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RPI 2021-22: Picking Up Where We Left Off

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There's a single person who is the reason that Smith has not been extended yet. Take a guess.

Also, where has it been stated that McElroy will be gone too? Haven't seen that anywhere, so I'm curious
 
engineerhockeyfan said:
I think that we have to keep in mind that when next season starts, Shirley and Lee will not be here.
So Dave will have to impress his new bosses at that time.
I hope he stays, but you know what happens when a new boss takes over. He likes to have his own people on his staff.
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see what is happening at Union. Longtime hockey coach and swimming coach unceremoniously dumped.
 
Engineers said:
Sadly I think your right doc. Who knows what else is going on behind the scenes. The new president will have his hands full cleaning up.
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A lot will depend on how important he feels the hockey program and perhaps sports in general is to the Institute. The fact that he was at one time, an RPI boy, especially during the time when hockey was a central part of the activities promoted there. But we really cannot know in this very different time how that will play out. My gut tells me nothing can be as bad as the past regime. But things could be worse (doubtful). The important question is can the damage be repaired?
 
DrDemento said:
A lot will depend on how important he feels the hockey program and perhaps sports in general is to the Institute. The fact that he was at one time, an RPI boy, especially during the time when hockey was a central part of the activities promoted there. But we really cannot know in this very different time how that will play out. My gut tells me nothing can be as bad as the past regime. But things could be worse (doubtful). The important question is can the damage be repaired?
Click to expand...

Of course, this discussion is more suited for the off season thread (which hopefully won’t be for a while). Just remember that we are still in 5th place with 6 games to go, 4 of which are at HFH. There is still time to turn things around if they can find someone who can score some goals.
 
If Smith isn't renewed I'm going to be unhappy. Although I'm not thrilled with this season, too many obstacles have been thrown in the team's path to blame it on the coach. Overall, I think he's done a solid job and, if it wasn't for the pandemic, he'd have been extended long ago. Frankly, pandemic or not, it should have been done after year 3. Give us back the second leading scorer for a ranked MTU team and the goaltender that has carried UM-L to the top of Hockey East (plus LIU's leading scorer and two solid defensemen) and we'd have been well-positioned to chase a berth in LP.

We've continued getting recruiting commitments, which has made me cautiously optimistic that Smith has been able give assurances that he will be re-upping (or has already done so) and be their coach when they enroll in Troy.
 
rpi82 said:
If Smith isn't renewed I'm going to be unhappy. Although I'm not thrilled with this season, too many obstacles have been thrown in the team's path to blame it on the coach. Overall, I think he's done a solid job and, if it wasn't for the pandemic, he'd have been extended long ago. Frankly, pandemic or not, it should have been done after year 3. Give us back the second leading scorer for a ranked MTU team and the goaltender that has carried UM-L to the top of Hockey East (plus LIU's leading scorer and two solid defensemen) and we'd have been well-positioned to chase a berth in LP.

We've continued getting recruiting commitments, which has made me cautiously optimistic that Smith has been able give assurances that he will be re-upping (or has already done so) and be their coach when they enroll in Troy.
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I hope you are right. I would love to see him back next year.
I think that he has done a great job with the players he has.
His teams are playing the best team defense that I have seen in Troy in many many years.
His systems are very good and if we could only get a real goal scorer, we could challenge for a top four spot in the ECAC.
 
I agree that Smith should be rehired (and Vines too). He has definitely done a good job considering all of the obstacles he has been able to overcome. I also agree that the fact we have received recent commitments from recruits indicates that he has been told something.

It's hard to believe that we can get a commitment from any true goal scorers who don't have a glaring deficiency in another area in the current circumstances. Among the recruits whom we expect to arrive next fall, Brown and Muzzatti appear to have some talent for scoring goals, but to the extent that we really need.
 
rpi82 said:
If Smith isn't renewed I'm going to be unhappy. Although I'm not thrilled with this season, too many obstacles have been thrown in the team's path to blame it on the coach. Overall, I think he's done a solid job and, if it wasn't for the pandemic, he'd have been extended long ago. Frankly, pandemic or not, it should have been done after year 3. Give us back the second leading scorer for a ranked MTU team and the goaltender that has carried UM-L to the top of Hockey East (plus LIU's leading scorer and two solid defensemen) and we'd have been well-positioned to chase a berth in LP.

We've continued getting recruiting commitments, which has made me cautiously optimistic that Smith has been able give assurances that he will be re-upping (or has already done so) and be their coach when they enroll in Troy.
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Totally agree on all of this.
 
Ralph Baer said:
I agree that Smith should be rehired (and Vines too). He has definitely done a good job considering all of the obstacles he has been able to overcome. I also agree that the fact we have received recent commitments from recruits indicates that he has been told something.

It's hard to believe that we can get a commitment from any true goal scorers who don't have a glaring deficiency in another area in the current circumstances. Among the recruits whom we expect to arrive next fall, Brown and Muzzatti appear to have some talent for scoring goals, but to the extent that we really need.
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I agree with all of this RB. We lost several key players and an Asst. Coach during the shutdown and Smith held it all together quite well in my view. As for goal scorers, we'll need to find them in ways we always have -- either kids who get overlooked or kids who coaches think are in a good spot in their development curve to produce offensively at the D1 level...and I think coaches will tell you sometimes you just get lucky and a kid lands on your lap. Smith has a very even keel -- both behind the bench and in his interviews which I like. If I'm a player I love the fact that I know what the system is and my role in it -- no head games.

I do like that the staff has been bringing in kids from really all over North America as well as Europe and I have some confidence they will fill in some of the holes we have in scoring. Its easy to forget that all of our kids lost a whole year of hockey last year and that is really tough for the players . THe upside this year is that We have a lot of young kids who have gotten a lot of ice time this year, which will only help their development.
 
engineerhockeyfan said:
I think that we have to keep in mind that when next season starts, Shirley and Lee will not be here.
So Dave will have to impress his new bosses at that time.
I hope he stays, but you know what happens when a new boss takes over. He likes to have his own people on his staff.
Click to expand...

I have heard nothing of the A.D. departing, and I suspect it would not be high on the new Chief's immediate task list. But that said, Shirley brought him in out of retirement and he is not a spring chicken ( mid 70s I believe) and having administered a Department through a hellish shutdown during 2+ years of pandemic, it would not shock me if he decided that the beach sounded pretty good.
 
RPI fan 4 life said:
Of course, this discussion is more suited for the off season thread (which hopefully won’t be for a while). Just remember that we are still in 5th place with 6 games to go, 4 of which are at HFH. There is still time to turn things around if they can find someone who can score some goals.
Click to expand...

I like your optimism. I feel that way after a potent potable. This weekend will tell me a little bit about what color the sky will be in my world for the next 6 games and the playoffs.
 
Wicked Slappaahs said:
I have heard nothing of the A.D. departing, and I suspect it would not be high on the new Chief's immediate task list. But that said, Shirley brought him in out of retirement and he is not a spring chicken ( mid 70s I believe) and having administered a Department through a hellish shutdown during 2+ years of pandemic, it would not shock me if he decided that the beach sounded pretty good.
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Be careful. Some of us many not be spring chickens any more but we can still throw a hell of a barbecue wing party!
 
There are now only 6 points separating 4th and 10th places in the ECAC. And 6 points was 4 points before inflation.
 
If there's one thing Canadians believe they have a right to more than breathing in fresh, bitter cold air without a mask (except when it gets really, really bitter cold then they wear ski masks with their tuques) it's watching hockey. So here's my plan. A few days before senior weekend at the Field House, we recruit some Canadian truckers to block the Hoosick Street, Green Island and Congress Street bridges with "Open the Field House" and "Free RPI Hockey" banners on their trucks. Shirley will have to comply to avoid a major international incident.
 
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