>>> RIT Tigers 2018/2019 - Time For The Tigers to Roar <<<

[jflory81]

Re: >>> RIT Tigers 2018/2019 - Time For The Tigers to Roar <<<

Drackett almost made a similar play earlier in the game. Luckily he got it. A huge win for RIT to get them to where 3 and 4 point weekends move the team up in the standings.

I would agree that I think RIT is better than Niagara based on the games at the Ritter and now have the tiebreaker against them should it be needed in playoff seedings. Yet, Niagara is also in 3rd place. RIT will play at AIC next, who if they win their Tuesday game will be in first place in the league. Lang looks to be a great up and comer as a coach the way that program has turned around. RIT swept them at the Ritter.

Canisius swept North Dakota, and RIT beat them Canisius.
Boston College has not WON a non-conference game in a couple years (have had ties).

There are no more doormats in the NCAA (MAYBE UAH?) and anyone can beat anyone. That is why I love this game.

Whipping a puck from behind the goal line off of the goaltender's stick/pads and in is nowhere near as uncommon as what happened at the end of the game yesterday. I've seen that happen probably hundreds of times through my life over different levels of hockey. I don't think I've ever seen a defenseman try to knock a pass traveling away from the net like that away with no one around, and have it perfectly deflect off of his stick and over the goaltender. It looked like he was caught in between two minds of what to do, and ended up caught between and perfectly deflected the puck past the goaltender.

Also, using BC's non-conference win streak to claim there are no bottom feeders is rather disingenuous. BC plays an extremely strong non-conference schedule every year. Only one of those losses was to an Atlantic Hockey team (Bentley, this year), and it came after the streak had already kind of taken on a life of its own. Here's the list of teams BC has lost/tied to:

2018-19:
St. Cloud State (RPI: 2)
Wisconsin (RPI: 25) *Ranked 12th at the time of the series
Quinnipiac (RPI: 5)
Bentley (RPI: 56)*
Notre Dame (RPI: 7)
Arizona State (RPI: 10)

2017-18:
Wisconsin (RPI: 26) *Ranked 10th at the time of the game
Quinnipiac (RPI: 32) *Ranked 14th at the time of the game
St. Cloud State (RPI: 1)
Denver (RPI: 5) *Ranked 1st at time of the game, and eventual national champions
Harvard (RPI: 28) *1 Beanpot Game, 1 regular NC game
Michigan Tech (RPI: 23)
Northern Michigan (RPI: 20)
Northeastern (RPI: 9) *Beanpot Game

2016-17: (RPI is hard to find for two years ago)
Northeastern *Beanpot Game
Boston U. (Ranked 3rd, Beanpot Game)
Quinnipiac (Ranked 14th at time of game)
Ferris State *Probably the 2nd worst team they played during the streak, and it was a tie. They were also ranked at the start of the year)
North Dakota (Ranked 9th at time of game)
Minnesota (Ranked 11th at time of game)
Harvard (Ranked 11th at time of game)

The only team on this list you could possibly call a "bottom feeder" is Bentley, and I would wager if those teams played 10 more times, BC would win 9 of them.

A sport with "no bottom feeders" would not have an entire conference with a winning percentage hovering around .250 in non-conference games. That suggests a conference relatively full of bottom feeders with an occasional upset, not nation-wide parity.

[komey1]

Re: >>> RIT Tigers 2018/2019 - Time For The Tigers to Roar <<<

I get it - BC plays a tough game out of their league. However, they won 0 and they are considered a national power. You would think they would win some of those game.

[jflory81]

I get it - BC plays a tough game out of their league. However, they won 0 and they are considered a national power. You would think they would win some of those game.

Sure. That has nothing to do with whether there are "bottom feeders" in college hockey. Traditional powers having relative down periods isn't exactly unprecedented. I think at some level BC's streak illustrates that the Big 10 and the NCHC are the big dogs conference wise in college hockey these days. And again, shifting of power among conferences isn't exactly a new phenomenon, especially after a significant re-alignment.

[RIT Winters]

Re: >>> RIT Tigers 2018/2019 - Time For The Tigers to Roar <<<

I get it - BC plays a tough game out of their league. However, they won 0 and they are considered a national power. You would think they would win some of those game.

They were the regular season champs of Hockey East last season. Regardless of your out of conference schedule, that is a pretty impressive feat considering how many great teams are in that conference.

[TigerFan86-87]

Re: >>> RIT Tigers 2018/2019 - Time For The Tigers to Roar <<<

They were the regular season champs of Hockey East last season. Regardless of your out of conference schedule, that is a pretty impressive feat considering how many great teams are in that conference.

And are in first place in HEA this season so far as well. They had better hope they can pull an HEA tournament championship out of their butts this season or it might be two straight years on the outside looking in at the NCAA's.

[TigerFan86-87]

Re: >>> RIT Tigers 2018/2019 - Time For The Tigers to Roar <<<

I think what some people are forgetting too is that the RIT Team with the MGM line was really close to going to the Frozen Four. If you actually watched the game against UNO, RIT dominated and just could not score. UNO got one and then added I think it was 2 empty nets, if the Tigers just got one goal in that game I think they would have been in the Frozen Four again.

Yes, RIT played their asses off in that game. I remember the announcers comparing them to waterbugs and wondering if they would ever go away while they were at 0-0 and even 1-0. At least, that was, until... Unfortunately, as soon as they gave up that second goal with 4:24 left, it all changed. They suddenly started pressing instead of sticking with what was working (except for actual scoring, of course). Shortly thereafter, (a little more than a minute) and after a UNO timeout, they gave up a breakaway goal to fall behind 3-0. That was followed by the one ENG less than a minute later. It just wasn't in the cards for them to score that night regardless of how many great chances they got. Massa was awesome that night, but they really should have been able to bury a few of those chances. It's not like they were playing against Patrick Roy or anything.

[TigerFan86-87]

Re: >>> RIT Tigers 2018/2019 - Time For The Tigers to Roar <<<

Another thing I find funny is that when RIT and Air Force were dominating the league, several fans wanted the other Atlantic Hockey teams to step up. Now they have done so and it's hard for anyone to dominate the league like in years past.

Technically, RIT only dominated this conference once, in 2010. Although one may argue they did again in the 2011 regular season, but losing in the tournament puts a wet blanket over that. They won the tournament in 2015 and 2016, but were far from dominant through those regular seasons. They just played their best for a couple weekends when it mattered most.

[TigerFan86-87]

Re: >>> RIT Tigers 2018/2019 - Time For The Tigers to Roar <<<

For all we complain, at least we're not Niagara. Even if there are signs they're a little better than they've been in the recent past, this is a team that would be horrified by the idea of being Atlantic Hockey bottom feeders when they moved into the conference. The senior class for them is a combined 25-62-12. And I was not particularly impressed by the two games I saw from them.

Much of their recent struggles can be attributed to an epic rash of injuries for a few years. That being said, you can only use that excuse to a point.
I would hazard a guess that their recruiting efforts took a hit once they did finally cave in and join AHA. Not being able to tell recruits that they have their sights set on bigger things than the CHA anymore certainly isn't helping.

[TigerFan86-87]

Re: >>> RIT Tigers 2018/2019 - Time For The Tigers to Roar <<<

The pre-season AHA coach's poll placed RIT in 7th. The USCHO columnists picked RIT to finish 7th or 8th.

RIT is currently in 7th place at the mid point of the season.

Can you explain to me how that "is way below expectations both on the ice and in the standings, "?

I can't speak for Winters, but am guessing he was speaking of many of the fans' expectations of the program in general, not so much relative to the prognostications for just one season. Just the fact that they were picked to finish that low is below expectations to begin with. If we ever reach the point where the fan base is ok with such pre-season poll numbers or end-of-season results on a regular basis, then there is cause for concern. That's not to say there can't ever be down times in a program. That would be ridiculous. It's just disheartening when it sounds like there is some level of acceptance of performance at that level.
I can't believe that RIT Hockey made the move to D-I to wallow in the middle-to-low end of the pack in the worst conference around. It's just below the program's standards.
I know I sound like an old guy when I go back to this, but as great as being in D-I is, a part of me remains (and may always be) nostalgic for the days when RIT's name in D-III meant something and they contended for national rankings with the possibility of playing for a National Championship more often than not. That is non-existent and will remain so indefinitely at D-I.

[komey1]

Re: >>> RIT Tigers 2018/2019 - Time For The Tigers to Roar <<<

I can't speak for Winters, but am guessing he was speaking of many of the fans' expectations of the program in general, not so much relative to the prognostications for just one season. Just the fact that they were picked to finish that low is below expectations to begin with. If we ever reach the point where the fan base is ok with such pre-season poll numbers or end-of-season results on a regular basis, then there is cause for concern. That's not to say there can't ever be down times in a program. That would be ridiculous. It's just disheartening when it sounds like there is some level of acceptance of performance at that level.
I can't believe that RIT Hockey made the move to D-I to wallow in the middle-to-low end of the pack in the worst conference around. It's just below the program's standards.
I know I sound like an old guy when I go back to this, but as great as being in D-I is, a part of me remains (and may always be) nostalgic for the days when RIT's name in D-III meant something and they contended for national rankings with the possibility of playing for a National Championship more often than not. That is non-existent and will remain so indefinitely at D-I.

I guess you blocked out those last couple years of DIII where the team was a bit below standards where they didn't win anything. The only reason the streak of every 4 year player winning a regular season or conference tournament title is the first year in Atlantic Hockey. Granted, I love the DIII days and the great rivalries and success, but it wasn't always great hockey.

I don't think anyone is happy that the preseason picks have put RIT so low. Expectations should always be fairly high. But we do need to keep in mind that there can be down periods. I don't concern myself as much with preseaon picks - as they are guesses and really mean nothing. As fans, we can't do anything about on ice performance. I don't know anyone who is ok with performance at a less than expected performance. However, there isn't anything we can do about it.

[jflory81]

Re: >>> RIT Tigers 2018/2019 - Time For The Tigers to Roar <<<

Technically, RIT only dominated this conference once, in 2010. Although one may argue they did again in the 2011 regular season, but losing in the tournament puts a wet blanket over that. They won the tournament in 2015 and 2016, but were far from dominant through those regular seasons. They just played their best for a couple weekends when it mattered most.

Eh, they won at least a share of 4 regular season championships in 5 years, culminating in that 1-0 Air Force loss in 2011 where RIT was clearly the better team and just couldn't put the puck in the net (to a much greater extent than the UNO game you're talking about, where I thought the Tigers were held mostly to the periphery and didn't really create too many grade A looks - I remember the Garbowsky line creating one midway through the 3rd, but other than that it was all stuff I expected a goalie the caliber of Massa to stop). They won 92 conference games in 5 years, and their winning percentage over that period was .719.
I don't have a problem calling them dominant over that span (especially when also including Air Force as dominant) with that record, even if stuff did tend to happen to them in the single elimination playoffs.

[TigerFan86-87]

Re: >>> RIT Tigers 2018/2019 - Time For The Tigers to Roar <<<

Eh, they won at least a share of 4 regular season championships in 5 years, culminating in that 1-0 Air Force loss in 2011 where RIT was clearly the better team and just couldn't put the puck in the net (to a much greater extent than the UNO game you're talking about, where I thought the Tigers were held mostly to the periphery and didn't really create too many grade A looks - I remember the Garbowsky line creating one midway through the 3rd, but other than that it was all stuff I expected a goalie the caliber of Massa to stop). They won 92 conference games in 5 years, and their winning percentage over that period was .719.
I don't have a problem calling them dominant over that span (especially when also including Air Force as dominant) with that record, even if stuff did tend to happen to them in the single elimination playoffs.

Notice I underlined the word dominated for a reason. Winning does not equate to dominating. Yes, they finished in at least a share of first that many times, but only in 2010, and arguably 2011, did they dominate the conference, or in other words, run away with it.
I would agree that over a long time frame, both AFA and RIT were the premier programs in this conference, but aside from 2010, neither ran away with any given season race.

[TigerFan86-87]

Re: >>> RIT Tigers 2018/2019 - Time For The Tigers to Roar <<<

I guess you blocked out those last couple years of DIII where the team was a bit below standards where they didn't win anything.

Please re-read the entire post instead of taking out of it what you wish. I'm not an idiot. I know full well they didn't win every year. But there was always a chance that if they played well, they would be in the running for a tournament bid and possibly a national title, something the D-I Tigers have virtually no shot at (miraculous FF run in 2010 notwithstanding) in the foreseeable future. That's all I was saying.

[jflory81]

Re: >>> RIT Tigers 2018/2019 - Time For The Tigers to Roar <<<

Notice I underlined the word dominated for a reason. Winning does not equate to dominating. Yes, they finished in at least a share of first that many times, but only in 2010, and arguably 2011, did they dominate the conference, or in other words, run away with it.
I would agree that over a long time frame, both AFA and RIT were the premier programs in this conference, but aside from 2010, neither ran away with any given season race.

Sorry, a .719 winning percentage over 5 years (and a home conference unbeaten streak of however long it ended up being before Niagara came into the conference and broke it) is pretty dominant. It's far and away the best 5 season stretch that any team has put together since RIT has joined the league (inculding Air Force). There's a difference between the standard of a dominant program over a span of time (in this case 5 years) and single season dominance. RIT's record over their first 5 years in the conference absolutely qualifies, IMO.

Also, they were arguably better in 2007 than they were in 2011 (same point differential from 2nd, better conference record, better goal differential), and in 2009 (the year they split) they and Air Force were 5 points clear of the next closest team (and again, remember that Air Force was also acknowledged as being "dominant", although in their case it's almost entirely built upon playoff success).

[Scott Biggar]

Re: >>> RIT Tigers 2018/2019 - Time For The Tigers to Roar <<<

But there was always a chance that if they played well, they would be in the running for a tournament bid and possibly a national title, something the D-I Tigers have virtually no shot at (miraculous FF run in 2010 notwithstanding) in the foreseeable future. That's all I was saying.

In the timespan being discussed (ie. RIT DI era), something around half of the DI teams have never played in a single NCAA tournament game. RIT has earned bids to three NCAA tournaments and have even won a few games, something achieved by even fewer teams.

So I would count that as evidence "..that there [is] always a chance that if they play[ed] well, they would be in the running for a tournament.."

The fact is that most of the rest of Atlantic Hockey has caught up to Air Force and RIT, since the good old days of a few years ago, which has increased the chance of another team "stealing" the AHA tournament bid from the formerly dominant teams. [tongue in cheek]

I think this new-found parity is occurring across most other leagues as well, as evidenced by their regular season standings and the volatility in league champions the last few seasons.

The days of "dominant" teams and only "the usual suspects" having a reasonable chance at a title have come to an end.

Realistically, I think the chances of RIT gaining a national title is very small, but to me at least, that doesn't diminish what the program continues to achieve at the DI level nor the annual journey.