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RPI Offseason Thread: Six Languages of Drivel

Re: RPI Offseason Thread: Six Languages of Drivel

Today is 13 June 2014. There are 113 days until RPI's next game.


This is based upon 4 October 2014 for the start of next season.
 
Re: RPI Offseason Thread: Six Languages of Drivel

Taking a closer look at the schedule, here's what we have, NC wise:

AHA - 2
ECAC - 1
HE - 4
B1G - 2, possibly 3
NCHC - 4, possibly 5
WCHA - 0

Throw any concept of a cake schedule out the window (no offense to those in the nWCHA).

Predictions: This might seem a little daft, but we should be able to tell from the Atlantic games how the season will go. As usual, they are trap games, and if we don't win them, kiss 95% of a chance of postseason goodbye. I say 95% because Yale picked up the #1 seed in 2011 despite losing to Air Force, and the same team lost to Holy Cross in 12-13, and I think we all know how they finished overall. I would not be surprised with at least a split vs. Michigan, especially if you consider the historical perspective. Denver is an interesting one. Yes, it's at altitude, but not only is that where we picked up our only win vs. said team, but we also played them fairly evenly last year (0-1-1, both games went to OT). Miami I'm not expecting much from us at all; Blasi knows Appert's style way too well. BU at home is always a slugfest, literally. UNH I'm not expecting much, either. UCONN could be a trap team; yes they just came out of AHA, but who knows what they'll be getting. Notre Dame we haven't beat since Fridgen left. League play is league play. My record prediction is 5-8-1 OOC, in conference probably around 500 again if that; going to be another disappointing year.
 
Re: RPI Offseason Thread: Six Languages of Drivel

Is it just me, or are the incoming defensemen more offensive minded that the forwards?
If this is true, I see our power play using two defensemen in the future. Maybe we can finally cut down on the short handed goals against.
Size of the recruits looks pretty good, especially on the back line.

While I have never been one of those calling for Appert's head, he will be challenged with this team. Once again, he will have a chance to show us that he can adapt to his players.
This is going to be a very different team than we have been seeing the past few years.

Lets go red!!!!!!!!!!
 
Re: RPI Offseason Thread: Six Languages of Drivel

engineerhockeyfan said:
he [OGC] will be challenged with this team. Once again, he will have a chance to show us that he can adapt to his players.
This is going to be a very different team than we have been seeing the past few years.
Click to expand...

Not quite sure how to respond...if he can't "adapt to his players," then why would he recruit them in the first place? :confused:

genuinely puzzled, not meant to come across as snark.
 
Re: RPI Offseason Thread: Six Languages of Drivel

FreshFish said:
Not quite sure how to respond...if he can't "adapt to his players," then why would he recruit them in the first place? :confused:

genuinely puzzled, not meant to come across as snark.
Click to expand...

In the past he seems to want his recruits to adapt to his system. It hasn't worked to well so far.
Your question is right on.
 
Re: RPI Offseason Thread: Six Languages of Drivel

engineerhockeyfan said:
In the past he seems to want his recruits to adapt to his system. It hasn't worked to well so far.
Your question is right on.
Click to expand...


The three greatest coaches I've ever seen in any sport all taught sound fundamental principles of play, yet when you watch their teams over the years, the teams always played to the players' strengths, yet the success was never about a great individual carrying the team, it was always about how well the players meshed together and executed collectively when it mattered.

To me there is a huge difference between "sound fundamentals" / "basic principles" and a "system." The former are fluid, the latter sounds rigid.

When you are on offense you probe for the other team's weakness in a systematic way; when you are in defense you stop the other team's highest percentage attempts and force them into low-percentage attempts. The actual technical details vary but the concepts never do.
 
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Re: RPI Offseason Thread: Six Languages of Drivel

FreshFish said:
The three greatest coaches I've ever seen in any sport all taught sound fundamental principles of play, yet when you watch their teams over the years, the teams always played to the players' strengths, yet the success was never about a great individual carrying the team, it was always about how well the players meshed together and executed collectively when it mattered.

To me there is a huge difference between "sound fundamentals" / "basic principles" and a "system." The former are fluid, the latter sounds rigid.

When you are on offense you probe for the other team's weakness in a systematic way; when you are in defense you stop the other team's highest percentage attempts and force them into low-percentage attempts. The actual technical details vary but the concepts never do.
Click to expand...

fresh fish,Your first paragraph IMO describes the team over self mentality that our rivals in schenectady have mastered. If I could influence SA in one area that would be it. It seems to me his approach is too build the team around the 2-3 players that he sees as the pillars of the team and as the year wears on the "other guys" seem to fade rather than improve with this approach.Union in recent years has had 2-3 top guys but if you are able to contain them some role player would step p and get the job done that doesn`t seem to happen with our teams. IMO if we could get the" I" out of our team and have discipline and responsibility applied to everyone equally the improvement could come quickly. If not expect more of the same old same old.
 
Re: RPI Offseason Thread: Six Languages of Drivel

Homecoming weekend has no hockey game. With a mediocre coach being beloved, you can tell how the administration feels about the hockey team...
 
Re: RPI Offseason Thread: Six Languages of Drivel

Today is 14 June 2014. There are 112 days (16 weeks) until RPI's next game.


This is based upon 4 October 2014 for the start of next season.
 
Re: RPI Offseason Thread: Six Languages of Drivel

FlagDUDE08 said:
Homecoming weekend has no hockey game. With a mediocre coach being beloved, you can tell how the administration feels about the hockey team...
Click to expand...

Wow, back in 1993 at my son's orientation, the then President of RPI made the hockey program one of the topics of conversation. Stating that they were coming into the season ranked 5th in the nation. Tickets for the family weekend game were almost impossible to get, but we got them and the 5th ranked team in the nation lost to a school I never heard of.
I fell in love with RPI hockey that night (the building, the band, and the atmosphere). Neither Appert or Fridgen were the coach back then, so I couldn't blame them for the loss, but it was an omen of things to come for RPI hockey.
High expectations and under achieving performance. Yet here I am over 20 years later still in love with RPI hockey.
I have a niece that that went to BC when they won the national championship, and my daughter was doing post graduate research at Yale when they won the national championship, and while I rooted for both teams, it meant nothing to me.
I don't have very high expectations for the team this season, so maybe they will surprise me by over achieving.

Lets go red!!!!!!!!
 
Re: RPI Offseason Thread: Six Languages of Drivel

FlagDUDE08 said:
Homecoming weekend has no hockey game. With a mediocre coach being beloved, you can tell how the administration feels about the hockey team...
Click to expand...

Yes, lets not schedule ourselves in a tournament with three high end teams and a weekend with Denver (going off usual homecoming game dates in October) just so we can play a homecoming weekend game. Challenges are better than feel good wins in my opinion.
 
Re: RPI Offseason Thread: Six Languages of Drivel

engineerhockeyfan said:
Wow, back in 1993 at my son's orientation, the then President of RPI made the hockey program one of the topics of conversation. Stating that they were coming into the season ranked 5th in the nation. Tickets for the family weekend game were almost impossible to get, but we got them and the 5th ranked team in the nation lost to a school I never heard of.
I fell in love with RPI hockey that night (the building, the band, and the atmosphere). Neither Appert or Fridgen were the coach back then, so I couldn't blame them for the loss, but it was an omen of things to come for RPI hockey.
High expectations and under achieving performance. Yet here I am over 20 years later still in love with RPI hockey.
I have a niece that that went to BC when they won the national championship, and my daughter was doing post graduate research at Yale when they won the national championship, and while I rooted for both teams, it meant nothing to me.
I don't have very high expectations for the team this season, so maybe they will surprise me by over achieving.

Lets go red!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...

They are going to over achieve this year.
 
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