Post by el_duderino on Jan 7, 2009 23:35:52 GMT -5
Yeah, I haven't forgotten about them. In fact, I still base the majority of my trips to State College around their schedule. Including one, maybe two, weekends in January (see below).
So I wrote this write-up for a different site, and I'm too lazy to do more. Enjoy! ;D
What happened: The first half of the 2008-09 ACHA season is over and the Icers are where they began the season - ranked #3 in the ACHA rankings. And it seems that the ranking has been the only consistency this season.
After a couple of hard-fought games against Delaware to open the season, the Icers pushed their way through their ACHA Showcase opponents in Adrian College and Robert Morris. Unfortunately, the third game of the Showcase saw an ugly loss to Michigan-Dearborn - a UM-D team that had lost the previous day to Penn State Berks.
The Icers then jumped on a 5 game winning streak with a win over Pitt, followed by sweeps over Navy and rival Ohio. But a dominating performance against Drexel still resulted in a 3-2 loss. The Icers would split that weekend, take the season series against Navy, and then split at Rhode Island in a weekend we could have just as easily lost both games.
December started with a split against West Chester. Calling this a tough set of games for both teams would be an understatement, as Friday's game saw 2 fights and 92 minutes of penalties - 76 in the 3rd period alone. After that wild weekend, the Icers closed the fall semester with an easy 7-1 win over Niagara.
Goaltending has been back and forth this season. Just when it seems as though one of the goaltenders would start to run away with the #1 spot, a weak game with some bad goals returns us to the carousel. Teddy Hume has the better numbers (7-1-0, 0.900 save pct., 2.56 GAA), but Nick Signet has the experience (5-3-0, 0.895 sv%, 3.24 GAA). It's rare to see Signet let up as many soft goals as he has, but a refocusing as the tournaments will likely see him as the #1 at the right time.
The Icers have also had a few injuries shake up the lineups. Taylor Cera is finally back to full strength after taking a knee-to-knee collision early in the season. Still struggling with injuries are senior defenseman Scott Dakan, junior forward Dave Herel, and senior forward and captain Frank Berry. (Personal note - nothing is more depressing than seeing Berry not on the ice for a game.) Once back, these three should easily solidify some of the holes in the current lineup.
And kudos to Matt Kirstein (F, Jr.) - after his first two seasons saw only 17 games, 3 assists, and no goals, Matt has been on fire as a starter this season. His line in the 19 games this season - 8 goals, 15 assists, 22 PIMs. Out of nowhere doesn't begin to describe his addition to the starting lineup.
As an update, over winter break, Penn State played in a small tournament at Salem State, where NCAA DIII teams Salem State, Bowdoin, and Salve Regina allowed us to play with them. The first game was against Salem State where we held our own, but lost when Salem State scored a shorthanded goal with less than 5 minutes left in the game. That left us to play Salve Regina the following night, where we went crazy and cruised to an 8-0 victory. In the "championship game", Salem State took Bowdoin to OT, where the host team would win it 4-3. For a Penn State team that's been as inconsistent as this year's team has been, we did a damn good job showing that, as a club team, we can at least hold our own against the DIII schools. Honestly, we're just a new rink away from making the jump.
What it means: All things considered, the Icers have themselves in a better position than they should be right now. The inconsistencies could have had them ranked a lot lower, or looking up at either Delaware or Rhode Island in the ESCHL standings. They've shown an ability to come back against a good team (scored three goals in the final 9 minutes against URI to win 3-2 at URI). They've also shown the ability to dominate and lose (outshot Drexel 66-20, only to lose 3-2). At this point, it's a matter of putting it all together - goaltending, creating scoring chances, and getting/staying healthy. A tough semester lies ahead, but it might be what they need to be ready for Nationals.
What's on the horizon: We start this weekend with a pair of road games against rival Ohio, January 9-10. The Bobcats aren't as strong as they were in years past, but nobody will ever overlook a rival in their home arena.
After that, it gets into two series that will likely dictate our rankings for the rest of the season (rankings determine seed at Nationals). It starts with a home series against #1 Illinois, Jan 16-17th, and that is followed by another home set with Rhode Island, Jan 23-24th. This run of 6 games will really set the table for the rest of the season.
So I wrote this write-up for a different site, and I'm too lazy to do more. Enjoy! ;D
What happened: The first half of the 2008-09 ACHA season is over and the Icers are where they began the season - ranked #3 in the ACHA rankings. And it seems that the ranking has been the only consistency this season.
After a couple of hard-fought games against Delaware to open the season, the Icers pushed their way through their ACHA Showcase opponents in Adrian College and Robert Morris. Unfortunately, the third game of the Showcase saw an ugly loss to Michigan-Dearborn - a UM-D team that had lost the previous day to Penn State Berks.
The Icers then jumped on a 5 game winning streak with a win over Pitt, followed by sweeps over Navy and rival Ohio. But a dominating performance against Drexel still resulted in a 3-2 loss. The Icers would split that weekend, take the season series against Navy, and then split at Rhode Island in a weekend we could have just as easily lost both games.
December started with a split against West Chester. Calling this a tough set of games for both teams would be an understatement, as Friday's game saw 2 fights and 92 minutes of penalties - 76 in the 3rd period alone. After that wild weekend, the Icers closed the fall semester with an easy 7-1 win over Niagara.
Goaltending has been back and forth this season. Just when it seems as though one of the goaltenders would start to run away with the #1 spot, a weak game with some bad goals returns us to the carousel. Teddy Hume has the better numbers (7-1-0, 0.900 save pct., 2.56 GAA), but Nick Signet has the experience (5-3-0, 0.895 sv%, 3.24 GAA). It's rare to see Signet let up as many soft goals as he has, but a refocusing as the tournaments will likely see him as the #1 at the right time.
The Icers have also had a few injuries shake up the lineups. Taylor Cera is finally back to full strength after taking a knee-to-knee collision early in the season. Still struggling with injuries are senior defenseman Scott Dakan, junior forward Dave Herel, and senior forward and captain Frank Berry. (Personal note - nothing is more depressing than seeing Berry not on the ice for a game.) Once back, these three should easily solidify some of the holes in the current lineup.
And kudos to Matt Kirstein (F, Jr.) - after his first two seasons saw only 17 games, 3 assists, and no goals, Matt has been on fire as a starter this season. His line in the 19 games this season - 8 goals, 15 assists, 22 PIMs. Out of nowhere doesn't begin to describe his addition to the starting lineup.
As an update, over winter break, Penn State played in a small tournament at Salem State, where NCAA DIII teams Salem State, Bowdoin, and Salve Regina allowed us to play with them. The first game was against Salem State where we held our own, but lost when Salem State scored a shorthanded goal with less than 5 minutes left in the game. That left us to play Salve Regina the following night, where we went crazy and cruised to an 8-0 victory. In the "championship game", Salem State took Bowdoin to OT, where the host team would win it 4-3. For a Penn State team that's been as inconsistent as this year's team has been, we did a damn good job showing that, as a club team, we can at least hold our own against the DIII schools. Honestly, we're just a new rink away from making the jump.
What it means: All things considered, the Icers have themselves in a better position than they should be right now. The inconsistencies could have had them ranked a lot lower, or looking up at either Delaware or Rhode Island in the ESCHL standings. They've shown an ability to come back against a good team (scored three goals in the final 9 minutes against URI to win 3-2 at URI). They've also shown the ability to dominate and lose (outshot Drexel 66-20, only to lose 3-2). At this point, it's a matter of putting it all together - goaltending, creating scoring chances, and getting/staying healthy. A tough semester lies ahead, but it might be what they need to be ready for Nationals.
What's on the horizon: We start this weekend with a pair of road games against rival Ohio, January 9-10. The Bobcats aren't as strong as they were in years past, but nobody will ever overlook a rival in their home arena.
After that, it gets into two series that will likely dictate our rankings for the rest of the season (rankings determine seed at Nationals). It starts with a home series against #1 Illinois, Jan 16-17th, and that is followed by another home set with Rhode Island, Jan 23-24th. This run of 6 games will really set the table for the rest of the season.
