RPI 2023-24 (Part II): The Search for Special Teams Excellence

[DrewQU99]

Great game tonight, Engineers.

We'll see you next weekend in Hamden. Go Bobcats!

[rpi82]

Cheering for RPI to upset Clarkson.

But I would argue that if RPI wins one game over Clarkson it would not be the biggest upset in the ECAC postseason. It may be your biggest upset but not the biggest in the league.

Remember 2011 when #12 Colgate (4 win regular season) came back from being down 1 game to 0 to defeat #5 RPI (11 win regular season) in overtime in game 3. And then Colgate defeated #1 Union (17 win) in overtime in game 3 after being down 1 game to 0.

I think he meant the biggest upset likely in this year's playoffs. This one was certainly not the biggest or most important upset in our history. RPI fans know that there have been multiple occasions where a low-ranked RPI team upset a high seed in the league playoffs. I can remember 1974 and 1992 (in '74 the #8 Engineers knocked the regular season champion out in the first round and in '92 10th seed RPI also beat the top seed after surviving a play-in round) and I'll bet some of our longer term fans can give examples of similar surprise finishes.

[Dutchman]

Congrats on a great win and a great upset !!

[Ralph Baer]

it was nice reading the Clarkson Hockey Roundtable and reading all of the posts that Casey Jones needs to be fired. ;-)

[Engineers]

Big upset! Nice win for the boys!

[Ralph Baer]

I think he meant the biggest upset likely in this year's playoffs. This one was certainly not the biggest or most important upset in our history. RPI fans know that there have been multiple occasions where a low-ranked RPI team upset a high seed in the league playoffs. I can remember 1974 and 1992 (in '74 the #8 Engineers knocked the regular season champion out in the first round and in '92 10th seed RPI also beat the top seed after surviving a play-in round) and I'll bet some of our longer term fans can give examples of similar surprise finishes.

I recall vividly the 1974 game. The only video I have ever seen is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUEHAUJsKDE showing UNH scoring 3 goals in 1:39. (We could not handle 3 on 3. :-D.) Whenever someone posts a comment stating that RPI actually won the game it eventually gets deleted. Revisionist history.

[DrDemento]

Just great to get an extension for the season. As most of us had seen, this year Q was the class of the league and then came the other 11 teams. With any sort of decent play we could have ended up from 5th down to 12th. Most of the teams were just not that far apart in potential. But now we pay the price for finishing 12th instead of anywhere higher. Going to play the number 1 seed next weekend instead of almost anyone else is going to be quite the challenge. But, at least for this week, we can all celebrate that we have a group of boys that did not throw in the towel when they could have just fallen off the cliff. Go Red!!!!!!!!!!

[engineerhockeyfan]

Just great to get an extension for the season. As most of us had seen, this year Q was the class of the league and then came the other 11 teams. With any sort of decent play we could have ended up from 5th down to 12th. Most of the teams were just not that far apart in potential. But now we pay the price for finishing 12th instead of anywhere higher. Going to play the number 1 seed next weekend instead of almost anyone else is going to be quite the challenge. But, at least for this week, we can all celebrate that we have a group of boys that did not throw in the towel when they could have just fallen off the cliff. Go Red!!!!!!!!!!

Well said Doc. I totally agree with your assessment.
Its nice to have another weekend of RPI hockey.

[DrDemento]

Can only hope Lee is OK. Obviously I did not see what happened but was told from people who saw the game that the play in which he was injured seemed quite innocuous. A bit of a scrum in front of the net and then he fell (or was pushed) forward on top of a player and wrestled a bit and held by an official or two. Would be a shame if the injury might have been the result of something an official might have added to. Was told it was a left leg problem of some sort but no other information was available late last night (actually early this morning) when we finally got home.

[engineerhockeyfan]

Can only hope Lee is OK. Obviously I did not see what happened but was told from people who saw the game that the play in which he was injured seemed quite innocuous. A bit of a scrum in front of the net and then he fell (or was pushed) forward on top of a player and wrestled a bit and held by an official or two. Would be a shame if the injury might have been the result of something an official might have added to. Was told it was a left leg problem of some sort but no other information was available late last night (actually early this morning) when we finally got home.

What you were told is correct.
But I have mixed feelings about Lee. We missed him taking faceoffs at the end of the game. He is a talented player when he is on the ice. But he doesn't spend enough time on the ice due to some undisciplined play.
I would love to see how many goals against we have with him in the box compared to how many goals we score with him on the ice. I don't have a clue what that number would be, but just by what I have seen this season, I would bet it is a wash.

[RPI fan 4 life]

it was nice reading the Clarkson Hockey Roundtable and reading all of the posts that Casey Jones needs to be fired. ;-)

What a difference a game makes. Clarkson fans are screaming for Jones’ head while no one in here mentioned Smith’s name at all. Of course if (and probably when) we get eliminated by Q-School next weekend, the Smith bashers will return.

[DrDemento]

What you were told is correct.
But I have mixed feelings about Lee. We missed him taking faceoffs at the end of the game. He is a talented player when he is on the ice. But he doesn't spend enough time on the ice due to some undisciplined play.
I would love to see how many goals against we have with him in the box compared to how many goals we score with him on the ice. I don't have a clue what that number would be, but just by what I have seen this season, I would bet it is a wash.

All season long we have taken a lot of undisciplined penalties and man y of them have cost us. But on balance, in my view, Lee is a big net positive - perhaps not on the scoresheet but with the effort he brings. There are a few boys who just give all their effort almost all of the time. They hustle an entire shift. Hotson and Tinling along with Lee. Also find Brackett, and with limited playing time, Payant, seemingly in top gear most of the time. At this level and playing against the teams we did (especially the early season against those Hockey East squads) you simply cannot to afford to coast at any time during your shift be it 30 seconds long or a minute. If you are a defenseman and take your foot off the gas for just a second or two, the incoming rush is by you before you can catch them. When you retreat behind the net, you cannot take any extra time to decide on a course of action or the forechecking forwards will be on top of you before you can react.
We played almost 50 minutes of our best hockey of the season yesterday and will need an even better effort next weekend to remain close to what is surely one of the best teams not only in the conference, but in the country.

[Engineers]

What a difference a game makes. Clarkson fans are screaming for Jones’ head while no one in here mentioned Smith’s name at all. Of course if (and probably when) we get eliminated by Q-School next weekend, the Smith bashers will return.

Lol smith deserves a Contract extension after last night. We can sweep the past 7 years of countless 20+ loss seasons under the rug. No worries
We can become just like brown

[troyboy]

What a difference a game makes. Clarkson fans are screaming for Jones’ head while no one in here mentioned Smith’s name at all. Of course if (and probably when) we get eliminated by Q-School next weekend, the Smith bashers will return.

I don't consider fans advocating for a change in the leadership group that has lost 20 games every year they have been here but 1 and finished dead last this year "bashers" But maybe I'm crazy!

[DavidNardolillo]

But on balance, in my view, Lee is a big net positive - perhaps not on the scoresheet but with the effort he brings.

I agree and injuries have been his biggest problem this year. By my count it looks like he's missed one-third of the games this season.