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RPI 2024 Off-Season: Was 2023 – 2024 Just a Bad Dream?
- Thread starter Ralph Baer
- Start date
RPI fan 4 life
Season Ticket Holder since 1974
Unfortunately it wasn’t a dream.
ECAC Semis are all set:
Quinnipiac vs. St.Lawrence
Cornell vs Dartmouth
ECAC Semis are all set:
Quinnipiac vs. St.Lawrence
Cornell vs Dartmouth
Ralph Baer
Let's Go 'Tute!
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engineerhockeyfan
PUCKMAN RULES!!!
If this team played the regular season like they played the last two weekend, they would not have been playing QU this weekend.
And I love the thread title.
Now, where do we go from here?
And I love the thread title.
Now, where do we go from here?
Ralph Baer
Let's Go 'Tute!
Hopefully someone other than QU will win so that the ECAC gets 2 bids. Apparently, Cornell no longer can get in with a loss in the finals to QU.
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Yeah and if my aunt had a pair on her she’d be my uncle… just messing with you haha
your probably right but this year especially has been so inconsistent it’s ridiculous.
where we go from here? I mean there are a few of us who don’t have our heads in the sand pretending like everything is good because they’re biased beyond belief. Start with HFH study and go from there. Oh wait did I just give my opinion sorry i know that’s frowned upon I meant to say…. What a great year and great 7 years it’s been. Change nothing everything is ship shape pal!!! Don’t change a thing it’s clearly working so well lol
engineerhockeyfan
PUCKMAN RULES!!!
I don't have my head in the sand. We have been the worst defensive team that I have ever seen. The lack of improvement in our penalty kill throughout the season shows just how bad we are.
However, we do have some decent freshmen and sophs.
Totally disappointed in our defensemen. I expected much more from Sertti and Agnew and Smolinski.
Since we finished last, there is no where to go but up.
Your opinion is valid.
Where we go from here is a great question and your point about consistency is important. Dr Bowers can gleam some info most likely from the exit interviews that I imagine will be performed soon. Critical time for the program because if things are done right we could make hay in a weak ECAC like SLU and Dartmouth made after changes.
This is a question for the AD there should be no higher priority on her plate than to right this ship its our only D1 program and part of the fabric of this institution and I fear we are edging twords an extinction event. If she feels as though we are on an upward trajectory and all the pieces are in place and it's just a matter of awakening from a bad dream which I would describe as more of a nightmare then I guess she can let it ride and hope for the best. But make no mistake from this point forward she owns this now. If this isn't vastly improved in 2 or 3 years because of inaction It just might cost her job because as they say the fish stinks from the head down. When we fired the last coach we had a reasonable expectation to make it to Lake Placid on a consistent basis 7 yrs later that hasn't happened IMO not even close so what does th AD do about that...Her Move !
DavidNardolillo
Member
RPI played hard this weekend and didn't give up, but were ultimately outclassed. RPI did most of the same things that messed up otherwise decent performances during the season. Each of the team's weaknesses made an appearance this weekend and contributed to the sweep (poor special teams play, faceoff disparity, inconsistent goaltending, untimely penalties, defensive lapses) and when you added in some bad puck luck, it was fairly comfortable for Q.
Heard one stat on the ESPN+ broadcast that Muzzatti leads the country in penalty minutes. Wow.
DavidNardolillo
Member
While the athletic director may own the decision in the public's eye, I don't think that the athletic director has unilateral control over the decision at a place like RPI--the President will have to sign off.
RPI is back to where it was at the end of '16-'17 in terms of the feel of where the program is going, but if there was an expectation to make LP on a consistent basis back then, I don't recall that.
It actually seems worst in some ways because of the last place finish and some lopsided losses. While the sweep happened in Hamden, they clearly played more inspired hockey than they did in the regular season especially with the win at Cheel. That begs the question is why the lack of a sense of urgency during the regular season. Do you think a change should be made like there was then in 16-17?
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Since we hadn't made it to the ECAC final four in 15 years as of 2017, it's kind of an odd statement to say that making it on a consistent basis was a reasonable expectation. However, being competitive for making it to LP and actually doing so at some point in the coming years should have been on the table. Contrary to a common statement from one poster here, I've not heard anyone defending the hiring decision made in 2017. We've just said we have to deal with the decision that was made and make decisions on the program going forward based on a realistic analysis of the school's support for the program and the impact that has had. I think no one would disagree that both Seth and Dave were not well served by Shirley's administration. It's up to President Schmidt and AD Bowers to set the new course. I would expect we'll know the decision on the staff in the coming days. If we make it to the end of the week with no announcement that will essentially be a disclosure of their decision. If there is an announcement of a change, I hope the new staff is given a more sincere commitment regarding HFH and other resources than Dr. Jackson gave the last two HCs. For that matter, if the current HC is retained he will also need to point to something indicating the school is not satisfied with the status quo and is willing to make investments that will be attractive in player and staff recruiting. Otherwise it's just lather, rinse and repeat.
RPIPuzzleGuy
Terminally fatalistic
My signature lives on.
DavidNardolillo
Member
Like in 2017, I don't think I'm qualified to call for a hockey coach to lose their job (or keep it for that matter), but I also think that the school has the right to make changes if they don't like the direction of the program. I have sympathy for Dave Smith, as I did for Seth, but I would understand if the school decided to make a change.
Ralph Baer
Let's Go 'Tute!
Thanks for the comment on the thread title. I didn't want to ask for suggestions as I might have jinxed the team. It was between this and something about the Cross of Canton. By the way, sadly we defended the Cross of Lake Placid quite well. ;-)
I am also disappointed. But I am also realistic. The ask here is for a new or renovated facility, to buy out Smith (which I understand isn’t a small sum), and then to hire a new coach (and who would that be and how much would that cost?). I can only control one thing: whether I will be occupying my seat atop Section 6 in October as I have for the past 35 years. And the answer is YES. I wouldn’t come this far and bail out now.
ServinisScores
I'm an Implant Engineer
I agree w/ the entirety of your post, except for the opening comment re: reasonable expectation. My bar was set back in 1978-79 time frame as a young fan, prior to going to RPI. I expect RPI to be a winning program, and shows up to wherever the ECAC final 4 happens to be in a given year. I don't think this is unreasonable, and have some data I think supports this:
[TABLE="width: 219"]
[TR]
[TD]1949–1963[/TD]
[TD]176–96–7[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.643[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1963–1964[/TD]
[TD]18–8–0[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.692[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1964–1969[/TD]
[TD]44–63–4[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.414[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1969–1972[/TD]
[TD]41–31–4[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.566[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1972–1979[/TD]
[TD]103–94–7[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.522[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1979–1989[/TD]
[TD]186–124–9[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.597[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1989–1994[/TD]
[TD]94–63–13[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.591[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1994–2006[/TD]
[TD]211–193–38[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.52[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2006–2017[/TD]
[TD]152–221–48[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.418[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2017–Present[/TD]
[TD]65–108–13[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]0.384[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RPI_Engineers_men's_ice_hockey
When I looked back, it was surprising to me how competitive RPI was, by the standings. Anyways, that's where my bar is at, and why.
I don't think the previous 2 regimes have been set up for success, nor am I sure hockey is the bellwether/"front door" for the school that it used to be. The activity in the next 2 weeks will be the commentary on how important hockey is at RPI, and what comes next for the facility, the coaching staff, the alumni, and ultimately, the fans.
Wicked Slappaahs
I miss Tie Domi
Well, I'd like to take this opportunity to remind everyone of the issues plaguing the women's team. According to USCHO, the current coach sports a head scratchingly bad .303 WP. This, despite having recruited some really talented players over the years. It could (should?) be argued that the larger, more pressing issue facing the new A.D. is the WOMEN'S program. Given the explosive growth in the women hockey, they would have a plethora of talented applicants, should that change be made by the admin.
https://www.uscho.com/stats/coach/wid,1406/bryan-vines/