RPI Hockey 2014-2015 Part II: Dedicated to Rich Curadi

[FlagDUDE08]

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

Not much activity on this thread or the weekly threads. Is this an indication that apathy has set in for large numbers of RPI fans?
Very tough stretch run coming and this team needs all the support it can get. I think this is a piviotal month for the program and the coaching staff. Time to put together some wins. LGR!

It's time for these kids to execute. People want that excitement from this team. Tough seasons are going to happen, but what is important is that every game, RPI is giving a 65 minute effort (or longer in the playoffs). That is what will bring people to become excited about the program.

 

[engineerhockeyfan]

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

It's time for these kids to execute. People want that excitement from this team. Tough seasons are going to happen, but what is important is that every game, RPI is giving a 65 minute effort (or longer in the playoffs). That is what will bring people to become excited about the program.

Dude, I am a little confused by this post. Do they need to execute, or do they need to give a 65 minute effort. If they were more talented, maybe they could do both. If they had a healthy squad, maybe they could do both.
But playing shorthanded with defensemen filling in at forward, execution becomes a little more difficult.
Except for the third period of the last Union game, this team has given its all, with whatever players are on the ice at the time.
Execution needs chemistry, and we haven't had the opportunity to build the chemistry that is needed.
When we were healthy early in the year, we played some very good games. Now, who knows what to expect, but they are still trying, and that is enough to get my support.

 

[Ralph Baer]

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

Ed Weaver's game day article http://www.troyrecord.com/sports/20150205/rpi-hopes-to-reverse-fortunes-up-north.

 

[FlagDUDE08]

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

Dude, I am a little confused by this post. Do they need to execute, or do they need to give a 65 minute effort. If they were more talented, maybe they could do both. If they had a healthy squad, maybe they could do both.
But playing shorthanded with defensemen filling in at forward, execution becomes a little more difficult.
Except for the third period of the last Union game, this team has given its all, with whatever players are on the ice at the time.
Execution needs chemistry, and we haven't had the opportunity to build the chemistry that is needed.
When we were healthy early in the year, we played some very good games. Now, who knows what to expect, but they are still trying, and that is enough to get my support.

Ideally, we'd want both. The point is, if we're spending a good amount of time in the attacking zone, chances need to be generated. Working the puck for a good shot is all well and good, but we have to find those chances. If these kids are playing at the D-I level, they're talented. We've seen it, even if only on Ralph's score sheet recaps. And if these kids are playing forward, the coach must see some ability there.

This team has shown a number of times where they haven't given their all, not just that one period. I can specifically remember the example of the second Bentley game. The Harvard games seemed the same way. Even if we're on our heels and defending, effort needs to be there for the full 65 minutes. Are teams going to be more talented? Sure, that's going to happen. If we just get outclassed and can't compete, so be it. The trick for any good coach is to maximize the hand of players and get the most out of it.

Chemistry is all well and good, so why are Nanne and Melanson being broken up when they were performing?

 

[Ralph Baer]

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

Ideally, we'd want both. The point is, if we're spending a good amount of time in the attacking zone, chances need to be generated. Working the puck for a good shot is all well and good, but we have to find those chances. If these kids are playing at the D-I level, they're talented. We've seen it, even if only on Ralph's score sheet recaps. And if these kids are playing forward, the coach must see some ability there.

This team has shown a number of times where they haven't given their all, not just that one period. I can specifically remember the example of the second Bentley game. The Harvard games seemed the same way. Even if we're on our heels and defending, effort needs to be there for the full 65 minutes. Are teams going to be more talented? Sure, that's going to happen. If we just get outclassed and can't compete, so be it. The trick for any good coach is to maximize the hand of players and get the most out of it.

Chemistry is all well and good, so why are Nanne and Melanson being broken up when they were performing?

Weren't they broken up when Nanne was injured and then Melanson got sick? They just weren't put back together again.

 

[DeepRed72]

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

Thanks for the research. Home ice at any time 'should' be a big advantage for this team even though it hasn't seemed that way. Match ups are just so important and getting the last change crucial for that purpose. Some coaches take advantage of that more than others. The other less obvious advantage for us, if we know how to use it, is having the penalty box and our bench on the same side of the rink while the opponents are across from the box. Coach Addesa used both well, Buddy Powers(who we do not talk much about) did it fairly well also. From what i was told, coach Harkness used every advantage possible(even some he created himself). In 50+ years of following RPI hockey though, I have never seen us get much of a home town advantage from the officials.
The biggest advantage however, would of course be getting a bye out of the first round. With this league and the closeness of the competition, the less games you have to play, the less chance to be eliminated. No one is safe. Just getting to the final ECAC four probably gives everyone about the same chance of winning it all. (See 1995 when we went to LP as the #6 seed)

Dr.D - I received a telepathic message from you asking about RPIs chances of having home ice in the ECAC first round. After Friday's results there are 7 games remaining for each ECAC team. I just did a quick and dirty Monte Carlo simulation for the ECAC placings based on the latest KRACH ratings as a predictor of individual game results. I guessed at a 10% tie rate based upon empirical data (8 ties in 90 games thus far). I did not do the calculations to break any ties but as you can see that only 4.2% of the time we would finish in a tie for 8th. Given approx. half would break our way it appears that we have about a 32% chance, just under 1/3, of keeping home ice for round 1 of the playoffs. So 68% or better than 2/3 of the time we would start as a road team. Here are the percentages based on 500 iterations:

5th outright - 0.4%
5th tie - 0.0%
6th outright - 2.8%
6th tie - 0.8%
7th outright - 7.8%
7th tie - 3.2%
8th outright - 14.8%
8th tie - 4.2%
9th outright - 34.2%
9th tie - 6.4%
10th outright-25.4%

 

[DrDemento]

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

Thanks for all the information. The one thing that all of the simulations cannot take into consideration is how disorganized and confused we have looked at times. Same players out there, for the most part, but scrambled lines and defensive pairings. Some times it looks like after 25+ games we look like we have just started the season and no one is on the same page yet.
Question-RPI has an extremely long hockey history in Division I. Most consider the modern era as the past 65 years(roughly). Has any coach at RPI had more than 4 losing seasons other than SA? This will be his 9 season in Troy and this will be our 6th losing season. Other than Garry Kearns(who inherited just an impossible situation in 1965-66 and we had a 3-19 season) have even close to the winning percentage of the past 9 years? And although we play far more games now in a season than in the old days of coach Harkness, we will have had 4 seasons with 20 losses and only 1 season with 20 wins in our past 9 years. Success in the playoffs? Attending and ECAC final four? Memory fails me of those events. All of this in spite of 9 recruiting classes and years of graduations and turnover. With this much time passing and this many players coming and going, the only constant has been the coaching and the system in place.
I am certainly no hockey maven, but in medicine, when a treatment or therapy is not working, we have to make changes somewhere. Sometimes we switch to another medication, sometimes we increases dosages, and sometimes we call in another doctor to confer as a specialist. It just seems to me that after 9 years, the results speak for themselves.
Boring day here so I just thought i would stir up a bit of action and controversy.

 

[RPI fan 4 life]

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

I looked up the coaching records of all RPI coaches since 1950-51 (65 seasons including this one). Here are the number of losing season for each coach (number of years coaching in parentheses):

Appert- 6 (9), Fridgen- 4 (12), Addesa- 4 (10), Harkness- 3 (14), Salfi- 2 (7), Kearns- 2 (5), Powers- 1 (5), Bjorkman- 0 (1).

Just in case you wanted to know.

 

[jmhusker]

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

I looked up the coaching records of all RPI coaches since 1950-51 (65 seasons including this one). Here are the number of losing season for each coach (number of years coaching in parentheses):

Appert- 6 (9), Fridgen- 4 (12), Addesa- 4 (10), Harkness- 3 (14), Salfi- 2 (7), Kearns- 2 (5), Powers- 1 (5), Bjorkman- 0 (1).

Just in case you wanted to know.

1 of these things is not like the other... 7 of these things are kind of the same... can you guess which one doesn't belong here? Now it's time to ....

 

[DeepRed72]

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

1 of these things is not like the other... 7 of these things are kind of the same... can you guess which one doesn't belong here? Now it's time to ....

You are preaching to this choir.

 

[Jasma]

You are preaching to this choir.

The next AD will likely have more autonomy and I don't believe he will allow this to continue. He would not allow the UAlbany signature sports of football, hoops and lax to wallow like RPI hockey has these past several years. Whether this program needs more money, a little help from admissions or a change in the coaching staff I think he will get it done. If Dr. Jackson really cares about having a competitive program, that is.

 

[DrDemento]

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

I looked up the coaching records of all RPI coaches since 1950-51 (65 seasons including this one). Here are the number of losing season for each coach (number of years coaching in parentheses):

Appert- 6 (9), Fridgen- 4 (12), Addesa- 4 (10), Harkness- 3 (14), Salfi- 2 (7), Kearns- 2 (5), Powers- 1 (5), Bjorkman- 0 (1).

Just in case you wanted to know.

Thanks-I knew that no one other than SA had more than 4. I was not sure though about the other stats. Only 3 winning seasons in 9 years just is not getting it done.

 

[Ralph Baer]

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

The next AD will likely have more autonomy and I don't believe he will allow this to continue. He would not allow the UAlbany signature sports of football, hoops and lax to wallow like RPI hockey has these past several years. Whether this program needs more money, a little help from admissions or a change in the coaching staff I think he will get it done. If Dr. Jackson really cares about having a competitive program, that is.

It isn't a given that the next AD will have more autonomy. We won't even have an idea until we find out who he/she is. I don't think that the current caretaker AD is going to do anything.

 

[Got 6 Want More]

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

It isn't a given that the next AD will have more autonomy. We won't even have an idea until we find out who he/she is. I don't think that the current caretaker AD is going to do anything.

Ralph, 165,625 posts??? Does your employer know. I don't even know how that is possible. USCHO should name a database after you.

 

[Ralph Baer]

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

Ralph, 165,625 posts??? Does your employer know. I don't even know how that is possible. USCHO should name a database after you.

I am retired. (although I wasn't when I started.)

 

[Jasma]

It isn't a given that the next AD will have more autonomy. We won't even have an idea until we find out who he/she is. I don't think that the current caretaker AD is going to do anything.

If he wants it, I think the job is his permanently. Look at his pedigree and and has a relationship with dr. Jackson.

 

[FlagDUDE08]

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

It isn't a given that the next AD will have more autonomy. We won't even have an idea until we find out who he/she is. I don't think that the current caretaker AD is going to do anything.

You never know... Malcolm Portera almost folded UAH's team as a caretaker.

 

[Jasma]

Any word on Nanne? He took another big hit late in the game and reportedly struggled to get off the ice. I hope he is okay. He has not been the same since coming back from the last shoulder injury vs. BU. he has been back for 7 games without a point, few offensive chances and really never a factor. Let's hope he gets back to the type of player he was in the first dozen or so games.

 

[FlagDUDE08]

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

Any word on Nanne? He took another big hit late in the game and reportedly struggled to get off the ice. I hope he is okay. He has not been the same since coming back from the last shoulder injury vs. BU. he has been back for 7 games without a point, few offensive chances and really never a factor. Let's hope he gets back to the type of player he was in the first dozen or so games.

Got it skating with his head down, too.

 

[Ralph Baer]

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

If he wants it, I think the job is his permanently. Look at his pedigree and and has a relationship with dr. Jackson.

Why would he want it? It's a step down from D-I and I think that he is in his late 60's.