Grizzlies Struggles Lead to Questions and Blame
Grizzlies Struggles Lead to Questions and Blame
By: Corey Hagood
The Shock:
The Oakland University Hockey Division One Team has lost seven of their last eight games. A stretch that would have been unimaginable at the July training camp, but now the losses are almost expected and predictable. This is a organization that has lost 19 total games the previous three seasons and already nine losses through 17 games with a 7- 9-1 record thus far. The last time this team has finished the season with double digit losses was in 2001-02 with 15 and that will no doubt change this season perhaps this weekend at the University At Buffalo Tournament in Buffalo, NY.
The Problem:
During the losing streak Oakland has scored only 17 goals in seven games while giving up 44 goals against. Those numbers are not only shocking but seriously disturbing. Will McMahon has 19 Goals and Brent Cooper has scored 11 and then after that the third leading scorer on the team is John Parrish with five goals. See the Problem here? If Cooper and McMahon do not score then it is likely no one else will and the team will lose, even when McMahon has scored lately the team has lost.
What happened to winning on the road for Oakland it seems that is nearly an impossible task as the Grizzlies are 2-8-1 away from the ONYX this season. Lately when the Grizzlies lose they do not even belong on the same ice as the other squad losses such as 8-1 to Western Michigan, 8-1, 7-3 and 5-1 against Rival Davenport University, sure you can blame injuries to Jordan Ingram, Brent Cooper and Steve Piccoli but is an excuse and still doesn’t explain why the others are not performing on the ice more specifically the forwards. The other forwards besides McMahon and Cooper have accounted for only total 24 goals this season while McMahon and Cooper have 30. Pretty disturbing indeed.
The Coaching Staff of Head Coach Sean Hogan and his assistants JR Dunn, Jeremy Bachusz and Gordie Schaeffler have not performed to expectations this season either. The three goalie system of Andrew Hansen, Jim Sardelli and Collin Chase is simply not working, the staff has even dressed all three goalies in multiple games this season. Confused? We are as well. When one of them wins a game they strangely sit out the next game and no one can get into a rhythm and this deep into the season one would think the coaches would understand the best two goalies need to play and the tell the third “Thank You” and wish him well. Andrew Hansen has proved he should stay so the choice between Sardelli and Chase needs to be made and its confusing all three and not fair to them.
The Solution:
Hogan needs to have something up his sleeve to fix the Grizzlies maybe coach differently, change the offense and develop new plays and formations on the Power Play. Someone needs to sit in front of the net and be ready for rebounds and screen the opponents goalie. There is no easy solution to the problem if the forwards at hand simply are not talented enough then the question of the coaches evaluating talent must be questioned. The defense needs sharper passes out of the zone and should clog the neutral zone.
Calling up some forwards to help from the DIII team is difficult as the two squads according to sources have differences on taking away players with while the DIII coaching staff of Head Coach Eric Wojno and Assistant Coach and Oakland University Hockey Ganeral Manager Shaun Zeldes reportedly are encouraging players to stay at DIII because of the teams recent success, which is understandable to a point, and some have even rejected a chance to move up to DI those same sources say. That alone adds another puzzling chapter to a puzzling season. No one seems like they are on the same page and the Coaching Staff tells us all to wait until the second semester when everyone is back and healthy but were waiting and losing patience quickly.
Corey Hagood is the Oakland University DI Play-By-Play Announcer, Send him your thoughts at coreyh@wxousports.com
Don't forget to Listen to "The OU Hockey Show" Wednesday's from 5-6pm on 88.3FM WXOU and Live online at The WXOU Official Site
By: Corey Hagood
The Shock:
The Oakland University Hockey Division One Team has lost seven of their last eight games. A stretch that would have been unimaginable at the July training camp, but now the losses are almost expected and predictable. This is a organization that has lost 19 total games the previous three seasons and already nine losses through 17 games with a 7- 9-1 record thus far. The last time this team has finished the season with double digit losses was in 2001-02 with 15 and that will no doubt change this season perhaps this weekend at the University At Buffalo Tournament in Buffalo, NY.
The Problem:
During the losing streak Oakland has scored only 17 goals in seven games while giving up 44 goals against. Those numbers are not only shocking but seriously disturbing. Will McMahon has 19 Goals and Brent Cooper has scored 11 and then after that the third leading scorer on the team is John Parrish with five goals. See the Problem here? If Cooper and McMahon do not score then it is likely no one else will and the team will lose, even when McMahon has scored lately the team has lost.
What happened to winning on the road for Oakland it seems that is nearly an impossible task as the Grizzlies are 2-8-1 away from the ONYX this season. Lately when the Grizzlies lose they do not even belong on the same ice as the other squad losses such as 8-1 to Western Michigan, 8-1, 7-3 and 5-1 against Rival Davenport University, sure you can blame injuries to Jordan Ingram, Brent Cooper and Steve Piccoli but is an excuse and still doesn’t explain why the others are not performing on the ice more specifically the forwards. The other forwards besides McMahon and Cooper have accounted for only total 24 goals this season while McMahon and Cooper have 30. Pretty disturbing indeed.
The Coaching Staff of Head Coach Sean Hogan and his assistants JR Dunn, Jeremy Bachusz and Gordie Schaeffler have not performed to expectations this season either. The three goalie system of Andrew Hansen, Jim Sardelli and Collin Chase is simply not working, the staff has even dressed all three goalies in multiple games this season. Confused? We are as well. When one of them wins a game they strangely sit out the next game and no one can get into a rhythm and this deep into the season one would think the coaches would understand the best two goalies need to play and the tell the third “Thank You” and wish him well. Andrew Hansen has proved he should stay so the choice between Sardelli and Chase needs to be made and its confusing all three and not fair to them.
The Solution:
Hogan needs to have something up his sleeve to fix the Grizzlies maybe coach differently, change the offense and develop new plays and formations on the Power Play. Someone needs to sit in front of the net and be ready for rebounds and screen the opponents goalie. There is no easy solution to the problem if the forwards at hand simply are not talented enough then the question of the coaches evaluating talent must be questioned. The defense needs sharper passes out of the zone and should clog the neutral zone.
Calling up some forwards to help from the DIII team is difficult as the two squads according to sources have differences on taking away players with while the DIII coaching staff of Head Coach Eric Wojno and Assistant Coach and Oakland University Hockey Ganeral Manager Shaun Zeldes reportedly are encouraging players to stay at DIII because of the teams recent success, which is understandable to a point, and some have even rejected a chance to move up to DI those same sources say. That alone adds another puzzling chapter to a puzzling season. No one seems like they are on the same page and the Coaching Staff tells us all to wait until the second semester when everyone is back and healthy but were waiting and losing patience quickly.
Corey Hagood is the Oakland University DI Play-By-Play Announcer, Send him your thoughts at coreyh@wxousports.com
Don't forget to Listen to "The OU Hockey Show" Wednesday's from 5-6pm on 88.3FM WXOU and Live online at The WXOU Official Site
posted by WXOU Sports at 8:45 PM
