G Cup Reviewed

Here I am, back fresh from Albany. What a weekend! RPI continues undefeated in G Cup play! And their PP and PK continue to be awful! They are tremendous in person with team speed and creativity. They are terrible in non 5-on-5 situations. Appert was yapping at the refs, Lange and Alford both played well, TH padded the stats but looked a little out of it from my vantage point. Good to see Ornelas play well without benefit of the CEO line. Uryadov creates lots of chances. Is it just me or does RPI have a great collection of international talent for a college program. I mean, St. Petersburg, Klagenfrut and Boca Raton. Craziness. I hope you enjoy the pics!

G Cup

First of all I would like to say hello to the few commentators that have visited this site recently. I have been out and about the last few weeks but will start posting here more regularly.

As for last week's games, RPI SHOULD have won those games and did. I think Appert is finally getting the horses he needs through his great recruiting skills to implement a plan of attack that should take RPI deep into the post season over the next few years.

In terms of the goalie situation as a few commentators pointed out, you can go back to previous posts but I have never been in favor of a rotation of goalies. I personally think you should stick with one and go with it. I have always been a supporter of Lange over Alford due to his rookie year but at this point I am willing to say JUST PICK ONE!

Below are USCHO's picks for the weekend. I will be up in Albany for the Cup and can't wait. I am also looking into getting Helfrich on my Puckman jersey but probably won't get it in time. I am not worried about the Union matchup but if they play SLU I think they may lose. It will be a good early season test for RPI with some solid conference rivals.


Rensselaer vs Union (nc, Governor's Cup)
Rensselaer played well at Minnesota and did away with Army and Sacred Heart last weekend. Union hasn't played an NCAA game in two weeks, and may be a bit rusty. 4-2 'Tute. Shrader: RPI

St. Lawrence vs Rensselaer (nc, Governor's Cup championship)
To reiterate, SLU = favorites. My job = predict probable victor. Favorite = probable winner. Saints, 3-2. Shrader: RPI

This Weekend's Contests

Summaries by Brian Sullivan by USCHO:

Rensselaer @ Army
The Engineers put on a good show at Minnesota, regardless of the results. This weekend, the effort should be rewarded on the scoreboard. 4-1 RPI.

Sacred Heart @ Rensselaer
The Engineers hit Houston once more, hosting Sacred Heart and looking for the four-point weekend. SHU is no pushover, and RPI will have its hands full ... but the win is still there for the taking, 5-3.

He's right, this should be a 4 point weekend. Hopefully, RPI can stay out of the box and my boy Tyler can keep adding to his point totals!

We Played The Big Boys

And lost 2 games. Many people believe the ECAC is light years behind the power conferences and while there is a kernel of truth to this, RPI had a good showing against Minnesota and should have won that game. The BC game, I think you can contribute to a let down after the first game.

What became clear from the game summaries on USCHO is that RPI took way too many penalties which directly lead to penalties. Minn scored 3 PP goals. With BC- 9 penalties in the third period????? Yeeesh.

I have every confidence in Appert, I don't think RPI is quite to the level of the big boys yet, I am much more interested to see how they fare in the ECAC conference this year.

HERE WE GO!

Sure it was against a team that by all rights should be in Division III but damn, a shutout to start the season? I will take it. Plus my "boy" Helfrich got TWO assists! Think TH is the real deal and will be rooting for him during his 4 years here.

Next up- a HUGE test for the Appert system now that he has his "horses". The IceBreaker Invitational. The Engineers play Minnesota, the 6th-ranked team in the nation, on Friday at 8:30pm and either #2 Boston College or #9 Michigan on Saturday at 5:30pm.

Let's Go Red!

Red & White Game This Sunday!

Press Release!

TROY, N.Y. - The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men’s hockey team will conduct its Annual Red/White Scrimmage this Saturday, October 6, beginning at 5pm at the Houston Field House. Following the scrimmage, which marks the collegiate debuts of the team’s nine newcomers, both the men and women’s teams will take part in the Annual Skate with the Engineers.

Both the scrimmage and the skate, which will begin at approximately 7pm, are free and open to the public. The skate-a-long will run until approximately 8:30pm. All those interested in participating are required to bring their own skates.

Players and coaches from both squads will be on hand to skate, “meet and greet” fans, sign autographs and pose for photos.

Rensselaer’s men’s team finished the 2006-07 season with an overall record of 10-18-8. The 2007-08 Engineers return 17 players from that team, including ten forwards, four defensemen and three goaltenders.

Rensselaer opens the 2007-08 campaign on Tuesday, October 9, against Bentley College at 7pm at the Houston Field House. The Engineers then travel to Minnesota to play in the IceBreaker Tournament at the Xcel Energy Center. RPI plays the University of Minnesota, the fifth-ranked team in the country, on Friday, October 12 (8:30pm) and either #2 Boston College or #10 Michigan on October 13 at 5:30pm.

We Are Rocking Recruiting!

Check it out RPI fans- INCH has ranked us 13th in the country! Go Red!

13.	Rensselaer
Top freshmen: D Bryan Brutlag, F Tyler Helfrich, F Chace Polacek

Go USA!

APPERT NAMED AN ASSISTANT WITH TEAM USA
Head men's hockey coach to work with National Under-18 squad

TROY, N.Y. - USA Hockey announced the roster and coaching staff for its 2007
U.S. Under-18 Select Team that will compete in the 2007 Under-18 Memorial of
Ivan Hlinka from August 14-18 in Piestany, Slovakia and Hodonin, Czech
Republic and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's head coach Seth
Appert has been chosen to serve as an assistant coach.

Appert, who will be an assistant to Roger Grillo with the U.S. team, is
entering his second season with the Engineers, having led RPI to a 10-18-8
record in 2006-07.  The 2007-08 Engineers return 17 players from that team,
including ten forwards, four defensemen and three goaltenders.  Nine
newcomers are expected in the fall. 

Prior to joining Rensselaer, Appert spent nine seasons as an assistant coach
at the University of Denver, where he was responsible for recruiting, on-ice
coaching, video breakdown, and game analysis work. He also played a big role
in the development of Denver's goaltenders.

A collegiate netminder at Ferris State University, Appert individually
coached one All-American, two All-Western Collegiate Hockey Association
(WCHA) honorees, two WCHA Playoff Most Valuable Players, and two Frozen Four
Most Outstanding Players at Denver. Three of his goaltenders were draft
picks of the National Hockey League, including one Hobey Baker Award
finalist. Two of those netminders have gone on to play in the NHL.

Appert helped Denver sign nationally ranked recruiting classes during his
nine-year tenure with the Pioneers. Among those he coached or recruited were
the 2006 Hobey Baker Award winner, eight All-Americans, a WCHA Player of the
Year, 22 All-WCHA picks, three WCHA Defensive Players of the Year, two WCHA
Student-Athletes of the Year, and 17 NHL draft picks at Denver. The Pioneers
averaged over 23 wins per year during his tenure as an assistant coach and
captured two NCAA National Championships, three WCHA playoff championships,
and two WCHA regular-season titles in his years of coaching at Denver.

A four-year letterwinner at Ferris State from 1992-96, Appert and his wife,
Jill, have two daughters, Addison and Campbell.

The Recruits Cometh

From the Troy Record- I take a look at this and can't help but get excited!

RPI recruits show promise

By: Ed Weaver, The Record

04/26/2007

TROY - Seth Appert's first recruiting class at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute shows promise - plenty of it. Throw in a early signees from the 2008-09 freshman class, and Appert and his staff are excited.
"We are very excited about this recruiting class," Appert said. "They bring a lot of differ¬ent elements in a nice blend of skill, speed and grit and com¬petitiveness. I think they'll improve us in every area."
The biggest three additions among the eight newcomers are right winger Tyler Helfrich, defenseman Bryan Brutlag and center Joel Malchuk, the final recruit of former coach Dan Fridgen.
Each was previously reported by The Record to be among the 2007-08 freshman class, as were left winger Ben Contini and right winger Scott Halpern.
The newest three additions to the program are solid defense-minded defenseman John F. Kennedy, who's expected to step right in and help the Engineers still painfully young defen¬sive corps, and right wingers Chase Polacek and Kevin Beauregard.
Polacek was a teammate of Brutlag at Academy of the Holy Angels High in Richfield, Minn.
Helfrich, who can also play center, had 18 goals and 32 assists in 42 games in the Alberta Junior Hockey League,
Brutlag was a First Team member of the Minnesota All-State team and Malchuk had 22 goals, 39 assists and a whopping 190 penalty minutes in 53 games in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.
Appert praised assistant coaches Shawn Kurulak and Jim Montgomery for "the out¬standing job they did in putting this class together. The three of us covered a lot of miles and they did a real good job, especially in their first year together."
Here's Appert's brief description of each recruit, with each's position, height, weight and hometown:
Joel Malchuk, C, 5-foot-10, 170, Brandon, Man. - "We feel like he's our recruit. Joel is a very strong two-way center who plays with passion and an edge. We need more of that around here."
Bryan Brutlag, D, 5-11, 180, Lakeville, Minn. - "Bryan is a very dynamic offensive threat from the blue line. His skill level and competi¬tiveness have made him one of the top defen¬sive recruits in the nation. We've found our power-play point man defenseman."
Tyler Helfrich, RW-C, 5-10, 190, Calgary, Alb. - "Tyler is a gifted offensive player with excellent hands and vision to make his teammates better. He is a proven point producer at every level at which he's played and we expect the same from him at RPI."
John F. Kennedy, D, 6-0, 195, Saginaw, Mich. - "John is a very competitive young man who is a real shut-down defenseman. He's a battler, a tough, tough kid and he's a leader."
Ben Contini, LW, 6-0, 175, Toronto - "Ben is an explosive offensive player. He will be one of our fastest and most talented players upon arrival to campus."
Chase Polacek, RW, 5-8, 165, Edina, Minn. - "Chase is a goal-scorer with great quickness and speed. He has been a high-level point-pro¬ducer for one of the best high school programs in the country."
Scott Halpern, RW, 5-10, 170 - "Scott has the speed and intensity to become an effective two-way forward for us. He has the ability to excel in any role he's put in."
Kevin Beauregard, RW, 6-4, 215, South Windsor, Conn. - "Kevin is a raw talent who has the size and mind to develop into a strong power forward."
Appert says the recruiting class isn't com¬plete.
"There will be at least one more," he said. "Another defenseman at least and if we can a (forward) ...
"You're never done recruiting," Appert added. "If you see a player in July or August who can help your program, you have to go get him."
The 2007-08 RPI roster will have seven sen¬iors on it Appert and his assistants have already gotten a big jump on next year's recruiting.
With high-scoring left winger Patrick Cullen and center Christian Morissette (no relation to captain Jake Morissette) and solid two-way defenseman Mike Bergin, the nucleus of that class is almost set.
"Again, we're excited," Appert said. "We've still got a ways to go, but we're on the way."

It's The Playoffs- Let's Get It On!!!!

Can't wait- here we go- ECACHL playoffs live and direct to your face!!!! Let's see if Appert can get the lads playing consistent and get the series from those terrible Gaters.

USCHO's Take:
No. 9 Rensselaer 6-11-5 (10-16-8) @ No. 8 Colgate 7-12-3 (13-19-4)
Head-to-head Split the league series 1-1-0, Rensselaer wins season series 2-1-0.Rensselaer on the road 3-5-3 (4-7-3 overall)Colgate at home 5-5-1 (7-6-1 overall)Special teams power play: RPI, 10th — 13.8% (15.4) Colgate, 11th — 13.5% (14) penalty kill: RPI, 12th — 78.1% (79.5) Colgate, 4th — 85.3% (84.6)Team offense RPI, 10th — 2.50 (2.53) Colgate, 12th — 2.41 (2.53)Team defense RPI, 12th — 3.82 (3.62) Colgate, 4th — 2.73 (2.56)Key matchup Colgate's first line versus RPI's defense.
The Engineers won the Governor's Cup back at the end of October with a 2-1 win over the Raiders. The 'Gate won their league home game over RPI 3-2 on December 2, but the 'Tute drew even on February 9 with a 3-2 overtime win at the Houston Field House. Despite Seth Appert's favored two-goalie approach at Rensselaer, the three games between these teams have all been Mathias Lange-Mark Dekanich showdowns.
Rensselaer started the Appert Era on the right foot, out of the gate with a 4-1-3 record including a win over Denver, the Governor's Cup, and a tie against Boston University. Since then, however, the team has gone 6-15-5, and has only put together back-to-back wins twice all season ... not the best sign entering a best-of-three series.
The Engineers are hardly rolling over, though; the team has fought for 12 points from its last 13 games, and has split its last seven road games with a 3-3-1 record. Lange has played in each of Rensselaer's last seven games, but was replaced in the season finale against Yale and came in to try to get the Engineers into the game in a loss to St. Lawrence on February 16.
Overall, this is a team that has a very good chance of winning the close games, but can get lit up when the defense is forced to push the envelope facing a deficit.
Colgate's story has been well-documented: the Raiders have not won a single game this season in which they've surrendered three or more goals. In 15 such contests, the team is 0-14-1. But look at the bright side: in the remaining games, the squad is 13-5-3, and 7-4-2 in ECACHL play.
The tormented team has fallen prey to the three-goal curse six times in 17 games since the conclusion of winter break, and sports a 6-9-2 record over that period. In what should come as no surprise, but still seems ironically fitting, the Raiders were 6-0-0 in that same time when scoring three-plus in a game.
Colgate has the horses to play the tight, low-scoring games — the Raiders have won four games and tied three others when maxing out at three goals' production — and they have scorers, too: three players averaging a point-per-game overall, and two more with a dozen goals apiece in league (Tyler Burton and Jesse Winchester). Mark Dekanich is still the reigning Dryden Award winner, last time I checked, and finished the season with the ECACHL's second-best save percentage, .923.
The Red Raiders have been a snakebitten team this season, in that the offense just hasn't connected with the frequency necessary to contend for a title. Dekanich, the defense, and the penalty kill have been stellar. But when your team's top scorers in league earn 28, 25, 19, 11, and eight points, you'd darn well better have a top-notch D-corps. When Colgate has lost, it's primarily been by losing the third period, and decisively so. The Raiders have been outscored 10-1 in the final frame of those last six three-goal-plus losses.
I think Colgate has an edge overall in this series, regardless of the results from their matchups earlier (which didn't demonstrate much in the first place). Colgate won't be tested much by an up-tempo but sniper-deficient Engineer offense, and the youth and inexperience on RPI's blue line — not to mention Colgate getting the last change — will probably give the Raiders enough opportunities to earn the ever-important third-period lead.

INCH's Take:

A tournament series between Rensselaer and Colgate isn't that big of a deal this season, considering that the ECACHL playoffs mark the third tournament this year that both teams have participated in. Each took part in the Governor's Cup in downtown Albany on Oct. 28-29 and the Rensselaer/Bank of America Holiday Tournament in Troy on Nov. 24-25.
Past ECACHL Notebooks ECACHL Season Preview Oct. 19 Notebook Oct. 26 Notebook Nov. 3 Notebook Nov. 10 Notebook Nov. 17 Notebook Dec. 1 Notebook Dec. 9 Notebook Mid-Season Report Jan. 11 Notebook Jan. 18 Notebook Jan. 26 Notebook Feb. 1 Notebook Feb. 8 Notebook Feb. 15 Notebook Feb. 22 Notebook
In-season tournaments defined the seasons for these two teams. While both finished the regular season with sub-.500 records overall and in the ECAC Hockey League, they had the chance to test themselves against many quality opponents in pressurized situations. Colgate played in four in-season tournaments and RPI competed in three.
Rensselaer faced Colgate in one of those games, the championship game of the Governor's Cup and won the inaugural event with a 2-1 victory. Dan Peace scored with 49 seconds left in regulation to give RPI the late lead that turned into a victory.
The Engineers celebrated the title on the ice at the then-Pepsi Arena (now Times Union Center) and got to experience a tournament title of any type for the first time since the 2001-02 season.
"It definitely helps you and it's part of the reason you appreciate playing in those tournaments. You get a sense of what it feels like to be in a situation where you need to win to advance, and to compete for a championship," RPI coach Seth Appert said.
The tournaments also fill a need for non-Ivy ECACHL teams, as was mentioned in an ECACHL Notebook earlier this season. Several teams need to find a significant number of non-league games, and making them as meaningful as possible can only help a team once the playoffs roll around.
"You can never mimic what playoff intensity is like and the sense of urgency that you need to have," Appert said. "But with 12 non-league games for the non-Ivy League teams there can be a mental letdown for the non-league games and you try to sprinkle in tournaments like those."
The Engineers were the last team to celebrate on ice in downtown Albany, and their quest for the opportunity to do that again begins this weekend.

No. 9 Renssselaer at No. 8 ColgateR: 10-16-8 (6-11-5 ECACHL)C: 13-19-4 (7-12-3 ECACHL)Season Series: RPI leads 2-1Engineer Fact: RPI has never lost a playoff series to Colgate, but two of those series wins came at Houston Field House.Raider Fact: Colgate's current four-game losing streak is its longest since the middle of the 2002-03 season.How RPI Wins: Get more shots to the net. They averaged just 22.3 shots on goal in the three regular-season games against Colgate.How Colgate Wins: Take advantage when down a man. The Raiders have a strong 84.6 percent penalty kill, and RPI has allowed the most short-handed goals against in the nation (12).

Captain Possibly Being Honored

Good news for Captain Kirk:

KIRK MacDONALD A FINALIST FOR LOWE'S SENIOR CLASS AWARD FOR MEN'S HOCKEYTROY, N.Y. - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) student-athlete KirkMacDonald has been named a finalist for the 2006-07 Men's Hockey Lowe'sSenior CLASS Award. A senior captain, he is one of ten finalists for theaward, which was initially developed in response to the trend of collegebasketball players leaving school early to turn professional. This is thefirst year the award has been extended to men's hockey.A forward from Victoria, B.C., MacDonald is Rensselaer's leading scorer with26 points, including a team-best 12 goals, in 31 games. Eight of his goalshave come on the power play - which ranks 17th in the nation - and one was agame-winning marker. He also has 20 penalties for 40 minutes. In hiscareer, MacDonald, the team's Most Valuable Player in 2004-05 and asecond-year captain, has 102 points (47 goals, 55 assists) in 135 games.MacDonald is a management major who has been on the Dean's List on multipleoccasions. He is also a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee(SAAC) and he will be inducted into Olympia, Rensselaer's student-athletehonor society. A cancer survivor, MacDonald is also very active in the community, havingserved in numerous charitable and volunteer activities during his career atRensselaer, including:. Helping organize a season-long campaign to raise funds for cancerresearch and awareness of the importance of being tested and educated abouttesticular cancer. At each home game during the 2005-06 season, two membersof the team volunteered to have their heads shaved if a minimum of $100 wasraised per player. Over $11,000 was donated to the Lance ArmstrongFoundation. The gift was one of the largest ever donated by a college ofRPI's size through a grass roots campaign; . Helping organize and obtaining prizes for raffles to help raisefunds for cancer research and to raise awareness; . Serving as a spokesman at RPI and at other local colleges for cancerawareness; . Serving as a member of the committee and Master of Ceremonies forthe inaugural American Cancer Society Relay for Life at Rensselaer, whichraised over $124,000; . Being named to the American Cancer Society Youth Council for NewYork and New Jersey; . Volunteering for the Troy Turkey Trot & as a youth hockey coach; . Helping organize a food drive to benefit Unity House of Troy byreplenishing the organization's shelves after Thanksgiving; . Currently working on the Second Annual American Cancer Society Relayfor Life at RPI.In addition to being named a finalist for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award,MacDonald is also a finalist for the Hockey Humanitarian Award as well asthe 2007 NCAA Skills Competition. He also won the 2007 Rensselaer AlumniAssociation Community Service Award.CLASS is an acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying inSchool. The award was launched during the 2001-02 season to honor theattributes of college senior athletes who remain committed to theiruniversity and pursue the many rewards that a senior season can bringVoting for the finalists - who were chosen based on personal qualities thatdefine a complete student-athlete (classroom, character, community, andcompetition) - will be done nationwide by fans, coaches, media, andsponsors. Fan balloting begins on March 10 at www.seniorclassaward.com.

Quiet Before The Storm

Here we go- another weekend in the ECACHL. The playoffs are coming- here is what rpi fans gave to look forward to.

Brown @ Rensselaer: RPI has indeed played quite well despite prima facie appearances, and with home ice only two points away, Brown may fall victim to home-ice energy. 3-2 Engineers.

Yale @ Rensselaer: Yale goes into the postseason on a mini-high, as Alec Richards saves the day in hostile territory. 3-2 Eli.

Rensselaer: The Engineers have surrendered 48 goals in their last 10 losses, all since the winter break. Their four wins in that time have each been by one goal. In those losses, the average difference has been a full 3.6 goals, with only one empty-net goal against. On the other hand, the 'Tute is 2-0-8 in overtime games; hard to hope for much better.

RPI looking beyond the Ls
Many teams would be content taking a point from the North Country this season.
Rensselaer and head coach Seth Appert were not.
"I'm disappointed," he said.
St. Lawrence won 6-3, exploding for three goals in the last seven minutes of the game following the Engineers' game-tying goal five minutes into the frame. Clarkson drew their contest even with four seconds remaining on the clock in the 3-3 tie.
"We don't have the ability to score a lot of goals," Appert assessed, "our strength has been winning the close games."
In discussing the significant margin of the team's recent losses, Appert pointed out that when losing close games, you have to take risks that will certainly make the team more vulnerable to counterattacks.
Plus, he said, "in the majority of our recent losses, we've out-chanced our opponents."
The state of his inherited team is one of a young and inexperienced defense, and a talented but productively limited offense. Hence, Appert adjusted his strategy to a quasi-possession game, maintaining the up-tempo style that he prefers despite the lack of intimidating scorers.
Oren Eizenman is doing his part though. Coming back off an injury, he had "probably his best weekend of the year" last week, said his coach.
The Engineers play two at the Houston Field House with postseason home-ice in sight.

0-1-1

Well not quite the trip envisioned by the RPI faithful but clearly this is a team on the cusp but not there yet. Hopefully SA will get the lads tuned up for a respectible showing in the ECAC's

North Country

Here comes RPI! Well, they could use a sweep this weekend and certainly the quality of opponents they face this weekend will make that a difficult task. But it will be interesting to see if Appert really has em revved up for the ECAC playoffs or if this is a quick swan song....

As always, from USCHO:

Rensselaer @ St. Lawrence: How can you not pick the Saints right now? Even I can't not pick them! 5-3 SLU.

Rensselaer @ Clarkson: Against my instinct, I'll stick with my early-season love for the new RPI: 4-2 Engineers.

Mixed Bag Again

Another win/loss weekend for the lads of Troy. RPI currently sits 9th in the ECAC and would face Princeton without home ice advantage if the playoffs were to commence today.

The good news is that RPI is only 2 points out of the 8th spot which could be made up this week guaranteeing RPI home ice advantage. Either way though, you have to wonder about Lange.

As anyone knows, I have been a big supporter of Lange based on his performance last year and felt his one game in one game out rotation Appert has been doing all season has been hurting his consistency. Yet, when he played back to back games he was great in the first and then yees- 6-1 loss in the second!

I am not ready to give up on Mathias but he needs to show me something in the last part of the season and the playoffs....

RPI Get Ready

Here we go- the weekend is here- grab a beer! And grab some RPI hockey. The predictions come from USCHO:

Colgate @ Rensselaer: RPI has been struggling for offense, and Colgate has taken the concept of defense to a whole new level (11 goals against in the last six games). Sorry Engineers, but this isn't your night. 4-2 Raiders.

Cornell @ Rensselaer: RPI has looked solid lately, and Cornell has struggled to put pucks in the net with any consistency. I think home ice could be the difference in a defensive struggle. 3-2 Rensselaer.

Also some good quotes from Appert:

"I don't think you can analyze hockey the same way as baseball or football," said Rensselaer head coach Seth Appert, who uses the same basic stats that can be found in most comprehensive game notes.
The Engineers, according to their coach, have 10 set objectives for which they strive every game. These include such straightforward goals as winning the third period, blocking more shots (by percentage) than their opponent, winning 55 percent of faceoffs, and winning the special-teams battle.
"I think when we hit six or seven of those, we're undefeated," said Appert.

Well 0-2 after this weekend although everyone who listened or saw the games said htey are playing much better. It still seems RPI is a few seasons away at this point.

I will let Kevin's email update all of you on the weekend that was and the weekend that will be:

The Engineers went 0-2-0 last week against Dartmouth and Harvard. Junior Jordan Alford (Red Deer, AB) posted 24 saves in Friday’s 5-2 loss against the Big Green and sophomore Mathias Lange (Klagenfurt, Austria) stopped 20 shots in a 3-1 loss to the Crimson. Rensselaer is now 8-13-7 overall with a 4-8-4 ECACHL mark and returns to action this weekend when it hosts Colgate (Friday) and Cornell (Saturday). Both games begin at 7pm and can be heard live on 91.5, WRPI and at www.wrpi.org. Live stats for both games will be available at http://livestats.internetconsult.com/rpi/mhockey/.

Friday night's game against Colgate is Ned Harkness Night when the former legendary coach of the Engineers will be added to the prestigious Ring of Honor at the Houston Field House. Saturday's game against Cornell is the 3rd Annual White Out, to which all fans are encouraged to wear white. During the first intermission of that game, senior forward Kirk MacDonald will be presented with his Hockey Humanitarian Award finalist trophy.

The hockey team will also raffle off signed NHL jerseys at both games this weekend, with all proceeds going to the American Cancer Society. In addition, the Engineers will donate their half of the 50-50 drawing.

RPI On The Move?

According to USCHO:
RPI on the move
The Engineers took four points on the road from Yale and Brown last weekend, and hit Dartmouth and Harvard this week to conclude a four-game road trip.
"Our attention to detail is becoming a lot better," said coach Seth Appert of his team's newfound confidence. "We had trouble earlier on with our physical intensity and our execution ... sometimes we'd be too intense [and make aggressive mistakes] and not execute."
Appert will stick with his rotation of Mathias Lange and Jordan Alford, content with the results so far.
"Jordan had two big road wins [at Union and Yale] ... and Lange had a tough win on the road against Brown."
Catalysts of the team's success have been senior defenseman Jake Luthi and redshirt senior Kirk MacDonald. Luthi leads the team in points (22) and assists (19), while MacDonald has been "everything we'd want in a player this year."
"His leadership and passion are infectious," said Appert of his captain.
As far as this weekend is concerned, "Harvard and Dartmouth put a whoopin' on us [at home]," said Appert. "They embarrassed us on our home ice ... and dominated both games."
While the coach wouldn't go so far as to call it a chance at redemption, the weekend's results will go a long way in indicating exactly what kind of team — and what kind of tenacity — Rensselaer really has this season.

I certainly think RPI has a long way to go this season to cash in the promise of the start of the season but let's seem em beat up on Big Green and the Crimson!

Here are the USCHO predicitions:

Rensselaer @ Dartmouth: RPI is streaky so far this year, but it's the ECACHL — everyone's streaky. I'm not going to bail on the Engineers as my surprise team of the season just yet. 4-2 RPI.

Rensselaer @ Harvard: RPI cools Harvard, if only temporarily. 3-2 Engineers.

Oates Frustrated

This from the TU:

Oates fond of RPI
Former Engineer most proud of his diploma

By PETE DOUGHERTY, Staff writer Click byline for more stories by writer. First published: Tuesday, January 30, 2007
TORONTO -- Adam Oates doesn't keep many artifacts from his hockey career around his Palm Springs, Calif., home. One item he does have hanging, though, is his RPI diploma.
Oates, 44, played three seasons at the Troy school before moving on to a potential Hall of Fame pro career, which ended in 2004 with 1,420 points -- 15th on the NHL's all-time list.
"It took me four summers," said Oates, who received a degree in management. "It was very important to me. It's still one of the only things I have up on the wall of my house."
Oates was named honorary captain for this year's American Hockey League All-Star Classic, played here Monday night. His passion now is golf, but Oates, a native of Weston, Ontario, who helped RPI to the 1985 NCAA hockey championship, gets briefed on his alma mater by Dino Macaluso, a former player and his financial advisor.
"RPI is very frustrating to me," said Oates, who would like to see more of an emphasis -- especially financial -- placed on hockey. "I owe them a lot because it was an important time in my life, but I also thought I have given a lot back to the school in terms of recognition.
"You have a fantastic school that I know is an academic school, and no matter what happens, it will be an academic school. Harvard can win 10 titles in a row in every sport and it's going to be Harvard. RPI is going to be no different."
Expansion anticipated AHL president/CEO Dave Andrews said he anticipates a 29-team AHL next season, up two.
The Colorado Avalanche, which currently supply half of the Albany River Rats' roster, announced earlier this month that they will house their players in Cleveland, where a group of investors bought the dormant Utah franchise. The team will be called the Lake Erie Monsters.
The Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to move their affiliation from Norfolk to Rockford, if the Illinois city can acquire a franchise. A dormant franchise in Cincinnati is targeted. The Edmonton Oilers or Florida Panthers are possible tenants for Norfolk.
Roster retooling possible
The AHL's agreement with its players association expires Sept. 1. Andrews said the subjects of expanded game rosters (currently 17 skaters and two goalies are permitted to dress) and schedule reduction may be discussed.

A Corner Turned?

Well, needless to say I have been very pesmistic on this blog over the past few weeks as I feel RPI has not cashed in on its early season promise and slide to the back of the pack of the ECAC.

This weekend showed the grit of the lads against their Ivy League breathern with wins of 2-1 and 4-3 over Yale and Brown. Here are the game recaps via USCHO:

Yale: http://www.uscho.com/recaps/20062007/m/01/26/rpi-yu.php
Brown: http://www.uscho.com/recaps/20062007/m/01/27/rpi-bn.php

Orneals had 2 goals and an assist and its fair to say RPI needs him healthy along with Captain Kirk in order to make any run at all.

It seems that Appert is content on rotating the goalies. One has to think he will choose one eventually and I am all in favor of Mathias. We will see what happens- go Rippeee!

Game Time

Ok- time for another weekend. If we can't take some points off these Ivy League chumps I don't know what's what. As always, here are USCHO's predictions for the weekend:

Rensselaer @ Yale: Yale's been going in the wrong direction, while RPI might be onto something again. 4-2 Engineers.

Rensselaer @ Brown: RPI resurgence is at hand. Brown can't outscore the 'Tute in this one, 5-3 for a happy weekend in Troy.

And even more on RPI from the ECACHL's blogger:

As coach Seth Appert sees it, the Engineers have hit the floor, and are already back into a climb.
"We've made good strides the last few weeks," he said. "We hit bottom that Harvard/Dartmouth weekend [January 5-6], but we've made good strides since about halfway through the Dartmouth game."
Appert cited a serial killer as the source of the team's frustrations: consistency.
"We lacked consistency in our mental and physical efforts," he said. "The combination has been elusive at times."
But the first-year boss reassured that the killer wouldn't inflict more than a wound on his team.
"There is frustration, of course. The players want to win, the coaches want to win. But it's how you deal with that frustration ... the players chose not to break up or splinter, but stay together." Morale, he said, is solid.
With four road games in a row up ahead, the travel time may be just what the 'Tute needs. Yale and Brown this weekend will serve as hearty appetizers, while the Engineers might hope to seek a measure of redemption — at least from within themselves — with the Harvard-Dartmouth trip next weekend.
"Sometimes it's good to get on the road," Appert said, "away from the distractions. It will be some good time to spend together [as a team]."
Rensselaer is still running with Mathias Lange and Jordan Alfond alternating between the pipes. Neither is putting up All-American numbers, but Appert is content with their efforts.
"Our young defense [three freshmen, one sophomore] is sometimes leaving them in tough situations. For the most part, [the goalies] have been pretty consistent."
Senior defenseman Jake Luthi's three goals and 19 assists leads the team in points, while four different players' seven goals lead the team in that category.
"Our depth is a strength," said Appert. "We don't have, right now, that many guys that we know night to night will put points on the board. We have to score by committee, win by committee."
And with any luck, rise by committee.

0-1-1

Nice, get blown out in the first game and then let a lead evaporate during the freakin Feakout and settle for a tie!

Clarkson still sucks!

I am not sure what to say at this point. Maybe the team can get a late season surge going here and do something in the ECAC playoff but probably not.

On the positive front, it sounds like the recruits are coming in for RPI but no ones out of the CHL. I think Appert has start to shaking those bushes to really up the talent level.

500 Hockey Here We Come!

Sorry for not posting after the Union split last weekend but upon reading the stories and box scores it dawned on me that this is the season RPI will ahve the rest of the way 500 hockey and probably bounced in the first round. No I am not being pessimistic, I think Appert is a good coach and once he gets his players in here, this team will be a force in the ECAC.

Its just right now there are too many injuries, too many young players and too new a system to get this together for this season.

It still doesn't mean I won't be cheering for Ripeee! Here is USCHO's take on the weekend:

Clarkson @ Rensselaer: RPI dodged a major bullet in splitting with Union last weekend. Clarkson is the warm-up act to the Big Red Freakout ... will this be a big turnaround weekend or not for the 'Tute? Clarkson says no. 5-1 Knights.

St. Lawrence @ Rensselaer: If RPI loses the Freakout, I'll ... be seriously disappointed ...? Gotta pick the Engineers in front of the crazies. 4-2 RPI.

The Weekend Is Here, Time To Drink Some Beer

I have no confidence in RPI at the moment so I am going to drink a few beers and hope for the best- here, of course, is USCHO's take on the weekend:

Union @ Rensselaer: Rivalry weekend! If RPI can't win this game, their season might be — for all intents and purposes — done for. There is no way the Engineers will come out at less than 100%. Should be a heck of a fight... here's to underdog optimism, 4-2 'Tute.

Rensselaer @ Union: Heaven help me, I'm taking the home team again. Mrazek et al. split the weekend, 3-1.

Got Smoked

Wow- that is all I can say. I mean, did the team even show up to play? The Harvard loss was bad enough but then to get housed 6-2 by the Big Freaking Green? Disappointed and stunned am I.

I thought that this weekend, when the ECAC schedule would really start heating up for RPI and would show what they could do and this is the result, I am very pessimistic for the rest of the season.

I am not sure what the fix is. Obviously Captian Kirk is pulling is weight but what is going on in goal and on D? Very discouraging results, anyone care to cheer me up?

Weekend Is Here

Ok- its Friday- time for RPI to gear up for ECAC play. We will see if they can turn around this ship or not. Of course, the weekend predictions come from USCHO.com:

Harvard @ Rensselaer: One win in your last ten games is not good. (Lookin' at you, RPI.) At least the Engineers got five points during that stretch, or the situation could really be dire. I'm not one to dismiss my convictions before the final gun, so I'm thinking that Appert will have his charges refocused for the second half against an up-and-down Crimson side. 3-2 'Tute.

Dartmouth @ Rensselaer: Dartmouth: hungry to win, Rensselaer: not looking too convincing entering the break. I'll pick the road upset in this one as the Visitors get a much-needed midseason insurance point. 2-1 Green.

We Are Not Elite

I use "we" in the royal sense of course but man did RPI NOT show up this weekend in Vt. It was a good litmus test playing against one of the top teams in the country and then against a ECAC foe and RPI did not show up in either game. I think Lange is the answer in goal but I don't think this is RPI's year. Hopefully Appert will get the recuits in here to play well in his system.

Of course, its not all RPI's fault. There are 2 major cogs still injured and the team only recently got back Capitain Kirk. Still, I am not holding my breath as RPI really gets into the meat of their ECAC season this weekend.

RPI Wins!

Yeaa!!! Way to go Mathias!!!! I think he should be the starter. He was great last year and did right by RPI on SAturday. Now a long layoff until the next game. The USCHO recap is below:

RPI Downs Mass.-Lowell
Compiled by USCHO Staff
TROY, N.Y. — Paul Kerins and Matt Angers-Goulet both had a goal and an assist to lead Rensselaer to a 2-1 win over Mass.-Lowell at the Houston Field House.
The Engineers broke out on top at 4:43 of the first period when Kerins deflected a low Reed Kipp shot past Lowell goaltender Vinny Monaco. Kipp, who took a slapshot from between the circles at the blueline, collected a pass from the left point from Angers-Goulet, who earned the secondary assist.
Angers-Goulet doubled RPI’s lead when he scored on a wristshot from the left faceoff circle on a two-on-one at 10:12 of the first frame. Kerins, who scored his fifth goal of the season earlier in the period, made the head-man pass to Angers-Goulet, who also tallied his fifth goal. Kipp, a defenseman, earned his second assist of the game on the play.
The River Hawks pulled to within one goal when sophomore forward Nick Monroe scored on a backhander under the cross bar from the bottom of the right faceoff circle at 9:49 of the third period. Mark Roebothan earned the primary assist and Cleve Kinley the secondary. For Monroe, the goal was his first of the season.
Mathias Lange earned the win in goal by making 22 saves, including 10 in the third period. Monaco finished with 23 saves.
Rensselaer (5-5-6), which snapped a seven-game winless streak (0-4-3), is next in action on December 29 against the University of Vermont in the Sheraton/TD Banknorth Catamount Cup at 7pm. Mass.-Lowell (3-10-4), which is now winless in nine games (0-8-1), plays Brown on December 29 in the Wells Fargo Denver Cup beginning at 6:30pm.

UMASS Next

Ok- its go time for RPIee. Let's see if they can bounce back from this 2 week slide and take it to UMass Lowell. The key is that if they get a lead HOLD ON TO IT! And stop taking penalties.

Go Red!!

RPI Is In Trouble

Ok tie to Qpac and lose to Princeton? WTF???? RPI seems to be regressing from just a few weeks ago. After reading the summaries of the games I think the same things that have been plaguing RPI all season continue on. Where for art though Appert? Was this team just playing above its head for the first month of the season and this is what we should expect going forward or is the team better than this?

Thoughts?

RPI Looks To Right The Ship

Ok, its go time now. RPI has to start getting wins and has to stop letting teams back into games.

This is their chance this weekend and USCHO has all the previews. Here they are for your reading enjoyment:

Rensselaer @ Quinnipiac: QU hasn't lost at home this season. The Bobcats have never lost a league game at the venerable NIP, soon to be abandoned for a sparkly new pad. No such thing as an easy win, a sure win, or even a probable win in the ECACHL, but I'm taking the 'Cats to NIP the visitors, 5-3.

Rensselaer @ Princeton: Will both teams be up, down, or will one team have a momentum edge? The way I've picked so far, it'll be the Tigers with that edge, and I'll award them with my home-win pick. 2-1.

RPI Hockey Where For Art Thou?

Geez guys- statement weekend in the ECAC and it turned out as very telling for RPI. First, what seems to be like the definitive trend of the season RPI had Cornell on the ropes, they come from behind and tie.

http://www.uscho.com/recaps/20062007/m/12/01/rpi-cor.php

Then on Saturday they let the Gate back in the game after a 2 goal deficit.

http://www.uscho.com/recaps/20062007/m/12/02/rpi-col.php

Too many penalites- too many leads blown.

Obviously Appert has them playing well at the beginning at the game but what about the middle and the end? There are too many people with experience on this team to let this happen!

This Weekend Is Big

I feel the Red and White lads have hit a bit of a wall over there in Troy NY. They went from 16th in the country to barely getting any votes in the recent INCH/USCHO polls.

I am not saying these are MUST wins but I think the program has a chance for success THIS year with the talent they have and who doesn't want to see RPI do well?

First up is Cornell and here is USCHO's predicitions:

Rensselaer @ Cornell: Cornell's in good shape, and at home, I think the Big Red can overcome some haphazard play in their own zone. I'll take Cornell, in another close one. (They're all close ones.) 3-2.

And then after is Colgate- here is USCHO's take:

Rensselaer @ Colgate: Erm... tie? Low-scoring game, in any event, as the two-headed monster tending the 'Tute's net faces off against the defending ECACHL goalie of the year. I'll take the road team, if only on precedent. RPI, 2-1.

I am not sure how much I agree with Appert's description of the offense but certainly that defense needs shoring up:

Offense gelling for Appert
While the results have lacked consistency for the Engineers, the play and productivity on offense has been a steep incline as far as coach Seth Appert is concerned.
Despite two losses and a tie in the last three games, the first-year leader at RPI says, "Actually, we're probably playing better offensively. We're starting to grasp how we want to play."
A bright spot has been the play of sophomore Andrei Uryadov.
"He's playing extremely well. He has as high as skill set as anyone on the team-maybe higher. He's got great hands ... and creativity, and a really great shot.
"I mean, he can really really zip it," emphasized Appert.
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound native of St. Petersburg, Russia, earned a spot on the first line with seniors Oren Eizenman and Kirk MacDonald.
Appert also likes what he sees between some of his players.
"We're starting to develop combinations, five-on-five and on the power play, that are playing well," he said.
One such duo is Jake Morissette and Seth Klerer, who have combined for 18 total points on the season. Another is Matt Angers-Goulet and Paul Kerins.
"[They have] really provided some quality offense, even when it doesn't show up on the scoresheet," praised Appert.

Appert Chat Wrap

Sorry for not blogging recently but the RPI losses and tie (after being up!!!) have me a little bummed. to lighten my spirits, I decided to put the Coach's chat wrap from CSTV on here (with a question from yours truly). Enjoy!


CSTV.com Moderator: Hello, and welcome to the second of today's "Tuesday @ the Rink" chats, presented by CSTV.com and USCHO. We're joined now by RPI head coach Seth Appert.
Seth Appert: Thank you for having me on, and I appreciate all of our fans at RPI and college hockey fans for writing in.
Fred (VT): Coming into the season I was excited, but still expected a traditional "rebuilding season". The strong start made me believe that this team really could make waves in the ECACHL. I want to know what is your higher priority, winning or teaching the skills and systems that will define this team for years to com? Thanks!
Seth Appert: Great question. We believe we can do both. Winning is important, but more important is the process of learning how to win and developing the consistency with our habits and skills to be successful this season and for years to come.
Scottie J: Being 9 games into the Campagin what parts of the Game plan does the Engineers need to continue to develop As the Schedule progress toward League play?
Seth Appert: We are pleased with our offensive development to this point in the season, but we still need to become a better transition team. We want to play an up tempo style and to be effective within that style we need to improve our defensive gaps and backchecking habits to quickly convert them into offensive opportunities.
AJ (Troy, NY): Seth, You've had quite a bit of time in the area now, so what do you think of the Capital District and the RPI faithful?
Seth Appert: I am really enjoying my time in this area. It is a beautiful area of the country and we appreciate the warm reception we have received from the RPI community and the Capital District.
Pete NYC: Seth: The team is off to a great start and the fanbase is more than enthused. Can you speak about the atmosphere of the Field House vs. what you had at Denver.
Seth Appert: The atmosphere in the Field House is one of the best I have seen in all of college hockey. Denver has an outstanding new facility and a very good fan base but our crowd can really energize our team with their intensity and noise.
Ed (Troy, NY): Last week's first home loss against Sacred Heart was a bit disappointing. How do you feel our prospects are coming into the tournament this coming weekend? How is the team's confidence holding up just coming out of the loss?
Seth Appert: The loss was a disappointment. Sacred Heart is a very good team and we played 53 minutes of very good hockey but we need to continue to develop our understanding of how quickly games can turn if we lose our intensity or focus. This weekend will provide a very difficult challenge. Niagara is the top team in its conference right now and has a good shot at being an NCAA tournament team this year. They have a very good PP and one of the top offensive lines in the country.
Jonathan from Toronto: Hey Coach Appert Firstly, I want to commend you on a great job so far this season. I am a big juniour hockey fan from Toronto, and have watched both Seth Klerer and Oren Eizenman. What have you thought of their play together, and what would you like to see out of both of them as the season progresses?
Seth Appert: Thank you. Seth and Oren have both played well to this point in the season. They are not on the same line currently but do play on the PP together. We expected this type of play out of Oren but Seth has been a very pleasant surprise to this point in the season. They are both intelligent offensive players who make their teammates better. We expect them to continue to be some of the best players on our team and in our league.
Aaron (Troy): In the past, RPI seemed to play to the level of its competition. The ECAC has definetly evened out this year, so there are no free wins, how are you preparing the players to go out and play hard and win the games you know you should win?
Seth Appert: I don't know if there are any games we know we should win. College hockey is very competitive with our league being a good example of that. We prepare our players not based upon winning but based on preparation and daily habits to give ourselves the best opportunity to have success night in and out.
Troy, NY: Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions Coach Appert. It is my understanding that it was your decision to ban the Puckman mascot from RPI hockey games. If this is true, please explain your reasoning behind this decision. Also, if you are not the individual who made this decision, who made the decision and why was it made?
Seth Appert: Puckman is not banned from our games and I did not make any decisions on that topic. Puckman's costume was damaged at the end of last year and a new one is on order but has been delayed. Puckman will probably not be used as prominently on the ice or jerseys but we will still wear the shoulder patch and the Puckman Mascot will be back very soon.
Ed (Troy, NY): There has been quite a debate on campus about whether or not the Red Army (student club) is helping or hurting RPI hockey by standing during games. Do you have any thoughts on this issue?
Seth Appert: First off, we appreciate the support and enthusiasm of the Red Army and all of our fans. The Red Army has been very helpful, not only at games, but also at helping promote our games across our campus. I do believe that they either have reached or are trying to reach some type of compromise on the standing at the games. We enjoy the support of our great fans and hope that you can all find some middle ground to continue to cheer your team on while not arguing with each other.
Walter (Troy,NY): Great start,forget the record were in every game.I recently read were you are going to do a lot of recruiting from the U-18 development team and USHL league,will we see those players filtering in next year('07-"08) or is that class still from the old regime.Keep up the great work!!!!!
Seth Appert: Thank you. Our staff, and especially assistant coaches Shawn Kurulak and Jim Montgomery are hard at work assembling a first rate recruiting class. We are looking in the USHL, U-18 as well as many other junior and prep school leagues throughout the US and Canada to find the best student athletes to fit our program at RPI. We think that our fans will be excited about the type of product that we put on the ice at the Houston Field House.
Garrison, St. Louis: Coach Appert, you have a knack for recruiting talented kids who are under the radar and getting them to their potential. When recruiting, do you consider personality types as much as you do talent, and how much do you try and envision how a recruit might fit in with some existing line or player (that may be missing something)?
Seth Appert: We do consider and look hard at personality types when recruiting. We want talented student athletes but also the right type of young men that will fit in our family atmosphere at RPI. The better we know them the easier it is to coach them and motivate them once on campus. We will envision how a player will fit in with our team style and philosophy of how we play. We do not look as much into how they may fit with players that are already in our program.
Edmond J., from Bloomington, Indiana: Coach I wanted to know what you look for when recruiting a goalie? Glenn Fisher couldn't have been a blue chip, could he? And yet look at him now.
Seth Appert: When I was at Denver, we were able to make some good early calls on Berkhoel, Fisher and Mannino. Steve Miller, the recruiting coordinator at Denver, had a lot to do with that. When looking at goalies the first thing that grabs my attention is athletic ability. You need to be athletic within the position you play. The second thing is presence in net. I want our goalie to be a calming influence on his team through his confidence and his play. The last thing is competitiveness. You need to be a very strong internal competitor to be a great goalie. I am very happy to see how well Glenn Fisher is playing right now at Denver.
Frank (NJ): I'm sure you're asked about it a lot, but you've got two great goalies on the team. What is your plan, keep the rotation, ride the hot netminder, solid #1? Go Red!
Seth Appert: We will constantly evaluate our goaltending position like we do with all of our positions on the team. We are not set on the rotation but it has worked pretty well to this point. We believe that Jordan and Mathias are two of the top goalies in the ECAC if not the country and we feel good with either going out and winning games.
Tom (Schenectady): Kirk McDonald appears to be back at full strength after his battle with cancer. Is Kirk satisfied with his on ice performance at this point of the season?
Seth Appert: It is a great story and we are thrilled to have Kirk healthy and back where he belongs, on the ice at the Field House. Kirk is the type of young man that isn't easily satisfied with his performance. He is demanding of himself and works hard at his game. He has played well but I think you can see in the last few games that his mind is clicking closer to the way he wants it to. We all need to remember that he had not played a game in 1 1/2 years. That is a long time mentally as well as physically.
Craig (Albany): Seth - Would getting RPI into the NCAAs go above and beyond your expectations for your first year? Because we're excited that it might happen!
Seth Appert: We are not really concerning ourselves with expectations or where we may be in March. We are trying to focus on the details of our game and the daily habits needed to give ourselves an opportunity for success. All we are concerning ourselves with right now is getting a little better each day and preparing to play Niagara on Friday night.
Seth Appert: We are not really concerning ourselves with expectations or where we may be in March. We are trying to focus on the details of our game and the daily habits needed to give ourselves an opportunity for success. All we are concerning ourselves with right now is getting a little better each day and preparing to play Niagara on Friday night.
Seth Appert: We are not really concerning ourselves with expectations or where we may be in March. We are trying to focus on the details of our game and the daily habits needed to give ourselves an opportunity for success. All we are concerning ourselves with right now is getting a little better each day and preparing to play Niagara on Friday night.
CSTV.com Moderator: That is all the time we have with Coach Appert this afternoon.
Seth Appert: Thank you to all the college hockey fans for the great questions and remember to bring non-perishable items again this weekend as we continue our effort to help the Unity House of Troy.
CSTV.com Moderator: That'll do it for this week's "Tuesday @ the Rink" chats. Be sure to check back for info on next week, when we'll have Colorado College coach Scott Owens and a second guest to be announced. Also, for you RPI fans who won't be at the Rensselaer/Bank of America Holiday Tournament this weekend, keep an eye on the Rink Rat blog at http://slog.cstv.com/rinkrat, as I'll be blogging live from Friday's games. Have a good one!

RPI Hockey Back In Action

Ok- here we go- another weekend of RPI hockey. Who isn't excited that they are building up a great program and are nationally ranked????

Just be careful not to have a letdown with those SH boys!

USCHO's predictions:

Sacred Heart @ RensselaerMe: Sacred Heart is not to be taken lightly, but RPI has done an excellent job of taking care of business when the inbox is full. So to speak. 4-2 Engineers. Quarter: Huh. Sacred Heart. Silly coin.

I got my question answered in the mailbag so enjoy!

From Pete Flanigan: I have to wonder why Appert is not going with Lange full time. The goaltender racked up the awards and kept RPI in games last season and now he has more experience. From what I saw of Alford in Albany, he did not impress. Do you think Appert is making a mistake?
Granted, this email is a week or two outdated, but it was certainly a concern among many Rensselaer fans earlier this year.
At the get-go, Appert stated that, given his limited firsthand knowledge of the qualities of his individual players, every spot was up for grabs, including — and especially — in the blue semi-arc. Alford has played surprisingly well, with wins at Denver, home against Princeton and Merrimack, and a tie with Union. Lange took the hard-luck loss at DU, the season-opening tie with Boston University, and took a win from Colgate and a tie from Quinnipiac.
RPI has only played eight games so far, and only two in league. It's still awfully premature to pick a number-one goalie from the information so far, and I for one give Appert a lot of credit for ignoring convention and giving Alford his well-earned shot.

Who's Ready For RPI Hockey???

The weekend is here. RPI gears up for an important contest.

But first- an important update about Puckman!

Never fear; Puckman's still here!
There have been rumblings out of Troy lately about the noticeable absence of Puckman, the loveably simple mascot of the Engineers' hockey program.
The long-time object of affection by the general college hockey community, and not just RPI fans, has become dissociated from the program a bit of late. He... it?... doesn't appear on the front of the team's sweaters anymore, relegated instead to a role as shoulder-patch, nor does Puckman any longer adorn Houston Field House's center ice.
Is this the death of Puckman? Inquiring minds want to know.
Sports Information Director Kevin Beattie had the answers.
While phasing out the delightfully anthropomorphic character in certain areas, like the jerseys, the :flesh-and-blood" (maybe foam rubber and felt?) mascot is still alive and well, according to Beattie.
"We'll still use it as a mascot, just not as a logo," he said. "Puckman's not going away, we're just using him less prominently."
Beattie referenced a hockey promotion in which Puckman figurines were handed out to those in attendance.
"I still see those things, in car and dorm windows, all over campus," he said. "I love it."
Many in the ECACHL community will recall past RPI mascots The Swarm, which immediately preceded Puckman, and the Redhawk, an unpopular early '90s alternative, who now represents the rest of Rensselaer athletics.
If the hardhat-wearing, hockey-glove wearing, stick-wielding disc can survive even internal competition for his job, I think it's safe to say that Puckman will be around for a long time to come.

And now for USCHO's predictions for the upcoming games:

Merrimack @ RensselaerRPI may not have made any statements last weekend, but it did take three points at home. The Engineers are still on a streak, in my eyes. Merrimack is not — and has never been — an ominous streak-killer. (Though the unexpected ones are always the best.) The Trojan icers can't overlook the Warriors, or my prediction is shot ... 4-1 Engineers.

Thoughts and Rankings

Well, first off congrats to RPI hockey for moving up in both the INCH and USCHO polls. This is the first time RPI has been ranked in forever. This will only help Appert recruit (as if he needed help) and finally brings back a measure of respectibility to the program that has been sorely lacking.

I have one of those replica championship banners in my apartment and I am itching for a third year to be placed on it. I don't think it will happen this year. I do think in 2 years (once Appert's recruits come in and the rest of Fridgen's players know his system) RPI will be able to compete for the big prize.

The reason they aren't going to do it this year is this perchance to blow leads. They are 3-1-3 and last number really gets to me. Some people have indicated that they should take more shots and I agree but I think they should stay out of the penalty box. Being on the PK for what seems to be 1/2 the game gives the other team a real chance to get back into it.

Either way RPI is rolling for the first time in a long time- GO RIPEEEE

Enter The Blackout

Tonight is the great new tradition game the Blackout! Someone bid on a jersey for me :)!

Here are USCHO's predictions for Ripee this weekend. I fully expect them to win both games. My analysis on Monday!

Princeton @ RensselaerHey, who am I to ditch a streaking team that I've already endorsed as a big-time threat? 4-2 Engineers in front of the disturbingly-fascinating Red Army & Co.

Quinnipiac @ RensselaerIt's not that I'm predicting Q'pac to lose, so much as I'm tapping into Appert-mania in foreseeing another RPI home win. It'll be a doozy, especially if my previous prognostications prove correct. 3-2 'Tute.

Here is USCHO's take on the goaltender situation. Personally I think the edge HAS to go to Lange. the guy was absolutely the backbone of that team last year and now he has more experience. I WAS NOT impressed by Alford in Albany but I am not the coach so what do I know?
Coaches' favorite problem
There will probably be a few goaltending tandems in the league while the season is young, at Princeton, St. Lawrence, Union or Harvard. But the matchup in the Rensselaer crease might just have the legs to go all year. Jordan Alford and Mathias Lange have split time so far this season, and coach Seth Appert is in no hurry to pick one over the other.
"They're both very good goalies in their own rights," said the boss, who also said he is unsure about who will start this weekend's games.
Lange tied top-five Boston University in the season opener at Houston Field House, was in net for a 5-1 loss at Denver, and held Colgate to one goal against on 21 shots in the Governor's Cup championship game.
Alford beat Denver with a remarkable 38-save performance and defeated Union in a 3-3 (4-3?) shootout victory in the Gov's Cup opener.

Thoughts From Albany

Well I finally watched RPI in action at the Knick (sorry I refuse to call it the Pepsi or the TU or whatever it is called nowadays). Here are my thoughts:

SO MANY PENALITIES: Wow, are the refs calling it like the NHL game or what? The problem is that many of the penalities were ticky tack and not really hooks and interference penalities. This was not just in the RPI games either, it was evident in the Dartmouth/Vermont game which I caught on TV last night.

SPEED KILLS: My favorite NHL team is the Sabres and they kill teams with their speed. RPI might not have a lot f set plays for breaking out of the zone or setting up in the opponent's zone but man can they fly. I understand now why they could hang with teams like Denver and BU, they have some serious speed coming down the wings.

CAPITAIN KIRK: They can't get him off the puck. He look like Jaomir Jagr out there with the puck on his stick. Clearly the most important cog in the RPI machinery.

PP- WHERE ARE YOU?: I know the season is young, RPI has a new coach and new palyers but that PP looked terrible. The passing as bad and everyone was bunching up where the puck was. Yeesh- someone needs to work on the tape to tape passing skills.

2-1-2 overall- not bad- its too abd the NCAA doesn't recognize the shootout but still that Union game was a classic. The USCHO guy picked RPI as the darkhorse team to win the ECAC this year and I have to say, after seeing the team in person, they have a real shot. Best of luck in the coming weeks!

Big Doings Out West

Well- for a team picked close to last in the weak ECAC, RPI has certainly been turning heads so far. After earning a tie with national power BU, they spilt a weekend series with DU winning 2-1 and losing 5-1.

I think its safe to say that Kirk is really leading this team on and off the ice.

But I have to ask, what is with all of the penalities? Is it that RPI is getting outplayed and is resulting in clutching and grabbing? Also, RPI is a young team but sooner or later they have to learn how to close out a game. They lead in the BU game and kept it close for 2 periods in the second DU game but then let up several goals in the third period.

Overall, I have to say I am very impressed by RPI's 1-1-1 start. If they play this well against nationally ranked competition, they will fare very well in the ECAC's.

I will be at the Governor's Cup this weekend and hope to see all of you Red and White supporters out!

Here is a recap of the 2-1 game. http://www.uscho.com/recaps/20062007/m/10/20/rpi-du.php

Here is a recap of the 5-1 loss. http://www.uscho.com/recaps/20062007/m/10/21/rpi-du.php

RPI Gets a Tie, Yea?

Sorry for not posting earlier but I was traveling all of last week. Well RPI tied with BU (story follows below). I think the thing to take away from it that Appert already ahs these kids playing at a higher level than last year but they are savy enough right now to put away a game they should have.

Glad to see McDonald have a great game. Hopefully, the Rippees will take away from this game how to win now that they are putting themselves in the position TO win.

Go RPI!


TROY, N.Y. — In his introductory press conference in April, new Rensselaer coach Seth Appert promised that the Engineers would play an up-tempo style.
Appert delivered on that promise Saturday against third-ranked Boston University in the season opener for both teams. The Engineers skated hard, were creative offensively and had some excellent scoring chances.
The unfortunate part for RPI is that it didn't translate into a victory. The Terriers rallied from a 3-1 first-period deficit to earn a 4-4 tie before a frenzied sellout crowd of 5,152 at Houston Field House.
"We played how we wanted to play," said Appert, who replaced Dan Fridgen. "We were aggressive, we were up-tempo, we attacked, defensemen were active in the play, we took calculated risks and we made some mistakes, but that happens. I thought, in terms of how we want to be a team [and] how we want to be about, I thought we did a great job and, more importantly, a belief that they have in each other, especially after being scored on right away."
The Terriers took the lead 55 seconds into the game when Brandon Yip beat goalie Mathias Lange. But Tyler Eaves got that one back for RPI 20 seconds later.
Just over a minute after that, Jake Morissette picked up the puck after it went off the skate of Kirk MacDonald, who was making his return after battling testicular cancer last year, and fired it past goalie John Curry. MacDonald got another assist when Jake Luthi scored a power-play goal late in the period.
"It was the longest pregame I ever had today," MacDonald said. "I've been up since the break of dawn, just sitting around thinking about. It's good to get it over with. It was a lot of fun. It was a great atmosphere."
It wasn't so good for BU coach Jack Parker, who saw his team outshot, 15-4, in the first period, and get called for six penalties for 23 minutes, including a major and game misconduct to defenseman Brian Strait for hitting from behind.
"We were embarrassed with what they did to us in the first period," Parker said. "We were outshot, ... and kept the puck in our end. They were all over us."
Chris Higgins started the comeback, scoring a power-play goal with 7:28 left in the second period. Steve Smolinsky tied it 4:38 into the third.
The Engineers regained the advantage on Oren Eizenman's power-play goal with 7:32 remaining in the period. But Higgins tied it 1:18 later.
RPI almost won it late in the third on some nice passing between Eaves, Jonathan Ornelas and Kevin Broad on a three-on-two rush. Ornelas, who had three assists in the game, sent a pass from the right side of the net to Eaves on the left. Only Curry's pad prevented Eaves from scoring his second goal of the game.
"I thought that was great," Appert said. "The creativity, the confidence and the willingness to try to make a great play, not just the safe play and take the outside lane shot, we were extremely pleased with that."

Moy's Season Prediction

Have to say I agree with a lot of his assesments. Great win over York and Kirk apparently looked great. Let's see how red does against BU this weekend.

The Rensselaer Engineers will go into the new season with a new coach and a new attitude. Dan Fridgen's contract was not renewed after last season and new bench boss Seth Appert hopes to bring his style to a team that has not advanced very far in the last few years.
What is there for the Engineers? What has Appert seen?
"We believe we will be very competitive with every team on our schedule," said Appert. "With our solid mix of speed and size we expect to play an up-tempo but physical style."
The up-tempo style is one that Engineer fans have become used to seeing, so many welcome the words coming from Appert. The Engineers have some tools to do just that as Oren Eizenman (16-22-38) returns along with Jonathan Ornelas (13-9-22).
But the biggest boost may be the return of Kirk MacDonald.
After the end of the 2004-05 season, MacDonald learned he had testicular cancer and spent last season getting back in form while fighting it. Now that he has won that battle, he's back for his senior season and ready to lead the Engineers as the team's captain.
"There is no finer example of a class act that Kirk," said Appert. "He's worked real hard to get to this point and he's ready to go. There is no doubt that he is ready, and ready to lead this team."
MacDonald brings 16 goals and 20 assists from two seasons ago back to his team, which can only benefit as the Engineers try to put together an offensive attack.
Kevin Broad missed the last 14 games last season due to injuries and will be welcomed back into the fold as well.
After his battle with cancer, captain Kirk MacDonald returns to bolster RPI's attack (photo: Dave Harmon Photography).
"Kevin is also highly regarded," Appert said. "His passion and commitment to this program and his teammates are evident in everything he does. He always conducts himself in a manner that puts the team first."
Andrew Lord, Kurt Colling, Matt Angers-Goulet and Jake Morrissette will also be asked to up their totals from last season. Jordan Cyr and Paul Kerins will be asked to contribute almost immediately as well.
In the nets, the Engineers return a pair of players who could each be a starting goaltender. Last season, Mathias Lange wrestled the job from Jordan Alford, but both are goaltenders who have stood the test in game competition and will both be a strong foundation.
And they'll need to be, as the Engineers are a little thin on defense. Reed Kipp, Ryan Swanson and Jake Luthi are the only Engineers returning on the blueline, leaving youth and inexperience in at least three spots.
Erik Burgdoerfer, Christian Jensen, Jason Fortino, Peter Merth and Garrett Vassel (who also plays forward) will compete with the other three to get into the lineup.
The Engineers have a lot of work to do, so their progress will likely depend on how fast the defense comes together. The youngsters will get their first big test early, as the Engineers open with Boston University, Denver, Union and either Colgate or Quinnipiac in the nonconference portion of their slate, before the ECACHL games begin.

RPI Gets Dissed

Here is the article from the TU. Now, as we progress through the season, I will be providing my comments and insights into the stories regarding RPI and not just reposting them here. In terms of this story, a first blush, it does seem that RPI got no respect in the preseason poll yet I think that RPI hasn't earned any recently. Currently, they are a team that barely gets home ice advantage in the first round of the ECAC playoffs and then is usually bounced out. Except for Mathias and Kirk, the potent CEO line is gone and who knows if there will be sufficient speed on the defense. That being said, I think that this coach Appert will get the lads eating lightning and crapping thunder. The goaltending has been the best since Neil Little and I think some of the new recruits can really pan out. We will see....


Polls don't faze coaches
Union, RPI picked to be near bottom of ECACHL

By MATT GRAVES, Special to the Times Union First published: Tuesday, September 26, 2006
ALBANY -- RPI's new hockey coach wasn't surprised to encounter skepticism about his first season from the media and his fellow coaches in the ECAC Hockey League. Union coach Nate Leaman already has learned how to spin that kind of assessment.
"In my three years, we've been ranked low, and we've finished higher than the polls predicted," Leaman said Monday after his Dutchmen were picked eighth of 12 teams in both polls, released at the league's annual media day. "Obviously we use that as motivation. With the young group that we have, it's also good not to put too much pressure on them."
RPI coach Seth Appert, one of league's two new coaches -- Yale's Keith Allain is the other -- saw his team picked ninth despite a fifth-place finish in the regular season last season and 17 returning lettermen.
"Realistically, it doesn't mean anything to us," said Appert, who replaced Dan Fridgen -- RPI's all-time leader in wins -- after last season's first-round playoff defeat. "The first day we met we talked about some of the things they had dreamt about over the summer. I let the seniors speak, but after that we closed off any talk about where we want to be in March or April."
Colgate, which tied Dartmouth for last year's regular-season title (both 14-6-2), was the choice in both polls to repeat the feat this season. The Raiders had the most points in the coaches' preseason poll, but Clarkson had more first-place votes (5-3). Harvard, the 2006 playoff champion, was picked second.
Colgate made it to the ECAC Final Four each of the past two seasons but hasn't won the postseason tournament since 1990.
"We're certainly pleased," Colgate coach Don Vaughan said of the poll support. "It's been a while. We like our team, but it's ECAC hockey. You can't take anything for granted in this league."
Colgate placed goaltender Mark Dekanich and forward Tyler Burton on both of the preseason All-ECACHL teams. Defensemen Reid Cashman (Quinnipiac) and forwards David Jones (Dartmouth) and Nick Dodge (Clarkson) also were consensus picks.
Neither Union nor RPI was represented on the preseason all-league teams. But the Engineers have goaltender Mathias Lange back after being selected to last year's All-Rookie team.
Union returns 16 lettermen from a team that finished tied for sixth. But the Dutchmen lost goaltender Kris Mayotte, now with the Albany River Rats.
RPI also gets back 2004-05 leading scorer Kirk MacDonald, who sat out last year while recovering from testicular cancer. Appert said MacDonald should be "near 100 percent" by the time the season unofficially begins a week from Saturday with an exhibition against York at Houston Field House.
In the meantime, Appert has been busy getting acquainted with his players.
Appert said his most pressing challenge is "just trying to get them to believe and buy into all the things we want them to do. We're trying to create that culture and atmosphere, to start building trust among our staff and the players, among the players for each other.
"That is probably the biggest challenge, and right now our players are passing that challenge with flying colors."
Allain, a former Yale goaltender with NHL and Olympic coaching experience, replaces his college coach, Tim Taylor. Appert, a graduate of Ferris State and former assistant at Denver, will be the league's youngest coach at 32.
Matt Graves, a local freelance writer, is a frequent contributor to the Times Union.

Brad Tapper

A highly recommend anyone who is an RPI hockey fan to read this article. It is really quite powerful.

http://www.delcotimes.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17227206&BRD=1675&PAG=461&dept_id=18170&rfi=6

RPI On ESPN.COM

Well- RPI is getting some national recognition- check out this great article

MacDonald battles back from cancer to lead RPI
By Ken SchottSpecial to ESPN.com

TROY, N.Y. -- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute senior forward Kirk MacDonald surveyed the media members who had come out to see him work out with some teammates on the Houston Field House ice surface late in the afternoon of Aug. 28.
Kirk MacDonald starred on the ice for RPI.
He had to think there were more important stories to cover in the Capital District of New York state than his 15-minute workout with junior forwards Tyler Eaves and Jake Morissette, and freshman forward Paul Kerins led by assistant coach Shawn Kurulak. After all, the horse racing season at Saratoga dominates the media coverage during the six weeks the track is open, and it was the final week of the season.
Then again, MacDonald also realized one significant thing -- being able to talk to the media beat being where he was one year ago. "It's a big jump from where I was last year to today," the 22-year-old MacDonald said. "[Assistant] coach [Jim] Montgomery asked me about the surgery I had, and I looked at my watch and it was one year ago today. It's kind of a coincidence. It's been a long haul, that's for sure."
Last year at this time, MacDonald was lying in a hospital bed in Vancouver, British Columbia. Just a few months earlier, the Victoria, B.C., native stunned college hockey fans when he announced that he had been diagnosed with testicular cancer. He began experiencing pain in his back in January of the 2004-05 season. He thought treatment would solve the problem.
MacDonald continued to play through the pain. He scored RPI's most important goal of the season during the team's annual Big Red Freakout game Feb. 12, which was televised nationally. With 8.3 seconds left in regulation, MacDonald fired a shot from the right-wing circle past Brown goalie Adam D'Alba, giving the Engineers a 3-2 victory and sending the sellout crowd into a frenzy.
However, the pain persisted. By the time RPI played Brown in the first round of the ECACHL tournament in March, MacDonald could barely bend to tie his skates.
"By the end of the season, I couldn't even sleep at night the pain was so bad," said MacDonald, who led the team in scoring that year with 16 goals and 20 assists for 36 points, all career highs. "Honestly, I don't know how I played the last weekend against Brown."
On April 12, six days after announcing his diagnosis, MacDonald had surgery at Albany Medical Center Hospital to remove the infected testicle. MacDonald underwent four rounds of chemotherapy, the first of which made him very sick, but the last three were a little better. However, he was warned that there would probably be a mass left over in his abdomen.
The chemotherapy didn't get rid of that. So on Aug. 2, MacDonald underwent nine hours of surgery in Vancouver to remove the mass.
Complications followed that surgery. He got an infection in his incision. A month after the surgery, his incision ripped open, forcing another surgery to repair it. He then had a bowel obstruction in his small intestine, and had surgery Sept. 24 to repair that.
All told, MacDonald had four surgeries. He didn't leave the hospital until Oct. 6.
"My body didn't exactly respond to the surgery," MacDonald said.
MacDonald, who weighed 210 pounds prior to surgery, lost 73 pounds.
"Pretty much what could have gone wrong from the surgery went wrong. Before I went in for that surgery, the doctor said, 'Look, it's going to be a real tough surgery. These things could go wrong. If the surgery is successful, and everything comes out as hoped, you should be back playing hockey by Christmas time.' That was the plan.
"One day, something's going wrong. I can't eat, I'm throwing up, I get an infection, I get a fever. You name it, it happened."
A month after leaving the hospital, MacDonald returned to RPI the same weekend the school was honoring former Engineers great Joe Juneau. At first, MacDonald was reluctant to go.
RPI Sports Information
Kirk MacDonald is working hard to return to his team.
It proved to be great medicine for MacDonald.
"I was a little nervous," MacDonald said. "My parents kind of pushed me to go. They said, 'You have to get out of here.' I thought maybe I wasn't ready to go back. It's definitely the best thing I ever did. If I stayed at home, I would have stuck myself on the sofa all day and never got better. I would have been further behind than I am now. That really got me going."
Before RPI's Nov. 11 game against Quinnipiac, Juneau was scheduled to drop the ceremonial first puck. Juneau asked MacDonald to join him. The fans at Houston Field House gave MacDonald a rousing ovation.
MacDonald's teammates did their part to help those afflicted with cancer. After every home game, a couple of players had their heads shaved. The hair went to help make wigs for cancer patients. Donations raised $10,000 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation.
MacDonald, who has 76 career points on 35 goals and 41 assists, worked out on his own during the second half of the season. He admits it was frustrating not being able to practice with the team, and he was all smiles during his first skills and development workout with teammates in August.
"He's such a big part of this team and program," Morissette said. "He brings so much. It's real exciting to see him out there again."
MacDonald will be playing under a new coaching staff, led by head coach Seth Appert. The former Denver University assistant coach replaced Dan Fridgen in April. Although Appert has been on the job for only five months, he knows the kind of player he has in MacDonald.
"Regardless of whether we're just joining the staff, or have been with him the whole time through, it's a special story," Appert said. "It should be told, and you can understand why it's being told. To not only overcome what he's had to overcome, but to do it with the amount of dignity and class that he has, and to come back raring and excited to go shows a lot about his character and his makeup."
Now MacDonald is counting down the days until the season opener on Oct. 14, when the Engineers host Boston University (RPI plays an exhibition game the week before against York University, a Canadian college). It will be an emotional night for the fans and players, but especially for the cancer-free MacDonald.
"I'm really excited to get back here, and be back and just get it going," he said. "It's been a long ways to get back to this point."
Ken Schott covers college hockey for The Daily Gazette in Schenectady, N.Y.

RPI Has New Assistant

From The Troy Record-

TROY - As was first reported in The Record on June 17, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute men's head hockey coach Seth Appert has added Army assistant coach Shawn Kurulak to round out his first head-coaching staff.Rensselaer Director of Athletics Ken Ralph made Kurulak's appointment official with an announcement Tuesday morning.Kurulak, a former all-star defenseman, played under Appert, a longtime University of Denver assistant, at the perennial WCHA power."There is a lot of history and tradition at RPI and I look forward to being part of something special in Troy," Kurulak said. "Seth is a great coach and I am very excited and honored that he asked me to be part of the staff."Appert says he's equally excited. "We are very excited to have Shawn on our team," Appert said. "He is a proven winner who consistently makes teams better. His intensity and competitiveness will be tremendous assets in the locker room, on the ice and as he is directing our recruiting efforts."Kurulak (pronounced KER-lack) comes to Rensselaer after spending the past two seasons as an assistant at West Point, working with recruiting, player development - especially with defensemen - and coordinating video instruction. He was an integral reason head coach Brian Riley was named the Atlantic Hockey Coach of the Year in 2005-06. The Rensselaer roster will have at least four freshmen defensemen next season. Only three blueliners return from the team that finished 14-17-6.Former National Hockey Leaguer and American Hockey League star Jim Montgomery, a volunteer assistant at the University of Notre Dame, was named Appert's first assistant last month. Kurulak led Fargo-Moorhead of the North American Hockey League to a 33-21 record and a second-place finish in the West Division in 2003-04, the team's first season in the Junior 'A' hockey league. As the head coach, he was chiefly responsible for establishing the team's infrastructure for team operations and recruiting and developing players. The Calgary native also served for two seasons as an assistant at Bemidji State University, where he was the team's recruiting coordinator. He also developed and implemented game strategies as well as assisted with video analysis and strength and conditioning. Kurulak also spent one season as a volunteer assistant at his alma mater, when Appert was still an assistant. Kurulak also served an internship with the Colorado Avalanche as their assistant video coach. A four-year letter winner for the U. of Denver Pioneers, Kurulak wore the alternate captain's 'A' for three seasons. In 131 career games, he had 41 points (7 goals, 34 assists) and 268 penalty minutes. He also represented the WCHA on an all-star team that traveled to Switzerland for an international tournament in 1998.Kurulak graduated from Denver in 1999 with a BSBA in Finance/Marketing.