At 8-8-1 so far the men have been a surprise to a lot of people. I had pegged them to be right about where they are at this point, but how they got there isn't exactly what I expected. They've beaten Ferris State who was ranked fourth at the time and Miami who was tenth. They also lost in overtime to Ferris, Miami and Quinnipiac, who was ranked 14th at the time. Basically, three well timed goals and St. Lawrence is 11-5-1 with sweeps of top ten teams.
The goaltending this year has been superb and the defense improved because of it. The offense started well but has since dropped off. If the goals start going in for the Saints, watch out because this team could make some serious noise.
The PK has been good at 88% but the power play needs to improve: it sits at just 16.9% and could easily have made a difference in any of the 5 games SLU has lost by one goal. If the Saints can start scoring again the way they were at the beginning of the year, and I think they will, this is a dangerous team.
The Saints are back in action on January 2nd and 3rd at Northeastern and I'm a Boston boy, so I'll be there.
MVP: Kyle Hayton
I'm not sure this was ever in doubt. The rookie netminder has an 8-7-1 record, less than stellar, but his 2.10 GAA is tied for 23rd nationally, his 491 saves rank second in the country, and his four shutouts are tied for first nationally along with tying a SLU record for most shutouts in a single season. No brainer right here.
Unsung hero: Tommy Thompson
Sort of quietly this year Thompson has put up 11 points in 17 games while posting a plus 12 rating. With no power play goals, his production could increase even more in the second half.
Top Rookie: Nolan Gluchowski
Hayton already snagged the MVP slot, so the next one up was Gluchoswki. He missed time with an injury sustained in the Niagara blowout win, but has been excellent playing alongside Gavin Bayreuther on the top pair. 2 goals and 4 assists in 9 games as well as helping to run the power play have made Gluchowski an important player for the Saints.
Players to watch: Gavin Bayreuther
You just have to think at some point he's going to explode. That should help the Saints offensive woes and the power play struggles. It just has to happen eventually, he's too good.
The goaltending this year has been superb and the defense improved because of it. The offense started well but has since dropped off. If the goals start going in for the Saints, watch out because this team could make some serious noise.
The PK has been good at 88% but the power play needs to improve: it sits at just 16.9% and could easily have made a difference in any of the 5 games SLU has lost by one goal. If the Saints can start scoring again the way they were at the beginning of the year, and I think they will, this is a dangerous team.
The Saints are back in action on January 2nd and 3rd at Northeastern and I'm a Boston boy, so I'll be there.
MVP: Kyle Hayton
I'm not sure this was ever in doubt. The rookie netminder has an 8-7-1 record, less than stellar, but his 2.10 GAA is tied for 23rd nationally, his 491 saves rank second in the country, and his four shutouts are tied for first nationally along with tying a SLU record for most shutouts in a single season. No brainer right here.
Unsung hero: Tommy Thompson
Sort of quietly this year Thompson has put up 11 points in 17 games while posting a plus 12 rating. With no power play goals, his production could increase even more in the second half.
Top Rookie: Nolan Gluchowski
Hayton already snagged the MVP slot, so the next one up was Gluchoswki. He missed time with an injury sustained in the Niagara blowout win, but has been excellent playing alongside Gavin Bayreuther on the top pair. 2 goals and 4 assists in 9 games as well as helping to run the power play have made Gluchowski an important player for the Saints.
Players to watch: Gavin Bayreuther
You just have to think at some point he's going to explode. That should help the Saints offensive woes and the power play struggles. It just has to happen eventually, he's too good.
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