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dbc
(Been Here Awhile)
865 Posts |
 Posted - 03/13/2012 : 1:54:10 PM
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Cyclones are 7-16-2-4 on the road (.345) this year- the worst record in the entire league! Most teams are close to .500 at least on the road. They are 22-7-0-3 at home however ( .734) the 2nd best in the league only behind Alaska! Can anyone explain this? I have only seen two road games and they seem much more conservative and road teams usually are but this is pathetic. Love to think the home numbers are due to the crowd !! but why so rotten on the road. If they have the talent to play this well at home what happens to that talent when they get off the bus?
Some more data. Of the 7--yes 7- wins in 29 games on the road thus far only four have been regulation ( one in 7). Except for the 7-3 win in Chicago a few weeks back, we have not won another regulation game on the road in the last 17!!. (we have won 3 OT/SO games in that period--two after last minute goals to tie the game). The other three games we won in regulation in the first 12 on the road included 2 shutouts so we have won 2 games in regulation all year in which we didn't have a shut out!!
As much I as try I just cant understand this discrepancy. I have not been critical of Skalde this year ( maybe because I see the .734 team play) but the fact this has been a year long problem and seems not to have been addressed in strategy changes etc makes me wonder.
He seems to let them play at home and tightens the reigns on the road. Four games this week on the road against 3 good teams. This HAS TO change now. Would be amazing to have the second best home team in the league not make the playoffs!!! |
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n/a
deleted
149 Posts |
Posted - 03/13/2012 : 3:01:33 PM
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I think a big part of the road record-and perhaps one of the reasons the home record is so good-is the amount of in and out games teams play in the division. By this I mean.....team gets on bus at 10 am for 6 hour road trip to Kalamazoo or Chicago and returns right after the game. 6 hours on the bus on game day is going to lead to "dead legs" often times.
The Cyclones have only had one four game road trip or more this season. They got 5 points out of it. They only had one three game trip this year and got 2 points out of it (losing twice in SO).
Within the division, only KZOO has a decent road record (.613). Chicago (.470) Toledo (.435) and the Cyclones (.345) all have very poor road records. Each *probably* have a similar amount of the in and out trips. However, the distances between the other divisional cities is much less than the Cyclones, so each team isn't looking at 6 hours on the bus to each game as often as the Cyclones do.
The "Chet Factor" on the road is bad (3W 8L) (.272). **I'm giving him as loss In Toledo where he gave up 3 goals on 11 shots and Fogal came in and stopped 14 of 15 and took the L. There are no occurrences on the other side of that equation** Still, the record for all other goalies is a very poor (.389).
These are the possible explanations I have to the pitiful road record. I've only seen 2 road games this year (1-1), and I didn't notice any difference in playing style...but my sample is irrelevant.
In any case, the team is still in a position to make the playoffs despite the having the worst road record in the league. Go figure. |
Edited by - n/a on 03/13/2012 3:39:10 PM |
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dbc
(Been Here Awhile)
865 Posts |
Posted - 03/14/2012 : 10:42:02 PM
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| Last year we made the playoffs primarily due to a great late season road trip south and playing well against that division all year. In the past 13 games this year we have played teams from the south 7 times and allowed only 13 goals (not counting empty net goals). Unfortunately we have scored just 8 goals in these seven games including just 2 in the first three games of this trip south. Lets hope this turns around this weekend with three games in 44 hours |
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n/a
deleted
149 Posts |
Posted - 03/15/2012 : 06:05:50 AM
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Goals for home per game 3.66
Goals for road per game 2.67
Goals against home per game 2.88
Goals against road per game 3.50
Home average goals differential +0.78
Road average goals differential -0.83
Difference in goals differential between road and home is a staggering -1.61 PER GAME. This seems almost impossible. But it ain't.
The Cyclones are DEAD EVEN in goals for/against at 197 this season. This might be one of the most bi-polar home/road teams in ECHL history. Bob Case needs to tweak the Gatorade with something for the remaining six road games. Something very powerful.
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Edited by - n/a on 03/15/2012 06:09:27 AM |
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bags
(Person With Nothing Better To Do!)
USA
2224 Posts |
Posted - 03/15/2012 : 09:12:35 AM
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7 Florida Everblades.. 63 32 24 2 5 71
8 Cincinnati Cyclones. 62 29 24 2 7 67
9 Chicago Express .....62 28 24 6 4 66
10 Reading Royals..... 63 29 27 3 4 65
11 Toledo Walleye..... 63 27 30 2 4 60
Sure getting tight for that 8th and FINAL playoff slot.
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ChazyG
(The Next Level!)
USA
377 Posts |
Posted - 03/15/2012 : 10:58:06 AM
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| Yet out west there are 2 teams with loosing records likely to get in. |
<<Section 102 RowG>>
http://www.CyclonesFanclub.org
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elvis77
(Loves To Post!)
1435 Posts |
Posted - 03/15/2012 : 12:07:56 PM
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@ChazyG - The West is a joke. I think my beer league team clinched our Western Conference playoff spot last weekend.
I've been calling out the defensive all season but let's face it, this team, while having some decent personnel, is far to inconsistent at both ends of the ice to be successful on a regular basis.
They're not strong enough defensively to win low scoring games and they don't score prolifically enough to win high scoring affairs. |
"PBR can do that to you....1,2,3,12 beers and you're f**ked"
-oscar
"and i don't give a damn 'bout my bad reputation" - joan jett
"beer is proof that god loves us and wants us to be happy." - benjamin franklin
"is that a pulled pork sandwich i smell?"
"some things are just better without pants...."
www.cycwords.wordpress.com |
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dbc
(Been Here Awhile)
865 Posts |
Posted - 03/15/2012 : 2:41:41 PM
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I think they have had difficulty balancing both ends of the ice. I know they prefer to play defense first, which is fine, and look for mistakes and turnovers to generate the offense. This is fine but I don't think they have the skill players up front to really generate this type of offense. When they switch to a full offensive game like they have been forced to do way too many times at home this year when being down in the third period, they need to use a five man attack which then leaves them open to break outs etc from the other team. Rats I think your description of them being bi-polar is spot on. They can either play a game focused on defense or one focused on offense, but can't seem to be able to integrate the two.
Reading I believe has five games left with Trenton. Could well come down to the last game of the season (Chicago at home). I just hope there is a pure winner by points for the last playoff spot and not one of these tie breakers on wins, wins in regulation, etc etc. Chicago also looks like they have come up with a goalie at last and could be tough with lots of home games left. He shut out K-zoo in the prior game and gave up one goal to Wheeling last night. |
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cloneinator
(Been Here Awhile)
USA
597 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2012 : 7:11:40 PM
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I'm sure I will get blasted on here, but maybe the best thing that could happen is the 'Clones fall out of the race. The eighth seed is nothing but the "Best of the worst," and Cyclones fans and the organization is accustomed to far better than that.
Backing in to the playoffs would be little more than a reason to keep things in the status quo, and this is not the Reds or the Bengals. A change needs to at least be considered.
Just sayin'.... |
...And on the eighth day, GOD created the Cyclones! |
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