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RPI Hockey 2014-2015: Dedicated to Rich Curadi

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Re: RPI Hockey 2014-2015: Dedicated to Rich Curadi

FlagDUDE08 said:
We took two games from an ECAC opponent.

Taking one opponent over another is a trap. We wanted Brown in the 2013 playoffs because of our record, and got beat. And at least one of those ties we blew a lead. That's why we need to concentrate. The same stakes as last week are up for this week: four points. Let's work hard and see if we can take them.
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Not my point at all. Harvard/Dartmouth will not be pushovers. I just think this morning a lot of people are feeling much better than a week ago about what this team is capable of when they play well. Will they split? Sweep? Get swept? Who knows. If I did, I'd run out and buy the winning Powerball tickets. My point is that this was a very encouraging sign of what this team and some of the new faces/younger guys, as well as the vets, can do. They had a big test this weekend and I think they exceeded everyone's expectations. No this is not the 1985 team. But this weekend showed this team is capable of beating top opponents without flukes. I hope they bring it again. Yes I understand the issues with consistent play and faceoffs. I agree completely. But the team has to feel good about what they pulled off and practice this week will probably be more upbeat than it has been in the past and I for one am a bit more hopeful. One weekend at a time. But 3-5 with three solid wins beats 1-7, which I think was what a lot of people feared heading into this past weekend.

Postseason performance is a completely different issue and that has been a consistent weakness of these teams going back 12-13 years. Cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, this is a very encouraging sign.
 
Re: RPI Hockey 2014-2015: Dedicated to Rich Curadi

Often times games are decided by match ups. You can just seem to match up better against one team or their style of play or their size or their speed better than others. For a few years we were able to do that with Yale while others teams struggles against them. Something has most definitely changed against Union. Either we have changed or they have or both. From my viewpoint, we vastly outplayed them for only the first period on Friday, and the OT briefly on Saturday. Call the rest of the 2 games pretty much a draw. This, in spite of losing most of the faceoffs and taking an unseemly number of penalties against a very good power play team. They are still a very good team that does many things very well. This was quite an accomplishment coming from a bunch that was 1-5 and had not played really well in 5 consecutive games.
How we will do against Harvard and Dartmouth will be a direct function of how we match up against each of them and not having seen either one yet, I have no clue. One thing though is for certain-the MMN line adds a level of speed and excitement and brings the puck up and opens up the ice really well. Both of these next two teams will have to devote some time to figuring out how to counter them. If they can and do, then it falls on our others lines to step up and push the offense. I have no doubt though that we have enough talent spread among the other 3 lines to make trouble for most teams that are not deep enough to keep rolling with them. With goaltending that can just shut down opponents and keep us close and who can hold onto pucks for much needed whistles and rest, this team can cause a lot of trouble for teams that do not have depth.
One other point needs to be made. Just because he has not appeared on the scoresheet much, no one should ever underestimate the value of #5. Big Luke has slowly but surely become one of the top defensemen in the NCAA. He is just making all the plays. Nothing would surprise me and I am sure he has been carefully noted by the top NHL people. Lots of other boys have come in with much more fanfare and national recognition. But something tells me his hockey future may shine brighter than anyone expected. Just an incredible credit to the program and the school and most of all, to the thread title.
 
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Re: RPI Hockey 2014-2015: Dedicated to Rich Curadi

DrDemento said:
Often times games are decided by match ups. You can just seem to match up better against one team or their style of play or their size or their speed better than others. For a few years we were able to do that with Yale while others teams struggles against them. Something has most definitely changed against Union. Either we have changed or they have or both. From my viewpoint, we vastly outplayed them for only the first period on Friday, and the OT briefly on Saturday. Call the rest of the 2 games pretty much a draw. This, in spite of losing most of the faceoffs and taking an unseemly number of penalties against a very good power play team. They are still a very good team that does many things very well. This was quite an accomplishment coming from a bunch that was 1-5 and had not played really well in 5 consecutive games.
How we will do against Harvard and Dartmouth will be a direct function of how we match up against each of them and not having seen either one yet, I have no clue. One thing though is for certain-the MML line adds a level of speed and excitement and brings the puck up and opens up the ice really well. Both of these next two teams will have to devote some time to figuring out how to counter them. If they can and do, then it falls on our others lines to step up and push the offense. I have no doubt though that we have enough talent spread among the other 3 lines to make trouble for most teams that are not deep enough to keep rolling with them. With goaltending that can just shut down opponents and keep us close and who can hold onto pucks for much needed whistles and rest, this team can cause a lot of trouble for teams that do not have depth.
One other point needs to be made. Just because he has not appeared on the scoresheet much, no one should ever underestimate the value of #5. Big Luke has slowly but surely become one of the top defensemen in the NCAA. He is just making all the plays. Nothing would surprise me and I am sure he has been carefully noted by the top NHL people. Lots of other boys have come in with much more fanfare and national recognition. But something tells me his hockey future may shine brighter than anyone expected. Just an incredible credit to the program and the school and most of all, to the thread title.
Click to expand...

I didn't watch Saturday's game. Did MML play together? It was MMN (or MNM as we joked about) on the lineup chart.
 
Re: RPI Hockey 2014-2015: Dedicated to Rich Curadi

vicious said:
Not my point at all. Harvard/Dartmouth will not be pushovers. I just think this morning a lot of people are feeling much better than a week ago about what this team is capable of when they play well. Will they split? Sweep? Get swept? Who knows. If I did, I'd run out and buy the winning Powerball tickets. My point is that this was a very encouraging sign of what this team and some of the new faces/younger guys, as well as the vets, can do. They had a big test this weekend and I think they exceeded everyone's expectations. No this is not the 1985 team. But this weekend showed this team is capable of beating top opponents without flukes. I hope they bring it again. Yes I understand the issues with consistent play and faceoffs. I agree completely. But the team has to feel good about what they pulled off and practice this week will probably be more upbeat than it has been in the past and I for one am a bit more hopeful. One weekend at a time. But 3-5 with three solid wins beats 1-7, which I think was what a lot of people feared heading into this past weekend.

Postseason performance is a completely different issue and that has been a consistent weakness of these teams going back 12-13 years. Cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, this is a very encouraging sign.
Click to expand...

V: Spot on. When i first looked at the schedule I figured we might be 2-8 after the first 10 games and i would be pretty depressed heading towards Thanksgiving. Something I did not really need with what has gone on in our lives here for both my wife and myself. Although i would have liked to get 2 wins against Bentley and be 5-3 going into this weekend, this team has given me some excitement and hope for the first time in a while. A lot of us were promised Hope and Change-and although we did not get it from other places(;)) it feels really good waking up on a Sunday morning for the first time in a long time.
 
Re: RPI Hockey 2014-2015: Dedicated to Rich Curadi

Ralph Baer said:
I didn't watch Saturday's game. Did MML play together? It was MMN (or MNM as we joked about) on the lineup chart.
Click to expand...

Mistype by me-MNM was what i meant. Thanks RB I had expected this kind of thing from DM having seen him play many times. His speed and sense of where his team is on the ice just opens up the play and makes the opponent's defense have to be wary of a quick rush up ice. I did not expect this from Nanne. He has been to say the least, a pleasant surprise for me. If that line forces another team to make changes to deal with them, that is just great since it takes them out of their comfort zone a bit. Now, if we can just figure out how to win the important faceoffs.....
 
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Re: RPI Hockey 2014-2015: Dedicated to Rich Curadi

DrDemento said:
Mistype by me-MNM was what i meant. Thanks RB I had expected this kind of thing from DM having seen him play many times. His speed and sense of where his team is on the ice just opens up the play and makes the opponent's defense have to be wary of a quick rush up ice. I did not expect this from Nanne. He has been to say the least, a pleasant surprise for me. If that line forces another team to make changes to deal with them, that is just great since it takes them out of their comfort zone a bit. Now, if we can just figure out how to win the important faceoffs.....
Click to expand...

I am even more impressed with Nanne whom I expected little of based upon what I saw last season. He must have been suffering from the effects of his shoulder injuries even after returning to the lineup. I was expecting great things from Melanson based upon several years of your reports. :D

As to faceoffs -- what is Adam Oates doing these days?
 
Re: RPI Hockey 2014-2015: Dedicated to Rich Curadi

As poor of a 2 games last weekend provided, this weekend was a major positive. One weekend at a time but its nice to get some positive flow going with the program.
 
Re: RPI Hockey 2014-2015: Dedicated to Rich Curadi

johnk said:
As poor of a 2 games last weekend provided, this weekend was a major positive. One weekend at a time but its nice to get some positive flow going with the program.
Click to expand...

Amen to that.
 
Re: RPI Hockey 2014-2015: Dedicated to Rich Curadi

FlagDUDE08 said:
RPI doesn't have a Collegiate StarLeague team for SC2 this year. :(
Click to expand...

If we had lost both games this weekend, this right here was going to be my reason for it. Without a SC2 team to draw talent from we were doomed from the start.
 
Re: RPI Hockey 2014-2015: Dedicated to Rich Curadi

fishcore12 said:
If we had lost both games this weekend, this right here was going to be my reason for it. Without a SC2 team to draw talent from we were doomed from the start.
Click to expand...

Had we lost, there may have been a point in terms of offensive strategy. ;)
 
Re: RPI Hockey 2014-2015: Dedicated to Rich Curadi

fishcore12 said:
If we had lost both games this weekend, this right here was going to be my reason for it. Without a SC2 team to draw talent from we were doomed from the start.
Click to expand...

A lessening of interest in that sort of stuff might improve attendance at the HFF. ;)
 
Re: RPI Hockey 2014-2015: Dedicated to Rich Curadi

Amazing weekend! I would have never thought such a turn-around possible. I had to follow the game on my cellphone as I was at MSG watching the Rangers get shut out last night. I was bummed until I saw we scored with less than 4 minutes to tie (which I was ecstatic about) but then to win in OT was over the top. Just before the tying goal I pointed out to my friend that penalties were 6-0 and that typically we must be getting screwed again (is Union without sin?). Apparently Kasdorf and the PK saved our bacon again despite the refs. So it turns out we might have a manic-depressive team this year. Hopefully we will have more of the former and less of the latter. There is now reason to be guardedly optimistic. Lets see if we can stay on the uptick and make some space next weekend in the ECAC standings and earn a bye for a change.
 
Re: RPI Hockey 2014-2015: Dedicated to Rich Curadi

fr. joe said:
And a few more home wins/scintillating games will help, too. ;)
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I am probably not the one to judge since jen and i have only been to the HFH 4 times in the past 8+ years. But, it would seem that just winning will not increase attendance much. Sure the townie side might get a little more crowded. But the student body make up has changed drastically from what we saw in the 70's-the 90's. Walking around campus, there is an entirely different atmosphere and feel. Hockey was always a big deal and you could feel it build as you reached the latter part of the week and especially, of course, for Fridays and Saturdays. Not exactly sure what it is, perhaps the larger percentage of foreign students or the much larger percentage of female students, but there is no doubt a change. The more recent influence however may well just be the great job WRPI audio does and RPI TV does so that following the team over the internet is darn convenient. Part of me understands this fully. But part of me remembers the fun and excitement of live RPI hockey. And let's face it, Troy just does not offer a wealth of things to do on the weekends. Unless we not only win, but become nationally prominent, I just do not see attendance rising to packed house levels. Be that as it may, those who do attend are just as vocal and just as loyal as fans have ever been and hopefully they will be rewarded with many more weekends like we just saw.
 
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