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RPI 2024 Off-Season: Was 2023 – 2024 Just a Bad Dream?

25+years said:
I don’t know what the answer is to a more successful team. A lot of ideas are being tossed around. But the hurdles that need to be overcome are substantial. How much money should be spent on getting a better coach (and paying off the existing one)? How much money should and can be spent on facilities (Union isn’t building its own rink at their expense. Could something like that in conjunction with a private company or city of Troy (which is not a wealthy city- just look at the state of the roads)? Are the alumni and the community and the fans willing to pony up say $50-100 million to address the needs? Lastly success breeds success. I get it. It’s been a 20 year downward spiral. But patience will be needed. It will take vision and a long term plan. And the acceptance that RPI is an institution of higher learning. Sports are an extra not supra curricular. Once you decide that no expense shall be spared, that’s when the cheating starts and abuse of athletes and staff gets dismissed. I want a winning team as much as anyone . 35 years of sitting in my seat cheering won’t end unless I feel like I am enabling bad behavior in order to become a winner. We have enough of that in this country. I need a place to have fun, cheer, and feel good about what I am a part of.
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They've upgraded or replaced nearly every athletic facility on campus, save for the HFH. As others have pointed out, the RPI teams using those facilities have had substantial successes. If the leadership believes that hockey, as its sole D1 program, is in fact its bell cow athletic program, then the decision is an easy one. RPI is not short on cash. Under the previous leadership there was no sincere interest or intent in fully supporting the M's and W's hockey programs. She laid off the coaching staff for gawd's sake.

This isn't rocket science, if the will is present. The RPI faithful have shown immeasurable patience and positive word on the direction of the program and it's physical home is long overdue.
 
Wicked Slappaahs said:
They've upgraded or replaced nearly every athletic facility on campus, save for the HFH. As others have pointed out, the RPI teams using those facilities have had substantial successes. If the leadership believes that hockey, as its sole D1 program, is in fact its bell cow athletic program, then the decision is an easy one. RPI is not short on cash. Under the previous leadership there was no sincere interest or intent in fully supporting the M's and W's hockey programs. She laid off the coaching staff for gawd's sake.

This isn't rocket science, if the will is present. The RPI faithful have shown immeasurable patience and positive word on the direction of the program and it's physical home is long overdue.
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Shirley's disrespect of the hockey program was absolutely criminal. Btw - check out the resume of the new Miami HC, USHL coach with time in the ECHL, kinda like Kirk's.
 
Today is 2 April 2024. There are 186 days until RPI's next game.


This is based upon 5 October 2024 for the start of next season.
 
Ralph Baer said:
Danny Ciccarello has entered the transfer portal.
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Is anyone coming back next season?
Ciccarello can't be leaving for more playing time. And he is not good enough to be picked up by a top hockey program.
So once again it goes back to the coaches. It just looks like Smith lost this team.
 
So here is my question we have a last place team that we just wasted a whole recruiting class because they must think they are not only not good enough to play but the staff lack the ability to make them better. We have a coach with a fairly lengthy record and there is no indication that over the long haul will be a better the .350 winning Guy. We are going into next season with a few returning decent players a freshman class that as we see now is a crap shoot because is see no game changers there and obviously we don't develop players. We're going to back that up by bottom feeding the portal (Seina in a situation similar to ours went out and hired Gerry McNamara about as high profile as you can get) and we decided to let it ride. Is the admin not compelled to have a press conference and give us their take on the state of RPI hockey and what if anything is planned for this to get better anytime soon. I think we deserve that !!!
 
engineerhockeyfan said:
Is anyone coming back next season?
Ciccarello can't be leaving for more playing time. And he is not good enough to be picked up by a top hockey program.
So once again it goes back to the coaches. It just looks like Smith lost this team.
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Supposedly, it was Smith who didn't want Ciccarello et al. To the best of my knowledge, none of the RPI players who have shown up on the portal so far wanted to leave. Others can correct me.
 
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jericho said:
maybe in other conferences, but look no further than Hamden. Jake Johnson and Colin Graf come to mind.
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Hemmed-In Connecticut also featured Zach Tupker from Cornell - though Cornell is in the Ivy League and the dopes from that conference won't let the players with a Covid year of eligibility play it for their original team or another Ivy. In general, they don't allow grad students to play. The only saving grace on Sunday was that another Cornellian, Jack Malone, scored the game winner against QPuke.
 
Ralph Baer said:
Supposedly, it was Smith who didn't want Ciccarello et al. To the best of my knowledge, none of the players who have shown up on the portal so far wanted to leave. Others can correct me.
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Our numbers aren't all that out of whack, seeing what players from other squads have joined the portal. But as you pointed out, all of ours appear to have been disinvited vs. choosing to take their final year of elig. somewhere. But as many have mentioned, the inbound recruits and portal additions will play a large role in next season's chances for success....it's anyone's guess how that plays out.
 
Ralph Baer said:
Supposedly, it was Smith who didn't want Ciccarello et al. To the best of my knowledge, none of the RPI players who have shown up on the portal so far wanted to leave. Others can correct me.
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You are correct Ralph. Brown is staying at RPI to finish his studies. Giving up hockey because the treatment he experienced from Smith. Good luck gents, you deserved better.
 
Today is 3 April 2024. There are 185 days until RPI's next game.


This is based upon 5 October 2024 for the start of next season.
 
Ralph Baer said:
I have no knowledge as to how Brown was treated, but his stats didn't warrant playing more often.
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You are right.
No one but the players know what the locker room was like.
I am sure that the coaches were as frustrated as we were with the play on the ice.
And that can only lead to a toxic room.
It looks like Smith will get another year, and with so many new players coming in, I hope that he can get players that will buy into his system.
And one more thing, a good Captain will help.
 
engineerhockeyfan said:
You are right.
No one but the players know what the locker room was like.
I am sure that the coaches were as frustrated as we were with the play on the ice.
And that can only lead to a toxic room.
It looks like Smith will get another year, and with so many new players coming in, I hope that he can get players that will buy into his system.
And one more thing, a good Captain will help.
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I stand by my post. My question is what is Dave's system, it certainly isn't a defensive style. If fans don't think this thing can get worse, it probably will.
 
engineerhockeyfan said:
It looks like Smith will get another year, and with so many new players coming in, I hope that he can get players that will buy into his system.
/QUOTE]

I believe you are right. This debacle is now squarely on Dr. Schmdt's plate. I gave him the benefit of the doubt but am now questioning his judgment on the hockey program. Giving a five-year extension was absurd but I still gave him the benefit of the doubt. Locally at Siena Basketball, they just made a move after an awful season, investing in their program with a top-notch coach from an elite program. The Capital Region is not a big market and entertainment dollars are at a premium and other college sports programs are progressing like Union and Siena while we stand pat with a last place finish. Townies like myself find this unacceptable, I would hope alumni feel the same.
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AspyDad said:
engineerhockeyfan said:
It looks like Smith will get another year, and with so many new players coming in, I hope that he can get players that will buy into his system.
/QUOTE]

I believe you are right. This debacle is now squarely on Dr. Schmdt's plate. I gave him the benefit of the doubt but am now questioning his judgment on the hockey program. Giving a five-year extension was absurd but I still gave him the benefit of the doubt. Locally at Siena Basketball, they just made a move after an awful season, investing in their program with a top-notch coach from an elite program. The Capital Region is not a big market and entertainment dollars are at a premium and other college sports programs are progressing like Union and Siena while we stand pat with a last place finish. Townies like myself find this unacceptable, I would hope alumni feel the same.
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As an alum, I find it unacceptable too and agree that it is now on Dr. Schmidt's plate. Well half on his plate and half on Dr. Bowers plate. It is clearly quite difficult to rid the program of Shirley's influence, either directly or indirectly through Dr. McElroy. I don't think that we are standing pat with a last place finish as you wrote. The purge of the Class of '26 is definitely not standing pat.
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One thing we would all agree on is that the worst thing for the program next year is a "mediocre" season. Think 14-win season, 8th or 7th in the league. Either, significant progress (17 or 18 wins, top 5 in league), or a coaching change after a bad season would generate significantly more momentum in either direction than a stagnant season would.
 
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