Just to reiterate some points made by Brian and Mike on this past weekend.
Against Merrimack, everything that Mike said hit the mark.
I don't know if my previous post got to the net, but to say it again,
Masotta had a good game. When faced with chances, and there were few
(not only from Merrimack but RPI as well), he made the saves he needed to.
Masotta must work on a few things. One area is not straying too far from
the crease. He neds to get used to the quickness of forwards, and
was almost burned by Merrimack a few times. He also needs to pick up his
reaction time a little more. But I think Masotta will learn with experience.
Mike Tamburro played a decent game against BU. 4 of 5 goals were soft,
but the defense did not help Mike at all. Mike seemed to have a hard time
Friday evening picking up the puck. The Grier goal is evidence. Grier
did not take a shot at all, and it just slid past Tamburro's left leg.
I think that Masotta gets the start against Army, and depending upon the
score, Tamburro gets in halfway through to get him work. Whoever performs
better gets Clarkson. I think it is upp in the air even more now than
at the start of the season.
The defense has got to get used to their partners. Chris Aldous has not had
3 good games at all. He does not seem to control the puck well. Because
of nervousness or not, who knows. Bryan Tapper continues to impress me.
He though needs to bulk up and use his size more to his advantage. He is
continually being manhandled in the corners and along the boards.
On offense, where do we start? Something is wrong here, and no one can put
their finger on it. Since the 2nd period against Clarkson at Lake Placid,
the Engineers have score 4 goals aganst Div I opponents. 1 against CU, 0
against Harvard, 0 against UNH, 1 against BU and 2 agaissnt Merrimack.
Likewise, the powerplay is in trouble. Dating back to the 3rd game against
Union College, RPI is 0-32 on the power plpay against Div I opponenets.
0-3 against Union, 0-7 against Clarkson, 0-2 agasint Harvard, 0-7 against
UNH, 0-13 against BU and Merrimack. What is wrong? Don't know. I agree
a little with Brian when he mentions that it is the point men not seeing
clearly. I think the Engineers problem is that are continually being man-
handled in front of the crease. As eveidenced against Merrimack, almost
all shots from the point were blocked out front by the defense. Clear
shots and screens must be set up.
Injuries for the Engineers are coming into play now. Jeff Brick appears to
be out with an injury. Pat Brownlee was hurt during the Merrimack game
as well. Jon Pirrong is not 100% with the knee. Jeff Matthews is just
getting back onto the bike this week.
What is it going to take for the Engineers to get on track? I think they
need to gel on the ice more fluidly. If this means mixing up the lines
until you find the right combo (nudge, nudge, wink), then do it.
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* Jayson Moy RPI '89 '93 * One of the Voices of Rensselaer Engineer *
* [log in to unmask] * Hockey, Baseball, Football, and Basketball *
* The "Asian Invasion" * on Crystal Clear 91.5FM WRPI, Troy *EASM* *
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