Princeton & Quinnipiac @ RPI & Union (2/15, 2/16)

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Princeton & Quinnipiac @ RPI & Union (2/15, 2/16)

Getting pucks and players on net last night was pretty easy. It was nice to see that and shots not wide or high or right in the goalie's midsection. We won t get 40 shots tonight. Savory will have to have a great game if we hope to have a chance. I thought everyone stepped up. Best game by Ott in a while and I am impressed with Gornall. For the first time in a long while it is good to see a team that can shrug off a bad period and play better the next. I did see several players in street clothes including Hayhurst who did not appear from a distance to be in a cast. A good sign?

I didn't like how much we were shooting into forwards on the power play, though. We really need to start getting some movement and working good shots that get on net. I'm not too worried about hitting the goaltender, as good fundamentals of crashing the net can help with that (i.e. look at our first two goals). And the last two goals were a result of good puck movement in working an open shot, whether on the break or a power play late in the 3rd. If we can keep focusing on that when attacking, we will do very well. Yes, we're playing the top goaltender in the country in terms of save percentage, and if he swallows it all up, that's just the way puck luck goes.

Savory will hopefully have a great game, but we need to make sure we're not relying too much on him. Clean up the turnovers, take care of the puck when advancing, and make sure we can get into good positions to block shots, which is what has given us success even in the past few down years. If we can run up the blocked shot count, I see good things.

[25+years]

Re: Princeton & Quinnipiac @ RPI & Union (2/15, 2/16)

Princeton got cocky. They played their backup goaltender that has hardly had any action this year. And then when the game got to almost 3-0, they got complacent. Good on us to be able to take advantage of that, but we need to step up all 65 minutes, because no one, not even CCT anymore should we see them in the playoffs, is going to be dumb enough to try to pull that again.

Getting pucks and players on net last night was pretty easy. It was nice to see that and shots not wide or high or right in the goalie's midsection. We won t get 40 shots tonight. Savory will have to have a great game if we hope to have a chance. I thought everyone stepped up. Best game by Ott in a while and I am impressed with Gornall. For the first time in a long while it is good to see a team that can shrug off a bad period and play better the next. I did see several players in street clothes including Hayhurst who did not appear from a distance to be in a cast. A good sign?

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Princeton & Quinnipiac @ RPI & Union (2/15, 2/16)

Glad my prediction for last night was wrong. Lets hope I can redeem myself with tonights prediction.This years RPI squad might not be the most talented team but they might be the best "team" we have had in years.

Princeton got cocky. They played their backup goaltender that has hardly had any action this year. And then when the game got to almost 3-0, they got complacent. Good on us to be able to take advantage of that, but we need to step up all 65 minutes, because no one, not even CCT anymore should we see them in the playoffs, is going to be dumb enough to try to pull that again.

[jstadts]

Re: Princeton & Quinnipiac @ RPI & Union (2/15, 2/16)

Glad my prediction for last night was wrong. Lets hope I can redeem myself with tonights prediction.This years RPI squad might not be the most talented team but they might be the best "team" we have had in years.

[jstadts]

Re: Princeton & Quinnipiac @ RPI & Union (2/15, 2/16)

I fear Princeton will be too quick for us.I actually like our chances a little better against quinny.

[DrDemento]

Re: Princeton & Quinnipiac @ RPI & Union (2/15, 2/16)

It's bowling talk again!

Aw, come on RB. He's been good about staying in the proper lane here.

[DrDemento]

Re: Princeton & Quinnipiac @ RPI & Union (2/15, 2/16)

the Wally McDonough years. One of the few times (maybe only) I saw the student section give a standing O to an opponent. He faced 60+ shots in one of the games that year. Classic!

i always used to enjoy when we face Princeton in the old days. we had a fabulous won-lost ratio and the games were not often that close. But every so often we had a real battle on our hands. I loved the fact that in 1995 we got them in the finals of the ECAC up at Lake Placid instead of having to face any of the other teams in the final four. Mike Tamburro was hot as a pistol and 5-1 does not do justice to how well we played that game.

[Ralph Baer]

Re: Princeton & Quinnipiac @ RPI & Union (2/15, 2/16)

Predicting Princeton is like tossing a coin. Sure, we're a different team than we were in November, but that doesn't seem to matter with this matchup, as I recall the 2012-13 season. Feel out the game for about 15 minutes, and I think it's just going to come down to puck luck.

Also remember that we beat Quinnipiac at home last year, so definitely not one to write off. I look forward to a close defensive match. I ended up picking us getting a split the hard way this weekend.

It's bowling talk again!

[ServinisScores]

Re: Princeton & Quinnipiac @ RPI & Union (2/15, 2/16)

Back in 1985 we came in here with a powerhouse line up and they gave us fits for a couple periods. We won I believe 6-3 but it was not really decided until well into the third period and my most vivid memory was John Carter ended the game sitting on one of their forwards near the blue line.

the Wally McDonough years. One of the few times (maybe only) I saw the student section give a standing O to an opponent. He faced 60+ shots in one of the games that year. Classic!

[DrDemento]

Re: Princeton & Quinnipiac @ RPI & Union (2/15, 2/16)

Predicting Princeton is like tossing a coin. Sure, we're a different team than we were in November, but that doesn't seem to matter with this matchup, as I recall the 2012-13 season. Feel out the game for about 15 minutes, and I think it's just going to come down to puck luck.

Also remember that we beat Quinnipiac at home last year, so definitely not one to write off. I look forward to a close defensive match. I ended up picking us getting a split the hard way this weekend.

As you know we have seen a lot of Princeton hockey over the years, living fairly close to Baker rink. You have them pegged well. They are the box of chocolate with the filled centers. You just never know. Back in 1985 we came in here with a powerhouse line up and they gave us fits for a couple periods. We won I believe 6-3 but it was not really decided until well into the third period and my most vivid memory was John Carter ended the game sitting on one of their forwards near the blue line. Lots of rough play all night. Having seen Princeton early this year I actually felt they would contend for a top 4 ECAC spot and still do not understand what has gone wrong for them. They are big and very fast (at least on home ice) but apparently not the same team on the road.
Quinnipiac is a top tier team nationally and should be a big favorite over us even in Troy. But if we can match up well with them having the last change at home, perhaps we can keep this one of those low scoring 2-1 kind of games and in those, anything can happen. Hopefully the officiating will be consistent and we are not put into any 2 man short handed situations which would certainly be devastating.

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Princeton & Quinnipiac @ RPI & Union (2/15, 2/16)

Every year recently it seems this is the hardest pair of games to know what to expect. QU has certainly been the higher rated team than both Princeton and us yet we usually keep the games close enough to make them exciting or we lead late in the game only to lose. Princeton can give us fits. Either we do not match up well against them or their coaching has them better prepared as they seem to play far better against us than they do against other teams. I have the Friday game as close as can be, perhaps a 2-2 tie. I have the Saturday game tilted much more towards QU but also rather low scoring as 3-1. I just still do not believe we have enough offense to score more than 1 against them (and might not get that much). Would settle for a split and a 2 point weekend.

Predicting Princeton is like tossing a coin. Sure, we're a different team than we were in November, but that doesn't seem to matter with this matchup, as I recall the 2012-13 season. Feel out the game for about 15 minutes, and I think it's just going to come down to puck luck.

Also remember that we beat Quinnipiac at home last year, so definitely not one to write off. I look forward to a close defensive match. I ended up picking us getting a split the hard way this weekend.

[DrDemento]

Re: Princeton & Quinnipiac @ RPI & Union (2/15, 2/16)

Every year recently it seems this is the hardest pair of games to know what to expect. QU has certainly been the higher rated team than both Princeton and us yet we usually keep the games close enough to make them exciting or we lead late in the game only to lose. Princeton can give us fits. Either we do not match up well against them or their coaching has them better prepared as they seem to play far better against us than they do against other teams. I have the Friday game as close as can be, perhaps a 2-2 tie. I have the Saturday game tilted much more towards QU but also rather low scoring as 3-1. I just still do not believe we have enough offense to score more than 1 against them (and might not get that much). Would settle for a split and a 2 point weekend.

[Waite21]

Re: Princeton & Quinnipiac @ RPI & Union (2/15, 2/16)

After opening the season with a loss at Penn State, Princeton started ECAC play by demolishing Dartmouth, 7-1, in Hanover, and tied Harvard in Cambridge the next night. They came home the next weekend to sweep Union and RPI.

Since then, Princeton's record in road games is a positively wretched 0-6 (0-6-1 if you count their neutral-site game against Penn State in Philadelphia).

As Dr. D has pointed out, Princeton has seemed to match up really well against RPI in recent years. It certainly looked that way when RPI went to Baker Rink in November. Princeton outshot RPI by 23-3 in the first period, took a 3-0 lead into the first intermission, and coasted to a 4-1 victory.

The Tigers came up with a big win at home tonight against Yale. It remains to be seen whether they're ready to return to their early-season form when they arrive in Troy on Friday, or ready to slip back into their three-month-long funk on the road.

Quinnipiac, after beating Yale on Friday, lost to Brown this evening. That probably means the Bobcats will be good and ready to give both Union and RPI their best shot next weekend.

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Princeton & Quinnipiac @ RPI & Union (2/15, 2/16)

Saturday's game involves, as of the time I write this, the #1 goaltender vs. the #3 goaltender. Nationally.

[Ralph Baer]

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