Did not watch the game, as these games come on much earlier when in Pacific time zone. I will admit, I was a bit skeptical of Barnes earlier in the season. Thought maybe he had been riding on the coattails of the HC at GB, and was too much of a "system" coach.
But, it is clear now that he has the players believing in what he and his staff are teaching, and the players are believing in themselves. GB is down by GB standards, but YSU is now 5-0 and in 1st place in the HL. Best HL start in program history.
GB is down, but still has an RPI of 103
UIC has an RPI of 114
YSU has beaten both teams, and beat UIC on the road.
This is a testament to the coaching staff, the players, and I think playing a rather challenging OOC schedule may well be paying off for the team now that they are in HL play. Schedule strength is at 130, so it's not as if this team has played a cupcake schedule. Barring a letdown, team ought to be 6-0 in HL after playing Detroit on Wednesday, including 4-0 in a very important early HL season home stand.
YSU now has a 2 game lead in the HL, and the conference champion gets an auto bid to the WNIT. A long way to go, but a nice place to be 5 games in to HL play.
Congrats to the team on another win, and best wishes for the rest of the season.