RPI Engineers 24-25

[hab]

Welcome to the forum Hky1! Your very first post! The negativity and lack of serious analysis is not an auspicious start, but hey...it leaves you lots of upside for improvement, right? Just out of curiosity...are you by any chance related to Shelfit? The tone and content of your post bear's an uncanny resemblance. Twin brother, twin sister? It just has to be a VERY CLOSE relationship.

[hab]

To be clear...there is good reason to be concerned about this version of the Engineers, but my concern is out of respect for the coaches and some great players. Vines designed an out of conference schedule that was soft (all teams ranked below RPI at end of last season) for reasons that I don't understand. To finish that pre-conference schedule with a record of 4-3-1 does not bode well, to say the least. I have only watched about the equivalent of 1 1/2 games in that stretch, but it certainly seems that this team is not as sharp as last year's team at the same point. It is only October, of course, and there are new players in the lineup (freshmen and transfers), new assistant coaches. This weekend will be a test. Home games against 2 teams that finished lower than us last year (Dartmouth 10th, Harvard 12th).

[shelfit]

This RPI team is god awful…The coach is a joke and so is hos staff…. And the defense?? Hardly a D1 caliber Defense. How many girls are on this team 40??

So tell us how you really feel. Stop sugar coating your opinions. : D

Wow, going after coaches is one thing, but going after players is really low of you. They got recruited there so don't blame them for accepting that opportunity. That's really sh*tty of you. I'm oftentimes overly critical and sarcastic when it comes to coaches but you're just being a total *sshole in general especially in picking apart the players like that!

[hab]

So the entire coaching staff quit a week before the season starts. Than dig through unions garbage and find a coach who was fired. Union coaches had a mass exodus as well.

You have way too many girls on your roster. It’s like club hockey at this point.

Obviously no idea how to recruit. There are no steady lines. He doesn’t match lines. A loss to Sacred Heart - really?

Picking apart the players?? They aren’t D1 defenders.

He’s playing a Grad from the NEWHA over girls that have been there. Maybe RPI should switch to the NEWHA they might crack .500

Much better post Hky1, and you raise some legit concerns, so let me respond.
I agree that the departure of Asst Coach Tara Connolly was a concern, and maybe a red flag and I have said so previously on this forum.
The strategy of getting ice time for a large number of players in the pre-conference schedule is debatable, I agree. On the other hand, they are all good hockey players who came here to play and the time to give them a chance to show what they can do is in the non-conference games (and in practice, of course). Same can be said about mixing up the lines. I have noted that this year's team looks sloppier than last year's team at the same point in the season, and the musical chairs on the bench and lines may be part of the issue. And yes, a loss to Sacred Heart dumbfounded me. The "grad from NEWHA" is Tolchinsky, and she looks like she has the talent to be part of this lineup. Totally disagree with you about our D.

So, you see how this works? You provide a post with real content and you get a respectful response.

[shelfit]

So the entire coaching staff quit a week before the season starts. Than dig through unions garbage and find a coach who was fired. Union coaches had a mass exodus as well.

You have way too many girls on your roster. It’s like club hockey at this point.

Obviously no idea how to recruit. There are no steady lines. He doesn’t match lines. A loss to Sacred Heart - really?

Picking apart the players?? They aren’t D1 defenders.

He’s playing a Grad from the NEWHA over girls that have been there. Maybe RPI should switch to the NEWHA they might crack .500

Apparently not the WHOLE coaching staff, otherwise you'd be very happy that Vines isn't the coach anymore. What you're not getting is he is actually a genius who is way ahead of the curve because he has figured out how to recruit enough players to create a practice squad just like in college football. Now that's showing true brilliance. Once they all start getting paid to be there they're all going to be very happy and they aren't going to care if they win or lose because they'll be getting paid either way. It's the future of college sports. ; D

[AlwaysCold2]

Do you think morale and team chemistry matter?? Can 40 girls losing remain happy?

It's an interesting point you bring up. Have been watching the team since the 0-33 season (our friend's daughter was on the team and has since graduated). I just checked that '19-'20 roster and there were only 25 players on that team, three of which were goalies. Her dad always said how tightknit the team was and that the team culture was so positive.

Now, with one of the largest rosters in the ECAC for the last few years and not a winning record, that tightknit and positive team culture HAS to be harder to maintain.

Also, my understanding is the NCAA is increasing the number of scholarships that can be offered by schools, but requiring a limit of 26 players, regardless.

[DrDemento]

A win today 3-1 (Dartmouth's only score came with 9 seconds left in the game after RPI took a very late penalty). This one was just so close to being a shut out. Good start to the ECAC league season.

[DrDemento]

A sweep of the weekend as RPI shuts out Harvard 3-0. This weekend Keating came within 9 seconds of a double shutout for the games. The schedule will get tougher from here on. Pretty sure the cream will rise to the top and the favorites will end up high in the standings but for now it looks like any given game can be competitive.

[hab]

A sweep of the weekend as RPI shuts out Harvard 3-0. This weekend Keating came within 9 seconds of a double shutout for the games. The schedule will get tougher from here on. Pretty sure the cream will rise to the top and the favorites will end up high in the standings but for now it looks like any given game can be competitive.

Let's enjoy it while it lasts . ECAC standings after 1 weekend: 1) RPI and Union tied; 3) Brown; 4) Yale.

[DrDemento]

Let's enjoy it while it lasts . ECAC standings after 1 weekend: 1) RPI and Union tied; 3) Brown; 4) Yale.

Next 4 games are the toughest road trip of the league season for us. Hoefully the defense will keep these games close enough that anything can happen.

[Skate79]

To be clear...there is good reason to be concerned about this version of the Engineers, but my concern is out of respect for the coaches and some great players. Vines designed an out of conference schedule that was soft (all teams ranked below RPI at end of last season) for reasons that I don't understand. To finish that pre-conference schedule with a record of 4-3-1 does not bode well, to say the least. I have only watched about the equivalent of 1 1/2 games in that stretch, but it certainly seems that this team is not as sharp as last year's team at the same point. It is only October, of course, and there are new players in the lineup (freshmen and transfers), new assistant coaches. This weekend will be a test. Home games against 2 teams that finished lower than us last year (Dartmouth 10th, Harvard 12th).

Not much of a test as it turned out. Harvard and Dartmouth are two of the worst programs in college hockey. Harvard can't put the puck in the ocean and has no system to speak of. Crowell will turn the Dartmouth program around in due time - she didn't come East to fail.

[25+years]

Over the last 3 years I have attended more and more women’s games as a 35 + year men’s season ticket holder. And I know full well how lean the years have been for both teams. Regardless of the records, I have to say watching the women play is a whole lot of fun. They play hard, they look like they are having fun, they support each other, they don’t take stupid penalties, and they never give up. Like with the men, the women have a few really good players. Trnkova being one of the best players in the women’s game imo. Would I like to see them in the top of the standings? Sure. But , so far, I have found watching them to be a good way to spend a couple hours. So far, This year I can’t say the same about the men.

[hab]

over the last 3 years i have attended more and more women’s games as a 35 + year men’s season ticket holder. And i know full well how lean the years have been for both teams. Regardless of the records, i have to say watching the women play is a whole lot of fun. They play hard, they look like they are having fun, they support each other, they don’t take stupid penalties, and they never give up. Like with the men, the women have a few really good players. Trnkova being one of the best players in the women’s game imo. Would i like to see them in the top of the standings? Sure. But , so far, i have found watching them to be a good way to spend a couple hours. So far, this year i can’t say the same about the men.

100 % :d

[DrDemento]

Over the last 3 years I have attended more and more women’s games as a 35 + year men’s season ticket holder. And I know full well how lean the years have been for both teams. Regardless of the records, I have to say watching the women play is a whole lot of fun. They play hard, they look like they are having fun, they support each other, they don’t take stupid penalties, and they never give up. Like with the men, the women have a few really good players. Trnkova being one of the best players in the women’s game imo. Would I like to see them in the top of the standings? Sure. But , so far, I have found watching them to be a good way to spend a couple hours. So far, This year I can’t say the same about the men.

110% When they were able to add Sophie Helgeson for this year they now have 2 extremely competent girls on the back line. Shame we only get Sophie for one year! And your description of Trnkova is spot on.

[hab]

110% When they were able to add Sophie Helgeson for this year they now have 2 extremely competent girls on the back line. Shame we only get Sophie for one year! And your description of Trnkova is spot on.

Agree with everything here from Dr.D and 25+, with one significant edit. We have 3 great D players. People seem to underestimate the ability of Taylor Larsen. She is a rock back there...punishes people when they need to be punished , and makes a strong contribution to the offence.