Re: Green Bay regional: NoDak vs RPI, Western Mich vs Denver
I'd like to hear an analysis of this RPI team...
I was hoping that someone who has been attending games would post, but since no one has yet, I'll attempt it and allow others to add or subtract.
RPI's strength this year has probably been in goal and in defense. Allen York, a junior goalie who is a Columbus draft choice, was a Hobey candidate and has played almost every minute except when injured. Soph Bryce Merriam filled in then.
The defense is young with 2 seniors, 1 junior with soph eligibility, a soph transfer, and 3 freshman. The seniors are Jeff Foss, a Nashville draft choice who is almost from North Dakota (Moorhead, MN) and captain John Kennedy (full name John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Jr.) We doubt that he is related to the former President
http://www.rpiathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=3739&path=hockey.
JFK has provided leadership.
Mike Bergin, a Dallas draft choice, received a medical redshirt two years ago. Nick Bailen, a BGSU transfer, has been playing the point on the first powerplay unit. Bergin also sees duty there. The three frosh dmen, Bo Dolan, Pat Koudys, and Guy "the beef" Leboeuf round out the unit. One of the freshman will probably not dress. Koudys is likely to be drafted this year. His father's cousin Randy Koudys '84 played forward against UND in the 1984 tourney.
The forward lines are led by Hobey finalist and ECAC two-time Player of the Year Chase Polacek who led the team in scoring and classmate Tyler Helfrich who has returned to his freshman form after two injury-plagued seasons.
Others who have contributed a lot on the scoreboard are freshman Brock Higgs, sophs Marty O'Grady and C. J. Lee, and senior forward (formerly dman) Bryan Brutlag. Senior (with junior eligibility) Joel Malchuk and junior Josh Rabbani play more defensive roles but have also scored goals. I won't go through the entire roster but it can be found on the team website
http://www.rpiathletics.com/index.aspx?tab=hockey&path=hockey.
I should mention that over the summer RPI lost two of its most promising forwards, Jerry D'Amigo and Brandon Pirri, to the pros after just one year. These were the first two one-and-dones that RPI has ever had, and this is only the second time that RPI lost more than one underclassman to the pros. In 1985, four turned pro after the NCAA championship season.
Coach Seth Appert has been trying to implement an up-tempo game plan similar to that which he was familiar with when he was an assistant in Denver. IMO, at times we have been successful and at times we haven't.
RPI's first goal is to score a goal. The last NCAA tourney goal that RPI scored was George Servinis's controversial goal in the 1985 championship game. Since then RPI has gone over 7 periods without scoring, being shut out in 1994 and 1995. After we score a goal, we will think about winning.
