Johns Hopkins vs. Notre Dame

[molo]

I’ve considered ND among the top tier teams all year long. I’ve touted the ACC. I don’t see many discernible weakness on ND. Hopkins, on the other hand, has lost to some less than great teams early and some good ones recently. This looks like a battle between a powerhouse whose losses have come against their kryptonite versus an improving but flawed team who should be happy to have made B it this far. ND is justifiably favored and will be a formidable opponent as the Jays find their way back to championship weekend. Hopkins 13-11.

[wgdsr]

ND has internalized that they can not beat UVA. They simply can not. The matchup of these two teams is as bad as it gets peer to peer.

If UVA takes Georgetown out on Saturday as expected, I expect ND to be deflated on Sunday against JHU, knowing life won’t be easier for them the following Saturday.

Many teams will rise to a challenge. I think this team is susceptible to bad emotions; you saw that the last game against UVA.

NCAA tournament is a new season. I’m sure the Fighting Irish are focused on the Blue Jays.

If Notre Dame is as good as everyone says they are, they would relish another shot at Virginia.

DocBarrister

finster's going after your season record on crazy takes. let him go for it.

[DocBarrister]

ND has internalized that they can not beat UVA. They simply can not. The matchup of these two teams is as bad as it gets peer to peer.

If UVA takes Georgetown out on Saturday as expected, I expect ND to be deflated on Sunday against JHU, knowing life won’t be easier for them the following Saturday.

Many teams will rise to a challenge. I think this team is susceptible to bad emotions; you saw that the last game against UVA.

NCAA tournament is a new season. I’m sure the Fighting Irish are focused on the Blue Jays.

If Notre Dame is as good as everyone says they are, they would relish another shot at Virginia.

DocBarrister

finster's going after your season record on crazy takes. let him go for it.

Please, that record is untouchable … kinda like DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak.

DocBarrister

[Finster]

ND has internalized that they can not beat UVA. They simply can not. The matchup of these two teams is as bad as it gets peer to peer.

If UVA takes Georgetown out on Saturday as expected, I expect ND to be deflated on Sunday against JHU, knowing life won’t be easier for them the following Saturday.

Many teams will rise to a challenge. I think this team is susceptible to bad emotions; you saw that the last game against UVA.

NCAA tournament is a new season. I’m sure the Fighting Irish are focused on the Blue Jays.

If Notre Dame is as good as everyone says they are, they would relish another shot at Virginia.

DocBarrister

finster's going after your season record on crazy takes. let him go for it.

I said what I said. This team is susceptible to a crash. I’ve seen this movie too many times.

[10stone5]

ND has internalized that they can not beat UVA. They simply can not. The matchup of these two teams is as bad as it gets peer to peer.

If UVA takes Georgetown out on Saturday as expected, I expect ND to be deflated on Sunday against JHU, knowing life won’t be easier for them the following Saturday.

Many teams will rise to a challenge. I think this team is susceptible to bad emotions; you saw that the last game against UVA.

NCAA tournament is a new season. I’m sure the Fighting Irish are focused on the Blue Jays.

If Notre Dame is as good as everyone says they are, they would relish another shot at Virginia.

DocBarrister

finster's going after your season record on crazy takes. let him go for it.

Please, that record is untouchable … kinda like DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak.

DocBarrister

Pete Rose got to 44

[pcowlax]

ND has internalized that they can not beat UVA. They simply can not. The matchup of these two teams is as bad as it gets peer to peer.

If UVA takes Georgetown out on Saturday as expected, I expect ND to be deflated on Sunday against JHU, knowing life won’t be easier for them the following Saturday.

Many teams will rise to a challenge. I think this team is susceptible to bad emotions; you saw that the last game against UVA.

NCAA tournament is a new season. I’m sure the Fighting Irish are focused on the Blue Jays.

If Notre Dame is as good as everyone says they are, they would relish another shot at Virginia.

DocBarrister

finster's going after your season record on crazy takes. let him go for it.

I said what I said. This team is susceptible to a crash. I’ve seen this movie too many times.

At least they have a soothing, calming influence at coach.

[Finster]

ND has internalized that they can not beat UVA. They simply can not. The matchup of these two teams is as bad as it gets peer to peer.

If UVA takes Georgetown out on Saturday as expected, I expect ND to be deflated on Sunday against JHU, knowing life won’t be easier for them the following Saturday.

Many teams will rise to a challenge. I think this team is susceptible to bad emotions; you saw that the last game against UVA.

NCAA tournament is a new season. I’m sure the Fighting Irish are focused on the Blue Jays.

If Notre Dame is as good as everyone says they are, they would relish another shot at Virginia.

DocBarrister

finster's going after your season record on crazy takes. let him go for it.

I said what I said. This team is susceptible to a crash. I’ve seen this movie too many times.

At least they have a soothing, calming influence at coach.

Lol.

Which is part of the reason.

[flalax22]

If you asked me in January I would have said ND by a million. I’ve got the Jays winning by 2 here. For me it comes down to can the Jays D contain the ND O. I believe they can.

[get it to x]

If you asked me in January I would have said ND by a million. I’ve got the Jays winning by 2 here. For me it comes down to can the Jays D contain the ND O. I believe they can.

This is about the Jay's poles. They have to not only win their matchups, but they need to support the shorties. Alley dodges have been a challenge lately, so the second slide will be the key.

[flalax22]

If you asked me in January I would have said ND by a million. I’ve got the Jays winning by 2 here. For me it comes down to can the Jays D contain the ND O. I believe they can.

This is about the Jay's poles. They have to not only win their matchups, but they need to support the shorties. Alley dodges have been a challenge lately, so the second slide will be the key.

I one hundred percent agree

[Sagittarius A*]

If you asked me in January I would have said ND by a million. I’ve got the Jays winning by 2 here. For me it comes down to can the Jays D contain the ND O. I believe they can.

This is about the Jay's poles. They have to not only win their matchups, but they need to support the shorties. Alley dodges have been a challenge lately, so the second slide will be the key.

I think the winning strategy for Hop is to do what they did against UMD in their first match-up this season. The poles get the ball on the ground, scoop it, and get into transition fast. This negates the ND ride and their defense. The Jay's attack is lethal in transition. This ability to counterpunch really kept them in the game against the Terps and allowed them to pull out the victory in the end. I think the Jays will struggle against ND if they just try to play six on six. They need to push transition at every opportunity, including on the Face-off.

[viper]

I think that Notre Dame at it's best is a step above most other teams (except UVA and Duke) at this point. Having said that I think the intangible going into this game is that Hopkins really has nothing to lose and hopefully can play "relaxed". It does also appear that there is a "stress" factor that hampers ND in their UVA matchups.

I think Hopkins best chance of an upset is going to result from the pressure factor on both teams. In recent tournament years, even when down, Hopkins seemed to collapse under the weight of expectations (often unrealistic) and ultimately exit via blowout. This Sunday, I feel like there is (or should be) little to no pressure on the Jays as they have already surpassed even the keenest of expectations on the team. It's Notre Dame that has the bar to surpass.

I think Hopkins comes out and surprises Notre Dame to some extent. The outcome of the game will rest on how ND responds to any early or mid-game onslaught. Do they succumb to the pressure or rise above it?

[51percentcorn]

I might amend some of the comments I have seen here recently:
- While face-offs in terms of the totals (i.e. I agree that one team is not likely to dominate the numbers such that when you recap the game your first thought is how Hopkins or Notre Dame controlled face-offs)is probably not a huge story they are extremely important for Hopkins to blunt runs. If the Irish score 2 in a row for example it's critical to regain the footing - get the ball - possibly score but even if you don't the 70-80 seconds off the clock gives your defense time to shake it off. I don't recall every game where Hopkins stuggled but face-offs were a definite factor in the Penn State run being able to turn down 5-0 to 7-6 up at half in less than 10 minutes. Nothing like that can happen Sunday.
- While the entire defense is important - the poles job #1 is to control the brothers/don't ball watch and let Taylor run wild and stick with Dobson. You start sliding all over the place and they will kill you. This appears to me to be the weakness in the Maginot Line - because I am not sure the SSDMs can stand on their own for long with Martin not moving very well and QK certainly echoed some thoughts on this board following Bryant's second goal on the #2 SSDM corps. This is probably another reason why UVA has success - Zinn/Sallade/Chismar stand on their own alot and UVA is slow to slide which lets the condors concentrate on job 1. This is the Hopkins rock and hard place unless Martin makes a decent recovery and they can run him and Jaronski into the ground.
- Transition is great - I am all for it and it makes sense at times to try and score before the defense and the goalie get settled - almost always does. The issue is opportunity. They have a great ride and they don't turn the ball over very much at all - I'm not sure how many times you are going to see the ball on the carpet where a big break-out is possible. If Marcille can make some saves and there is a great outlet opportunity sure go for it. The other point is - every possession is precious in this type of game - you can't afford to play 70 seconds of defense have the goalie make a save and then some longpole takes a 12 yarder that Entenmann gobbles up and they are right back at you with their transition which is lethal and/or you have to play another minute or two of defense. As the Wizard said "Play fast - don't hurry"
- Forecast for Annapolis seems great - partly sunny - 74/75 by the Hopkins game. I don't see the crowd as a huge factor though. Hopkins should draw a very nice contingent and if an upset is possible the Penn State/Army fans that have stuck around might join the fray and maybe some energy translates- all depends on how the game plays out. The other thing is the Notre Dame "subway alumni" is a real thing - I have no idea whether that translates much beyond football but I have seen it in action for football and this time they can actually be able to get inside and watch the team.

[Finster]

I might amend some of the comments I have seen here recently:
- While face-offs in terms of the totals (i.e. I agree that one team is not likely to dominate the numbers such that when you recap the game your first thought is how Hopkins or Notre Dame controlled face-offs)is probably not a huge story they are extremely important for Hopkins to blunt runs. If the Irish score 2 in a row for example it's critical to regain the footing - get the ball - possibly score but even if you don't the 70-80 seconds off the clock gives your defense time to shake it off. I don't recall every game where Hopkins stuggled but face-offs were a definite factor in the Penn State run being able to turn down 5-0 to 7-6 up at half in less than 10 minutes. Nothing like that can happen Sunday.
- While the entire defense is important - the poles job #1 is to control the brothers/don't ball watch and let Taylor run wild and stick with Dobson. You start sliding all over the place and they will kill you. This appears to me to be the weakness in the Maginot Line - because I am not sure the SSDMs can stand on their own for long with Martin not moving very well and QK certainly echoed some thoughts on this board following Bryant's second goal on the #2 SSDM corps. This is probably another reason why UVA has success - Zinn/Sallade/Chismar stand on their own alot and UVA is slow to slide which lets the condors concentrate on job 1. This is the Hopkins rock and hard place unless Martin makes a decent recovery and they can run him and Jaronski into the ground.
- Transition is great - I am all for it and it makes sense at times to try and score before the defense and the goalie get settled - almost always does. The issue is opportunity. They have a great ride and they don't turn the ball over very much at all - I'm not sure how many times you are going to see the ball on the carpet where a big break-out is possible. If Marcille can make some saves and there is a great outlet opportunity sure go for it. The other point is - every possession is precious in this type of game - you can't afford to play 70 seconds of defense have the goalie make a save and then some longpole takes a 12 yarder that Entenmann gobbles up and they are right back at you with their transition which is lethal and/or you have to play another minute or two of defense. As the Wizard said "Play fast - don't hurry"
- Forecast for Annapolis seems great - partly sunny - 74/75 by the Hopkins game. I don't see the crowd as a huge factor though. Hopkins should draw a very nice contingent and if an upset is possible the Penn State/Army fans that have stuck around might join the fray and maybe some energy translates- all depends on how the game plays out. The other thing is the Notre Dame "subway alumni" is a real thing - I have no idea whether that translates much beyond football but I have seen it in action for football and this time they can actually be able to get inside and watch the team.

When ND played Georgetown at Georgetown, local Notre dame fans equaled if not outnumbered Georgetown’s. I was there. I suspect ND will have a very vocal fan contingent at Annapolis.

When ND played UVA at UVA (I was also at this one), the offense initiation came mostly from the ND midfield. This could have been a result of UVA’s defense getting in the heads of ND’s attack, where ND’s attack looked demoralized.

ND seemed to have some very fast middies who like to run hard. They were often able to get separation from the UVA SSDM’s. Unfortunately for the ND middies, their shots aren’t so great, or weren’t. Nunes was playing catch with them all day.

[Mr3Putt]

Last five game Save %
Entenmann : 56, 64, 50, 55, 68
Marcille: 40, 47, 35, 42, 64

[Finster]

Last five game Save %
Entenmann : 56, 64, 50, 55, 68
Marcille: 40, 47, 35, 42, 64

First team AA versus not.

Inside precision shooters needed. Outside heavy guns will be rebuffed.

Does Hopkins have a Xander Dickson? Brooks English sure looked like it last week.

[BlueJaySince1947]

I might amend some of the comments I have seen here recently:
- While face-offs in terms of the totals (i.e. I agree that one team is not likely to dominate the numbers such that when you recap the game your first thought is how Hopkins or Notre Dame controlled face-offs)is probably not a huge story they are extremely important for Hopkins to blunt runs. If the Irish score 2 in a row for example it's critical to regain the footing - get the ball - possibly score but even if you don't the 70-80 seconds off the clock gives your defense time to shake it off. I don't recall every game where Hopkins stuggled but face-offs were a definite factor in the Penn State run being able to turn down 5-0 to 7-6 up at half in less than 10 minutes. Nothing like that can happen Sunday.
- While the entire defense is important - the poles job #1 is to control the brothers/don't ball watch and let Taylor run wild and stick with Dobson. You start sliding all over the place and they will kill you. This appears to me to be the weakness in the Maginot Line - because I am not sure the SSDMs can stand on their own for long with Martin not moving very well and QK certainly echoed some thoughts on this board following Bryant's second goal on the #2 SSDM corps. This is probably another reason why UVA has success - Zinn/Sallade/Chismar stand on their own alot and UVA is slow to slide which lets the condors concentrate on job 1. This is the Hopkins rock and hard place unless Martin makes a decent recovery and they can run him and Jaronski into the ground.
- Transition is great - I am all for it and it makes sense at times to try and score before the defense and the goalie get settled - almost always does. The issue is opportunity. They have a great ride and they don't turn the ball over very much at all - I'm not sure how many times you are going to see the ball on the carpet where a big break-out is possible. If Marcille can make some saves and there is a great outlet opportunity sure go for it. The other point is - every possession is precious in this type of game - you can't afford to play 70 seconds of defense have the goalie make a save and then some longpole takes a 12 yarder that Entenmann gobbles up and they are right back at you with their transition which is lethal and/or you have to play another minute or two of defense. As the Wizard said "Play fast - don't hurry"
- Forecast for Annapolis seems great - partly sunny - 74/75 by the Hopkins game. I don't see the crowd as a huge factor though. Hopkins should draw a very nice contingent and if an upset is possible the Penn State/Army fans that have stuck around might join the fray and maybe some energy translates- all depends on how the game plays out. The other thing is the Notre Dame "subway alumni" is a real thing - I have no idea whether that translates much beyond football but I have seen it in action for football and this time they can actually be able to get inside and watch the team.

When ND played Georgetown at Georgetown, local Notre dame fans equaled if not outnumbered Georgetown’s. I was there. I suspect ND will have a very vocal fan contingent at Annapolis.

When ND played UVA at UVA (I was also at this one), the offense initiation came mostly from the ND midfield. This could have been a result of UVA’s defense getting in the heads of ND’s attack, where ND’s attack looked demoralized.

ND seemed to have some very fast middies who like to run hard. They were often able to get separation from the UVA SSDM’s. Unfortunately for the ND middies, their shots aren’t so great, or weren’t. Nunes was playing catch with them all day.

Georgetown has NO fan base...

[Sagittarius A*]

It's really hard to beat a first team AA goalie.
And if he's got an elite defenseman in front of him like Chris Fake, then it's doubly hard, especially if he can hold Angelus or Melendez in check.
You have to move the goalie. Passes across the crease, skip passes, things that make him move in goal are the way to beat him.
Jays really need to play team offense and wait for quality shots. They need to keep the ball moving and avoid low angle shots. The Jays need to ride hard, break some clears, and get some transition goals. Difficult, not impossible.
Hopefully, ND will be looking past them to UVA.

[BlueJaySince1947]

The Jays A-game can do it... it's all in their heads !

[Finster]

It's really hard to beat a first team AA goalie.
And if he's got an elite defenseman in front of him like Chris Fake, then it's doubly hard, especially if he can hold Angelus or Melendez in check.
You have to move the goalie. Passes across the crease, skip passes, things that make him move in goal are the way to beat him.
Jays really need to play team offense and wait for quality shots. They need to keep the ball moving and avoid low angle shots. The Jays need to ride hard, break some clears, and get some transition goals. Difficult, not impossible.
Hopefully, ND will be looking past them to UVA.

I agree about shot quality. That’s why Hop should limit the time of a Grimes, who every time I see him shoot, it’s an outside heater with feet firmly planted. That is truly the bread and butter save of Liam Entenmann.

Hopkins needs foot movement and smart shooters.