Hi -
 
On Wed, 4 Dec 1996, Rowe, Thomas wrote:
> I am only at a Div III school, but I have seen both kinds of coaching
> strategy.  And had the pleasure of Mark Mazzoleni as head coach for a
> while.  For my two cents, if I had to concentrate on one style, I would
> go for the goal scoring.
 
  Well, if the two Miami games I just saw (vs. Colgate and Cornell) are
any indication, it appears (ex-UWSP, now MU) Coach Mazzoleni shares your
coaching philosophy :-)  The Redskins have an explosive offense, and a
superb center-ice transition game that generates odd-man rushes in
bunches; fore-check at your peril vs. Miami ....
 
> If you can put a lot of offensive pressure on (which, BTW, also limits
> the puck time in your own end and serves as a kind of defense) and have
> a good or better goalie, I think you'll win a majority of your games.
 
  I agree - and it's certainly fun to watch (if only on the winning
side :-)  You obviously can't ignore the defensive side of things
entirely, but teams that stress offense over defense CAN have success;
witness UNH's current 10 game winning streak with CHODR's #1 Offense
(5+ goals/game) but only #23 Defense.  Yes, you can/will get burned now
and then under this system, but I'll take it if the alternative is a
spirit-sapping succession of low-scoring, 0-1, 1-2 games ....
 
> If you have stiffling defense but can't score when you should, you'll
> probably be involved in a lot of 1-0, 2-1, etc., type games and may not
> win a majority of those.
 
  Besides, the more goals you score, the more opportunities your fans
will have to scream "SIEVE !!!" at the opposition keeper :-)
 
  Cheers from the Chesapeake - Jim
  Go Blue !!!
 
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