The Weekend That Was

Well RPI certainly tried to make my prediction of a 1-0-1 weekend come true by getting squeezed out of game one 1-0 and then shellacking the Mavericks 4-1 in the Saturday contest.

What did we learn this weekend?

• We learned that RPI can lose despite outshooting their opponent by 17 shots and then win by only outshooting them by 6 the next night.
•  We learned that between Merriam and Diebold, there really isn't a frontrunner for the goalie position. You would think Bryce would get the gig just from putting in his dues under York but I still can't figure out how SA handles his goalies 4+ years in and I am not sure how this season will shape up in net.
• The freshmen played big. Haggerty had 2 assists, Schroeder had 1 and Diebold stopped 18 of 19 shots. SA can  recruit, no doubt.
• 1-1 ain't going to cut it in non-conference play. RPI needs to win as many NC games as possible before starting ECAC play in December. This helps with their national rankings for slotting purposes and also gives them a good streak going into ECAC play. Minn was a weak opponent and so is Ferris State coming up. RPI should be 3-0-1 after those 4 games but now I am hoping they don't fall into the .500 trap this team seems to get into season after season and really comes out and takes 2 from Ferris. This is just college and these kids are truly kids but I think RPI is finally coming into its own as a program after many down years and if so, they need to take the bull by the horns and win the games they are supposed to.

Overall, I can't say I am surprised at the split weekend but the way the lads played on Saturday gives you a lot of confidence going into the season. Lots of O from the underclassmen and good goaltending. It makes you optimistic for the future and I think the future looks very Cherry and White indeed.