Latest / The PodKaz: USCHO Women's Hockey / Wisconsin, Ohio State end up where they started; Olympics near knockout round

Transcript

Wisconsin, Ohio State end up where they started; Olympics near knockout round · The PodKaz: USCHO Women's Hockey

• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Usc cho dot com. Hi, and welcome to another edition
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: of the podcast. Todd Molusky and Nicole Hase here with
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: you with special guests Ripley. As requested by popular demand,
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: Ripley is making another appearance on this week's show that
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: Nicoley want to introduce Ripley with for those of us
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: or for those of our listeners, sure don't be able to.
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: Hear him throughout. I have a basket hound. His name's Ripley.
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: He on mondays. I am home alone and he is
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: right here in my lap. So he will be part
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: of the recording whether we like it or not. So
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: apologize for the dog noises, but it's better than giving
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: him free ring because I think he'll be even louder
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: right to that. So he does not know if he's
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: not your problem too.
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: Okay, we've got fair We've got a lot to talk
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: about today. We've got Olympics getting towards the quarterfinal round
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: and the end of the pool play. We've got the
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: end of a regular season coming up in ECAC hockey.
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: We've got number two playing number three this week. But
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: let's rewind a little bit last week with number one
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: playing number two. That being number one Wisconsin number two
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: Ohio State in their second series of the season, this
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: one in Madison. Wio State jumped right out and really
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: looked very good from the beginning of the Saturday afternoon
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: contest ended up with a four to one win in
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: that one Hayley mcleoden goal looked really solid, thirty saves,
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: Jordan Petrie with a goal and two assists. A strong
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: start for Ohio State, but Wisconsin, as they have done
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: for the last couple of seasons, bounces back after losing
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: or tying. They get a four to one win on
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: Sunday in a game that was a lot closer than that.
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: Couple of power play goals near the end for the Badgers,
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: Lacey Eden put the team on her back really for
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: Wisconsin a goal and to assist Ryas Stewart, the freshman,
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: makes twenty saves there. So it's a split of that
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: series in Madison, which leaves everything right where it was.
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: Wisconsin's number one. Well, I say it's number two, and
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: both the rankings and the NPI and Wisconsin leads Ohio
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: say it by two points going to the last two
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: weekends of the WCCHA regular season. So I'm curious to
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: call what your I guess what you learned maybe about
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: these two teams from the weekend if anything. I mean,
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: we've seen them a lot against each other, so there
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: isn't a lot new, but there were a lot of
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: people in new positions.
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: I mean after Friday, I thought, wow, I I'm not sure,
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: and I had all kinds of notes and was prepared,
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: and then functionally we had you know, we had a
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: split and it was four along both directions. It was like, well,
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: that was a lot of work to end up in
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: the same spot. But I mean, I said last week,
• 2:56
  Speaker 2: I thought Ohio has handled the transition missing their Olympians better.
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: I mean that felt like maybe ten minutes of their
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: first game against Minnesota Duluth, did they falter a little
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: or you know, not even falter, just need you know,
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: had that that shaky needing to figure out where they
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: where everything fits. And and I thought that was really
• 3:15
  Speaker 2: obvious coming out on Friday against Wisconsin. They just they
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: put a lot of pressure on the Badgers, and I
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: thought the Badger's sort of youth and experience was really
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: put on display and tested and maybe exploited a little.
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: They you know, the way that Ohio State takes away
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: time and space. They did that. They do that always,
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: that's that's sort of part of what they do. But
• 3:37
  Speaker 2: I felt like what happened is maybe the players that
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: are used to being on the second and third line
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: don't get it quite that much, and so Wisconsin was
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: making just bad plays with with the puck, right, just
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: kind of throwing the puck around. They were not called
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: cooling collected in any way, shape or for but you
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: could just kind of see them miss uh like KK
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: Harvey at the point to kind of you know, sort
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: of slow things down and reset and look for new
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: lanes and things like that. So yeah, I felt like
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: Ohio State looked great on Friday. I mean, it's not
• 4:10
  Speaker 2: like it looked bad on Saturday. I just think Wisconsin
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: came back out and sort of reset themselves and looked
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: a little stronger. They also, like you said Lacey Eden,
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: I mean it kind of felt like she was trying
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: to win it herself on Friday as well, and then
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: she kind of effectively tried to do that and it
• 4:27
  Speaker 2: was more successful on Saturday. I think it was about
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: momentum for both, right, Like Ohio State scored first on
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: Saturday and just really had that confidence and push, and
• 4:37
  Speaker 2: then Wisconsin' scored first on Saturday, and it felt like
• 4:40
  Speaker 2: a Sunday. I'm sorry, it was Saturday Sunday. I'm probably
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: staying Friday, Saturday, Saturday Sunday. So in the second game,
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: I felt like scoring that first goal just really kind
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: of like settled the Badgers and helped them sort of
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: figure out where they needed to be. But overall, I
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: think I've been impressed with Wisconsin's response whenever things have
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: not gone well as you said, their their ties or
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: their losses, they'd come back and really established themselves in
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: that second game of the series. So yeah, I don't
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: know what stood out to you.
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: It was I guess surprised a little bit that Wisconsin
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: maybe was surprised or caught off guard at the start
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: of Saturday afternoons game, because, like we said, they've played
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: so many big stakes games against each other in the
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: last few seasons that even if you know the high
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: high end players are gone from both teams, there should
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: be a pretty good knowledge of what these games mean.
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: And it was just a while to say that executed
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: better in really the entirety of the first game of
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: the series, and that was I think a credit to
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: their albeit limited depth. I mean, these were two teams
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: playing that on the line chart had nine four wards
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: and well Ohio State had five d Wisconsin had six,
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: but really Wisconsin was kind of rotating through five on
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: the D. But it was it looked like a lot
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: of the Ohio State players looked pretty comfortable. The ones
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: that maybe are seeing more ice time, they seemed like
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: they were just like playing another game. It was just
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: there out there. They were forcing the game to be
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: played the style they wanted to. They were aggressive, and
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: that got them the results. Because we've seen before where Wisconsin,
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: and it's often it's been against the who of state,
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: where Wisconsin doesn't necessarily respond well always to teams that
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: are right in their face and have a strong for
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: check and don't let allow for easy exits from the
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: defensive zone. Obviously, like you're saying, KK Harvey changes a
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: lot of that dynamic because she's kind of able to
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: do a lot of that herself. But it does change
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: it when you're asking players who maybe aren't as comfortable
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: in that to do more than they've usually done. And
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: so I think we saw that develop in the second game,
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: where Wisconsin started to understand that it needs to make
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: simpler plays to get out of the zone, not try
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: and stick handle their way into what essentially was two
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: players along the wall. And then things did open up
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: for them a little bit. But like I said before,
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: it was a two to one game late and it
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: was it felt like it was really on a knife edge. Therefore,
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: Wisconsin got a powerplay five on three, scored on the
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: five on three, then like twenty some seconds later scored
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: on the five on four to make it four to one,
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: and that felt like it was it just kind of
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: put things away for the Badgers in the second game.
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: But I mean, I'm sitting there thinking, no, this is
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: not the last time we're seeing these two teams play
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: this season. It could be in the WHA championship game,
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: it could be in an NCAA championship game. We'll wait
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: and see how that shakes out. But I just get
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: that feeling that, you know, we talked about how the
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: NPI flipped after Saturday's game to Ohio State and laid
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: and flipped back one more game between these two if
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: it's if it's for the w c h A Championship,
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: might flip one and two or or solidify Wisconsin as one.
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: We'll see when we get there, but there's there's gonna
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: be a lot on the line whenever that game, next
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: game does sick play.
• 8:25
  Speaker 2: Yeah, two things I want to point out. One, I
• 8:27
  Speaker 2: would say that Ohio State functionally played and this is
• 8:30
  Speaker 2: what Ohio State does, like I they they're what the
• 8:34
  Speaker 2: key was on Friday, is there sort of less experienced
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: or second third line players laid the game that Ohio
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: State wanted to play like, they were more effective at
• 8:44
  Speaker 2: continuing to be the team they've played thing, if that
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: makes sense. And I thought that was sort of like
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: that big difference, whereas that I think there was just
• 8:51
  Speaker 2: so much more adjustment needed for Wisconsin, and I felt
• 8:53
  Speaker 2: like maybe maybe exposed some players as like not maybe
• 8:58
  Speaker 2: not as able to handle some with the finesse. And also,
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: like you said, just like understanding that you have to
• 9:06
  Speaker 2: you can't just skate through people. Yeah, it was it
• 9:08
  Speaker 2: was a learning opportunity. The other thing I'd like to
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: show up, I think probably for both teams, but particularly
• 9:14
  Speaker 2: for Ohio State is they've been skating down a number
• 9:16
  Speaker 2: of players for like weeks, even before their olympians left.
• 9:21
  Speaker 2: So the fitness on that which is something you know
• 9:23
  Speaker 2: that they have. Both teams have really well, but like,
• 9:25
  Speaker 2: at no point did you feel that Ohio State was
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: playing with especially half a roster. They're playing with like
• 9:33
  Speaker 2: less than what fift twenty eighteen, less than eighteen, It
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: doesn't matter. The point is they're they're right in three lines.
• 9:41
  Speaker 2: You're not noticing any difference. They came back with just
• 9:43
  Speaker 2: as much in this on the second day. There was
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: no If you didn't know, you wouldn't know that they were,
• 9:49
  Speaker 2: you know, short shifting and putting in a lot more
• 9:52
  Speaker 2: time than they normally do. And I think that's a
• 9:54
  Speaker 2: credit to them and the work that they put in
• 9:56
  Speaker 2: to start the year that they were able to handle that.
• 9:58
  Speaker 2: I mean, I didn't think it was significantly different from Wisconsin,
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: but when you play that four check, when you are
• 10:05
  Speaker 2: constantly putting that pressure on like they are putting mild
• 10:08
  Speaker 2: on on that ice, and there was no it was
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: just clear that Ohio State was prepared to do that.
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: Okay, let's move on to Ecac where it's the beautiful
• 10:18
  Speaker 1: mess that it has been all season. In the standings.
• 10:20
  Speaker 1: As we enter the last weekend, Princeton is holding on
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: to a two point lead over Yale, which is holding
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: on to a two point lead over Quidnimpac, which is
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: holding on to a two point lead over Brown, which
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: is tied with Clarkson, which who are both half a
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: point ahead of Cornell. So that is six teams the
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: top half of Ecia Yockey separated by six and a
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: half points going into the last two games of the season.
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: So now it's it's you know, Cornell is out of
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: the race for first. They don't have enough points to
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: make up. But I mean five teams theoretically, I guess
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: I shouldn't say it because I haven't done the who plays.
• 10:57
  Speaker 2: Who they play each other communications.
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: Of who could a cup six points. It's so there's
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: some some movement that can't quite happen there because of
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: just the number of points that are involved, but or
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: the games involving those points. So but we'll get into
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: that the schedule of it when we we wrap things
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: up in our third segments tonight. But Yale bat Clarkson
• 11:20
  Speaker 1: five to four on Friday, had to hold on to
• 11:23
  Speaker 1: that one. And speaking of holding on, there were five
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: to one after two. Clarkson's claws its way back with
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: three goals in the third, but Samson Fry makes twenty
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: four saves for Yale to give give them the Bulldogs
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: that win there. Quinn't Pack only got a tie against
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: Harvard one to one on Friday. Harvard won the shootout,
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: so quinn't Pack only comes away with a point there.
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: No surprise here was Angeley Toughye making thirty sicks for
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: Harvard plus three in the shootout. We need rowing the
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: goal the names we've come to expect here in the
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: second half of the season for the Crimson and then
• 11:59
  Speaker 1: to kind of confused things a little bit more, Harvard
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: then goes out and beats Princeton three to two on Saturday. Lucia, Lucia,
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: I forget how to pronounce that four or nine left,
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: she scores the goal ahead goals with tough a thirty
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: eight saves, nine save percentage, right, like, pretty incredible there. Yeah,
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: and she's really only taken you know, the starting role
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: in the second and half of the season for you know,
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: for most of the games anyway. So incredible stuff going
• 12:30
  Speaker 1: on there. But I mean this is there is no
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: more surprises here where every way we go into this
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: and we kind of see who's that. There's someone going up,
• 12:41
  Speaker 1: there's someone going down. Clarkson right now is lost three
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: straight after winning six straight before that. So this is
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: the way it has been all season. No one should
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: be surprised that it's going into the last weekend with.
• 12:52
  Speaker 2: No I think maybe the surprise for me is Brown
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: being in that top six, and now I wouldn't even
• 12:58
  Speaker 2: see surprise. They've played well, it has not been necessarily consistent,
• 13:03
  Speaker 2: much like the rest of the league. So yeah, I agree.
• 13:06
  Speaker 2: I went and looked at standings this morning and was like,
• 13:08
  Speaker 2: wait a second, Uh, that is not a team we
• 13:10
  Speaker 2: had been like when we're talking about all of us
• 13:12
  Speaker 2: jumping and moving around, it's not a team we had
• 13:14
  Speaker 2: uh play into it. But they had a great weekend
• 13:16
  Speaker 2: as well, and so yeah, it's all up for grabs.
• 13:21
  Speaker 2: It's gonna be a lot of fun. Love that. Love
• 13:23
  Speaker 2: that even it doesn't matter who ends up in those
• 13:26
  Speaker 2: top six teams, because I don't think anybody is safe
• 13:29
  Speaker 2: in their tournament. TKOS is going to have a ride
• 13:34
  Speaker 2: through the ECAC tournament. So it's it's honestly, it makes
• 13:39
  Speaker 2: for great hockey. It makes things so entertaining. I you know,
• 13:44
  Speaker 2: sometimes it's frustrating. I think some of these teams are
• 13:46
  Speaker 2: better than some of these results that they're getting. But
• 13:49
  Speaker 2: if you are a team that's going to you know,
• 13:52
  Speaker 2: make a run at a title, make a run at
• 13:54
  Speaker 2: the Frozen Four, you have to you know, you have
• 13:57
  Speaker 2: to win the games that are put in front of you.
• 13:59
  Speaker 2: And there are no opportunities for for Bobbles, you know.
• 14:02
  Speaker 2: So it's separating you know, those teams out and showing
• 14:07
  Speaker 2: sort of who has what it takes at this point
• 14:09
  Speaker 2: in the season, like you have to be starting to
• 14:12
  Speaker 2: peak in the next week or two and and not
• 14:16
  Speaker 2: you know, be over that before we reached mid March.
• 14:20
  Speaker 2: So yeah, I have no idea. I mean we've said
• 14:26
  Speaker 2: it all year, like I don't. I don't have any
• 14:28
  Speaker 2: idea who to predict for who is going to take
• 14:30
  Speaker 2: this title. So that's fun, but also just like crazy
• 14:35
  Speaker 2: that that at some point, like a team like Brown
• 14:37
  Speaker 2: could come in and make make waves in the first,
• 14:40
  Speaker 2: second or third spot here when they weren't in the
• 14:44
  Speaker 2: conversation to do that at least two three weeks ago.
• 14:52
  Speaker 1: Yeah, jadagain La figured in all four goals Brown scored
• 14:56
  Speaker 1: in the Saturday for one win over Senior Day, good
• 14:59
  Speaker 1: for her two goals to assists and that's awesome. Yeah,
• 15:04
  Speaker 1: so Brown and Clarkson tied for fourth at thirty eight points,
• 15:08
  Speaker 1: and that's the cutoff, of course for the first round.
• 15:11
  Speaker 1: By the way, SEC does it, top four get a
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: buy and then five through eight hosts nine or twelve
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: in the first round. Then the winners play the four
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: teams that got buys in the next round. So there's
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: a lot going on there. And yeah, it's a lot
• 15:30
  Speaker 1: of excitement for the last weekend of the regular season.
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: And that's I feel like that's just the start of it,
• 15:38
  Speaker 1: because yeah, when we get the playoffs in the ac ACS,
• 15:40
  Speaker 1: could be you know, throw everything out, let's let him go.
• 15:44
  Speaker 1: And I don't know if the seeding is gonna matter
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: a whole lot there. I do want to get into
• 15:54
  Speaker 1: a couple of games from Hockey East that are may
• 15:59
  Speaker 1: not matter for the conference championship. That's you know, Northeastern's
• 16:02
  Speaker 1: got that.
• 16:04
  Speaker 2: I actually they secured this last week.
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: I haven't even looked yet. I think they may have, yes,
• 16:11
  Speaker 1: But Holy Cross lost a pair of games last week.
• 16:14
  Speaker 1: Boston College won an overtime four to three on Friday,
• 16:18
  Speaker 1: and New Hampshire then won three to two on Saturday.
• 16:21
  Speaker 1: BC was down three to one in the third of
• 16:24
  Speaker 1: that Friday game before making a comeback and then winning
• 16:29
  Speaker 1: an overtime, and then Holy Cross losing again on Saturday
• 16:33
  Speaker 1: makes them winless in their last four. Three straight losses.
• 16:37
  Speaker 1: Not the kind of road to the finish line of
• 16:40
  Speaker 1: the radio season they're looking for. It's all gonna have
• 16:44
  Speaker 1: to happen in the playoffs for the Crusaders, we know that,
• 16:47
  Speaker 1: but this is not the road I'm sure they wanted
• 16:51
  Speaker 1: to have given.
• 16:52
  Speaker 2: It feels like a tripping your way to the finish line.
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: Right.
• 16:56
  Speaker 2: They've they've had such a great season and really are
• 17:00
  Speaker 2: shown what they're capable of. And I don't know if
• 17:02
  Speaker 2: this is inexperience thing. It is a long season and
• 17:06
  Speaker 2: if you're not used to playing games that matter when
• 17:09
  Speaker 2: it comes to February, like maybe there's just a haven't
• 17:12
  Speaker 2: been there before a bit about it, and it's it
• 17:16
  Speaker 2: is a long season and it is exhausting. And if
• 17:21
  Speaker 2: you you have to have that in mind in September,
• 17:25
  Speaker 2: right in terms of of like the long game and
• 17:27
  Speaker 2: how you prepare and how you reserve energy and the
• 17:31
  Speaker 2: ability to be really at your best at this time
• 17:35
  Speaker 2: of the season. And that's a team that hasn't had
• 17:38
  Speaker 2: to think about that, and I wonder if that's what's
• 17:40
  Speaker 2: coming into play here because they have had so many
• 17:45
  Speaker 2: really good wins and it was it was a little
• 17:47
  Speaker 2: surprising to see the outcomes the last two weekends from them.
• 17:55
  Speaker 1: So in Hockey East last week to a higher ranked
• 17:59
  Speaker 1: teams had to work overtime for some some wins. On Friday,
• 18:03
  Speaker 1: Yukon needed ot to beat Providence two to one, and
• 18:05
  Speaker 1: then on Saturday, Northeastern beat Vermont three to two in
• 18:10
  Speaker 1: the extra session after for tie that one late. There's uh,
• 18:17
  Speaker 1: I love the fact that, you know, teams that maybe
• 18:21
  Speaker 1: haven't had great seasons are still pushing the higher ranked teams.
• 18:24
  Speaker 1: As we get towards the you know, in the middle
• 18:26
  Speaker 1: of February here where it's things are really going to
• 18:29
  Speaker 1: start to matter. It leads to that, you know, you
• 18:34
  Speaker 1: don't know for sure what's gonna happen in the playoffs
• 18:37
  Speaker 1: because when you get into the one game roulins like
• 18:40
  Speaker 1: hockeysas all the way through, then it really does you know, uh,
• 18:45
  Speaker 1: you know, any any game can tip in a in
• 18:47
  Speaker 1: the last couple of minutes and you're going to overtime,
• 18:50
  Speaker 1: and then you know, one shot wins it. So I
• 18:53
  Speaker 1: think there's a lot to be interested in when we
• 18:55
  Speaker 1: look at the playoffs there. We got a couple of
• 18:57
  Speaker 1: weeks left still, but should be fun to watch. The
• 19:01
  Speaker 1: Hockey East.
• 19:02
  Speaker 2: I feel that conference too has been like particularly good.
• 19:05
  Speaker 2: Every time I go and do recaps, there's always goals
• 19:08
  Speaker 2: in the final minute of a period, like there's just
• 19:10
  Speaker 2: there's they're high on the drama and I think, you know,
• 19:14
  Speaker 2: the momentum and the confidence and sort of those intangible
• 19:18
  Speaker 2: really important for for all the teams, both the ones
• 19:22
  Speaker 2: that are ahead or the higher ranked ones to keep
• 19:24
  Speaker 2: their momentum going. But also you know, for someone like
• 19:27
  Speaker 2: Kromon who took Northeastern into overtime and come back and
• 19:30
  Speaker 2: things like that, that's the sort of stuff that they
• 19:32
  Speaker 2: can build on and can really sort of like power
• 19:35
  Speaker 2: them through an upset in the tournament, you know. So
• 19:38
  Speaker 2: that's the I think that's the the stuff that's going
• 19:41
  Speaker 2: to really come into play when we come into the
• 19:44
  Speaker 2: Hockey East for them. And like you said, when it's
• 19:46
  Speaker 2: one and done and there's a million variables, it's not
• 19:49
  Speaker 2: as simple as like how how you protect the fuck
• 19:51
  Speaker 2: or how you shoot it. So I think it's gonna
• 19:54
  Speaker 2: be super interesting.
• 19:54
  Speaker 1: As well, or we get to our break. I just
• 20:00
  Speaker 1: want to mention things are increasingly interesting and new haf
• 20:04
  Speaker 1: which has Saint Anselm leading at forty nine points with
• 20:07
  Speaker 1: Franklin Pierce one back at forty eight, but Assumption now
• 20:12
  Speaker 1: in the picture there four points back of st Anselm
• 20:14
  Speaker 1: at forty five points. It's all coming about because Assumption
• 20:18
  Speaker 1: got six points against Saint Michael's, Franklin Pierce got five
• 20:22
  Speaker 1: against stone Hill and a home and home series, but
• 20:24
  Speaker 1: st ansel lost twice in overtime at Long Island only
• 20:28
  Speaker 1: at two points. So there that the machine keeps working
• 20:33
  Speaker 1: there of turning out the interest in how this is
• 20:36
  Speaker 1: going to finish up and who's going to get the
• 20:39
  Speaker 1: home you know, the home ice there to.
• 20:43
  Speaker 2: Yes, if I remember correctly, Anselm plays both frank Sand
• 20:46
  Speaker 2: Assumption their final two weekends. Yeah, so the drums only started.
• 20:53
  Speaker 1: Yeah a lot, brother, right exactly. There's a race for
• 20:59
  Speaker 1: third pla really in Atlantic hockey, it's you know, the
• 21:02
  Speaker 1: first place is Penn State wrapped up. Second place is
• 21:05
  Speaker 1: gonna be mercious, but then it's rit a point ahead
• 21:08
  Speaker 1: of Syracuse, which is a morning ahead of Lyndon would
• 21:10
  Speaker 1: so a lot to be playing for there as well. Okay,
• 21:16
  Speaker 1: there's a lot playing out in mild right now and
• 21:20
  Speaker 1: it's gonna be exciting to watch. Over the next few days,
• 21:22
  Speaker 1: we are going to get into the upcoming US Canada
• 21:24
  Speaker 1: game and what we've seen so far when we come
• 21:28
  Speaker 1: back on the podcast. Welcome back to the podcast. Todd
• 21:38
  Speaker 1: Nicole here to talk about the Olympics tournament which started
• 21:42
  Speaker 1: last Thursday. For well, most of the teams, Finland with
• 21:46
  Speaker 1: a neurovirus outbreak, had to be quarantined for a little
• 21:49
  Speaker 1: while and their game against Canada stuffered there and is
• 21:53
  Speaker 1: now being played this Thursday, so extending the the preliminary
• 22:01
  Speaker 1: round by a couple of days. So we won't know
• 22:03
  Speaker 1: for sure what the order of things will be until
• 22:07
  Speaker 1: then in Group A, but we do have a big
• 22:10
  Speaker 1: game Tuesday morning or sorry, Tuesday early afternoon at US time,
• 22:15
  Speaker 1: with the US and Canada getting their round robin game
• 22:20
  Speaker 1: going after both have gone through their opening games with
• 22:25
  Speaker 1: undefeated records. Have has anything stood out to you about
• 22:31
  Speaker 1: either of these North American teams the call of in
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: terms of maybe anything different than you expected going in
• 22:38
  Speaker 1: knowing the rosters and knowing how you know. Competition has
• 22:44
  Speaker 1: shaped up. I think the.
• 22:45
  Speaker 2: US power play is still struggling a little. I think
• 22:49
  Speaker 2: am click particularly apparently if Alex Carpenter is doing things.
• 22:54
  Speaker 2: But I think there are like things that you can
• 22:57
  Speaker 2: see there that like the threads of it, but it
• 22:59
  Speaker 2: hasn't come to get other and I feel like it
• 23:01
  Speaker 2: needs to for them going forward in the tournament. Uh rebelesque,
• 23:06
  Speaker 2: he's doing a little more line changing than maybe I
• 23:08
  Speaker 2: thought that he would. I think I'm not sure. I like,
• 23:12
  Speaker 2: I like, maybe I'm being nipiky, But it seems weird
• 23:14
  Speaker 2: to me to put Meghan Keller and Layla Edwards together
• 23:18
  Speaker 2: and then k K Harvey and Haley Win together. To me,
• 23:22
  Speaker 2: that's like sort of doing like and like and like
• 23:24
  Speaker 2: and like. If that makes sense, I mean not exactly,
• 23:26
  Speaker 2: but you're sort of talking like two big long reaches
• 23:31
  Speaker 2: in Kellor and and Layla, and I think probably them
• 23:34
  Speaker 2: they're looking for sort of goals for a distance, and
• 23:36
  Speaker 2: then with KK and Haley, you're got like sort of
• 23:38
  Speaker 2: more active can like maybe sneak up into the offense
• 23:42
  Speaker 2: a little more. So it feels like it would make
• 23:45
  Speaker 2: sense to to sort of mix those two pairs. Oh,
• 23:48
  Speaker 2: that might be interesting moving forward. I feel like Layla's
• 23:51
  Speaker 2: played really well. She hasn't had some of the hesitancy
• 23:55
  Speaker 2: and some of the the nonchalants that maybe we've seen
• 23:58
  Speaker 2: at times. She looks more secure in making the right
• 24:01
  Speaker 2: decisions as opposed to sort of I feel like she's
• 24:04
  Speaker 2: just not been very offensive because she's been defaulting to
• 24:07
  Speaker 2: do well on defense. And I do get that, but
• 24:10
  Speaker 2: they need her to be offensive. She's got a couple
• 24:13
  Speaker 2: of assists now, and I feel like she just looks
• 24:16
  Speaker 2: more confident and secure in the role.
• 24:23
  Speaker 1: He's getting a lot of minutes too. We expected that
• 24:26
  Speaker 1: for KK Harvey because I think usc is what we've
• 24:30
  Speaker 1: all seen in her that you know, just can control
• 24:33
  Speaker 1: a game when she has the puck and sometimes even
• 24:35
  Speaker 1: when she doesn't. But I think Leilah Edwards had the
• 24:42
  Speaker 1: the most minutes in the game on Monday against Switzerland
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: for the US, if I'm remembering that right, a five
• 24:51
  Speaker 1: to nothing win for the US. And so I still
• 24:55
  Speaker 1: go back to a year and some change ago talking
• 24:59
  Speaker 1: to Robleski about, you know, how much the change to
• 25:05
  Speaker 1: defense Boy's going to require out of Laila Edwards and
• 25:10
  Speaker 1: how much they were committed to it, because it's still
• 25:13
  Speaker 1: felt at that point. This is you know, back in
• 25:16
  Speaker 1: maybe it was late twenty twenty four, we're talking about it,
• 25:19
  Speaker 1: and it's like, really, I mean, one of the best
• 25:22
  Speaker 1: forwards in college and you're throwing that's where she best
• 25:26
  Speaker 1: fits it in that picture. It was still a question
• 25:29
  Speaker 1: at that point. He said, Look, we don't know where
• 25:31
  Speaker 1: it's going to go, and we're willing to change it
• 25:33
  Speaker 1: up until the last minute, but we need to see
• 25:35
  Speaker 1: this through because we see that she has potential there
• 25:38
  Speaker 1: and has some commitment to it too as well.
• 25:41
  Speaker 2: It's so funny because I have felt like this this
• 25:43
  Speaker 2: wasn't going to change. Everybody has complained about the layla
• 25:47
  Speaker 2: as a defense experiment and been like, oh, put her
• 25:51
  Speaker 2: back up front, and like I have, I don't know
• 25:53
  Speaker 2: about the timing compared to what you're saying, and I
• 25:55
  Speaker 2: have long felt like that is such a pointless like
• 25:57
  Speaker 2: this is not changing. He is committed to this, uh,
• 26:00
  Speaker 2: and this is what's happening. So it's very funny, Like
• 26:03
  Speaker 2: I both am still I mean, I think you and
• 26:06
  Speaker 2: I have talked about this. I feel like there are
• 26:08
  Speaker 2: a number of forwards that I really that I would
• 26:11
  Speaker 2: place Layla ahead of in terms of if we were
• 26:13
  Speaker 2: just ranking, and so it feels very weird to me
• 26:16
  Speaker 2: to have pulled her out of that. And also there
• 26:19
  Speaker 2: may be a couple of other players that I would
• 26:20
  Speaker 2: have moved to defense instead. It was interesting on the
• 26:22
  Speaker 2: broadcast today, A J. Melesco said, uh, Layla is the
• 26:25
  Speaker 2: one that asked to move to defense, And I was like,
• 26:27
  Speaker 2: it's not the story we've heard before, but now you
• 26:30
  Speaker 2: never know, but yeah, I.
• 26:34
  Speaker 1: It's part of the story. Yeah, I don't know if
• 26:37
  Speaker 1: that's the full version, but that was how.
• 26:42
  Speaker 2: It was interesting that you, like you, you know, he
• 26:44
  Speaker 2: said to you that it felt it was sort of movable,
• 26:48
  Speaker 2: because it has felt that like he'd sort of dug
• 26:51
  Speaker 2: his he like, this is the decision we made, and
• 26:53
  Speaker 2: like she's not going back to forward, so and I
• 26:55
  Speaker 2: felt like it has felt like if so her options
• 26:59
  Speaker 2: there be a defender, don't be on the team, and
• 27:01
  Speaker 2: so as we can imagine the decision we would all make.
• 27:05
  Speaker 2: But yeah, I just maybe that I wonder if the
• 27:07
  Speaker 2: minute thing was in terms of, hey, this is quote
• 27:10
  Speaker 2: unquote supposed to be the easiest game, right, like Switzerland
• 27:14
  Speaker 2: is the fifteen in the group and so just trying
• 27:16
  Speaker 2: to continue to put her in a position where she
• 27:18
  Speaker 2: could be comfortable. And and I know one of his
• 27:21
  Speaker 2: big things is about being sort of predictable for everybody
• 27:24
  Speaker 2: else on the team, so like they know what you're
• 27:26
  Speaker 2: gonna do, and you know what they're gonna do, and
• 27:27
  Speaker 2: so giving her more minutes just like ensures that she
• 27:31
  Speaker 2: is doing the things she's supposed to do, like without
• 27:33
  Speaker 2: thinking twice about them. But yeah, just overall, I thought,
• 27:36
  Speaker 2: I thought she has looked good. I thought the collegians
• 27:39
  Speaker 2: overwhel overall have looked really good. There's a power play
• 27:42
  Speaker 2: unit in the second game that was all collegians plus
• 27:45
  Speaker 2: h Taylor Heisei, which I thought was like there is
• 27:49
  Speaker 2: I don't think for him there is any thought to
• 27:51
  Speaker 2: sort of youth or who is a ro er, who
• 27:53
  Speaker 2: is a collegian there that's a that's a free thing.
• 27:57
  Speaker 2: And I think every one of the collegians is is
• 27:59
  Speaker 2: like well trusted to do well in their position, which
• 28:02
  Speaker 2: is cool to see.
• 28:06
  Speaker 1: I thought the Abby Murphy Taylor heize connection has been
• 28:09
  Speaker 1: really good in some stretches where they just find a
• 28:12
  Speaker 1: way and are able to hit each other with passes
• 28:16
  Speaker 1: really well. That don't look like they're necessarily open, but
• 28:19
  Speaker 1: they find each other and that's that's been good to
• 28:21
  Speaker 1: see for the US. I mean, obviously Hillary Knight's doing
• 28:24
  Speaker 1: what Hillary Knight does. We've now seen all three goalies play.
• 28:29
  Speaker 1: Avian McNaughton got a minute and a half at the
• 28:33
  Speaker 1: end of Monday game, and that's probably what you'll get
• 28:36
  Speaker 1: for the tournament that you're gonna get to going to Phillips.
• 28:40
  Speaker 1: Aaron Frankel one of the two of them being the
• 28:45
  Speaker 1: go to goalie for the US, but.
• 28:47
  Speaker 2: Even got the dressed.
• 28:48
  Speaker 1: So the fact that.
• 28:51
  Speaker 2: It's important, I think it sort of proves that they
• 28:53
  Speaker 2: see her as the future and you want to, you know,
• 28:56
  Speaker 2: have her have this experience so that she would she
• 28:59
  Speaker 2: is someone you're counting on, say in four years, that
• 29:03
  Speaker 2: that she's it's not all brand new, but still, like
• 29:06
  Speaker 2: you said, usually the third goalie doesn't even get in,
• 29:08
  Speaker 2: so I thought it was both interesting that they even
• 29:10
  Speaker 2: dressed her as the backup and then put her in
• 29:12
  Speaker 2: so exciting moment for her. I think it was just
• 29:14
  Speaker 2: cool and she you know, she immediately made a big
• 29:17
  Speaker 2: save and everybody was cheering, so that was nice. Also,
• 29:21
  Speaker 2: right before she went out, when Phillips was you know,
• 29:24
  Speaker 2: kind of got hit and she was rotating her hand
• 29:27
  Speaker 2: on the bench. So we can hope that that is
• 29:30
  Speaker 2: a low key thing and just something she recovers from,
• 29:33
  Speaker 2: but definitely something to keep an eye out for. And
• 29:36
  Speaker 2: then also I think we should mention Murray fleep. Clayan
• 29:39
  Speaker 2: got hit, took a hit from Carlton Kova in the
• 29:42
  Speaker 2: game against Tchekiya. She initially went off, came back on,
• 29:48
  Speaker 2: and then went off again and then did not come
• 29:51
  Speaker 2: back out after I think the second intermission. So yeah,
• 29:55
  Speaker 2: that's a we don't have an update beyond that, but
• 29:57
  Speaker 2: she was favoring on I believe for right lege.
• 30:00
  Speaker 1: She sort of got.
• 30:01
  Speaker 2: Twisted around and what looked like head contact that did
• 30:04
  Speaker 2: not get reviewed for head contact and CULTI had two
• 30:06
  Speaker 2: of those in that game. But yeah, that's a that's
• 30:09
  Speaker 2: a big asterisk in something Canada will be looking out for.
• 30:13
  Speaker 2: It wouldn't surprise me if they, like, if anything is
• 30:15
  Speaker 2: going on, if she sits for the game tomorrow, because
• 30:18
  Speaker 2: ultimately it doesn't really matter, So if there's there's sort.
• 30:21
  Speaker 1: Of any.
• 30:24
  Speaker 2: Concern or need for recovery, I would imagine they will
• 30:27
  Speaker 2: hold her until especially because of that that late game
• 30:30
  Speaker 2: they're not going to have and possibly back to back
• 30:32
  Speaker 2: going into the quarterfinals.
• 30:35
  Speaker 1: Right right, that does change things. So that game against
• 30:39
  Speaker 1: Finland that was postponed has been rescheduled for Thursday, and
• 30:43
  Speaker 1: then the quarterfinals are Friday, both semi finals Monday, and
• 30:46
  Speaker 1: the Metal Games week from Thursday. So yeah, that that
• 30:52
  Speaker 1: timing is is challenging, could be challenging for both Canada
• 30:57
  Speaker 1: and Finland. As an aside, what is Finland done to
• 31:04
  Speaker 1: violate the rules of karma and women's hockey in the
• 31:07
  Speaker 1: last couple of months where the UA team team gets
• 31:10
  Speaker 1: relegated kind of out of nowhere and now they get
• 31:13
  Speaker 1: hit with neuro virus when they get the Milan or
• 31:15
  Speaker 1: I don't know if it was when they got the Milan,
• 31:17
  Speaker 1: but early in their stay in Milan and.
• 31:20
  Speaker 2: It's just like way with one player for two days
• 31:25
  Speaker 2: and one was like literally everybody yeah yeah.
• 31:31
  Speaker 1: So the rough rough goal of it there for Finland
• 31:33
  Speaker 1: in the last couple of months on the women's hockey side,
• 31:38
  Speaker 1: So they the game Tuesday, decides who wins Pool A
• 31:43
  Speaker 1: and then you know, the the loser gets the second seed,
• 31:48
  Speaker 1: and by all accounts, I don't think there's much unless
• 31:52
  Speaker 1: that Canada Finland game goes a way that we're not
• 31:56
  Speaker 1: necessarily expecting.
• 31:58
  Speaker 2: It.
• 31:59
  Speaker 1: It doesn't, like you're saying, doesn't mean a whole lot
• 32:01
  Speaker 1: in the end, because the group winner plays the third
• 32:05
  Speaker 1: team from Group B, and the second place finisher faces
• 32:10
  Speaker 1: the second place team from will be so.
• 32:13
  Speaker 2: Right now will be either Germany right.
• 32:15
  Speaker 1: Now, that would be Italy or Germany. As the stands,
• 32:19
  Speaker 1: Japan could still move in, but they would require a
• 32:22
  Speaker 1: regulation win, and what we're saying a Germany loss Germany
• 32:28
  Speaker 1: regulation loss in the last day of pool play.
• 32:33
  Speaker 2: Right, Italy probably made the surprise for people so far
• 32:37
  Speaker 2: in that they are sort of well in the conversation,
• 32:40
  Speaker 2: in doing well in Group B, I mean, I think
• 32:42
  Speaker 2: there is no doubt that Sweden is a few steps
• 32:46
  Speaker 2: ahead of everybody else in Group B. They're the team
• 32:49
  Speaker 2: most excited about switching this group set up for the
• 32:51
  Speaker 2: next Olympics. France is officially eliminated. I thought France played okay.
• 32:58
  Speaker 2: I think at times they played really tim but I
• 33:00
  Speaker 2: also think that France came into this as a like,
• 33:04
  Speaker 2: we took second place in qualification and we're even supposed
• 33:07
  Speaker 2: to be here and we host in twenty thirty, so
• 33:10
  Speaker 2: let's get everything we can out of this as a
• 33:12
  Speaker 2: learning experience. So yeah, I h it'll be interesting to
• 33:17
  Speaker 2: see tomorrow. Like you said, I mean, I don't see
• 33:19
  Speaker 2: Japan upsetting Sweden, so it looks like we would be
• 33:23
  Speaker 2: it would be Germany is the third seed, right, Italy
• 33:26
  Speaker 2: is the two seed, and Sweden is the one seed.
• 33:30
  Speaker 1: The other yeah right as of now, right, see, a
• 33:38
  Speaker 1: lot to be decided before we talk to you next,
• 33:41
  Speaker 1: but by next week's podcast we will have all that
• 33:46
  Speaker 1: decided and semifinals zone, so we'll be looking ahead to
• 33:50
  Speaker 1: gold medal game bronze medal game to be played a
• 33:54
  Speaker 1: week from Thursday in Milan. It's it's I felt like
• 33:59
  Speaker 1: it's been some pretty compelling games so far. I mean,
• 34:01
  Speaker 1: not necessarily, there haven't been a lot of you know,
• 34:04
  Speaker 1: between the US and Canada and their opponent's close games,
• 34:07
  Speaker 1: but a lot of the other games have been you know,
• 34:10
  Speaker 1: going down to the wire. I was, I forget which
• 34:12
  Speaker 1: game was watching this morning. It was it was the
• 34:14
  Speaker 1: Japan Italy game that was end up three to two
• 34:18
  Speaker 1: on Monday morning, and and in favor of Italy, and
• 34:20
  Speaker 1: it was you know, Japan had some chances towards the
• 34:23
  Speaker 1: end just you know, couldn't get get them to go.
• 34:26
  Speaker 1: But that's a kind of indicative in that in that
• 34:29
  Speaker 1: Group B that there's you know, those are teams that
• 34:32
  Speaker 1: are kind of scrapping to get get to the quarterfinals
• 34:35
  Speaker 1: and and just be part of that that.
• 34:39
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and I think we'll probably have to shout out
• 34:41
  Speaker 2: to Switzerland, right like there are two last two games
• 34:43
  Speaker 2: against US in Canada ended up a little more lopsided
• 34:46
  Speaker 2: than then maybe was fair to them because it was
• 34:49
  Speaker 2: Sastia Mauer in against Canada and it was Andrea black
• 34:52
  Speaker 2: Brandly against USA today. But their defense has been spectacular.
• 34:57
  Speaker 2: It's it's it's a little hard to watch, I said,
• 34:59
  Speaker 2: I was seeing because people are like, oh, Sweden, I'm sorry,
• 35:02
  Speaker 2: Switzerland's goaltending and it's like, man, we have seen this before.
• 35:05
  Speaker 2: They are very good with great goaltending. They're very good
• 35:09
  Speaker 2: on defense, and they struggle to convert that to offense.
• 35:12
  Speaker 2: And the big thing is that this is a team
• 35:15
  Speaker 2: that has had last Alder Ellena Mueller leading them and
• 35:19
  Speaker 2: that has been the case for what's three four Olympics now,
• 35:22
  Speaker 2: and there hasn't been anybody else to step up for
• 35:27
  Speaker 2: them and there's only so much you can do when
• 35:29
  Speaker 2: you have the only two people who can you know,
• 35:33
  Speaker 2: have the salmina and have the vision and can go
• 35:36
  Speaker 2: on rushes and recover if they turn it over and
• 35:39
  Speaker 2: things like that, and that's the that's the missing piece
• 35:42
  Speaker 2: for Switzerland. But they have I mean, they had Canada
• 35:46
  Speaker 2: one oh going into the third period, they had US
• 35:49
  Speaker 2: two oh going into the third period. Today. Their goaltending
• 35:53
  Speaker 2: continues to play outstanding. I mean, Andrea Brandley was reportedly
• 35:56
  Speaker 2: the one player at Switzerland that had neumal virus, so
• 35:59
  Speaker 2: the fact that she played today and and played lights
• 36:01
  Speaker 2: out again. But I feel like there's a lot to
• 36:04
  Speaker 2: learn if you're someone that's going to face US or Canada,
• 36:07
  Speaker 2: from the way that they the gap management, the way
• 36:10
  Speaker 2: that they kept them to the outsides, some of the
• 36:14
  Speaker 2: sort of angling. And it wasn't a coincidence that the
• 36:18
  Speaker 2: US's goals early came when they finally got to the net,
• 36:24
  Speaker 2: because they weren't. They weren't getting to the net front
• 36:25
  Speaker 2: for a lot of it. And I think some of
• 36:28
  Speaker 2: that was frustrating for both them and in Canada. And
• 36:31
  Speaker 2: I think importantly too, is Switzerland did have way more
• 36:34
  Speaker 2: shots today. They had as much shot and as many
• 36:35
  Speaker 2: shots in the first period as they have the whole
• 36:37
  Speaker 2: game against Canada. But it's both like heartening and fun
• 36:42
  Speaker 2: to watch and you get excited for them, but also
• 36:44
  Speaker 2: I feel like we have seen this song and dance
• 36:46
  Speaker 2: from them before, and I know that there's frustration on
• 36:49
  Speaker 2: their end in terms of like Larstelder and I'll need
• 36:53
  Speaker 2: to mean Neweller can't do it all and they have
• 36:55
  Speaker 2: yet to raise the level of development that the other
• 36:59
  Speaker 2: forwards are playing at that level. Though, I think Avon
• 37:01
  Speaker 2: a Way has really made a name for herself internationally
• 37:05
  Speaker 2: at this tournament. She's someone that stood out to me
• 37:08
  Speaker 2: eighteens in twenty twenty four and she's twenty now and
• 37:12
  Speaker 2: committed to Northeastern for next year, so she is someone
• 37:15
  Speaker 2: I think will be really fun and interesting to watch
• 37:17
  Speaker 2: the development of between now and the nest Olympics for them,
• 37:21
  Speaker 2: but just kind of highlights what you know, like why
• 37:25
  Speaker 2: Lara Selder left and went back to try and row
• 37:29
  Speaker 2: things that get home in Switzerland, Like the development just
• 37:32
  Speaker 2: isn't We're not getting more top to your talent. And
• 37:35
  Speaker 2: that's not to see that there's not good players on
• 37:37
  Speaker 2: the team, but there there's a difference between the good
• 37:41
  Speaker 2: players and the Lara Selder's Lena Muellers of the universe.
• 37:44
  Speaker 2: So I think shout out to them because I think
• 37:46
  Speaker 2: they've they've handled themselves really well, but and I think
• 37:50
  Speaker 2: they've impressed a lot of people. I thought Saskia got
• 37:52
  Speaker 2: lots of attention from people watching that Canada game. But
• 37:57
  Speaker 2: I don't think that there is an opportunity for them
• 38:00
  Speaker 2: to take that next step at this point, and that's
• 38:02
  Speaker 2: hard and frustrating.
• 38:03
  Speaker 1: I think a right good stuff there on the Olympics.
• 38:07
  Speaker 1: We're going to talk about NCAA hockey again when we
• 38:09
  Speaker 1: come back from our last break. Last week we had
• 38:12
  Speaker 1: number one against number two. This week we've got number
• 38:14
  Speaker 1: two against number three, so another intriguing matchup happening there
• 38:18
  Speaker 1: in the WHA. Plus all of those exciting permutations for
• 38:22
  Speaker 1: ECAC hockey's finish. We're going to talk about that and
• 38:25
  Speaker 1: more when we come back. Stay with us on the podcast.
• 38:36
  Speaker 1: Welcome back to the podcast. Todd Nicole here to wrap
• 38:38
  Speaker 1: things up for this week with a look at first
• 38:41
  Speaker 1: everything that can happen in ECAC hockey. Well, I don't
• 38:44
  Speaker 1: know if we can go through everything that can happen
• 38:46
  Speaker 1: in the ACAC. But we know there are six games
• 38:51
  Speaker 1: happening Friday, six games happening Saturday, and then that's the
• 38:54
  Speaker 1: end of the regular season. We'll know what the playoffs
• 38:56
  Speaker 1: are going to look like. These teams host series this
• 39:01
  Speaker 1: week Princeton, Quinnipiac, Clarkson Union, RPI, and Saint Lawrence. Obviously
• 39:05
  Speaker 1: we're gonna be looking at Princeton being the team that
• 39:08
  Speaker 1: is currently in first place as having a chance to
• 39:12
  Speaker 1: wrap that up hosting Yale on Friday and Brown on Saturday.
• 39:18
  Speaker 1: So not exactly a what you would call an easy finish,
• 39:23
  Speaker 1: if there is such a thing in the ac AC
• 39:26
  Speaker 1: at all. And then Quinnipiac, I'm looking at this again
• 39:33
  Speaker 1: here then gets is a Brown. Wait, I wish I
• 39:38
  Speaker 1: would have had this a little bit differently. Yeah, and then.
• 39:45
  Speaker 2: For travel partners situations.
• 39:50
  Speaker 1: So those two series right there could be, uh, have
• 39:54
  Speaker 1: a lot going on in them. So if you're gonna
• 39:56
  Speaker 1: pay attention to just a couple of games, the would
• 40:00
  Speaker 1: probably be ones to keep an eye on.
• 40:02
  Speaker 2: Quite love that the scheduling. That scheduling put us in
• 40:06
  Speaker 2: that situation. Appreciate it that the top four teams are
• 40:10
  Speaker 2: all playing each other yeah, Princeton sort of in the
• 40:14
  Speaker 2: driver's seat right, like they have the two point lead
• 40:15
  Speaker 2: in their at home, but it's it's it's certainly not
• 40:19
  Speaker 2: going to be easy. And I think for you know,
• 40:23
  Speaker 2: teams like Brown and they're they're looking to you know,
• 40:28
  Speaker 2: play spoiler and put themselves in a bigger, better position. So,
• 40:32
  Speaker 2: uh yeah, I don't know. I don't know what to
• 40:34
  Speaker 2: think though, I don't have any great prependosticating sources here,
• 40:39
  Speaker 2: but I yeah, I think, you know, I Princeton probably
• 40:41
  Speaker 2: has the slide advantage just getting to be at home
• 40:45
  Speaker 2: and having that lead.
• 40:50
  Speaker 1: There's also uh Clarkson hosting Colgate and then hosting Cornell,
• 40:55
  Speaker 1: so so many things can be moving around in that
• 41:00
  Speaker 1: picture there. Cornell is Coldel and Clarkson right in there
• 41:06
  Speaker 1: with Brown for the for the first round. By so
• 41:12
  Speaker 1: a lot going on around ECAC this weekend. Make sure
• 41:17
  Speaker 1: you're checking in with our scoreboards on us EHO dot
• 41:20
  Speaker 1: com for the live results happening there and following the standings.
• 41:24
  Speaker 1: All that will be updated and of course the NPI
• 41:26
  Speaker 1: will be updated as it goes along. A lot of
• 41:29
  Speaker 1: things left to be decided there, a lot to be
• 41:33
  Speaker 1: decided in the WHA still too Wisconsin only with a
• 41:36
  Speaker 1: two point lead over Ohio State five points up on
• 41:39
  Speaker 1: Minnesota number two Ohio State number three Minnesota this week
• 41:43
  Speaker 1: Friday and Saturday in Columbus. This is a series that
• 41:49
  Speaker 1: got heated the time first time they met this season,
• 41:55
  Speaker 1: and that still shows in their penalty totals for or
• 42:00
  Speaker 1: averages for the season, both being in the top of
• 42:05
  Speaker 1: the country there. So I'm thinking back on that a
• 42:10
  Speaker 1: little bit over the weekend when someone was asking about
• 42:12
  Speaker 1: penalty minutes, I was like, Yeah, these these are the numbers,
• 42:15
  Speaker 1: but they're they're thrown off by having pretty much everyone
• 42:18
  Speaker 1: in the ice tossed at the end of one of
• 42:21
  Speaker 1: those games in Minneapolis or the this season. I don't
• 42:25
  Speaker 1: know how much that means anything as they're getting now
• 42:27
  Speaker 1: down to the penultimate week of the regular season in
• 42:30
  Speaker 1: the w c h A, but it does kind of
• 42:33
  Speaker 1: illustrate that there's there's not gonna be any ground given
• 42:39
  Speaker 1: by either one of these teams, even in a game
• 42:41
  Speaker 1: that might start to get out of hand. Numbers wise,
• 42:45
  Speaker 1: you know, goals wise, there's there's a lot to be proven.
• 42:50
  Speaker 1: And I think that's that's what we're gonna see in
• 42:53
  Speaker 1: in yeah, I would.
• 42:54
  Speaker 2: See to throw maybe a little wrench in this as well,
• 42:57
  Speaker 2: is that Minnesota is now on the verse of being
• 43:01
  Speaker 2: passed in the NPI by Penn State. It's less than
• 43:04
  Speaker 2: half a point separating them. So you know, Ohio State's
• 43:08
  Speaker 2: played for UH points to win the w c h A,
• 43:12
  Speaker 2: but Minnesota, I mean that it's just a different situation
• 43:15
  Speaker 2: to be in the four five, you know, game versus
• 43:18
  Speaker 2: the being the three seeds. So and in Penn State
• 43:22
  Speaker 2: is just in the position that they're like, they're not
• 43:24
  Speaker 2: they're not moving or losing much having already clinched their
• 43:29
  Speaker 2: their conference. So yeah, and they're not gonna lose point
• 43:33
  Speaker 2: you know, like the NBI is built that they can't
• 43:35
  Speaker 2: lose points for playing teams out of the rankings and
• 43:38
  Speaker 2: things like that. So I think there is maybe even
• 43:42
  Speaker 2: more on the line. There's gonna be. You know, there's
• 43:44
  Speaker 2: there's no love lost between those two teams, probably more
• 43:47
  Speaker 2: so even I think there's probably more I think like
• 43:50
  Speaker 2: grudging or respect between Wisconsin and Ohio State, and I
• 43:54
  Speaker 2: feel like there's a little more bad blood between Minnesota
• 43:56
  Speaker 2: and Ohio State. But yeah, there's so there's a lot
• 43:59
  Speaker 2: of pride on the line, especially after the way that
• 44:01
  Speaker 2: that last series ended. But Minnesota really is in a
• 44:04
  Speaker 2: more precarious position looking towards their own postseason and that
• 44:09
  Speaker 2: adds I think an extra wrinkle to it as well.
• 44:14
  Speaker 1: Yes, it certainly does. So that's going to be something
• 44:17
  Speaker 1: to really pay attention to this week. And can Ohio
• 44:21
  Speaker 1: State do to Minnesota what they did do Wisconsin and
• 44:25
  Speaker 1: coming out and establishing the tone and playing their style
• 44:29
  Speaker 1: right away in their own this time in their own
• 44:31
  Speaker 1: building and not letting Minnesota get get established. That's going
• 44:36
  Speaker 1: to be another thing to watch for this week. A
• 44:41
  Speaker 1: lot to watch for this week as we're looking around
• 44:43
  Speaker 1: the country. But I want to make sure we get
• 44:46
  Speaker 1: you had mentioned the new ha finish of the season earlier,
• 44:52
  Speaker 1: Just making sure I get this right. It is Saint
• 44:57
  Speaker 1: Anselm and Assumption this week playing a home home series.
• 45:00
  Speaker 1: So Saint Anselme uh getting wait? I had the Stanley
• 45:06
  Speaker 1: sere Now I don't where did they go? Let me
• 45:09
  Speaker 1: find it again? Find out which page. Sant Anselm up
• 45:14
  Speaker 1: by a point over Franklin Pierce and then sant Anselm
• 45:17
  Speaker 1: is up by four points of Assumption, So big changes
• 45:21
  Speaker 1: could happen this weekend. Uh, and we are here for
• 45:25
  Speaker 1: all of the chaos happening over the last two weeks
• 45:28
  Speaker 1: of their regular season, because that is sant ansel.
• 45:31
  Speaker 2: Frank and Franklin Pearce has you know one in twenty
• 45:33
  Speaker 2: seven Saint Michael's this weekend, so they're they're in a
• 45:39
  Speaker 2: position to earn their complete points in what I would
• 45:43
  Speaker 2: think is an easier manners in Saint anselm An assumption
• 45:46
  Speaker 2: playing each other.
• 45:48
  Speaker 1: Yes, I but I I am. I am not piking
• 45:52
  Speaker 1: anything for granted anymore in I've been down that road times.
• 45:57
  Speaker 2: So there's that, I will say, assumption and pretty sure
• 46:00
  Speaker 2: assumptions games are free to watch, and I'll have those
• 46:02
  Speaker 2: links over at Victory Press. But the game ad assumption
• 46:05
  Speaker 2: for sure will be for free. So that's something to
• 46:08
  Speaker 2: look out for if you want to pay attention there.
• 46:11
  Speaker 2: But yeah, I love that the three teams a then
• 46:14
  Speaker 2: it's all so close and like arguably if they all
• 46:17
  Speaker 2: beat up on each other like Stonehill is looking, look
• 46:19
  Speaker 2: was pretty good to move up as well, not take
• 46:22
  Speaker 2: the lead, but they could put themselves up in second
• 46:25
  Speaker 2: place too, So yeah, it's I mean, I just think
• 46:29
  Speaker 2: it's fun. No offense to Penn State. But it's boring
• 46:32
  Speaker 2: that they've had the wrapped up for so the age.
• 46:35
  Speaker 2: It's like me in and then they draw out their
• 46:38
  Speaker 2: their tournament for so long. So it's fun that all
• 46:42
  Speaker 2: of this is coming down to the last weekend week
• 46:45
  Speaker 2: or two, depending on what's going on with per conference.
• 46:49
  Speaker 2: I just it's it's compelling and it makes for a
• 46:54
  Speaker 2: fun close to the season.
• 46:55
  Speaker 1: The regular season, yep, that I think hockey finish is
• 47:02
  Speaker 1: this week as well. Delaware is already done with conference games.
• 47:06
  Speaker 1: They are locked into the seventh seed in the playoffs.
• 47:12
  Speaker 1: Penn State is locked in the number one seed, Mercy
• 47:14
  Speaker 1: Here is going to be number two. Then it gets
• 47:17
  Speaker 1: a little, uh, a little trickier with those last four
• 47:20
  Speaker 1: teams in the middle there r T Syracuse Lindenwood Robert Morris.
• 47:25
  Speaker 1: Rit has to go to Penn State this week. Syracuse
• 47:29
  Speaker 1: is at Mercyhurst, Lynnwood at Robert Morris. So Syracuse has
• 47:34
  Speaker 1: a chance is at one point behind r T two. Uh,
• 47:38
  Speaker 1: if they can get something out of a series at
• 47:41
  Speaker 1: Mercy Hurst, even if you know, a couple overtime results,
• 47:48
  Speaker 1: they have a chance to leap frog Rit fourth third
• 47:52
  Speaker 1: place in the conference. And you know, every every seed matters.
• 47:58
  Speaker 1: I think in in that conference when we're dealing with
• 48:02
  Speaker 1: a I believe the first round the opening round is
• 48:06
  Speaker 1: and correct me if I'm wrong here, but it's the
• 48:09
  Speaker 1: uh seventh seed against the sixth seed winner to play
• 48:12
  Speaker 1: the third seed. He's later, right, and that happening at
• 48:18
  Speaker 1: the third seed. So there's some some interesting things happening
• 48:21
  Speaker 1: in Atlantic hockey this season.
• 48:23
  Speaker 2: Yes, seventeen. Well, we like a very unusual bracket over
• 48:26
  Speaker 2: here in hockey. Uh yeah, I think it's cool. I
• 48:30
  Speaker 2: think it's cool though that, Like, I mean, linden Wood
• 48:33
  Speaker 2: has sort of been a perpetual bottom of the conference team.
• 48:35
  Speaker 2: So you know, linden would point is the only one
• 48:38
  Speaker 2: of those teams in the middle there that's playing someone
• 48:40
  Speaker 2: rated below them. So like, if they can take care
• 48:42
  Speaker 2: of business this weekend, they put themselves in a really
• 48:45
  Speaker 2: great position. And so I think it's just good to see,
• 48:50
  Speaker 2: even in this conference that's sort of been decided in
• 48:52
  Speaker 2: the Penn State has sort of ruled over pretty well
• 48:56
  Speaker 2: over the last couple of years, we're seeing growth in
• 48:58
  Speaker 2: some of these programs and seeing them take ups forward,
• 49:01
  Speaker 2: and I think that's just really important for them to
• 49:03
  Speaker 2: can you continue to recruit and grow and get better.
• 49:06
  Speaker 1: You have to.
• 49:07
  Speaker 2: You have to be producing results to get people to
• 49:09
  Speaker 2: want to come there, you know. So I think it's
• 49:12
  Speaker 2: it's a good step forward, and you're we're looking at
• 49:14
  Speaker 2: these teams that are all kind of around five hundred
• 49:17
  Speaker 2: in conference play, which is doing pretty well.
• 49:23
  Speaker 1: Right a game on Sunday, I wanted to mention Boston
• 49:26
  Speaker 1: College at number five Northeastern again at in in quotation
• 49:32
  Speaker 1: marks there because that game is happening at Bentley Arena
• 49:35
  Speaker 1: on Sunday, Northeastern seven to oho to one in its
• 49:40
  Speaker 1: last eight games, plays at Boston University on Friday. I
• 49:46
  Speaker 1: think Northeastern, the more it can you know, continue that
• 49:51
  Speaker 1: run going into the playoffs, the better it's chances are
• 49:54
  Speaker 1: looking you know, in in you know, solidifying that number
• 49:59
  Speaker 1: five of in the NPI and no, it seems like
• 50:04
  Speaker 1: a long shot, but maybe there's a chance that there's
• 50:07
  Speaker 1: a stumble by someone ahead in the top four and
• 50:11
  Speaker 1: a chance to move into that spot. But for sure,
• 50:15
  Speaker 1: to avoid that first round game. Saying in the number
• 50:18
  Speaker 1: five spot in the Empire is big for Northeastern and
• 50:21
  Speaker 1: they can't really afford you know, very.
• 50:23
  Speaker 2: Many but they haven't had much and again that's the
• 50:27
  Speaker 2: team we weren't talking about at the beginning of the year.
• 50:30
  Speaker 2: Is someone a to win their confidence or B to
• 50:33
  Speaker 2: earn like a top top seed in the in the
• 50:37
  Speaker 2: end seed.
• 50:40
  Speaker 1: Ye went away from a frozen four.
• 50:42
  Speaker 2: So I think, right, yeah, I think everything they've been
• 50:45
  Speaker 2: doing has just been They've done such a great job
• 50:48
  Speaker 2: of sort of taking that momentum and rolling and building
• 50:52
  Speaker 2: on what they've already had, and when they have stumbled,
• 50:55
  Speaker 2: they've they've responded well, and they've continued to do really
• 50:58
  Speaker 2: great in conference, which is important. And I think, yeah,
• 51:03
  Speaker 2: I just that's a team that I see, I think
• 51:05
  Speaker 2: should be scary for for other for everyone else, just
• 51:07
  Speaker 2: because of what they've built from the beginning. And while
• 51:12
  Speaker 2: we've seen, like we talked about the chaos of the
• 51:14
  Speaker 2: ECAC teams, you know, sort of shuffling and moving and
• 51:17
  Speaker 2: losing points, like there's season has been pretty steadily chugging
• 51:21
  Speaker 2: along and just doing what they need to do and
• 51:22
  Speaker 2: taking care of business, and that is that puts them
• 51:26
  Speaker 2: in a pretty good position to face whatever adversity comes
• 51:31
  Speaker 2: comes next, right, And I just like they're a team
• 51:33
  Speaker 2: that because of what they've built, game after game after
• 51:36
  Speaker 2: game like would make me choose them in most sort
• 51:40
  Speaker 2: of toss ups, right, because I think they've they've pulled
• 51:43
  Speaker 2: out the wins. They're very good at coming from behind
• 51:46
  Speaker 2: her scoring those late goals that put them in a
• 51:48
  Speaker 2: good position. They're very good in overtime, and they have
• 51:51
  Speaker 2: a very good goaltender. So they are primed to do
• 51:56
  Speaker 2: do some teams dirty as we head into the postseason.
• 51:58
  Speaker 2: And yeah, I think the fact that they haven't really stumbled,
• 52:03
  Speaker 2: that they haven't really viewed from this course, and that
• 52:05
  Speaker 2: like even when nobody else was talking about them, they
• 52:08
  Speaker 2: believed in what they were doing and have just gone
• 52:09
  Speaker 2: out and sort of quietly proved it all season long
• 52:12
  Speaker 2: says a lot about them. And then I think makes
• 52:14
  Speaker 2: them one of the scarier teams heading towards towards March.
• 52:21
  Speaker 1: And I'll continue to say it for the last two months,
• 52:24
  Speaker 1: not having a home ice, you know, even even for
• 52:28
  Speaker 1: not for games, but for where you're going for practice,
• 52:31
  Speaker 1: not being on campus, not doing the you know, the
• 52:34
  Speaker 1: short walk or the short drive to your locker room.
• 52:39
  Speaker 1: Having that to change that has been a lot and
• 52:42
  Speaker 1: I'm sure it will be over the next full season.
• 52:46
  Speaker 2: Some of the good spot when we come to postseason
• 52:48
  Speaker 2: pretty well, travel places and play in weird spots and
• 52:51
  Speaker 2: be you know, three buildings away the ice. It's interesting.
• 52:57
  Speaker 2: The Bedley part is interesting is I think this is
• 52:58
  Speaker 2: their first games they've played at other people's ice, but
• 53:01
  Speaker 2: it's been ice that they're used to. But Bentley doesn't
• 53:04
  Speaker 2: have a women's team, right, Look, they don't have a
• 53:07
  Speaker 2: they're so I'm curious how familiar least they don't have
• 53:11
  Speaker 2: a d one.
• 53:12
  Speaker 1: I know that I know the Northeastern men have played
• 53:15
  Speaker 1: at Bentley Arena, so that this is something they've used
• 53:19
  Speaker 1: as a school before, but I don't know, yeah that
• 53:21
  Speaker 1: the women's team.
• 53:21
  Speaker 2: I mean, I know I've been there before team obviously.
• 53:23
  Speaker 2: I just uh, yeah, that's just an interesting, uh sort
• 53:27
  Speaker 2: of wrinkle to this too in terms of like play
• 53:31
  Speaker 2: Wally b there, that's that's not new to them, but
• 53:34
  Speaker 2: this this is a whole new situation. So yeah, that
• 53:38
  Speaker 2: puts an extra sort of asterisk on what they've been
• 53:40
  Speaker 2: able to accomplish this year.
• 53:42
  Speaker 1: I think, yeah, absolutely, Okay, that's been a lot to
• 53:48
  Speaker 1: cover here this week. As we get in the middle
• 53:51
  Speaker 1: part of February and then continuing on after that, it'll
• 53:54
  Speaker 1: be I feel like a lot more, but with the
• 53:56
  Speaker 1: Olympics going on too, it's just, uh, there is a
• 53:59
  Speaker 1: lot of really interesting stuff happening, and we we appreciate
• 54:03
  Speaker 1: everyone coming along for the ride with us, and we
• 54:06
  Speaker 1: will make sure to try and keep our ears to
• 54:09
  Speaker 1: the ground for all of the important information that's happening
• 54:12
  Speaker 1: around in ce double A women's hockey. So, unless Nicole,
• 54:16
  Speaker 1: you have.
• 54:16
  Speaker 2: Anything else, it's going to be really busy until we finished,
• 54:23
  Speaker 2: and then it will be busy in postseason, but not
• 54:26
  Speaker 2: quite as overwhelming as what we're doing right now. Very exciting,
• 54:30
  Speaker 2: lots of fun.
• 54:30
  Speaker 1: But yes, So check everything out on us e h
• 54:36
  Speaker 1: O dot com and Victory Press with Nicole's great stuff there,
• 54:41
  Speaker 1: and make sure to join us again here next week
• 54:44
  Speaker 1: for another edition of the podcast. I'm Todd, that's Nicole,
• 54:49
  Speaker 1: Thanks for joking.