tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14201311.post5073951050215218100..comments2008-11-09T19:22:13.882-06:00Packer487http://www.blogger.com/profile/04807642066292189138noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14201311.post-11085590202705355042008-11-09T19:22:13.882-06:002008-11-09T19:22:13.882-06:00I can't really comment on much, having missed the first 2 periods of game 2, and listening to the UA radio feed all weekend. They made it pretty difficult for me to get a read on our play. The few glaring things that stand out to me:<BR/><BR/>UA's defense combined with Chad Johnson will make for a healthy opponent to everyone this year. If they can find a way to bury the puck more often, watch out.<BR/><BR/>Sauer still seems pretty "meh" to me this year. He hasn't been bad, but he hasn't been great either. I think he is really struggling with the limited playing time. It just doesn't seem like he's been able to muster any confidence in his own play. Conversely, Hogan has taken advantage of what he's been given. Although the disparate records between the two don't entirely signify the differences between them. It's much closer than it looks on paper.<BR/><BR/>Speaking of paper...stats:<BR/><BR/>We sucked at the dot this weekend, with 57% of faceoffs lost. That's our worst this year. Louie was the lone bright spot, at 21 for 35. Again, puck possession starts at the drop, and it didn't sound like UA was coughing the puck up unnecessarily very often.<BR/><BR/>50% on the PK, and one of UA's 4 opportunities was only 10 seconds. Ouch. Whatever momentum we may have gained last weekend was lost up north. <BR/><BR/>The 3rd period continues to be our worst period defensively. With exception of OSU (1), we've given up 3 goals in the 3rd period each weekend thus far. Thankfully, it's also our best period offensively.<BR/><BR/>With as many complaints as Sergott and Hall have received elsewhere in the league, they've treated us very fairly. Heh, I guess that depends on your definition of "fair" :) In 3 games, they've only called 23 total penalties, with Michigan sitting for an extra 5 minutes above the opponent. I'm sure you all can figure out who the worst is/are.<BR/><BR/>So yeah, that's all I've got. I know I sound pretty negative these days, and frankly I think that's because our potential is higher than what has consistently been displayed. There are certainly bright spots, and I think we'll see much more of those in the near future. Our first line matches up better than any other in the league, and we'll be on fire once the rest of the cogs fall into place.kc8niynoreply@blogger.com