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@hiperay 

If I may hijack your response to get on my (related) soap box...You are right that michigan goals are the result of not preventing them, like any other play really.  My issue is they have been made too easy with Total Control.  An extremely high skill play is now only a one button press which changes the feasibility of the move, which changes how often it shows up in games.  As some who leans more toward the "realism" side of the Chel slider, I dont love that we have to setup our defensive schemes on the probability of a michigan every time a player goes behind the net.

How easy the lacrosse goal is to defend also depends on the mode you're playing.  In club 3v3 games you risk opening up a lot of ice if you park yourself right on the post on the off chance the player skating behind the net with the puck might attempt it.   And it doesn't really require any setup.  You can trigger the lacrosse attempt skating full speed behind the net so if you park yourself on the post as the skater is going behind the net on the other side you're really committing yourself.  6v6 it's a bit easier since there's less space opened up by having a defender there.

Not saying it can't be defended, just saying it plays out differently in different modes.

@Checkers608 

Kind of a weak take wouldn't you say? Like you I'm older and have been playing the games since the 90s so certainly have been through the ups and downs of features added to the game but ultimately you know you will be coming back in October for '25.

- Glass breaking is what you want in a hockey simulation and in the hundreds of games I've play I could probably count less than 10 times its happened.

- Player flipping into benches is another rare occurrence unless you just try to skate up the boards and get bodied by a better player. Otherwise, it's very rare as well and I've seen that like 5x.

Both above examples have added to the realism of the game

- Pressure meter I will admit I HATED everything about that in the beginning, but it has been toned down nicely since release and has become an interesting addition to gameplay this year. If it does remain in '25 I agree that they should find a new location for the meter that is not as intrusive.

- Celebrations I agree 100% those should be nowhere near this game aside from like 3s or 1s.

As far as your lax goal conundrum, bro... play some D!

Of all the reasons not to play this game those are the 4 mentioned?  🤔

None of those should be considered deal breakers. 

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@Modulater83 wrote:

You are right that michigan goals are the result of not preventing them, like any other play really.  My issue is they have been made too easy with Total Control.  An extremely high skill play is now only a one button press which changes the feasibility of the move

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The Michigan still requires timing (it's not just a button press. it's a hold and timed release), it requires time and space (defensive error) and when playing with a human goalie, the goalie needs to be oblivious to the obvious Michigan setup. 

It's disingenuous to say "The Michigan is only one button press". Technically, you're right - but as is the case with most things in this game - there's more nuance than that and it's not just a simple button press. 

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@PlayoffError wrote: And it doesn't really require any setup.  You can trigger the lacrosse attempt skating full speed behind the net so if you park yourself on the post as the skater is going behind the net on the other side you're really committing yourself. 

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The Michigan does require a setup in that you can easily pinpoint when the animation starts as a defender. An observant defender with a keen eye towards Michigan attempts can easily shut these down in any mode. 

Parking yourself at the post is not required as skilled and experienced defenders can continue covering the slot and hustle to a michigan attempt when they observe the setup. Skilled and observant human goalies can also instantly shutdown any lacrosse attempt by hugging the post. 

The issue I have with the lacrosse goal in EASHL is that the lacrosse perk isn't required. The other day, I was able to score a michigan with defensive defenceman. This should be impossible. 

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@KidShowtime1867 wrote:

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@Modulater83 wrote:

You are right that michigan goals are the result of not preventing them, like any other play really.  My issue is they have been made too easy with Total Control.  An extremely high skill play is now only a one button press which changes the feasibility of the move

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The Michigan still requires timing (it's not just a button press. it's a hold and timed release), it requires time and space (defensive error) and when playing with a human goalie, the goalie needs to be oblivious to the obvious Michigan setup. 

It's disingenuous to say "The Michigan is only one button press". Technically, you're right - but as is the case with most things in this game - there's more nuance than that and it's not just a simple button press. 

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@PlayoffError wrote: And it doesn't really require any setup.  You can trigger the lacrosse attempt skating full speed behind the net so if you park yourself on the post as the skater is going behind the net on the other side you're really committing yourself. 

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The Michigan does require a setup in that you can easily pinpoint when the animation starts as a defender. An observant defender with a keen eye towards Michigan attempts can easily shut these down in any mode. 

Parking yourself at the post is not required as skilled and experienced defenders can continue covering the slot and hustle to a michigan attempt when they observe the setup. Skilled and observant human goalies can also instantly shutdown any lacrosse attempt by hugging the post. 

The issue I have with the lacrosse goal in EASHL is that the lacrosse perk isn't required. The other day, I was able to score a michigan with defensive defenceman. This should be impossible. 

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As a human goalie it’s easy to stop.  I’ve only let up a couple and both times were when I wasn’t fully paying attention.  

It really doesn't require any setup.  In this clip the skater starts the lacrosse shot at speed and it takes about a second and a half to go from starting the animation to the puck being in the net.  There's no way a defender is reasonably going to be covering the slot and make to the post in time to stop that shot unless they start moving before the animation starts which will open up the front of the net.  In this clip the defender ( in this case me ) is lower defending a player in front, but the split second it takes to recognize the animation is all it takes to allow the goal. 

The idea that the lacrosse somehow takes a long time to get going and gives defenders a chance to skate from the slot to the post to stop it without starting that motion before the animation starts just isn't true.

Could this goal have been prevented without me knowing ahead of time the lacrosse shot was coming?  Maybe in a perfect world with instantaneous reaction time and no bodies ( either the other team or my own goalie ) to get in the way.

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@PlayoffError wrote:

 In this clip the defender ( in this case me ) is lower defending a player in front, but the split second it takes to recognize the animation is all it takes to allow the goal. 

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The issue is that you tried a poke check against a player that was actively skating behind the net. This limits your ability to track the player as he progresses through the animation:

Then, as the Lacrosse animation plays out, you actively skate away:

The defender on your team that was in the best position to stop it decided to execute a poke check rather than use the body:

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@PlayoffError wrote:

The idea that the lacrosse somehow takes a long time to get going and gives defenders a chance to skate from the slot to the post to stop it without starting that motion before the animation starts just isn't true.

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I did not say "the lacrosse takes a long time". I said that experienced, skilled and acute defensive observers can stop this play all the time as the animation does have start-end keyframes that are easy to recognize. I've laid out all of the instances in the sequence above that prevented your team from stopping it.