David Kaufman writes:
 
>      Unfortunately, I have to agree with Mike.  The students and the
>      Captial District expect way too much every year from the team.  I
>      know.  All four years I was there ('87-'88 to '90-'91) RPI was
>      supposed to at *least* get to the NCAA's.  However, I don't think this
>      is unique to RPI. This is all part of college sports.  Especially at a
>      school that lives and breathes just one sport like RPI.  It's the same
>      at some other schools and sports of note:  Notre Dame football (it's
>      hard to win a national championship with four losses :-) ) and North
>      Carolina basketball (ok, they are #1 right now, but last year's
>      supposed final four team lost to BC in the round of 32) come to mind.
>      There is also the old philosophy of "any team can beat any other team
>      on any given night, otherwise we wouldn't play the game at all."  I
>      promise there will be another upset this year in college hockey!
>
>      Dave / RPI '91
>      LET'S GO RED!!
>
I also agree with both Dave and Mike about the pressure placed on
these one-team schools, especially when they have a better than
average team.   Obviously, we want to see our team win, but I firmly
believe that RPI has for what ever reason, played up or down to the
level of the opposing team.   RPI might come off an emotionally
charged win against a Clarkson or Harvard only to put in a flat
performance against (for example) Princeton and lose.
 
Sure any team can beat any other, but look at Clarkson this season
for example.  After a tough game against RPI in which the pre-season
favorite comes away with only 1 point, they go out and crush Yale and
Princeton the following weekend by putting in the same level of effort
they did aginst RPI.   RPI will NOT play the same aggressive hockey
against Princeton that they would Harvard or Clarkson.  And this
pattern if what RPI fans fear.   Understandably they could and will
lose to lower echalon teams, but sometimes the level of effort just
doesn't appear to be there.
 
Jim Chalfonte / RPI '90.
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