Eagan struggling

[hockeylover1]

Never posted here before but saw Eagan game last night. Here are my thoughts about why HHF has disappeared from posts and Eagan is struggling.
Eagan is undisciplined-All of their D want to rush the puck. Considering they only play 4, this can wear them down and gets them caught in odd man rushes quite a bit.
Goaltending is shaky
Selfish forwards
Looking at their stats the 3 top scorers are all on the same line. Need to split up to create more mismatches.
These issues point to one major issue for Eagan-Poor coaching. I don't know much about their staff but all the issues I raised above(with the exception of the shaky goaltender) can be fixed with the right coach. It doesn't feel to me like this team is being lead the right way with their talent. Those are my thoughts. Have at them HHF!

[nahc]

So a very talented Burnsville Team beats Eagan 7-6 last night and, after seeing one game against a top 10 or so team in the state, can make all those criticisms........not sure I agree......the regular season is played to seed teams for the state tourney, no more, no less. Its the State Tourney that everyone is aiming for.......one regular game sure does not a season make..........

[gitter]

Never posted here before but saw Eagan game last night. Here are my thoughts about why HHF has disappeared from posts and Eagan is struggling.
Eagan is undisciplined-All of their D want to rush the puck. Considering they only play 4, this can wear them down and gets them caught in odd man rushes quite a bit.
Goaltending is shaky
Selfish forwards
Looking at their stats the 3 top scorers are all on the same line. Need to split up to create more mismatches.
These issues point to one major issue for Eagan-Poor coaching. I don't know much about their staff but all the issues I raised above(with the exception of the shaky goaltender) can be fixed with the right coach. It doesn't feel to me like this team is being lead the right way with their talent. Those are my thoughts. Have at them HHF!

Sounds like a bitter parent. As posted above, Burnsville is a good hockey team. When Eagan has a 5-10 record with the talent they have, go ahead and blame coaching then. Should we say that East has poor coaching because they lost to Apple Valley? I don't think so.

Just to pick on one point regarding D rushing the puck. A forward drops back when a D goes on the offensive. Everyone in hockey knows this - especially every coach above Peewees. If they are giving up odd-man rushes because the D is down deep and no forward is back at the blue line - it's because the kids aren't listening to the coach.

There is a ton of parity in AA this year - more so than I can remember in a long time. Any team in the top 10 is capable of beating another top 10 team on a given night.

[playerplayer1]

I hope they can turn it around. Maybe line changes will help going forward. They still have time to turn this thing around!

[gitter]

I would agree with you hockeylover1. I have seen most of the games this year and lately they are struggling in the areas you pointed out. And no, it's not just one game. They did lose to Jefferson last game and LN earlier in the year. Good teams don't lose those games. I hope they can turn it around. Maybe line changes will help going forward. They still have time to turn this thing around!

Let me say first I have no allegiance to any team. I understand your frustration with losing to Lakeville North - Apple Valley lost to Lakeville South. Jefferson is a little down this year, but you clobbered them in shots - something like 35-15. Sometimes you don't get the bounces. Don't forget you beat Eden Prairie - and before you say it was a fluke, you can also say the Lakeville loss was a fluke. You've lost to Edina, Tonka, and Burnsville. it's a tough schedule you play - you aren't going to go 27-1 with it.

To say "good teams win those games" - Wayzata lost twice to Moorhead now - a team they clearly have more talent than. Are they not a "good" team because they didn't win those? Hardly.

All teams go through adversity - it will be interesting to see what Eagan does with it.

[hockeylover1]

Never posted here before but saw Eagan game last night. Here are my thoughts about why HHF has disappeared from posts and Eagan is struggling.
Eagan is undisciplined-All of their D want to rush the puck. Considering they only play 4, this can wear them down and gets them caught in odd man rushes quite a bit.
Goaltending is shaky
Selfish forwards
Looking at their stats the 3 top scorers are all on the same line. Need to split up to create more mismatches.
These issues point to one major issue for Eagan-Poor coaching. I don't know much about their staff but all the issues I raised above(with the exception of the shaky goaltender) can be fixed with the right coach. It doesn't feel to me like this team is being lead the right way with their talent. Those are my thoughts. Have at them HHF!

Sounds like a bitter parent. As posted above, Burnsville is a good hockey team. When Eagan has a 5-10 record with the talent they have, go ahead and blame coaching then. Should we say that East has poor coaching because they lost to Apple Valley? I don't think so.

Just to pick on one point regarding D rushing the puck. A forward drops back when a D goes on the offensive. Everyone in hockey knows this - especially every coach above Peewees. If they are giving up odd-man rushes because the D is down deep and no forward is back at the blue line - it's because the kids aren't listening to the coach.

There is a ton of parity in AA this year - more so than I can remember in a long time. Any team in the top 10 is capable of beating another top 10 team on a given night.

Gitter, Sorry to disappoint you but I am not a hockey parent. Not sure if you have seen Eagan play this year but their D rush the puck more than any team I've seen in a long time. Their forwards are goood enough to where the D don't need to always feel they need to be on the offensive. I would like to see them stay at home for a game and see what happens. The Burnsville game they were up 2-0, then got outscored 7-1 in the next period and a half and were down 7-3 after 2. Yes, I give them credit for coming back and making a game of it but that team has way too much talent to be outscored 7-1 in that short of a period of time. They lost to Jefferson last game and Prior Lake beat them last night. I'm just saying something needs to change soon or they will get knocked out again this year by a lesser team.

[gitter]

I think you're losing sight of the big picture - you make it sound as if the loss to Jefferson was a horrible performance. Eagan dominated Jefferson and didn't win. They obviously couldn't bury the puck. Jefferson dominated PL and didn't win either. This is not a true comparison of the two.

I would understand your points if Eagan is getting outshot and out-chanced - but to me it doesn't seem like this is the case. It seems as though they've encountered some adversity, and again it will be interesting to see what they make of it.

Out of curiousity, did the D stay at home for the AV and EP wins?

[seek & destroy]

There is a ton of parity in AA this year - more so than I can remember in a long time. Any team in the top 10 is capable of beating another top 10 team on a given night.

This is incredibly true this year and not only when you look at the top ten teams. It seems like teams from all levels are pulling off upsets at random times so that you can't count on any win for sure...I guess that's why they say you gotta play the game! There have been top 10 teams across the metro losing to teams well below them in the standings and even the more consistant teams are having off games on any given night.

This year more then ever, the key to getting to the state tourney is going to be having a hot goaltender at the right time and some scoring consistancy from the offense. Even a 'bad' coach can't stop a hot goaltender from winning a key game in playoffs .

[hockeylover1]

I think you're losing sight of the big picture - you make it sound as if the loss to Jefferson was a horrible performance. Eagan dominated Jefferson and didn't win. They obviously couldn't bury the puck. Jefferson dominated PL and didn't win either. This is not a true comparison of the two.

I would understand your points if Eagan is getting outshot and out-chanced - but to me it doesn't seem like this is the case. It seems as though they've encountered some adversity, and again it will be interesting to see what they make of it.

Out of curiousity, did the D stay at home for the AV and EP wins?

Gitter, I understand your points and do appreciate a good debate.
This is happening to a lot of teams I do understand.
To your point. They did stay at home more during the AV and EP games. Lately they have not. I am just one hockeylover who is looking for Eagan to play more together. I believe they can go as far as they want to, granted they play together. Thanks for the debate. Enjoy the rest of the year. It will be interesting that is for sure!

[gitter]

I think you're losing sight of the big picture - you make it sound as if the loss to Jefferson was a horrible performance. Eagan dominated Jefferson and didn't win. They obviously couldn't bury the puck. Jefferson dominated PL and didn't win either. This is not a true comparison of the two.

I would understand your points if Eagan is getting outshot and out-chanced - but to me it doesn't seem like this is the case. It seems as though they've encountered some adversity, and again it will be interesting to see what they make of it.

Out of curiousity, did the D stay at home for the AV and EP wins?

Gitter, I understand your points and do appreciate a good debate.
This is happening to a lot of teams I do understand.
To your point. They did stay at home more during the AV and EP games. Lately they have not. I am just one hockeylover who is looking for Eagan to play more together. I believe they can go as far as they want to, granted they play together. Thanks for the debate. Enjoy the rest of the year. It will be interesting that is for sure!

Anytime I am usually a little bit suspect when someone's first post starts blasting the players, coaches, et al, with terms like "selfish", "poor coaching"and other general statements.

I'm sure you are an Eagan fan and that's great - but I'm not convinced you guys are on the path of self destruction. I just think there is an incredible amount of parity this year. Honestly, when you look at each section (aside from maybe 4AA) - I don't think anyone can come out and say for certain which team will go to the state tournament - which is rare, because usually there are 2-3 teams which most people would say are the hands-down favorite to win their section.

Have fun - and keep some optimism for those Wildcats!

[Stateofpuck09]

The eagan vs jefferson game can't be dictated by shots. Eagan was on the power play all of the second period and had something like 18 shots but the only problem i see with eagan is their shots weren't very quality. Many shots were from outside the tops of circle and from odd angles. I still think eagan is a top team in state and its good to get these bumps out of the road before playoffs.

[HappyHockeyFan]

HHF has been silent because I spend alot of time out of town for work and have not been able to observe much High School Hockey in person this season...it has nothing to do with Eagans performance. I am not worried in the least by any of their losses, its a long season and as its been pointed out this is all preperation for the "second season", the boys will be ready.