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Re: RPI Hockey 2016 - 2017: Here we go again! I hope it's a fun ride.
Some observations from last night's game at Princeton.
I don't believe Dr. D and Jenny were there. When they have come to Princeton games in the past, they have been quite conspicuous, since they always dress in fur coats for Baker Rink. I looked all around for a couple in fur coats, but saw none.
I wanted to see goals, so in that regard, I got my wish. Power play problems? What power play problems? I'll take 4-for-5 with the man advantage any time I can get it.
Things looked pretty good after Polino scored late in the first period to increase the lead to 3-1. They looked a whole lot better after RPI held that lead for more than half the second period and then increased it to 4-1 on Hayhurst's second goal of the night.
Then one of the linesmen blew his whistle when nothing seemed to be happening. Neither referee had raised his arm, but eventually it became clear that the linesman had called RPI for having too many men on the ice - just an awful penalty to take when you have a three-goal lead. And soon thereafter, the lead was down to two.
After that goal, RPI got the puck into the Princeton end and was putting on some pressure, until a Princeton player got control of the puck and started out from behind his net - and got tripped up, 200 feet from the RPI goal - another absolutely awful penalty to take when you are trying to keep the other team from mounting a comeback. And exactly one minute after RPI's lead had been reduced from three to two, it was reduced to one.
All I could think of was Dr. D's often-repeated complaint - "We cannot stand prosperity."
Princeton's game program noted that going into the weekend, the Tigers had scored only six third-period goals this season while giving up 15. Looked like they might be as much subject to the "dreaded third period" blues as RPI has been.
I was hoping that might be the case again, but it wasn't. Princeton dominated the third period. I didn't think it was as bad as the official shot totals of 25 to 3 indicated, but it was certainly true that Princeton had the puck in RPI's zone a lot more than I would have liked to see it.
Even so, Liljegren finally succeeded on one of his wraparound attempts, and the lead was back up to two, and things were looking pretty good until a penalty was called with about 7 minutes to play. I thought that if RPI could kill off that penalty, leaving Princeton still two goals down with 5 minutes to play, it could be really big.
And technically, they did kill off the penalty. The RPI band, which was at the game, started counting down the final seconds as they ticked off the penalty clock. "Five - four - three - two - one -..."
But just as the penalty clock hit zero and Wilson stepped out of the penalty box, a Princeton player let go with a slapper from center point, and it found its way into the net. What was about to be a full-throated "YAAAY" from the band turned into an abortive "Ya."
Still leading by one goal, RPI took yet another penalty with about 4 minutes to play, but this one they truly did kill off. And they managed to keep the puck out of their end for most of the next minute. Finally, with 1:08 to play, Princeton forced a faceoff in the RPI end and pulled their goalie.
RPI just never got the puck out of their zone. They almost got to the puck a couple of times, but just could never quite get control.
With 44 seconds to play, a Princeton player took what looked to be a fairly harmless shot from way over near the left-wing boards, and it went in. I don't know whether it deflected off an RPI defender's stick, or whether Hackett was screened, or he just missed one that he should have had. But it tied the game, and at that point it looked like whatever remnants of confidence RPI's players had left in themselves vanished into the night. The overtime power play goal seemed almost anticlimactic, although the Princeton players sure got a kick out of it.
Those who remember the Li'l Abner comic strip may remember a character named Joe Btfsplk, the world's worst jinx, who walked around with a perpetual black cloud over his head. Right now, it feels like RPI has the Joe Btfsplk of college hockey teams.
Some observations from last night's game at Princeton.
I don't believe Dr. D and Jenny were there. When they have come to Princeton games in the past, they have been quite conspicuous, since they always dress in fur coats for Baker Rink. I looked all around for a couple in fur coats, but saw none.
I wanted to see goals, so in that regard, I got my wish. Power play problems? What power play problems? I'll take 4-for-5 with the man advantage any time I can get it.
Things looked pretty good after Polino scored late in the first period to increase the lead to 3-1. They looked a whole lot better after RPI held that lead for more than half the second period and then increased it to 4-1 on Hayhurst's second goal of the night.
Then one of the linesmen blew his whistle when nothing seemed to be happening. Neither referee had raised his arm, but eventually it became clear that the linesman had called RPI for having too many men on the ice - just an awful penalty to take when you have a three-goal lead. And soon thereafter, the lead was down to two.
After that goal, RPI got the puck into the Princeton end and was putting on some pressure, until a Princeton player got control of the puck and started out from behind his net - and got tripped up, 200 feet from the RPI goal - another absolutely awful penalty to take when you are trying to keep the other team from mounting a comeback. And exactly one minute after RPI's lead had been reduced from three to two, it was reduced to one.
All I could think of was Dr. D's often-repeated complaint - "We cannot stand prosperity."
Princeton's game program noted that going into the weekend, the Tigers had scored only six third-period goals this season while giving up 15. Looked like they might be as much subject to the "dreaded third period" blues as RPI has been.
I was hoping that might be the case again, but it wasn't. Princeton dominated the third period. I didn't think it was as bad as the official shot totals of 25 to 3 indicated, but it was certainly true that Princeton had the puck in RPI's zone a lot more than I would have liked to see it.
Even so, Liljegren finally succeeded on one of his wraparound attempts, and the lead was back up to two, and things were looking pretty good until a penalty was called with about 7 minutes to play. I thought that if RPI could kill off that penalty, leaving Princeton still two goals down with 5 minutes to play, it could be really big.
And technically, they did kill off the penalty. The RPI band, which was at the game, started counting down the final seconds as they ticked off the penalty clock. "Five - four - three - two - one -..."
But just as the penalty clock hit zero and Wilson stepped out of the penalty box, a Princeton player let go with a slapper from center point, and it found its way into the net. What was about to be a full-throated "YAAAY" from the band turned into an abortive "Ya."
Still leading by one goal, RPI took yet another penalty with about 4 minutes to play, but this one they truly did kill off. And they managed to keep the puck out of their end for most of the next minute. Finally, with 1:08 to play, Princeton forced a faceoff in the RPI end and pulled their goalie.
RPI just never got the puck out of their zone. They almost got to the puck a couple of times, but just could never quite get control.
With 44 seconds to play, a Princeton player took what looked to be a fairly harmless shot from way over near the left-wing boards, and it went in. I don't know whether it deflected off an RPI defender's stick, or whether Hackett was screened, or he just missed one that he should have had. But it tied the game, and at that point it looked like whatever remnants of confidence RPI's players had left in themselves vanished into the night. The overtime power play goal seemed almost anticlimactic, although the Princeton players sure got a kick out of it.
Those who remember the Li'l Abner comic strip may remember a character named Joe Btfsplk, the world's worst jinx, who walked around with a perpetual black cloud over his head. Right now, it feels like RPI has the Joe Btfsplk of college hockey teams.
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