TROY -- Seth Appert is staying on as Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's head hockey coach.
   He informed the University of Denver Saturday to withdraw his name from consideration to replace 19-year Denver coach George Gwozdecky, who was fired on April 1 and whom Appert terms "my mentor."
   Appert has signed (or will sign) an eight-year contract extension with RPI through the 2020-21 season at an undisclosed pay raise.
   He chose not to into details of the financial aspects of the pact, or on the particulars of his discussions at Denver, where he was an assistant under Gwozdecky for nine years.
   Appert did express happiness to be staying in Troy and gave praise to RPI and president Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, Athletic Director Col. Jim Knowlton and Dr. Dr. Timothy Sams, Vice President for Student Life.
   "I'm thrilled about it," Appert said. "The level of trust and commitment Dr. Jackson and Jim Knowlton and Dr. Sams  ... I'm humbled by the trust and belief they've shown in me and these things matter to me at the highest level.
   "We still have a lot of work left to do at RPI," Appert added, "and I'm proud to be the guy leading the charge."
   More later.

    PITTSBURGH -- Having recently become a professional hockey player, there was one more thing  Nick Bailen wanted from his Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute career.
   The star defenseman received that on Friday when he was named All-American for the second time in his career at the NCAA Frozen Four.
   A Second Team East selection in 2011, Bailen gained a First Team East berth this year.
   Bailen was not available for comment, playing with his Rochester Americans against Oklahoma City on Friday night (Rochester visits the TU Center on Sunday to play the Albany Devils) but said recently of the All-American award, "I hope it comes. Not many guys can say they'r two-time All-Americans."
   Bailen, a First Team All-ECAC Hockey selection, led the Engineers in scoring with 12 goals and 19 assists in 35 games. Bailen, who was named to the first team All-ECAC Hockey, finished his career with 33 goals and 72 assists in 149 games and is No. 2 among defensemen on RPI's all-time career scoring list.
 Union sophomore defensman Shayne Gostisbehere was named to the East Second Team.
He tallied eight goals and 18 assists in 36 games and was a catalyst on Union's power play.
Gostisbehere also played a big part in Team USA's gold-medal performance  at the World Junior Championships. He was as Second Team All-ECACH pick.
Gostisbehere was selected in the third round of last June's NHL draft by the Philadelphia Flyers.
 Quinnipiac senior goalie Eric Hartzell, who'll lead the Bobcats in the NCAA championship game on Saturday night, and St. Lawrence center Kyle Flanagan were the other ECACH player who were First Team East selections.
 Flanagan's linemate, left winger Greg Carey, St. Lawrence defenseman George Hughes and Yale senior center Andrew Miller all made the Second Team.
  

  TROY -- Seth Appert has long considered the head hockey coaching position at the University of Denver a “dream job.” Same could be said about the same position at Ferris State, Appert’s alma mater, it should be added.
Appert, though, interviewed for the open job at Denver earlier this week.
Being named head coach at Denver to replace his mentor, George Gwozdecky, after Gwozdecky retired is one thing. Replacing Gwozdecky after he was summarily fired by Denver’s athletic director (Vice Chancellor for Athletics and Recreation) Peg Bradley-Doppes could be quite another matter.
Appert was an assistant under Gwozdecky at Denver for nine years and recruited many of the players who helped the Pioneers win back-to-back NCAA championships in 2004 and 2005.
Knowing Appert as I have over the past seven years, I’d suspect he wouldn’t take the job under theses circumstances unless Gwozdecky personally gave him his blessing.
The 59-year old Gwozdecky certainly had plenty of chances to do so earlier this week when Appert was in town for his interview with Bradley-Doppes and other UD officials.
Some sources list Appert and former Denver assistant Derek Lalonde -- who actually replaced Appert when Appert took the RPI job -- as co-favorites to fill the vacancy. Others suggest Lalonde is the leading candidate.
Lalonde currently coaches Green Bay of the United States Hockey League, one of the top junior leagues on the continent, where he led the Gamblers to the league championship in his first season (2012) and the team lost only nine of its 60 regular-season games.
Lalonde is a Denver alumnus, while Appert, as mentioned, is not. The 38-year old Appert has been unavailable all week.
Speculation on the reasons for Gwozdecky’s firing abound (Bradley-Doppes has declined to discuss the matter): Recent postseason failures, numerous early departures to pro hockey by top UD players, which of course, plays to the first reason.
Most who are close to the Denver situation, though, believe that when Gwozdecky, who had one year remaining on his contract at $221,000 per year, sought a contract extension two years ago with three years remaining at the time, and Bradley-Doppes tabled the matter, the relationship between coach and AD went beyond strained.
That, of course, is hardly a reason to fire a coach who turned around a struggling Denver program 19 years ago, made the Pioneers a national power again, won two national championships reached the NCAA Tournament eight times in the past 12 seasons, had 12 straight 20-win seasons and a trio of 25-win campaigns among the past five. Apparently, however, that’s what Bradley-Doppes did.
And that, it would seem, is something that Appert would consider at great length if he’s offered the position; as a boss, Bradley-Doppes’ is said to be tough to work for/with.
Appert’s relationship with Rensselaer AD Col. Jim Knowlton is ideal.
(Knowlton’s son Chris is a graduating senior on the Denver team and was second on the squad in goals (13) and points (29) this past season Also, ironically, Denver will play two games at RPI early next season).
It’s assumed that Denver would not offer Appert the same salary Gwozdecky was being paid.
Rensselaer does not divulge what its coaches’ salaries but it’s widely believed Appert’s does not approach Gwozdecky’s. He has five years remaining on his contract.
Again, as mentioned, I highly expect Appert will question himself long and hard if he wants to replace his mentor under these circumstances.
Back to the early postseason exits. The Pioneers lost their NCAA Tournament opener in five of the past six years. This year, after being upset by rival Colorado College in the first round of the WCHA playoffs, the Pioneers lost to New Hampshire, 5-2.
In 2010, at Albany's Times Union Center -- with Appert looking on -- the Pioneers lost their NCAA tourney opener to heavy underdog Rochester Institute of Technology, 2-1.
Still, the Pioneers were 443-267-64 under Gwozdecky and won four WCHA playoffs championships and three regular-season titles. He’s still young. Denver players and fans love him.
Appert knows quite well about postseason exits, more so in the ECAC Hockey playoffs than the NCAA tourney. Three times in the past four years, higher-seeded RPI teams have lost to lower seeds at home; to a No. 11 seed as a 6 seed, to a 12 seed as a 5 and last month, the 2nd-seeded Engineers lost in the quarterfinals to 7th-seeded Brown.
Appert’s record at RPI is 99-136-31 but the Engineers have enjoyed three winning seasons among the past four after losing a total of 50 games in 2007-08 and 2008-09. Their NCAA Tournament appearance in 2011 was the school's first since 1994.
Another factor for Appert is Denver assistant coach Steve Miller, who’s one of Appert’s “best friends.”
Gwozdecky says he “will coach again” and would Miller wait to remain on Gwozdecky’s staff elsewhere, or would he remain at Denver under head coach Appert?
What will former Denver assistant Bryan Vines, who joined Appert’s RPI staff in 2009 do, stay at Rensselaer, or -- more likely -- return to Denver with Appert?
The speculation -- and the angst of RPI fans -- will end soon. The University of Denver has said it will fill the position quickly, by early next week at the latest.
Will Appert accept the position if it’s offered? That depends on quite a lot -- and his decision will be long thought-out.

   TROY -- It's official. Rensselaer will have to advance to the ECACH semifinals without Nick Bailen. The star senior defenseman tried to go but was not able to skate hard in warmups. He's replaced by freshman Phil Hampton, who hasn't played in two months.
   Bailen, RPI's leading scorer, was injured Saturday night while taking a kneeing penalty from Brown defenseman Dennis Robertson.
   If the Engineers don't win the game, Bailen's college career will be over.

   TROY -- Rensselaer star senior defenseman Nick Bailen, injured when taking a kneeing injury from Brown's Dennis Robertson on Saturday night, is skating gingerly in warmups for Game 3 tonight in the ECACH quarterfinals.
   He skated for a while, then spent the past 10 minutes leaning against the sideboards of the RPI bench. The Engineers have dressed a seventh defenseman, Phil Hampton, in case Bailen can't go.
   More in a while.

   TROY -- Brown University hockey coach Brendan Whittet was asked after Saturday night's 6-2 loss to RPI in Game 2 of their ECAC Hockey quarterfinal-round series, at what point he felt the game was slipping away from the Bears.
   He wasn't totally joking when he said, "the first shift.
   "I don't think we were very good from the get-go," Whittet said. "I just thought we were a little off. When Matt Lorito, who's a very skilled kid, misses a lot of passes, that's not a good thing.
   "And they played great," Whittet said of the Engineers, "but it's still a 3-2 game going into the third (period), so it's a one-goal game on the road but I thought they took it us in the third and they got a big win, which is what they deserved."
   The Bears (14-13-6) lost star defenseman Dennis Robertson to a game misconduct, added to his major kneeing penalty late in the second period with the score tied, 2-2. Not only did Jacob Laliberte score the go-ahead goal late in that penalty, but his presence was missed in the third period when the Engineers scored three times to break open the game.
   "He's our best defenseman, one of the best in the league," Whittet said of Robertson. "So to lose him was a hard thing, but other guys have to step up and I don't believe they did. I thought we played soft hockey.
   "When they (RPI) have control of the puck for long stretches and are able to pin us or spin us on the offensive side and the defensive side ... we didn't compete hard enough."
   Brown forechecked well in Game 2 as the Bears did in Game 1 but their intensity wasn't Friday night. They puck movement and stick-handling wasn't nearly as sharp. They didn't win as many puck battles.
   Meanwhile, the Engineers, desperate, clearly outplayed the Bears over the final 35 minutes.
   Rensselaer players and fans can expect more for tonight's deciding Game 3.
   Engineers coach Seth Appert calls the Bears a "good defensive and hard, physical team.
   "Brown makes it tough on you," he said. "There's a reason that they've won so many games in the second half of the year and (goaltender Anthony) Borelli's numbers are what they are; because they they defend hard and they defend the front of the net well."
   Whittet said despite being soundly beaten in the third period, the Bears won't be "nervous or scared" for tonight's decisive Game 3.
   "We'll bring it (tonight)," he said.
   Bubela's major elbowing penalty a clean hit?: The Engineers lost freshman right winger Milos Bubela to a major elbowing penalty and game misconduct penalty at 17:11 of the first period.
   The Engineers' killing of that penalty was a major factor in the outcome, even a turning point in the game. Appert agreed.
   "Well, yeah, especially since it was a clean hit," he said. "It was a heavy hit ... I don't have issues with the officiating at all. I was a heavy hit but his shoulder was down, his elbow was down when he hit him."
   Appert said, "generally speaking, it's weird how that works. Your team usually kills off the good penalties (or poor calls?), for whatever reason, but when you take dumb, selfish penalties, you (often) get scored on. So, even though we took a few penalties tonight of the hard-hitting variety, they weren't bad penalties and I thought we did a pretty good job of killing them."
   Lorito did have a power-play goal for the second straight night but the Engineers killed the other seven minutes of Brown's power-play time.
    Juggled lines: With Bubela out for more than two periods, Appert had to juggle his forward lines.
   All six goals came with different combinations of forwards on the ice from the four sets on the line chart.
   "It keeps you on an edge on the bench ... and it certainly tested my wits, which doesn't take much," Appert said. "You know, we've scored a lot of goals this year with juggled lines and that's something we need to keep in mind (tonight) if need be."
   Appert said he had "no idea" on what tonight's lines would be.

  

   TROY -- Many Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute hockey fans were more than a but surprised that the Engineers lost Game 1 of their ECAC Hockey playoffs quarterfinal-round series to Brown on Friday night, 3-1.
   The Engineers had put together one of the best runs in league history to vault all the way to second place, then drop the opener to the seventh-seeded Bears, whom they had routed, 5-1, at Houston Field House just one month earlier.
   It was the seventh loss in the past nine homeice playoff games for RPI, dating back to 2006. More on that below.
   "It's better than losing the first game on the road (rather than at home)," RPI coach Seth Appert said when asked after the game.
   Appert said the Engineers, in addition to being more aggressive in the offensive zone for tonight's Game 2, also said they should "be an angry group."
   And he's confident they'll bounce back and force a deciding Game 3 on Sunday night.
   "This group has responded to adversity. They've been thrown a lot of tough situations this year and we've come out well. This team's shown a real good ability to learn from mistakes and we need to show that again (tonight)."
    Appert said the Engineers need to be tougher around the net front, where Brown is so effective defensively.
   "We need to need to have a tougher offensive mentality, a lot of those guys on those top three (forward), especially, because our best line tonight was the Mark Miller (fourth) line. That's good for them but them (Johnny Rogic, Travis Fulton and Miller) but we need to have more balance."
    Both Jacob Laliberte, who scored RPI's only goal, and Ryan Haggerty, who assisted, both agreed, each saying in exact words, "we need to be tougher (tonight)."
   And, as good as he's been since taking over as Brown's No. 1 goaltender, senior Anthony Borelli can be unnerved a bit, if the Engineers can put a good number of quality shots on him early.
   Can't win postseason games at home: It's puzzling. It's frustrating. It's maddening.
   Rensselaer is seeded seventh, can beat a 10 seed (Quinnipiac, 2006), the Engineers, a six seed, get taken out by an 11 (Brown, 2010) and even, worse, being seeded fifth, 12th-seeded (last place) Colgate shocks the fifth-seeded Engineers (2011).
   Now -- as the No. 2 seed, the Engineers are beaten, and clearly outplayed, by the seven-seeded Bears. Appert has been RPI's head coach for the latter two of those postseason series upset defeats.
   During that time, the Engineers did win preliminary-round series on the road -- at Dartmouth in 2009, at Clarkson last season.
   That's of little solece, especially if the Engineers don't come back and win this series.
   Is there a trend there? No. And only Lee played in the Brown series -- Game 1 only -- three years ago, so those failures have nothing to do with this season's team.
   These players, though, are the only ones who can end the frustration. That's the challenge they face tonight and, hopefully, Sunday night. Will the meet -- and overcome -- that challenge?