I have to say, even though I didn't think they were as bad as people said at the beginning of the year, if I said I expected a trip to Lake Placid in early October, it would be a lie. In my preseason article, I pegged this team to finish right about where they did last year, 7-9th in the conference. The media and coaches put them above only Princeton, set to finish 11th. They are now laughing all the way to the bank, or more correctly, Lake Placid and the ECAC championship.
After a second place finish in the regular season and a sweep of RPI at home, consisting of an insanely thrilling 1-0 victory on Friday and a handy 5-1 win on Saturday, the Saints are marching to Lake Placid, looking for their first ECAC tournament championship since 2001.
The regular season saw some amazing ups, from sweeping Clarkson in Potsdam, amazing wins against Yale and Miami and an emotional 6-3 victory of Dartmouth on senior night. It also saw its downs, like a 1-6-1 stretch that included 4 straight games where SLU combined for four goals.
But despite all the negativity that surrounded the team at the beginning of the season and throughout the trials of the midseason slump, there were no excuses in the locker room, on the bench or on the ice. Rather than getting discouraged and simply accepting that perhaps they were only as good as everyone else said, when asked about their struggles, Gunnar Hughes had a simple response after a 2-0 home loss to UVM. "It happens. Everyone player, every team, they have slumps. We just have to get back to work after the break. We are a dangerous team, we always knew it, and I think now everyone else does too."
For Hughes and the Saints, it was never about what anyone else said or thought. It was about the 26 other guys who donned the scarlet and brown every Friday and Saturday night. It was about coach Carvel, Hurlbut, DeMichiel, and McHugh. It was about St. Lawrence hockey, and playing hockey the right way, something Carvel emphasized all year. Playing hockey the right way has earned the Saints a date with Colgate at 7:37 on Friday, a berth in the championship game the reward.
What led the turnaround for SLU, after the 8th place finish last year? It starts with first year phenom Kyle Hayton, a virtual lock for ECAC rookie of the year and who is also in the conversation for ECAC goalie of the year. Quite possibly a finish in the top three of national goalie of the year isn't out the question, but national rookie most certainly will go to that kid Jack Eichel from BU. Maybe you've heard of him, maybe not, either way he's a lock. But Hayton has led the resurgence of this SLU squad, posting a .939 save percentage, a 1.90 goals allowed average and a 20-12-3 record. Yes, Kyle Hayton has won every single game that SLU has won this year. Having such a presence in the crease certainly allows more offensive defensemen like Gavin Bayreuther and Nolan Gluchowski to join the rush.
However, Bayreuther saw a dip in offensive production this year, but couple that with his improvement on defense as well as the addition of Gluchowski and the way that Eric Sweetman elevated his game in the second half, the loss was hardly felt.
The Saints played a peculiar style of defense, allowing a lot of shots, which at first could be worrying. But, while I don't have numbers, I would hazard a guess to say that SLU outchanced most opponents throughout the season, meaning while SLU was more selective with their shots than the opponents, it lead to better scoring chances, and more of them.
What all this means is that SLU allowed 1.97 goals per game, while scoring more than 3 per contest. Maybe its not the prettiest game plan but its damn effective. It comes from the heart and soul type players, like Gunnar Hughes, and having a captain like him certainly means a lot to the team. But other guys, like Alex Dahl, Eric Sweetman, Joe Sullivan, Justin Bruckel and Chris Martin play that tough, rugged style of hockey that wins games. And of course, SLU boasts skill too, with players like Bayreuther, Gluchowski, Mike Marnell and Christian Horn, just to name a few. And what's great is that three of those names are first years, which means success in the future. But success now is what SLU has their eyes set on, and with the group SLU puts on the ice every night, its very attainable.
As for me, this has been one heck of a ride and I can't wait to keep watching in Lake Placid. I'll be covering it for USCHO, so while I won't be the loudest fan in Herb Brooks Arena, I sure as hell will be losing my mind quietly.
The Saints are marching to Lake Placid.
After a second place finish in the regular season and a sweep of RPI at home, consisting of an insanely thrilling 1-0 victory on Friday and a handy 5-1 win on Saturday, the Saints are marching to Lake Placid, looking for their first ECAC tournament championship since 2001.
The regular season saw some amazing ups, from sweeping Clarkson in Potsdam, amazing wins against Yale and Miami and an emotional 6-3 victory of Dartmouth on senior night. It also saw its downs, like a 1-6-1 stretch that included 4 straight games where SLU combined for four goals.
But despite all the negativity that surrounded the team at the beginning of the season and throughout the trials of the midseason slump, there were no excuses in the locker room, on the bench or on the ice. Rather than getting discouraged and simply accepting that perhaps they were only as good as everyone else said, when asked about their struggles, Gunnar Hughes had a simple response after a 2-0 home loss to UVM. "It happens. Everyone player, every team, they have slumps. We just have to get back to work after the break. We are a dangerous team, we always knew it, and I think now everyone else does too."
For Hughes and the Saints, it was never about what anyone else said or thought. It was about the 26 other guys who donned the scarlet and brown every Friday and Saturday night. It was about coach Carvel, Hurlbut, DeMichiel, and McHugh. It was about St. Lawrence hockey, and playing hockey the right way, something Carvel emphasized all year. Playing hockey the right way has earned the Saints a date with Colgate at 7:37 on Friday, a berth in the championship game the reward.
What led the turnaround for SLU, after the 8th place finish last year? It starts with first year phenom Kyle Hayton, a virtual lock for ECAC rookie of the year and who is also in the conversation for ECAC goalie of the year. Quite possibly a finish in the top three of national goalie of the year isn't out the question, but national rookie most certainly will go to that kid Jack Eichel from BU. Maybe you've heard of him, maybe not, either way he's a lock. But Hayton has led the resurgence of this SLU squad, posting a .939 save percentage, a 1.90 goals allowed average and a 20-12-3 record. Yes, Kyle Hayton has won every single game that SLU has won this year. Having such a presence in the crease certainly allows more offensive defensemen like Gavin Bayreuther and Nolan Gluchowski to join the rush.
However, Bayreuther saw a dip in offensive production this year, but couple that with his improvement on defense as well as the addition of Gluchowski and the way that Eric Sweetman elevated his game in the second half, the loss was hardly felt.
The Saints played a peculiar style of defense, allowing a lot of shots, which at first could be worrying. But, while I don't have numbers, I would hazard a guess to say that SLU outchanced most opponents throughout the season, meaning while SLU was more selective with their shots than the opponents, it lead to better scoring chances, and more of them.
What all this means is that SLU allowed 1.97 goals per game, while scoring more than 3 per contest. Maybe its not the prettiest game plan but its damn effective. It comes from the heart and soul type players, like Gunnar Hughes, and having a captain like him certainly means a lot to the team. But other guys, like Alex Dahl, Eric Sweetman, Joe Sullivan, Justin Bruckel and Chris Martin play that tough, rugged style of hockey that wins games. And of course, SLU boasts skill too, with players like Bayreuther, Gluchowski, Mike Marnell and Christian Horn, just to name a few. And what's great is that three of those names are first years, which means success in the future. But success now is what SLU has their eyes set on, and with the group SLU puts on the ice every night, its very attainable.
As for me, this has been one heck of a ride and I can't wait to keep watching in Lake Placid. I'll be covering it for USCHO, so while I won't be the loudest fan in Herb Brooks Arena, I sure as hell will be losing my mind quietly.
The Saints are marching to Lake Placid.
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