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RPI Hockey 2018 - 2019: 28 Guys Skate onto a Rink ...

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Re: RPI Hockey 2018 - 2019: 28 Guys Skate onto a Rink ...

Brown game. There were more RPI fans than Brown fans. RPI 1st line 17,16,39 was in the O zone often and looked very good. The other lines much less O zone time.
A reason the RPI shot total is so low is that RPI often gets into the zone and passes which are broken up or shoot off net. RPI also often passes back to a trailing player
not forward. Rebounds are as good as a pass. FOs aren't bad. 1st 15 games 2018 4-11-0, 2017 3-9-3, 2016 2-13-0. Next 15 will be better.
 
Re: RPI Hockey 2018 - 2019: 28 Guys Skate onto a Rink ...

RPI67 said:
Brown game. There were more RPI fans than Brown fans. RPI 1st line 17,16,39 was in the O zone often and looked very good. The other lines much less O zone time.
A reason the RPI shot total is so low is that RPI often gets into the zone and passes which are broken up or shoot off net. RPI also often passes back to a trailing player
not forward. Rebounds are as good as a pass. FOs aren't bad. 1st 15 games 2018 4-11-0, 2017 3-9-3, 2016 2-13-0. Next 15 will be better.
Click to expand...

Increasing by one victory per year=progress. At that rate we should be at .500 in 3 to 4 more years. Just not really a fast enough rate for me. We have to do better and I think we can.
 
Re: RPI Hockey 2018 - 2019: 28 Guys Skate onto a Rink ...

DrDemento said:
Increasing by one victory per year=progress. At that rate we should be at .500 in 3 to 4 more years. Just not really a fast enough rate for me. We have to do better and I think we can.
Click to expand...

...and Smith would be sacked by then. Next year's the year of reckoning. It's his team out there. What will they be able to do?
 
FlagDUDE08 said:
...and Smith would be sacked by then. Next year's the year of reckoning. It's his team out there. What will they be able to do?
Click to expand...

IMO he’s on the hot seat now. The way he blew up all the lines against Yale 15 mins into the game were the signs of a desperate man to me.
 
Re: RPI Hockey 2018 - 2019: 28 Guys Skate onto a Rink ...

Noresmen said:
IMO he’s on the hot seat now. The way he blew up all the lines against Yale 15 mins into the game were the signs of a desperate man to me.
Click to expand...


I can't blame Smith for blowing up. They were totally out hustled at every play. I don't think this means he is desperate. IMO it shows passion and that he expects more from this team. I can't blame him. They have not looked good in the first period as of late.
 
Re: RPI Hockey 2018 - 2019: 28 Guys Skate onto a Rink ...

DrDemento said:
Increasing by one victory per year=progress. At that rate we should be at .500 in 3 to 4 more years. Just not really a fast enough rate for me. We have to do better and I think we can.
Click to expand...

At that rate, we may not live long enough to make the NCAA tourney. :(
 
Re: RPI Hockey 2018 - 2019: 28 Guys Skate onto a Rink ...

FlagDUDE08 said:
...and Smith would be sacked by then. Next year's the year of reckoning. It's his team out there. What will they be able to do?
Click to expand...

It won't be completely his team next season, but I agree it is the year of reckoning. I do think that finishing in the top 8 of the ECAC this year is not too much to ask.
 
Re: RPI Hockey 2018 - 2019: 28 Guys Skate onto a Rink ...

Burgess getting tossed probably had alot to do with line changes at Yale.
 
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Re: RPI Hockey 2018 - 2019: 28 Guys Skate onto a Rink ...

Noresmen said:
IMO he’s on the hot seat now. The way he blew up all the lines against Yale 15 mins into the game were the signs of a desperate man to me.
Click to expand...

I don't see them cutting this contract early. The Appert firing was a bit of a special case because he was given extensions that no sane administrator would EVER offer. Extend if he does well over the course of 3 or 4 seasons, not 4 years every time he finishes even a game over 500.

The Burgess toss was at 19:00. I can understand changing it up for the 2nd and 3rd.
 
Re: RPI Hockey 2018 - 2019: 28 Guys Skate onto a Rink ...

Ralph Baer said:
It won't be completely his team next season, but I agree it is the year of reckoning. I do think that finishing in the top 8 of the ECAC this year is not too much to ask.
Click to expand...

It would certainly show significant progress towards what the administration is expecting to see. If it isn't at least double digit wins, I'd say do a bit of a longer search so they're ready when the contract's up.
 
Re: RPI Hockey 2018 - 2019: 28 Guys Skate onto a Rink ...

Are we really talking about getting rid of the coach after less than a season and a half?
This team has made great strides under Smith. He has them playing much better defense and clearing out the defensive zone. The fact that they can't score has nothing to do with his coaching.
Burgess has at least one great scoring chance in every game, and he converts one in ten. Wiffen is another disappointment. If Polino is going to be our leading goal scorer, we are in big trouble.
And we are.
I can only hope that he has done some excellent recruiting for the upcoming seasons.
My only problem with Smith is how he handles the goalies. I think he has killed Marshall's confidence, and might be doing the same to Savory.
I don't know what Perry did to him, but he also is being mishandled in my opinion.
That said, I think we need to give him a little more time to figure this out, before we start a search for a new coach.
 
Re: RPI Hockey 2018 - 2019: 28 Guys Skate onto a Rink ...

engineerhockeyfan said:
Are we really talking about getting rid of the coach after less than a season and a half?
This team has made great strides under Smith. He has them playing much better defense and clearing out the defensive zone. The fact that they can't score has nothing to do with his coaching.
Burgess has at least one great scoring chance in every game, and he converts one in ten. Wiffen is another disappointment. If Polino is going to be our leading goal scorer, we are in big trouble.
And we are.
I can only hope that he has done some excellent recruiting for the upcoming seasons.
My only problem with Smith is how he handles the goalies. I think he has killed Marshall's confidence, and might be doing the same to Savory.
I don't know what Perry did to him, but he also is being mishandled in my opinion.
That said, I think we need to give him a little more time to figure this out, before we start a search for a new coach.
Click to expand...

It'd be way too early to talk about the sack at this point. Player quality on the ice is understandable, which is why coaches get 3-5 year contracts. It isn't unreasonable, though, to want signs of progress in the program when it's under new leadership. First year is, "This is the hand I've been dealt." Second year, "Let's mold the systems in the way we want the program to be using what we have, we'll make some progress, and maybe get lucky." Third year, "We're kicking *** and taking names."
 
engineerhockeyfan said:
Are we really talking about getting rid of the coach after less than a season and a half?
This team has made great strides under Smith. He has them playing much better defense and clearing out the defensive zone. The fact that they can't score has nothing to do with his coaching.
Burgess has at least one great scoring chance in every game, and he converts one in ten. Wiffen is another disappointment. If Polino is going to be our leading goal scorer, we are in big trouble.
And we are.
I can only hope that he has done some excellent recruiting for the upcoming seasons.
My only problem with Smith is how he handles the goalies. I think he has killed Marshall's confidence, and might be doing the same to Savory.
I don't know what Perry did to him, but he also is being mishandled in my opinion.
That said, I think we need to give him a little more time to figure this out, before we start a search for a new coach.
Click to expand...

Totally agree with the goalie situation. Perry played well in his relief appearance but appears to be mired back in the 3rd slot.
 
Re: RPI Hockey 2018 - 2019: 28 Guys Skate onto a Rink ...

engineerhockeyfan said:
Are we really talking about getting rid of the coach after less than a season and a half?
This team has made great strides under Smith. He has them playing much better defense and clearing out the defensive zone. The fact that they can't score has nothing to do with his coaching.
Burgess has at least one great scoring chance in every game, and he converts one in ten. Wiffen is another disappointment. If Polino is going to be our leading goal scorer, we are in big trouble.
And we are.
I can only hope that he has done some excellent recruiting for the upcoming seasons.
My only problem with Smith is how he handles the goalies. I think he has killed Marshall's confidence, and might be doing the same to Savory.
I don't know what Perry did to him, but he also is being mishandled in my opinion.
That said, I think we need to give him a little more time to figure this out, before we start a search for a new coach.
Click to expand...

I agree that he deserves more than 1.5 seasons, but I expected improvement at a faster rate. Part of that is due to his cleaning house. As to the recruits he has for future years, only time will tell, but although there are some who are good and I assume that they are committed to his system, there is no game breaker. That can be seen by the fact that NZ has ranked none of them higher than 4.00, and the only 4.00, Michael Cameron, is probably off our list. While we are unlikely to get someone rated at 5.00, some at the 4.25 or 4.50 levels would really help. Our only current player rated above 4.00 is Burgess who was a 4.25, and his injuries have probably diminished that. Reilly, Lacka, and Zieky were 4.00. I think that is it. The current seniors are from before NZ started. Also Leppanen was never evaluated and apparently Gornall wasn't either. While these rankings aren't perfect, of course, there is a definite positive correlation between talent level and how they are rated. (Hayhurst might be worth more than his 3.75.)


Edit: Zieky was 4.00 a year ago. He is 3.50 now.
 
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Re: RPI Hockey 2018 - 2019: 28 Guys Skate onto a Rink ...

We have 19 games remaining. We need 6 wins for double digit, 13 for 500.

Let's do this Smith style, and let's take a look at the next 4 games (I know he does 5, but a little tough to do that with two-game series weekends). We have Northeastern, UVM, Harvard, and USMA. UVM (bottom of the table HEA) and USMA (Atlantic) are must win if we want to make some progress. Just do the best we can vs. Northeastern, and hope for something to click vs. Hahvahd. 2-2-0 would be a good goal; I'd be pleased with 2-1-1 or better. Anything lower than 500 on these 4 games would be detrimental.
 
Re: RPI Hockey 2018 - 2019: 28 Guys Skate onto a Rink ...

FlagDUDE08 said:
We have 19 games remaining. We need 6 wins for double digit, 13 for 500.

Let's do this Smith style, and let's take a look at the next 4 games (I know he does 5, but a little tough to do that with two-game series weekends). We have Northeastern, UVM, Harvard, and USMA. UVM (bottom of the table HEA) and USMA (Atlantic) are must win if we want to make some progress. Just do the best we can vs. Northeastern, and hope for something to click vs. Hahvahd. 2-2-0 would be a good goal; I'd be pleased with 2-1-1 or better. Anything lower than 500 on these 4 games would be detrimental.
Click to expand...

I would agree with the caveat that UVM is at home making that harder.
 
Re: RPI Hockey 2018 - 2019: 28 Guys Skate onto a Rink ...

FlagDUDE08 said:
We have 19 games remaining. We need 6 wins for double digit, 13 for 500.

Let's do this Smith style, and let's take a look at the next 4 games (I know he does 5, but a little tough to do that with two-game series weekends). We have Northeastern, UVM, Harvard, and USMA. UVM (bottom of the table HEA) and USMA (Atlantic) are must win if we want to make some progress. Just do the best we can vs. Northeastern, and hope for something to click vs. Hahvahd. 2-2-0 would be a good goal; I'd be pleased with 2-1-1 or better. Anything lower than 500 on these 4 games would be detrimental.
Click to expand...

With our current goal production, you can't expect any game to be in the win column. Army always plays us tough and as Ralph said, UVM is at home.
I believe that we can take those two games, but I wouldn't bet on it.
Until we can score goals at a reasonable rate, we can't take anything for granted.:(
 
engineerhockeyfan said:
Are we really talking about getting rid of the coach after less than a season and a half?
This team has made great strides under Smith. He has them playing much better defense and clearing out the defensive zone. The fact that they can't score has nothing to do with his coaching.
Burgess has at least one great scoring chance in every game, and he converts one in ten. Wiffen is another disappointment. If Polino is going to be our leading goal scorer, we are in big trouble.
And we are.
I can only hope that he has done some excellent recruiting for the upcoming seasons.
My only problem with Smith is how he handles the goalies. I think he has killed Marshall's confidence, and might be doing the same to Savory.
I don't know what Perry did to him, but he also is being mishandled in my opinion.
That said, I think we need to give him a little more time to figure this out, before we start a search for a new coach.
Click to expand...

I don’t think there’s a need to take shots at any of these players. Polino in college may not be a goal scorer but let’s be honest who has he played with that’s allowed him to be one? After speaking with his father at the Princeton game I never knew that he had major hip surgery the spring before he entered RPI. His dad said he’s finally healthy 18 months after surgery. So both he and Burgess has had major surgery. That’s a lot of any one to come back from. Before you take shots at any of these players remember they are college kids trying to play a sport that they love.
 
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