Good Start, Room for Improvement for RPI
_Photos/Rensselaer/RPI_Lineup2.gif?max_width=360)
The following article appeared November 19 on the Inside College Hockey (INCH) Web site.
By Joe Gladziszewski
Coaches are generally happy when their charges arrive on campus
ahead of the start of the academic year to organize informal
workouts and begin team-building exercises. That’s what
happened at Rensselaer in the late summer months and it resulted in
a great start for the Engineers. The Engineers started with seven
wins in their first 11 games following a Nov. 13 5-2 win at
Clarkson. The didn’t achieve seven wins last season until
Feb. 13, the 29th game of the year.
The other side of the story is that it comes with a price. Too
much, too soon can take a toll on a team’s mental and
physical strength once the season begins and according to head
coach Seth Appert, that’s what RPI has faced in back-to-back
losses.
“The last two games we’ve probably hit a wall a little
bit. All of our guys came back early in the summer to get together
and work out and prepare for the season, but you worry about
fatigue,” Appert said. “That’s one of the reasons
we left this weekend open so that guys can go home if they want,
allow them to refresh and recharge. We didn’t have a lot of
life or energy the last two games and we were pretty
lethargic.”
Complete article can be accessed via the INCH Web site by clicking here.
