Looking for some feedback and analysis of last night’s game. I didn’t watch the entire game so was wondering what was the difference maker? Face-offs one lost, man up, man down, unforced turn overs, discipline and stupid penalties, etc....Or like most sports someone had to win someone had to lose good game overall taking them to OT?
Slax vs IMG Analysis
- Thread starter Previs423
- Start date
Caught a a series here or there, didn’t really watch the whole game either. Think they were just evenly matched but someone else can chime in,
Also, for the sallies guys here, kudos to that WSAL stream. Looked like a student run broadcast or something but hands down best stream i’ve watched. Been some really bad broadcasts since covid so appreciate the boys who put that on last night.
Also, for the sallies guys here, kudos to that WSAL stream. Looked like a student run broadcast or something but hands down best stream i’ve watched. Been some really bad broadcasts since covid so appreciate the boys who put that on last night.
I was there for the game. I watched IMG warm up and my first impression was that they were big, fast and quick. Looked more like a college team physically then a high school team. My first thought after watching them warm up was that they were going to kill the Sals.
As for the game I did not keep track of the actual numbers but with the exception of procedure calls on the guy from IMG the vast majority of face offs were won by IMG.
I was keeping track of turnovers in the beginning and Sallies had 5 or 6 before IMG committed one. Two unforced turnovers by the same kid from Sallies resulted in two fast break goals for IMG. IMG added a man up goal in the first so 3 of the 4 goals for IMG came as a result of Sals mistakes.
Score by quarter:
IMG 4 1 2 4 1 12
Sals 3 2 2 4 0 11
I thought that the Sals defense and goalie had a great game.
Wong played the first half but not the second half. He was on the sidelines sitting in the cart or walking with crutches. For some odd reason they tapped him up and he limped out for the overtime.
My opinion was that Sallies was the better team and should have won the game. They were up 10-8 with 4:09 to go. Hard to believe but the Sallies inability to gain possession after most face offs was the real key.
Sals had a shot in overtime but their shot hit the post and later in OT the IMG shot found the back of the net
Another observation: I have watched the Sals lead three nationally ranked teams this year. Culver by 6, Malvern by 3 and IMG by 2. I believe all three games were tied after 3 periods and during all three games the Sals looked like the better team or at least the equal of the opposition. The Sals lost all three at the end. And against Cape the Sals blew a 4 goal lead in the fourth period before winning with a last second shot. I am not a coach but maybe having to play nine games against undermanned Delaware teams where the Sals pull the starters during the first half and the second and third stringers are not allowed to score in the second half has the team unprepared to play teams their equal for a full 4 quarters. Also the dinking and dunking your way to an 18 goal lead against the undermanned teams does not work against teams with long poles who are all going to D1 schools. I would be interested to hear what others who have seen the Sals play think.
As for the game I did not keep track of the actual numbers but with the exception of procedure calls on the guy from IMG the vast majority of face offs were won by IMG.
I was keeping track of turnovers in the beginning and Sallies had 5 or 6 before IMG committed one. Two unforced turnovers by the same kid from Sallies resulted in two fast break goals for IMG. IMG added a man up goal in the first so 3 of the 4 goals for IMG came as a result of Sals mistakes.
Score by quarter:
IMG 4 1 2 4 1 12
Sals 3 2 2 4 0 11
I thought that the Sals defense and goalie had a great game.
Wong played the first half but not the second half. He was on the sidelines sitting in the cart or walking with crutches. For some odd reason they tapped him up and he limped out for the overtime.
My opinion was that Sallies was the better team and should have won the game. They were up 10-8 with 4:09 to go. Hard to believe but the Sallies inability to gain possession after most face offs was the real key.
Sals had a shot in overtime but their shot hit the post and later in OT the IMG shot found the back of the net
Another observation: I have watched the Sals lead three nationally ranked teams this year. Culver by 6, Malvern by 3 and IMG by 2. I believe all three games were tied after 3 periods and during all three games the Sals looked like the better team or at least the equal of the opposition. The Sals lost all three at the end. And against Cape the Sals blew a 4 goal lead in the fourth period before winning with a last second shot. I am not a coach but maybe having to play nine games against undermanned Delaware teams where the Sals pull the starters during the first half and the second and third stringers are not allowed to score in the second half has the team unprepared to play teams their equal for a full 4 quarters. Also the dinking and dunking your way to an 18 goal lead against the undermanned teams does not work against teams with long poles who are all going to D1 schools. I would be interested to hear what others who have seen the Sals play think.
There are lots of solid points made here.
I think what troubles Sals the most is their stamina. Playing 9 sub-par in-state teams, perhaps they can't quite gauge the playability or clutchness of newer players (especially with Covid-19, where there are essentially two freshman classes). It may just be their skill level, as Sals always play to their opponent's level [in the first half] but their true colors begin to show as the game goes on.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: this Sallies team would look completely different with a shot clock. They hold long possessions just to get a shot or maybe two off and not capitalize, while IMG [ or Culver/Cape/Malvern for that matter] move with efficient, fast-paced possessions.
Thanks to Sals, I was able to watch the game live online in the comfort of my home. Leave the Sals kids alone... they are a good team with lots of talent although nearly impossible to compete with the likes of the teams they have on there schedule this year. IMG recruits kids from all over the country and I believe they may have more than a few kids that have decided to take an extra year before beginning their college career. Cape is also adding out of state teams on there schedule this year which is commendable and they lost both. Sals has talent but they are not at full strength as they have multiple injuries at this time (Sal's Hopkins commit was out the 2nd half and their Cornell commit hasn't been on the field in like a month). Game tied at the end of first half...game tied at the end of the 2nd half! Sals then win the faceoff in OT but IMG happened to score the first goal . It wasn't the faceoffs that determined the game as some of you have commented (I saw the Sals team win the last 3 faceoffs of the game). The score was TIED at end of first half and the Sals team then won possession 9 times in the 2nd half and OT (compared to IMG's 5 wins). Sals is a young team and yes, they made some mistakes, but the game came down to 1 goal (yes...1 goal) in overtime.
All good points and analysis. Slax has been very competitive with out of state top 25 teams for the past several years. This year more then ever with a top to bottom solid team in very position. There is not one star this year where other players sit back and watch. Here’s the problem that I see and has been discussed on this form in the past. Slax will continue to dominate all on state teams with the exception of Cape. Both schools will continue to “feed” from their success and players that want to play at the next level, especially D1. Slax typically has 3-5 players recruited to go on and play D1 lax. That is why you see 40-45 players on both JV and Varsity rosters. If you’re going to win against a Hill Academy, Culver, Malvern, St. Anthony’s, Garden City, etc, you need to be playing at a high-level every game during your season. You’re not going to get that in DE. I’m not sure what the solution is because they’re such a disparity in competition in Delaware. Perhaps have a Slax Prep team to compete with those schools and. Varsity for the Delaware Championship every year. There is probably enough players and talent to do that. My 2 cents
