hockeytherapy13

Glad to see Swanson in the top 6 where he belongs.

I was thinking the exact same thing. Hobie made a monster breakaway save on Saturday but yeah it seems like as long as they stay low and cover 5-hole any goalie is good against us on a breakaway.

Miami and UND the only ones from the conference not on this list haha times sure have changed https://nchchockey.com/news/2025/1/15/mens-ice-hockey-8-nchc-netminders-named-to-2025-mike-richter-award-watch-list.aspx?fbclid=IwY2xjawH1Y_hleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHRd9MzJ_bwRHJ3TVeEr4OeqCCd3GSPLzGn84b2ND74QPCwimwrZD5oy81g_aem__DnTGcTV5t5r9HKYYP2zNA

I’d love to have the wealth to load up a line like that as well. But then your second line is lacking a proper shooter. If you do go for offense with your top 2 lines, you have to keep at least one good finisher on the 2nd line. The way they are built now balances them for mediocrity.

Try this on for size and I guarantee we generate more 5x5 chances Swanson-Berg-Perron Boisvert-Omac-James Kunz-Wilkie-Strinden Littler-Schmaltz-Jammer Croal I know Boisvert has played well at center, but there wasn’t much chemistry with his line mates 5x5 the last 3-5 games and Omac has been invisible as a wing Also I don’t think anyone would want to go up against the heaviness of those bottom 2 lines; keep your heads up

Yeah Omac can’t seem to find it yet but 5 on 5 play was lackluster for the entire team Saturday. I was trying to keep track of 5x5 scoring chances Saturday but the entire game we had 4-5 compared to ASU having about 8. Keeping the lines similar to gain chemistry hasn’t worked, it’s time to shuffle more than just putting Kunz on top line. At this point, both Swanson and Littler could be playing up the chart higher than Kunz. I know Littler won’t get put there because that’s not his role yet but what we’re doing isn’t working

Oh boy here we go again with the divided locker. They could be the bestest of best friends and spend every second of their time outside of the rink together hugging and holding hands and still lack hockey chemistry once they’re on the ice. Unless you have other evidence to back up the “divided locker room” bit other than the poor product on the ice (no one’s arguing there) put in on the shelf and leave it there.

This is such a bad take. Does he play a little too far off the edge at times? Unfortunately, yes. But let’s remember: The guy came in as a freshman at the midway point of a season and worked his way into the lineup. He has been on a great team of 20-21, has played in 3 ncaa tourneys, but was also on the dud of missing the NCAAs in 2023. He has been through 4 years of ups and downs on this team. He already has a degree, is taking advanced classes, and is a flight instructor all while balancing the burdens of being a D1 athlete. No one epitomizes hard work and leadership better than Jammer.

This is why I think they both should be in the lineup over Monty. I know he can play D but he doesn’t shine there

He’s got heart and plays hard but the other guys in the lineup are still better. The other guys haven’t been paired with the right players to make them pop. Second line looks good tonight but I’d still rather see Omac centering Berg and Swanson. swanson playing with 2 guys that aren’t finishers this year is a waste of his playmaking skills. Strinden and Wilkie have a combined 12 points through 20 games playing with a guy who could be the best playmaker on the team given the chance

Kunz in top 6 over Swanson. FFS this is getting old

Yeah before the season it seemed like it would be good. But the balance results in each line equally being unable to create chances haha

This, in my opinion, is a major concern with this coaching staff and is one of the reasons we have been so poor 5x5. We could load up 1-2 lines but it’s as if the staff is too scared to do it. The depth is good but not high end enough to beat good teams who also have depth

Someone mentioned an early tee time for march. So I’m guessing the team is planning to drop just enough to play on AZ on the road for quarterfinals, get swept, and then boom, golf right after game 2

Because Berry only wants balance and not octane

I’d say chemistry. Playing skill guys strictly with guys like schmaltz and Kunz doesn’t make for a scoring combo

This should have happened in December. Mac’s skill just keeps getting hidden

Wilkie and strinden are due to ramp it up and it seems like that combo with Croal is going to tuck one tonight.

Sweeping St. Cloud was already a great thing. I’ll take more of that please

Now that Swanson is acclimated to the college level and starting to heat up at the end of the half, I wouldn’t mind seeing him with Boisvert. I know for a while the James-Boisvert-Strinden line was looking good but it’s started to fizzle with Strinden having low production (great 2-way play, though) and James not really having the hands to be a great finisher or a consistently smooth passer. I doubt they’ll do it right away but if Boisvert isn’t getting enough looks they could try Swanson up there. Obviously no one can skate like James and Swanson can’t replace Strinden’s speed and physicality but keep one of them on the line and replace the other with Swanson. He is ready to not be buried with Kunz and Wilkie this weekend.

Hoping for split. Feeling confident that the PK goes above 80% this weekend. This is the turnaround for the PK. Even without Zmolek, Berg is back and the freshies know what college hockey is so the PK is going up for sure.

Looking at the team stats, ASU is even better than I had thought. They have 7 players averaging 0.75 or more points per game, 2 of whom are above pt/game and one can assume Lucius will be playing a high end game right away. From an RPI SOS standpoint they are rated 18th and we are 25th, so it’s not like they’ve feasted on cupcakes. Our boys have a tough one on their hands this weekend.

I think that's a fair assessment. The top 12 could be set but that 13th player should still be up for grabs. Because although plus/minus is only a snapshot of a player's skillset, Littler's is too good to just write off, especially with his limited ice time. His foot speed clearly isn't the best but he's definitely worthy of playing over Monty some games because he is better at forward than Monty is at defense, which is most likely where Monty would get slotted in during most game situations. With how poor the PK has been, I don't see them removing Croal altogether but I'm guessing Little and Monty each see 1 game this weekend.

Berg is back in. Who comes out of the lineup Friday night? Littler has only 1 less point than Wilkie in LESS THAN HALF the average amount of ice time. He’s already proven his worth to stay in the lineup with 2-way play and makes hay with his limited ice time. Croal is an absolute grinder with speed and kills penalties very well along with good even strength 2-way okay. Also only 1 point less than Wilkie in essentially half the games and less than half average ice time. Maybe he and Littler alternate on the 4th line or maybe Croal is the extra but I wouldn’t want them out of the lineup. Montgomery is a multi tool, has an A on his jersey, has one more point than Wilkie (haha), and will do anything he is asked to do, but he’s often out of place defensively and doesn’t. In my hot take opinion, I think he should sit. PS I’m not hating on Wilkie, I’m just comparing a player with tons of playing time to guys who, other than Wilkie’s faceoff numbers, have proven themselves to be just as worthy as other players. What does everyone else think here for what they should do for Friday’s game?

We should not expect a sweep in our favor this series and ASU should not be looked at as an inferior opponent. Overall they are just as good and might be better than we are. ASU has been on fire as of late (took it to Denver IN Denver) and they have high end skill. I’ll be happy with a split because I think we’ll be hanging on for dear life in our D zone all weekend.