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Post by Bob on Oct 24, 2005 14:54:56 GMT -5
from the weekend of Oct 22-23
O'Byrne
Junior defenseman Ryan O'Byrne treated the packed student section to its first goal of the season by ripping a slapshot by the Team USA penalty killers and finding low left netting, during a five-on-three power play 12 minutes into the first period.
"We've been working on [the power play] for a couple months. We got some good movement there. The teams always key on Moulson, obviously, cause he's the goal scorer," O'Byrne said, "I just had and opening and found the net."
Paquet
Senior Jeff Genovy tipped in a shot from the point by freshman blueliner Philippe Paquet just as a Clarkson power play ended at 5:01
Looks like both players are getting some PP time.
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Post by montreal on Oct 25, 2005 21:50:04 GMT -5
from the weekend of Oct 22-23 O'Byrne Junior defenseman Ryan O'Byrne treated the packed student section to its first goal of the season by ripping a slapshot by the Team USA penalty killers and finding low left netting, during a five-on-three power play 12 minutes into the first period. "We've been working on [the power play] for a couple months. We got some good movement there. The teams always key on Moulson, obviously, cause he's the goal scorer," O'Byrne said, "I just had and opening and found the net." Paquet Senior Jeff Genovy tipped in a shot from the point by freshman blueliner Philippe Paquet just as a Clarkson power play ended at 5:01 Looks like both players are getting some PP time. Both do play on the PP, but O'Byrne's goal doesn't count since it was against the U-18 team. He's expected to log a lot of ice time this year, which has Cornell ranked #2 in preseason polls in the NCAA and #1 in the ECAC. Clarkson should struggle all season, and Dartmouth is really a mystery after losing their top 2 players. Hopefully Wyman steps it up this year. |
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Oct 29, 2005 11:39:27 GMT -5
O'Byrne blasted one home from the point on the PP in a Cornell 4-2 win over Mich State last night, so he is off to a good start. As Dan says, Cornell expects big things from Ryan this season and look for him to get lots of ice time this season. I found some great season previews on Cornell from a great writer who covers the Cornell hockey team, Ari Baum. He wrote some great stuff, and here are some snippets: 5 - Jon Gleed, Sr
Gleed has developed very nicely in his first three years at Cornell. He has become a solid defenseman who contributes in all areas of the game. Gleed possesses excellent skating ability and always seems to make the right decision with the puck. He makes few mistakes and is good at reading the play coming out of the zone. Gleed's skating ability and intelligence make him a threat to skate the puck out of the defensive zone. He did not appear on the second powerplay unit against the U-18 team but he would not be at all out of place quarterbacking a unit. All the same, Gleed is a player who will be counted on to play big minutes every night, many of which will be against opposing top lines. Gleed will have a great opportunity to emerge from the shadows of some of the great defensemen who have played ahead of him the last three years.
2 - Ryan O'Byrne, Jr
This is an enormous season for O'Byrne. The gargantuan blueliner has the potential to be one of the most dominant defensemen in college hockey. Although he has sporadically fulfilled that potential during his first two years, there is no question that he has improved substantially during that period. O'Byrne will be called upon to play a huge role for the Big Red this season, playing in all situations. In addition to seeing most of his ice time against opposing top forwards, O'Byrne has also been called to the top powerplay unit, manning the right point. He has a booming shot that will provide another option to the play to Moulson in the high slot. O'Byrne skates well for a player his size but is prone to making questionable decisions with and without the puck. He takes a good amount of penalties and turns over the puck more than the coaching staff would like. These are areas where he has improved in the last two years and is poised to really assert himself this season. Unfortunately for Cornell, the better O'Byrne plays this season, the more it is likely he will play professional hockey next season. Regardless, he will get every opportunity to fulfill his vast potential this season.The whole read can be found at: www.elynah.com/?articles&id=35Senior Jon Gleed is a similar player to Cook in his consistency, poise with the puck, and speed. He will become the leader of the defense and along with juniors Ryan O'Byrne and Dan Glover will have the responsibility of shutting down the opposition's top forwards. O'Byrne and Glover are physically imposing defensemen who skate well for players of their size.
Every single defensemen, particularly Gleed and O'Byrne will need to raise their games to compensate for the departures and to sustain the unit's reputation as extremely difficult to penetrate.From the second of a three part season preview that Ari Baum did for the elynah team fansite (great stuff isn't it?): www.elynah.com/?articles&id=36 |
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Oct 29, 2005 11:59:31 GMT -5
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Oct 29, 2005 12:02:02 GMT -5
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Post by montreal on Oct 29, 2005 13:20:13 GMT -5
That writer was spot on about O'Byrne and Gleed. Ryan is on the first PP unit and 2nd PK unit, and will see a lot of time this year after stepping up last year as the season went on. In talking with the coaching staff at Cornell, I know they have big plans for him and from the amount of ice time he was getting at the end of last season, they have to be very happy with his progression. I personally would be surprised to see him get signed this summer unless he has an outstanding year. He should see a lot of ice time for sure.
The problem as the writer said is the decision making is questionable and gets worse when he's under pressure. Still, he's shown a lot of improvement in this area, but imo still has work to do (although I haven't seen him play yet this year yet, I have seen him play a bunch of times in the past 2 seasons + development camp)
I really can't wait to see this kid in Hamilton, to see what he can do, since imo he's our top D prospect.
Gleed hasn't really shown much offensive ablities, he really struggled last year after starting off with 3 pts in the first game of the season (it was a blowout against a much much weaker team, often the problem with Cornell is that they tend to have a weak schedule) he just couldn't get any points for the next several weeks. He doesnt' play on the PP much from what I recall but he is on the #1 PK unit (since he and O'Byrne are both RD's) and I expect a very solid year from him, although I personally don't expect too much offense since Cornell has been a low scoring team in the past. they play an outstanding forechecking game with lots of speed, hard work and physical play. This should be a huge year for them to hopefully go all the way.
As for Paquet he's getting off to a good start and Clarkson is doing good so far. Not a very strong team talent wise, it will be interesting to see how they do this year, I expect Paquet to get a good bit of ice time though which is what he needs since he's a true freshman (unlike O'Byrne)
Wyman will see his first action of the season tonight against Havard, should be a good game. I hope to see him step it up this year, he's an interesting prospect that I hope to see more of. Good size, skating, speed, physical play but we'll have to see if he can bring more offense to a team that racked up the goals last year.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Nov 7, 2005 20:18:06 GMT -5
More info from that same writer at elynah.com. This was from his update from Cornell's two games a week and a bit ago. Should be interesting to read his writeup about this past weekend's games as Cornell won both and O'Byrne played over 30 minutes on Saturday as they were missing Gleed (due to last minute injury) and Pokulok (one game suspension due to a fight the night before) and only dressed five guys on D, including some brand spanking new rookies. The first powerplay unit, though struggling to set up at times, had a good weekend, converting four times. Ryan O'Byrne proved to be a viable option, scoring on a one-timer in the second period in the first game, while Moulson found ways to get open despite being given very little room to operate......It is certainly a different look than last year's top unit with O'Byrne and Pokulok manning the points, but the 'twin towers' are perfectly capable.
The 'twin towers' of Pokulok and O'Byrne both had strong showings this weekend, indicating that they can fulfill their respective promise........O'Byrne showed much better decision-making than what he has shown in the past and was able to stay out of the penalty box. He is still uncomfortable with the puck sometimes, but he has definitely improved. O'Byrne has really seemed to find his groove physically, positioning himself better, and not taking bad penalties.
The link to his whole article: www.elynah.com/?articles&id=38 |
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Nov 16, 2005 20:34:27 GMT -5
The same writer had some nice things to say about O'Byrne from his play the weekend before last. He gave big Ryan the second star for the weekend:
2. Ryan O'Byrne
O'Byrne was one of the biggest reasons Cornell survived the absences of Pokuluk and Gleed on Saturday. He logged serious minutes and except for a couple of minor penalties, O'Byrne was extraordinarily steady and responsible. He had to be at his absolute best and he was. O'Byrne drew an assist on the opening goal by Moulson and is settling nicely into his expanded offensive role. There is no question that he has taken major strides even since last season, answering the call to become a dominant, top two defenseman.
Source is elynah.com, writer is Ari Baum.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Nov 28, 2005 21:30:01 GMT -5
O'Byrne gained that same elynah.com writer's top three list for his play during the weekend of November 11-12th.
3. Ryan O'Byrne
Somewhat maligned in his first two seasons, O'Byrne has quietly become Cornell's top defenseman in the early going of this season. He has cut back on his bad penalties (except for a couple of gaffes against Dartmouth) and has been a physical force for the Big Red. O'Byrne saw big minutes against Harvard and scored a powerplay goal in the first period. He has kept things far simpler in the defensive zone and has been generally more reliable and responsible there.
Ryan also found some more offensive spark this past weekend (Nov 25-26) with 3 points (2g 1a) in two games, including a GWG on the PP on Saturday night. Ryan seems to be pulling it together in both ends of the rink so far this season.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Dec 13, 2005 0:34:22 GMT -5
The two most recent reports and rankings by the elynah.com reporter, who ranked Big Ryan as Cornell's top player for two weeks in a row.
1. Ryan O'Byrne
Far and away the biggest exception to Cornell's top players struggling, O'Byrne had another fabulous weekend for the Big Red. With Gleed getting injured on the first shift of Friday night's game and not returning for the weekend's duration, O'Byrne played in the thirty minute range in both games. He was steady defensively and scored two goals and an assist, including the go-ahead goal late in Saturday's contest. Not too many people would have imagined O'Byrne as the team's second leading goal scorer at this point in the season, but he has really evolved as a player at both ends of the ice. He may not get a ton of recognition, but O'Byrne was far and away the best player on either team during the weekend and likely Cornell's best player so far this season.
1. Ryan O'Byrne
With two more performances in the thirty minute range for the Red's top blueliner, O'Byrne again was the backbone of the team. With Gleed and Glover still out of the lineup, he played more minutes than usual but was nearly flawless both nights. O'Byrne has been just outstanding and the team's best player so far this season. He has kept things simple in his own end, using his large frame to make plays and has also been positioned perfectly all over the ice, almost never getting beaten.
With Cornell not living up to its preseason billing, O'Byrne appears to be exceeding his. With the lack of good depth on the blueline for our prospects, this is good news indeed. Oh yeah, and he stands 6'5" to boot.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Jan 1, 2006 12:02:16 GMT -5
O'Byrne continues his good play, even though Cornell had a stretch of three weeks without a single game. Cornell resumed play last week at the annual Florida Holiday tourney that featured four teams, and was won by Cornell. More importantly to us, O'B was named to the all tournament team for his efforts. I read some reports from the Cornell faithful on the tourney, and it all seemed good. The only head scratcher was why their coach used O'B during their shootout against UMD...a 6'5" dman isn't usually on your short list during a shootout. BTW, he did not score!
At the half way point of the season, O'Byrne does look like he is enjoying a very good year. This could be his breakout year if all goes well in the second half. Habs management may also be taking note as he still has another year left at Cornell after this season, but with the lack of good D depth, they may start talking contract to try and lure him to Hamilton next season.
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Post by montreal on Jan 1, 2006 14:11:49 GMT -5
I'll add a minor note that defensemen Paquet was suspended for one game this past weekend during the tournament that they were a part of along with Dartmouth. I don't know the details but 5 players from Clarkson were suspended for one game for an unknown violation. Someone hinted that it was due to underage drinking (shocker, college kids drinking   ) 3 of the 5 players were freshman. |
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Post by montreal on Jan 22, 2006 14:52:07 GMT -5
I got to see all 3 of O'Byrne, Gleed and Paquet last night. I bought a season pass to see all the webcasts of Cornell's games this year. They don't show all 30+ games more like half.
Last nights Cornell-Clarkson game was a good one. Cornell who dominated the ECAC last year, are not the same team this year, lots of problems scoring goals, you know their offense is bad when O'Byrne is one of the top scorers and at a point this year he was 2nd on the team in scoring. But of late they have picked up the offense.
Clarkson is not in the same league as Cornell, although they have a good program and lots of NHL draft picks (9 I think), they do score a number of goals but have trouble keeping them out. They played a really good game but just couldn't hold onto their lead and Cornell's PP really looked sharp.
O'Bryne was back in action after missing one game on friday night with an undisclosed injury. He didn't miss a beat, played a very solid game, got lots of ice time, runs the PP and has a cannon of a shot. What's scary about him is how good of a skater he is and how well he moves, add to that, he's freaking huge. He wasn't too physical in the game and hasn't been from what I've seen. I know that the coaching staff really wanted him to cut down on the trips to the box cause he was getting a couple of minors a game, often going around trying to plaster guys through the boards. But he's now Cornell's top defensmen, so they need him on the ice as much as possible. He's really improved his overall game, much better in his own end, as well as offensively. He was moving the puck well but it's his heavy shot that they seemed to be trying to set up on the PP. He was held pointless but had 14 pims for getting a misconduct late in the 3rd. He mixed it up with a Clarkson player and gloves were dropped but no punches were thrown so he shouldn't be suspended.
Gleed had a big weekend, after returning from injury, where's he's missed a small part of the season already, he has only picked up 1 assist all season. But this weekend he picked up 3 assists, and now has 4 pts in 12 games. He was paired up with O'Byrne on the #1 PK unit, he blocks shots, works hard and overall is very solid in his own end. Along with picking up 3 pts, he was a +4 with 2 pims.
Paquet it was my first time seeing him play and a webcast isn't really a good place to get a good view of someone. But I have to say I was impressed with his size/skating/physical play/puck movement. He's bigger then I expected, he looks like he's got a good frame on him, for an 18 year old he should likely fill out more. He has a frame like Hainsey's, or around that size, maybe not as big but I would guess that he will be a little bigger in a couple years. His skating is good, his speed is good not great but he didn't really have a lot of chances to use his speed so I'd like to see him at the rookie camp to get a better idea. He took the body although not anywhere near overly physical, he was a little more physical then I expected, as i was under the impression he wasn't a physical player. I also thought he moved the puck well and was also surprised to see him getting that much ice time as he got a regular shift but wasn't on the PP or if he was it was breifly.
What really sucked though was when he jumped into the offensive zone on a good pinch, got the puck thrown over to him but his shot went wide, missing an open net as he had more then half the net to shoot it into. This happens to everybody but the problem was that the goal would have been huge. It would have put Clarkson up 3-1, instead he misses, a few minutes later Cornell ties it up 2-2 and then go on to win 4-2. Now Clarkson just got outplayed by more skilled players in the 3rd but had they scored they would have been in great shape cause Cornell didn't really wake up till the 3rd goal.
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Post by Bob on Jan 22, 2006 14:57:10 GMT -5
Thanks Dan. The way things are going, Montreal might just be forced into giving O'Byrne a shot next year.
I think Gleed is a senior and could maybe earn a spot on Hamilton. I watched the Bulldogs game the other night and found both Benoit and Sanford to be undersized. Aitken was marginal and Archer was injured. There has to be spots available on that team next year.
I would like to see Emelin with the Dogs next year too.
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Post by montreal on Jan 22, 2006 15:19:34 GMT -5
Thanks Dan. The way things are going, Montreal might just be forced into giving O'Byrne a shot next year. I think Gleed is a senior and could maybe earn a spot on Hamilton. I watched the Bulldogs game the other night and found both Benoit and Sanford to be undersized. Aitken was marginal and Archer was injured. There has to be spots available on that team next year. I would like to see Emelin with the Dogs next year too. With the way O'Byrne is playing, I could see Gainey perhaps trying to sign him this summer instead of next summer. But he may not want to leave school early. I would really like to see him in Hamilton next year, but I don't have a problem with bringing him along slowly. Gleed is a senior and has to be signed this summer or we lose his rights. Since they let Ryan Glenn walk (he was a ECHL All Star in his rookie year) I have to wonder if they will sign Gleed or not. Gleed seems stronger in his own end then Glenn but doesn't have the offensive skills that Glenn has. Gleed is more of a PK specialist but he can move the puck. He's big, strong, skates well and will take the body. I hope they sign him, even if he ends up in Long Beach, he might be good depth for Hamilton down the road. Emelin I hope to see with Hamilton, would like to see Korpikari as well. |
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Post by seventeen on Jan 23, 2006 1:24:23 GMT -5
Thanks Dan. Valuable info.
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Post by NWTHabsFan on Feb 3, 2006 21:39:32 GMT -5
Well, looks like our big guy Ryan O'Byrne keeps impressing down in Ithaca, NY. Here is the most recent write-up and likely the most comprehensive assessment of Ryan's play at Cornell this season. Given the lack of D prospect depth, I am sure that the Habs are pretty interested in getting OB down into Hamilton. Like Dan, I would really like to see OB, Emelin and Korpikari all signed this offseason. Enjoy the read, it is good!! www.elynah.com/?articles&id=46 |
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Post by montreal on Feb 19, 2006 14:16:58 GMT -5
O'Byrne is out for the season but should be back in time for the playoffs which start in around 3 weeks or so.
Paquet with an assist last night, after a long pointless streak. He's got 5 pts this year, much better then O'Byrne had when he was a freshman and Paquet is a year younger then O'B.
Wyman with a goal last night in a big win for Dartmouth to stay in the thich of the ECAC title.
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Post by habmeister on May 4, 2006 17:07:10 GMT -5
did O'Byrne come back from the injury and if so how did he fare?
is he a legit shot to take a spot on the big club next year? what was his age again?
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Post by montreal on May 4, 2006 18:14:59 GMT -5
did O'Byrne come back from the injury and if so how did he fare? is he a legit shot to take a spot on the big club next year? what was his age again? Yes he came back from injury and he played a lot although he didn't look the same imo. No he's not a legit shot at making the Habs next year imo. Personally I think he will stay at Cornell for his final season but that's only a guess. He's 21. For his efforts to come back for the playoffs and NCAA tournament, he was given the Ironman Award, "Presented to the team member who, in spite of being bruised, broken, spliced, or otherwise hurt, most demonstrated the will and determination to overcome his injuries and contribute to the team" He was also named assistant capt next year (Only Seniors get the C or A's) On a side not Jon Gleed won these team awards, The Joe DeLibero-Stan Tsapsis Award - Presented to the player who most nearly exemplifies the skilled efficiency, unselfish dedication, and hard-nosed competitive applications that distinquishes him as representative of Joe DeLivero's and Stan Tsapsis' uniqueness. The Sam Woodside Award - Presented to the senior player who has most improved in overall playing ability and has exhibited team leadership with his play during his career |
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) 3 of the 5 players were freshman. 
