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RPI Offseason Thread: 7 Months of Drivel

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Re: RPI Offseason Thread: 7 Months of Drivel

bothman said:
Losing sucks and I am very familiar with it, but I think some of these posts are over the top. Appert is a proud father and calling for his head just isn't right.

Is success only about hardware and banners? From these eyes, appert continues to develop good these kids as human beings, helps some reach their goal of professional hockey, and is a strong voice in the community. Maybe some time spent thinking about what you want in a coach may cause some to reflect that the ship is indeed half-full in Troy.

Not everything is about what happens for 60 or 65 mins on the ice Friday and Saturday nights.

There also seems to be a very loyal following of former players which speaks to the underlying relationship with appert as well as how instrumental he was in developing them for the real world - in whatever endeavor they chose to pursue post RPI.
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I believe the operative phrase is - "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore." The hockey coach has one prime mission - to win hockey games. The school has administrators, counselors and teachers that should be molding the students as good productive citizens. Appert should not be helping his players to understand EBITDA or demand curves. Likewise I don't expect professors to be running hockey practice. If he decides to do community work it should not come at the expense of running the hockey team. I want a coach, not a politician. While I'm at it I might point out that the suggestion that Appert is a great recruiter is a canard. Look at what Leaman and Bennett have done with zero, none, nada scholarships. I can understand the ivies due to their reputation but Union College? Whatever we may think of Bennett, he has recruited circles around Appert. Eight years is enough! Time to change 'em up. :mad:
 
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Re: RPI Offseason Thread: 7 Months of Drivel

bothman said:
Losing sucks and I am very familiar with it, but I think some of these posts are over the top. Appert is a proud father and calling for his head just isn't right.

Is success only about hardware and banners? From these eyes, appert continues to develop good these kids as human beings, helps some reach their goal of professional hockey, and is a strong voice in the community. Maybe some time spent thinking about what you want in a coach may cause some to reflect that the ship is indeed half-full in Troy.

Not everything is about what happens for 60 or 65 mins on the ice Friday and Saturday nights.

There also seems to be a very loyal following of former players which speaks to the underlying relationship with appert as well as how instrumental he was in developing them for the real world - in whatever endeavor they chose to pursue post RPI.
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Now there's the old Ivy mentality!!
 
Re: RPI Offseason Thread: 7 Months of Drivel

DeepRed72 said:
While I'm at it I might point out that the suggestion that Appert is a great recruiter is a canard. Look at what Leaman and Bennett have done with zero, none, nada scholarships. I can understand the ivies due to their reputation but Union College? Whatever we may think of Bennett, he has recruited circles around Appert. Eight years is enough! Time to change 'em up. :mad:
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Do we REALLY have to have the scholarship conversation again? Srsly?
 
Re: RPI Offseason Thread: 7 Months of Drivel

Jasma said:
Well said. I think once we get down the road a couple of weeks 95% of the fans will feel as you do. There will be some who throw up their hands and go find something else to do; jump on the Siena Basketball band wagon or maybe go to some Devils' games in Albany, but the majority of the fans will remain loyal and root for the laundry.

I would suggest everyone stop speculating about possible replacements for Seth Appert. It is very, very unlikely that he is going to lose his job. The president just gave him a 2 year extension to keep him from going after the Denver job. I believe there is virtually no chance this president is going to turn around 10-11 months later and ask the Trustees to eat a large part of his contract. It may be possible that we see one or two assistants moving on, but I think the head coach will be staying.

Let's all take a break and come back in a month and try to channel some positive energy into this program for next season. A better atmosphere at the Field House at games other than Freakout, Cornell and Clarkson would be a good start. There are too many games with 2,500 to 2,700 people in the stands and not enough sustained noise from the seats. Watch RIT, Wisconsin, Cornell and other strong fan bases. The arena is bathed in school colors and the support is strong and consistent throughout every game. With their success the past five years, even the fans at the school that shall not be mentioned, has a rowdy supportive group that provides lots of positive support throughout every home game at their tiny, shabby little barn. Achilles, Lynah, Cheel, Appleton and Ingalls are much tougher, rowdier places to play than Houston. I grant you that it has been tough to maintain a rabid following with the inconsistent play and disappointing post-season performances on the ice the past several years, but when the team is struggling is when they need a lift from the people in the stands the most.

The culture at the school and the indifference of the administration will not change, unless there is an outcry from major donors. The one thing the fans can change is the atmospher in the building. I would like to suggest that some on this forum take some leadership and create a group to work on making the Field House rowdier and less comfortable for visiting teams. Be loud; be proud for 60 minutes. We hear lots of complaints about the team not performing well for 60 minutes. Maybe the fans need to step up their game as well. Just sayin'

Enjoy the off-season. It will be long and bitter, but hope will return next fall - I hope.
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I think we are lucky we even get 2500 to 2700 in the seats the past couple of years. Especially with the area we are in with the other sporting events that go on, Onion hockey, Siena Bball, Albany Devils, etc.. I also have not been to a lot of the rinks you mention however, on tv they do not look as big as HFH. If our rink was their size it would be louder.
 
Re: RPI Offseason Thread: 7 Months of Drivel

ibanezist00 said:
All the negativity aside, I agree that some positive energy needs to be channeled into next season, because like it or not, Appert is staying and they're going to have to figure out how to utilize the talent they do have. It's not impossible. Look at UML going from a 5-win team to making it to the Frozen Four with a meteoric rise from basically the same team.
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They canned their coach after the 5-win season.
 
Re: RPI Offseason Thread: 7 Months of Drivel

Jasma said:
The culture at the school and the indifference of the administration will not change, unless there is an outcry from major donors. The one thing the fans can change is the atmospher in the building. I would like to suggest that some on this forum take some leadership and create a group to work on making the Field House rowdier and less comfortable for visiting teams.
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Just win. I remember going to games at HFH in the 80's and 90's when it was one of the most intimidating buildings in all of college hockey. The size and dilapidation of the building which hurts you when it's only half-filled becomes a terrifying asset when the place is full and rocking. It made the opposing team feel like they were walking into the old Maple Leaf Gardens. Add the band on the stage and the enormous NCAA title banners and it felt like you were playing two levels above your head.

RPI can have that again. Obviously, they must win to bring back the energy, but it will come. RPI was no less nerdy thirty years ago and they still managed to have that environment (assisted by the best townie support outside of the North Country). It's bad that they've let it slip this long, but I am sure that program can be brought back to life with the proper administration support.
 
Re: RPI Offseason Thread: 7 Months of Drivel

Stay@homeDad said:
I think we are lucky we even get 2500 to 2700 in the seats the past couple of years. Especially with the area we are in with the other sporting events that go on, Onion hockey, Siena Bball, Albany Devils, etc.. I also have not been to a lot of the rinks you mention however, on tv they do not look as big as HFH. If our rink was their size it would be louder.
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It's not their size, and the seats are separated from the ice by a wide walkway. That is not the case in most buildings where the fans are righ up against the glass. The FH atmosphere is not very intimidating.
 
Re: RPI Offseason Thread: 7 Months of Drivel

From Ken Schott - Another disappointment for RPI
Coming off last year’s second-place finish, RPI expected to contend for its first regular-season title since 1985. The media picked the Engineers to finish first in its preseason poll, and the coaches had them picked second.

But RPI didn’t meet those expectations, finishing seventh. It had a chance to make some noise in the postseason against 10th-seeded Dartmouth at Houston Field House.

Instead, the Engineers must once again answer questions as to why they came up short yet again.

RPI was eliminated by Dartmouth Sunday night. The manner of how the Engineers were ousted will linger with the program throughout the offseason.

They won the first game handily, 4-1. They dropped a 3-2 decision Saturday that forced a Game 3. The Engineers appeared in control of that game, taking a 4-2 lead into the third period. But the Big Green rallied to score three third-period goals and stun the Engineers, 5-4.

A lot of people will point to the season-ended shoulder injury starting goalie Jason Kasdorf suffered in a practice early October. But any RPI fan that blames Scott Diebold for the loss is a fool and not looking at the bigger picture. Diebold was 14-15-6 with a 2.50 goals-against average, a 916 save percentage and one shutout.

There are two bigger issues with the Engineers. One is their lack of secondary scoring. Junior forward Ryan Haggerty led the way with 28 goals. After him, it was senior forward Brock Higgs (14) and junior forward Matt Neal (10) who reached double figures. That was it.

Junior forward Jacob Laliberte and sophomore forwards Mike Zalewski and Milos Bubela saw their goal production drop. Laliberte went form 11 goals to eight. Zalewski dropped from 12 to nine. Bubela’s goals dropped in half, from eight to four.

The Engineers’ offense was so inconsistent. One night, they would produce 39 shots on goal. The next night, they would be lucky to crack 20 shots.

The lack of a killer instinct also showed in Sunday’s game. There is no excuse for giving up a two-goal lead in the third period of a series-deciding game. It seems like when RPI does get a lead, it goes into a prevent defense. And you know what they say about what playing a prevent defense does — it prevents you from winning. RPI needed to step on Dartmouth’s throat. Instead, when Eric Neiley scored 2:10 into the third to make it 4-3, it gave Dartmouth life.

This has to be the most bitter defeat for RPI coach Seth Appert since he took over the program from Dan Fridgen in 2006. He hasn’t won a home playoff series in four tries. Overall, Appert has won just two of 10 playoff series.

Instead of playing this weekend for a chance to make it to the semifinals for the first time since 2002, the Engineers will have to think long and hard about what went wrong this season.
 
Re: RPI Offseason Thread: 7 Months of Drivel

Big Jim said:
I'm done. I have been a season ticket holder for 44 years, but I have had enough, my wife and I had season tickets this year but stopped going to games beginning in January since I felt I could see the writing on the wall and was sick of OGC's same old post game interviews, blah, blah, blah. My health is failing and to get out in the snow and trudge to the field house to watch a middle of the pack team that sometimes acts like they would rather be doing something else was not worth the effort, once I stopped going it was like a breath of fresh air, I found myself no longer caring. Unless RPI gets a new coach (which I don't see happening) I won't be back, its kind of sad but I can't take anymore. OGC has everything the RPI administration likes, he is a true salesman, always saying the right thing, he looks professional and polished, he sold himself to us 8 years ago when he said our record was unacceptable but 8 years later we are as bad or worse, Shirley does not care, she is only worried about herself.

Appert is a great guy (look at the posters who came up with OGC) which makes it hard for people to call for his dismissal but he has to go, if he is such a great recruiter then he must be a lousy coach for mishandling all the talent, if he is a great coach then he must not be doing a great job recruiting, either way it falls on him. I have seen many freshmen come in and look promising but as the years progress the players look like they are getting worse instead of better. I'm not going to name players but look at the ones that came in so highly touted and the just end up looking like nothing special.
Well enough of my ranting, but I won't be back until something changes which I don't expect to be soon. It was a great ride.
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Don't let the door hit you on the way out, We don't need you if your gonna after 44 years give up. Better yet, get your resume ready, send it in and why not give it a shot coaching. Either way see ya.
 
Re: RPI Offseason Thread: 7 Months of Drivel

Bring back Addessa, Bring back beer at the concessions, PUT THE BAND BACK BEHIND THE NET, Bring back the Tri-State League, Bring back the posts that obstruct the view...GET OFF MY LAWN!!!
 
Re: RPI Offseason Thread: 7 Months of Drivel

fishcore12 said:
Don't let the door hit you on the way out, We don't need you if your gonna after 44 years give up. Better yet, get your resume ready, send it in and why not give it a shot coaching. Either way see ya.
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I like your loyalty, but cut this guy some slack. He has stuck aorund through some tough years, as well as the glory years of the 80's and 90's. It has been a while since RPI Hockey has experienced such a long dry spell.
 
Re: RPI Offseason Thread: 7 Months of Drivel

fishcore12 said:
Bring back Addessa, Bring back beer at the concessions, PUT THE BAND BACK BEHIND THE NET, Bring back the Tri-State League, Bring back the posts that obstruct the view...GET OFF MY LAWN!!!
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A couple of good ideas in that batch, but I can't even find your lawn in all this freakin' snow.
 
Re: RPI Offseason Thread: 7 Months of Drivel

Jasma said:
I like your loyalty, but cut this guy some slack. He has stuck aorund through some tough years, as well as the glory years of the 80's and 90's. It has been a while since RPI Hockey has experienced such a long dry spell.
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He only shows up around here when things aren't going well and piles on with all the others who show up when times are bad. I would love to see Coach Apperts inbox from yesterday and today. Bet he got some good laughs out of all the experts who sent him an email.
 
Re: RPI Offseason Thread: 7 Months of Drivel

Jasma said:
A couple of good ideas in that batch, but I can't even find your lawn in all this freakin' snow.
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Even with the melted snow I sometimes cant find my lawn or lack of it. But make sure you stay off it if you ever find it.
 
Re: RPI Offseason Thread: 7 Months of Drivel

Wow, we haven't even been in the offseason for a week and look at all the drivel. I'm so proud. :D
 
Re: RPI Offseason Thread: 7 Months of Drivel

fishcore12 said:
He only shows up around here when things aren't going well and piles on with all the others who show up when times are bad. I would love to see Coach Apperts inbox from yesterday and today. Bet he got some good laughs out of all the experts who sent him an email.
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If people only showed up on here when things were going good we would still be on the first RPI thread. I will have my season tickets and go to some games but Sunday night was the last straw for more than a few. We have went from 12 season tickets to 6 and next year looks like 5. If you think this program is headed in the right direction you are sorely mistaken. There is a losing culture in Troy that needs to be fixed. There is a winning culture and high expectations in Schenectady. They are an entertaining team to watch. Outside of a few on this board, believe it or not, there are plenty of people in the CD that root for both teams. Where do you think those people are spending their money to be entertained? I don't think any of us are expecting 1984 or 1985 but a 12 year dry spell from the ECAC's? Not one single NCAA goal in 30 years? Not winning a single home playoff series in the last 5? Most of those played to a less than half full fieldhouse! You keep enjoying yourself watching these games, but don't blame others who don't.
 
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