Deron Treadwell writes:
>New Hampshire 4  MAINE 4 (UNH wins SO 2-0)
...
>In the shootout, UNH's Nolan and Erik Nickulas scored, Mark Mowers and Rob
>Gagnon were stopped.  Barry Clukey, Tony Tempestilli (WHAT???  I didn't
>understand this choice, he played in only 21 games last year, and hasn't
>played all this years games, Steve Kariya and Shawn Wansborough all were al=
l
>stopped.
 
What is Shawn Walsh's philosophy on selecting shooters?  In the past,=
 Merrimack coach Ron Anderson has said that he bases his choice on a=
 shootout competition the team holds in practice.  He keeps a running total=
 and the players who have done the best in practice are the ones who go in=
 the shootout.  I am under the impression that at least some other coaches=
 do this too.
 
This is why you'll often see guys you might not expect.  They may be the=
 ones who are better in that particular situation; I remember Clukey being=
 selected perhaps right from the start last year even though he was still a=
 fourth line player.  And Merrimack has gone with lesser known guys like=
 Eric Weichselbaumer and Ryan Mailhiot, both fourth line forwards.  The=
 strategy must work; Weichselbaumer won a shootout vs PC last year despite=
 scoring only one goal all year, and Mailhiot (12 goals in 76 career games)=
 tied up the shootout with Northeastern this year on MC's fifth shot.
 
What we really need to find out is how Northeastern's Ben Smith chooses his=
 shooters and prepares them (the goalies too).  NU is 6-0 over the short=
 life of the shootout.  (Mass Lowell, 1-0, and Mass Amherst, 0-0, are the=
 only other HE teams not to lose a shootout.  UMA is now the only team not=
 to win one.)
 
UNH's shootout win was their first ever after four losses last season. =
 Maine was 1-5 last year, now 1-6 "lifetime".  Maybe Shawn and Ben should=
 get together. :-)
 
---                                                                   ---
Mike Machnik                   [log in to unmask]            *HMM* 11/13/93
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