The Ecstasy of Gold

It may be 70 degrees outside, but summer is over. Let winter's icy grip commence... inside, at least.

The women got their unofficial start last week with a 2-0 victory over the Ottawa Jr. Senators, and they get things started for real this evening at North Dakota... listen to the action on WRPI tonight with Perry Laskaris.

Club hockey kicks off its home schedule tonight against Marist (I'll be on the call from the Houston Field House on RPITV), and the varsity gets their exhibition legs tomorrow night against Prince Edward Island).

Rejoice. Hockey season is here.

Harder, Faster, Longer, Stronger

We're gearing up for the 2011-12 season here at Without a Peer (after all, that counter on the right side of the page is rapidly approaching zero!), and with that, as with last year, we're making some changes to the site.

First off, we've heard from you (thank you!) and we are planning to keep our podcasts going this season. Still working out the particulars - and some tweaks will be made - but we're hoping to produce a weekly podcast as we did last season.

Second, and most important... we're looking to add to our roster! We're seeking motivated individuals who enjoy RPI hockey that wish to share their talents with the fan community. Do you have what it takes to be a WaPper? Um... wait a minute...

Club correspondent: Although we like to delve into the goings on around the ECAC and around the college hockey world (in part so our readers can be well versed and stay among the most knowledgeable in the country), WaP focuses first and foremost on RPI hockey. This year, we've decided that we should not be ignoring the men's club team, which represents the Institute well with much less fanfare. They deserve a bit more attention.

We are seeking a writer whose main focus would be on club hockey, especially current or recently graduated students. All we'd need would be one update a week on how the team is doing, who they've played, and who they're playing next.

Artists: You may have noticed that WaP didn't have as many lame photoshops last year. Oh, the photoshops we had were still plenty lame, but there weren't nearly as many of them. Since we do so love the satire around here, we want to make a double change - more photoshops, and less lameness! Are you more handy with photoshop than I am? The answer's probably yes. If you'd like to take a stab at being a regular artist, drop us a line!

In-game chats: We tried them at the start of last year, and it was pretty obvious from the get-go that they weren't exactly lighting the world on fire. However, our "Judgment Day" chat, moderated by Gary and myself, did pretty well. We've decided that we want to give in-game chats another go, and we're planning to bring on board some volunteer moderators to add running commentary (and sarcasm, where necessary) to the chats, along with automatically updating Twitter feeds bringing in scores from around the college hockey world instantaneously. We think this will work much better than the empty cocktail parties that our attempts last year became.

If you are interested in helping with any of these fields, please do drop a line... the address is tomyousieve [Shift+2] gmail [period] com.

We're looking forward to an awesome season. Let's Go Red!

Every Picture Tells a Story

We're coming up on Labor Day weekend, and even though it may not feel like it outside just yet, we're just three weeks away from hockey at Houston Field House when the women take on the University of Montreal in an exhibition game at 4 p.m. on September 25th ahead of their trip to Wisconsin the following weekend. A week later, the men take part in the Cherry and White intrasquad scrimmage on October 2nd at 4 p.m., to be followed at 7 p.m. by an AHL preseason game between the Adirondack Phantoms and the Albany Devils. Three days after that, on Tuesday, October 5th 7 p.m., the men will face the University of New Brunswick in an exhibition matchup ahead of their trip to Colorado the following weekend.

In the meantime, renovations continue apace at the Field House. We've got some pictures.


This is the first picture we've seen of the new section with the lights on in the Field House. According to what we've found out about the project, the floor level will indeed contain some Let's Go Red space and a mini "Hall of Fame" type area. The second level will house men's hockey offices on one side, women's hockey offices on the other side, and in the middle will be a reception room for Dr. Jackson and her guests, high rollers, donors, recruits, etc.

There are plans for a third level, which may include additional press space, but this will not be included as part of this project at present.



The east side of the Field House is starting to look a little more familiar as the dashers have now been put up on that side, but it's still sans glass. There's still no stage - and there isn't going to be, apparently. The current plan is to put the Pep Band at the top of Section 13 on the north side of the Field House instead of on stage, and the eastern curtain will be moved closer to the glass. The goal is to create a more "intimate" feeling within the Field House, but we'll see just how well it works in a month's time. There are a number of issues for the band especially, having to arrange themselves in the stands.

The old scoreboard is right back up where it normally is. There's been some conflicting reports as to whether it is going to be replaced mid-season (along with the sound system) or whether the replacement will wait until the next offseason, but the components themselves should arrive before the end of the year.

The mid-season replacement may be what's going to happen - according to the site manager, the building will have ice and be habitable for sporting events by the time scheduled events begin again in three weeks, but the renovations themselves will not be completed until December.

With the Field House still lacking in ice, the captains have had to move their practices to Knickerbacker Arena in North Troy.



Here's John Kennedy (center, no helmet) giving the team a pep talk at the end of practice. Visible on the right in the goalie pads and black sweater without a helmet is Jeremy Coupal, the Engineers' new practice goaltender. He replaces Joe Harkenrider, who left the team to focus on his studies, as the 3rd goaltender.

Coupal, a junior Materials Engineering major, started eight games for the RPI club team last season, amassing a 2-6-0 record with a 4.22 GAA and .872 save percentage, with one shutout against Norwich. Before coming to RPI, Coupal was at one point was the starting goaltender at Seton Catholic High School in Plattsburgh. Former RPI practice goalie Jim Palmer, one of the most popular fan favorites in recent history, also attended Seton Catholic, as did former defenseman Glenn Coupal (who is likely related to Jeremy, but we won't know for sure until his RPI biography is released).

Speaking of the club team, the Engineers will have all 14 of their home games at Houston Field House this year, starting on September 24th at 7 p.m. when they host Union. The club team will also host Brown, Merrimack, Quinnipiac, Hudson Valley CC, Roger Williams, Keene State, Westfield State, UConn, Marist, NYU, Vermont, and Norwich this season.

The women are also hard at work at "The Knick." Below, the team takes a few shots on senior goaltender Sonja van der Bliek.



Finally, a quick video of the women taking a few shots.