camskidamski wrote: ↑Sun May 09, 2021 10:08 am
Denison has a good thing going right now which is cool to see as they’re drawing in some quality talent as well. I could see them making a strong push in the tournament.
Just like DeepPocket, I too am a “unapologetic fan” of one team - mine is Denison. So there is nothing I’d love more than to see that “strong push” you mention, come true! But I’m also a realist and I think this particular group is truly building a foundation to be more formidable next year and beyond.
You’re absolutely right, Denison does have a good thing going on and have for several years. They have for the last 5-6 years been a top 10 team in the D3 landscape - making 5 straight NCAA Tournaments reaching 2 Quarterfinals and 1 Final Four in that span. They took the eventual National Champion, Salisbury to the limit twice, losing two 1 goal heartbreakers during that span. This on field success and exposure has led to some really talented recruiting classes that are now wearing the Big Red uniform themselves - and we’re seeing that recruiting success pay dividends this year. A quick look at their stat sheets and you’ll see that there are numerous first and second year’s not only logging significant minutes but being mainstays in the lineup. Unlike the Salisbury’s , Tufts and Lynchburg’s of this year, Denison has no 5th years at all. They have a very solid group of Seniors but these guys - aside from the Goaltender - have had to wait their turn their first couple years as the above mentioned success was done mostly by the upper class men of those years. Unlike this year, rarely did a 1st year crack the starting lineup in those years.
So again, I’m going to be rooting hard for the 2021 version and I hope they do make a strong push but I know the deeper they go they will be facing teams much more experienced and battle tested so each successive win will be as an underdog. I’m also very excited to see this team next year and beyond because if they keep developing at this rate, Denison will remain squarely on the D3 national radar for years to come.