Congrats to Coach Merc on taking the U to Centennial title in his first season at the helm. This is a tremendous accomplishment - made especially significant because it meant winning back-to-back road games including at Gettysburg which has been historically a house of horrors for the U and other Centennial challengers.
Now starts a new season for the the last three standing. This is where coaches really earn their stripes. Exams, graduation, the entire student body going home for the summer - all of this creates a surreal environment in which to win games and keep the season going. On paper all three should win their first round game, but on the field I think somebody will be upset. Question is who?
Centennial Conference 2019
Re: Centennial Conference 2019
I believe DeSimone is out for good. I heard the knee was more than just a strain & I think surgery will be involved.CTlaxer12 wrote: ↑Mon May 06, 2019 10:39 am I was equal parts surprised and thrilled that the CC has three teams representing the conference in the tourney. I think Ursinus winning the CC helped F&M tremendously. Three favorable second round match-ups for the CC, all home games all very winnable.
- Ursinus v. Springfield: Springfield a historically strong program that struggled this year. They struggled a fair amount against good teams this year and coupled with the trip to PA, I think Ursinus wins this one by a few. I like the Ursinus "grit" and think they have one of the best keepers in the country.What is the status of DeSimone, I understand he was out and possibly for the season?
- Gburg v. SJF: Admittedly, I do not have a lot of knowledge about SJF, but from reading about them a bit, they should pose a challenge to the Bullets. SJF had a good year, and had a great victory at the end over Stevens. However, a trip to PA against a battle tested Bullet team that has been there and done that, should result in the CC moving on here.
- F&M v. Stevenson: This is not a vintage Stevenson team, and one that struggled away from the "friendly" confines of the MAC. F&M was on a roll until the "collapse" against Ursinus. F&M can score with anyone, but I sometimes worry about shot selection with them, which has come back to haunt them late in games. Can F&M play enough defense and get enough saves to thwart the Mustangs? Can they close out a team in the 4th qtr? This is the closest of the three games to me and may very well be a "pick-em." However, if we can see the F&M that showed up against Gburg, and for 3 1/2 qtrs against Dickinson, Ursinus, and W&L they can win convincingly.
Good luck to all three, and here's hoping all three advance!
~~Played in the days when the helmets weren't nearly as cool!
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Re: Centennial Conference 2019
If that’s true that’s terrible for that kid, he’s been one of the pillars of that program over the past 4 years and was having his best year in 2019, hope there’s no serious knee damage even if surgery is required.NYLaxer wrote: ↑Mon May 06, 2019 11:11 amI believe DeSimone is out for good. I heard the knee was more than just a strain & I think surgery will be involved.CTlaxer12 wrote: ↑Mon May 06, 2019 10:39 am I was equal parts surprised and thrilled that the CC has three teams representing the conference in the tourney. I think Ursinus winning the CC helped F&M tremendously. Three favorable second round match-ups for the CC, all home games all very winnable.
- Ursinus v. Springfield: Springfield a historically strong program that struggled this year. They struggled a fair amount against good teams this year and coupled with the trip to PA, I think Ursinus wins this one by a few. I like the Ursinus "grit" and think they have one of the best keepers in the country.What is the status of DeSimone, I understand he was out and possibly for the season?
- Gburg v. SJF: Admittedly, I do not have a lot of knowledge about SJF, but from reading about them a bit, they should pose a challenge to the Bullets. SJF had a good year, and had a great victory at the end over Stevens. However, a trip to PA against a battle tested Bullet team that has been there and done that, should result in the CC moving on here.
- F&M v. Stevenson: This is not a vintage Stevenson team, and one that struggled away from the "friendly" confines of the MAC. F&M was on a roll until the "collapse" against Ursinus. F&M can score with anyone, but I sometimes worry about shot selection with them, which has come back to haunt them late in games. Can F&M play enough defense and get enough saves to thwart the Mustangs? Can they close out a team in the 4th qtr? This is the closest of the three games to me and may very well be a "pick-em." However, if we can see the F&M that showed up against Gburg, and for 3 1/2 qtrs against Dickinson, Ursinus, and W&L they can win convincingly.
Good luck to all three, and here's hoping all three advance!
Either way UC looks like they have enough to make a run without him.
Re: Centennial Conference 2019
Well, that was a tough day for the conference.
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Re: Centennial Conference 2019
F&M chokes again!!!! Don’t know what you all see in this coach.
Re: Centennial Conference 2019
Ouch. Centennial takes it on the chin. Not a good look for a conference that fancies itself as one of the better ones in the country. I caught much of the F&M game, some portions of Gburg, and OT for Ursinus.
F&M looked like it had its bags packed for Boston when it took control in the 3rd quarter, and looked ready to run and hide. Unfortunately, the all too familiar 4th quarter woes came back to haunt the Dips. Lack of composure on both ends and seemingly no communication on D. They return a lot of talent next year. Both the players and coaching staff have a lot of soul searching to do if they want to step into a true national contender, too many similar recurring issues.
SJF was better than I thought and by the looks of it Gburg thought. Hard to fault the Bullets here, they played a very good game as did SJF. The SJF keeper was lights out, I think he had something like 20 saves.
Ursinus, didn't see much of the game. Looks like the blew a few goal lead themselves. Hard to fault a team missing one of its best players, though I did expect a W. Nonetheless, expect them back strong next year.
Would like to see the CC improve its out of conference record next year as well. Here's to next season.
F&M looked like it had its bags packed for Boston when it took control in the 3rd quarter, and looked ready to run and hide. Unfortunately, the all too familiar 4th quarter woes came back to haunt the Dips. Lack of composure on both ends and seemingly no communication on D. They return a lot of talent next year. Both the players and coaching staff have a lot of soul searching to do if they want to step into a true national contender, too many similar recurring issues.
SJF was better than I thought and by the looks of it Gburg thought. Hard to fault the Bullets here, they played a very good game as did SJF. The SJF keeper was lights out, I think he had something like 20 saves.
Ursinus, didn't see much of the game. Looks like the blew a few goal lead themselves. Hard to fault a team missing one of its best players, though I did expect a W. Nonetheless, expect them back strong next year.
Would like to see the CC improve its out of conference record next year as well. Here's to next season.
Re: Centennial Conference 2019
Can anyone tell me about the Ursinus game? Saw early on they were up 7-1 in 1st qtr. figured it was going t be a easy win.
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Re: Centennial Conference 2019
Why does the F&M coach keep getting a pass. It’s the same story year after year.
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Re: Centennial Conference 2019
U jumped on them early. I believe it was 7-0, then seemed to relax. Springfield chipped away and turned it into a dogfight by the 3rd quarter. U took a 14-11 lead midway in the 4th, but then stopped scoring (again). The last 10 seconds of regulation was unreal - Kirk made two great saves to preserve the tie. The second one a diving save on the rebound that I would love to see again. U raced down and got a great look at the horn, but missed the cage (that was a refrain - lots of great looks in transition, but shots were not on cage). U won the faceoff to start OT, but turned it over before getting settled on O. Springfield scored on first possession. U had better games (like both last weekend), but give Springfield credit for overcoming a huge deficit and playing with lots of heart. Hopefully they keep it up vs Cabrini.
Re: Centennial Conference 2019
Is there a personal grudge here? I think the F&M coach gets a lot of credit (as well he should) for resurrecting a historically strong program from the brink of irrelevance under the prior regime in the mid to late 2000s. I've been critical of F&M and think they need a long offseason of reevaluation and mental fortitude training, evidence by the repeated 4th quarter collapses this year. However, I also think the program is on the verge of true emergence onto the national scene, there is a tremendous amount of talent on the team and more in the pipeline. I am sure the coach takes these losses harder than anyone and will make the necessary adjustments.HappyGilmore wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2019 9:25 am Why does the F&M coach keep getting a pass. It’s the same story year after year.
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Re: Centennial Conference 2019
Springfield went 0-2 v. Liberty League by a combined score of 36-8. Went 0-2 v. NESCAC by a combined score of 37-15. Not sure this result says anything about Springfield's chances against CabriniCheeseandcrackers wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2019 9:45 am U jumped on them early. I believe it was 7-0, then seemed to relax. Springfield chipped away and turned it into a dogfight by the 3rd quarter. U took a 14-11 lead midway in the 4th, but then stopped scoring (again). The last 10 seconds of regulation was unreal - Kirk made two great saves to preserve the tie. The second one a diving save on the rebound that I would love to see again. U raced down and got a great look at the horn, but missed the cage (that was a refrain - lots of great looks in transition, but shots were not on cage). U won the faceoff to start OT, but turned it over before getting settled on O. Springfield scored on first possession. U had better games (like both last weekend), but give Springfield credit for overcoming a huge deficit and playing with lots of heart. Hopefully they keep it up vs Cabrini.
Re: Centennial Conference 2019
Lots of conferences would hope they were as strong as the Centennial, the NCAC for starters. Centennial may have had a off year overall but consistently have 3-4 teams in the top 20. Still in my opinion second best conference in terms of quality of play top to bottom.
Re: Centennial Conference 2019
Springfield has played a tough schedule this year. They have lots of experience in the NCAAs. Bugbee is a great coach. They are playing well at the right time. I don't know if it is enough to get them past Cabrini but it is a good start.Empirelaxer wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2019 10:20 amSpringfield went 0-2 v. Liberty League by a combined score of 36-8. Went 0-2 v. NESCAC by a combined score of 37-15. Not sure this result says anything about Springfield's chances against CabriniCheeseandcrackers wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2019 9:45 am U jumped on them early. I believe it was 7-0, then seemed to relax. Springfield chipped away and turned it into a dogfight by the 3rd quarter. U took a 14-11 lead midway in the 4th, but then stopped scoring (again). The last 10 seconds of regulation was unreal - Kirk made two great saves to preserve the tie. The second one a diving save on the rebound that I would love to see again. U raced down and got a great look at the horn, but missed the cage (that was a refrain - lots of great looks in transition, but shots were not on cage). U won the faceoff to start OT, but turned it over before getting settled on O. Springfield scored on first possession. U had better games (like both last weekend), but give Springfield credit for overcoming a huge deficit and playing with lots of heart. Hopefully they keep it up vs Cabrini.
Re: Centennial Conference 2019
A friend/staffer emailed it to me this morning. Those 2 saves made ESPN's Sport Center top plays of the day. Clips are around already.Cheeseandcrackers wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2019 9:45 am U jumped on them early. I believe it was 7-0, then seemed to relax. Springfield chipped away and turned it into a dogfight by the 3rd quarter. U took a 14-11 lead midway in the 4th, but then stopped scoring (again). The last 10 seconds of regulation was unreal - Kirk made two great saves to preserve the tie. The second one a diving save on the rebound that I would love to see again.
~~Played in the days when the helmets weren't nearly as cool!
Re: Centennial Conference 2019
Any link to this?NYLaxer wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2019 12:15 pmA friend/staffer emailed it to me this morning. Those 2 saves made ESPN's Sport Center top plays of the day. Clips are around already.Cheeseandcrackers wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2019 9:45 am U jumped on them early. I believe it was 7-0, then seemed to relax. Springfield chipped away and turned it into a dogfight by the 3rd quarter. U took a 14-11 lead midway in the 4th, but then stopped scoring (again). The last 10 seconds of regulation was unreal - Kirk made two great saves to preserve the tie. The second one a diving save on the rebound that I would love to see again.
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Re: Centennial Conference 2019
No grudge. Just seems that they have a lot of talent, but continue to have a critical breakdown at some point in big games.CTlaxer12 wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2019 9:53 amIs there a personal grudge here? I think the F&M coach gets a lot of credit (as well he should) for resurrecting a historically strong program from the brink of irrelevance under the prior regime in the mid to late 2000s. I've been critical of F&M and think they need a long offseason of reevaluation and mental fortitude training, evidence by the repeated 4th quarter collapses this year. However, I also think the program is on the verge of true emergence onto the national scene, there is a tremendous amount of talent on the team and more in the pipeline. I am sure the coach takes these losses harder than anyone and will make the necessary adjustments.HappyGilmore wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2019 9:25 am Why does the F&M coach keep getting a pass. It’s the same story year after year.
Re: Centennial Conference 2019
I will look for it or ask her again. She works for UC so I won't have trouble getting it.ah23 wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2019 3:07 pmAny link to this?NYLaxer wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2019 12:15 pmA friend/staffer emailed it to me this morning. Those 2 saves made ESPN's Sport Center top plays of the day. Clips are around already.Cheeseandcrackers wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2019 9:45 am U jumped on them early. I believe it was 7-0, then seemed to relax. Springfield chipped away and turned it into a dogfight by the 3rd quarter. U took a 14-11 lead midway in the 4th, but then stopped scoring (again). The last 10 seconds of regulation was unreal - Kirk made two great saves to preserve the tie. The second one a diving save on the rebound that I would love to see again.
~~Played in the days when the helmets weren't nearly as cool!
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Re: Centennial Conference 2019
this should be it. https://twitter.com/ucathletics/status/ ... 8052225026NYLaxer wrote: ↑Fri May 10, 2019 11:29 amI will look for it or ask her again. She works for UC so I won't have trouble getting it.ah23 wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2019 3:07 pmAny link to this?NYLaxer wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2019 12:15 pmA friend/staffer emailed it to me this morning. Those 2 saves made ESPN's Sport Center top plays of the day. Clips are around already.Cheeseandcrackers wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2019 9:45 am U jumped on them early. I believe it was 7-0, then seemed to relax. Springfield chipped away and turned it into a dogfight by the 3rd quarter. U took a 14-11 lead midway in the 4th, but then stopped scoring (again). The last 10 seconds of regulation was unreal - Kirk made two great saves to preserve the tie. The second one a diving save on the rebound that I would love to see again.