I took my first shot at the opening night lines over a month ago. I figure it is about time to take another stab at it and hear your input as well so feel free. The recruiting class has changed as we did not know who the 9th member and 7th dman on the roster was going to be. Now that we know that it is Ahti Oksanen, I can make a better guess at the dpairs and forward lines for the coming season.
1. Nieto-Gill- Cisse- I'm not changing my first line as I expect both Cisse and Gill to have big years compared to last year and Nieto should be first team Hockey East with his speed.
2. Megan- O'Regan- Kurker- Keeping the second line the same as well. I don't think Kurker and O'Regan will get thrown into the fire on the first line right away but both have the ability to be there later in the season for sure.
3. Lane- Myron- Rodrigues - I have Rodrigues back in the lineup as I just don't see leaving him out and if he has more of a scoring touch this season, he could put up big time points for this team. I think Myron and Lane will start on the third line as freshmen, but both have the ability to move up(or down) in the lineup from game to game.
4 Hohmann- Rosen - Santana- The loss of Courtnall hurts here but, I would expect Hohmann to get the nod over freshman Mike Moran. Hohman may not be your typical grinding fourth liner but he always skates hard and I think could bring a scoring threat to this checking line.
Extras: Matt Ronan, Jake Moscatel, Mike Moran
Defense
1. Noonan - Privitera - This would be one of the best pairing in the country if coach Parker keeps them together. I expect big years from both returning players.
2. Oksanen- Escobedo - The incoming Finnish freshman Oksanen will be a good fit with Escobedo who can cover up some of the mistakes the freshman will make, especially in the first half of the season.
3. Grzelcyk- MacGregor- Grzelcyk and 'Mac' would be the perfect pair as they seem to be very different type of defensemen. Grzelcyk is a more offensive, skilled passer while MacGregor stays at home and sends guys into the boards hard.
Extra: Ryan Ruikka
Goalies-
1. Maguire
2. O'Connor
3. Moccia
Now I think you really need to flip the 3rd and 4th lines. Hohmann adds speed and potential scoring in place of Courtnall. I see this line getting more ice than with Courtnall in the mix. With Rosen & Santana & Hohmann this line will check and hit hard plus can put the puck in the net too.Just MHO
ReplyDeleteOk then switch them. I was just looking to keep that Rosen line as the checking line whether it be third or fourth doesn't matter to me
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