In article <v01510102acd546f9a7a7@[206.20.81.151]>,
Kenneth W. Johnson, Laura U. Nowack <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>
>I simply can't believe that RPI schedules teams that looked as bad as AF.
>Likewise, it is very unfair for AF to schedule games against Div. I teams
>that blow them out, and RPI is not even a good Div. I team this year.
>
 
Let's first keep in mind that a lot of the schedules are set either 1 or more
years in advance.  No one knows what a team will be like in 1 or 2 or more
years.  This is a case in point.
 
>Case in point. #7 on defense for AF had a terrible game.  He directly
>contributed to 6 RPI goals through misplays in the corners, bad clearing
>passes that were intercepted and generally confused play.  It got to the
>point that whenever he was on the ice, I knew there would be an RPI goal
>and often there was.  When there wasn't, there was a near miss (off the
>post, great save, etc.).  He clearly is not a Division I player.  While the
>rest of the AF defense wasn't as suspect, the score tells you a great deal.
>Most of the goals were not goalie lapses.  It's tough to make a lot of
>saves when there is no one in the slot clearing the RPI forwards out or
>preventing the quick pass to the wing at the post.
>
 
I was as surprised at the outcome as a lot of people were.  I did not think Air
Force was a bad team.  But then again, looking at their lineup, they were
missing at least 2 people who I can point to as being important who were
not in the lineup.  And with the civilian furlough, no one to ask of the
questions.  Pat Ryan and Dan Leone.  Where were they (Charlie?)  Two
of Air Force's better players.  Plus Bilek graduating hurts.  But Pat
Kielb played 2 horrendous games in goal, he looked awful.  Maybe the plane
ride across the country and jet lag set in for Air Force, remember this
was their first road trip of the season.
 
>Come on RPI.  The win was nice given the performance of the team this year.
>But I would rather see the team play hard and respectably (and perhaps
>lose) against a Hockey East team than fatten their stats up against Air
>Force.  Are we snubbed so much that we can't schedule more games against
>BU, BC, UNH, Providence, etc.  Before the Hockey East/ECAC split, fans
>loved these games and would kill for more of them.  Enough of the
>slaughters.  Scheduling Air Force is not going to teach a young RPI team
>how to play better.
>
 
I disagree to an extent.  I think they will learn to play better because
they learned to play with confidence.  Playing with confidence is better than
playing just to play.  This is the biggest thing that the RPI Engineers should
take from this weekend.  Confidence.  Especially Bryan Masotta who went into
Saturday's game with a 31.3 GAA.  The Engineers now have confidence and need
to carry that over to opponents who are larger in stature.
 
We still get our share of the games that you mention above.  BU is gone because
Buddy Powers is gone.  That probably will not be coming back in the near
future.  Also remember that Mike Addessa alienated a lot of the teams in
Hockey East with his style.  Case in point, Northeastern has not played RPI
since before the split.   Merrimack is the same story.  But they got on the
schedule after Addessa left.  Providence was on the schedule, and now are
not, so was UNH.  These games will cycle back soon.  Next year, RPI has
4 spots to fill, the 2 games against Bowling Green and the 2 against
Air Force from this year.  Let's see what they do.  I will contend that if
RPI does not schedule one of the 5 other teams from the West Regional
from last year (Mich, Minn, CC, WIsc, or MSU), they will have done
an awful job from going to the NCAA's last year.  That is one of the
most important things about going to the NCAA's.  Networking and scheduling.
Especially with the strentgh of schedule issue so large in the NCAA comittee's
minds.
 
 
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* Jayson Moy  RPI '89 '93  *  One of the Voices of Rensselaer Engineer      *
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