RPI Women's Hockey

[leeb]

I've been out only a few years and I've already forgotten about activity fees and other such things.

So basically it's a tough situation. The men's team could possibly be self-sufficient but the rest of the athletic teams (and clubs, etc.) would be devastated by the loss of revenue. On the flip side, the men's team doesn't get to use all the revenue it generates and activity fees and such don't compensate fully.

And yes, RPI_fan03, it does seem ridiculous. It just doesn't seem like athletics is very high on the administration's "to do" list. Well, here's to RPIRED and those like him making some noise in that department.

[Red Cloud]

Originally posted by leeb
So basically it's a tough situation. The men's team could possibly be self-sufficient but the rest of the athletic teams (and clubs, etc.) would be devastated by the loss of revenue. On the flip side, the men's team doesn't get to use all the revenue it generates and activity fees and such don't compensate fully. I don't want to get into numbers, but the men's team is far from self-sufficient. Currently revenue numbers go to offset the final numbers for the team budget but it's not close, I don't believe it even pays for the practice and ice time. RPI owns the Field House but is still paying the debt incurred when it was renovated in the mid-80s. I believe that debt service ends this season, however, the payment on Harkness Field continues, and as Harkness Field doesn't generate very much income, the ice rentals will probably continue. :( It's a great system of "let's make the students pay for something that was done several years before their arrival." Put it bluntly: it would be cheaper to have our home games and practices at Pepsi Arena than in our own building, though the problem there is that there is already a major tenant, not to mention the fact that the men's team can't sell-out the Field House on a regular basis.

As a matter of fact, if it weren't for the cost of renting our own facilities, the women's team would probably have enough for D-I, and the Union could probably quit sucking in its gut.

And yes, RPI_fan03, it does seem ridiculous. It just doesn't seem like athletics is very high on the administration's "to do" list. Well, here's to RPIRED and those like him making some noise in that department. The problem as I see it (only MHO) is that administration is *entirely* focused on academics. While this is obviously the most important place to focus, everything else seems to become a matter of "we want this, so just do it" without really exploring the necessities or ramifications.

[leeb]

Let's talk about a much more positive subject, such as who does everyone think will step up the most this year from those returning players? I think Meredith Langille will really step up this year. She's been good but not great her first two years but I think she's got the skills to improve significantly. She's got decent puck skills and a decent shot but her best asset I think is her speed. She's got to be one of the fastest, if not the fastest, skaters on the team. If she gets paired with some decent players, look for her to put up between 25-30 points this year, with oh say 10-13 goals. You heard it here first!

[rpi_fan03]

As long as Langille plays her game (passing) she will definitely get those kind of points. She is not a natural goal scorer but is a great passer and has good vision for the setup.

I can't say I can pinpoint ONE returner, but here are a few...the smallest I could get the list!

#10 Dee Dougherty is was hot last year and will be again this year. Look for more points this year, as she has only gotten better at putting the bisquit in the basket each year. Same goes for Katie Woodward. Each has the perfect combo of knowing when to pass it and knowing when to take the shot.

Julie Welte will continue her dominance...she is one of the hardest working people I have ever met, and no doubt that her work in the offseason will translate into her becoming even more unstoppable than last season (if that is even possible)

If these three remain a line, I would love to see what team can stop them (although I have my doubts about any team)

Also look for a lot of the "supporting" forwards to step it up...each year give them more maturity, so look for more points from Juniors Rice and Durham, as well as Sophomores Jankowski and Rabatin. And if Soph Jen Onksen cna use her size more to her advantage this year, she will become more of a force.

Also look for more output from the defense this year, esp. Sherman who is finally recovered from a prolonged injury which she played through last year, and Cooper, who just realized how powerful her slapshot really is last season.


Hmm, I guess that list isnt too short now is it?

[Ralph Baer]

Originally posted by leeb
So basically it's a tough situation. The men's team could possibly be self-sufficient but the rest of the athletic teams (and clubs, etc.) would be devastated by the loss of revenue. On the flip side, the men's team doesn't get to use all the revenue it generates and activity fees and such don't compensate fully. I doubt that the men's team is self-sufficient, but it matters what costs have to be included.

Thanks for the discussions of the players to watch this season.

[Dader]

RPI_fan03 ... Thanks again for all of the info on the RPI Women's team ... you're proving to be a great resource for me (& for other ECAC-East fans too, presumably ...). On the line from last season, which you hoped would remain together ... who centered that line? ... was it Dougherty between Woodward & Welte? ... or ... was Woodward the center? ... I'm assuming that Welte's a wing ...
Were the team's other lines, pretty much, set? ... if so, who centered those?
Thanks for your possible (continuing) help ...
Dader

[rpi_fan03]

The lines from last year were

LW C RW
Sauca Langille Jankowski
Welte Dougherty Woodward
Durham Rice Rabatin

The other lines varied depending on the game and the opponent, but those three were generally consistant I believe.
Also, Onksen was thrown in that third line towards the end of the year but I am not sure if she was a C or LW. But the line I discussed before of Welte,Dougherty, and Woodward was the only line who was kept together the entire year after the first game they were together (Welte played D for the first few games because of injuries and girls who played fall sports).
Coach Cahill likes to spread the wealth and reorganize each year, so don't count on the line staying put. Most likely two will remain and will be put with a frosh or soph and the third will be put on another line they are expected to "lead".
My bets are on Dougherty and Welte sticking, and Woodward moving to play with possibly Langille (and a frosh?). We won't know until the season starts...and even then there is no guarantee of the lines sticking for the entire season.


New topic...anyone have a "dream team"...starting line-up from goalie to forwards...choosing from, say 1999-2000 season to 2002-2003 season???

[leeb]

Interesting idea, I'll give it a try although I only vaguely followed the team around the '98, '99 era and not at all before that.

For forwards, irregardless of actual position (since I have no idea), I'll go with 3 lines:

Acropolis - Poley - Welte

Dougherty - Sauca - Woodward

Acampora - Langille - Wadman (not a good skater but who else?)

For defense I'll go with 3 pairings:

Sherman - J. Durham

Kate Adams - L. Dielwart

J. Scammell - S. Riel

Goalie :

Have to go with Vallarelli. RPI has had some solid goalies but I just think the level of competition now is far better than it was even 4 or 5 years ago. Schiff is going to be special though also.

[rpi_fan03]

Ok, well now that I think about it, there probably aren't enough people who have been following the team for that long...so I guess that was not such a great idea.
I must say, though, leeb your list is pretty similar to what I would have put except I would switch Cooper with Scammell, move Julie Durham up to forward with Acampora and Wadman (center) and the final defenseman would probably be Libby Eldridge.

Hmm, does anyone have anymore info on the team or schedule?

[goaliegal2929]

i have seen the Bowdoin team....RPI could def. take them with some added goal scoring (seemed to be lacking in big games last season) and i met the head coach of elmira... an interesting character indeed....I think that RPI can go undefeated in 2003-04 for sure. Though i hear they are gonna miss the sauce... rpifan03, hope everything is superb for you, and hope you continue to be an RPIfan after 2003 ends.

[rpi_fan03]

Thanks "Doctor" Goaliegal2929...
Things are definitely superb from this fans point of view...
There is no doubt in my mind that RPI can go undefeated, as long as they work together and the chemistry from last season continues. I know everyone has been working hard in the off-season, so I am very excited for the season to begin...especially with the first game being again "Div1" Union.
And, I would like to point out, once a fan...ALWAYS a fan!


Fire up! Intense! Red hot confidence!:p

[leeb]

I'm still interested in learning about the new recruits. We've heard some good things about Temple, Johnston and Aho, but what about Daniel and O'Donohue? I wish there was somewhere to look to learn a little more about them. It isn't like the men's recruits where you can just look up the web site of the junior team.

I know RPI_fan 03 that you said Aho was invited to the Lake Placid Festival. Is that a prestigious festival? I wonder if any other current or past players were invited to it. Well I doubt just anyone is invited so that's good enough for me!

[rpi_fan03]

I will try to get as much info as I can on the girls coming in, but you're right in saying that it is not like the men's team...info is definitely difficult to get on these girls.
As for the Festival...there are 3 held each year. Players are selected through regional try-outs to attend one of the camps (14/15 yr old, 16/17 yr old, 18/19 yr old). From their performance in these camps, the best players are asked to tryout for the U-22 team and that team tends to eventually decide at least part of the Olympic team (usually a few players). So, considering that Aho is from a hocket hotbed like Michigan, and has been invited both as a goalie last year and a forward this year, I will venture to guess that we are in for a good season from her!

New question...who is your FAVORITE player of all time, and why?

[albanyguy96]

I live in the area, and used to play hockey myself. My cousin actually plays for one of your biggest rivals. Well I caught a few of your games last year, including a two game series down in White Plains. I thought your team looked good, and it doesnt seem like you lost a whole lot by only graduating three seniors. Hopefully your incoming freshmen can step up and really improve the team. I actually have heard of Katie Temple (i have my sources in Madison) and am sure she will bolster your team. My favorite player when I used to see your team a few years ago was Andrea Poley, though I definitely liked what I saw of Welte in the Union series. I dont know if I quite agree with all your Allstars, but I have only seen 6 games last year and even less in the previous seasons. I have found the Women's games a joy to watch, especially in a time when the men arent performing well. Keep up the great work ladies. I have one question, with a graduating class of three and an incoming class of ... 6? (i think.) Do you know if they are planning on keeping all the players on the roster?

[faceoff]

Wow, Looks like quite a few of you are excited about the RPI women's program by the looks of this thread. I'm curious, how have you done recently against the better teams in D3? Who do you see as your toughest opponents this coming season? Do you have a young team or a veteran team?

[rpi_fan03]

The last two years RPI has made it to the ECAC III-East tourney and lost to M'ville ('02 in semis, and '03 in finals) Even with the losses, RPI has fared better than most D3 teams again M'ville. If you follow D3 women's hockey at all, you know that M'ville is consistently one of the top 3 teams in the country, and RPI has been getting closer and closer with each game the last few seasons.
The team was young last season and will be again this season...but youth seems to be a good thing for them. This past season they set a single season record for wins (school) and were undefeated at home and also finished higher than they had ever before (2nd overall in regular season and playoffs). With only losing 3 seniors, and only having 4 players who will be seniors this season, the team looks very promising considering past succes with young teams. The Junior class of this year will be 8 players, the Soph class is 10 and the incoming freshmen is 6 (possibly a few other walk-ons?)
Also, Julie Valarelli has been named the goalie of the year the past two seasons, and soph Julie Welte was Rookie of the Year last season, as well as coach Bill Cahill being named coach of the year (all in league). And RPI was represented on the by two returning players named to the first team all star team, and three to the all-rookie team.
Looks to be a good season:D

Their toughest opponent will be M'ville as usual, who also has a young team (first recruiting class graduated just this past season), and USM should be strong, as well as RIT (the other two teams in the playoffs this season). As added incentive for RPI, they have beaten both RIT and USM (last season and others), and have yet to beat M'ville in the four years of their having a team...I'm predicting a showdown again this season;)

[faceoff]

Nice analysis RPI fan. Looking at the upcoming RPI schedule it looks like M'Ville and Williams will be the tough D3 opponents. They also play a couple of D1 schools like Vermont and Quinnipiac which will be a challenge. Both those schools will be stronger this year.

[rpi_fan03]

You are correct faceoff that both Williams and M'ville will be tough D3 teams on the schedule. And, classically, Coach Cahill likes to put D1 teams such as UVM and Quinnipiac on the shcedule in order to give the team both an idea what it takes to be a D1 team, and also to give them a shot at competing at that level. Obviously there is no reason to put a D3 team up against a powerhouse D1 team, because not many positives would come out of it. The team is always told to look at those games as competitions where they can best analyze their strengths and weaknesses and build off both. It is a lot easier to recognize both in that type of situation, and it makes it easier to prepare for games where those things are most important...the close ones.

Like I said...should be a good season:D


And, I'll add another question...game 1...Union vs. RPI...any bets?
Union is a D1 team this year, but RPI has been known to throw a few shiners their way recently.
My completely biased opinion... RPI-5, Union-1

[leeb]

I just can't see Union improving enough to beat RPI. Remember that RPI handled Union fairly easily 6-1 and 8-5 last year. All indications seem to say that RPI will be better this year. It'll take at least a few more years before Union starts attracting legitimate D-1 talent on a consistent basis. Given that it's the first game of the year, and Union possibly having lessened the gap in talent, I'll say RPI still wins 5-3.

[leeb]

Found some information on Hammond. Another scoring threat from the blueline is never a bad thing.

link (http://www.boston.com/sports/schools/news/allscholastic/g_hockey_02-03.htm)