[log in to unmask] (Kenneth W. Johnson, Laura U. Nowack) wrote:
 
>RPI/Rensselaer has traditionally (from my memory anyways) always played
>better after Christmas.  We'll see if that holds true this year.  Would
>anyone like to go further and speculate why?
 
Two immediate reasons:
 
1.  Kyle Ferguson will be eligible to play.
 
2.  Alain St. Hilaire will return sometime in January.
 
St. Hilaire has improved the most of all the freshmen since the start
of the season.  In fact, he may be the only Engineer to markedly
improve his game from week to week.  Ferguson will provide a big, fast
forward that the Engineers do not currently possess.
 
Other reasons:
 
3.  The schedule settles down to a routine.
 
4.  The team gets a chance to regroup from some of the beatings
they've taken.
 
No, I don't mean #4 in a humorous tone.  As for #3, even when I was
just a fan, playing these odd Sunday and Tuesday games threw me off my
schedule.  It does so to a greater degree as a sportscaster.  I can
only assume it has the same effect on the players.  Starting with the
Tournament, RPI plays Friday & Saturday except for the two weekends
they play Union.  Getting into a regimented schedule will, I believe,
benefit this young team.
 
In regards to #4, RPI has never really had a chance to get its head
together after getting shelled and I don't believe the series against
Air Force has produced anything positive except two wins on the
overall record.
 
After losing two games that were potentially winnable to start out the
season, the Engineers were shellacked by BG, then dropped a winnable
game to Army.  After getting slaughtered by Colgate, they got killed
by Clarkson then lost another winnable one against SLU.  The only
non-laughable win was versus Dartmouth, which followed a well-played
game against Vermont.  It's as if RPI needs to play at least one game
after a beating to get back their confidence, then the next game they
have a chance.  The two weeks off, with some time at home, will help
seperate the first half of the season from the second, and maybe let
the Engineers start out with a cleaner slate.
 
We shall certainly find out.  See you on Saturday Ken.
 
Kurt Stutt
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