In article <[log in to unmask]> Gregory C Bonawitz <[log in to unmask]> writes:
>On Mon, 22 Feb 1993, Droopy wrote:
>
>> Just a quick thought, this is something i've wondered for a while and
>> i know i might get flamed for it but: does anyone out there think that
>> Vermont goalie Christian Soucy is overrated? I've only seen him twice
>> and he was shelled both times (6 goals) and did not look good. From what
>> i've seen of him, he can be incredibly spectacular but also let in some
>> goals he shoudl stop. He looks like he tends to be TOO aggressive. Any
>> thoughts?
>>
>I guess that depends on whether we're playing at home or away 8-).
>Seriously, I think that he has the talent to be be a top rated goalie, has
>had some games to prove it, yet is lacking the inconsistency this year to
>actually be top ranked.  However, he is still fun to watch when we play at
>home (look out Harvard).
 
I can't resist this topic since I've felt from early on that Soucy has been a
bit overrated.  Certainly he played well last year but when I saw him early
this season I wasn't very impressed.  Perhaps it was the fact that he was on
the road as Greg notes, but whatever the reason, he certainly didn't play well
here at the Field House.
 
However, in his defense I do want to point out that I got to see him and Rogles
over the holiday break (actually, just before) at the Knickerbocker Arena in
the USA games, or whatever they called them.  I thought both of them looked very
good in that game (Canada vs. US) and the score showed it.
 
>And doesn't everyone let in one that they shouldn't have every now and
>then?  I also think that our defense should be helping him out more.
 
Maybe this is the case, but I think that the great goaltenders, a label that
was being placed on Soucy early in the season, can both overcome the defensive
breakdowns as well as help out their defensemen by pointing out their mistakes
during practices, etc.
 
I have to put a plug in for Neil Little here because I think he's lived up to
that standard this year.  Yes, he has made some really DUMB mistakes (take the
Princeton goal that came while he was behind the net trying to play the puck)
this year, but for the most part he has been stellar as his GAA and save %
show.  With the experience he's drawn from two years at RPI and his obvious
talent, he's blossomed into one of the best goalies I've seen all year (sure
I've seen him every night the Engineers play here, but I've also seen all the
other TOP goalies at least once and most of them two or three times).
 
Little's play has backstopped the Engineers this year and he has been the
SINGLE most important factor to the team's success.  If you anyone doesn't
believe that, just look at the Engineers Goals For numbers.  You'll see that,
with the exception of Union, they haven't really pounded anyone and they've
had some difficulty scoring due to the inexperience of many of the freshmen
who are starting.  But look at the Goals Against numbers and you'll see that
the defense, and more importantly the goaltending, have been better than
average.  If Little sticks around for next year, something I'm not convinced
he'll do considering the numbers he's had this year, it could be a SPECTACULAR
year here in Troy.
 
>Greg
 
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Daniel Orchard-Hays        Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute             '95
"Wise men store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin."
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