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

[komey1]

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

That is a good point. No excuses about road games, all teams have to play them. If road games early in the season are to difficult for RIT then the coach should schedule differently. By the way AIC is no joke home or away and they typically steal one while on the road against RIT. This weekend is a very early deciding factor where this season will go. If AIC sweeps, that would be a challenge for RIT to rebound. Split is not good enough at this point because of where RIT is in the standings. So, a sweep for RIT is the only option.

I don't think RIT has a choice to when they play the road games on their schedule. They can only work out the non-conference games.

AIC is improved from years past, and I agree cannot be taken lightly. One needs to only look at last year when the team managed a split against the Yellowjackets - losing the 2nd game in OT. But we are also 4 games into the conference season. As Aaron Rodgers says: RELAX. There is a lot of hockey to be played. A split is not a disaster. Losing both would make things difficult to move up in the standings, but it is also still early.

 

[Tom Naeger]

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

Oh a Fire Wayne Thread has already come up!!!!

Wayne made a comment in the post game Saturday about last two years every Friday game has been flat. Obviously, the coaches are frustrated and have seem to try just about everything the last two years. In that time this teams biggest enemy has been themselves. Coaches make fancy speeches all the time and we love to eat it up in Movies but to me it the most overrated aspect of coaching. If you look at great coaches of all sports, just about everyone of the great motivators who coached a sports team has an asterisk next to them, because as soon as their team stop winning they quickly became annoying and got fired.

Major Dick Winters of the 101st Airborne Division said it best.

"How do you prepare yourself, mentally? Each man must do that himself. Each man must prepare himself mentally to make that jump.”

If these players have gotten to this level and need to be explain what a rare and special time this is for them then it is a lost cause. A coach prepares his teams and makes sure they adhere to a game plan. Sure they give a little speech to lift spirits, but that speech doesn't win a game. It the players on the ice who win or loses the game. Heck, I've seen plenty of bad coaches win games because their players won the game. If you are going to judge a coach judge him/her on the decisions that they make, not if they can give you a memorable quote. Trust me, I heard plenty of good speeches, you forget them when the game starts.

RIT Coaches aren't perfect. Heck I honestly felt they made some questionable decisions about goaltending last year and the whole thing fall apart. If you want your pound a flesh fine, but it doesn't win championships. Look no further than the Pegulas, they have been quick to fire when things go ever so poorly. The number of GMs and Coaches they are paying at the same time is down right crazy and has resulted in them fracking the little respect that was left for the Buffalo sports... Yes I know the Sabres beat the Senators 9-2 I'll wet myself okay...

Given the results, I'll give Wayne and company time to deal with the players...

 

[Downstate_RIT_Fan]

I always like to go back to Union as they were able to turn that program into a powerhouse without scholarships. I think the Ivies are different as they are always going to draw talent. So what does Union have that enabled them to put together a decent team year in and year out over the last 10 years or so? Is it the competition of being in the ECAC? Is it the recruiting? Is it the success of previous seasons? Is it Coach Bennet? A combination? I think more than anything else it is the coach. Players want to play in Coach Bennett’s system. He’s an emotional guy too. Just ask the RPI faithful about the after game brawl a few years ago in which Bennet was in the middle of. He called his players marshmallows after a bad loss earlier this year. Called them out. They lost the next night too but have since rebounded. I watched Frank Serratore last week use his emotion on his players and the refs to sweep Army. I know it’s not every coaches thing but I think players react to raw emotion, if you’re going to run through a wall for your coach you’re probably more apt to do it for the coach that seems to be in the trenches with you and most definitely has your attention. Again not for everyone but it seems to work for Union and Air Force.

 

[Russell Jaslow]

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

Oh a Fire Wayne Thread has already come up!!!!

Wayne made a comment in the post game Saturday about last two years every Friday game has been flat. Obviously, the coaches are frustrated and have seem to try just about everything the last two years. In that time this teams biggest enemy has been themselves. Coaches make fancy speeches all the time and we love to eat it up in Movies but to me it the most overrated aspect of coaching. If you look at great coaches of all sports, just about everyone of the great motivators who coached a sports team has an asterisk next to them, because as soon as their team stop winning they quickly became annoying and got fired.

Major Dick Winters of the 101st Airborne Division said it best.



If these players have gotten to this level and need to be explain what a rare and special time this is for them then it is a lost cause. A coach prepares his teams and makes sure they adhere to a game plan. Sure they give a little speech to lift spirits, but that speech doesn't win a game. It the players on the ice who win or loses the game. Heck, I've seen plenty of bad coaches win games because their players won the game. If you are going to judge a coach judge him/her on the decisions that they make, not if they can give you a memorable quote. Trust me, I heard plenty of good speeches, you forget them when the game starts.

"If you lose this game, you'll take it to your f------ graves. {starts to walk out of the locker room, stops, turns around} To your f------ graves!"

Greatest motivational speech in the history of sports. And it worked!

 

[komey1]

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

I always like to go back to Union as they were able to turn that program into a powerhouse without scholarships. I think the Ivies are different as they are always going to draw talent. So what does Union have that enabled them to put together a decent team year in and year out over the last 10 years or so? Is it the competition of being in the ECAC? Is it the recruiting? Is it the success of previous seasons? Is it Coach Bennet? A combination? I think more than anything else it is the coach. Players want to play in Coach Bennett’s system. He’s an emotional guy too. Just ask the RPI faithful about the after game brawl a few years ago in which Bennet was in the middle of. He called his players marshmallows after a bad loss earlier this year. Called them out. They lost the next night too but have since rebounded. I watched Frank Serratore last week use his emotion on his players and the refs to sweep Army. I know it’s not every coaches thing but I think players react to raw emotion, if you’re going to run through a wall for your coach you’re probably more apt to do it for the coach that seems to be in the trenches with you and most definitely has your attention. Again not for everyone but it seems to work for Union and Air Force.

Is Union really a powerhouse though? They had a great stretch that culminated in a championship, but that was 4 years ago. Since then, they have 1 ECAC regular season title and 1 NCAA tournament appearance. Also, let's not undervalue playing in the ECAC and the opportunities that creates. Sure they can get more 20 win seasons, but I would hardly call them a powerhouse.

As for Air Force - take a look when their last regular season championship was - I'll bet it shocks you. They have typically been a great conference tournament team. I do think Serratore is a good coach who gets a lot out of this players. But he has also been blessed in getting very good goaltenders over the years.

 

[Hockeyplayer82]

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

Is Union really a powerhouse though? They had a great stretch that culminated in a championship, but that was 4 years ago. Since then, they have 1 ECAC regular season title and 1 NCAA tournament appearance. Also, let's not undervalue playing in the ECAC and the opportunities that creates. Sure they can get more 20 win seasons, but I would hardly call them a powerhouse.

As for Air Force - take a look when their last regular season championship was - I'll bet it shocks you. They have typically been a great conference tournament team. I do think Serratore is a good coach who gets a lot out of this players. But he has also been blessed in getting very good goaltenders over the years.

The coaching staff is emotionless and so is the team. This is the way it has been for years. Frank Ritter provided all of the emotion RIT needed even if there was none on the bench. Watch the coaches on the bench. Not even a fist pump or a pat on the back but this is the way it has been for years, this is nothing new.

Union is not a powerhouse but is consistently a high quality team and is in the conversation.
Air Force is consistently a very good team and wins the playoff tournament very often. Which is the only win that matters in Atlantic hockey. Who cares about the regualr season! If the team gets hot each year wins the playoffs, NCAA bid and that team is playing on the big stage.

Bottom line: RIT has been on a downward trend. If the coaches have tried everything and nothing works. The answer is simple....time for new leadership. If its recruiting, then time for new people to recruit. If its systems, change systems etc.....

 

[Hockeyplayer82]

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

I don't recall seeing a single thing positive from you about RIT. Are you a dad of a player that is not getting ice time?

Let's be real, it's going to be extremely difficult to get a better coach than Wayne Wilson go to come and coach DI hockey for a team that cannot offer athletic scholarships in a league like Atlantic Hockey. He took a team 5 years removed form a DIII team to a Frozen Four. He has taken RIT to 3 NCAA tournaments in DI with a record of 3-3 in those games. The only candidates that you would likely get are assistant head coaches looking to move to head coaching, DIII head coaches looking to move up, or a coach that is trying to rebuild his reputation. None of these to me are a better option.

Does that mean I think everything is perfect? No. The home ice record gets under my skin a lot - I remember seasons where RIT might lose only 1 home game. The penalties are frustrating - but some of that is incompetence of Atlantic Hockey referees. A bunch of teams won't schedule non conference games with Atlantic Hockey opponents if the AHC refs are used. Early season is getting used to the new points of emphasis - and also some places are notorious for the refs being more generous to the home crowd. Recruiting is hard - especially if you can't offer athletic scholarships. But let's also not forget that other teams in the league have made significant upgrades to their programs.

Frustrated fan with no answers.

Your post went from defending RIT to being negative about RIT and Atlantic Hockey. So basically we are on the same page but express it in different ways. Which is a good thing.

Is there a better coach out there? We will not know until someone is looking. New players, younger players maybe a younger coach, maybe a coach who can change their coaching style to the players with different systems and bring some emotion to the team instead of being a statue. Who knows....

 

[komey1]

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

The coaching staff is emotionless and so is the team. This is the way it has been for years. Frank Ritter provided all of the emotion RIT needed even if there was none on the bench. Watch the coaches on the bench. Not even a fist pump or a pat on the back but this is the way it has been for years, this is nothing new.

Union is not a powerhouse but is consistently a high quality team and is in the conversation.
Air Force is consistently a very good team and wins the playoff tournament very often. Which is the only win that matters in Atlantic hockey. Who cares about the regualr season! If the team gets hot each year wins the playoffs, NCAA bid and that team is playing on the big stage.

Bottom line: RIT has been on a downward trend. If the coaches have tried everything and nothing works. The answer is simple....time for new leadership. If its recruiting, then time for new people to recruit. If its systems, change systems etc.....

Prior to last year, RIT was in the tournament more recently than Air Force. RIT is only 2 season out from an NCAA tournament berth, which was the 2nd of back to back appearances. There were some down periods before that. Every 4 year player for RIT has either won a regular season or conference tournament in their history. When that starts to change, then we should look at leadership.

 

[Downstate_RIT_Fan]

Frustrated fan with no answers.

Your post went from defending RIT to being negative about RIT and Atlantic Hockey. So basically we are on the same page but express it in different ways. Which is a good thing.

Is there a better coach out there? We will not know until someone is looking. New players, younger players maybe a younger coach, maybe a coach who can change their coaching style to the players with different systems and bring some emotion to the team instead of being a statue. Who knows....

I hear you. Lots of variables. Is Dave Smith’s RPI team better then Dave Smith’s Canisius team? If so why? Is the Hockey East UConn team better than the Atlantic Hockey UConn team?

In both instances I’d say yes, in the first the prestige of playing at a 2 time NCAA champion school trumps playing at Canisius for most players. Heck you might rub elbows with Adam Oates, in the second, moving to Hockey East meant that UCONN had to up their game and they did in a big way with NHL draft choices sprinkled up and down their roster.

I think RIT is in flux. What do they want to do? Do they need scholarships? Do they want to play in another league? They got a beautiful new rink. We don’t know these answers, but I feel that our coaches are somewhat coaching with one hand tied behind their backs and in that case maybe being the mild mannered coach behind the bench is the best approach.

Would love to see Wayne coach this team with a full complement of scholarship athletes in a league other than Altlantic Hockey. I think he would do great.

 

[komey1]

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

I think RIT is in flux. What do they want to do? Do they need scholarships? Do they want to play in another league? They got a beautiful new rink. We don’t know these answers, but I feel that our coaches are somewhat coaching with one hand tied behind their backs and in that case maybe being the mild mannered coach behind the bench is the best approach.

Would love to see Wayne coach this team with a full complement of scholarship athletes in a league other than Altlantic Hockey. I think he would do great.

I think it's safe to say that RIT would love to be in another league - especially ECAC. However, there are no real openings that make sense. Hockey East has an odd number of teams, but they seem ok with that. Plus, I don't think the teams there would care for the travel. I believe the rink is there for when RIT has an opportunity to move to a better league. However, I don't want to move outside of Atlantic Hockey just for the sake of leaving that conference. It should be one where RIT will be able to be somewhat competitive.

 

[Downstate_RIT_Fan]

I think it's safe to say that RIT would love to be in another league - especially ECAC. However, there are no real openings that make sense. Hockey East has an odd number of teams, but they seem ok with that. Plus, I don't think the teams there would care for the travel. I believe the rink is there for when RIT has an opportunity to move to a better league. However, I don't want to move outside of Atlantic Hockey just for the sake of leaving that conference. It should be one where RIT will be able to be somewhat competitive.

Just need a current ECAC team to join HE and RIT will have their opportunity to join their Liberty League brethren in the ECAC. But that is a topic for the off season I suppose. Raining down here but I see you guys have flurries up there. Careful traveling. Just an umbrella or less if it’s not raining too hard for the short walk to the rink for the Army - SH game tonight down here.

 

[komey1]

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

Just need a current ECAC team to join HE and RIT will have their opportunity to join their Liberty League brethren in the ECAC. But that is a topic for the off season I suppose. Raining down here but I see you guys have flurries up there. Careful traveling. Just an umbrella or less if it’s not raining too hard for the short walk to the rink for the Army - SH game tonight down here.

My drive is relatively short so it won't be too bad. Hope that doesn't deter fans though.

 

[Tom Naeger]

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

"If you lose this game, you'll take it to your f------ graves. {starts to walk out of the locker room, stops, turns around} To your f------ graves!"

Greatest motivational speech in the history of sports. And it worked!

Actually.... That was the speech before the Finland game and remember they came out flat and fall behind. So was it one of those delay motivational speeches

 

[Transplanted Tiger Fan]

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

Stated to be a sellout crowd at the GPC tonight! Couldn’t make the 2-hour drive to catch the game tonight due to local commitments, but that sure would have been nice to see.

(I’m looking at YOU, RITSportszone!!).

 

[blazer777]

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

A Friday night and a game at the GPC ends with a win! Note that's a strange one!

 

[RIT Winters]

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

Stated to be a sellout crowd at the GPC tonight! Couldn’t make the 2-hour drive to catch the game tonight due to local commitments, but that sure would have been nice to see.

(I’m looking at YOU, RITSportszone!!).

Amazing what boatloads of free tickets to students will do. I hope they expand that program to be all season long, as I'm sure they make their money in concession sales, anyway.

 

[komey1]

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

A Friday night and a game at the GPC ends with a win! Note that's a strange one!

It was an ugly win. Both teams seemed to have better chances when they were on the PK than on the PP. Fortunately, Drackett came up HUGE in this game against some Grade A scoring chances for AIC. He has really stepped up his game and taken the reigns on the starting job.

 

[jflory81]

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

They did not deserve to win that game tonight. They were outplayed badly, and got quite a bit of fortune. Even taking into account Drackett's fine play, they probably win that game twice out of 10 games. Tonight happened to be one of the two.

They fell asleep numerous times, and they continue to struggle to create offense at even strength, which you would have not thought would be a problem coming into conference play. They're lucky Drackett's come along and been one of the best goaltenders in the conference, because if they had gotten last year's goaltending through this year's play, they might still be looking for their first conference win.

 

[jflory81]

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

Amazing what boatloads of free tickets to students will do. I hope they expand that program to be all season long, as I'm sure they make their money in concession sales, anyway.

Couldn't agree more. The benefits of a full building and extra concessions far outweigh the lost money in tickets, IMO. Maybe if you start to establish the building as a fortress, and you start winning all the time, you can start phasing that out.

 

[Transplanted Tiger Fan]

Couldn't agree more. The benefits of a full building and extra concessions far outweigh the lost money in tickets, IMO. Maybe if you start to establish the building as a fortress, and you start winning all the time, you can start phasing that out.

I recall seeing a presser over the summer announcing that there will be 5 games this year with free tickets for students. This being done as part of the 50-year celebration of the Henrietta campus. So hopefully every one of those games are also capacity crowds, and maybe I will get to experience one of them.

Still quite irked that there is no longer any coverage... be it TV or streaming... for fans outside of the Rochester area. Yeah, we can drop the cash to watch the Atlantic Hockey stream, but that’s a load of crap. The TV (then streaming) coverage was one of the great aspects/outcomes from RIT going D1, but now there are multiple D3 teams with better access for watching games.

At least we can thank the deity-of-choice for the good folks at WITR!