(10-15-2014 11:14 AM)flushtheherd Wrote: I think that the size of our players is in direct correlation to the amount of time we are spending in the box this year... both of them are on the rise. I hope this trend is not consistent and proves to be merely a statistical anomaly.
I don't see it that way
Now as for some of the "type" of penalties, I think Murray talked about that in his Mon. presser after the Toronto game. It's the un-necessary penalties that he wants to eliminate from their game. He wants them to play physical, but play smart and play with a little more discipline.
We will probably end up earning our share of penalties and probably end up being one of the league leaders. But we will also draw quite a few, in part do to the size/strength of some our players. It kind of goes hand in hand with playing Murray's heavy/fast game.
It isn't so much the number of penalties that is a issue in a hockey game, it's "net goal differential" in special teams per game that matters.
For example, in the Toronto game, we put them on the power play 6 times, vs 4 PP opportunities for WMU. Neither team capitalized on their opportunities, so there was no net gain in special teams for either team. Obviously, we don't want to give the other team more PP chances in a game, as if all things are equal, special teams usually is the deciding factor in a hockey game
Now in the Caninisus series, Fri each team had 5 penalties, but WMU ended up with a special team net gain in goal differential of +1. Sat each team had 4 penalties and once again it's WMU end with a net gain of +1.
Last year, it wasn't the penalties that hurt us as much as did the lack of productivity on our power play. 5 on 5, we were one of the best teams in the league and our PK was also pretty good.