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RPI 2022 Off-season: Surely, We Deserve Better

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Today is 18 March 2022. There are 197 days until RPI's next game. There are 105 days (15 weeks) until RPI has a new president.


This is based upon 1 October 2022 for the start of next season and 1 July 2022 for the end of @#$%^.
 
troyboy said:
This team deserves all the credit it is getting but unless I'm missing something we have lost 20+ games 3 of the last 4 years and have been playing our butts off to get to .500 and can't quite get there. With what we have coming in I foresee that struggle continuing . In the not to distant past we brought in the likes of D'Amigo, Perri, Haggerty, Zelewski, Laliberte, Kassdorf these and others were significant recruiting battles that we won and other than covid that affected everyone nothings changed same School same Prez same AD same Barn I would like to think we can be headed back there. When we fired the last bunch and reset this is not the glide path that I expected .We need to shake it up. My fear is we're mid pack and we like it.
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+1
 
troyboy said:
This team deserves all the credit it is getting but unless I'm missing something we have lost 20+ games 3 of the last 4 years and have been playing our butts off to get to .500 and can't quite get there. With what we have coming in I foresee that struggle continuing . In the not to distant past we brought in the likes of D'Amigo, Perri, Haggerty, Zelewski, Laliberte, Kassdorf these and others were significant recruiting battles that we won and other than covid that affected everyone nothings changed same School same Prez same AD same Barn I would like to think we can be headed back there. When we fired the last bunch and reset this is not the glide path that I expected .We need to shake it up. My fear is we're mid pack and we like it.
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I am sure that no one on this board is happy about being mid pack.
The team deserves all the credit for its performance in the playoffs, if you throw out the last four minutes of Friday's game.
As for the regular season, we left a lot of points on the table. We did not beat the teams that we should have and we did not play with the same enthusiasm we showed in the playoffs.
I like coach Smith and would love to see him back next season. But I don't think that it is a sure thing that he returns. JMO
 
25+years said:
Sorry….add to our lack of success a competing D1 school 20 miles away that has won a national championship and an aging facility and the lower attendance is not surprising. An AHL franchise couldn’t make a go of it here due to poor attendance. The real question I think is how important the new administration will view athletics, particularly a D1 hockey program with a storied history, and will they invest in a program going forward? Do they view things from a view that you have to i vest to achieve success or do you invest only after success is achieved. I would point out that same D1 school across town won the Frozen Four and is still awaiting a new facility they have also wanted. And now they are slipping into the same non winning spot in the standings we have occupied. I imagine DS is asking himself that. Unfortunately he won’t get an answer until July. I think his future will depend on that, what other programs are looking for a Head Coach, and if he wants to enter the ‘coaching portal’.
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Well the new Prez is an alum, so he certainly understands the campus and its long traditions which include the hockey program. It was mentioned here by someone that their daughter was involved with the search committee (as a student rep I believe) and if I recall she was very complimentary of Schmidt and his understanding and feedback given to the troubles and challenges as they relate to athletics. I have no reason to believe that he will an immediate upgrade both in visible and invisible support for RPI's student-athletes.

Everyone wants to win more games, that goes without saying. You cannot discuss this past season without discussing the personnel losses we incurred. Do we not think we'd have won more games if we had had Savory, and company who departed? It should be noted also that Savory was an absolute diamond in the rough that Smith found....a hug recruitiing win, lest we forget. The transfer portal has kicked over the outhouse for coaches in recruiting across all sports. Moving forward, the coaches and programs that adjust best to the new reality will find success.
 
DavidNardolillo said:
I am sure there is frustration but I still think there is some significant COVID hesitation--attendance for most things is still down, even for Siena hoops who were relatively competitive this year. Plus, my impression has always that the non-student crowds have always been weaker in that ECAC playoff weekend.
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Absolutely right. Sadly, it will take some time to break through the psychosis that has settled in when in comes to many people being comfortable outside of their household bubble.
 
I don't know if anyone is in Lake Placid??.... but the ECAC typically holds an awards luncheon on Thursday of the tourney with all of the coaches and ADs in attendance.
 
Wicked Slappaahs said:
I don't know if anyone is in Lake Placid??.... but the ECAC typically holds an awards luncheon on Thursday of the tourney with all of the coaches and ADs in attendance.
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We had planned to be - had strong feelings about going with 4 minutes left int he game last Friday. Then changed that to a no. After Saturday we regretted the decision to not go and again made plans to be there. The Sunday it all fell apart. Easy for us to do as we live only about 45 miles from LP when we stay up there. Now simply keeping fingers crossed for next season.
 
troyboy said:
This team deserves all the credit it is getting but unless I'm missing something we have lost 20+ games 3 of the last 4 years and have been playing our butts off to get to .500 and can't quite get there. With what we have coming in I foresee that struggle continuing . In the not to distant past we brought in the likes of D'Amigo, Perri, Haggerty, Zelewski, Laliberte, Kassdorf these and others were significant recruiting battles that we won and other than covid that affected everyone nothings changed same School same Prez same AD same Barn I would like to think we can be headed back there. When we fired the last bunch and reset this is not the glide path that I expected .We need to shake it up. My fear is we're mid pack and we like it.
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Absolutely spot on bro! Coach Smith's winning percentage is .349. Was this the upgrade you'll all were looking for after the coaching change?! Has Dave had challenges; of course but so have many college hockey programs. I don't like the fact that players are not staying for their extra year of eligibility. Why not?? Just HFH... I think not. Too many players besides the extra year eligible players are entering portal. This program is exactly where it was when Garry Kearns saved the program in the Sixties. You all seem to think Dave is the guy; many fans I speak with think the jury is still out.
 
AspyDad said:
Absolutely spot on bro! Coach Smith's winning percentage is .349. Was this the upgrade you'll all were looking for after the coaching change?! Has Dave had challenges; of course but so have many college hockey programs. I don't like the fact that players are not staying for their extra year of eligibility. Why not?? Just HFH... I think not. Too many players besides the extra year eligible players are entering portal. This program is exactly where it was when Garry Kearns saved the program in the Sixties. You all seem to think Dave is the guy; many fans I speak with think the jury is still out.
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I would take exception to some of this... certainly the W-L is not where anyone wants it. But Smith endured not only a cancelled season (like many) but he lost his top AC thanks to Shirley laying off the coaching staff as well as losing a flat out star in Savory, as well as Babichuk, Jerry, etc. Then, this season he has to play his home games in an empty barn -- a penalty that no other athletic team in D1 endured.... at least that I'm aware of. What do you think that does for recruiting when the kids visit an empty arena for a "home" game? Smitty deserves kudos for keeping the rudder straight amidst the SAJ created strife -- and we haven't even discussed her $20mil pledge for renovations when Smitty was hired that by all appearances was a complete fabrication.
 
Wicked Slappaahs said:
I would take exception to some of this... certainly the W-L is not where anyone wants it. But Smith endured not only a cancelled season (like many) but he lost his top AC thanks to Shirley laying off the coaching staff as well as losing a flat out star in Savory, as well as Babichuk, Jerry, etc. Then, this season he has to play his home games in an empty barn -- a penalty that no other athletic team in D1 endured.... at least that I'm aware of. What do you think that does for recruiting when the kids visit an empty arena for a "home" game? Smitty deserves kudos for keeping the rudder straight amidst the SAJ created strife -- and we haven't even discussed her $20mil pledge for renovations when Smitty was hired that by all appearances was a complete fabrication.
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WS, thank you for this thoughtful and well-articulated response. I don't disagree with some of this. As you know, I was always very skeptical of Shirley's pledge of 20 million, it was to get the press off her back after the alumni rightly pointed out her deficiencies in supporting a D1 Hockey program. If you recall, I called BS on this matter, in fact some on the thread took umbrage at my stridence on the issue. I think you fell in my camp. Are you willing to give Dave another 5 years to figure this thing out because that's what they would have to give him to assure recruits that he would be around? I'm ok with that, I have no beef with Dave. I do believe and stick by my premise that we lose too many players to the portal (Covid or no Covid) and that is a problem. If the two leading scorers just left, knowing that Shirley is gone and we will go back to crowds, I think that says something. Wishing you and yours all the best.
 
Jake Johnson has entered the transfer portal. Many are still pissed at RPI for the cancelled season and no fans. While it stinks to be losing these players for sure, the reality is that usually they would be leaving anyways after their senior years. Hope we can get some good replacements
 
AspyDad said:
Too many players besides the extra year eligible players are entering portal.
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This is the key to me. Do we know this to be true? All over the country in multiple sports players, even at big-time athletic schools, are taking advantage of the extra year combined with the free transfer and the ease of the portal, to attend a different school for a post graduate season (occasionally two if they combine a redshirt with a Covid bonus year). Frankly, though it kills me that we are losing players like Leppanen, Lacka, Johnson and, I presume Linden (either transfer or pro contract), I thought their returns were longshots since they all have or will be getting diplomas. For many players 4 years is enough and they want to move on to something different, not even necessarily better, although the chance to test oneself at a traditional power must be tempting if available. If the undergrads, however, are transferring en masse, that's something else altogether.

P.S. I still don't think the boys played at Harvard like a team that was checked out. They must know far more than we do and if they thought the program was about to come unglued yet put in that kind of effort - it would be amazing.
 
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You know sometimes in life there comes a point when there are circumstances that converge and there is no blame to go around or enough blame for everyone to share no good guys or no bad guys it just for whatever reason comes a time to change to wipe the slate clean they call it the law of diminishing returns. I encourage everyone to read Paul Maurices(Winnipeg coach) statement when he resigned it is enlightining sometimes a fresh start benefits everyone just my thoughts.
 
I see that the opening football game will be at home against Dickinson College.


I'm hoping this will be a two-year home-and-home agreement, with RPI playing at Dickinson next year. I will be living in Carlisle, and the walk from my home to Dickinson's field is probably shorter than the walk from the RPI freshman dorms to '86 Field.
 
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