Tony, marooned in California asks: >Trying to get a bead on RPI possibilites based on the 10-3 blowout over >McGill this past weekend. Anyone know anything about McGill's ranking in >Canda? How they compare to UNB for example? Is the rout based on good >play by RPI, or from playing a relatively weak opponent? Anyone out there >have a clue? >Go Engineers!! While I don't know what McGill's ranking among Canadian colleges is, I would assume it's not in the top echelon. Other teams like Brunswick and Concordia seem to have played much better the last two weekends. In watching Saturday's game at the Fieldhouse, there isn't anything I would recommend about the McGill team. Center ice was about as open as a Montana highway, and I doubt the team had any idea what the word "forecheck" means. The Engineers leisurely moved the puck out of their end, often waiting until one forward became poised to shoot the puck. I arrived at the Fieldhouse 30 seconds after the opening face-off, only to realize I had missed the first penalty (at the 3 second mark) and just in time to see RPI's power play score as I was walking to my seat. This game was definitely not a nailbiter, in fact I hardly bothered to take any notes since they just didn't seem to matter. On the basis of the walk-over I will however offer a few observations about the Engineer team. I agree with Jason Moy's comments about the team, and will amplify a little. There does seem to be a difference between Buddy's team and Fridge's. Buddy's was a free-wheeling bunch, almost to the point of undisciplined. By that I don't mean they took a lot of penalties, but that they had no coherence to the attack, no plays or patterns to fall back on when the forwards were unable to penetrate the defensive curtain that was thrown at them. Fridge's emphasis on defense first, and more chalkboard-style break-outs and scoring plays seems to give the Engineers more puck movement. Of course I again emphasize this Engineer team must experience a team that forechecks, and it will on Friday night. If ever a team know how to forecheck, it's BU--I keep seeing Mike Grier laying out one of the small RPI d's on the boards with the puck dribbling to the corner. While I'm not predicting a victory, I do think the Engineers will give a good account of themselves. My optimism is based on what I have seen so far. I don't see any real decline in the offense. Bryan Richardson still plays center, and still scores better than anyone on the team. At one point Saturday I was talking with my friend about the forwards, to which he inquired "what about Richardson"? I responded that Richardson can turn it on whenever he wants, which was underlined 5 second later when he scored his first of two goals. While he doesn't have the speed of Juneau, he has that gift for freeing himself for a shot around the net, and his shot is as deadly as they come. Second line isn't much different than last year, with both Clarke and Hamelin scoring two goals apiece. I also like freshman Doug Battaglia, who didn't get a lot of playing time Saturday--unlike the other freshman. Ahh, the other freshman. For the first time in awhile, the Engineers have depth on defense. Bryan Tapper continues to be my personal favorite of the new recruits, scoring his first goal Saturday night, and not making any noticeable mistakes. I also like Fridge's guts in putting the new D's in right away, with regular defensive pairings. Aldous was paired with Adam Bartel, and instantly became the number one defensive pairing, with Rochon being paired with Tapper as the number two. Both groups played with a lot of confidence, but the acid test comes Friday. It was also startling to see Chris Kiley out on a regular shift. Kiley spent an awful lot of last year in Buddy Powers' doghouse, so I'd have to say the jury is out on whether he will catch on as the third defenseman off the bench. Which again brings me to Dan Fridgen. I hope he is successful in implementing his new control style with the Engineers. It would be nice to see the forwards become more aggressive in their forechecking. Hopefully his goal of stressing defensive responsibilities for the entire team will prevent some of the 2 on 1's and 3 on 1's we saw Neil Little fighting through last year. And in light of the inexperienced goaltending, it is essential that the rest of the team relieve some of the defensive burden from Tamburro and Massotta. Finally, a discussion of the goaltending is in order. Tamburro looks fine. His positioning looked good, and he seemed taller than his 5' 7" frame. But I wonder about him when he's got a couple of big forwards trying to screen him off the puck. Massotta looks like an NHL goaltender. He takes up a lot of the goalmouth, and stands up when the puck approaches. But he didn't play very well Saturday, and I think he needs a little polishing. The third McGill goal was a result of a Massotta mistake. He simply failed to move to cover the shot when the McGill forward shifted the puck onto his forehand. There were no other McGill players in the vacinity, as the RPI defensemen had taken care of everyone else. Massotta also seemed a little uncomfortable, if not nervous, at his first experience in the RPI nets. I don't expect to see him in the BU game, unless of course it's another blow-out. But I think there is an excellent chance he will start against Merrimack, or more likely Army. I think his development will spell whether RPI can get to the NC$$'s again this year. I would be be happy to see a platoon system instituted, like Harvard's the last two seasons. I believe it is difficult for a single goalie to get his play up for every game, and a Tamburro/Massotta platoon presents a challenge to opponents since their styles are basically opposites. Starting this Friday, the Engineers face a parade of talented teams. They don't have the luxury of waiting until January to gel if they intend on playing into April. It should be a very interesting November and December. _ "NYS // Hockey" Go 'Gate // Brian Morris Go RPI // Albany, NY ______// [log in to unmask] (______/ ************************************************************************ The above opinions are those of the poster alone, with no representation that they have any value whatsoever, or that the content will prove interesting to anyone currently living, or otherwise. ************************************************************************