Derek21 Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 Hopefully this will be a good game. Last nite's contest was good from what I heard. Didn't get to see much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FunkyBlueFish203 Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 I hope Jimmy Howard's in net for Maine. Haven't seen him play since ESPN showcased the frozen four last year. I'm eager to see Billy Ryan in action as well. And nyrangers.com lied. The game's at 8:30 PM. Be sure to watch it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satans Hockey Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 Its 4-0 Maine in the 2nd period Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satans Hockey Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 make that 5-0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FunkyBlueFish203 Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 (edited) It was nice of FSNY to bump the game time from 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm and then to 9:00 pm just so we could watch women's college basketball. By the time FSNY got to televising the game, it was actually over, 6-0 in Maine's favor. Maine goalie Jimmy Howard is no where near the form he displayed last season when he posted a 1.19 GAA and .956 SVA, both NCAA records, but he's been out a couple of times this season with mononucleosis, two upper respiratory infections and a sprained ankle, and is just rounding back into form. This was supposed to be his breakout year as he was expected to start more than 35 games but that didn't happen. He certainly played well tonight. Faced 19 shots and posted a shutout as the Black Bears ran all over Quinnipac with a 6-0 win. Bad defensive coverage by Quinnipiac coupled with some strong offense from Maine and timely saves from Howard led to an easy win. I expected a better game but this was good, too. The Black Bears as a team have struggled this season and are only ranked 15th. Don't think they're frozen four bound but there's always the chance to finish out the season on a positive note. They've had some crappy losses and some close ones. Part of that has to do with Howard being out due to injury and them having to play a rookie goalie in net and also with the defensive core not performing as well as last year. Keep an eye out for Greg Moore and Billy Ryan from the Black Bears, both drafted by the Rangers. Got very good potential. Edited January 10, 2005 by FunkyBlueFish203 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek21 Posted January 10, 2005 Author Share Posted January 10, 2005 Watched a little bit of this blowout. Even though he didn't see many shots, Howard was so fundamentally sound. I could see what all the Wing fans were talking about with how much better he is than Montoya. It doesn't say much for last year's draft. How does Detroit wind up with these guys? Everyone thinks they'll fade away but the truth is they draft really well. Ryan played gritty and hit a post on a backhand and had another solid chance. He looks like a player. Moore had some great chances but was stoned. Nice size and really good shot. I bet Maine is there at the end. They play a smart aggressive forecheck and have the goalie. Their D doesn't run around either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weekes Head Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 Oops. I ended up watching DH instead...I'll watch the replay later, if FSNY even shows it, that is. Probably won't show it though. AHh well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FunkyBlueFish203 Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 (edited) Watched a little bit of this blowout. Even though he didn't see many shots, Howard was so fundamentally sound. I could see what all the Wing fans were talking about with how much better he is than Montoya. It doesn't say much for last year's draft.How does Detroit wind up with these guys? Everyone thinks they'll fade away but the truth is they draft really well. Ryan played gritty and hit a post on a backhand and had another solid chance. He looks like a player. Moore had some great chances but was stoned. Nice size and really good shot. I bet Maine is there at the end. They play a smart aggressive forecheck and have the goalie. Their D doesn't run around either. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> It'd be cool to see Maine go back to the Frozen four but it looks rough. Hockey East is a very tough division to play in and Maine's got 14 games against them next. I was quite impressed with Ryan. Definitely not a shy kid on the ice. Moore looked good, too. And Derek, you have no idea how giddy I am about Jimmy Howard. Haven't had a home grown goalie since Chris Osgood, and with all the love we've shown for the Euros the past few years, even I was seriously baffled when we drafted him. The resume is very solid. Howard came up through the NTDP and set all sorts of records playing with them. He helped Team USA win the gold in the U-18 championship and was all set to start in goal during the WJC in 2003 but couldn't go because of an injury. Kept him under the radar, which turned out better for us. Had an unbelievable season with the Black Bears last year going all the way to the Frozen Four finals and winning the MVP of the tournament. This kid is worth the ticket, he's just wicked good. Like you said, his game is so fundementally sound, he's got no holes. He tends to be too hard on himself, which effects his game and can harm his consistency. But he's well loved by coaches and teammates alike and has a bright future. If he continues to work on his game and keep getting better like he has, he can really/hopefully become the face of our franchise, and maybe even Team USA down the line. Edited January 10, 2005 by FunkyBlueFish203 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruins4777 Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 I'm wondering....how big is howard? Also, is maybe a guy who may, down the line, have huge injury problems? I mean he got bruised and battered this season and last season he was injured also....so ya. What do you guys think? I've sadly only seen the kid once... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FunkyBlueFish203 Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 He's 20 years old, 6'1" and around 210-220 lbs. When he missed the WJC, it was on a freak accident when he slipped on a puck and fell. This year he battled an upper respiratory infection and a sprained ankle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darwindog Posted January 10, 2005 Share Posted January 10, 2005 Quinnipiac is right down the street from my family - well about 5 miles down the street Anyhow I knew this wasn't going to be pretty... but had a little hope for the poor little bobcats in the second when it was still 0-2. Then it just got really bad... I caved and looked at the final score before the third even started... LAME! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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