RPI Hockey 2016 - 2017: Here we go again! I hope it's a fun ride.

[ServinisScores]

Re: RPI Hockey 2016 - 2017: Here we go again! I hope it's a fun ride.

David - my line of work has taught me that "things can always get worse"

Flag - Media days don't preclude sending out press releases, like this. There was no press conference to announce the news.

Ralph - Steve Kudebeh?

EHF - not sure about the standards, just another head-scratching data point in Appert's tenure. Feels like this happens every year the ship takes on a lot of water.

[TucsonMike]

Re: RPI Hockey 2016 - 2017: Here we go again! I hope it's a fun ride.

I missed this - what happened to Tommy Grant? Injury?

Losing Tommy Grant may be an even bigger loss than we think. One of things I had mentioned in the recruits thread, and is relevant to our team today, is that we have an abnormally large amount of left-handed players. In fact, this year we have exactly five right-handed shots. As much as my inner natural southpaw is thrilled at this notion, it seems like a great disadvantage, similar to one you'd see in small-high-school sports where virtually everyone's right-handed. Grant is of the "minority" dexterity on this team.

I don't know if anyone has been paying this close of attention on games where video's readily available, but how often are our opponents breaking out of or clearing the zone on their left side (our right)? Are they using our dexteric disadvantage against us in any other way? Are our players being "forced right"?

Obviously I don't know how much can be done about it now given the team is what we have, but in years we've really struggled, this has been one of the noticeable points.

[Ralph Baer]

Re: RPI Hockey 2016 - 2017: Here we go again! I hope it's a fun ride.

Ralph - Steve Kudebeh?.

I never heard of him until I saw his name on the list of RPI NHL draftees on Kurt Stutt's website.

[RHamilton]

Re: RPI Hockey 2016 - 2017: Here we go again! I hope it's a fun ride.

Wild speculation, the team visited the Albany YMCA on January 4th and recorded this video:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/xelnWaRkX9A

22 players are present (by my count -- feel free to watch more closely!)

Not seen:
#1 Cam Hackett
#4 Tommy Grant
#21 Brady Wiffen
#22 Bradley Bell
#30 Liam McBain

Looks like the team did another event at the Troy Early Childhood Education Center -- perhaps missing both events is a failure to uphold team standards.

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: RPI Hockey 2016 - 2017: Here we go again! I hope it's a fun ride.

Wild speculation, the team visited the Albany YMCA on January 4th and recorded this video:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/xelnWaRkX9A

22 players are present (by my count -- feel free to watch more closely!)

Not seen:
#1 Cam Hackett
#4 Tommy Grant
#21 Brady Wiffen
#22 Bradley Bell
#30 Liam McBain

Looks like the team did another event at the Troy Early Childhood Education Center -- perhaps missing both events is a failure to uphold team standards.

For the Troy ECEC, they stated (on the Youtube video the RPI Athletics put out IIRC) that there wasn't enough room, so it was only the captains and Liljegren. And if what you say is the case, we would have to forfeit tonight if upholding is based on being at that event because McBain is the backup goaltender should Hackett "no longer be with the team" (although I'm sure he'll be back in a couple weeks; Appert pulled this stunt with the captains a couple years ago when Bradley was acting captain).

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: RPI Hockey 2016 - 2017: Here we go again! I hope it's a fun ride.

I missed this - what happened to Tommy Grant? Injury?

It was mentioned, during a coach's interview on WRPI a few games ago, that he's out for the year due to injury. Also one of the players had some expected surgery over the break (can't remember which player).

[RPI fan 4 life]

I never heard of him until I saw his name on the list of RPI NHL draftees on Kurt Stutt's website.

He only played one game for RPI back in the 1981-82 season. Gave up 6 goals on 36 shots in a loss. Later he transferred to Minnesota and only played one game there as well.
I guess McBain will be the backup goalie for the near future. Things just are going from really bad to really worse.

FD, the player was Jake Wood. He's already back playing.

[DavidSec17]

It was mentioned, during a coach's interview on WRPI a few games ago, that he's out for the year due to injury. Also one of the players had some expected surgery over the break (can't remember which player).

Jake Wood. And he promptly took a penalty early last Saturday night in his first game back.

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: RPI Hockey 2016 - 2017: Here we go again! I hope it's a fun ride.

Flag - Media days don't preclude sending out press releases, like this. There was no press conference to announce the news.

It's true that it doesn't preclude it, but I see no reason why they would jump to put this sort of information out there, especially since it would give opposition time to prepare accordingly. I didn't hear about it during RPI Athletics' Youtube video, and from what I recall, Schott (who tweeted as such) was reassigned from college hockey (don't know if he's back on the beat again or not), so who knows where it came from.

[RPI fan 4 life]

Re: RPI Hockey 2016 - 2017: Here we go again! I hope it's a fun ride.

RPI announced Friday morning that goaltender Cam Hackett has been suspended indefinitely “for failing to uphold team standards.”

Hackett, a 6-foot-1, 210-pound sophomore, has played 12 games this season. He is 2-8-0 with a 3.89 goals-against average and .892 save percentage. RPI’s other goaltender, Chase Perry, has played 14 games, going 1-11-1 with a 3.96 GPA and .892 save percentage.

The Engineers, who play host to second-ranked Harvard on Friday night, are 3-19-1 overall and 1-10-0 in the ECAC.

Hackett will not take part in any team activities until the suspension has been lifted, the school said.

(This is from Pete Dougherty from the Times Union website.)

[lugnut92]

Re: RPI Hockey 2016 - 2017: Here we go again! I hope it's a fun ride.

I just hope it's something relatively benign like grades or drinking and not anything more serious. All of the academic stuff from last semester was just announced (see the tweet Ralph posted a couple days ago), so it wouldn't be crazy for it to be academic.

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: RPI Hockey 2016 - 2017: Here we go again! I hope it's a fun ride.

I just hope it's something relatively benign like grades or drinking and not anything more serious. All of the academic stuff from last semester was just announced (see the tweet Ralph posted a couple days ago), so it wouldn't be crazy for it to be academic.

If it were academic, I wouldn't think that to be benign. After all, wasn't there a player last year who wasn't able to play for a semester because of grades? (and I'm not referring to the partial qualifier) Not to mention, I've seen Appert recruit fellow students as tutors, as I remember the "announcing" of one particular instance to the band.

[Ralph Baer]

Re: RPI Hockey 2016 - 2017: Here we go again! I hope it's a fun ride.

RPI Suspends Cam Hackett Indefinitely https://t.co/zaPOoYUj7w

— SBN College Hockey (@SBNCollegePuck) January 13, 2017

[ServinisScores]

Re: RPI Hockey 2016 - 2017: Here we go again! I hope it's a fun ride.

Yes, today's news is reminding me of the days of Kudebeh and Saari, who were goalies either in-crisis, or expected to help resolve them....

[lugnut92]

Re: RPI Hockey 2016 - 2017: Here we go again! I hope it's a fun ride.

If it were academic, I wouldn't think that to be benign. After all, wasn't there a player last year who wasn't able to play for a semester because of grades? (and I'm not referring to the partial qualifier) Not to mention, I've seen Appert recruit fellow students as tutors, as I remember the "announcing" of one particular instance to the band.

I'm saying I hope it's not criminal.