by claver2010 on Mon Dec 10, 2012 3:52 pm
Combo look back/looking forward post so I'll put it here.
Friday was tough. 1 clear would've done it, Patch stumbles at the blueline, tries to jab at it and the rest is history. They really struggled in that 1st period and Milner bailed them out time and time again. That turnover that led to the 1st (?) goal by Doherty (?) was absolutely terrible. Can't skate the puck out front of your own net in traffic, basic fundamental error. Friday night, apparently Gaudreau was pretty sick, sucks that right now offensively we are top heavy but it's a reality.
On the whole, everyone would've signed up for 11-2-1 in the first half including 4-1-0 against teams in the top 10, breaking in 3 freshmen D and giving a decent amount of time to guys who had minimal roles in the past. It's pretty clear what the formula is to give us trouble, Providence a couple of days ago really brought the body and we didn't respond well at all in the 1st. Considering this is one of the more physical/slower York teams in recent memory they should embrace that game better than the teams in years past. Concern/priority number one in the 2nd half has to be the bottom two lines. Right now this team is extremely top heavy (1st line represents 50% of our goals). We need 6 (really 7 if you count the winger on Hayes/Arnold line) to earn being dressed every night. Of those 7 spots, think 2 are locks (Destry when healthy, & Quinn Smith), Linell & Sit have the experience from last year, & Silk has the upside.
Always interesting to see what York does with the lines while Gaudreau is in Russia as he always likes to do some shuffling (3 years ago he got the Whitney-Gibbons-Atkinson line out of break and rode that to a championship and arguably the best line in the country the following year). He also made it seem like Straight probably won't be ready, but I doubt we hear a word until the lineups are posted for the Alabama Huntsville game.
Bush, George H W
Cosby, Bill
Disick, Scott
Flair, Ric
Griffin, Kathy
Khamenei, Ali
McCain, John
Pele
Soros, George