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RPI Off-Season Thread 2012: An Off-Season to Be Optimistic

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Re: RPI Off-Season Thread 2012: An Off-Season to Be Optimistic

engineerhockeyfan said:
This is always my worst weekend of the the year. The week after we are eliminated from play.
For months I look forward to Friday night and an Engineer hockey game, and now nothing.
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This. It's Friday and there is no Engineer hockey. Something is wrong.

I don't know how much of a voice Shirley has in the ECAC (okay, probably none) but I know she is doing her best to affiliate us with the Ivies, as has been mentioned in the ECAC/HE debate as a reason for us to stay. If she could throw in an opinion, she would probably either want the Ivies to stay in the ECAC or for us to join them in their new league! :eek::p
 
Re: RPI Off-Season Thread 2012: An Off-Season to Be Optimistic

Kudos to all involved with the RPI broadcast of the TV less ECAC Tourny. Every thread (& eLynah forum) gave high praises for their work. Bravo!
 
Re: RPI Off-Season Thread 2012: An Off-Season to Be Optimistic

turk181 said:
quiet pro debut for Patty Cullen...http://echl.com/stats/game-summary.php?game_id=9432
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I half-listened to the 2nd and 3rd periods of that game. Not a ton of shifts, but he was on the ice at the end of OT and had a shot blocked right at the buzzer. They must think pretty well of him to put him out there then. Don't think he was on the powerplay unit or penalty killed. Nice he got a shot in the shootout too!
 
Re: RPI Off-Season Thread 2012: An Off-Season to Be Optimistic

Today is 17 March 2012. There are 203 days (29 weeks) until RPI's next game.


This is based upon 6 October for the start of next season.

That is the day that an exhibition game is supposedly scheduled.
 
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Re: RPI Off-Season Thread 2012: An Off-Season to Be Optimistic

DrDemento said:
Relatively simple answer-things are not the same now as they have been for the last 25+ years. Just look at how the ECAC stacks up against the other conferences. That was not always the case. When HE first split off the ECAC was a highly rated conference that could usually count on 2 or even 3 teams every year in the NCAA tournament. Now they are very fortunate to get the 1 single bid for the ECAC tournament champion(and even that bid is one of the lower seeds). Second, in the early years of the ECAC the Ivies were not the dominating teams in the league. It was a good mix with a strong set of North Country teams and RPI and Colgate vying for the top spots along with a couple of Ivies. Now the league is Ivy dominated. They can of course get an auto bid if one of the teams wins out but not much chance of a second Ivy getting a bid. With their own conference, playing each other more often and a select OOC conference-i can see them getting at least 2 bids most of the time. But the post that redhead made gives an even better indication of how they might be thinking at this time-a separation to make media deals involving the 'Ivy Brand' seems not only possible, but likely. Just because they honored the ECAC by hanging in there for 25 years means little in this rapidly changing environment. Ask yourself this-Why would it make sense for teams in the other big leagues to leave and form their own conference? The times, they are a-changing.:)
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The ECAC hasn't been a highly rated conference since the late '80s, so I really don't see how the current status of the league is such a great motivator for a split. We generally get two bids, and a competitive Ivy League team is likely to get one of those and in some years they might get two. I doubt they'd do much better as a six team league on its own. It's not as if they are, or will be, a powerhouse conference. In fact, I disagree with your view that the ECAC is Ivy League dominated. Sure the Ivies do pretty well, but they haven't been dominant. This year they finished 2, 3, 6t, 9, 11 and 12. Last year it was 2, 3, 4t, 4t, 9 and 10. The year before 1, 2, 8, 9t, 9t and 11. Average finish each of the last three years: 7.2, 5.3 and 6.7. They've invariably had one or two teams in the upper echelon (thus picking up NCAA berths), but they've hardly been overwhelming top to bottom.

The Ivies have tried marketing their brand before. Their football games have bounced on and off the air on PBS and various cable channels for the last two decades. There are enough channels out there that someone will probably pick them up again, but there is no great excitement on a national level or even regionally outside the league footprint for it as evidenced by their extremely low ratings. No one even cares about broadcasting Ivy League basketball. Now take an inherently regional second tier sport like hockey. How widespread will the interest be in a mediocre six team league of northeastern schools that most people can't relate to anyway? We're not talking the Big 10 here, which can justify a six team league providing additional winter content to the captive Big 10 Network. The six teams are Minnesota, Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Penn State. In other words, five large states with "state U" (i.e. built in allegiances even from non-alumni) represented. That's not the case with a six team Ivy League hockey setup.
 
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Re: RPI Off-Season Thread 2012: An Off-Season to Be Optimistic

rpi82 said:
In fact, I disagree with your view that the ECAC is Ivy League dominated. Sure the Ivies do pretty well, but they haven't been dominant. This year they finished 2, 3, 6t, 9, 11 and 12. Last year it was 2, 3, 4t, 4t, 9 and 10. The year before 1, 2, 8, 9t, 9t and 11. Average finish each of the last three years: 7.2, 5.3 and 6.7. They've invariably had one or two teams in the upper echelon (thus picking up NCAA berths), but they've hardly been overwhelming top to bottom.
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Statistics can be easily misleading-especially when you quote an average-that includes Brown:) Of course they are not dominant top to bottom. You just listed the last 3 years and the Ivies garner 2 of the top 3 spots each year and you don't admit that is a bit dominant? Or a year ago when they were 4 of the top 5? Total up the ECAC championships and the top 4 finishes since the great split if you want and then look at the numbers. Or just look at NCAA bids to the tournament over the same period. Of course this is a totally arguable point. We have no idea what they want to do. Who knows, maybe they will all join HE or a super conference. This is all in the talking stage. I maintain there are distinct benefits for them to split out of the ECAC and that pretty soon they will decide to go. You take the opposite side and defend yourself well. We will just have to wait a year or 2 and see who had the better crystal ball. The entire picture and conference set up in NCAA hockey is undergoing rapid change and the situation is very unclear and governed by things that we are not privy to.
 
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Re: RPI Off-Season Thread 2012: An Off-Season to Be Optimistic

turk181 said:
Kudos to all involved with the RPI broadcast of the TV less ECAC Tourny. Every thread (& eLynah forum) gave high praises for their work. Bravo!
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Who could have thought that Cornell would give up 6?? Especially with Kotyra as ref.
 
Re: RPI Off-Season Thread 2012: An Off-Season to Be Optimistic

AspyDad said:
Well said Doc. Stewie and Hags must be ticked over Fat Mike's comments over no TV.
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Could be-but Harvard and Union have seemed to put everything together at just the right time. I wonder if Cornell will have the PWR now to get an NCAA bid? I imagine they may have to win the consolation game today.
 
Re: RPI Off-Season Thread 2012: An Off-Season to Be Optimistic

DrDemento said:
Could be-but Harvard and Union have seemed to put everything together at just the right time. I wonder if Cornell will have the PWR now to get an NCAA bid? I imagine they may have to win the consolation game today.
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Where did this Harvard team come from? 18 goals in their last three games, Union better be ready.
Also, I watched the last period of the Maine/BU game last night and found that the referees for that game are as inept as any I have seen in the ECAC. The entire crew missed penalty calls, offside calls, and even icing calls.
All in one period. I am beginning to think that it is a College Hockey thing and not just the ECAC. I don't know who the officials were, maybe the were ECAC officials used for the HE championships.
Just a disgrace. :eek::mad:
 
Re: RPI Off-Season Thread 2012: An Off-Season to Be Optimistic

Just to point out how the Ivies have finished since 2001 in the ECAC standings
2001-02 1,3,4
2002-03 1,2,3,4
2003-04 2,3,4
2004-05 1,2
2005-06 1,3,4
2006-07 2,3
2007-08 2,3
2008-09 1,2,3
2009-10 1,2
2010-11 2,3,4
2011-12 2,3

That's 29 top 4 finishes out of a possible 44 spots.

Others may not agree with me but this last 11 year stretch looks pretty solid to me. Domination is a strong word but i think these numbers justify it.:eek:
 
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Re: RPI Off-Season Thread 2012: An Off-Season to Be Optimistic

engineerhockeyfan said:
Where did this Harvard team come from? 18 goals in their last three games, Union better be ready.
Also, I watched the last period of the Maine/BU game last night and found that the referees for that game are as inept as any I have seen in the ECAC. The entire crew missed penalty calls, offside calls, and even icing calls.
All in one period. I am beginning to think that it is a College Hockey thing and not just the ECAC. I don't know who the officials were, maybe the were ECAC officials used for the HE championships.
Just a disgrace. :eek::mad:
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I saw part of that game also-thought i was watching ECAC officials also. I guess it is pervasive in all the conferences. Just no consistency at all.
 
Re: RPI Off-Season Thread 2012: An Off-Season to Be Optimistic

rvd5star69 said:
He may come back for another year. Hasn't decided yet.
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It would be great for the team if he comes back! Of course, he's been a warrior for his four years here and whatever he decides he'll have the support of the program, but, boy, returning our 7 defensemen (and adding a strong-looking recruit in Bradley) and 8 out of our top 9 scorers would give us a great group to build with.
 
Re: RPI Off-Season Thread 2012: An Off-Season to Be Optimistic

knsmith said:
It would be great for the team if he comes back! Of course, he's been a warrior for his four years here and whatever he decides he'll have the support of the program, but, boy, returning our 7 defensemen (and adding a strong-looking recruit in Bradley) and 8 out of our top 9 scorers would give us a great group to build with.
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Even without Bergin, we will have a very strong defense. However, the 8 top scorers you mention did not produce very much. I look for great improvement from at least five of those eight, based on the way they closed out the season.
I believe that we could be a big surprise to the league at least for the first part of the season.
 
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