RPI 2020 Off-season Overtime: In Memory of Turk181

[Ralph Baer]

Zach Dubinsky has gone from Salmon Arm (BCHL) to Omaha (USHL). https://twitter.com/OmahaLancers/sta...27803616477193

He will join his brother. Aiden, as well as injured RPI recruit Hunter McDonald.


Edit: short article https://www.lancers.com/news_article/show/1139672.

[sezenack]

Zach Dubinsky has gone from Salmon Arm (BCHL) to Omaha (USHL). https://twitter.com/OmahaLancers/sta...27803616477193

He will join his brother. Aiden, as well as injured RPI recruit Hunter McDonald.


Edit: short article https://www.lancers.com/news_article/show/1139672.

Very tactical maneuver after Dubinsky's success recruiting in Salmon Arm. Now he can recruit some Omaha Lancers too ;-)

[Ralph Baer]

Today is 8 January 2021. There are 267 days until RPI's next game.


This is based upon 2 October 2021 for the start of next season.

[FLHockeyMom]

Jack Brackett makes his season debut for Maryland in the NAHL with 2 goals:

http://www.nahl.com/game-center/#/pl.../jack-brackett

[sezenack]

Jack Brackett makes his season debut for Maryland in the NAHL with 2 goals:

http://www.nahl.com/game-center/#/pl.../jack-brackett

They have him listed a right shot, which is amusing. I'm not surprised with the performance though. He is far too good for the NAHL at this stage in his development in my opinion. Certainly better than nothing though. I hope the other junior eligible players have found somewhere to land.

[sezenack]

Henri Schreifels is headed back to the Victoria Grizzlies. https://www.bchlnetwork.ca/bchl-today-jan-8/

https://twitter.com/BCHLGrizzlies/st...106324993?s=20

[sezenack]

Ferner has been practicing with and coaching for Sioux City in the USHL. https://siouxcityjournal.com/sports/...792bc1e47.html
https://www.musketeershockey.com/new...e/show/1139275

[Ralph Baer]

Henri Schreifels is headed back to the Victoria Grizzlies. https://www.bchlnetwork.ca/bchl-today-jan-8/

https://twitter.com/BCHLGrizzlies/st...106324993?s=20

I wonder if this indicates that the BCHL will start playing soon.

[sezenack]

I wonder if this indicates that the BCHL will start playing soon.

Unfortunately not. https://bchl.ca/extension-of-pho-res...rt-to-february

[Ralph Baer]

Unfortunately not. https://bchl.ca/extension-of-pho-res...rt-to-february

Actually, I knew that. I just posted too fast. Hopefully, he and Brady Ferner will help in the recruiting as Zach Dubinsky has appeared to have done.

[Ralph Baer]

Today is 9 January 2021. There are 266 days (28 weeks) until RPI's next game.


This is based upon 2 October 2021 for the start of next season.

[Ralph Baer]

It looks like Kurt Stutt has redesigned and renamed his RPI Hockey History website https://sports-chronicles.com/rpih/. Either that or he gave it to someone else.

[Ralph Baer]

https://siouxcityjournal.com/sports/...tter_SCJSports

Brady Ferner gains 'unique perspective' by spending season with Musketeers

Zach James

Jan 7, 2021 Updated Jan 7, 2021 SIOUX CITY — Brady Ferner learned a valuable lesson about perspective, even in the first two months of the Sioux City Musketeers’ season.

Ferner, a Dakota Valley High School graduate, was supposed to be playing his junior hockey season at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, located in Troy, New York.

The COVID-19 pandemic didn’t allow that to happen, however. On Nov. 12, RPI announced it was going to cancel its hockey season as a whole.

Ferner and the rest of his RPI teammates saw the writing on the wall, but couldn’t deny that losing a full hockey season was a punch to the gut.

From there, Ferner had to figure out his options for the winter.

The school was going to send everyone home for Thanksgiving break, anyway, so Ferner decided to see what opportunities he could get at home.

He knew training at home would be easiest, as RPI would not allow players access to the weight room or the rink.

So, Ferner decided to come back home.

“With not being able to play, this was the best place for me,” Ferner said. “I’m able to train and work out with an elite group of guys that are very talented and have a very good work ethic. That pushes me to be better as a player and as a person. For me, it was a no-brainer to come back home.”

While Ferner was waiting on whether RPI was going to play this season, he exchanged text messages with Musketeers coach Luke Strand.

Strand wanted to check in with his Ferner, who was the Musketeers’ 2017-18 captain, and he helped the Musketeers win the Anderson Cup in 2016-17.

When Ferner gave Strand the bad news of no season for RPI, Strand invited Ferner to come home as soon as he could.

Then, Strand came up with another idea: Putting Ferner on the bench as an assistant coach.

The idea was originally brought up as a joke, but it didn’t take that much time for Ferner to make that an option.

“It was a little bit of phone tag,” Ferner said. “He had mentioned a couple times prior to the season getting canceled, that I would have the opportunity to come back here and do what I need to do. I had no idea that it would lead to this.”

Ferner shortly thereafter began the process of becoming a licensed assistant hockey coach. It took about a month, as he needed to fill out the necessary paperwork to do so.

Once that took shape, Ferner was able to stand on the bench with the men who coached him while with the Musketeers.

Ferner first stepped to the bench early in the season, and he was surprised at the emotions he felt that first time he stood with the coaching staff.

“That brought back a whole lot of memories,” Ferner said. “I was excited, but I was almost sad because I missed being (at Tyson Events Center). At the same time, I had a lot of gratitude for what I get to do there. I wouldn’t be the same person if it wasn’t for Coach Strand or (associate head coach Mark) Abalan. It’s a unique experience.”

When Sioux City isn’t practicing, Ferner serves as a coach on the ice. Ferner has had the chance to practice with the team in full equipment, and he’s been able to use the Sioux City weight room to keep him in shape as if he was with his college team at RPI.

Ferner does the same drills and activities during practice with the players, but when Ferner sees something at practice that he can point out to a player, he’ll do so.

“I love doing that type of stuff,” Ferner said. “I feel comfortable speaking up. There’s a right way to go about it. Being an older guy playing at the D-I level, anytime I have something to say, I can get their attention a little easier. I played for Strand and Abalan, and I know what they expect.”

Ferner works closest with Abalan on the defensive side of the ice, since that’s what Ferner played when in Sioux City.

Ferner also has developed personal relationships with the Musketeer players, and that’s something he’s also enjoyed.

The Dakota Dunes native isn’t used to telling stories of his United States Hockey League playing days with his RPI teammates, so when one of the current players request story time, Ferner grows a smile on his face.

“Being able to share those stories is cool,” Ferner said.

There’s still plenty of season left for Ferner to build those relationships on and off the ice, and while he isn’t playing this winter, he’s learned to take it all in stride.

“Life is all about perspective, and a couple weeks when I was at school, it was tough,” Ferner recalled. “We were swallowing the pill and we thought the world was against us. It’s been a blessing being here. It’s helped me grow as a person and a player.”

Ferner and the rest of the Musketeers continue their season Friday at Tri-City, and they’ll return home for a 3:05 p.m. Sunday game against Fargo.

[engineerhockeyfan]

https://siouxcityjournal.com/sports/...tter_SCJSports

Great article Ralph. It looks like we may have a future captain once RPI gets back to hockey.
Changing the subject, UMass Lowell has postponed their season due to the virus. I hope Savory isn't one of the players infected.

[jstadts]

Great article Ralph. It looks like we may have a future captain once RPI gets back to hockey.
Changing the subject, UMass Lowell has postponed their season due to the virus. I hope Savory isn't one of the players infected.

Unless he was unhappy with RPI this transfer is looking like a really dumb move. I also hope he is healthy.