Has Owens Lost his touch?

I wrote about this subject last Spring. The topic has not changed nor has the coaching style. Colorado College holds a pedigree of players that have come through this system. They all are very smart off the ice, and they often put great numbers on the ice. This is a staunch launching platform for any NHL team. The character and discipline required by CC students is not something found at most schools. The problem is how CC runs their schedules. The block program is a set of 6 week time periods where students are shoveled information in and expected to regurgitate that same info on tests, reviews and the like. Not many coaches can handle this proposition, and most that do are often looking for a way out. One cannot possibly understand the complexity of the CC block plan unless they have been a part of it. Just ask Don Lucia, former CC skipper and current Minnesota shot caller.
Enter Scott Owens. The perfect coaching style with a Colorado College degree and a firm understanding of the block plan. He's got an awesome win percentage and has had over 500 games under his belt. The advantages to having someone so experienced at the helm are enormous. One cannot grasp the gravity of how difficult a coaching job is, never the less finding a reasonable coach who understands the school. Just ask the current Alabama-Huntsville coach. Although I cannot tell you his name off hand, he has often had troubles recruiting because of the lack of hockey anywhere in the state of Alabama.
However that is not the proposition of this blog, it's to gain answers from a man who this blogger feels has lost his touch. I have watched the tigers play some great games. One thinks back to the days of Bachman, Sweatt, and Testwuide to name a few. Staunch players who were gritty and good. All three are now in the NHL, all three can say the same thing: None of them brought home the broadmoor' trophy or the national championship. They did collectively win the McNaughton cup, but ask Alexander Ovechkin or the Sedin twins how much the regular seasons best team trophy(presidents) means to them in light of the towering stanley cup. They will probably not say too much about it. In fact, the last time I heard any talk about CC's last McNaughton cup was while picking up my souvenir cup at the concession stand. Had a picture of that glorious day right on it.
So what do all of these former CC players have to do with this season's roster? Simple: They were all destined to do something higher than college level and their seasons all ended with a disappointing loss. My records my not be correct, but I do not think that B. Sweatt, Bachman, or Testwuide ever touched playoff blood. In fact, if my memory serves me correctly, CC was in the playoffs once over these players careers and the loss was to Michigan State on home ice while the National Championship was in Denver.
Most of the current roster tasted blood over the Boston College blowout from last season. One would think this would be plenty to keep the players motivated to dominate the league. This appears not, even as the WCHA's powerhouse teams, DU,UND,WI, falter under the midnight moon while Michigan Tech and other small unknown teams try and catch this seasons come from no where team: Minnesota. This was supposed to be the chance for CC to knock the conference out of the water and dominate every aspect of the game. Instead we are left with sweeping losses by sub .500 teams and blowout wins where our goaltenders get pulled in less than 45 minutes.
This problem reminds me of the final years of Bobby Bowdens career as head football coach at Florida State. He was a coach there for around 40 years and did remarkable things. Led the 'Noles to championships and conference glory in the early to mid 90's. Infact when I graduated from high school in 2001, one of my friends who went on to play D1 college ball had three choices for football: Michigan, Wisconsin, and Florida State. Then, as time passed, Bowden lost his touch and his teams began a downward spiral towards the lower ranks of college football. Recruiting was down and it didn't help that the ACC was crumbling itself. Four years ago, Bowden left. The transfer of power was nothing short of tragic and hopeless. Many seminoles fans found the game nights to be too much of a heartbreaking for them to attend. The this year the coach got them back on track and what do you know....a top 5 ranking midway through the season. A loss to the #1 ranked team in the nation changed that, but still this appears to be progress for them.
As the same was for bowden, I feel the same is for owens. He appears out of touch. This year's team never seems prepared for a game and it's not any individual's fault. Howe takes quite a load for the losses because his only job is to stop the puck. Well my friends, you can't stop rubber when you can't see it. He's worked hard but at this point I am convinced that no amount of goalie carousel will change the situation. This team lacks the motivation they had last season. I don't know why, but they do. It's a day in and out process that was only overshadowed by the DU overtime win.
I am nothing more than a writer who see's this team from my seat. I watch the game and I analyze the plays that are made. The players can work really hard and don't seem to try and use the elevation to their advantage(although the arena staff does....see the opening video board shots). The players work the puck and use solid coaching all around. However when the time get's tough, they make constant mental mistakes and breakdown. Our defense has been at the forefront of this onslaught and I think they have had enough coals thrown at them. It's time we take a look at the skipper and see if something is not correct with him. After all, we still have a winning record but we are not playing like a team that wants to win a national championship. And I for one do not want to see such a talented team be denied the best thing that could ever happen to this program: Another pretty white banner at the top of the CSWA.
My advice (take it how you want it):

Put Owens on notice. People pay prices to see these games. Anchorage is a junk team this year and we should have pounded them.

Get to know the goaltenders. As a former goalie, I would expect owens to understand each of his goaltenders very well. Develop a system set to them.

Create a faster defensive change system. 5 man changes rarely work anymore. The key will be to get control of the offense and defense so that they both change at separate times. This will keep any opponent off balance.

Preparation, Preparation, Preparation: This is a very difficult subject to go out and say. It's like a boiler plate for anything that is going wrong. Every week Owens gets tapes and I am sure he spends quite a few hours in the evening watching them. Make your roster prominent upon what you see from the other teams end. Play to their disadvantages.

Break up the Schwartz connection : I know everyone will say I have written the worst, most disgusting and distasteful, yet disrespectful blog at some point on this. If they have not said so yet, this will finish them off. I feel this is improbable. Owens has to do it. I believe Rylan is such a good goal scorer than anyone could feed him for the goals. He can also "undress" the goalie pretty well to get his own peanut butter. Jaden is the best set up man I have ever seen. Yes a pure passer and a pure scorer equals a pure goal, but we have so many pure scorers. Guys like Jaden come once in a blue moon. My advice would be to put him on a line with players who are struggling to get the puck. Jaden can get the entire opposing team to cover him, zip a pass to a wide open guy and even Ken Landeau could score that.

What is working:
Owens building confidence in his young goaltenders. No amount of practice could ever prepare a goalie for the real deal. Keep this rotation going.

The constant insertion of young players. Does anyone have a guess at when the majority of last year's UMD and Michigan teams began to get their primary minutes? It was early on in their careers. Everyone got a chance to play and represent the product on the ice. Eventually those players culminated their respective programs into National Championship contenders last season. We have such a young team with a good amount of young players getting solid minutes. I feel sorry for the NCHC during it's first year of play. These young kids are going to be highly mature snipers who will destroy the best of those teams.

Making the world arena a difficult place to play. People are showing up in good numbers this year. Absolutely fundamental to the success of this program.

Players sticking up for their team mates.

CC playing an outstanding dump and chase game. Look for this to be a bi-product of their speed game.

I know this blog will make some people mad.

But for those who can read this objectively and take some of my thoughts away from them......GO TIGERS!!!!

What I am looking forward to on Friday.

Oh this one could be a doosie. For years I have thought of Michigan Tech as a lower tier team. They often finished last in the league and did nothing but lose on a consistent basis. I believe last season they finished with one win in the WCHA and 2 wins overall. Now they have a new coach and things are looking better. How does this tie in to a group for Colorado College?

Simple, CC plays Wisconsin who oh by the way got swept out of the opening weekend by Michigan Tech. Now all of a sudden that last home game(I think) of the season looks quite appealing.

Colorado College is a team full of heart and soul. Look at how they run the shop. You get to skate with the tigers twice a year. Try doing that with the gophers. We have a first round draft pick who someday will be making millions of dollars doing what he is right now: playing hockey, yet he will talk to you and sign autographs with a smile. That's not just Mr. Jaden Schwartz, that's the motto of the team and I like that.

But personally, I have a view of the WCHA that has changed this year. I see the WCHA in groups of top tier teams, mid tier teams, and lower tiered teams.

Here is my list:

Top Tier

North Dakota #1 -

They finish on top of the WCHA nearly every year. They get really good recruits and do good things with them. Of all their players, I really liked Matt Frattin. He got a DUI and rather than heading to the pro's he worked his way on to the team. A good character guy.

WISCONSIN #2

I am going to get shit for this one since I am from Wisconsin. I do not root for the badgers unless they are playing football or make it somewhere relatively close to the final four(basketball). In hockey I am a CC tiger fan. But Wisconsin has done well. They get decent recruits, but not the best. They have a national championship in 2005 and made it to the tournament 2 years ago. Good for second on my list.

DENVER #3

I will probably be never spoken to again for putting DU at #3, over CC. First off to everyone, I just want you to know that you can't spell dumb without DU. So there, DU sucks. Fuck YOU DU. But seriously, they get good recruits. Of all the teams in the top 3, Denver has the smallest following. They did win 2 natty's in the early 2000's, but since then have done nothing but flop. I give them #3 because of their recruiting power and wins they put up in the regular season. And let's just put this to rest, I am not a DU fan. See #4.

-------------------------

Mid-Level Teams

Colorado College #4

Why oh why would I do this to my beloved Tigers? Well CC is a powerhouse in the WCHA. Take away CC and you don't have a WCHA. Just think about it. Penrose trophy, Broadmoor trophy....kind of makes you think a little. CC has a very long history. Two natty's in years way back but solid teams since. Made it to the Frozen Four in 2005 and have been itching since. So why would I put CC at #4? Well I have been watching college hockey for years, and CC in general for the past 5. CC has not had the best recruiting in the past decade but they have done very, very well. Never in the past 10 years has CC had a losing season. Pretty damn good. But CC is on the rise. Getting better every year and promoting skilled drafted players. I would say CC is easily a high 4, low 3 all time for the WCHA.

Minnesota #5

The gophers are a team that separates themselves from the rest of the league. They live in Canada's version of the United States(although Massachusetts people will disagree), so they are expected to win every year yet they don't. Unless Minny wins a natty soon, I don't think they will rise. Recruits are up but other than their last natty, they have no idea what to do with them.......See Kyle Okposo.

Nebraska-Omaha #6

The mavericks are new to the WCHA and about to be out all in the same breath(like every other member of the future NCHC). The mavs posted great numbers in the CCHA and moved over only for the prospect of playing in a better conference with members closer to their location. Fan base is not strong as the school is more of a commuter school than anything. They will grow in the NCHC though.

Minnesota Duluth #7

I always tell my friends that there is Minny main and Minny north. These guys are Minny North and that is exactly where the most recent NCAA Division 1 championship trophy is, courtesy of the bulldogs. The bulldogs have only one championship and have not fielded the best teams over the past 10 years. Last year's natty bumped them from a mid-lower team to a mid team. Another strong showing could be a great benefit for this program.

St. Cloud State #8

The last of the mid teams. St. Cloud has not made too much noise. Like Denver, they get a crop of draft picks but seem to do more of the minnesota thing and chase them off after consistently bad years. Last year a team fight in the locker room left 3 draft picks signing pro contracts the next day. This team is my pick for the bottom feeder in the NCHC.

LOW TIER TEAMS

Alaska Anchorage #9

Alaska has a very difficult situation. I have never been up there, but I have always seen the games live against CC. It doesn't look good. My friends who do travel up there for games against the gophers and badgers often tell me that the lure of teams doing better in the season doesn't help either. Alaska should benefit from the WCHA adding another alaska team in. This will give solid competition and move the team upward.

Bemidji State #10

Bemidji has been a powerhouse division 2 league for years. Then some boosters came along and got them enough funds to come to division 1. They have not done much since. I think Bemidji has a strong future in the WCHA after the departing members go. They have strong recruiting and are adapting to a much stronger conference quicker.

Minnesota State #11

I applied to Minnesota State and got accepted(st cloud too). I went for a tour of the facilities for the hockey players(because I LOVE HOCKEY!) and I almost cried. They have nothing like what CC has. The gym is junk. I didn't get to see the inside of the arena but from pictures it doesn't look that good. Minnesota State is a victim of being in Minnesota. Out of all the Minny teams, I think State comes in last. The other teams recruit real well and personally I find Mankato to be a very boring town. Any player who wants to see something outside of the game will not like the surrounding area.

Michigan Tech #12

Tech has long been the butt of jokes regarding hockey status in the WCHA. Often Tech has been the slop of the league and an easy 4 points for any team visiting. Traditionally the school has not given the team much in the line of funding for their team. They often lack quality recruits and seem like more of a junior team. That looks to be changing though. Tech is off to a good start this year and could contend for a home playoff berth if they continue their ways.

It should be noted that this space below this line is reserved for the most junk team of all:

DU

Okay the space above this is reserved for the most junk team of all.

I am looking forward to this friday's game. I think CC will do well and rebound against tough losses. Early defensive problems will be taken care of and the youngsters should learn quite a bit. Hopefully Howe can get his game going. We need him and he's always been clutch for us.

GO TIGERS!

CC vs DU: A lesson learned.

Every Colorado College fan has got to be kicking themselves right now over what was a very bad game by our Tigers. I did not attend the game in person, but I watched it on my iPhone while witnessing a similar defensive effort by the Avalanche. Nobody went home happy.
To analyze this game, we have to start from the bottom up to find the holes. It's easy to point at Guentzel, Howe, or Dineen for not stepping to the challenge or making mistakes. However, the truth is that our team is young and very inexperienced especially at the defensive positions. This year welcomes some newcomers in town: Aaron Harstad and Peter Stoykewych. Although there are more than just these two players who came in at defense, I focused on these two players because they both were in leadership positions on their last teams.
Of the current defensive players, only three players have enough experience to be considered "significant". Those players are, Guentzel, Boivin and Marciano. Until late last year, nobody saw Marciano as a two way defensive player. He has been an excellent stay at home defenseman who battles hard in the zone. He has been a little slow at times, but all of that was laid to rest during last years slaughter of Boston College. He showed excellent speed and great form, just what CC needs at this point. Boivin has been a work in progress. Due to a defensive core which included a captain from last year, Boivin was not considered a large go to guy. He, like Marciano, plays well but was often relegated to the last defensive line due to the depth of other players. When we did get to see Boivin, he often didn't play too much. This season will change all of that as Boivin looks to carry the team. Of the three players, Boivin has the the most potential as he really could benefit from being put in a leadership role next season.
That leaves us with Guentzel. Gabe is a great player and one of my personal favorites on the team. He plays well, leads well and earned the "A" on his sweater rightfully so. However, we can only expect one player to do so much before they show flaws. Colorado College has been blessed in the past decade with some outstanding forwards. Among them are Sweatt and J.Schwartz. Often players get compared to these two players and they don't hold up well. Sweatt grew really fast on the team and Schwartz is a certified all star. Comparing Gabe Guentzel to J.Schwartz is like comparing apples to oranges. Guentzel is a great player, but he's not the kind of player that Schwartz is. We have to remember that when our emotions run high after a rivalry loss like tonight. We have to focus on what is really the situation here.
Of our entire defense, only the three defensemen just described are seasoned enough to be considered vets. We have other seniors like bidwill and behrend who are great players, but bidwill was injured last year and like boivin, was not playing much do to the talent in the years before. Behrend has been all over the board and I honestly do not know that much about him.
This is why our defensive core did not hold up well tonight. We just cannot turn sharp corners without a flaw being exposed. Gabe cannot be on the ice every single minute, and he is going to make mistakes, especially when the entire team is looking for him to be the defensive leader.
GOALTENDING
I capitalized this because I play goalie. I love the position and I know everything about the mental effects that take place during a game. Getting pulled from a game is one of the worst things that can happen to you. You think you are doing well, but then as the game progresses you lose the ability to control your emotions, thoughts and actions. Soon instead of playing steadfast hockey, you are questioning yourself on every play. Wondering if it was your fault that the goal went in. In all likelihood, the play was just broken and you would not have stopped that anyways. Goaltending is about positioning. You either have it or you don't. Tonight, Howe did not. I really would not know what to say to him so that he could improve his game. His rebound control his good. His post to post work is excellent, and he carries himself well. The problem is the team in front of him is not giving him the breaks he needs. Howe is not a constant goalie. He needs help to finish off a game, just like 98% of the other college goalies. The 2% who don't need help usually leave for the NHL early anyways so they really don't count.
Unfortunately for Howe, this has been two straight games of lackluster performance. The time has come to sink or swim. Personally I think Owens will need to sit down tomorrow and evaluate what he saw from a netminders perspective. The question is: Should Howe continue as the starter? Howe is a great goalie. He plays well, but he's off his game right now. Last year Owens put Howe on a rotation with thorny and he picked his game up quick.
THE CONCLUSION:
CC is in a bad spot. The offense is taking off while the defense is learning. This is not a coaching error but a case of bad timing for recruiting. 2 1/2 years ago, CC had a defenseman named John Moore defect before the season started. To make up for the loss, Owens got Doug Leaverton quickly to fill the gap. Leaverton is now gone, which leaves that us a man down for experience. The point is: These kids will have to pick themselves up fast, or this will roll downhill quickly. But if they do pick themselves up, Tampa is not out of the question.
GO TIGERS!

SPOTLIGHT: NICK DINEEN

Today I wanted to take a little time out of my day to put a spotlight on a Colorado College player. I had three individuals, Nick Dineen, Jaden Schwartz and Joe Howe. After some careful consideration for the week I chose Dineen.
College hockey is quite a bit different from the NHL. Often the captain of an NHL team is amongst the top on the team in statistics(Crosby, Ovechkin, Sedin....etc.) In college hockey, not every team features the player who can score the most goals or do something statistical every game. If that were the case, Colorado College would have Jaden or Rylan Schwartz as their captain and last year Matt Frattin of UND would have been the captain.
No, college hockey presents something different. That element that is not in the NHL: school. Most captains in college hockey excel both on and off the ice. Our Colorado College blue liner is no different. In fact, you can thank him for last years playoff push and this years marketing run. During game 2 of the WCHA playoffs, Dineen scored a crucial goal in the 1st period of a very tight game against Wisconsin. That goal and celebration have been fodder for banners all over Colorado Springs.
So if a captain is not always a statistical leader on the ice, then what is he? Well, to keep it short, he is a leader. I never much about Dineen until I went to this year's captains practice. I watched as multiple players tried to get the team together for a simple drill. Four or five players tried everything they could, but never got the team to do one drill. Then Mr. Dineen stepped in with his take charge type attitude and in two words got the team doing basic drills. What were the two words? "LISTEN UP!"
You see, Nick does not need to even touch the puck to be a factor on the ice. His presence is far greater than any ability he has. If the play is going to fast and players are confused, Dineen will step in handle the puck a bit and pass it off slowing things down, even if he takes a hard licking for it. Dineen also has no problem with defending any of his rookies, as was evident against Bemidji when some trash talking took place and one of the players tried to upend Aaron Harstad. Although Harstad is a huge player, and didn't need the back up, Dineen stepped up and was ready to drop the gloves before some refs broke things up.
Nick's leadership is not just on the ice. He is a smart kid who shares his knowledge with other team mates. For his entire career at CC, Dineen often spent party nights helping players who were struggling with something. He is not only a leader, but a mentor to those around him. This is largely why he was chosen as captain. He's not a liability on the ice and he's a huge asset off.
Scott Owens once said that the best preparation for a game is done off the ice, well having someone like Dineen in the film room is a quality that no NHL team will ever understand.
In short, Dineen is a leader and he is why the team is where they are. He plays hard and he has earned his C the only way he knows how: Long, Hard work.

Best Arena's in the WCHA

I've written and read many articles regarding the highly touted WCHA and their buildings. Among some of the best places to watch a game are the Kohl Center: home of the Badgers, Marriucci Arena: Home of the Gophers, Ralph Englestad Arena: Home of the Sioux, Century Link Center: Home of the mavericks, and The World Arena: Home of the Tigers.
Before I get into the thick of this blog, I should put one caveat on here: I am a CC fan. I will try not to be biased.
Judging WCHA arena's can be a fun task, but reading what others have to say often is much more enjoyable. I once read a blog about WCHA arena's from a young man who judged them based on three points: Atmosphere, Physical Arena, and fan base. The gentleman was a Gopher fan who traveled on occasion to see his favorite team skate it out on enemy soil. His blog began by talking about how he admired certain Arena's over others. He gave the world arena a lower grade than magness simply by walking past it. If only he knew.
Anyways, to the topic.
For me, the best things about college hockey is not just the product on the ice. It's the building, the atmosphere, the fans and how the team shows itself off. I've been to quite a few arena's. In this one, the only arena that I will not have been to is the century link arena. I missed the fan trip because of the passing of my grandmother.
First up: Ralph Englestad. This arena is pretty nice considering every angle is carved with marble mascots of the Sioux logo. Statistically, the product on the ice has been second to none for the past five years. So any Sioux fan will be in for a big surprise when their team falters. The atmosphere in this building is electric. Although their sieve chant is a little annoying, the announcer does a great job of building things up.
Next is the kohl center. The kohl center and the ralph do not differ much. They both are premium arena's that offer outstanding views of the game. Both offer a circular upper bowl which helps the view quite a bit. In the case of the Kohl center, they offer three bowls. They sell out every game which is pretty good since the kohl center is the second largest venue behind Ohio State in college hockey. I am not much of a fan of bands because most of them are not very good and I can deal without the horns. Wisconsin is an exception to that rule. I love WI football, so the band is naturally awesome. There are only two college hockey bands that I enjoy hearing: Wisconsin and Michigan. The only real drawback to the badgers is their ticket problems. One cannot get season tickets to the same seat for Saturday and Sunday. You must two separate packages.
Now is Marriucci. I don't like this arena all that much. It's a straight up bowl similar to Lambeau Field in Green bay. there are no obstructed views, but the product on the ice is often not that great. I don't find any enjoyment in the fans spelling out their teams name. I love hockey, but watching a gopher game is pretty dull in my mind.
Back on track is the century link center. This is the one that I've only seen in pictures so I cannot do much of a review on it. I can say that UNO lucked out on their arena. The primary purpose of the arena was for city use, but UNO made it their home and it looks good from everything I have read.
Now for my favorite team, CC. The world arena is really hard to describe to someone who has not been there. It has a standard lower bowl, but a split upper bowl. The most similar comparison is the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, but quite a bit better. One would assume that the world arena offers bad sight lines with the upper deck blocks, however they would be wrong. The seats stop at the end of the ice on both sides, so all fans have an unobstructed view of the ice. There is no band, but plenty of fans take on rooting the tigers. A lady named Jill dances in the third period and an older gentleman roots the student section. CC has one of the best fan bases in college hockey. Unlike the big market teams like UND, MN, and WI, CC offers it's fans the chance to meet the players on a regular basis. Fans can skate with the tigers and get autographs from the players after each game. The atmosphere is really hard to beat, especially when playing DU. I have been to seven games against the pioneers and CC chants loud and proud. The place is guaranteed to be packed, and for good reason. The two teams have been Colorado's premier venue since the 50's.

My final vote:
World Arena-Tie. The tigers get a tie because they offer an incredible fan base and a great atmosphere. The tigers also have not had a losing record for over 10 years.
Ralph Englestad-Tie. The sioux get a tie because they offer a beautiful building, outstanding training facilities and almost always have a top level product on the ice.
Kohl Center
Marriucci Arena

Century Link center-No vote since I've never been there.

Now what for the Coyotes?

Legend has it that hockey teams which do not do well in a city end up leaving. Everyone knows this because it relates to every sports team in the country, maybe the world. The talking heads who sit behind desks detailing how that same market which lost a team are full of nonsense. Bringing back the Jets to Winnipeg is going to fail, Mark my Words! Atlanta just failed for the second and hopefully last time. Winnipeg is a small town which had an average attendance of 12,000 for their minor league team. Yes this is good for a minor team, but it shows that when an 18,000 person venue is a available Winnipeg is still falling short.
The next issues is what to do with the Coyotes. With the Thrashers moving out of the south and into the hockey crazed north, Phoenix has a unique issue. The former Jets franchise now has no clear path to a city should this final season not play out. This time next year we could be witness to the city of Glendale taking out another $25 million for insurance on the teams losses. When will tax payers have enough? Hell, if Glendale does this process for three more years they will have paid the current net worth of the Coyotes in insurance.
In this, I have come up some possible locations for the Coyotes franchise to move and some that will likely not see a team.

Likely:
Kansas City-KC did lose a team early in the NHL's existence however this loss was due to a small venue. The venue filled up but the obvious problem was not the people coming, but the droves of people outside who could not get a seat. This problem has been solved with the Sprint Center.

Portland, OR- This is a shot in the dark, but from my view point the nearest franchise is well outside of their marketing range. A very good opportunity for name branding.

Harftford: This is yet another "second chance" city. But the issues surrounding the whalers departure to NC are no longer present.

Salt lake city: good place for hockey

Not Likely:

Seattle- Although a very good place for some hockey, they will have to contend with their northern friends, Vancouver for market rights. Jim Ballsilie lost this battle in Ontario.

FIRE OWENS!!!!

I am not emotional right now. With five minutes left in the first period I looked at my wife and said "it's okay, this one is over". I knew it from the beginning. Michigan looked so much better. It was as if they(I am pretty sure they did) watched last nights game against Boston College. They kept our top line out of contention all night. We never had a chance to win this one thanks to an ineffective team effort. In my mind the only person who really put on a show worth paying for was sophomore goalie Joe Howe. Joe made stunning saves the night before and left me in wonderland. Tonight he followed the same format as last night: let an early goal in and then stop for a while. Unfortunately the rest of the team did not get on the same page and go for scores. It became very clear in the first five to ten minutes that Michigan had planned to dump and chase the puck. CC does not have a good defense so this puts the forwards on their heels and leaves only one man to make or break CC: the goalie.
From that point on, it was clear that this game was over. From a season long perspective, this post season run has probably done nothing more than delay the inevitable firing of Scott Owens. Owens has been on the job for 12 years. He has won the McNaughton cup honoring the regular season champions three times. He has been to eight final fives never winning the tournament. In 2005 he struck his career best by taking the Tigers to the Frozen Four. In that year, the frozen four consisted of all WCHA teams. For a $400,000 a year salary I would say that's pretty shitty statistics. For some reason the athletic director feels that keeping an alum as a coach is key. This is probably true because of the way the school has a block plan. A very vigorous six week schedule of classes. I won't get into how the school year breaks down. I will just say that a coach needs to understand this system to be able to coach at CC. By comparison, Owens' northern partner George Gwozdecky has won multiple Mcnaughton cups I believe two Broadmoor trophies and two national championships in a relatively similar amount of time. Mr. Gwozdecky makes $350,000 a year.
This leaves the question: why won't anyone wake up and fire owens? My belief is that what happened this season is what keeps owens afloat. He has a bad run of seasons and recruiting where the team flat-lines and then all of a sudden produces something special the next year. The AD see's this and bam, we have a reason to extend him. This same type of inconsistency is felt throughout the team. Last night CC throttled Boston College 8-4. BC is a top ranked team in the country, and we rocked them. Then the normal CC showed up tonight and flat lined.
This is a horrible excuse for a way to coach and needs to be dealt with. A goalie as a coach? C'mon, lets get real and get someone in here who has the experience to move this team. And lets do that now!

The Colorado Avalanche virus

It has been over a year since I posted anything on my sports ticker. I have been bored from writing for many reasons but here I am crawling back.

Anyways, the Colorado Avalanche and Joe Sacco find themselves in second to last place in the western conference. This time last year, they were the talk of the league with Matt Duchene playing high level hockey but most of all their goalie Craig Anderson holding the line. During the 2009-10 season, many things should have gone wrong, but they didn't. For instance, Anderson never should have been relied on to win games but he was. After a while the Avs just gave up on the defensive aspect of things and let Andy take care of the load. Stars like Stastny, Duchene and Hedjuk flourished in a system that was only a year removed from the worst season in Avalanche history. That horrible season by the way was a year in which Colorado relied on a two goal tender system, much like what is being done today. That does not appear to work and now, more than ever, we can see that the defensive line needs to change. We gave up Scott Hannan and in return made our old captain run the defense. Foote is a good player and a leader as the C on his sweater suggests, however he needs to leave the organization. His age is not on par with the youth movement in front of him.

What I really believe to be true is what to do with our goalie situation. Last year Anderson was in consideration for the Vezina trophy and a spot on the U.S olympic team. He was the show stopper. Due to injury, Anderson is no longer that same goalie and may never return to form. Anderson had something to prove last year and he did it. It is my personal belief that Anderson did not put as much effort into this past offseason as he did the previous one. His efforts have shown and he has become non reliable.

I am glad that I never purchased his jersey because I think this season will be his last with the Avalanche organization. The Av's need to completely rebuild and part of that will be saying goodbye to Budaj and Anderson. Andy is a quality guy but has shown that he is a hype goalie and nothing more. Unfortunately this road is only going to get worse for the Avalanche. In order to completely rebuild, they will have to hit rock bottom once more. For that to happen, we will need to wash the system clean.