Men's Hockey - UConn Holiday Classic (29/30 Dec)

The unofficial start of the second half arrived with a great deal of promise for the struggling Engineers. With three weeks off and the team finally back to 100% health for the first time all season, hope seemed to be on the horizon. Unfortunately, the games turned out to be more of the same as RPI was savaged in the opening game of the UConn Holiday Classic, 7-2, and followed with a dismal consolation game, falling to Army 3-2.

UMass-Lowell
Lee/Neal/Schroeder
Laliberte/Higgs/Haggerty
Angers-Goulet/McGowan/O'Grady

Rogic/Malchuk/Tinordi

Curadi/Bailen
Leonard/Bergin
Leboeuf/Koudys

Diebold

The big news before the game was certainly the lineup. With no injuries to work around, Seth Appert was free to start whatever team he thought gave him the best chance to win for the first time all season, and the result was a number of seniors, especially Pat Cullen and Josh Rabbani, sitting in the stands. All seven freshman skaters started, as did freshman goaltender Scott Diebold. Matt Neal made his long awaited return to the lineup after missing more than two months with an ankle injury, and Ryan Haggerty came back after missing three games with the flu.

The optimism that came with the opening of the second half lasted precisely 43 seconds. That's how long it took the River Hawks to score, following a defensive breakdown that resulted in Lowell sending two forwards in alone on Diebold to make it 1-0. They made it 2-0 about 10 minutes later on a second defensive breakdown, and scored a shorthanded goal just two and a half minutes after that to make it 3-0. All three first period goals came as part of a lightning transition through the neutral zone that the RPI blueliners simply could not stop, leaving Diebold high and dry.

The Engineers tried to pick things up in the second period with Ryan Haggerty notching his team leading fourth goal of the season - yes, that's right - on the first opportunity of the middle stanza. The momentum didn't last long, however, as yet another defensive breakdown led to a Lowell goal just 30 seconds later, making the score 4-1 and immediately and visibly demoralizing RPI. Lowell picked up another goal about 10 minutes later to all but ice the game with almost a full half of the game left to be played.

Former RPI recruiting target Terrance Wallin - who reportedly had Lowell and RPI as his two finalists before choosing the River Hawks - made things worse three minutes into the third with his fourth of the season, making it 6-1. Zach Schroeder picked up his second of the year with just over three minutes left to play, but by that time it was far too late for anything to get going for the Engineers. Lowell added a power play goal with 10 seconds left just for good measure, and RPI limped away with a five-goal loss for the first time since the North Dakota NCAA game last year (which was six).

It was the first time since the "unspeakable Freakout!" two years ago that anyone had hung seven goals on RPI. The glaring issue was not between the pipes, as Scott Diebold frequently was left hanging by his defensemen and actually had a halfway decent appearance otherwise, although the goalfest left his numbers for the season significantly damaged.

Army, 2-0 losers to the homestanding UConn Huskies, became RPI's consolation game opponent.


Army
Angers-Goulet/McGowan/O'Grady
Laliberte/Higgs/Haggerty
Lee/Neal/Schroeder

Tinordi/Rogic/Rabbani

Smith

Leonard/Bergin
Curadi/Bailen
Dolan

Merriam

The response was immediate. Joel Malchuk was benched for the first time this season, and defensemen Pat Koudys and Guy Leboeuf were also yanked, resulting in only five defensemen dressing. Bryce Merriam got the start in net, and senior Justin Smith skated as the extra forward.

With the Black Knights coming in with just one victory on the season, this had all the hallmarks of a must-win game for RPI, if only to maintain some semblance of confidence moving forward.

Once again, the Engineers got off on the wrong foot by getting behind early. After both sides had failed to score on their first power play of the game, Army was first to the scoresheet by notching a power play goal on Matt Neal's second penalty of the first period to go up 1-0.

RPI's power play struggles continued into the second period, as an opportunity right from the get-go fell by the wayside. In fact, it was not until Army went down two men six minutes into the second that the Engineers were able to get on the board, tying things with Brock Higgs' first goal of the season, getting the monkey off his back but keeping the Engineers somewhat behind the eight ball, as their efforts at even strength proved futile for the remainder of the period. RPI dominated the second in shots, 15-2, yet could only muster the two-man advantage goal.

Matt Neal's first career goal also came on the power play, arriving three and a half minutes into RPI's fifth man advantage of the game, giving the Engineers the lead for the first time in the tournament, but once again, the momentum was fleeting.

Just over two minutes later, following an interference call against Bo Dolan that Dolan, Appert and most RPI fans in attendance thought was a bit of a phantom call, Army scored on the ensuing faceoff to tie the game at two.

The Engineers pushed forward in an attempt to retake the lead, but just as they picked up the pressure, a slap shot by Nick Bailen broke the glass behind the Army net, resulting in a delay of about half an hour while  repairs were made. When play resumed, the momentum built by the pressure was gone.

In heart-breaking fashion, a weak shot by Army with only 93 ticks remaining on the clock eluded Merriam and gave Army the late lead. The Engineers did what they could to get things square again with the empty net, but they could not get one past Army's Ryan Leets, who made 29 saves on 31 shots for the victory. Merriam finished with just 13 saves on 16 shots, while the Engineers allowed 10 goals on 40 shots on the weekend.

RPI now limps home to begin the second half of the ECAC schedule, in desperate need of a bounce their way in order to salvage the season.

Other junk - Plenty of movement in the national rankings this week. RPI opponents on the chart this week are #5 Notre Dame (no change), #6 Colorado College (no change), #9 Colgate (up three), #12 UMass-Lowell (up five), #13 Cornell (no change), #14 Union (down four), #17 Ferris State (down six), and #20 Yale (down one). Also receiving votes were RIT (12) and Harvard (4).

RPI's three leading scorers - Nick Bailen, Brock Higgs and Ryan Haggerty - have scored 100% of their goals on the power play, accounting for 8 of RPI's 10 power play goals.

All of RPI's freshmen forwards - Haggerty, Jacob Laliberte, Zach Schroeder, Mark McGowan and Matt Neal - have now notched their first career goal.

Bailen, Schroeder, C.J. Lee, Alex Angers-Goulet, Mike Bergin and Curtis Leonard are the only remaining players who have not missed a game this season.

RPI's next game is their first home game since November - and it's a big one as it's not only a league game, it's also a nationally televised game as the first college game to air on the newly rechristened NBC Sports Network.  Unfortunately, it comes at a time when students are not on campus, against a team that doesn't travel well and with the team struggling significantly, so this showpiece game could be played in front of a fairly weak crowd. If you can get to the Field House on Friday, please do so.

ECAC Standings (by win% in parentheses)

1 (1). Cornell - 13 pts (6-1-1)
2 (2). Colgate - 12 pts (6-2-0)
3 (8). Quinnipiac - 9 pts (3-4-3)
4 (3). Yale - 8 pts (4-2-0)
5 (4). Union - 8 pts (3-2-2)
6 (7). Harvard - 8 pts (3-3-2)
7 (10). St. Lawrence - 8 pts (4-5-0)
8 (9). Clarkson - 8 pts (3-4-2)

9 (6). Dartmouth - 7 pts (3-3-1)

10 (11). Princeton - 7 pts (3-7-1)
11 (5). Brown - 6 pts (3-3-0)

12 (12). RPI - 2 pts (1-6-0)

#17 UMass-Lowell vs. RPI
Non-Conference Game - Freitas Ice Forum (Storrs, CT)
12/29/11 - 4:00pm
RESULT: UMass-Lowell 7, RPI 2


BOX SCORES
College Hockey Stats
USCHO

RECAPS
RPI
USCHO
Troy Record
Albany Times Union
Lowell Sun

RECORD: 3-14-0 (1-6-0 ECAC, 2 pts)

Army vs. RPI
Non-Conference Game - Freitas Ice Forum (Storrs, CT)
12/30/11 - 4:00pm
RESULT: Army 3, RPI 2


BOX SCORES
College Hockey Stats
USCHO

RECAPS
RPI
Troy Record
Albany Times Union

RECORD: 3-15-0 (1-6-0 ECAC, 2 pts)

Upcoming games

06 Jan - Dartmouth
07 Jan - Harvard
10 Jan - American International
14 Jan - at #14 Union
20 Jan - at Brown

Lost in the Desert

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).

Know Your Enemy: Army

For almost a decade, today's profiled program was the only Atlantic Hockey team that the Engineers were willing to travel to - in part because of the relative closeness, but also in part because of the history of the program. Although the United States Military Academy doesn't exactly have a trophy case that's overflowing with glories on the ice, they're a program that long ago has earned the respect of the college hockey world for turning out professionals who keep our country free.

Army
Nickname: Black Knights
Location: West Point, NY
Founded: 1802
Conference: Atlantic Hockey
National Championships: 0
Last NCAA Appearance: None
Last Frozen Four: None
Coach: Brian Riley (8th season)
2010-11 Record: 11-20-4 (10-13-4 AHA, 9th place)
Series: RPI leads 31-15-2
First Game: February 9, 1907 (West Point, NY)
Last RPI win: October 19, 2007 (West Point, NY)
Last USMA win: October 31, 2009 (Troy, NY)

2011-12 game: December 30, 2011 (Storrs, CT) - potential

Key players: D Marcel Alvarez, sr.; F Danny Colvin, sr.; D Mark Dube, sr.; F Mike Hull, sr.; F Bryant Skarda, sr.; G Ryan Leets, jr.; F Andy Starczewski, jr.; D Cheyne Rocha, jr.; F Mike Santee, jr.; D Dax Lauwers, so.; F Zak Zaremba, fr.

One quick note on the key players: the juniors and sophomores are frequently subject to change, as there is a certain amount of attrition at the service academies due to a number of personal reasons, frequently a reluctance to assume the military service responsibility incurred upon the start of the third year - the military life isn't for everyone, even those who believed when they arrived that it was what they want. For instance, RPI's Greg Burgdoerfer left Air Force after one year to transfer.

Organized sports have practically always been a part of the educational regimen at West Point, given the need for cadets to be physically fit to prepare for the rigors of battle. Hockey at the Academy dates back almost as far as it does at RPI, with the first games taking place on a flooded field known as "The Plain" in 1904, just a couple of years removed from the Engineers' first games in Cohoes and Albany. The difference in West Point, however, is that the Black Knights have competed on the ice in every single year since without a break in the program's history, even through both World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, and through today's conflicts, Army hockey has continued its traditions.

One of those traditions has usually included a yearly game with the Royal Military College of Canada, the first games of which were in part organized by famed General Douglas MacArthur while he was superintendent of West Point in the early 1920s. The two military academies met on the ice every year from 1923, but have not played each other since 2006.

But more than anything, there is one name that stands out in West Point as being synonymous with Army Hockey: Riley. This will be the 61st consecutive season that a Riley has been behind the Black Knights' bench, and it all began in 1951 with the legendary Jack Riley. Jack would stay in West Point until 1986, amassing what was at the time the second most victories in the history of college hockey. He amassed eight 20-win seasons during that stretch, which included a pair of stints in the ECAC. Perhaps most notably, Riley was the head coach for the 1960 U.S. Olympic team, which won the country's first gold medal at the Squaw Valley Olympics and perhaps setting some motivation for the 1980 gold medal when he made 1980 head coach Herb Brooks his last cut from the 1960 team.

Army was a charter member of the original ECAC, tying with the Engineers for the fifth best winning percentage in the inaugural 1961-62 season, and finishing second overall behind Providence in 1964, going 17-4 against other ECAC teams in a 29-team league, the largest the conference would ever be. They fell to St. Lawrence at home in the one-and-done quarterfinals, however. The Cadets, as they were then known, hung around in the ECAC until 1972, when they left the conference to become independent after a pair of last place finishes, though they had typically been somewhere in the middle of the pack for much of their first tenure.

As an independent, the Cadets primarily played a schedule that consisted of Division III programs, and while records were frequently solid, the team didn't get NCAA looks because of that schedule quality. By the early 1980s, Army was regularly beating up on its opponents, as Jack Riley led the team to three consecutive 25-win seasons from 1982 to 1984.

Following the Hockey East split, the Cadets returned to the ECAC as the conference's 12th program, but they were in for a rude awakening as they eased back into a full Division I schedule. They played under a special arrangement that saw them play each conference foe only once (while every other team played home-and-home, as they do today), but in the first two seasons, Army went 2-20-0 in league play, including a 0-11-0 record in 1985 despite a winning overall record in both of those years. During a seven year stretch in the ECAC, the Cadets finished in last place or near last place, and the team left to become an independent again in 1991, their mantle as ECAC cellar dwellers taken for some time by Union, who replaced them.

Jack Riley left West Point in 1986 and was replaced by his son, Rob. As the team returned to the independent ranks, the schedule also lightened significantly as the Cadets played games against a wide variety of teams from D-I through D-III. It was part of a continuing cycle for Army - not strong enough to compete regularly in a Division I conference, which at the time were the "Big Four" of relatively equal strength, but fairly dominant over smaller schools in D-II and D-III.

In the late 1990s, that cycle was broken with the creation of the MAAC and the CHA through the demise of Division II. Army joined the CHA as a charter member in 1999, though they left after just one season for the MAAC in order to compete with teams closer to home.

The rise of the minor conferences allowed Army to have a full Division I schedule with other teams that struggled against the bigger conferences, but the Cadets - who became the Black Knights in 2001 - still had a tough time reaching the top in the MAAC and its successor conference, Atlantic Hockey. After five seasons in conference play, Rob Riley left to take a professional position, and he was replaced by his brother, Brian.

Under Brian Riley, the Black Knights slowly rose through the ranks of Atlantic Hockey, culminating in the team's first conference championship of any sort in 2008 when Army claimed the regular season championship with a 17-8-3 season in conference, just nudging out RIT - the only time the Tigers have not finished atop the AHA standings since they joined the conference. All eyes were on West Point as they appeared well positioned to fight for their first ever NCAA bid, potentially coming in an all-service academy final as they reached the semifinals alongside Air Force, but Mercyhurst pulled off a 4-2 upset to end the Black Knights' national tournament dreams. The team hasn't won an AHA playoff game since.

There's no denying that it's difficult to recruit at Army - top players will certainly shy away from the school because it includes the assumption of a difficult responsibility if one makes a college career there. They also are limited almost entirely to American players; although international cadets do study and train at West Point, they are limited in number. Those two items make it difficult for Army to succeed on the ice, but they've had their share of success stories. Dan Hinote played two years for Army, expecting to eventually join the FBI but recommitting to hockey after his play for the Cadets got him noticed by the NHL. He was the first Cadet ever drafted and won a Stanley Cup in 2001.

And, of course, there are heroes off the ice as well. Frederick and Joseph Tate were brothers who played for West Point, both giving their lives for their country in World War II, and their name adorns the school's ice arena, Tate Rink. Derek Hines was captain of the Black Knights in 2003, as a first lieutenant in Afghanistan, he also laid down his life for his nation. The NCAA now honors Hines with a national award - one of only three for players - given to the "unsung hero." These men gave the ultimate sacrifice, but each and every man who goes through four years of hockey at West Point, especially today in a time of war, serves their country with distinction as well.

Army doesn't always have the most talented team, but with the Rileys, you know you're going to get a hard-nosed, physical game. Thanks in part to the rigorous physical training regimen expected of all cadets, the Black Knights never have a problem playing 60 minutes of tough hockey and if you let up even for a few moments (as the Engineers found in their last game against the Academy) they'll make you pay. However, a talented team which plays hard usually should be able to pick up a win.

They don't score a lot of goals - Dube returns as the top goal scorer with just 13 last year, one of only two to reach 10. Colvin, Hull, Alvarez, and Skarda are also top scorers, all five will be seniors, giving the team a solid core of scoring leadership. In net, Leets is the presumptive starter after playing a second-choice role last season but putting up generally better numbers than graduated senior Jay Clark in the time he did see.

It's always fun to see what becomes of a game against Army. The usual obnoxious rhetoric from the RPI faithful is pretty much always toned down a bit in home games out of respect (although the band frequently plays a few bars from "Anchors Aweigh" and shouts "warm up the tanks"), and it's also one of the lesser RPI rivalries that goes back over 100 years as the two sides have met fairly frequently despite being in different conferences for much of their collective history. Whenever Army's on the schedule, a fun game is certainly in store no matter when or where the game's going to be.