he'll get tired and beat up if we don't get creel or stone in there more often. Should they start OOCs?

Sucks they have to wait until Dec 30th. Good to get rested, but I'm sure they would love to play next week.

Wanted to go on 12/30, but already bought the Wichita game @ noon. Game is at 3, but will be on ESPN3.

Not really comfortable with the amount of games played and the teams behind us currently.

6th UConn GP: 13. 11 pts
7th Maine GP: 9. 9 pts
8th UNH GP: 9. 9 pts
9th UMass GP 7! 6 pts

MC vs UNH today @ 4 (ESPN3)

Next 3 HE games for UConn:
BC, MC, MC. (Gotta get at least 4pts).

NO MORE TIES AGAISNT MERRIMACK!!!! WIN, WIN, WIN!!

Next 3 HE games for Maine:
BU, NU, NU

Next 3 HE for UNH:
MC, BU, BC

Next 3 for UMass:
UML, UVM, UVM

Trying to get 9,000 attendance for UNH on 1/27 @ 3:35. Would be nice to have >7,000

MUST, MUST have >7k for BC on Friday 2/2 @ 7pm.

Be nice to have 2 sellouts in a row!

I think the PC series will be the most important for wins/confidence going Into UNH

That 2 game stretch of @ NU and vs BU will be very telling, but also near the end of season. (Nice to have time in between)

Note: only 2 series remaining are back to back games.
1/26-1/27 - UNH
2/2-2/3- vs BC /@ Brown.

This will help in UConn's favor with not having 2 top-tier goalies like last year.

 

[dbmill]

I think they're playing the best stretch hockey all year and maybe since joining HE. 5 out of last 6

Tied longest winning streak of 3.
That early lead and 3 goals in 1:18 was tough. Coulda had 6 ina row

Huska has been great, but I think he'll get tired and beat up if we don't get creel or stone in there more often. Should they start OOCs?

Sucks they have to wait until Dec 30th. Good to get rested, but I'm sure they would love to play next week.

Wanted to go on 12/30, but already bought the Wichita game @ noon. Game is at 3, but will be on ESPN3.

Not really comfortable with the amount of games played and the teams behind us currently.

6th UConn GP: 13. 11 pts
7th Maine GP: 9. 9 pts
8th UNH GP: 9. 9 pts
9th UMass GP 7! 6 pts

MC vs UNH today @ 4 (ESPN3)

Next 3 HE games for UConn:
BC, MC, MC. (Gotta get at least 4pts).

NO MORE TIES AGAISNT MERRIMACK!!!! WIN, WIN, WIN!!

Next 3 HE games for Maine:
BU, NU, NU

Next 3 HE for UNH:
MC, BU, BC

Next 3 for UMass:
UML, UVM, UVM

Trying to get 9,000 attendance for UNH on 1/27 @ 3:35. Would be nice to have >7,000

MUST, MUST have >7k for BC on Friday 2/2 @ 7pm.

Be nice to have 2 sellouts in a row!

I think the PC series will be the most important for wins/confidence going Into UNH

That 2 game stretch of @ NU and vs BU will be very telling, but also near the end of season. (Nice to have time in between)

Note: only 2 series remaining are back to back games.
1/26-1/27 - UNH
2/2-2/3- vs BC /@ Brown.

This will help in UConn's favor with not having 2 top-tier goalies like last year.

UConn's schedule was really front loaded this season, so much so that there are only 13 games left in the regular season, and with only 5 games in February. In combination with the 3 weeks before the next game, Huska should be rested and ready to go. I imagine we might see one of the back up goalies in a couple of the games, but not much more than that.

 

[Bomber36]

I think they're playing the best stretch hockey all year and maybe since joining HE. 5 out of last 6

Tied longest winning streak of 3.
That early lead and 3 goals in 1:18 was tough. Coulda had 6 ina row

Huska has been great, but I think he'll get tired and beat up if we don't get creel or stone in there more often. Should they start OOCs?

Sucks they have to wait until Dec 30th. Good to get rested, but I'm sure they would love to play next week.

Wanted to go on 12/30, but already bought the Wichita game @ noon. Game is at 3, but will be on ESPN3.

Not really comfortable with the amount of games played and the teams behind us currently.

6th UConn GP: 13. 11 pts
7th Maine GP: 9. 9 pts
8th UNH GP: 9. 9 pts
9th UMass GP 7! 6 pts

MC vs UNH today @ 4 (ESPN3)

Next 3 HE games for UConn:
BC, MC, MC. (Gotta get at least 4pts).

NO MORE TIES AGAISNT MERRIMACK!!!! WIN, WIN, WIN!!

Next 3 HE games for Maine:
BU, NU, NU

Next 3 HE for UNH:
MC, BU, BC

Next 3 for UMass:
UML, UVM, UVM

Trying to get 9,000 attendance for UNH on 1/27 @ 3:35. Would be nice to have >7,000

MUST, MUST have >7k for BC on Friday 2/2 @ 7pm.

Be nice to have 2 sellouts in a row!

I think the PC series will be the most important for wins/confidence going Into UNH

That 2 game stretch of @ NU and vs BU will be very telling, but also near the end of season. (Nice to have time in between)

Note: only 2 series remaining are back to back games.
1/26-1/27 - UNH
2/2-2/3- vs BC /@ Brown.

This will help in UConn's favor with not having 2 top-tier goalies like last year.

Good stuff, thanks!

 

[Bomber36]

UConn's schedule was really front loaded this season, so much so that there are only 13 games left in the regular season, and with only 5 games in February. In combination with the 3 weeks before the next game, Huska should be rested and ready to go. I imagine we might see one of the back up goalies in a couple of the games, but not much more than that.

Those games in hand could come back to haunt us.

 

[itgoeslike]

If UConn can pick up 8 points out of 10 from Merrimack, NH and UMass, and 6 points out of 12 against BC, BU, Providence and Northeastern, they should be in decent position for post season.

 

[Guapo]

I think they're playing the best stretch hockey all year and maybe since joining HE. 5 out of last 6

Tied longest winning streak of 3.
That early lead and 3 goals in 1:18 was tough. Coulda had 6 ina row

Huska has been great, but I think he'll get tired and beat up if we don't get creel or stone in there more often. Should they start OOCs?

Sucks they have to wait until Dec 30th. Good to get rested, but I'm sure they would love to play next week.

Wanted to go on 12/30, but already bought the Wichita game @ noon. Game is at 3, but will be on ESPN3.

Not really comfortable with the amount of games played and the teams behind us currently.

6th UConn GP: 13. 11 pts
7th Maine GP: 9. 9 pts
8th UNH GP: 9. 9 pts
9th UMass GP 7! 6 pts

MC vs UNH today @ 4 (ESPN3)

Next 3 HE games for UConn:
BC, MC, MC. (Gotta get at least 4pts).

NO MORE TIES AGAISNT MERRIMACK!!!! WIN, WIN, WIN!!

Next 3 HE games for Maine:
BU, NU, NU

Next 3 HE for UNH:
MC, BU, BC

Next 3 for UMass:
UML, UVM, UVM

Trying to get 9,000 attendance for UNH on 1/27 @ 3:35. Would be nice to have >7,000

MUST, MUST have >7k for BC on Friday 2/2 @ 7pm.

Be nice to have 2 sellouts in a row!

I think the PC series will be the most important for wins/confidence going Into UNH

That 2 game stretch of @ NU and vs BU will be very telling, but also near the end of season. (Nice to have time in between)

Note: only 2 series remaining are back to back games.
1/26-1/27 - UNH
2/2-2/3- vs BC /@ Brown.

This will help in UConn's favor with not having 2 top-tier goalies like last year.

Is there an actual possibility of getting 9k for the UNH game?

 

[ct06111]

Is there an actual possibility of getting 9k for the UNH game?

UConn hockey did it against BC 11/5/14 (1st hockey east home game)

It was capped @ 8,089 and people were turned away. People were pissed that they paid for parking and was turned away at a 15k arena.

So, the 9,000 is a little weird to me. It seemed strange to cap at weird # like 8,089. Whether it the seating arrangement with the lower bowl and curtains or capped by HE (not sure)

THey've tried this "mission to 9k" before last year and only 6-7k showed.

Saturday 3:35 is a good time to try and promote it, but I think the BC game on Friday 2/2 is a better game to max it out.

Might as well try for 2 in a row!

 

[ct06111]

Another write up by a local blogger:

Huskies have turned their season around with offense

He's right, offense has improved drastically

Currently tied with BU in overall goals with 60(1 game up) and 2nd in HE with 41. BC in 1st has 38 (12 GP)

HockeyEastOnline.com - Statistics

I thought this was an interesting stat:
Thru 13 hockey east games in 2017
UConn has scored 41 goals

In 2014-2015(1st HE yr) - 22 games
UConn had scored 42 goals

So entire regular season to get to 42, and thru 13, they've already have 41!

Have outscored opponents 24-11 in the past 6 games

 

[RSTuthill]

Interesting that the offense has improved so much when it was a huge uncertainty at the start of the season. Yeah, I have been impressed with recent results. The question is will it continue?

 

[champs99and04]

You can forget about winning at the Aquarium of Delirium on the 26th I'll tell you that much.

 

[ct06111]

You can forget about winning at the Aquarium of Delirium on the 26th I'll tell you that much.

U talkin @ UNH? They've done it before.

Down 4-1 to tie and win in OT by a game winner by Ronan 5-4. Ended up getting home ice in the 1st round against VT that year cause of that game. I was there and met Viking for the 1st time.

Plus, they swept the series the past 2 years. It's possible.

This will be the 1st year UConn is not playing them for the last series of the season.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[huskymedic]

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Beat bcu!

 

[The Viking]

U talkin @ UNH? They've done it before.

Down 4-1 to tie and win in OT by a game winner by Ronan 5-4. Ended up getting home ice in the 1st round against VT that year cause of that game. I was there and met Viking for the 1st time.

Plus, they swept the series the past 2 years. It's possible.

This will be the 1st year UConn is not playing them for the last series of the season.

Best UConn hockey game I've been to considering a win would get them a home series in the playoffs and to cap off the 3 goal 3rd period comeback with a goal with one minute left, then to score in OT....and yes the 06111 was right behind me as luck would have it.
Another takeaway from that game was no beer. Very rough.

 

[The Viking]

As for the beginning of the 2nd half, from a HE standpoint only, getting points at BC will be tough but you HAVE to get 3 out of 4 points at least against Merrimack if you are a program trying to elevate your game in the league.

The offense has been shockingly good, Payusov has been great. Good to have him back and healthy.