On Mon, 10 Mar 1997, Larry Alber wroted. ---- I have to agree that
RPI's PP has been sad for the last ten games or so but they also have
be en trying a few new wrinkles that may be the difference. Also,
 
The problem is the play on the point.  Brian Pothier is a freshman, and
despite Fridge's attempted crash course for him to learn the position
it doesn't work.  Chris Aldous also suffers at the point because he is not
very good at one-timing, and often holds the puck too long.  What has
happened to Brian Tapper?  He's got a good slapper, and plays poised up
top.
 
  Battaglia has been great at potting the 'garbage-type goal' but brother,
yo u gotta have a couple of those lunch bucket types who will do anything
to  help the team score. Peter Gardiner, on the other hand, is indeed a
 tall (6'5") fellow but his skills are one of a smaller man. Soft Hands,
g ood puckhandling skills, and good skating ability to complement those
Go d-given long arms. You are right for the wrong reasons, Gardiner will
be a !
 
No slam intended on Battaglia.  The transformation of his play from
sophomoremto junior wasn't one of the most amazing of anyone on the team.
I never would have dreamed that scoring would come from him.  I always
kept waiting him to become the screen and tip guy on the offense, but that
really isn't his forte.  As for Gardiner, I thought all those talents you
mentioned are the things that makes for a special power forward.  Not just
a banger, as you note.
 
 
- -- Amen, brother. But his coaching didn't do Union in...a couple of
breaks for RPI and some very foolish penalties by Chris Ford of Union.
 
But it is just because of his coaching that the Engineers stayed patient
and upbeat, knowing the breaks were going to come their way.  Despite the
intense pressure that Union exerted, there were going to be opportunities.
Fridge made sure that the team would know what to do when presented with
them.
 
 than Chris Ford :-)  ). ---- I hope Joel, or most Div. I goalies, have a
good sense NOT to touch pucks that are off the net unless there is a very
good reason to involve oneself in them. And Joel gave up the same AMOUNT
of rebounds but he was brilliant in either directing the long pad saves
to the corner or finessing a stick or blocker to short distances that
e ither he could control or his defensemen. That was the difference to me
in his play. This reminded me vvery much of Dan Murphy's play in
 Clarkson. Rarely will he give up that long rebound which usually results
in a grade-A scoring chance.
 
Good point.  None of those rebounds ever seemed to land in the slot, did
they?
 
> Now we really disagee:
  worse. --- Why? Why? Youm ade your message to your team (the first
period ended at the 2-0 score) and Koenig's the guy that got you to this
game in  the first place. So, you let him rot on the bench? Koenig on an
' off' day is still better than Shtrom cold off the bench (and was 0-1-1
against RPI). In my book, I want to get beat with my best on the ice by
your best.
 
Very poor explanation on my part.  You are right--Koenig is the man.
Shtrom can't get your team back in the game.  That's why you leave Koenig
in.  He is the only one that can save his team, and it's up to him to
shake out the jitters and the cobwebs.  Maybe you call the time-out then
and give him a chance to regain his composure.  But you don't need to
discipline him, not in the playoffs.  The only way he could have stopped
the two on one was is he had already returned his game to the lofty
plateau he has been at for most of the season.  32 seconds back in net
doesn't provide enough time.
 
Finally, on Stan Moore, he got outcoached not that he coached poorly, but
that Fridge did a better job. Fridge met his objective: keep a team that
should be favored being the home time focused on playing like the
favorite.  Moore had a much tougher battle: convince an upstart team that
they could play with big bad RPI, who until recently has had the
overwhelmingly superior record.  Moore couldn't get an inexperienced
playoff team to do that.  But that doesn't mean he won't accomplish that
in the future, maybe not next year, but then again, RPI did it.
**************************************************************************
Brian Morris                    RPI Engineers--Big and Nasty
[log in to unmask]       ====>Play Like It's Lynah
 
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