What up with the Hounds?

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mnmouth
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Joined: Mon Mar 05, 2007 4:06 pm

What up with the Hounds?

Post by mnmouth » Sun Jan 27, 2019 11:33 am

Regarding Duluth East. They are closing in on 'Team Turmoil' status. I've seen posts on other threads stating folks have had the Hounds overrated all season. Really??? They came into the season with their top 3 centers all returning, a top 5 player in Donovan, a top 5 Dman in Paine, plenty of size at forward and depth there that all played in the State title game last season, two other defensemen who are at least above average and a coaching staff that has proven to make adjustments that stick over the course of the year. The first eye opener for me this season was the initial pairing of Baker and Donovan on the top line, and later Donovan and Anderson. Why pull Baker and Anderson from center, leaving a gaping hole on the lines beneath them. Was the scoring issue apparent to Randolph even in practice? Is the lack of scoring their biggest issue? Also, what other teams still have 3 goaltenders in the starting rotation at this point of the season? Hope there are dudes smarter than me out there who can make sense of this team.

karl(east)
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Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 9:03 pm
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Re: What up with the Hounds?

Post by karl(east) » Sun Jan 27, 2019 2:15 pm

I've written scattered thoughts on this in a few places on this board, but I'll collect some of them here:

1. As the records I just posted in the rankings thread, they've clearly proven they can compete with anyone when they're on. They have wins over 2 top ten teams, 2 ties to teams in the top 6, plus a loss in the last minute of OT to another in that group. Their tanking ranking has nothing to do with their performance against good teams, which has been better than many of the teams ranked ahead of them, and is on par with that of the top 10 team we all thought they were a month ago.

2. They've proven vulnerable to upset bids, largely due to a lack of offense. This has mostly involved an inability to finish, though it has also involved a couple of mucky defensive games where other teams just try to clog things up and East immediately sinks to that level, resulting in some truly ugly hockey to watch. (I throw out the Moorhead loss from that judgment as Randolph decided to experiment with the 2-3 without practicing it, which led to that disastrous first period.) I get all the dump-and-chase, ring-around-the-boards play in certain situations (ex. vs. Andover or Tonka), but not against Prior Lake. At times they seem more scared of making mistakes within the system instead of just playing hockey, and this leads to some forced play. Continued play like that could leave them vulnerable in the early rounds of the playoffs before they get to the Andovers of the world.

3. The forward combos have been very unstable, which is in part due to scattered injuries and illnesses but mostly due to Randolph seemingly trying every last option to try to find something. Maybe he'll land on something that works; maybe all this tinkering will kill the development of any chemistry. Time will tell. I agree that it was odd to start combining some of the best centers on lines, and also think that their two best net-front players (Lyle and Jones) should be on separate lines. I have liked the recent experimentation with kids like Ziemski and Aleff in search of some offensive juice, and in positive news, Jeanette is starting to blossom into a dangerous player.

4. The PP has been terrible and I do not understand why it so often involves the same players out there for the full two minutes. I got it back in the Moore/Beaulieu years when they were firing at 40-50%, but this group is not, and it's led to a number of breakdowns.

5. There's been some fixation on Ryder Donovan's point total, but I have few complaints about Ryder's effort. He is the player he is, and I don't think anyone who's watched him closely over the years will judge this season as any sort of regression. Give him one linemate who can come close to skating with him (Jeanette, Fitzgerald) and one who can do some dirty work and get in front of the net for rebounds (Jones, Lyle), turn him loose, and live or die by the chances he's sure to create. And don't leave him out there for 3-minute shifts.

6. Brody Rabold has now started 10 of the last 11 games in goal. In part due to the injury to Hanson, the goalie situation appears to be settled.

7. There has been justifiable frustration about the offensive output given the forward talent here, but some of that falls on the defense, too. The lack of experience there was my biggest concern at the start of the season and while there has been progress both in their own zone and in making smart pinches/holding the zone offensively, there is continued room for improvement here, especially since Randolph's base scheme does ask a lot of its defensemen. The messy last minute of play against Eagan yesterday, after 50 minutes of pretty solid hockey, is a prime example of this.

Despite the struggles I think it's all right there in front of them. Some parents are clearly upset about Randolph's tinkering and I don't entirely blame them, but I'm resisting judgment at this point given that he's basically had his teams peaking at the right time for each of the past six seasons. Maybe that success runs out this year and it doesn't work out; it's happened before (2009 and 2012 being the semi-recent examples). But, as long as the kids continue to buy in and don't take the juggling personally, I'll trust the process.

WestMetro
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Re: What up with the Hounds?

Post by WestMetro » Sun Jan 27, 2019 4:09 pm

Very frustrating , since I had figured them for a
top 3 team with only a few losses so far .

I continue to believe , especially without a pure goal scorer like Worth , that they’ve got to deploy their big size advantage more . I’ve think the big hound forwards are pulling up soft on the forecheck too much . . And not as much blue line contact as I know the top D pair can create because I’ve seem them do it many times for 3 years . And the 4th line in past years has been deployed for neutral zone contact for almost entire shifts . All within the rules if done properly

And whether it’s Rydo , JJ or RL , big body presence in front of the net can create space , screens, deflections , and wear down opposing D

Tired and wary opponents are going to give up more good look shots by the third period . And more good look shots are what’s apparently needed

Just my thoughts , seeing them a couple times in person and a couple on stream

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