Yale 2024

[Can Opener]

All I can get are other archived games. Is anyone getting tonight’s game?

Didn’t work. Seemed super sketchy.

[FannOLax]

All I can get are other archived games. Is anyone getting tonight’s game?

Didn’t work. Seemed super sketchy.

Exactly what Can Opener wrote

[Ice1570]

All I can get are other archived games. Is anyone getting tonight’s game?

Didn’t work. Seemed super sketchy.

Exactly what Can Opener wrote

Great first half anyway. Up 13-6 and Brandau (4-6) has both the single game assist and single game point record in his sights.

[10stone5]

Anderson is filling in nicely.

[FannOLax]

Lots to like; glad a lot of first-years ot to play, with frosh Annunziata getting to take a a fair number of face-offs. Brandau huge. How good could this team be if it gets Lyons and Leo back to full health? Gotta stay focused, keep working, keep improving (as good Shay teams do over the course of the season). A week and a half off until Penn State away on March 2. That game will likely be much tougher than this evening's, will probably be a true test. Don't get over-confident, keep working.

[Matnum PI]

How does Bragg have another season? Did 2020 not count?

2023: Honorable mention All-Ivy selection... Fourth on the team in goals (19) and points (26)... Second on the team with three man-up goals... Scored three goals against Princeton and Boston University.
2022: Fourth on the team with 25 goals... Led team with 14 man up goals.
2021: No season due to COVID-19.
2020: Played in all four games... Tallied a point in all four games... Recorded a career-high four goals and career-high six points in a win at Villanova (2/15).
2019: Reserve on attack… Scored in win over Quinnipiac

[FannOLax]

How does Bragg have another season? Did 2020 not count?

...

2020 didn't count.

[The Orfling]

Lots to like; glad a lot of first-years ot to play, with frosh Annunziata getting to take a a fair number of face-offs. Brandau huge. How good could this team be if it gets Lyons and Leo back to full health? Gotta stay focused, keep working, keep improving (as good Shay teams do over the course of the season). A week and a half off until Penn State away on March 2. That game will likely be much tougher than this evening's, will probably be a true test. Don't get over-confident, keep working.

I'll admit to being spoiled -- so used to being able to watch the games on streaming! -- but I'm really sorry we couldn't see this one as it looked like a fun one to watch. Based on the stat sheet, Yale was down 1-4 to Colgate six minutes into the game before going on a 9-0 run (with Brandau accounting for 7 of his 13 total points during that run with 4 goals and three assists) and never looking back. And speaking of Brandau, he scored six goals on six shots -- talk about locked in! Other notable elements of the game:

• The attackmen filling in for Johnson and Lyons did well, with 8 points total -- 4 goals for Anderson and 3 goals, 1 assist for Kuhl;

• Another good day at the X -- 64% -- with Ramsey, Rodriguez, and Annunziata all getting reps;

• Captain Patrick Hackler at the center of the action with 2 assists, 2 caused turnovers, and 4 ground balls;

• Pisano and Stuzin picking up where they left off last game with each having three caused turnovers -- and Pisano had 10 ground balls -- you don't see double digit ground balls from anyone other than FOGOs very often;

• Speaking of turnovers, there were lots of them -- both teams listed with 27 turnovers apiece;

• Yale clearing okay but could be better at 83%;

• Paquette with a good day in the net -- 61%.

Great job, Bulldogs! Keep it rolling!

[FannOLax]

...

• Captain Patrick Hackler at the center of the action with 2 assists, 2 caused turnovers, and 4 ground balls;

• Pisano and Stuzin picking up where they left off last game with each having three caused turnovers -- and Pisano had 10 ground balls -- you don't see double digit ground balls from anyone other than FOGOs very often;

...

I know that this weekend isn't over, that Notre Dame plays today (Go Georgetown), but I'm already looking ahead to next weekend's Yale game against Penn State in central PA. While it's fun to remember Yale's two 2019 wins over PSU, post-pandemic the Nittany Lions have beat the Elis twice. Plus, the Nittany Lions just mauled Navy 13-3. With Pisano starting at long pole and looking like a difference maker, and a rope unit that looks deep and athletic, maybe Yale's defense comes good again this year (knock on wood, throw salt over you shoulder onto the road, etc.). And after Penn State, the Bulldogs play currently undefeated Denver in Denver, currently undefeated Harvard, and then Cornell in Ithaca. Should be fun! Go Yale!

[Lax3]

Amy word on whether Lyons or Johnson are playing?

[XLdad]

No. Johnson and Lyons are not playing and are likely out indefinitely

[FannOLax]

Frosh Peter Moynihan gets his first Yale goal, giving the Elis a 9-2 HT lead.

The defense, the rope unit, could be keys to this edition of Yale being better than last year's. Of course, this game is not over yet (we saw Harvard come back from a 7-goal deficit to win last weekend).

[The Orfling]

I was only able to watch the first half. It looked like Penn State implemented a zone which has givien Yale trouble in the past and then just chipped away? Saw some impressive Fracyon saves too.Any analysis on what happened? Tough result.

[Typical Lax Dad]

I was only able to watch the first half. It looked like Penn State implemented a zone which has givien Yale trouble in the past and then just chipped away? Saw some impressive Fracyon saves too.Any analysis on what happened? Tough result.

PSU’s zone reeled Princeton in during the NCAA tournament. I have not watched the Yale game yet.

[jrn19]

PSU started running the offense through the middies and attacking Yale's shorties on inverts a lot more. Freed up Malone. Yale defense really struggled to defend them once that happened. Defensive midfield looked like a weakness in that regard for Yale and overall they just couldn't get any stops in the 2H.

Yale offense still played well in the 3Q, they answered the first PSU run to build the lead back up to 4 entering the 4th. Penn State did go zone some in the 4th, but also just lots of poor turnovers by Yale and self-inflicted errors.

Overall, PSU made the adjustments in the game and once they really got close and put the pressure on them, Yale didn't have a final punch.

[The Orfling]

PSU started running the offense through the middies and attacking Yale's shorties on inverts a lot more. Freed up Malone. Yale defense really struggled to defend them once that happened. Defensive midfield looked like a weakness in that regard for Yale and overall they just couldn't get any stops in the 2H.

Yale offense still played well in the 3Q, they answered the first PSU run to build the lead back up to 4 entering the 4th. Penn State did go zone some in the 4th, but also just lots of poor turnovers by Yale and self-inflicted errors.

Overall, PSU made the adjustments in the game and once they really got close and put the pressure on them, Yale didn't have a final punch.

Thanks for the analysis, jrn19; it’s appreciated. Obviously the flip side of a disappointing loss like this is a well played game by an opponent who made good adjustments. Congratulations to PSU on the comeback.

[faircornell]

I didn't watch the game. PSU certainly minimised Brandau's production. I wonder if this was the zone defense, or if they played him very tight with some type if face-guard or quick slide strategy.

[Ice1570]

I didn't watch the game. PSU certainly minimised Brandau's production. I wonder if this was the zone defense, or if they played him very tight with some type if face-guard or quick slide strategy.

Penn St played very little zone. They did not shut him off or do anything exotic. Just a bad day for Brandau. Had a breakaway one on one with Fracyon early and got stuffed and had a good look to win it in OT and missed the cage.

Hopefully he bounces back vs Denver. Going to need him to play well in order to win that one.

[FannOLax]

I didn't watch the game. PSU certainly minimised Brandau's production. I wonder if this was the zone defense, or if they played him very tight with some type if face-guard or quick slide strategy.

Penn St played very little zone. They did not shut him off or do anything exotic. Just a bad day for Brandau. Had a breakaway one on one with Fracyon early and got stuffed and had a good look to win it in OT and missed the cage.

Hopefully he bounces back vs Denver. Going to need him to play well in order to win that one.

Yes, even after relinquishing its big lead, Yale looked set to win it in OT. Gut-wrenching loss, but now on to Denver, important OOC game.

[Lax3]

Frustrating to not be able to watch the game live - pretty spoiled these days in that regard. Once again, as with the past two years, the concern should not IMHO be about the offense - the focus again is on the defense. Offense scored 14 goals on the road in the third game of the season even with its best player being quasi-shutdown and two other starting attackmen on the sidelines. Kudos to the offense for stepping up under difficult circumstances. The offense even outshot PSU 5-1 in overtime, to no avail of cours. But ... come on ... giving up 13 goals in the second half and overtime is brutal. PSU is an experienced team and Malone, like Brandau, is in year six, but no one stepped up defensively in the second half. From what I read, PSU inverted the middies throughout the second half, exposing a problem with Yale's defensive midfield that has roasted them for the past three years. Optimism over the defense was growing ... not so sure now. Denver has an excellent offense this year so we will see whether there is any progress or whether the PSU is a precursor of games to come.