Cornell - RPI Postgame thread

How come I am starting the postgame thread at 2:08AM when I didn't even listen to the game?

I reread the contemporaneous game thread and this is what stood out for me:

[Q]billhoward Wrote: Six minutes left. Cornell giving RPI the chances that ruin the shutout in the third period. Sheesh. But we are still winning the game. That's a small consolation.[/q]

[Q]Trotsky Wrote: Cornell shut RPI down to just 4 shots in the third. Solid. Can I say for the thousandth time that Mike Schafer is my personal savior?[/q]

Only one of these two people appear to have perspective.

What exactly do you propose the team do, Bill? Shoot the opposition as they come onto the ice to start the third period? The team gave up no power plays and four third period shots. Maybe you have seen a hockey team that doesn't allow the opposition to cross the red line but I never have. Your comments are making me think that you are a BizzaroChief.

Cornell clinches the ttiebreaker against Harvard with the win. (Whelan beat me to this - he already has this indicated in his ECAC Nutshell page.) So 3 points clinches the RS title.

I resent the implication that I have any perspective.

ugarte, I read Bill's "small consolation" comment as wry humor, directed at the explosion of expectations you are concerned about. He can defend himself, but this is a far cry from RPI fans on the USCHO thread giving up and/or ripping their team following the *first* Cornell goal.

Perspective is a common commodity around eLynah, once we ignore the whole "obsessed with kids with knives strapped to their feet" thing.

To be fair, I do feel that Cornell did slow down their game considerably in the third period. Personally, I don't like the idea of "Once you have a decent lead, sit on it". I'd much rather the team be working toward netting more goals. Perhaps they were trying that and the offense just wasn't clicking in the third. In any case, the defense remained solid all throughout the game. Some of RPI's best chances to score came in the third, but obviously it didn't work in the end.

To be fair, I got the fact that Colgate has clinched at worst 4th place in an email from someone who should know.

Anyway, our magic numbers are now 3 vs Hahvahd and 2 vs Colgate. I wonder if SHagwell is bringing the Pisspot to Lynah tonight in case the Crimson stumble and we win.

Joke, right? Or do they actually do a little ceremony for the Cleary? I can just see SHagwell in the press box trying to figure out the 5th tiebreaker after the game to be sure the team clinched it...

[Q]Trotsky Wrote:ugarte, I read Bill's "small consolation" comment as wry humor, directed at the explosion of expectations you are concerned about. He can defend himself, but this is a far cry from RPI fans on the USCHO thread giving up and/or ripping their team following the *first* Cornell goal.

Perspective is a common commodity around eLynah, once we ignore the whole "obsessed with kids with knives strapped to their feet" thing. [/q]As has been said before, that's the problem with written communication. We cannot see the facial expression of the person speaking, and all too often do not express ourselves fully. After all, if we could and did, then we might all be authors.

My suggestion is to more fully use the appropriate smileys, and on the other end, we should all be careful when we criticize, as we may later make the same mistake ourselves.

Am I excessive in saying that McNeely should have been tossed for his hit on Moulson? To me it looked like he was obviously trying to injure him. Which, initially, it appeared he succeeded in doing. Props to Hynes for standing up for his teammate, but Murphy proved to live up to his reputation and disappointed me by not tossing McNeely. It wasn't the first cheap shot RPI threw last night and it wasn't the last but it was the most blatant and excessive.
Obviously I am biased, but last year when we struggled in a few games I could tell when we were throwing cheap shots at the other team - and was disappointed in our team for it. Last night McNeely embodied the RPI team with his hit on Moulson. In the end it was a lot of frustration, but cheap shots like the one on Moulson, and at the end of the game Pereira's hit on Scott, left a very sour impression of RPI in my mind.

They did have a ceremony the first year it was awarded. But IIRC it was the night after we clinched.

I agree that Murphy was less than stellar (understatement) - I thought it was borderline - looked like RPI was instigating trying to get emotion going, something RPI desperately needed - At a minimum it should have been a double minor for the hit (Murphy already had his arm, up for that ] and then Hynes can flying in and got roughed up for his troubles and all Murphy did is call minors 2 mins each way should have been a cross-check (or boarding) + a roughing for RPI with a 2 min charging on Hynes. and a Cornell PP.

Overall we looked pretty darn good - Martin made at least 3 spectacular saves or it would have been worse! kUDO'S TO THE TEAM ESPECIALLY THE SENIORS WHO ALL PLAYED WELL! Downs and Cook were superb! Crhis Abbott and Topher Scott both played very hard and very well. Pegs, and Carefoot hustled and showed real energy and creativity - Krantz looked very solid and Glover made a couple of excellent plays - \
Hynes stood out all night and Ray S. did as well. McKee was solid as usual (maybe we Lynah fans are too used to his solid steady play - ) - his good positioning sometimes makes a tough save look easier than it might have been.

Really enjoyed watching last nights game!

I did not read the entire game thread but it seems as though something is very missing from the postgame reports at Ithaca Journal, USCHO, and this board...Just before Cornell scored its second goal (which btw was one the prettiest goals I have seen...ever, no matter which level of hockey), a Cornell player in our end of the ice boarded a RPI player head first into the boards near the corner in Section O. I am not sure which players were involved. I was in Section B so I had a great view of it (and so did Murphy). The RPI coach was really pissed off but no call was made. I was actually very surpised as this was a hit that could have caused a bad injury. After this no call, Cornell dug the puck out of the corner, brought it down the ice, and scored goal 2.

After this point, the RPI team became very fired up hitting everyone in site which eventually lead to the hit on Moulson. (I was surprised that more scrumbs did not happen after this hit.) Anyway, the RPI coach was so pissed off at this sequence of events that at times he did not even watch the game! He often was sulking on bench and was watching the screboard. At times he clapped for Murphy when it was felt Murphy made poor calls. His actions were so crazy that it was actually fun to watch! In fact, I thought for sure that was going to get kicked out. I couple of times he got Murphy to skate over to him to complain and Murphy spent all of 2 seconds at the RPI bench.

If Murphy made the boarding call (which he truly should have), Cornell would have been shorthanded and not have scored goal 2. Of course, I am a Cornell fan so I will take it. But, this sequence of events definately changed the game.

Also, whether the RPI player should have gotten more penalty time for the hit to Moulson that the Cornell retaliation, I think Murphy should have handed out longer penalties to both players. By not doing so, he basically lost control of the game in the second period leading to further dirty play.

Finally, in a side note, it is nice to hear the band playing "My Old Cornell." Maybe I have missed at other games but it is the first time in a long time I have heard it.

It's possible that we both saw the same third period and pointed out different factors in the period. (Three blind men and the elephant kind of thing.)

There were just 4 shots on goal by RPI in the third period versus 7 and 9 in the first and second. That's in the scorebook.

From the viewpoint of the video feed (okay, there I go undercutting my credibility) as opposed to being in the rinks last weekend, in the middle and later stages of the third period, it appeared that Cornell was fumbling in its own end a couple times (more than two, far less than a dozen) that led to unsettled situations / giveaways and a couple RPI passes centered through the middle (but not touched by RPI), shots wide of the net, and shots at the goal blocked before they got to McKee that would not count toward the four shots on goal.

I would not go so far as to say there was more Cornell interest in getting Hynes a hat trick than protecting the shutout, but the radio/TV announcing team did remark on an unusual number of feeds to Shane in the waning minutes.

Did anybody else get that sense the last half of the third period that there were a couple of those omigawd-I-can't-believe-we're-letting-up-just-for-a-moment moments and you feared the shutout was once again headed down the tubes?

Nice to see USCHO put McKee on the home page as the lead item (and a file photo, not a game shot, too bad USCHO doesn't use live photos of Lynah games). I'm all for McKee tying the Dryden 13-shutouts record today and getting it over and done with next week up in the north country or better yet back here in the first round of the ECAC playoffs. The Cornell announcers timidly predicted last night that McKee is (paraphrasing here) likely to break Dryden's 13-shutouts record before he (McKee) is done. That's a mild understatement/prediction considering he could have as many as 75 games left.

Back to back shutouts and tying Dryden's record, I think that's what it takes to get McKee USCHO player of the week. Even if it comes against the murkier part of the ECACHL gene pool. (I'm also expecting as three-point night from Matt Moulson. Let's get him to 100 career points this year. He's at 87.)

BTW the announcers were good at announcing when RPI gooned up on Cornell (especially when they attempted a liver transplant on Moulson in the first along the end boards) or when RPI took an alleged dive, less often when Cornell took someone out in a possibly questionable manner. I think they did note at least once that Cornell was lucky not to get penalized on such and such a play.

[Q]profudge Wrote:

Martin made at least 3 spectacular saves or it would have been worse! [/q]


One of these was an amazing save, but also an amazing shot by the Cornell player. (Unfortunately I don't now recall enough of the details concering our players, but...)

It was in the second period. There was a flurry of activity in front of the RPI net. We took a shot from somewhere, and the rebound came out and up a couple of feet. A Cornell player swatted it on goal when it was easily still a foot to 18 inches off the ice. It would have gone into the corner of the net, but somehow Martin shot a leg out, and got his pad over there just in time. I am always amazed at these kids' ability to hit the airborne puck. It would have been quite a goal, had it gone in.

Another interesting (or perhaps not) tidbit that those of you listening to the game might get a kick out of...

At one point late in the third, RPI had a 1 on 5 opportunity. It looked really odd. The RPI player skated into our end, carrying the puck, and all five Cornell skaters were between him and McKee. There wasn't another RPI player within 20 or 30 feet.

Here's hoping that by the end of tonight we're celebrating another ECAC regular season title.
Andy W.

I wouldn't mind McKee going through a shutout lull if it meant breaking the Dryden record on April 9 in Columbus.

[Q]billhoward Wrote:


I would not go so far as to say there was more Cornell interest in getting Hynes a hat trick than protecting the shutout, but the radio/TV announcing team did remark on an unusual number of feeds to Shane in the waning minutes. [/q]

Hynes only had one goal against RPI, so they couldn't have been trying to get him a hat trick.

[Q]

Back to back shutouts and tying Dryden's record, I think that's what it takes to get McKee USCHO player of the week. Even if it comes against the murkier part of the ECACHL gene pool. (I'm also expecting as three-point night from Matt Moulson. Let's get him to 100 career points this year. He's at 87.)

[/q]

Good prediction, as it turned out.

[Q]Avash '05 Wrote:

billhoward Wrote:


I would not go so far as to say there was more Cornell interest in getting Hynes a hat trick than protecting the shutout, but the radio/TV announcing team did remark on an unusual number of feeds to Shane in the waning minutes. [/Q]
Hynes only had one goal against RPI, so they couldn't have been trying to get him a hat trick.

Back to back shutouts and tying Dryden's record, I think that's what it takes to get McKee USCHO player of the week. Even if it comes against the murkier part of the ECACHL gene pool. (I'm also expecting as three-point night from Matt Moulson. Let's get him to 100 career points this year. He's at 87.)

[/Q]
Good prediction, as it turned out.

[/q]


Hynes actually was the last Cornell player to touch the Cook goal. I have no idea why they never changed it.

 

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