The Yankees are attempting to repeat as AL East Champions in 2012. As such, they are going forward with a team that includes a long list of returning players from 2011. One such area with a returning player in place is center field.
1. Curtis Granderson: Granderson is still under Yankee control for the time being, and no one is complaining about that. Last season he batted .262, with 136 runs scored, 41 homers, 119 runs batted in, and 25 stolen bases. In addition, he plays solid defense in center field. The only real blemish for Granderson is that he still struggles a bit against lefties. But the Yankees aren't worried; they're expecting him to have another strong season next year.
2. Brett Gardner: Gardner is still under Yankee control, and he'll be in the lineup almost everyday, though he's expected to play multiple positions and bat in various spots in the lineup. He should get some time in center field when the Yankees face a lefty. Last season he batted .259 with 49 stolen bases.
3. Chris Dickerson: Dickerson is a young player in the Yankees system who is still under club control. He batted .260 in 50 at-bats last season, and is known more for his defense than his bat. Dickerson was a favorite to stick with the team until DH /LF Raul Ibanez was signed. Now that DH/OF Andruw Jones will be used in a fourth outfielder's role Dickerson's chances of sticking with the team are much more slim. He's likely headed back to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season, though he'll be the first person recalled in the Yankees need an outfielder.
4. Justin Maxwell: Maxwell is a former top prospect in the Washington organization who moved to the Yankees last season. He was injured for most of last season, batting .260 in 177 at-bats for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Maxwell plays good defense in the outfield and is in the running for a fourth outfielder's job, but now he finds himself behind Jones and Dickerson. He's likely headed back to AAA next season, and it's possible he may be given his outright release by the Yankees in the Spring.
5. Melky Mesa: Mesa is a player coming up through the Yankees system who they have added to the 40-man roster to protect from the Rule V Draft. Mesa had a down season last year in the Minors, batting .249 in 398 at-bats. In addition, he struck out 133 times and only drew 39 walks. Mesa, however, is known for his defense and has never been a good hitter, and his defense is still as strong as ever. He'll probably be headed back to Trenton this season, but he should be promoted to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre soon and a September call-up wouldn't be out of the question for him.
6. Dewayne Wise: Wise is a veteran who the Yankees have signed to a Minor League contract and invited to Spring Training. Wise spent most of last season in the Majors with Toronto and Florida but did not perform well, batting .202 in 99 at-bats. A defensive specialist, Wise is trying to win a job as a fourth outfielder, but finds himself low on the totem pole and is not guaranteed money like Jones. He'll probably be offered a spot on the team at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, though it will be curious to see if he accepts that assignment.
The Yankees look strong in center field. Granderson is a star in every sense of the word. Gardner is also an exceptional player in left and a capable fill-in when Granderson sits in center. Dickerson, Maxwell, and Wise are good for depth. Mesa is an interesting player in the system.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012
At Large bids in, Bracket and Rankings Announced
The first eight teams were easy. All of the conferences had automatic qualifiers for the champions. Those teams were Norwich (ECAC East), Wentworth (ECAC Northeast), Plymouth State (MASCAC), Milwaukee School of Engineering (MCHA), Gustavus Adolphus (MIAC), Amherst (NESCAC), St. Norbert (NCHA), and Plattsburgh (SUNYAC). The three remaining teams in the 11-team field were to be selected as at-large bids. Looking at the latest set of rankings, those shouldn't have been hard to figure out.
Oswego ended the regular-season run ranked number one in the nation. They lost that distinction when they were defeated in the SUNYAC Championship Game by Plattsburgh, but they were still an easy choice for the first at-large bid. Looking at the rest of the rankings, it appeared pretty easy to pick them as well. The committee apparently wanted to take one team out of the East and one out of the West, and in that case the rankings are clear: Adrian at number six (West), and Castleton at number seven (East).
But alas, that's not what happened. Adrian was snubbed in favor of St. Thomas, who were ranked eighth and were still a solid pick, albeit undeserving. But then Castleton was snubbed in favor of Elmira, ranked 13th. 13th? How the hell did Elmira get a bid? Once again the NCAA selecting committee has proven itself as incompetent at the worst level. Just to prove a point, every Oswego State Lakers hockey fan was sitting on pins and needles all day yesterday until the selections were announced at 9:30, and that was the number one team in the nation until then, because of the randomness, biases, and general incompetency of the NCAA selection committee.
I suppose it is important to note that Norwich has a representative on the selection committee, and that person (Michael McShane) probably did everything in his power to keep other ECAC East teams out of the NCAA Tournament. And that's right folks, Castleton plays in the ECAC East and has basically emerged as Norwich's biggest and most relevant rival over the past two seasons. Having said that, I don't really have an explanation for St. Thomas over Adrian. The Bulldogs got screwed.
The first round of the playoffs begin on March 7, but the Lakers - despite their at-large status - have been byed into the quarterfinals where they will face Elmira (that's right) at the Campus Center Ice Arena in Oswego, New York on March 10. It's amazing to me that not only did Elmira get an at-large bid that they didn't deserve, they got ranked highly enough by the NCAA to get a bye into the quarterfinals.
All of the relevant information on the NCAA Tournament can be seen here. In addition, the schedule and results can be viewed here as the tournament progresses. The quarterfinal results (quarterfinals take place on March 10) can be viewed here as the road to the Frozen Four continues.
Oswego ended the regular-season run ranked number one in the nation. They lost that distinction when they were defeated in the SUNYAC Championship Game by Plattsburgh, but they were still an easy choice for the first at-large bid. Looking at the rest of the rankings, it appeared pretty easy to pick them as well. The committee apparently wanted to take one team out of the East and one out of the West, and in that case the rankings are clear: Adrian at number six (West), and Castleton at number seven (East).
But alas, that's not what happened. Adrian was snubbed in favor of St. Thomas, who were ranked eighth and were still a solid pick, albeit undeserving. But then Castleton was snubbed in favor of Elmira, ranked 13th. 13th? How the hell did Elmira get a bid? Once again the NCAA selecting committee has proven itself as incompetent at the worst level. Just to prove a point, every Oswego State Lakers hockey fan was sitting on pins and needles all day yesterday until the selections were announced at 9:30, and that was the number one team in the nation until then, because of the randomness, biases, and general incompetency of the NCAA selection committee.
I suppose it is important to note that Norwich has a representative on the selection committee, and that person (Michael McShane) probably did everything in his power to keep other ECAC East teams out of the NCAA Tournament. And that's right folks, Castleton plays in the ECAC East and has basically emerged as Norwich's biggest and most relevant rival over the past two seasons. Having said that, I don't really have an explanation for St. Thomas over Adrian. The Bulldogs got screwed.
The first round of the playoffs begin on March 7, but the Lakers - despite their at-large status - have been byed into the quarterfinals where they will face Elmira (that's right) at the Campus Center Ice Arena in Oswego, New York on March 10. It's amazing to me that not only did Elmira get an at-large bid that they didn't deserve, they got ranked highly enough by the NCAA to get a bye into the quarterfinals.
All of the relevant information on the NCAA Tournament can be seen here. In addition, the schedule and results can be viewed here as the tournament progresses. The quarterfinal results (quarterfinals take place on March 10) can be viewed here as the road to the Frozen Four continues.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Lakers lose Heartbreaker to Plattsburgh; Season now in Jeopardy
The Lakers lost a heart-breaker in the SUNYAC Championship game last night to the Plattsburgh Cardinals in a game that could end their season. Oswego went into the game sitting in a strong first place in the SUNYAC and had breezed through the playoffs up until last night. Plattsburgh was in a strong second place and had had trouble in the playoffs, getting taken to triple overtime last week at home against Buff State.
In a game that matched two strong defensive teams with two excellent D-I transfer goalies and great penalty kills, the first period went by scoreless. Oswego got the scoring started at 9:15 in the second period when Jon Whitelaw scored on a five-on-three power play from an assist by Paul Rodrigues. Plattsburgh struck back at 18:49 in the second when Jared Docking scored on a power play with assists from Nick Jensen and Paul Puglisi.
Tied at one in the third, Plattsburgh took a lead at 4:33 on a goal by Mike Grace with an assist from Matt MacLeod. The Cardinals sealed the deal at 8:26 in the third on a second goal by Jensen with an assist from Kyle Kudroch. Oswego started a comeback only seven seconds later when Kyle Badham scored on an unassisted goal at 8:33, but were stifled by Platty's defense the rest of the way.
Plattsburgh out-shot Oswego 27 to 17. Mathieu Cadieux went 15 for 17 in the net for Plattsburgh while Andrew Hare went 24 for 27 in the net for the Lakers. Both teams demonstrated a characteristically-strong penalty kill, and Oswego essentially lost the game when they went one-for-five on power plays against the Cardinals, and their only power-play-goal came on a five-on-three power play. Plattsburgh only had two power plays and scored on one of them.
With the win and the SUNYAC crown Plattsburgh receives an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament which will culminate in the Frozen Four at the Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, New York on March 16 and 17. They are in line to be ranked as the number two or three team in the East bracket.
Oswego will now have to rely on an at-large bid from the NCAA if they have any hopes of continuing their season in the NCAA tournament. Currently ranked number one in the nation, that bid should be all-but ensured, but the keywords in that statement are "all" and "but." The number-one ranked team usually makes it into the tournament but stranger things have happened and you can never trust the at-large bid selecting committee. Last season Castleton was ranked in prime position to receive an at-large bid but were snubbed in favor of Neumann, who were ranked seven positions lower than the Spartans at the time. In addition, the well-known Oswego bias on the NCAA selecting committee could prevent them from receiving a bid into the tourney.
NCAA at-large bids, playoff rankings, and brackets will be announced tonight at 9:30.
In a game that matched two strong defensive teams with two excellent D-I transfer goalies and great penalty kills, the first period went by scoreless. Oswego got the scoring started at 9:15 in the second period when Jon Whitelaw scored on a five-on-three power play from an assist by Paul Rodrigues. Plattsburgh struck back at 18:49 in the second when Jared Docking scored on a power play with assists from Nick Jensen and Paul Puglisi.
Tied at one in the third, Plattsburgh took a lead at 4:33 on a goal by Mike Grace with an assist from Matt MacLeod. The Cardinals sealed the deal at 8:26 in the third on a second goal by Jensen with an assist from Kyle Kudroch. Oswego started a comeback only seven seconds later when Kyle Badham scored on an unassisted goal at 8:33, but were stifled by Platty's defense the rest of the way.
Plattsburgh out-shot Oswego 27 to 17. Mathieu Cadieux went 15 for 17 in the net for Plattsburgh while Andrew Hare went 24 for 27 in the net for the Lakers. Both teams demonstrated a characteristically-strong penalty kill, and Oswego essentially lost the game when they went one-for-five on power plays against the Cardinals, and their only power-play-goal came on a five-on-three power play. Plattsburgh only had two power plays and scored on one of them.
With the win and the SUNYAC crown Plattsburgh receives an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament which will culminate in the Frozen Four at the Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, New York on March 16 and 17. They are in line to be ranked as the number two or three team in the East bracket.
Oswego will now have to rely on an at-large bid from the NCAA if they have any hopes of continuing their season in the NCAA tournament. Currently ranked number one in the nation, that bid should be all-but ensured, but the keywords in that statement are "all" and "but." The number-one ranked team usually makes it into the tournament but stranger things have happened and you can never trust the at-large bid selecting committee. Last season Castleton was ranked in prime position to receive an at-large bid but were snubbed in favor of Neumann, who were ranked seven positions lower than the Spartans at the time. In addition, the well-known Oswego bias on the NCAA selecting committee could prevent them from receiving a bid into the tourney.
NCAA at-large bids, playoff rankings, and brackets will be announced tonight at 9:30.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Rematch Set: SUNYAC Championship on the Line
Oswego and Plattsburgh will once again face off for the SUNYAC Championship crown. Saturday night's game at the Campus Center Ice Arena in Oswego marks the 12th time the two SUNYAC juggernauts have met for the tittle. Historically Plattsburgh has had Oswego's number winning 9 of the previous 11 matchups. However, Oswego has dominated recently with a record of 6-0-1 (including the 2010 SUNYAC Championship) in their last 7 meetings. This season Oswego tied at Plattsburgh 2-2 and Oswego shutout Plattsburgh at home 3-0 a few weeks ago in the annual whiteout game.
Plattsburgh advanced to the final by edging out Buffalo State in a 4-3 triple OT game. Oswego advanced to the championship game after cruising by Fredonia 8-3 last Saturday.
What's on the line (besides the SUNYAC crown and obvious bragging rights)?
For Oswego: A win would give the Lakers an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament and most likely seal their case on the #1 seed in the east bracket. This would give them a first round bye and allow Oswego to host a home NCAA quarterfinal game against the lowest remaining seed next Saturday night. Even if Oswego was the lose they would most likely be guaranteed an at-large bid into the NCAAs and still be ranked the #1 or #2 seed in the east bracket.
For Plattsburgh: A win would give the Cardinals an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament and grant them a #2 or #3 seeding in the east bracket. They would mostly likely host their first playoff game either in the play-in-round or in the quarterfinals. If they lose they would also have to rely on an at-large bid to get into the tournament. They would be in great shape to receive the at-large bid but their seeding stock would fall and they would most likely have to play in the first (or play-in) round.
The puck drops tonight at 7pm in Oswego. For those unable to make it to the game you can listen live on WYNO, or watch online via Oswego Athletics. The game will also air on TV, Time Warner 96 in Oswego or Time Warner 1027 in Central NY.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Whatever Happened to...? A Laker Alumni Update
Whatever happened to Rich Zalewski?
Zalewski was a defender born on January 11, 1985 in New Hartford, New York. He stood at a height of six feet and weighed 204 pounds. Zalewski was a good player at New Hartford High School but went undrafted upon graduation. He opted instead to attend SUNY Oswego where he was promised a tryout on the hockey team. Though the tryout was probably bogus, Lakers head coach Ed Gosek was impressed by what he saw and decided to give Zalewski a spot on the team. Going straight to Oswego without playing in juniors made Zalewski one of the last in the long line of a dying breed amongst the Division II/III Oswego State Lakers hockey players.
In his first year with the Lakers Zalewski played in 13 games and tallied two assists. In his sophomore year with the Lakers he played in 28 games and tallied 17 points. In his junior year with the Lakers Zalewski played in 24 games and tallied another 17 points. In his senior year with the Lakers Zalewski scored in 18 games and tallied seven points.
Zalewski went undrafted out of college but quickly signed a contract with the independent Twin City Cyclones of the SPHL, where he tallied an assist in six games. Following the season he signed with the Knoxville Ice Bears, also of the SPHL, where he tallied 11 points in 31 games. He was traded to the Pensacola Ice Flyers late in the season where he played in 12 games without tallying a point. The next season Zalewski signed with the independent Rome Frenzy of the FHL, but was released after playing in one game.
Zalewski retired after being released by the Frenzy and returned to his home in nearby New Hartford. He still lives in New Hartford where he works as an auditor for a local chain of Stewart's Shops.
Zalewski was a defender born on January 11, 1985 in New Hartford, New York. He stood at a height of six feet and weighed 204 pounds. Zalewski was a good player at New Hartford High School but went undrafted upon graduation. He opted instead to attend SUNY Oswego where he was promised a tryout on the hockey team. Though the tryout was probably bogus, Lakers head coach Ed Gosek was impressed by what he saw and decided to give Zalewski a spot on the team. Going straight to Oswego without playing in juniors made Zalewski one of the last in the long line of a dying breed amongst the Division II/III Oswego State Lakers hockey players.
In his first year with the Lakers Zalewski played in 13 games and tallied two assists. In his sophomore year with the Lakers he played in 28 games and tallied 17 points. In his junior year with the Lakers Zalewski played in 24 games and tallied another 17 points. In his senior year with the Lakers Zalewski scored in 18 games and tallied seven points.
Zalewski went undrafted out of college but quickly signed a contract with the independent Twin City Cyclones of the SPHL, where he tallied an assist in six games. Following the season he signed with the Knoxville Ice Bears, also of the SPHL, where he tallied 11 points in 31 games. He was traded to the Pensacola Ice Flyers late in the season where he played in 12 games without tallying a point. The next season Zalewski signed with the independent Rome Frenzy of the FHL, but was released after playing in one game.
Zalewski retired after being released by the Frenzy and returned to his home in nearby New Hartford. He still lives in New Hartford where he works as an auditor for a local chain of Stewart's Shops.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Mets Center Fielders
The Mets are attempting to tread water this season in the second official year of a rebuilding program. They have opted to go forward with young players and prospects, returning Mets from last season, and veteran additions to the team. One area with a veteran import in place is center field.
1. Andres Torres: Torres was acquired from San Francisco along with RHP Ramon Ramirez in exchange for CF Angel Pagan. Torres had a disappointing season in the Bay Area last year, batting .221 with 19 stolen bases and only 50 runs scored, although he continued to play exceptional defense in center field. The Mets are hoping for a return to his 2010 form from Torres, when he batted .268 and stole 26 bases with a more reasonable 84 runs scored.
2. Scott Hairston: Hairston was re-signed this off-season to return to the Mets in his role as a right-handed pinch hitter. He had a bad season last year, batting .235 in 132 at-bats while spending the last part of the season on the disabled list. Hairston did manage to hit seven home runs in those at-bats and could have gotten to double digits had he not been injured, but that would have entailed an impressive display of power down the stretch that Hairston didn't demonstrate all season long. The Mets are hoping that Hairston can do a decent job against left-handed pitchers off the bench, stay healthy, and get to double digits in homers in his limited role.
3. Kirk Niewenhuis: Niewenhuis is a top prospect that the Mets are taking a look at in Spring Training. He only played in 53 games at Buffalo due to injury last season, but he performed well when healthy, batting .298 in 188 at-bats and playing strong defense. Niewenhuis is probably ready for the Majors but the Mets have questions about his immediate health and were not prepared to proceed with an unknown in center field this season, although he could find himself in Flushing sooner then he thinks with a fast start at Buffalo.
4. Matt Den Dekker: Den Dekker is a young player in the Mets system who they're taking a look at in Spring Training as a non-roster invitee. Den Dekker had a decent season last year, batting .265 in 539 Minor League at-bats with 24 stolen bases and 103 runs scored and strong defense in center field, although he struck out an alarming 156 times. Den Dekker probably won't be ready for the Majors until sometime late in 2013 and he'll probably be headed back to Binghamton to start 2012, although he could get a recall in September with a strong season this year. In the meantime, the Mets are hoping that Den Dekker can raise his batting average while continuing to steal bases, score runs, and play good defense up the middle. Also, he needs to cut down on his strikeout rate desperately or he'll never make it to the Majors.
The Mets don't look good in center field. Torres in center and leading off is in for a tall order, as he has to simultaneously replace both Pagan and SS Jose Reyes and considering that his on-base percentage was .312 last year (90 points higher than his average), he'll have to raise his batting average about 40 points to serve as a passable leadoff hitter. Hairston is acceptable as a right-handed pinch hitter, but he was over matched in right field last season and had enough problems in left at Citi Field and, given the fact that he's also a natural second baseman, he probably won't be in center field too often this year. If Niewenhuis didn't get hurt last year he'd probably be ready to start in center this season, but he shouldn't fret because he could potentially be playing center field everyday in Queens as soon as May if he gets off to a fast start at Buffalo and Torres starts slowly for the Mets. Den Dekker is a nice-looking player but he's still a year-and-a-half away from being ready.
1. Andres Torres: Torres was acquired from San Francisco along with RHP Ramon Ramirez in exchange for CF Angel Pagan. Torres had a disappointing season in the Bay Area last year, batting .221 with 19 stolen bases and only 50 runs scored, although he continued to play exceptional defense in center field. The Mets are hoping for a return to his 2010 form from Torres, when he batted .268 and stole 26 bases with a more reasonable 84 runs scored.
2. Scott Hairston: Hairston was re-signed this off-season to return to the Mets in his role as a right-handed pinch hitter. He had a bad season last year, batting .235 in 132 at-bats while spending the last part of the season on the disabled list. Hairston did manage to hit seven home runs in those at-bats and could have gotten to double digits had he not been injured, but that would have entailed an impressive display of power down the stretch that Hairston didn't demonstrate all season long. The Mets are hoping that Hairston can do a decent job against left-handed pitchers off the bench, stay healthy, and get to double digits in homers in his limited role.
3. Kirk Niewenhuis: Niewenhuis is a top prospect that the Mets are taking a look at in Spring Training. He only played in 53 games at Buffalo due to injury last season, but he performed well when healthy, batting .298 in 188 at-bats and playing strong defense. Niewenhuis is probably ready for the Majors but the Mets have questions about his immediate health and were not prepared to proceed with an unknown in center field this season, although he could find himself in Flushing sooner then he thinks with a fast start at Buffalo.
4. Matt Den Dekker: Den Dekker is a young player in the Mets system who they're taking a look at in Spring Training as a non-roster invitee. Den Dekker had a decent season last year, batting .265 in 539 Minor League at-bats with 24 stolen bases and 103 runs scored and strong defense in center field, although he struck out an alarming 156 times. Den Dekker probably won't be ready for the Majors until sometime late in 2013 and he'll probably be headed back to Binghamton to start 2012, although he could get a recall in September with a strong season this year. In the meantime, the Mets are hoping that Den Dekker can raise his batting average while continuing to steal bases, score runs, and play good defense up the middle. Also, he needs to cut down on his strikeout rate desperately or he'll never make it to the Majors.
The Mets don't look good in center field. Torres in center and leading off is in for a tall order, as he has to simultaneously replace both Pagan and SS Jose Reyes and considering that his on-base percentage was .312 last year (90 points higher than his average), he'll have to raise his batting average about 40 points to serve as a passable leadoff hitter. Hairston is acceptable as a right-handed pinch hitter, but he was over matched in right field last season and had enough problems in left at Citi Field and, given the fact that he's also a natural second baseman, he probably won't be in center field too often this year. If Niewenhuis didn't get hurt last year he'd probably be ready to start in center this season, but he shouldn't fret because he could potentially be playing center field everyday in Queens as soon as May if he gets off to a fast start at Buffalo and Torres starts slowly for the Mets. Den Dekker is a nice-looking player but he's still a year-and-a-half away from being ready.
All-SUNYAC Selections
Five Lakers landed spots on the 2011-2012 All-SUNYAC teams. Junior forward Jon Whitelaw earned First Team honors, while junior forward Paul Rodrigues and junior defenseman Zack Josepher were named to the Second Team. Junior goaltender Andrew Hare and junior defenseman Taylor Farris were selected to the Third Team. Here's the full roster courtesy of sunyac.com.
First Team
F - James Cody (Brockport) 19 G, 15 A, 34 Pts
F - Bryan Ross (Fredonia) 11 G, 28 A, 39 Pts
F - Jon Whitelaw (Oswego) 18 G, 21 A, 39 Pts
D - Danny Scagnelli (Geneseo) 2 G, 10 A, 12 Pts
D - Mike Grace (Plattsburgh) 0 G, 12 A, 12 Pts
G - Mathieu Cadieux (Plattsburgh) 15-4-3, 1.78 GAA, .930 SV%
Second Team
F - Ian Finnerty (Brockport) 11 G, 25 A, 36 Pts
F - Paul Rodrigues (Oswego) 13 G, 22 A, 35 Pts
F - Sy Nutkevitch (Potsdam) 9 G, 31 A, 40 Pts
D - Michael Hayward (Brockport) 6 G, 8 A, 14 Pts
D - Zach Josepher (Oswego) 3 G, 18 A, 21 Pts
G - Kevin Carr (Buffalo State) 11-12-2, 2.94 GAA, .910 SV%
Third Team
F - Drew Klin (Buffalo State) 16 G, 14 A, 30 Pts
F - Zachary Vit (Geneseo) 12 G, 19 A, 31 Pts
F - Kyle Kudroch (Plattsburgh) 9 G, 13 A, 22 Pts
D - Taylor Farris (Oswego) 3 G,10 A,13 Pts
D - Erick Ware (Potsdam) 4 G, 13 A, 17 Pts
G - Andrew Hare (Oswego) 19-2-2, 1.71 GAA, .931 SV%
After analyzing the results the LeRoy Crew has minimal disagreements with most of the position player selections. We understand that while more Lakers could have made the list on pure numbers the SUNYAC likes to spread the wealth around and include all teams. They do this for two reasons, first the SUNYAC is a liberal organization that abides by the "everyone's a winner" philosophy, similar to Pete's soft economic views. Secondly, they believe that this will allow outsiders to view the SUNYAC as a highly competitive league. Even though most followers will tell you that Oswego and Plattsburgh are the only two teams that can compete on a national level.
However, we have a serious disagreement when it comes to the goalie selections. Oswego's Andrew Hare has the best numbers of any goaltender in the league but the selection committee still ranks him lower than Plattsburgh's Cadieux and Buff State's Carr. After seeing all three goalies in action we believe Hare is the most talented and should be the clear winner. Now the numbers between Cadieux and Hare are similar and you could make the argument that Hare plays on a more talented team but there is no excuse for ranking Carr over Hare. Especially when the Buff State netminder has a losing record and gives up almost three goals per game. There is a clear bias at work within the selection committee. Could it be because Hare is a D-I transfer and not a true product of the SUNYAC? Could it be because the committee believes Hare is the second best goalie on his team behind a health Paul Beckwith. We'll let you decide.
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