[log in to unmask] (Cheryl A. Morris) wrote:
 
 
>And now, my assessment of the Engineers.  Bad things.  The team has
>absolutely no confidence. The lines are lifeless.  The defense is not
>standing up the forwards at the blue lines.  The offensive patterns are
>devoid of any creativity.  Last night the Engineers excelled with one
>particular maladaptive play: the dump and no chase.  The kind of spectacle
>of a team that is so nervous about its defense, that offensive pressure is
>abandoned to ensure nothing bad happens on the other end.  Very sad.
 
Is everyone but me watching a different game?
 
Did everyone not see the intensity and hard work in the first period?
Did everyone not see the speed coming through the neutral zone?  Did
everyone not see the good defense on odd man rushes?  Did everyone not
see guys take their men to the boards and away from the crease?  Did
everyone not see the opportunities to score?  Did everyone not see
that RPI is just missing by inches?
 
What was the difference in the game last night?  Colgate did not miss
by inches, e.g. Baaki's goal (just an inch past Laing's skate),
McDonald's first goal (just an inch between Laing's legs), Marostega's
goal (just an inch above Laing's shoulder).  RPI missed by inches,
e.g. Healey missing at least four times by inches, Tapper by inches,
Gardiner by inches, Riva by inches, etc.
 
That was the difference.
 
Confidence lacking?  No.  Frustration?  Yes.
 
Devoid of creativity?  No way.  Look at some of the plays off the
faceoff.  RPI tried several times to get the puck in front by pushing
the faceoff deep and out.  It worked!  But missed by inches.
 
Creativity leads to speed and passing through the neutral zone for the
opposition, I saw that last night.  Both teams played a great game.
 
>One single bright note: I though Laing played an excellent game.  He had
>several very major point blank saves, including an absolutely picture
>perfect kick save in the third period.  All three goals by Colgate were
>nearly unstoppable, highlighted by the second period rocket on the setplay
>called by Don Vaughn after the face-off.  The Red Raiders sagged all their
>forwards to the right side of the ice, drawing the Engineer defense to
>them.  Colgate's McDonald lost himself on the opposite boards and drifted
>down to the goal to receive the pass from Wildfong, with an ensuing
>one-time rocket into the goal.
 
What game were you watching?  What rocket?  This was an amazing pass
by WIldfong through the crease that eluded at least seven sticks.
Just to get it through was amazing, to get a piece of it to tip it
through was even more amazing.  McDonald was totally covered, his
ability got a stick on it.
 
>Fridge needs to make some dramatic shake-ups to clear the clouds out of
>the Engineer's heads.  I'd start with the first line.  The first line
>seems to be Healy and St. Hilaire, and Matt Garver.  If Garver is involved
>in the play, he usually is by himself.  If St. Hilaire is handling the
>puck, the play goes to Healy.  On the second line Brad Tapper, a skater of
>apparently vast offensive skills, needs a winger next to him he is
>comfortable with.  I'd put Garver there, and move another winger, maybe
>Dan Riva, up to the #1.  Or maybe put Garver next to Pete Gardiner, who is
>in as deep a sophomore slump as I've witnessed.  It is truly a shame to
>see someone with his talent just disappearing from the line-up.  Steve
>Caley is another skater who could play with Tapper, gasp, put Eric Healy
>next to Tapper on the #1, which might bring some real creativity to the
>first line, and pick up a non-existent second line anchored by St.
>Hilaire.  In short, Fridge needs to do something to get the Engineer's
>skill players back in the games. That IMO is the first step to get RPI
>back in the winning column.
 
What are you kidding me?  The lines are clicking, they're just
missing.  When the tide turns the lines will be great.  Riva is not a
wing, he's a playmaker.  Why does St. Hilaire look for Healey?
Because Garver's speed puts him ahead of the play, so Healey is the
trailer.  Gardiner is just not scoring, he's skating and hitting
though.
 
The Engineers are in the game, it was evident last night.
 
Are there so many naysayers out there and critics that they can't
recognize when things are going right?  So RPI lost, yeah they lost,
but that's not to say the game wasn't good.  It was.
 
This isn't wishful optismism here, this is reality.  Stop being so
hard on the kids, they're playing fine, and they'll do great.  Such
negativity kills me.
 
>A little rambling, with apologies.  But I look forward to an ugly game
>tonight at the Fieldhouse, probably a redux of last year's ugly Big Red
>win at the Fieldhouse.  Cornell must be licking its chops.
 
I'm sure they are.  A team on a three game losing streak that played a
strong game the night beforen and are hungry and ready to explode.
 
Yeah, Cornell is licking their chops.
 
Jayson
 
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