Perseverance Personified<\/h4>\n![\"BRAUN\"](\"http:\/\/www.uscho.com\/images\/colorscans\/20012002\/nu_j_braun.jpg\")
<\/p>\nBRAUN<\/div>\n<\/div>\nIf during the offseason someone had asked which goaltender would have posted a 2.64 GAA and .912 save percentage at this point while playing in the majority of his team’s games, you’d have taken a long time to guess to Northeastern’s Jason Braun. The signing of top recruit Keni Gibson seemed to be the writing on Braun’s wall. Instead, Gibson has battled back ailments while Braun has taken the top job from Mike Gilhooly.<\/p>\n
“You’ve got to credit Jay,” says Bruce Crowder. “I called him on the phone in May or June sometime and told him, ‘You know, Jay, your back is to the wall here. With Mike and Gibson, you’re probably going to be on the outside looking in.’<\/p>\n
“He came back in great shape and took the challenge. Kudos to him. I don’t think that anything excites a coach more than when kids prove you wrong in a positive way.<\/p>\n
“Jay has had some great games for us. He’d probably like to have that third period back [against Providence] on Saturday night, but he’s played extremely well and given us a lift that we needed.”<\/p>\n
One That Almost Got Away<\/h4>\n
UMass-Amherst led UConn, 4-1, after two periods, having outshot the Huskies, 24-12. A good time to give your rookie goaltender, Tim Warner, some experience, right? <\/p>\n
However, what had looked like a game on the way to a rout became a nailbiter. Although the Minutemen won, 6-5, there were certainly some anxious moments.<\/p>\n
“I don’t ever believe that the game is in the bag,” says UMass coach Don “Toot” Cahoon when asked about the goaltender switch. “I’ve been involved in too many games to know better. At the same time, it’s just part of the whole process that you’re trying to find minutes for everyone in your program so that they have the opportunity to grow and develop. <\/p>\n
“The decision was made to give Mike Johnson some playing time because we didn’t feel that he’d played badly at Michigan State, but yet walked away with a sour feeling. We thought it would be important to give him some minutes so he could feel a little more positive. That’s what went into the decision to play Mike. <\/p>\n
“Then getting Timmy into there was just a part of it. ‘Geez, we’re at a point where we’re playing fairly well, let’s continue to play well and Timmy go in there and do your job.’ <\/p>\n
“You’ve got to be prepared to be able to handle this type of situation where you’re coming off the bench. It just didn’t work out that way. Neither the team played all that well in front of him nor did he have himself prepared to play up to his abilities.”<\/p>\n
Cahoon didn’t simply lay the near-disaster at the feet of his team’s extreme youth.<\/p>\n
“I don’t think you can quantify it young and veteran,” he says. “It’s just a matter of the team’s mental makeup. That’s something we’ve got to work on.”<\/p>\n
Bookend Rivalries<\/h4>\n
In two weekends, UMass will have taken on a natural interstate rival in UConn and an intrastate one in Lowell. Cahoon sees different factors in the two rivalries.<\/p>\n
![\"CAHOON\"](\"http:\/\/www.uscho.com\/images\/headshots\/uma_cahoon.jpg\")
<\/p>\nCAHOON<\/div>\n<\/div>\n“UConn is a natural rivalry for UMass,” he says. “These two athletic programs have competed on all fronts for many, many years. It’s the one school in the MAAC conference that’s absolutely that we play on a regular basis. There are a lot of people in Western Mass and Connecticut who are very interested to see how these two schools fare against each other. So that’s a natural rivalry that will be continued all through my time here for sure and I think well into the future.<\/p>\n
“The intrastate rivalry with Lowell is a great deal different and perhaps even more intense because we’re both in the same league. All the league rivalries develop on their own front no different than the Lowell-UMass rivalry. It’s naturally a big game for them and it’s a big game for us as well for many, many reasons beyond that we’re both from the state system.<\/p>\n
“We both compete for the same kids on a frequent basis, but more the fact that we’re competing for position within the league.”<\/p>\n
While the Minutemen were heavy favorites against UConn, Lowell poses some tough problems for UMass.<\/p>\n
“They play with a lot of energy,” says Cahoon. “They’re a physically tough team. They come at you. They finish their checks and they certainly forecheck as well as any team in our league. We’ll have to contain their forecheck to some degree, handle the physical side of the game and obviously be able to counterattack with some sort of offensive front.<\/p>\n
“They’re a much more experienced team than we are. They’re a team that has pretty much established an identity. We’re still in search of an identity. So it’ll be interesting to see how this plays out.”<\/p>\n
Trivia Contest<\/h4>\n
Last week’s question sparked an unprecedented amount of activity. It asked: in a regular season contest between two teams, what is the maximum number of players (skaters and goalies) for the two teams that can officially be credited with dressing in the one game? Give your rationale.<\/p>\n
A hint was given: It isn’t 42 (18 skaters and three goaltenders for each team). It’s a number much<\/i> higher than that. Think creatively and don’t worry about practical concerns such as how many players might actually be on a team’s roster or fit on the team bus.<\/p>\n
Three answers follow, the first of which is the one that was expected to be deemed correct. <\/p>\n
A team can dress 19 skaters and three goaltenders for the warm-ups, but only 18 skaters and three goaltenders for the game itself. However, the 19 and three during the warm-ups do not need to be the same 18 and three that actually suit up for the game. That results in 43 possible players per team for a total of 86.\nThe question, however, specified players being officially credited with dressing (that is, credited with a game played). The answer is 86 only if somehow the players during the warm-up can get on the scoresheet. <\/p>\n
How can that happen? Anyone assessed a penalty during the warm-up is listed as having officially played even if he is not one of the 18 and three to dress for the game. As a result, if the 22 for each side during the warm-ups take penalties and then do not actually dress for the game, then each team can reach the 43 limit and 86 is the answer.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nIf during the offseason someone had asked which goaltender would have posted a 2.64 GAA and .912 save percentage at this point while playing in the majority of his team’s games, you’d have taken a long time to guess to Northeastern’s Jason Braun. The signing of top recruit Keni Gibson seemed to be the writing on Braun’s wall. Instead, Gibson has battled back ailments while Braun has taken the top job from Mike Gilhooly.<\/p>\n
“You’ve got to credit Jay,” says Bruce Crowder. “I called him on the phone in May or June sometime and told him, ‘You know, Jay, your back is to the wall here. With Mike and Gibson, you’re probably going to be on the outside looking in.’<\/p>\n
“He came back in great shape and took the challenge. Kudos to him. I don’t think that anything excites a coach more than when kids prove you wrong in a positive way.<\/p>\n
“Jay has had some great games for us. He’d probably like to have that third period back [against Providence] on Saturday night, but he’s played extremely well and given us a lift that we needed.”<\/p>\n
One That Almost Got Away<\/h4>\n
UMass-Amherst led UConn, 4-1, after two periods, having outshot the Huskies, 24-12. A good time to give your rookie goaltender, Tim Warner, some experience, right? <\/p>\n
However, what had looked like a game on the way to a rout became a nailbiter. Although the Minutemen won, 6-5, there were certainly some anxious moments.<\/p>\n
“I don’t ever believe that the game is in the bag,” says UMass coach Don “Toot” Cahoon when asked about the goaltender switch. “I’ve been involved in too many games to know better. At the same time, it’s just part of the whole process that you’re trying to find minutes for everyone in your program so that they have the opportunity to grow and develop. <\/p>\n
“The decision was made to give Mike Johnson some playing time because we didn’t feel that he’d played badly at Michigan State, but yet walked away with a sour feeling. We thought it would be important to give him some minutes so he could feel a little more positive. That’s what went into the decision to play Mike. <\/p>\n
“Then getting Timmy into there was just a part of it. ‘Geez, we’re at a point where we’re playing fairly well, let’s continue to play well and Timmy go in there and do your job.’ <\/p>\n
“You’ve got to be prepared to be able to handle this type of situation where you’re coming off the bench. It just didn’t work out that way. Neither the team played all that well in front of him nor did he have himself prepared to play up to his abilities.”<\/p>\n
Cahoon didn’t simply lay the near-disaster at the feet of his team’s extreme youth.<\/p>\n
“I don’t think you can quantify it young and veteran,” he says. “It’s just a matter of the team’s mental makeup. That’s something we’ve got to work on.”<\/p>\n
Bookend Rivalries<\/h4>\n
In two weekends, UMass will have taken on a natural interstate rival in UConn and an intrastate one in Lowell. Cahoon sees different factors in the two rivalries.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n“UConn is a natural rivalry for UMass,” he says. “These two athletic programs have competed on all fronts for many, many years. It’s the one school in the MAAC conference that’s absolutely that we play on a regular basis. There are a lot of people in Western Mass and Connecticut who are very interested to see how these two schools fare against each other. So that’s a natural rivalry that will be continued all through my time here for sure and I think well into the future.<\/p>\n
“The intrastate rivalry with Lowell is a great deal different and perhaps even more intense because we’re both in the same league. All the league rivalries develop on their own front no different than the Lowell-UMass rivalry. It’s naturally a big game for them and it’s a big game for us as well for many, many reasons beyond that we’re both from the state system.<\/p>\n
“We both compete for the same kids on a frequent basis, but more the fact that we’re competing for position within the league.”<\/p>\n
While the Minutemen were heavy favorites against UConn, Lowell poses some tough problems for UMass.<\/p>\n
“They play with a lot of energy,” says Cahoon. “They’re a physically tough team. They come at you. They finish their checks and they certainly forecheck as well as any team in our league. We’ll have to contain their forecheck to some degree, handle the physical side of the game and obviously be able to counterattack with some sort of offensive front.<\/p>\n
“They’re a much more experienced team than we are. They’re a team that has pretty much established an identity. We’re still in search of an identity. So it’ll be interesting to see how this plays out.”<\/p>\n
Trivia Contest<\/h4>\n
Last week’s question sparked an unprecedented amount of activity. It asked: in a regular season contest between two teams, what is the maximum number of players (skaters and goalies) for the two teams that can officially be credited with dressing in the one game? Give your rationale.<\/p>\n
A hint was given: It isn’t 42 (18 skaters and three goaltenders for each team). It’s a number much<\/i> higher than that. Think creatively and don’t worry about practical concerns such as how many players might actually be on a team’s roster or fit on the team bus.<\/p>\n
Three answers follow, the first of which is the one that was expected to be deemed correct. <\/p>\n
The question, however, specified players being officially credited with dressing (that is, credited with a game played). The answer is 86 only if somehow the players during the warm-up can get on the scoresheet. <\/p>\n
How can that happen? Anyone assessed a penalty during the warm-up is listed as having officially played even if he is not one of the 18 and three to dress for the game. As a result, if the 22 for each side during the warm-ups take penalties and then do not actually dress for the game, then each team can reach the 43 limit and 86 is the answer.<\/p>\n