So you guys don't want us to speculate about a change with Dave but it's ok with Bryan. How bout if I told you I have first hand knowledge of Dave's exit interviews from players Not great. How bout we not go there?!
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RPI 2023-24: In Our 200th Year, We're Getting It Right
- Thread starter Ralph Baer
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So you guys don't want us to speculate about a change with Dave but it's ok with Bryan. How bout if I told you I have first hand knowledge of Dave's exit interviews from players Not great. How bout we not go there?!
We are in a similar situation. Taxes are of course a major consideration but I must add that the biggest increases for us the past couple years have been with insurance. Whether it is homeowners (up 30%) or auto (up 40%) it is a staggering amount that has had us increasing deductibles and asking for lower coverage limits. And i will not even mention what has occurred with utilities such as gas, electric, oil and liquid propane along with cable and telephone. But I am thankful for listening to at least some of the advice from my dad when he told me it is wise to marry a very rich girl who can cook. Anything else you might want, he said, you can get elsewhere!
I agree with your hockey analysis - give me two solid defensemen who can play all aspects of the position (keeping the puck in the offensive zone when stationed at the points on the power play, clearing the crease, communicating and picking up the back door player coming in from the opposite side, and making quick decisions behind the net and getting the puck the hell out of there (see Brian Pothier) and with very little in the way of other changes and we are a top 4 team in the ECAC.
I would appreciate it if you would stop putting words in my mouth. I never once said you guys can't speculate about a change with Dave. I just said I think it's unlikely and gave my opinion that he should get another 1-2 years. Nor did I ever "chirp" Kirk; I think he's a very good coach and said that more than once.
I was simply sharing that I don't agree with the sentiment that Vines is invincible because of Sachi, which is what seems to be the consensus opinion. And I don't see what Dave's exit interviews have to do with what I shared. I didn't share anything about what occurred during the player interviews, just that they happened. I'm not really interested in this whataboutism game, and I don't understand why you brought it up. This isn't about Dave vs Bryan lol
For sure your words speak volumes, clearly you're deflecting for Dave. You were the one who brought up Bryan, no one else. You may want to check your "source" because he may be incorrect because a tweet dated 10/22/23 from Former AD Lee Mcelroy retweets a post about women's team winning against Harvard and says " This Team has tremendous character and culture". Under your timeline Lee would have been the one performing these "interviews"
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I don't think anyone - players, coaches, fans, administration - is happy with the direction this season has taken, at least to this point. Personally, I'm withholding judgment until the end of the season and we have the complete picture. We're 12 down, 10 to go with the ECAC schedule.
That said, I hope we can stick a pin in the running debate over Smith's future for the time being, because much of it is rehashing the same points over and over, and also because it seems folks on either side are pretty firm in their convictions and no one's going to be talked off their position in the near future or until some significant new information comes to light. I say that with respect for the views on both sides and the genuine passion in the comments, especially after a very disappointing weekend. It amazes me that some programs that are having really good seasons have so little fan presence or discussion on this site, compared to our threads. I understand there's a lot of frustration and I hear it too. The bottom line for me is that we're all passionate supporters of this team, the program, and the school.
That said, I hope we can stick a pin in the running debate over Smith's future for the time being, because much of it is rehashing the same points over and over, and also because it seems folks on either side are pretty firm in their convictions and no one's going to be talked off their position in the near future or until some significant new information comes to light. I say that with respect for the views on both sides and the genuine passion in the comments, especially after a very disappointing weekend. It amazes me that some programs that are having really good seasons have so little fan presence or discussion on this site, compared to our threads. I understand there's a lot of frustration and I hear it too. The bottom line for me is that we're all passionate supporters of this team, the program, and the school.
Agreed! Would rather have disagreement than apathy
On a blast from the very recent past front, Ryan Mahshie has left the UConn Huskies.. It really hasn’t worked out for him in Storrs and last weekend he was the extra skater for one game and a scratch for the second.
https://www.uconnhockeyhub.com/p/ryan-mahshie-leaves-uconn-men-s-hockey-for-personal-reasons
https://www.uconnhockeyhub.com/p/ryan-mahshie-leaves-uconn-men-s-hockey-for-personal-reasons
RPI fan 4 life
Season Ticket Holder since 1974
Goes to show the transfer portal isn’t always a good thing.
You're probably right that from this point forward, it always will come down to $$, but it's not entirely true that it always has. Perhaps an anecdote from the past will take our minds off the current team's troubles for a moment.
When the 1953-54 RPI team arrived in Colorado Springs for the NCAA tournament, Ned Harkness told the players that he had brought along an oxygen tank, so if any of them started to feel fatigued in the high altitude, they could grab the oxygen mask and take a few whiffs out of the tank to help them get ready for further action.
It wasn't until after the tournament was over and they'd won the championship that Harkness admitted there hadn't been enough money in the hockey budget to afford a tank that was actually filled with oxygen. The tank had been filled with plain old air.
Yes, those were the days. I probably heard just about every Ned story there was as a teen on the Friends of RPI bus trips to away games. Me and a friend or two who went on those trips called the guys who told the stories "those old guys who "knew" a lot about college hockey". In actuality, those old guys were about a dozen and a half to two dozen years younger than me or the friends are now!!!
Stories ranged from arranged delays due to Fieldhouse "power failures" or someone slashing a net between periods with a blade of some kind. The purpose of these delays, I guess, was that the necessary "repairs" would give the shorthanded 14, 15 or 16 skaters the Engineers usually had in those days an extra needed break. In reality, most of the stories probably could not have survived the most basic of scrutiny. A fake power failure in a building with thousands of people with steep stairs??? Really??? Could anyone have really been that nuts???
Filling a 240 cubic foot tank with oxygen costs about $20 TODAY!!! A 300 cubic foot tank goes for around $35 TODAY. If Ned really wanted oxygen in 1954, he would not have needed a budget. He could have both rented and filled more than one tank in 1954 with his own money just as easily as most of us could today at the prices above!!!
I am also skeptical about some, but not all, of the Ned stories. Having met the man in the 60's a bit after he left Troy I can assure everyone that there was very little he would not try in order to win or gain an advantage. he understood the game well and also knew how a few little tweaks here and there could make the difference between a win and a loss.
Wicked Slappaahs
I miss Tie Domi
Well said Vicious.
Wicked Slappaahs
I miss Tie Domi
HA HA !! So noted !! To your point on SOG, Union allowed something in the range of 25-26 SOG in both wins vs. Dartmouth and Harvard. ... A clear indication of Union's commitment to defense. RPI will need to get creative to generate offense.... or it could be a long night.
Just back from my first in-person RPI hockey game in many years, it was great seeing the Cherry and White in person and with the band to boot!
First off, major props to the Womens' Team. 5 minutes of max effort to start the second period was enough to win the game and really good goaltending as well.
Onto the men, well...
1) I can see what all the hype is about for Hotson. Impressive in person, taking the offense on his back, RPI cycling plays through him in the last 3 minutes. Watson, solid technique and great glove. Hung out to dry by the D on a few of the goals and he probably wishes he didn't go down in the butterfly so early on a crucial goal in the second. I was also surprised that despite the lack of a cohesive offensive gameplan, the individual players kept grinding and made it super close with Union until the end. The individuals on this team keep fighting (metaphorically and then literally at the end) and the tenacity was impressive.
2) The breakouts from the D-zone in the first two periods were atrocious. 1-on-3s through the neutral zone or three forwards overloading one side with no relief valve out wide. In fairness, the spacing did get much better in the third, more spacing with the forwards through the neutral zone. The width had downstream benefits resulting in more passes in front of the crease because the puck was being controlled out wide, leading to more quality chances. Still those first two periods...
3) On odd man rushes into the D zone, the D consistenly converged on the puckhandler rather than trying to play lanes and were getting burned time after time. The D constantly overcommited in the corners as well. They also failed to clear the crease on what I believe was the GWG despite there being two D there. It was a bad night for them and to me, it came down to technique. They can certainly skate with Union and they work hard, they just made wrong choices in chasing the puck.
Here's hoping that whatever happened at the end of the game light's a fire under them and they start playing well making their way through the ECAC. Can't wait for the freakout!
First off, major props to the Womens' Team. 5 minutes of max effort to start the second period was enough to win the game and really good goaltending as well.
Onto the men, well...
1) I can see what all the hype is about for Hotson. Impressive in person, taking the offense on his back, RPI cycling plays through him in the last 3 minutes. Watson, solid technique and great glove. Hung out to dry by the D on a few of the goals and he probably wishes he didn't go down in the butterfly so early on a crucial goal in the second. I was also surprised that despite the lack of a cohesive offensive gameplan, the individual players kept grinding and made it super close with Union until the end. The individuals on this team keep fighting (metaphorically and then literally at the end) and the tenacity was impressive.
2) The breakouts from the D-zone in the first two periods were atrocious. 1-on-3s through the neutral zone or three forwards overloading one side with no relief valve out wide. In fairness, the spacing did get much better in the third, more spacing with the forwards through the neutral zone. The width had downstream benefits resulting in more passes in front of the crease because the puck was being controlled out wide, leading to more quality chances. Still those first two periods...
3) On odd man rushes into the D zone, the D consistenly converged on the puckhandler rather than trying to play lanes and were getting burned time after time. The D constantly overcommited in the corners as well. They also failed to clear the crease on what I believe was the GWG despite there being two D there. It was a bad night for them and to me, it came down to technique. They can certainly skate with Union and they work hard, they just made wrong choices in chasing the puck.
Here's hoping that whatever happened at the end of the game light's a fire under them and they start playing well making their way through the ECAC. Can't wait for the freakout!
DavidNardolillo
Member
I think you put together a good summary. The effort is there, but the fundamentals are inconsistent and it is killing them. I did think that RPI couldn't match Union's physicality; lost way too many one-on-one puck battles. Union also looks like the better team without the puck; just better positioning and anticipation. The 5 minute major in the 3rd was really untimely, but not sure RPI can have any complaints. When RPI got it to 4 on 4 halfway through the five minute major, they created a couple of big chances; I was at the other end of the ice, but it looked like RPI missed an open goal to get it to 5-4.
The 3rd RPI goal was a great play; it is too bad they could not build off that. The man-up play is still a big negative for RPI.
For what it is worth, I thought the game tonight was sloppy for both teams from a technique perspective. Not a lot of crisp passes completed. Part of that are the fundamental issues RPIfanNYC highlighted, but I wonder if there was lousy ice (I think the Mayor's cup is the only competitive hockey game at MVP each year now and it must have been 75 degrees in the arena tonight) or if those black boards for lacrosse create some vision issues.
engineerhockeyfan
PUCKMAN RULES!!!
While I understand the sentiment, we will play the games anyway.
Ralph Baer
Let's Go 'Tute!
Thankfully. ;-)
a Flagdude never changes his stripes.
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