Bring on RPI

gwm3 · March 14, 2002, 10:00:42 PM

Well no Dartmouth rematch... not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing yet. Let's do it tomorrow boys!

Weingarm · March 14, 2002, 11:31:56 PM

I'm not quite familiar with what happened in our 2 previous games with RPI. I know we won both, but in either did we look dominant? What's the concensus on how we match up with them? Are they a run-and-gun team? I think they have 2 1st team ECAC forwards. Then again, we have the best goalie, and 2 ECAC team defensmen!

Will · March 15, 2002, 12:03:46 AM

In the game vs. RPI at the end of the season, it sounded like we got really lucky with the ref calls (ironically, the ref for that game was Fulton, the same guy who screwed us over with the end of the Harvard game back in November). Also, RPI has been called the 'hottest' team in the ECAC right now. However the game goes, it won't be easy for either side, that's for sure.

gwm3 · March 15, 2002, 12:12:51 AM

RPI has won 4 straight. We have won 5 straight and haven't lost a game in exactly a month. We haven't trailed a game after 3 periods since January 12. At that time RPI was in the middle of a 4 game losing streak. I think we are the hottest team in the ECAC, and have been all year.

finchphil · March 15, 2002, 12:31:55 AM

I'd much rather be playing Dartmouth. It is VERY hard to beat a team three times in one year. Hopefully RPI will be emotionally drained after this game. Cornell has got to come out strong in the beginning....

gwm3 · March 15, 2002, 01:49:54 AM

Well we beat Yale 3 times this year if I'm not mistaken. I think the difficulty of beating a team for the third time is probably somewhat exagerrated. I agree that this will be a tough game (perhaps harder than either of our potential final round opponents), but I am confident that the team will come out focused and get the job done.

Jordan 04 · March 15, 2002, 08:35:24 AM

QuoteI'd much rather be playing Dartmouth. It is VERY hard to beat a team three times in one year. Hopefully RPI will be emotionally drained after this game. Cornell has got to come out strong in the beginning....

Uh-oh. It's the name faulty argument I heard all week a couple years back when it came time for the Giants-Eagles playoff game.

We don't have to beat RPI 3 times. We have to beat them once. And they have to beat us once

We're not playing 3 games tonight. We're playing one against them.

And with that, it's time to go to Placid....

LET'S GO RED!

finchphil · March 15, 2002, 09:04:31 AM

Yeah, I agree it is only one game. What concerns me most is that RPI will be looking for revenge after feeling they got ripped off in the last game at Troy. But they will be tired and Cornell is hungry too. Should be a great game! Will be watching on NESN and hoping for an NCAA bid as the game will likely be in my backyard!

Jordan 04 · March 15, 2002, 09:18:42 AM

Yep. The same things concern me. They're a hot team, Marsters played well last night it seems, they had a comeback victory, revenge factor against us. But the "beating a team 3 times" is not what worries me.

Seems like the only thing working for us right now is last line change ::nut::

KeithK · March 15, 2002, 11:05:39 AM

The fact that people (including myself sometimes) make statements like "it's really hard to beat a team three times" just points out that most people have a bad intuitive understanding of probability. Yes, it's hard to go 3 for 3 in a seaosn, a 1 in 8 chance if your chance in a single are 50-50. But once the first two games are played the third game is a separate event with a 50-50 (or whatever) independant of previous results. Unless you believe that things like revenge or confidence have a significant effect. Which they probably don't compared to the more important things like defense, goaltending and special teams.

Should be a tough game tonight. But hopefully RPI has had their magic moment of the weekend already.

jmfox99 · March 15, 2002, 11:58:53 AM

I'll just say that irrespective of Cornell's performance against RPI and Dartmouth or the fact that RPI is a "hot team" or the issue of getting revenge on Dartmouth, if you told me that in the PIG one team would have 35 shots and the other 18, I'd rather Cornell face the team that put up 18 and was back on their heels for 58 minutes of hockey the night before the semifinal, no matter which team it is. And yes, I know that means Marsters played a great game yesterday, but I refuse to believe he'll outperform Underhill with everything on the line.