RPI Hockey 2018 - 2019 Part II: We're Just Gonna Complain, Don't Bother Reading

[25+years]

Re: RPI Hockey 2018 - 2019 Part II: We're Just Gonna Complain, Don't Bother Reading

[QUOTE=FlagDUDE08;6772297]That's partially a result of the NCAA changes that were made around 2006 or so, which involve hefty moratoriums. I believe it's 5 years to go D-III to D-II, and then 9 years from D-II to D-I (perhaps the other way around). Let's also remember that the money required to facilitate D-I programs is a lot more than D-III, and quite frankly, RPI is flat broke.[/QUOTE

If the theory is RPI is trying to go D2 or D1 in other sports and they are enjoying pretty good success at D3 and the time and financial commitment is substantial, what would be the motivator? To be more like the hockey program? To entice the alumni to support the school more? What would be better: success at a lower level or mediocrity,at best, at the D1 level?Seems like a pretty hefty gamble to me. One could argue the effort at UA is not really paying off at least the last couple of years.

[troyboy]

Re: RPI Hockey 2018 - 2019 Part II: We're Just Gonna Complain, Don't Bother Reading

Wow the f bomb...come on dude your better than that !

Was he deserving then? Sure. What has he done since then, keeping in mind I pay attention to all of his games, rather than the couple that the scouts see. Unless you can answer that, **** off.

[troyboy]

Re: RPI Hockey 2018 - 2019 Part II: We're Just Gonna Complain, Don't Bother Reading

A 6'3 right shoot defenseman with better than avg.speed and huge offensive up side...my worry is he signs after this season my guess is the penguins will have a discussion on whether he will further develop at some pro level or a 20+lose college team I don't pretend to know that answer but to not have that conversation would be malpractice

He also was the final player taken in the draft. I suspect it was regarded as a crapshoot.

IMHO, he is a still a much better pro prospect than Perry who was taken before he came to RPI. I realize that he is injured.

[rvd5star69]

Re: RPI Hockey 2018 - 2019 Part II: We're Just Gonna Complain, Don't Bother Reading

Appert could of had us 11th last year and this year

[techtodenver]

Re: RPI Hockey 2018 - 2019 Part II: We're Just Gonna Complain, Don't Bother Reading

Now I'm going to state I believe Clarkson has a lot of support from the administration so the situations are different but I find it funny a lot of the RPI fans expect to succeed so quickly with how D1 college hockey is present day.

Look at Casey Jones, year one was promising with Karpowich keeping us in most games and we went 9-9-4 in conference, year two was a disaster all around, the recruiting was awful which was to be expected but that staff as is (Jones, Phil Roy, Andy Jones) couldn't recruit a goalie to save their life, Clarkson goes 9-20-7 overall but a decent 8-11-3 in conference.

Now year three you're still not expecting much but you hope to see at least a decent goalie to come in and some decent recruits, the numbers were decent we went 21-17-4 overall with a cupcake schedule, 11-9-2 in league with a bad 2nd half, we lose at Lynah on a game 3 OT heartbreaker but those were all Roll guys that carried that team and were great leaders for our program playing desperate senior hockey (Burton, Frederick, McPherson, Sexton, and de Haas, Geiger, Tansey were workhorses on D).

Year four we go 12-20-5 overall, 8-11-3 in the league and lose to RPI in the 1st round at home in 3 (what do you think Clarkson fans were thinking at this point?). 15-16 we still have bad goaltending with Lewis/Perry but we have better skilled players like Boucher and Vigneault and the aforementioned defensive leaders like de Haas, Geiger, Tansey plus adding a young Amorosa and Summers so the D carry us but it came to an end at SLU in the 2nd round, a 20-15-3 season but the big thing is Andy Jones to a job at UML and we added Josh Hauge to start the season and he helped set us up for where we are now.

In 16-17 things were noticeably different, Roy gets Brosseau and Rempal along with a lot of Quebec players he recruited to Clarkson in previous years and Hauge gets Egle, Kielly, Moro, and secures Sturms commitment who Andy Jones previously recruited. Now it's looking like we are sustainable for the next few seasons at least with our current levels of recruiting.

I was under the original impression Smith was an average hire, now I'm starting to believe he was a good hire. He's recruiting at a level I didn't think he'd reach so quickly, with the likes of Ashbrook, Herrman, Kjellberg, Klee, McIssac he's obviously trying to get more mature and quicker up front with some towers on D (sounds familiar). The pickups of Beaton, Dubinsky (if he can recover from his injury fine), Fontaine seem promising as well. It also seems he has his #1 for years to come with Savory.

[AspyDad]

Re: RPI Hockey 2018 - 2019 Part II: We're Just Gonna Complain, Don't Bother Reading

A 6'3 right shoot defenseman with better than avg.speed and huge offensive up side...my worry is he signs after this season my guess is the penguins will have a discussion on whether he will further develop at some pro level or a 20+lose college team I don't pretend to know that answer but to not have that conversation would be malpractice

+1

[AspyDad]

Re: RPI Hockey 2018 - 2019 Part II: We're Just Gonna Complain, Don't Bother Reading

Re pro prospects: It will be interesting to see if any of Smith's recruits are taken this year in the draft.

Doesn't look like it to me. What says you?

[Ralph Baer]

Re: RPI Hockey 2018 - 2019 Part II: We're Just Gonna Complain, Don't Bother Reading

Appert could of had us 11th last year and this year

With little hope of improvement. There are signs of life now. Granted, not every game is great, but definitely better than two to five years ago. I suspect that others might have done better than Smith, but the program is going in a better direction than before.

[Ralph Baer]

Re: RPI Hockey 2018 - 2019 Part II: We're Just Gonna Complain, Don't Bother Reading

Doesn't look like it to me. What says you?

I think that Beaton stands a good chance of being taken. He has been moving up in the CSB reports. Gunnarwolfe Fontaine is small, but he has been improving in leaps and bounds as the season has been progressing, as he did last year in prep school. Someone could take a flyer on him. At a minimum he will replace and probably surpass Hayhurst when he arrives in 2020.

Fawkes is possible, but unlikely. And don't forget that Kjellberg was taken last year.

[RPI fan 4 life]

[QUOTE=One could argue the effort at UA is not really paying off at least the last couple of years.[/QUOTE]

Depends on which sport at UA you’re talking about. The men’s lacrosse team made it to the NCAA final four for the first time last season. Women’s basketball had a 6-year run to the NCAA tournament ended last year. The men’s team had 5 freshmen starters this year when their top 2 scorers from the previous year left with one year of eligibility remaining. Football does have a way to go but they are in a superior conference and lost a number of close games this past season.

[ServinisScores]

Re: RPI Hockey 2018 - 2019 Part II: We're Just Gonna Complain, Don't Bother Reading

Reilly is a definite pro player. Good first look, very good skater.

[ServinisScores]

Good luck to the little ones!

Thank you sir. Loss in double OT - layup w 6 seconds left.

[tony/troy]

Re: RPI Hockey 2018 - 2019 Part II: We're Just Gonna Complain, Don't Bother Reading

Appert could of had us 11th last year and this year

Don't bet your ranch on that, especially for 17-18. We only beat out SLU by a game and a half last year. We also just had a double digit win total for the first time in three years.

Despite this past weekend and the numbers not really bearing it out yet, the hockey is better now. The recruits that came in this year are better than anything we have seen recently. Next years recruits (nine) look at least as good.

There were more decent to good weekends and less bad to terrible weekends this year than either of the last two years. Yes, on some of the latter type weekend you left with the feeling that this is never going to get turned around. However, you left with that feeling noticeably less this year than either of the last two.

Come to think of it, with nine guys coming in and only four going out, we may not be seeing much of some who were suiting up regularly this year. Not to celebrate anyone being demoted or outright fired but this is competitive sports that people pay good money to see. That fact gives improvement the nod over feeling bad about some guys no longer being in the plans.

As for the coach being bad, I seriously doubt it. As for the coach not being any better than the previous one, that does not even deserve an answer. The only edge I know of that the previously coach garners is that female fans UNANIMOUSLY preferred his Bobby Darin type good looks.

[Ralph Baer]

Re: RPI Hockey 2018 - 2019 Part II: We're Just Gonna Complain, Don't Bother Reading

Thank you so much Richard “Dick” Boland for your commitment to the Houston Field House. Retiring after 58yrs of work. Please know there will always be a seat for you here! ⁦@Leemcelroy5⁩ ⁦@RPIAthletics⁩ ⁦@RPI_Hockey⁩ ⁦@RPI_WHockey⁩ pic.twitter.com/LZzqDDo7x8

— Houston Field House (@RPI_HFH) March 3, 2019

Whoever he is, he has been at the HFH since before I arrived.

[Ralph Baer]

Re: RPI Hockey 2018 - 2019 Part II: We're Just Gonna Complain, Don't Bother Reading

Don't bet your ranch on that, especially for 17-18. We only beat out SLU by a game and a half last year. We also just had a double digit win total for the first time in three years.

Despite this past weekend and the numbers not really bearing it out yet, the hockey is better now. The recruits that came in this year are better than anything we have seen recently. Next years recruits (nine) look at least as good.

There were more decent to good weekends and less bad to terrible weekends this year than either of the last two years. Yes, on some of the latter type weekend you left with the feeling that this is never going to get turned around. However, you left with that feeling noticeably less this year than either of the last two.

Come to think of it, with nine guys coming in and only four going out, we may not be seeing much of some who were suiting up regularly this year. Not to celebrate anyone being demoted or outright fired but this is competitive sports that people pay good money to see. That fact gives improvement the nod over feeling bad about some guys no longer being in the plans.

As for the coach being bad, I seriously doubt it. As for the coach not being any better than the previous one, that does not even deserve an answer. The only edge I know of that the previously coach garners is that female fans UNANIMOUSLY preferred his Bobby Darin type good looks.

Don't count on the nine who signed LOIs recently to correspond exactly with next season's freshman class.