RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020 Part II: Moving on with 2020 Vision!

[DavidNardolillo]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020 Part II: Moving on with 2020 Vision!

Complete and total lack of offense. RPI hasn't scored more than one goal in a game except for the 5-4 loss to Clarkson and the 2-2 tie with Holy Cross and has scored 0 goals in 15 of 27 games. Adding injury to insult, our top scorer (with a whopping 4 goals) has been hurt for the last few weeks and will reportedly be out for the season. We get outshot by nearly 23 shots per game (not actually that much worse than last year where we were down about 19 shots/gm), but as you said, our goaltending went from Selander (.942 sv%, an otherworldly talent) to a mix of Nystrom and Rampado (combined .919%, which is still pretty decent).

What is going on with the recruiting system that the team's skaters appear so over-matched?

[Ralph Baer]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020 Part II: Moving on with 2020 Vision!

Well said. I don't think Savory has done much wrong to have his playing time reduced, but I am okay with a tandem with Calvaruso. Our defense requires our goalies to work hard and I think Calvaruso has played well in limited opportunities (e.g. some great saves against Yale to prevent it from getting embarrassing). Good to keep both relatively fresh for an eventual playoff run where I think you have to go with your best goalie every night.

I am pretty much in agreement with that. At this time of the year, it is good to have more than one goalie playing, but in the playoffs, do with your best.

[25+years]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020 Part II: Moving on with 2020 Vision!

I enjoy going to the TU Center for the Mayors Cup each year. It’s nice to see both schools get a little bit more publicity during a time when Siena and UAlbany basketball and high school sports get the bulk of the local coverage.

I see lots of kids and families at this game and it really brings the two communities together for one night at least.

The ice looked terrible to me but I’m not an expert on that subject. However you can see both teams struggle at times with puck possession. Can’t really expect perfect ice conditions when it is put down maybe twice a year now for Disney on Ice and the Mayors Cup. Not to mention a Siena hoops game played Friday night and a game today at 3 pm. Shoutout to the crew at the TU for the quick turnarounds this weekend.

Can Savory finally get the bulk of the starts moving forward, I don’t know what else he needs to prove to make this happen.

So it was an entertaining game. Lots of chances on both sides, good goaltending, and a physical edge. The major drawback was a low scoring affair. Bad ice conditions definitely contributed. As to the future of the Mayor's Cup or converting it to a tournament, why? You have two teams that struggle to get into the top of the league standings. They draw 6000. Not even the NCAA regionals draw that. The Albany Devils couldn't draw. Attendance at RPI games is down. If it ain't broken don't fix it. It is to hockey what the Dutchmans Shoes are to Football. Get rid of that too?

[sezenack]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020 Part II: Moving on with 2020 Vision!

What is going on with the recruiting system that the team's skaters appear so over-matched?

Vines is a terrible coach is what is going on

[DavidNardolillo]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020 Part II: Moving on with 2020 Vision!

Vines is a terrible coach is what is going on

It is easy to say the coach is poor when the team is 0-26. Perhaps it is that simple, but I think you also have to ask whether there is something more structural. If, for example, the team does not have adequate resources to recruit versus other teams (e.g. travel budgets, sufficient assistant coaches to handle the task), then changing the coach is not likely to improve the situation very much. And that's something to take to the leadership of the school. Although in this fiscal environment for many colleges, getting investment in Division I athletics can be hard to achieve unless some well-heeled donors lead the charge.

[DrDemento]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020 Part II: Moving on with 2020 Vision!

And the problem would still be that in order to get quality opponents we would have to agree to play two games in each of their rinks. It would mean a total of more road games for us than home games.

Just my way of turning back the clock a bit to a better time for this program. There have been a lot of changes over the years, some for the good and some for the not so good. 60 years of hosting the tournament in some shape or form and so many good memories. For those who do not go back that far, you simply do not know what you have missed.

[Waite21]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020 Part II: Moving on with 2020 Vision!

And the problem would still be that in order to get quality opponents we would have to agree to play two games in each of their rinks. It would mean a total of more road games for us than home games.

Though many of us might like to forget the results, RPI played at UMass-Lowell and Merrimack earlier this season in what was billed as the Turkey Leg Classic.

Did Lowell and Merrimack both agree to play two future games in Troy?

[DavidNardolillo]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020 Part II: Moving on with 2020 Vision!

Though many of us might like to forget the results, RPI played at UMass-Lowell and Merrimack earlier this season in what was billed as the Turkey Leg Classic.

Did Lowell and Merrimack both agree to play two future games in Troy?

I believe someone reported on the Part I thread that as part of the agreement, Merrimack or Lowell would have to play 2 in Troy next year, with the other team playing 2 in State College against Penn State.

[sezenack]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020 Part II: Moving on with 2020 Vision!

I believe someone reported on the Part I thread that as part of the agreement, Merrimack or Lowell would have to play 2 in Troy next year, with the other team playing 2 in State College against Penn State.

Lowell is coming to Troy for 2 next year; Merrimack is going to Penn State

[rpi82]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020 Part II: Moving on with 2020 Vision!

Just watched Sacred Heart stomp on Yale and QU on consecutive nights, both teams that thoroughly walked on us. SHU undoubtedly can let in some players we can't, but this win was achieved as much with dedication to a system, hustle and strong senior leadership as it was talent. They clearly wanted it more than two teams that were on paper just better. I hope our guys get the same message.

[troyboy]

[QUOTE=sezenack;6892805]Vines is a terrible coach is what is going on[/QUOTE I'm guessing your not qualified to make that judgement fanboy

[sezenack]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020 Part II: Moving on with 2020 Vision!

[QUOTE=troyboy;6892912]

Vines is a terrible coach is what is going on[/QUOTE I'm guessing your not qualified to make that judgement fanboy

Any halfway decent coach can manage to win a game in a season. Hockey is a sport with a great deal of luck that affects the final outcome. To lose every single game means the team is significantly worse than most teams in the country. But please, keep defending the guy who has accomplished nothing here, is about to lead a team to a WINLESS SEASON and couldn't manage a winning record with an all-world goaltender (who he did not recruit btw)

[DavidNardolillo]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020 Part II: Moving on with 2020 Vision!

Just watched Sacred Heart stomp on Yale and QU on consecutive nights, both teams that thoroughly walked on us. SHU undoubtedly can let in some players we can't, but this win was achieved as much with dedication to a system, hustle and strong senior leadership as it was talent. They clearly wanted it more than two teams that were on paper just better. I hope our guys get the same message.

Sacred Heart also found $60 million to build a new rink: https://arenadigest.com/2020/01/26/p...rena-unveiled/

RPI doesn't need a new rink, but it would be nice to have some basic refurbishment to HFH. No reason to have blue seats or curtains in there and the school can do better than having that makeshift training area by the Zamboni entrance

[rpi82]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020 Part II: Moving on with 2020 Vision!

Sacred Heart also found $60 million to build a new rink: https://arenadigest.com/2020/01/26/p...rena-unveiled/

RPI doesn't need a new rink, but it would be nice to have some basic refurbishment to HFH. No reason to have blue seats or curtains in there and the school can do better than having that makeshift training area by the Zamboni entrance

I'd love to know how small 2nd and 3rd tier schools like Sacred Heart and Quinnipiac got the money for their aggressive expansions. QU has added law, medicine (located at the old Anthem Blue Cross headquarters which they purchased) and engineering schools while building a massive dorm and athletic complex on nearby Sherman Hill. It's about a half mile horizontally and 400 feet vertically from the main campus. Add a ski gondola to connect them and they'd have one of the nicest campuses in the country. Sacred Heart has also added several large dorm buildings (including the former Jewish home complex next door) while replacing many of their academic and athletic buildings. They built a $50M structure for their business school (named for Neutron Jack Welch of course) less than 5 years ago only to buy the former GE headquarters down the street and move it there. The new "West Campus" will also be the site of the $60M hockey rink for a team that I've never seen draw more than about 700 people to a game prior to this weekend's tournament.

So, what did we get for our money? I can think of a football stadium that's far bigger than needed, an arts center that came in 2x its budget, some windows for the field house and an old hotel. I suppose we could count the biotech building on Shirley's list but isn't that about 20 years old by now?

[Ralph Baer]

Re: RPI Hockey 2019 - 2020 Part II: Moving on with 2020 Vision!

So, what did we get for our money? I can think of a football stadium that's far bigger than needed, an arts center that came in 2x its budget, some windows for the field house and an old hotel. I suppose we could count the biotech building on Shirley's list but isn't that about 20 years old by now?

More money for Shirley?