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RPI 2011-12 Part V: Don't Stop Believing

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Re: RPI 2011-12 Part V: Don't Stop Believing

DrDemento said:
Hope all is OK.
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Mostly, although part of the legitimate excuse does involve going under the knife.

I can already hear some of the nice people out there on this board hoping I die from complications.
 
Re: RPI 2011-12 Part V: Don't Stop Believing

DrDemento said:
We are hoping that next year we make our return to HFH-probably not season tickets like we had from 1975 until 2001-but hoping to attend a few games at least. All sorts of medical issues have prevented us for the past few years from straying far from our homes but we are keeping fingers crossed that these episodes are behind us. As a matter of fact-spent the day today looking for a new car to make the trips.
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Great news!!!
 
Re: RPI 2011-12 Part V: Don't Stop Believing

Yes I enjoy your hockey and football memories. I graded Engineering Statistics tests for Mo Eustane in 1968. Watson, Scammel, Law, Igham , Mitchell, etc were in the class. Mo was the freshman hockey coach and also taught Investment Analysis. Back to the present I can't understand why our PP is below average with the #40 strength of schedule. I would expect our 5 best players to be able to be at least average. The PP may represent a symptom rather than the problem.

DrDemento said:
I finished at RPI in '66 so you and I have a very similar historical perspective. We have seen 48-49 teams and at least 8 coaches. I have seen teams with far less talent wih far more games. This has been one of the most frustrating seasons for me. We have shown at various times weaknesses in virtually evry aspect of the game. We are the third lowest scoring team in NCAA hockey (GPG). When there is this much going wrong, this many different ways to lose games or perform poorly, I just cannot fathom that the problem is that 21 players all play poorly at the same time all the time.
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Re: RPI 2011-12 Part V: Don't Stop Believing

RPI67 said:
Yes I enjoy your hockey and football memories. I graded Engineering Statistics tests for Mo Eustane in 1968. Watson, Scammel, Law, Igham , Mitchell, etc were in the class. Mo was the freshman hockey coach and also taught Investment Analysis. Back to the present I can't understand why our PP is below average with the #40 strength of schedule. I would expect our 5 best players to be able to be at least average. The PP may represent a symptom rather than the problem.
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For a power play to be successful-there has to be some strategy to it and a plan of action and movement. We just seem to pass around the periphery and take a shot from far out without much traffic in front of the net. Last year was an aberration-we had Chase set up 12 feet out on the left side and got the puck to him for a one timer. The teams that denied him the puck-kept us off the scoresheet. We really have not had much of a potent power play in a number of years in spite of changing personnel.
 
Re: RPI 2011-12 Part V: Don't Stop Believing

DrDemento said:
For a power play to be successful-there has to be some strategy to it and a plan of action and movement. We just seem to pass around the periphery and take a shot from far out without much traffic in front of the net. Last year was an aberration-we had Chase set up 12 feet out on the left side and got the puck to him for a one timer. The teams that denied him the puck-kept us off the scoresheet. We really have not had much of a potent power play in a number of years in spite of changing personnel.
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I keep hoping that a big body who can score, like Mike Zalewski will cure our powerplay problems, but I too wonder if the problem is deeper.
 
Re: RPI 2011-12 Part V: Don't Stop Believing

Red Cloud said:
Mostly, although part of the legitimate excuse does involve going under the knife.

I can already hear some of the nice people out there on this board hoping I die from complications.
Click to expand...

I'm not one of them. I certainly wish all the best for you. :)
 
Re: RPI 2011-12 Part V: Don't Stop Believing

DrDemento said:
For a power play to be successful-there has to be some strategy to it and a plan of action and movement. We just seem to pass around the periphery and take a shot from far out without much traffic in front of the net. Last year was an aberration-we had Chase set up 12 feet out on the left side and got the puck to him for a one timer. The teams that denied him the puck-kept us off the scoresheet. We really have not had much of a potent power play in a number of years in spite of changing personnel.
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I think the problem is deeper, but you don't have to dig too far, as you just presented the problem. I don't see very much away-from-the-puck movement on the power play. I'd almost like to see a little more motion out there. We have the skating prowess (after all, we can keep up with a team like Yale), so with those slower teams, let's skate them and create some openings. With any zone defence, they want you to chuck it from the cheap seats, so why not look to break that?
 
Re: RPI 2011-12 Part V: Don't Stop Believing

Red Cloud said:
Mostly, although part of the legitimate excuse does involve going under the knife.

I can already hear some of the nice people out there on this board hoping I die from complications.
Click to expand...

I guess that I misunderstood your earlier post. Good luck from me too.
 
Re: RPI 2011-12 Part V: Don't Stop Believing

FlagDUDE08 said:
I think the problem is deeper, but you don't have to dig too far, as you just presented the problem. I don't see very much away-from-the-puck movement on the power play. I'd almost like to see a little more motion out there. We have the skating prowess (after all, we can keep up with a team like Yale), so with those slower teams, let's skate them and create some openings. With any zone defence, they want you to chuck it from the cheap seats, so why not look to break that?
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It also bothered me that we were not able to take advantage of the fact that PU was only skating four defensemen. I would think that a speedy team would have been able to skate around them or draw penalties later in the game.
 
Re: RPI 2011-12 Part V: Don't Stop Believing

Ralph Baer said:
It also bothered me that we were not able to take advantage of the fact that PU was only skating four defensemen. I would think that a speedy team would have been able to skate around them or draw penalties later in the game.
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It's Pricetom, not the WHCA. :p:D
 
Re: RPI 2011-12 Part V: Don't Stop Believing

Ralph Baer said:
I keep hoping that a big body who can score, like Mike Zalewski will cure our powerplay problems, but I too wonder if the problem is deeper.
Click to expand...

Agreed. The power play the past 5-6 years has been bad for the most part. Actually, except for Polacek and Helfirch, the offense has not produced much in that time. The defense did not play up to expectations this season and the goaltending was either very good or very bad. One player (Zalewski) will not make a big difference, unless they also get the shut-down goalie Kasdorf is projected to be.

This team is tough to figure out. The senior class did not produce much this season and players like Bailen, Higgs and others had very average years as well.

The frosh class had a bunch of injuries, so can't be blamed for not producing tons of goals. I think a couple of them showed promise, but the big gun who was supposed to produce goals in bunches forgot to bring the ammunition. He was also hurt early. An injury to a sniper's hand or wrist can create long-term problems. Maybe it was the system the team is playing, but when you bring in a guy strictly to provide goals, you need to get him the puck in scoring position and this team never seemed to do that. I'm not smart enough to tell whether that was his fault, the team's fault or the coaching staff's fault.

Next year is the make or break season. One more sub 500 year and this program will be back to rebuilding under a new coach. That is not something any fan wants to see. I like SA and I don't want to see another 3-4 year rebuilding scenario, but this can't continue. The loss of Jim Montgomery may have been even more of a problem than we all thought.
 
Re: RPI 2011-12 Part V: Don't Stop Believing

Jasma said:
The loss of Jim Montgomery may have been even more of a problem than we all thought.
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It does seem that way. Either Nolan Graham hasn't been given the same responsibilities as Montgomery, or he is not capable of doing them as well.

BTW, for whatever reason Kasdorf has not been a shutdown golaie in the USHL. He has been sitting on the bench in favor of an MTU recruit the last couple of weeks.
 
Re: RPI 2011-12 Part V: Don't Stop Believing

One big issue we're all forgetting with Coach Appert is that hefty contract extension. I'm not saying that he's playing to the contract terms, because I'm sure he's a better man than that. If the 'Tute were to take drastic action and find a new coach, I'd assume it's a pretty hefty price to pay in order to possibly get someone who may not even be more to your liking.
 
Re: RPI 2011-12 Part V: Don't Stop Believing

FlagDUDE08 said:
One big issue we're all forgetting with Coach Appert is that hefty contract extension. I'm not saying that he's playing to the contract terms, because I'm sure he's a better man than that. If the 'Tute were to take drastic action and find a new coach, I'd assume it's a pretty hefty price to pay in order to possibly get someone who may not even be more to your liking.
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Yep, I believe it was a 7 year deal he signed back in March keeping him under contract until 2018.

FWIW, I often wonder where the program would be if RPI was able to bring in Andy Murray after Fridgen left instead of SA. Would Murray be having the same troubles that Appert is having?
 
Re: RPI 2011-12 Part V: Don't Stop Believing

redhead18 said:
Yep, I believe it was a 7 year deal he signed back in March keeping him under contract until 2018.

FWIW, I often wonder where the program would be if RPI was able to bring in Andy Murray after Fridgen left instead of SA. Would Murray be having the same troubles that Appert is having?
Click to expand...

It wouldn't surprise me, given how that other job he took panned out.
 
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