BERG RENOLZ wrote:hockeyfantasy wrote:gatzke wrote "landman,nelson,moser,ness,weston,lee"
Hell will freeze over first, before Oliver will put his son Nick on the second
line. Nick, I hear, is a good player BUT his coach didn't move up to Roseau to watch him on the second or third line. Not a chance, won't happen, etc. Good luck anyway!!!
You might be right, but the second line would be damn near as good with Knockemous, Oliver, Fabian, Ness, Martinsen,Lee. I included Ness because he plays the whole damn game. I'm not sure who will fill the other holes at D for the Rams. Anyone have any idea? They'll need more than Ness, Weston, and Martinson.
I don't think Coach Oliver cares whether his son plays on the first or second line. In fact, if it would help squeeze more production out of the third line, he could even put his son there. (Pair a weaker player with a couple of great players and he will have the confidence to step up his game.) Nick is going to play D1 hockey some day--this is already certain. The main goals are for Nick and the other players to play to their potential and for the team to be better than the sum of the parts--ultimately for the team to win another championship. There is no "I" in team...)
The strategy that Coach Oliver (and the other coaches, I realize that the assistants are extremely valuable) used for the state tournament this year--having three lines with nearly the same amount of offensive punch--paid off very well. I see him doing the same thing this year. (Wasn't Nick on the third line during the tournaments?)
I also liked the way the Oliver and the other coaches stressed defense. Roseau's defensive game was awesome at tournament time last year. Defense wins championships. You can have lots of scoring punch, but if you don't play defense, all bets are off. I am not a fan of bragging about who has the best line in the state. If the other team can't score a goal on you, you will not lose.
(Look at some of these "Elite" league games. The scores are laughable--even embarassing. In general, team defense has been non-existent. Everyone is out to get a point and show that they are better than the next guy. The Elite league is a good warm-up for the season for those playing, but not much else.)