Delaying the usual weekend recap by a day - in part because the mid-season break is upon us, but also to mark a special occasion here at WaP.
We weren't really sure what we were getting into when we started this place up six years ago, but we're still pretty psyched that we did. It's a labor of love, and even though those labors have changed (our lives make it pretty difficult these days to do the podcasts and goofy/cheesy/awful photoshops that we used to have more or less on a weekly basis, and the number of editorials have sadly decreased), we're still here, and still cranking away. Still recapping weekends, pumping up, offering occasional words of wisdom, and cracking wise on Twitter between live tweets.
And this post is something of a mid-season thank-you note to our readers: it is our 1,000th post on the blog. We wouldn't have gotten this far if nobody read us. We're nothing without you.
So, in honor of this milestone, a hearkening back to the "old" WaP, which included goofy/cheesy/awful photoshops. And the winner is... a three-goal weekend by Jesper Ohrvall, finally getting the monkey off his back (and earning ECAC Rookie of the Week honors for his efforts).
Really not much to add today. As a quick note for those not following us on Twitter (and really, if you're not following us on Twitter... why not?), the Engineers added a pair of recruits this week, which we expect should finish out recruiting for 2012-13 with the possible exception of another potential forward. Here's what the Class of 2012 looks like, with the one question mark on 2012 or 2013 in italics. We've linked to Reilly Hamilton's stat-shot of the two new recruits as well, you can find the rest at our yearly pipeline piece that we did last month.
Forwards
Mike Zalewski (Vernon, BCHL)
Mark Miller (Omaha, USHL)
Riley Bourbonnais (Cedar Rapids, USHL) Travis Fulton (Vaughan, OJHL) Milos Bubela (Dubuque, USHL)
"In case you haven't noticed, and judging by the attendance you haven't, the Indians have managed to win a few here and there, and are threatening to climb out of the cellar." -- Harry Doyle, Major League
Great day for RPI hockey yesterday as the women put up a solid 3-1 victory over Union in Schenectady before the men rode a dominating second period - easily their best performance of the year - and kept a completely out of sorts St. Lawrence team from doing anything notable in the other two periods to take a 4-0 victory.
That's three wins in a row for the men's team, which they haven't accomplished since the five game stretch last January. Oddly enough, the attendance last night dipped below 3,000 for the first time since the Brown game - which was also a shutout.
The women now have a little separation on the back of the pack - three points ahead of 10th place Colgate, and two behind 8th place Brown. With a victory at home this afternoon (while Brown takes on 3rd place Harvard), RPI could well tie the Bears for the final playoff spot, setting up a three week scramble for points between the Engineers and Brown.
Two games at the Field House tonight... come on out for both! You won't be disappointed.
Special treat today: a reader-submitted photoshop effort. This one comes to us courtesy of Tom Kinstrey, who reminds us all of the... natural charisma of the Clarkson fan/student/alum.
The Army "juggernaut" rolls on. That's two losses in a row for RPI against the Black Knights.
Leet.
2011 can't end soon enough. The Engineers' total record this calendar year is 12-24-2, with fully half of those wins coming in January. Yeah.
Only three teams in the nation register worse in KRACH right now than RPI - American International, Alabama-Huntsville, and Sacred Heart. That means the Engineers, as of right now, are the underdog in every game they will play for the rest of the year, except for the AIC game in which they are slight favorites (at the moment).
A gutsy move to sit some upperclassmen in favor of younger players didn't quite pay off yesterday, but a lot of credit to Lowell - they're a solid team. They perfectly exploited a serious problem we've been having.
What was the problem? I think we might have talked about it recently.
Oh well. On to Army this afternoon. And if we can't beat Army... yeah.
A Clarkson hockey player prepares for life after college.
RPI needed a win tonight to get back on track for a first-round bye, and they got it in fine fashion, putting up a 5-1 road victory over Clarkson, with five unanswered Engineer goals after Clarkson took an early 1-0 lead.
RPI picked up scoring from some unlikely sources, which was sorely needed. Matt Tinordi and Guy Leboeuf picked up their first collegiate points, while Alex Angers-Goulet turned in a fine performance and capped the night off with a shorthanded breakaway goal to make it 5-1 with 4.5 seconds left.
Although Cornell defeated Dartmouth and RPI stands in 5th place in the ECAC, the win snaps RPI's losing streak and sets them up for a big regular season finale next weekend against Princeton and Quinnipiac.
Earlier this afternoon, the RPI women fell to St. Lawrence, but backed into 8th place in the ECAC by virtue of Colgate and Yale losses. The Engineers will get to travel to Ithaca next weekend for a best-of-three series against Cornell in the ECAC quarterfinals.
Pride of a nation. Allen York, out of Wetaskiwin, Alberta, made 34 saves and earned the 12-round shootout win in net just moments after being attended to on the ice by the RPI trainer as the Engineers shocked a collection of the best young talent in America.
On Saturday at 3:30pm, the Engineers welcome seventh-ranked Boston University to the Field House. It's an important game going forward for RPI. A win would go a long way toward making this team eligible for an at-large bid to the national tournament. There aren't really that many more chances left for the Engineers to impress outside of the conference. As a matter of fact, given that the UAH games are the end of the non-conference schedule... this is it.
This game is indeed being broadcast around the region on Time Warner 3 and around the continent on the NHL Network. Exciting stuff. But if you can, please, do come on down Saturday afternoon and be there yourself.
If you're already planning to be there, that's great news. Bring a friend.
That is our challenge. If you weren't planning on going, go yourself, or if you were planning on going, bring someone who wasn't. Let's get a big, loud RPI crowd in the building on Saturday afternoon, what do you say?
A good weekend for the men. They took Yale to the limit, staying in a game they had been struggling in against a top team until the bitter end (penalties killed the hopes of an upset), then made a statement against Brown. They got the road split they needed - the formula for a first-round bye.
Lame photoshop, ho!
Pat Koudys and Johnny Rogic (both civil engineering majors) scored their first collegiate goals to help the Engineers continue to build towards the goal of a first-round bye with a 6-2 win over Brown.
And then, of course... Marty O'Grady ties the game with 0.2 seconds remaining (video replay does in fact show that the puck is in the net before the green light comes on), but as heroic as his goal was, there was one man who rose above.
Nick Bailen: 1 goal, 2 assists - 4-8-12 on the year, one point off the team lead... as a defenseman.
What's that you say? You haven't seen any stupid photoshops yet and you're getting worried?
Well, have no fear.
Taylor Horton scored a clutch overtime goal for the Engineers in overtime, scoring the ladies' first win of the season in dramatic fashion with a 3-2 upset victory at Providence. Meanwhile, Brock Higgs really punched the accelerator for the Engineers, scoring the first goal of the game (and the first of his career) in the first period, then scoring the game winning goal in the second period to lead the men to a 4-1 victory over RIT. On top of that, his folks won the 50/50 raffle. Some guys have all the luck.
Next on our tour is the only team that really needs to be mentioned, ever, when discussing college hockey. Their style is impetuous. Their defense is impregnable, and they're just ferocious. They want your heart. They want to eat your children. And they will - because they have never been stopped, and will never be stopped, ever.
Democratic People's Republic of Cornell Nickname: Big Red Location: Pyongyang Founded: Cornell 1 Conference: Ivy League and only the Ivy League, because we are Ivy League Ivy Leaguers National Championships: 2 (Cornell 102, Cornell 105) Last NCAA Appearance: Cornell 145 Last Frozen Four: Cornell 138 Eternal President: Ned Harkness Dear Leader: Mike Schafer (16th campaign) 2009-10 Record: CHAMPIONS OF THE LEAGUE (ECsomething. Did we mention we are Ivy League? We totally are.) Series: Cornell leads with 57 amazing victories! First Game: January 31, Cornell 43(Conquered city of Albany, NY) Last RPI win: Cornell never loses. Last CU win: December 4, Cornell 144 (Imperialist city of Troy, NY)
2010-11 victories: January 14, Cornell 146 (Pyongyang); February 12, Cornell 146 (Imperialist Troy, NY) Key players: No one player is key, they all play as one. Key losses: none
You will now stand for the national anthem.
There is, of course, no more glorious program the world over than that of the winner of the only two "national championships" in history: the Cornell Big Red. The program got its start in Cornell 36, when it was formed by the Great Leader, Ned Harkness. The Great Leader was born in Cornell 1 in the gorges of Pyongyang and built Lynah Rink, the largest and grandest hockey rink in the history of the world, with his bare hands, opening it to the awe of the world in Cornell 92. Shortly thereafter, Cornell would host the very first national championship, winning the title with ease in Cornell 102.
Cornell's loyal fans celebrate another Big Red victory at Lynah Rink.
The Great Leader coached the team until Cornell 105, when he passed from this world to the eternal endowment after the only undefeated season ever by any team in any way, shape, or form. One of the Great Leader's greatest players was Ken Dryden, who managed to get through the undefeated Cornell 105 season without allowing a single goal. He is now the King of Canada.
After the Great Leader became the Democratic People's Republic's Eternal President following that glorious year in which the Big Red won the second of two national championships in the history of college hockey, the Great Bear, Dick Bertrand - a direct descendant from the Great Leader - took control of the glorious program. Under the command of the Great Bear, Cornell won the Ivy League title in every year it existed, as well as the title of that less important league in every year it was offered as well.
Joe Niewendyk played under the Great Bear, and after setting basically every important hockey record in college hockey, went on to dominate the NHL for over 25 years. He won 15 Stanley Cups, earning the nickname "the Great One" after setting NHL records in every meaningful offensive category. He was also the first person ever elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame by acclamation.
A recent DPRC propaganda poster glorifies Cornell's two greatest players, depicted attacking capitalist pig Ted Donato, Cornell's most despised enemy.
Today's Dear Leader, Mike Schafer, was nearly as good as Niewendyk when he was a player at Cornell. He set a record which will likely never be broken when he scored 10 goals in a single game. Later, when DNA tests showed that he was also likely descended from the Great Leader, Comrade Schafer became the third leader in the magnificent, awe-inspiring history of Cornell. Scientists in Pyongyang are trying to determine just how amazing the Dear Leader is, given his apparent ability to produce fantastically exciting hockey games in a style that thrills the loyal legions at Lynah Rink, indicating that his talent may well approach that of the Eternal President. It is believed that the Dear Leader is the chosen one who will herald a third ever national championship tournament, in which the Big Red will surely triumph.
The Dear Leader is a common subject of DPRC posters. In this work, beloved Comrade Schafer's famed relationship with the referees of college hockey is depicted and glorified.
For example, in this past season, the lesser league championship was contested between the 12 programs of the lesser league, and although the Dear Leader was disappointed to find that the Ivy League title was not at stake for a fifth consecutive season, the Dear Leader bravely led his players in battle, winning their 12th title of the lesser league in as many tries, defeating the puny and weak Union in the process.
Posters such as these appeared in Pyongyang following Cornell's fantastic victory in the lesser league's championship in Cornell 145. It depicts the destruction of Union's Nott Memorial in a hyperbolic military strike.
This year, hopes are high at Cornell that the resplendent Big Red will once again be permitted by the imperialist dogs to reach the promised land which, out of fear, they have denied for so long. That they are the greatest team in all of college hockey once again is beyond doubt, especially now that the chosen one, Andy Iles, has come to the Big Red. Iles, who observers believe is likely the greatest goaltender since Dryden, is a native of Pyongyang and knows perhaps better than anyone what Cornell hockey is all about. The anticipation builds as the proud and loyal Cornell faithful look forward to another season of community and collective perfection in the grand arena of Lynah Rink.
Posters such as this one build anticipation in the Workers' Paradise for the might of the team's newest players.
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