RPI 2017 Off-Season (Part II): Mr. Smith Goes to Troy

[Ralph Baer]

Re: RPI 2017 Off-Season (Part II): Mr. Smith Goes to Troy

Today is 22 June 2017. There are 100 days until RPI's next game.


This is based upon 30 September 2017 for the start of next season.

[turk181]

Re: RPI 2017 Off-Season (Part II): Mr. Smith Goes to Troy

SAVE THE DATE: #RPIHockey Golf Outing is set for Monday, August 14! https://t.co/7Ug1b4OhoL pic.twitter.com/ZHv6tqPsld

— RPI Men's Hockey (@RPI_Hockey) June 20, 2017

[Ralph Baer]

Re: RPI 2017 Off-Season (Part II): Mr. Smith Goes to Troy

Today is 21 June 2017. There are 101 days until RPI's next game.


This is based upon 30 September 2017 for the start of next season.

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: RPI 2017 Off-Season (Part II): Mr. Smith Goes to Troy

Second to last home Saturday (ideally in February) against a team other than Cornell. Is that so hard?

10-11 was in January because said weekend was vs. Cornell. In fact, if it wasn't for the Union series, Black Friday was going to be in January vs. CCT when there were no students.

[lugnut92]

Re: RPI 2017 Off-Season (Part II): Mr. Smith Goes to Troy

It's too bad that we don't have the influence Harvard has, so that the Freakout can be on the one ideal weekend, whenever that is.

Second to last home Saturday (ideally in February) against a team other than Cornell. Is that so hard?

[Ralph Baer]

Re: RPI 2017 Off-Season (Part II): Mr. Smith Goes to Troy

I know that Freakout! has been in January, but that always felt very early to me. I suppose if it's the last weekend, it's fine. I remain strongly against moving it to November or December. BRF! should be the climax of the season leading to the playoff push, not something that happens with 16 league games left to play.

It's too bad that we don't have the influence Harvard has, so that the Freakout can be on the one ideal weekend, whenever that is.

[lugnut92]

Re: RPI 2017 Off-Season (Part II): Mr. Smith Goes to Troy

I know that Freakout! has been in January, but that always felt very early to me. I suppose if it's the last weekend, it's fine. I remain strongly against moving it to November or December. BRF! should be the climax of the season leading to the playoff push, not something that happens with 16 league games left to play.

[Ralph Baer]

Re: RPI 2017 Off-Season (Part II): Mr. Smith Goes to Troy

Today is 20 June 2017. There are 102 days until RPI's next game.


This is based upon 30 September 2017 for the start of next season.

[Ralph Baer]

Re: RPI 2017 Off-Season (Part II): Mr. Smith Goes to Troy

WaP post on next year's team http://www.withoutapeer.com/2017/06/...look-like.html.

[AspyDad]

Re: RPI 2017 Off-Season (Part II): Mr. Smith Goes to Troy

I’m not sure I’ld call it a tradition Waite. It was the work of SA & Aspy so maybe Aspy could shed some light on the subject, i.e. the future of the game.

I have no idea what the status is; I am persona non grata with the AD because I expressed to him my displeasure with the dismissal and the subsequent hiring of a search firm that produced the selection of a Coach who basically had the same winning % from a lesser league. Coach Smith should be given the opportunity to start his own tradition with his own cause. Seth walked the walk and talked the talk with the AA game. He visited special needs schools, spent time with people on the spectrum and researched what their challenges are. Many of the people that I spoke to in our community were very dismayed by Seth's dismissal but pleased to see he landed on his feet with a great gig. We trusted SA to be our spox for the week leading up to the game. We couldn't have picked a better one. Lee or Shirley had nothing to do with the game; SA created it and made it happen. Shirley took credit for it at Smith's presser but never acknowledged it or supported it. I hope all of you have a safe and happy summer.

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: RPI 2017 Off-Season (Part II): Mr. Smith Goes to Troy

Putting BRF! on a Friday would be ridiculous. As FlagDUDE said, it is the game most alumni choose to come back to RPI for and putting it on a Friday severely limits that. I further don't think the game should be taken out of February, regardless of if that means it has to be on Senior Night. I don't really see the issue of having the two overlap, but that's just me.

I personally don't think it's an issue that Black [Gameday] is (almost) always against Union. Like it or not, the students see them as our main rival, so why not make sure the rink is as full as possible for those games by lowering the bar for entry. Playing the home-and-home against Union first starts the league schedule with a bang and makes it more exciting than it would be in the middle of the schedule. I do think it's kind of odd to have parent's weekend and the Union game overlap, but that's likely due to poor communication between Athletics and Admissions.
I would guess that there was some sort of contract in place between RPI, Union, and the TUC about playing the Mayor's Cup a certain number of years that unfortunately happened to extend beyond the life of the Albany Devils. I can't imagine the TUC enjoys the fact that they have to provide an ice sheet for two games.

I'm a bit more upset about the disappearance of Whiteout from everything but the schedule. Starting with my last year at RPI, there has been almost no evidence that anything special was happening.

For Autism Awareness night, I hope the athletic department is just working with the necessary people to find the best night for everyone. The set against Maine makes the most sense to me (early start times make it easier for kids to come, few students so it'll be quieter and more tickets should be available for local fans, and a non-conference opponent so there's less vitriol to be delivered from the stands), but yeah.

Whiteout has always been weird. My freshman year, it was "Whiteout Wednesday", a gimmick to get people to watch us play Providence in the mid-week. Lately (and this upcoming year is no exception), it's been against Cornell to avoid the confusion that may develop between two teams that commonly chant "Let's Go Red", and I know I've been asked what we do when playing Cornell when it comes to the sudden dynamic changes during one of the anthems, and it's weird explaining that it's one of the things the two fan bases in general seem to agree upon. I know the point has been made that people usually get the idea, but if they insist on clearing it up, whatever.

And I did check RPInfo; Parents Weekend (which they call Family Weekend because PC and all that stierscheiße) is indeed during the Union weekend, but given Parents Weekend is almost always the last weekend of October, and given the start of non-travel-partner conference games, we can call coincidence there. One thing I did like from the 09-10 season that I wish they'd do again is to split up the series a bit more, maybe putting one of the games in December (we do have two reading days before finals; not sure how that plays into NCAA regulations but I assume no issue given we've done it before).

Also, we've had plenty of years where Freakout was in late January, including 10-11 IIRC. Just really need to make sure the students are back in town above all.

[lugnut92]

Re: RPI 2017 Off-Season (Part II): Mr. Smith Goes to Troy

Putting BRF! on a Friday would be ridiculous. As FlagDUDE said, it is the game most alumni choose to come back to RPI for and putting it on a Friday severely limits that. I further don't think the game should be taken out of February, regardless of if that means it has to be on Senior Night. I don't really see the issue of having the two overlap, but that's just me.

I personally don't think it's an issue that Black [Gameday] is (almost) always against Union. Like it or not, the students see them as our main rival, so why not make sure the rink is as full as possible for those games by lowering the bar for entry. Playing the home-and-home against Union first starts the league schedule with a bang and makes it more exciting than it would be in the middle of the schedule. I do think it's kind of odd to have parent's weekend and the Union game overlap, but that's likely due to poor communication between Athletics and Admissions.
I would guess that there was some sort of contract in place between RPI, Union, and the TUC about playing the Mayor's Cup a certain number of years that unfortunately happened to extend beyond the life of the Albany Devils. I can't imagine the TUC enjoys the fact that they have to provide an ice sheet for two games.

I'm a bit more upset about the disappearance of Whiteout from everything but the schedule. Starting with my last year at RPI, there has been almost no evidence that anything special was happening.

For Autism Awareness night, I hope the athletic department is just working with the necessary people to find the best night for everyone. The set against Maine makes the most sense to me (early start times make it easier for kids to come, few students so it'll be quieter and more tickets should be available for local fans, and a non-conference opponent so there's less vitriol to be delivered from the stands), but yeah.

[Red Cloud]

Re: RPI 2017 Off-Season (Part II): Mr. Smith Goes to Troy

Pretty sure we’re all in agreement about BRF but if it’s as you say, “hockey’s homecoming”, IT CAN’T BE THE LAST GAME OF THE SEASON.

Of course it can.

[turk181]

Re: RPI 2017 Off-Season (Part II): Mr. Smith Goes to Troy

Only reason Freakout Friday wouldn't work very well is if you consider all the other things that happen in tandem. It's pretty much hockey's homecoming. People aren't going to take an extra day off for an advertised "big game"; they'd rather come in Friday night (or afternoon and make it a three day weekend), have their fun with all the events (larger band, alumni game, etc.) on Saturday, and then head home Sunday. It's not like Black Friday, which has been a way to get students excited about the season by marking it with the opening of league play.

Pretty sure we’re all in agreement about BRF but if it’s as you say, “hockey’s homecoming”, IT CAN’T BE THE LAST GAME OF THE SEASON.

[engineerhockeyfan]

Re: RPI 2017 Off-Season (Part II): Mr. Smith Goes to Troy

Only reason Freakout Friday wouldn't work very well is if you consider all the other things that happen in tandem. It's pretty much hockey's homecoming. People aren't going to take an extra day off for an advertised "big game"; they'd rather come in Friday night (or afternoon and make it a three day weekend), have their fun with all the events (larger band, alumni game, etc.) on Saturday, and then head home Sunday. It's not like Black Friday, which has been a way to get students excited about the season by marking it with the opening of league play.

I'm not sure you understand what is being said here. Freakout Friday doesn't have to be on homecoming weekend, it can be any weekend. It should never be on Senior Night. That belongs to the players, and it should always stand alone.
There is nothing sinister going on here, just stupidity.