Joe Lepera - What would you do?

[bpfox]

There has been much discussion as of late about the status of Joe Lepera. I thought it was time to have a thread dedicated to just him. I thought it might be fun to find out what people's thoughts were in answering the question "What would you do?"

The Spirit have three games this weekend. Would you give Joe a start in one of these games? Keep in mind, this is not about predicting what Todd Watson would do. It's about what you would do. I you say "no" to Joe, then state your reasons. If you say "go" to Joe, then pick your game and state your reasons for picking that game.

Remember, there are no right or wrong answers here because it's all about what "you" would do.


Here's mine; Yes Joe gets a start. And while this might just raise some eyebrows, I would play him Sunday against Guelph. Here's my reasons:

Eddie needs a rest so he should not start all three games this weekend.

As the starter, Eddie needs to keep his rhythm sharp so he gets the start Friday and Saturday.

Saginaw needs as many points as they can get this weekend and Friday and Saturday provide the best opportunities.

Saginaw might just catch Guelph looking past them on Sunday especially with their back up in net.

It's more important at this stage of the game to give Eddie a rest and give Joe a chance to show his stuff than it is to win a game against a good team like Guelph. Besides, Joe might just surprise you.

So to recap, Eddie gets the starts on Friday and Saturday night, brings home 4 point for the team and gets his do rest on Sunday. Joe does what a back up is supposed to do and provide a rest for the number one. As an added bonus he gets to prove his worth to the team against one of the best teams in the OHL.

[Frogger1]

As boring as this may be, I agree with your entire statement and logic.

[SaginawGensFan]

My only disagreement there, is what happens if Joe gets bombed early in the 1st & gives up, say 3 or 4 goals early? Do we then throw Eddie back in "cold" and tired to finish the game, hopefully giving the team a jump to get back in it? Or do we just keep him in there & concede the game? I would start Joe tomorrow against the Dogs where I think he would stand a better chance of keeping the team in it himself. But then again, you could be right, and he could surprise everyone. He hasn't really had a chance to show much so far, so it won't hurt my feelings one way or another if he plays Sat or Sun.

[mievl]

I have to agree with bp. everything you said makes sense to me so I guess if I was to write my opinion it would mirror yours.

[spiritsam]

i have to respectfully disagree.
the kids has yet to see the ice i am sure he is pretty anxious, why not put him in against a team that he has the best chance of succeding against.
I say put him in against Niagara.
this way eddie gets a rest and joe gets a chance to have some success in his first start

[bpfox]

spiritsam, are you reallly Todd Watson? Because it looks like that is exactly what he is going to do. I doubt it's for the same reason as you stated. Perhaps he just want's to see how his team matches up against a very good Guelph team and want's his top players in the game. It certainly is a valid arguement to put Lepera in against the weaker team. Using that logic, he could have gotten the start last night as well. Regardless of your thinking on this, it is good that the kid is going to get his chance. Peace.

[donjohnson]

Oct 24, 2008 21:48:43 GMT -5 SaginawGensFan said:

My only disagreement there, is what happens if Joe gets bombed early in the 1st & gives up, say 3 or 4 goals early? Do we then throw Eddie back in "cold" and tired to finish the game, hopefully giving the team a jump to get back in it? Or do we just keep him in there & concede the game? I would start Joe tomorrow against the Dogs where I think he would stand a better chance of keeping the team in it himself. But then again, you could be right, and he could surprise everyone. He hasn't really had a chance to show much so far, so it won't hurt my feelings one way or another if he plays Sat or Sun.

nice prediction...head to Soaring Eagle immediately!

[MidlandSpiritFan]

Too bad Van Buskirk isn't still around. See what he's done in Kitchener while Unice was away at pro camp and nursing an injury??

[johnt]

In fairness to Joe, he played very well for the first 19+ minutes of the game, making some very nice saves. This was especially so since he hadn't seen hardly any regular season action as yet. First goal was a deflection and Joe didn't move. He was "hung out to dry" by his teammates on the second goal. Last two goals were at the opposite end of the rink and I didn't have a good view of what happened. Replay screens at "The Jack" leave a lot to be desired. It appeared his confidence was shaken after the third goal and Todd rightfully pulled him out of the game when the fourth one went in.

Uninteresting fact: Spirit wore their blue jerseys in Niagara and I remember Joe's name being spelled Lapera on his back. Or maybe I just had too many Blue Lights at our pregame meal.

[spiritsam]

i agree with pretty much everything you said

the third goal was a guy alone in front took 3 wacks before the fourth one went in.
at that point it looked like he was done
the 4th goal was one he definitely should have had
I hope Watson gives the kid another chance it was his first ever start and he showed pretty good for the first 19 minutes

[spiritsam]

one more thing: yes his name was misspelled on the jersey