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

[FlagDUDE08]

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

At least this time we played Freakout like we wanted it, even if we lost.

This just proved my Friday hypothesis true: We were trying to sandbag, and completely overlooked Brown.

We. Cannot. Overlook. ANYONE!

 

[Wicked Slappaahs]

At least this time we played Freakout like we wanted it, even if we lost.

This just proved my Friday hypothesis true: We were trying to sandbag, and completely overlooked Brown.

We. Cannot. Overlook. ANYONE!

. I don't believe RPI has beaten Brown since 2016...kinda hard to look past a team they can't beat.

 

[ServinisScores]

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

Brown wasn't overlooked at all, it was a battle of the traps. RPI scored first, had it called back, and lost track of the details in the third...much like against Yale the next night. Very frustrating because they easily could have gotten points from both games.

 

[FlagDUDE08]

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

Brown wasn't overlooked at all, it was a battle of the traps. RPI scored first, had it called back, and lost track of the details in the third...much like against Yale the next night. Very frustrating because they easily could have gotten points from both games.

I don't know what game people saw thinking we played well the first two periods... In my book, constantly icing the puck is not a sign of playing well.

 

[FlagDUDE08]

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

. I don't believe RPI has beaten Brown since 2016...kinda hard to look past a team they can't beat.

I'm well aware that we haven't. However, if you're looking forward to Freakout on the Saturday, the Friday game can catch you by surprise.

 

[sk8tronthepond]

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

I'm well aware that we haven't. However, if you're looking forward to Freakout on the Saturday, the Friday game can catch you by surprise.

Quite honestly, there is no metric to measure this. Also, why would you look forward to losing another Freakout??

 

[Ralph Baer]

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

I'm well aware that we haven't. However, if you're looking forward to Freakout on the Saturday, the Friday game can catch you by surprise.

I think that I posted this on the game thread which you may not have seen, but over half the people in RPI's lineup on Saturday had never skated in a Freakout before.

 

[FlagDUDE08]

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

Quite honestly, there is no metric to measure this. Also, why would you look forward to losing another Freakout??

Can you measure if players are "chasing the game"?

Also, under the previous regime, Freakout was "just another two points". Either this coach, or the players on the team, are getting amped up for the "big games", and the Union series was fairly clear evidence of this. Sure, we came up short, but it least it didn't look like we were just going through the motions on Saturday.

 

[FlagDUDE08]

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

I think that I posted this on the game thread which you may not have seen, but over half the people in RPI's lineup on Saturday had never skated in a Freakout before.

I read through the game threads, even if it isn't live. Maybe that fact you mentioned is what allows us to get amped up. If a team is overly nervous, you tell them it's another two points. If you're having a rambunctious crowd that you can pull energy from, then you should be hyping up that fact. The key that we need to now learn from is: How does the team take that energy and channel it into success? This is one of the unique things about Freakout, or having a homecoming, winter carnival, or something similar: Even in a bad season, you can use it as a springboard for not only confidence in the rest of this season, but to propel you into next season.

 

[Ralph Baer]

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

I read through the game threads, even if it isn't live. Maybe that fact you mentioned is what allows us to get amped up. If a team is overly nervous, you tell them it's another two points. If you're having a rambunctious crowd that you can pull energy from, then you should be hyping up that fact. The key that we need to now learn from is: How does the team take that energy and channel it into success? This is one of the unique things about Freakout, or having a homecoming, winter carnival, or something similar: Even in a bad season, you can use it as a springboard for not only confidence in the rest of this season, but to propel you into next season.

Sadly, like everything about RPI hockey, Freakout does not appear to be what it used to be.

 

[FlagDUDE08]

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

Sadly, like everything about RPI hockey, Freakout does not appear to be what it used to be.

Even though it didn't come close to selling out, at least the energy in the building was a lot closer to what I would expect out of Freakout.

 

[25+years]

I read through the game threads, even if it isn't live. Maybe that fact you mentioned is what allows us to get amped up. If a team is overly nervous, you tell them it's another two points. If you're having a rambunctious crowd that you can pull energy from, then you should be hyping up that fact. The key that we need to now learn from is: How does the team take that energy and channel it into success? This is one of the unique things about Freakout, or having a homecoming, winter carnival, or something similar: Even in a bad season, you can use it as a springboard for not only confidence in the rest of this season, but to propel you into next season.

We can look at both games from any perspective we want. Yes we can’t beat Brown and yes it was Freakout and yes many players have never experienced Freakout and all its trimmings, but at the end of the day what came before is irrelevant. The most relevant aspect of these games is this is a better team than it was in the Fall. This is a better team than it was last year. And, most importantly, this is a team that simply cannot put pucks in the net. The opportunities are certainly there. Hitting the post or just getting beat by the goalie by one second when you try to stuff the loose puck in at the post more than once or missing the net all together are all goals that could have or should have been. I can’t count the number of times I have thought: a good team would have buried that chance. So at the end of the day most of these players have not experienced scoring goals and winning games at this level. Experiencing the “strip tease” of a band member is so much fun. But scoring goals would be even better. They are so close. I am sure they can taste it. Sweeping the season series with Union would be a great place to take the next step upward.

 

[FlagDUDE08]

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

We can look at both games from any perspective we want. Yes we can’t beat Brown and yes it was Freakout and yes many players have never experienced Freakout and all its trimmings, but at the end of the day what came before is irrelevant. The most relevant aspect of these games is this is a better team than it was in the Fall. This is a better team than it was last year. And, most importantly, this is a team that simply cannot put pucks in the net. The opportunities are certainly there. Hitting the post or just getting beat by the goalie by one second when you try to stuff the loose puck in at the post more than once or missing the net all together are all goals that could have or should have been. I can’t count the number of times I have thought: a good team would have buried that chance. So at the end of the day most of these players have not experienced scoring goals and winning games at this level. Experiencing the “strip tease” of a band member is so much fun. But scoring goals would be even better. They are so close. I am sure they can taste it. Sweeping the season series with Union would be a great place to take the next step upward.

Here's one thing that baffles me: We've had two cases this year where we won 3 out of 4. Make whatever argument you want about the opposition, but at the end of the day, it's how many that counts. And then all of a sudden, everything the team learned and applied in those 3-of-4 situations goes out the window, and the team enters a meltdown mode. So what does this team need to do to be able to reinforce these fundamentals that made them successful in those spurts? That is what Coach Smith really needs to answer.

 

[Ralph Baer]

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

Here's one thing that baffles me: We've had two cases this year where we won 3 out of 4. Make whatever argument you want about the opposition, but at the end of the day, it's how many that counts. And then all of a sudden, everything the team learned and applied in those 3-of-4 situations goes out the window, and the team enters a meltdown mode. So what does this team need to do to be able to reinforce these fundamentals that made them successful in those spurts? That is what Coach Smith really needs to answer.

It seems impossible to get all of the bad things out of the system at once. We still didn't score on a 5-minute power play. The power play seems better but it still needs improvement. We are doing better on face offs, but we seem to revert at crucial times. It's going to be a long process apparently as we are not getting the top recruits that even some other ECAC schools are getting.

That reminds me, FD08, the recruit whom you saw wearing Don Mills Flyers' gear, did he look like a 18U or a 16U player? (I realize that you are getting close to the age where they all look young, but perhaps you could tell. )

 

[FlagDUDE08]

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

It seems impossible to get all of the bad things out of the system at once. We still didn't score on a 5-minute power play. The power play seems better but it still needs improvement. We are doing better on face offs, but we seem to revert at crucial times. It's going to be a long process apparently as we are not getting the top recruits that even some other ECAC schools are getting.

That reminds me, FD08, the recruit whom you saw wearing Don Mills Flyers' gear, did he look like a 18U or a 16U player? (I realize that you are getting close to the age where they all look young, but perhaps you could tell. )

I couldn't tell the difference between 18 and 16, sorry. He seemed a little on the shorter side, mid-to-high 5'. I'll ask FlagDUDETTE when I see her if she remembers any other distinguishable features, as she's a bit more observant.

 

[Ralph Baer]

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

I couldn't tell the difference between 18 and 16, sorry. He seemed a little on the shorter side, mid-to-high 5'. I'll ask FlagDUDETTE when I see her if she remembers any other distinguishable features, as she's a bit more observant.

Although neither you nor anyone else mentioned seeing him at either RPI game, either one probably scared him away.

 

[FlagDUDE08]

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

Although neither you nor anyone else mentioned seeing him at either RPI game, either one probably scared him away.

I saw him at the alumni game, so it certainly wasn't the Friday one.

 

[Ralph Baer]

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

a familiar name

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Rodriguez's 3rd hat trick powers Auggies to win <a href="https://t.co/OpjeTsk4H0">https://t.co/OpjeTsk4H0</a> Also see current edition of SI Faces in the Crowd. Great to see <a href="https://twitter.com/RPI_Hockey?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RPI_Hockey</a> transfer flourishing.</p>— Bill Taylor (@bgtrpi) <a href="https://twitter.com/bgtrpi/status/1089940972526542848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 28, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[DrDemento]

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

Sadly, like everything about RPI hockey, Freakout does not appear to be what it used to be.

Things change for sure but not only is the Freakout not the same, but also losing the RPI Invitational Tournament has changed this program considerably. This did not happen over night but was a process that occurred during the previous coach's tenure. Whether the blame lies with him or the administration, the change is palpable. It was not too long ago that a ticket for the Freakout was scalpable and now they almost cannot be given away as a freebie. I am sure there are a multitude of other items we could point to that have all added up to lowering the prestige of the program but these two are glaring. The makeup of the student body has changed over the years, the availability of following the games on the internet feeds the general laziness inherent in society, the long drought in the program since our last truly successful season are all instrumental. As has been said many times by me and others, we have a great group of boys trying their best and i just think they deserve as much support as can be given them. I still have hopes that we will see something like Doug Hearns streaking down left wing and beating the all world goalie of college hockey in OT. Or maybe even a John Carter shot in OT beating Minnesota Duluth to get us to the NCAA Championship game.

 

[Ralph Baer]

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

Or maybe even a John Carter shot in OT beating Minnesota Duluth to get us to the NCAA Championship game.

That was what I recall but I was too lazy to check. On the WRPI broadcast, the guest announcer mentioned that Meirs Moore's father played for UMD in that game which is correct. He then went on to say the Mark Jooris scored the OT winner. IIRC, Jooris was screening the goalie, but it was Carter's shot that went in.