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Friday, January 21, 2011

Back In The Saddle

Ok, shaking off the last 2 weekends. Got to dust yourself off. RPI is still 15th in Without A Peer's pairwise rankings. They still are very much in control of home ice advantage and if they can actually get it in gear, they might have a first round bye.

That being said, they HAVE to get 4 points this weekend. RPI is at home, which has been kinder to them than the road this year and they are back on the Ivy beat with Harvard and the Big Green of Dartmouth. Harvard over the last few years has been very strong and Dartmouth very weak. This year, roles are reversed with the Big D being up near the top of the ECAC and Harvard near the bottom.

Regardless of rank, RPI needs wins over both. What I am hoping for is that RPI gets momentum and really beats up against Harvard and then uses that to carry over into a tight game against D which RPI eventually wins. So, despite my nature of predicting a split, I am going for RPI with the sweep!


Of course, here are USCHO's picks:

Harvard at Rensselaer — 7:00

Harvard hereby becomes the fourth team, if I’m not mistaken (Brown, Clarkson, Colgate, now Harvard), for whom I’ve had to invoke The Brown Rule. 3–1 RPI.


Dartmouth at Rensselaer — 4:00

I have a real hard time believing that Dartmouth would lose both games this weekend... but I have an equally difficult time seeing either of the Capital District teams losing at home (combined 17–1–1; 5–1–0 ECAC). Betting on the hosts here, 4–2 RPI.

BD: Dartmouth has a winning record in league play. RPI did beat Dartmouth this year but it was only Dartmouth’s 3rd game of the year. Big Green are going to Troy and leaving with a split on the weekend. Dartmouth beats up the Engineers 5–1 (sorry RPI: no disrespect; prove me wrong)

2 comments:

Catchcan Man said...

Heya -- figure you're probably listening / watching the game now against Harvard, so I thought you might be able to answer this.

During the 2nd intermission interview with Harvard coach Ted Donato the WRPI guy mentioned something about the RPI Holiday tourney being canceled, and the Beanpot becoming the longest-running college hockey tourney.

I just tried googling any news about it, but I didn't see anything. Have you heard anything about this? As a Troy native who loves the Engineers and only gets to see them a couple times each season (Thanksgiving being one of those times), I really hope they didn't cancel it.

If you (or anyone else who reads your blog) knows anything about this, please let me know.

Thanks, and LET'S GO RED!!!

Pete said...

Yea, the canceling of the Holiday tourney was "announced" when they released next season's schedule.

I am really sad about it as I have been going to it for decades and have waxed poetically about the travel mugs they used to sell during the Tourney. Truly a travesty for RPI hockey and its history.