Owen Sound Attack 2024-25 Season, Part I

[leafsrdue]

It's the inconsistency that is confusing. Yesterday #28 Attack crosschecks a Knight in the crease. Clear penalty. #13 London comes in behind that play and crosschecks an Attack player. No call. What is the difference?

 

[Millpond]

Proud of the way the team played on Sunday.
8 rookies ( Koprowski BUG), Mbuyi away at U17.

So 7 rookies taking regular shifts , 12- 16 & 17 yr olds on this squad.

Holding the Knights to 1 goal ( of course Carter had a lot to do with that)

A much different approach this season .

Well played, boys.

 

[hockeyisbest]

100% they do

Glad to know it’s not just me seeing it that way.

 

[Sal Iaccuzzo]

I watched the game on CHL TV, I’m always curious about officiating when it comes to London, and it certainly seems that London gets away with a lot of penalties.

The Knights had the most PIM in the league last year and currently have the 3rd most this year.

 

[PensFan101]

Some thoughts I had after yesterday's (very entertaining) game:

• I think we should start discussing whether George is going to be the best goalie in Attack history, and it's so reassuring watching arguably the best goalie in Canada in the pipes every game;
• Eight game losing streak and sure, the team has rarely not been competitive in those games, but they really need to start winning or playoffs will be out of reach soon;
• Everyone obviously sees the buy in from every guy into Wray's system, but I am starting to wonder about his flexibility early. A few stubborn line combinations that haven't produced results, and older players that I think are being force fed into roles they aren't excelling in;
• The team really misses Mbuyi and the offence he creates. Wouldn't be surprised, even with the U17 games missed, that he's the team's go-to offensive player by the end of the season;
• After Mbuyi, I think our imports might be the next two most talented players on the team (Nansi also in the mix there). Coach doesn't seem to love Varosyan but he's got some sandpaper and the skill is undeniable. Bleicher seems to be winning his minutes more often than not, on a per minute basis has by far the most shots on goal among the D (25 so far), and after Rogers might be the next best fit for an offensive / powerplay role. Also seemed to relish the chippy stuff and got under the skin of several Knights players, who then went on to target him;
• Rogers really needed that goal yesterday and it's great to see the team looking to set up his great shot.

And obviously for the Knights, it's not favouritism from the refs, just look at who they are coached by. One of the most penalized hockey players ever, and one that was constantly walking (and crossing) the line. Something he has imparted on decades of London Knights players.

 

[hockeyisbest]

Some thoughts I had after yesterday's (very entertaining) game:

• I think we should start discussing whether George is going to be the best goalie in Attack history, and it's so reassuring watching arguably the best goalie in Canada in the pipes every game;
• Eight game losing streak and sure, the team has rarely not been competitive in those games, but they really need to start winning or playoffs will be out of reach soon;
• Everyone obviously sees the buy in from every guy into Wray's system, but I am starting to wonder about his flexibility early. A few stubborn line combinations that haven't produced results, and older players that I think are being force fed into roles they aren't excelling in;
• The team really misses Mbuyi and the offence he creates. Wouldn't be surprised, even with the U17 games missed, that he's the team's go-to offensive player by the end of the season;
• After Mbuyi, I think our imports might be the next two most talented players on the team (Nansi also in the mix there). Coach doesn't seem to love Varosyan but he's got some sandpaper and the skill is undeniable. Bleicher seems to be winning his minutes more often than not, on a per minute basis has by far the most shots on goal among the D (25 so far), and after Rogers might be the next best fit for an offensive / powerplay role. Also seemed to relish the chippy stuff and got under the skin of several Knights players, who then went on to target him;
• Rogers really needed that goal yesterday and it's great to see the team looking to set up his great shot.

And obviously for the Knights, it's not favouritism from the refs, just look at who they are coached by. One of the most penalized hockey players ever, and one that was constantly walking (and crossing) the line. Something he has imparted on decades of London Knights players.

Without a doubt the hunter brothers were some of the dirtiest players in hockey and probably still are, they talk like they are in some bar room about to start a brawl. Not sure why it is that OHL is always favouring London, the officiating is always in favour of London. With officials looking the other way, my concern is that some kid could get incredibly hurt.

 

[Sal Iaccuzzo]

Without a doubt the hunter brothers were some of the dirtiest players in hockey and probably still are, they talk like they are in some bar room about to start a brawl. Not sure why it is that OHL is always favouring London, the officiating is always in favour of London. With officials looking the other way, my concern is that some kid could get incredibly hurt.

They are favoured by the league by being at the top end for PIMs?

 

[hockeyisbest]

They are favoured by the league by being at the top end for PIMs?

You can receive 100 minutes in penalties per game but deserve 150, London gets away with a lot.

 

[Stellar29]

Some thoughts I had after yesterday's (very entertaining) game:

• I think we should start discussing whether George is going to be the best goalie in Attack history, and it's so reassuring watching arguably the best goalie in Canada in the pipes every game;
• Eight game losing streak and sure, the team has rarely not been competitive in those games, but they really need to start winning or playoffs will be out of reach soon;
• Everyone obviously sees the buy in from every guy into Wray's system, but I am starting to wonder about his flexibility early. A few stubborn line combinations that haven't produced results, and older players that I think are being force fed into roles they aren't excelling in;
• The team really misses Mbuyi and the offence he creates. Wouldn't be surprised, even with the U17 games missed, that he's the team's go-to offensive player by the end of the season;
• After Mbuyi, I think our imports might be the next two most talented players on the team (Nansi also in the mix there). Coach doesn't seem to love Varosyan but he's got some sandpaper and the skill is undeniable. Bleicher seems to be winning his minutes more often than not, on a per minute basis has by far the most shots on goal among the D (25 so far), and after Rogers might be the next best fit for an offensive / powerplay role. Also seemed to relish the chippy stuff and got under the skin of several Knights players, who then went on to target him;
• Rogers really needed that goal yesterday and it's great to see the team looking to set up his great shot.

And obviously for the Knights, it's not favouritism from the refs, just look at who they are coached by. One of the most penalized hockey players ever, and one that was constantly walking (and crossing) the line. Something he has imparted on decades of London Knights players.

These are some very good points. We know George is special, I'd imagine he may earn #1 goalie by reputation without the stats behind him if the team can't win enough games(certainly not his fault). I won't weigh in on the historicals as I haven't been here long enough but McNiven was the best for me since I moved here. George should challenge and likely exceed that.

The win loss record is deceiving. They haven't been blown out in any games and have played some very good teams to OT/SO. I can't complain at all about the effort level or product on the ice. As the youth develops and learns over the course of the season the wins will come. You play enough close games and you start to figure out how to convert them into wins.

I would tend to agree on the line combo deal but we did see some significant changes made this past weekend. I understand giving the vets the top line minutes early and then having the younger guys slot in as their play warrants. Waddick has stumbled of late and dropped, Crawford has struggled as 1C of late, McCue and Delisle slot up with Hookey. I don't think it's so much an unwillingness to change as much as it's likely a challenge to guys to force change(just my opinion). One of my favorite parts of this year is everybody plays. I haven't noticed anybody sitting for extended stretches of any of the games.

Definitely agree on Mbuyi. Really notice his absence. He's been really impressive so far.

Loved Bleicher's game of late. Lots of piss and vinegar as DeGray would say. He's starting to look more comfortable out there and you're now starting to see the offense come out.

I like the glimpses we've seen from Varosyan. He's not been shy with the physicality. I think they've played him with players that aren't really a good fit. Recently, he's spent time with McDonald, Tersigni and Cormier. All three, at least in my opinion, have a propensity to hold pucks too long and don't use their teammates effectively. I find those three often skate it into trouble instead of trying to find a teammate way too often. I could see him having success with Nansi as I think their skill game could compliment each other.

Overall, I really like the way the team plays and the style of hockey the coaching staff is building. It's entertaining to watch. They play really fast and aggressive on the puck all over the ice. There's rarely a dull moment in the hockey game. Personally, I'm most pleased with the D core as I feel like the collection of pieces they've put together have the potential to be one of the best cores we've seen on an Attack team in quite some time over the next year or two. Arnett has to be the biggest, most pleasant surprise in the early going, at least for me.

 

[Sal Iaccuzzo]

You can receive 100 minutes in penalties per game but deserve 150, London gets away with a lot.

So they should be in their own category for PIM well above the rest of the league?

They definitely push the limit of tough vs dirty but they aren't the only ones and they are penalised accordingly for the most part.

 

[hockeyisbest]

So they should be in their own category for PIM well above the rest of the league?

They definitely push the limit of tough vs dirty but they aren't the only ones and they are penalised accordingly for the most part.

They get the penalties called against other teams, especially at the clutch points of a game.

 

[Millpond]

I said at the beginning, Mbuyi is our next Joey Hishon .
Hoping by January Bleicher is a staple on the PP.

We have yet to see Bedkowski, he will certainly add to our already solid d core .

There are some 16/17 yr olds who will start pushing vets for minutes .

 

[hockeyisbest]

Some thoughts I had after yesterday's (very entertaining) game:

• I think we should start discussing whether George is going to be the best goalie in Attack history, and it's so reassuring watching arguably the best goalie in Canada in the pipes every game;
• Eight game losing streak and sure, the team has rarely not been competitive in those games, but they really need to start winning or playoffs will be out of reach soon;
• Everyone obviously sees the buy in from every guy into Wray's system, but I am starting to wonder about his flexibility early. A few stubborn line combinations that haven't produced results, and older players that I think are being force fed into roles they aren't excelling in;
• The team really misses Mbuyi and the offence he creates. Wouldn't be surprised, even with the U17 games missed, that he's the team's go-to offensive player by the end of the season;
• After Mbuyi, I think our imports might be the next two most talented players on the team (Nansi also in the mix there). Coach doesn't seem to love Varosyan but he's got some sandpaper and the skill is undeniable. Bleicher seems to be winning his minutes more often than not, on a per minute basis has by far the most shots on goal among the D (25 so far), and after Rogers might be the next best fit for an offensive / powerplay role. Also seemed to relish the chippy stuff and got under the skin of several Knights players, who then went on to target him;
• Rogers really needed that goal yesterday and it's great to see the team looking to set up his great shot.

And obviously for the Knights, it's not favouritism from the refs, just look at who they are coached by. One of the most penalized hockey players ever, and one that was constantly walking (and crossing) the line. Something he has imparted on decades of London Knights players.

As an Oshawa fan, I am watching what’s happening with the two players that were traded to you, I can tell you that the two regular season games that we played against London last season, both officiated by Reid, were unbelievably horrible calls by Reid, that cost us those games, Reid also reffed every playoff game against London and he also refereed every playoff game in the memorial cup that involved London, until it came down to the finals, because that way OHL was assured that they would win the Cup.

 

[ohloutsider]

JC needs to stop having too much coffee before he does the PBP. Needs to dial it down a bit.

 

[Stellar29]

Solid win tonight. The big boys showed up and delivered on offense. Koprowski was good when he was called upon.

Leonard's injury didn't look good. Hopefully it's not as bad as it looked. Hopefully Bedkowski can play on the weekend otherwise we are down to 5 healthy D again. Even if Bedkowski can play, Smith isn't back for at least another month and Leonard could be gone awhile. Do we have to go find another D or live with 6D? I thought the boys handled the extra minutes well over the final 40 minutes with Leonard out, especially Bleicher who really stood out to me.

How about Tersigni with 7 goals? I'm still not entirely sure what he is as a player but nice to see him finding success. Some much needed depth scoring for the Attack this season.

JC needs to stop having too much coffee before he does the PBP. Needs to dial it down a bit.

Haha I'll give you that. He definitely gets excited on the mic, certainly gets the heart rate up. When Mark McKelvie isn't doing the call, JC is a pretty solid replacement.

 

[Millpond]

Arnett took a puck to the face and left , finished with 4 D.

Hope Bedkowski is ready this weekend .

Loosing 2 overage dmen long term is gonna hurt.

 

[Stellar29]

View attachment 927218
Arnett took a puck to the face and left , finished with 4 D.

Hope Bedkowski is ready this weekend .

Loosing 2 overage dmen long term is gonna hurt.

I completely missed Arnett getting injured. That's a real kick in the teeth with how good he's been. The injury issues on the back end are really starting to add up. Have to imagine they're on the hunt for another body back there.

 

[Millpond]

I completely missed Arnett getting injured. That's a real kick in the teeth with how good he's been. The injury issues on the back end are really starting to add up. Have to imagine they're on the hunt for another body back there.

Actually a puck to the teeth

 

[Stellar29]

Actually a puck to the teeth

Ok, Ok, enough with the semantics lol.

I wonder if the NCAA/CHL ruling tomorrow paired with the Attack's injury situation could open the door for Jet Kwajah? I think he's the only realistic option amongst the internal candidates to join and contribute this year(assuming the Mason Roy ship has sailed). He's only played in 3 of the 13 games with Madison to date sitting the last ten. The apparent ice time availability in Owen Sound could be enticing. Otherwise I think DeGray has to go shopping. We're likely looking at a month at least before we can get a 7th healthy D and Bedkowski is just set to return coming off injury now. That might be a lot of risk with just 6 D for that amount of time.

 

[AttackSound]

Team played a solid game tonight.

They really worked on what coaches like to call "The Little Things". They really shutdown the Sarnia's shots throughout the game and made the most of their opportunities.

We're really starting to see the what this team is capable of in the production side of the game throughout the lineup and it showed tonight the hard work this team has been working on since the start of the season.

Good to see Koprowski get the victory and build his confidence up, he's got good size and he uses his angles very well and showed a small sample size of that tonight versus the Sting in the 5-2 victory as part of the 5 game home stand. As they continue into the weekend against Kitchener and Sudbury let's see if they can build off tonight confidence boost into Saturday night versus the Rangers.