After CC came out flat and fell behind Saturday, the coaches loaded up the top line, moving Eric Walsky up to skate with Bill Sweatt and Chad Rau. That was the top line early in the season, but CC worried it needed scoring on other lines. CC needs consistent offense and the trio played well in the third period of Saturday’s loss, so the Tigers might continue with the Walsky-Rau-Sweatt combination on the top line going forward.
“It’s something we’ll consider,” CC coach Scott Owens said.
The main problems with loading up the top line with the team’s top three scorers is the other lines won’t be as strong, and opponents can concentrate on using their best defensive lineup against that line. That’s especially true in road games, when home teams get the last change.
Frank, thank you for this information.
No problem, Lee. I’ll be posting news items on the blog during the rest of the season, so hopefully you and other CC fans will make this blog a daily habit. Thanks for reading.
As I recall, there were a few reasons that top line has been changed around so much. The Big 3 were having trouble scoring, other teams loading up on them, and an attempt to get other lines scoring. Since that time though, what scoring CC has had, has mostly come from a few other players, so it’s possible opponents will load up on those 3… and “forget” about the others Tigers.
Whatever happens, I hope to see scoring production go up and our Tigers able to close out the season on a good/better note. Right now, my main concern is the amount of Jr/Sr players out injured and not expected back until after Mich Tech.