If HOCKEY-L can stand another commentary on Vermont and the ECAC...
Mike is, as usual, right on the money in pointing out that the Catamounts'
defense was not the liability last season that some seem to think it was.
Actually, one preseason article last year stated that the Vermont defense
"compares with that of the finest in the league", and that's where they
finished in terms of goals allowed. The Cats could stand a little improve-
ment defensively -- their average of around 31.5 shots allowed per game is
slightly high -- but then, with Tim Thomas between the pipes, that's
probably not too big a worry.
If Vermont has a problem, it might actually be on offense. I know that
sounds insane, considering that they have the top two scorers in the ECAC
in St. Louis (71 points) and Perrin (66), but once you get past them, there
looks to be a serious drop-off. The only other returning Catamount to hit
double figures in goals last year was J.C. Ruid with 13, and he was the
third guy on the St. Louis - Perrin line for most of the season. Ruid's 27
points also was the best among returning Catamounts not named St. Louis or
Perrin. The upshot of all this was that Vermont's offense, despite the
presence of the two Big Guns, wound up being fairly average last year;
their 85 goals in league competition works out to 3.86 per game, which was
good for third in the ECAC but was only slightly above the league average
of 3.72 -- and actually a tad *below* the Division I average of 3.88.
What really prevents me from touting Vermont for the top spot in the league
is that the inconsistency, or lack of focus, or whatever you want to call
it, that's been plaguing the Catamounts for years once again made its
presence felt last season. To be a contender, you've got to be able to
skate with the big boys, and Vermont certainly showed they were capable of
doing so last season, going 4-4 against the top four teams in the league.
The Cats were swept by Brown, but they beat Clarkson at Clarkson, which is
not easy to do; they shut out Harvard at Bright, which despite the Crim-
son's more defensive-oriented style of late is still *extremely* difficult
to do (prior to that, the last ECAC opponent to shut out Harvard at home
was RPI, back in February of 1988); and they beat Colgate twice during the
regular season. That's all well and good; however, while you're busy
psyching yourselves up to play the big boys, you've got to make sure the
little boys don't catch you napping, and here's where Vermont had a
problem. The Catamounts lost twice to eighth-place St. Lawrence, they were
swept by #9 Cornell, and they suffered a tie against #10 Union and a loss
to #11 Dartmouth. They even had trouble with last-place Yale, going into
overtime in both games against the Elis and settling for a tie once. Going
3-5-2 against the five worst teams in the league is not how you position
yourself to win the title.
Maybe last year's disappointment will spur the Catamounts on this season.
Maybe the extra year's experience gained by the team's star players (most
of whom were sophomores in 94-95) will prove to be the difference. But
Vermont has had significant talent before (remember the Jim Larkin and John
LeClair led teams of the early 90's?) and it hasn't panned out. Except for
a fourth-place finish in 1987-88, the Cats have been pretty much a middle-
of-the-pack team for a long time, certainly since head coach Mike Gilligan
arrived on the scene in 1984. Vermont has improved in the last two
seasons, finishing a point or two out of fourth place both years, but that
isn't enough to convince me that they'll make the big leap this year.
The team I think ECAC followers are going to want to keep an eye on is
Colgate. Don Vaughan's got something big brewing over there in Hamilton
that not a lot of people seem to know about. They've got a budding star in
goaltender Dan Brenzavich, their defense continues to improve, and they
have a solid, balanced attack on offense. Plus I understand that their
incoming class is among the best in the ECAC. IMHO, the Red Raiders have
the horses to pull off a league title this season.
And I think I'll stay clear of the Princeton-bashing wagon as well. The
Tigers have the somewhat dubious distinction of being the only ECAC team to
play in the preliminary round every year since it was added to the playoffs
in 1990. Look for them to avoid that round this year (and no, not by
missing the playoffs entirely).
Oh, by the way, I'm happy to see the prognosticators consistently picking
Cornell for eighth or ninth or tenth place. Please keep it up. Thank you.
--
Disclaimer -- Unless otherwise noted, all opinions expressed above are
strictly those of:
Bill Fenwick
Cornell '86 and '95
LET'S GO RED!! DJF 5/27/94
"If you've ever stared at a can of orange juice because the label said,
'Concentrate'..."
-- Jeff Foxworthy, "You Might be a Redneck if..."
HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey; send information to
[log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.
|
