Men's Hockey - Boston University (13 Dec)

Facing off with one of the best teams in the nation (now the best team in the nation according to the recently released USCHO poll) with a very banged up squad was expected to be a pretty tall task for a team struggling to put points on the board. Saturday night's game between BU and RPI ended up looking very much like the lopsided game observers expected, but only on the scoreboard. The Terriers skated off with a 5-1 victory, but faced a tough battle from an impressive Engineers squad nonetheless.

Boston University
Liljegren-Bubela-McGowan
Wood-Neal-Bourbonnais
Laliberte-Miller-Nanne
Curadi-DeVito-Gillespie

Leonard-Bradley
Wilson-Reno
Prapavessis-Bell

Diebold

Lou Nanne's return to the lineup was both unexpected and short-lived. The freshman forward did not skate in the pre-game warmup, but was ready by game time. Unfortunately, an open-ice hit late in the first period found him skating to the locker room clutching the same shoulder he injured almost a month earlier against Quinnipiac.

Jason Kasdorf nearly made his return to the ice as well, dressing for the first time since suffering a lower body injury against New Hampshire, but he did not see any game play.

Nanne's return to the lineup, brief as it may have been, kept RPI from the difficult position of having to start two defensemen as forwards. Nanne functionally replaced the injured Travis Fulton, while Kenny Gillespie suited up in place of the once again injured Zach Schroeder on a very motley fourth line consisting of a defenseman, a non-natural center, and a seldom-used winger.

That line, however, was very nearly responsible for the game's first goal. Eight and a half minutes into a solid back-and-forth contest that saw the Engineers controlling early play, Jimmy DeVito appeared to give RPI a 1-0 edge - what would have been only their fourth such lead of the season - by placing a rebound perfectly top-shelf through traffic. Matt O'Connor, the BU netminder, protested immediately that he had been interfered with by Luke Curadi, and after a quick replay the goal was disallowed. The replay did show Curadi shoving O'Connor to the far side of the crease, although O'Connor did manage to recover in time to get back across and try to make a play on the shot by DeVito.

RPI continued to pour on the offensive chances in the first period, and on the play that saw Nanne re-injure his shoulder, O'Connor was forced into an outright robbery of a shot by Mark Miller that seemed destined for the net. O'Connor, on his stomach, managed to get a leg on Miller's shot to keep the game scoreless. The BU junior made 18 saves in the first period alone to maintain the 0-0 scoreline into the first intermission.

On the other side, Scott Diebold was earning his keep as well. He made 11 saves on 11 shots in the first period, and played strong hockey in the first half of the second period, helping to keep the game scoreless through the halfway point.

A slow-rolling redirection off a skate coming from a shot by BU freshman defenseman John MacLeod broke the deadlock at 11:57 of the second period. MacLeod had just managed to keep the puck in the RPI end after a big open ice hit on Gillespie moments earlier, a hit the RPI partisans in the crowd thought may have been a bit high. The referees, as they had for much of the game to that point, let them play, and BU capitalized to take the lead.

An ill-advised hit from behind by Milos Bubela just over a minute later put BU on the power play, and freshman phenom Jack Eichel showed why he's one of the top prospects in the world with a perfect pass that linemate Danny O'Regan practically feathered into the net to make it 2-0.

Things didn't look terrible for the Engineers from that point on in the second period, but a freak goal with just six seconds left in the period made the hill to climb more of a mountain. As time wound down, BU's Brandon Hickey whipped the puck toward the crease from behind the RPI end line, and the puck caromed off the back of Scott Diebold and into the cage to make the score 3-0 after two periods despite some continued even play on the ice.

An offensive zone faceoff win for the Terriers midway through the third period effectively sealed BU's victory, as they quickly moved the puck into the slot for freshman J.J. Piccinich to wrap past Diebold for the 4-0 lead.

RPI peppered Matt O'Connor with shots all night, and the goaltender was major reason why BU was able to claim the victory. He ended the night with 35 shots, although he missed out on the shutout when Milos Bubela picked up his fourth goal of the season with a shot from the top of the slot that O'Connor simply did not see as it beat him to the right. It was the team-lead-tying fourth goal of the season for the junior from Slovakia.

In an unusual circumstance, Seth Appert pulled Scott Diebold from the net with just over a minute left in the game to get an extra attacker on the ice, but a fairly quick BU clearance allowed the Terriers to regain their four-goal edge with an empty netter.

The Engineers now get some time to recuperate and recover as the holiday break begins. Their next game is the Tuesday after Christmas, which is 17 days removed from their battle against the Terriers. They'll need as many players as possible back into the lineup, because the post-holiday fun kicks off with a game against the Harvard Crimson that counts for ECAC points, followed by a pair at home against another one of the top teams in the nation, the Miami RedHawks.

Current ECAC Standings
1. Quinnipiac - 12 points (6-2-0)
2. Harvard - 12 points (5-1-2)
3. Clarkson - 10 points (4-1-2)
4. Yale - 9 points (4-3-1)
5. St. Lawrence - 8 points (4-3-0)
6. RPI - 8 points (4-4-0)
7. Colgate - 7 points (3-2-1)
8. Union - 7 points (3-4-1)
9. Dartmouth - 7 points (3-4-1)
10. Cornell - 6 points (3-3-0)
11. Princeton - 2 points (1-7-0)
12. Brown - 2 points (1-7-0)

#2 Boston University at RPI
Non-Conference Game - Meehan Auditorium (Providence, RI)
12/13/14 - 7:00pm

RESULT: Boston University 5, RPI 1

BOX SCORES
College Hockey Stats
USCHO

RECAPS
RPI
Troy Record
Albany Times Union
BU Daily Free Press

RECORD: 6-12-1 (4-4-0, 8pts)

Upcoming games
30 Dec - at #4 Harvard
02 Jan - #6 Miami
03 Jan - #6 Miami
09 Jan - at #14 Quinnipiac
10 Jan - at Princeton

Back to the Church

What is a cathedral?

Technically speaking, it's a high place of worship, but it's a word that gets thrown around a lot in the sports world as it pertains to buildings. Lambeau Field and Soldier Field, it is said, are cathedrals of football. Fenway Park and Wrigley Field are often called cathedrals of baseball.

There are cathedrals of college hockey. Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis. Lynah Rink in Ithaca. Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor. Just to name a few.

We submit that Houston Field House fits the category.

It's certainly not the most glamorous place in the world. It's big and cavernous, swallowing sound from all but the most full crowds. Its birth as a Navy warehouse in Rhode Island is apparent from the moment you step in. The seats are mostly wooden and they're laid out in a manner unfamiliar to most places, walking up to your seat instead of walking down.

If you want all of the most modern accoutrements, go ahead and check out Ralph Englestad Arena in Grand Forks or Agganis Arena in Boston. They've got all the bells and whistles and they fill the places up more often than not. If you want architecture, we didn't have Eero Saarinen like Yale did. We're not above saying that we'd like to have something like that someday.

But the history is undeniable. Houston Field House is the place, arguably, where the concept of small schools competing with the big dogs was born and fostered through the Engineers' success in the early 1950s. It's one of only four buildings currently used as a home arena in college hockey that once hosted the Frozen Four. It's a place that has turned out a number of players who have reached the NHL, and whose alumni have competed in every NHL season for over 30 years. The NCAA record books are dotted with the names of players who called the Field House their home.

There's no hard and fast rule for what constitutes a "cathedral of college hockey." It's a plaything for discussion. You don't have to agree with us in the slightest. But it's a cathedral to us, and we're coming home to it tonight.

(This is the part where we give a "what's up" to the First Church of RPI Hockey.)

As we mentioned yesterday, tonight's game against one of the best American-born prospects in decades, Jack Eichel, and his Boston University Terriers isn't likely to be very competitive. They're playing pretty well, well enough to be the #2 team in the nation. RPI might as well be playing this game from a hospital bed.

But it's another opportunity to come see a traditional old rivalry, waking up the ghosts of college hockey's past while getting a golden opportunity to gaze upon the game's future. Come back to church. You won't regret it tonight.

Know Your Enemy: Boston University

So far, so good for the mostly-annual "rivalry" game between RPI and BU since the retirement of Jack Parker. Undoubtedly aided a little bit by the expansion of Hockey East's non-conference schedule (the in-conference schedule shrank with the addition of new teams), the Engineers and Terriers will meet for the second straight year in the David Quinn era on Commonwealth Avenue.

Boston University
Nickname: Terriers
Location: Boston, MA
Founded: 1839
Conference: Hockey East
National Championships: 5 (1971, 1972, 1978, 1995, 2009)
Last NCAA Appearance: 2012
Last Frozen Four: 2009
Coach: David Quinn (2nd season)
2013-14 Record: 10-21-4 (5-12-3 Hockey East, 9th place)
Series: BU leads, 34-30-3
First Game: March 14, 1953 (Colorado Springs, CO)
Last RPI win: October 18, 2013 (Boston, MA)
Last BU win: January 4, 2013 (Boston, MA)

2014-15 game: December 13, 2014 (Troy, NY)

Key players: F Cason Hohmann, sr.; F Evan Rodrigues, sr.; D Matt Grzelcyk, jr.; F Matt Lane, jr.; D Ahti Oksanen, jr.; G Matt O'Connor, jr.; F Danny O'Regan, jr.; F Robbie Baillargeon, so.; F Nick Roberto, so.;  F Brendan Collier, so.; F Kevin Duane, so.; D Doyle Somerby, so.; F Liam Coughlin, fr.; F Jack Eichel, fr.; D Brandon Hickey, fr.; D John MacLeod, fr.; F Chase Phelps, fr.; F J.J. Piccinich, fr.

Previous KYE installments:

• 2010-11
• 2012-13
• 2013-14

It was a tough year for BU, but at least there's an understandable difficulty in transitioning to a new head coach for the first time in 40 years. That's not something that you just easily move on from. The Terriers didn't pick up their 10th win of the season until March 1st, the back-end of a home-and-home sweep of Northeastern that constituted only their 2nd and 3rd wins since November.

That's just something you don't ever see from BU. In fact, 10 wins is the lowest total for the Terriers since 1964, the year before Jack Parker came to BU as a student a half-century ago. It was BU's first losing season since 2004, first 20-loss season since 2001, and worst winning percentage since 1963. The 1962-63 season was the second in the history of the ECAC, and the first under coach Jack Kelley. Within a decade he'd led the Terriers to back-to-back national championships, their first ever, so all is not lost simply because a new coach struggles in his first year.

As one would imagine for a team that managed just one win in 18 games in the middle of the season, offense and defense were both pretty rough. During that 18 game stretch, the Terriers scored 3 or more goals six times, but gave up three or more on 13 occasions, including five in which they gave up 6 or more goals.

More bad news came just this week as it was announced that goaltender Sean Maguire, who has been in a platoon with O'Connor for the last two years, will miss the entire upcoming season, putting the #1 spot solely in O'Connor's hands. He did have a roughly 3:2 edge in minutes last year, but BU will undoubtedly be leaning much more heavily on him this season.

But help is certainly on the way as several talented skaters join the fray for the Terriers. Eichel is a future star who is considered a shoo-in for a first-round selection in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft (his birthdate was about a month late to be eligible for the 2014 draft, where he would have also been a high selection). MacLeod went late in the second round of this year's draft, and Hickey went early in the third, both should add strength to a still-young defensive corps. Coughlin and Piccinich were drafted as well, giving BU nine NHL draftees on their active roster for the coming season.

Eichel especially should add a boost to an offense that was led last year by Baillargeon and O'Regan. With Rodrigues and Hohmann the only two seniors on the roster, this is still a very young team, but there's no doubt it's going to be full of talented players. Much will hinge on Quinn's ability to get them to play together as a team.

As we've said in the past, RPI-BU games have tended to be on the fun side in the recent past, and one might have to give a slight nod in this contest to the Engineers based mostly on home-ice advantage, but RPI will also hopefully provide a solid defensive challenge for a young BU offense. Scott Diebold last year gave BU fits similar to the ones Bryce Merriam previously provided. Having missed Jason Kasdorf in the last two seasons due to injuries in both games, we'll (hopefully) see how well they can stack up against the redshirt sophomore. Meanwhile, the RPI offense, especially the power play, will need to push the pace of the game in order to keep pressure on what could be a shaky defensive front.

Assuming no early jumps to the pros, BU will have at least 11 NHL draftees on their roster in 2015-16 after Eichel is drafted and Maguire returns. So the loss of Jack Parker hasn't exactly stemmed the tide of blue chippers choosing BU for college, and the Terriers' status as one of the big dog programs of college hockey doesn't appear to be in long-term danger.

Backups in Boston

(Tom is in the West Indies on his honeymoon, hence the lack of additional content this week... he'll be back at the end of next week, don't worry.)

BU may not be aware of how much they've lucked out at Agganis Arena against the Engineers in the recent past - and yet, that luck hasn't translated into blowouts of RPI, not in the least. Tonight's game in Beantown represents the third straight BU-RPI game in Boston that has featured the Engineers forced to cope with an injury to its first-choice goaltender who will be inactive for the game. On December 11, 2009, an injury to Allen York pressed Bryce Merriam into duty at Agganis, and the freshman netminder responded with 32 saves on 35 shots to lead the Engineers to a 5-3 victory. Last season, on January 4, 2013, an injury to Jason Kasdorf required Merriam to take charge once again, and the senior turned in an even more impressive performance with 38 saves on 41 shots but in a losing effort as the offense was not as strong with RPI falling 3-2 in overtime.

Once again, it's RPI at BU, and once again, it's an injured top goaltender. Jason Kasdorf suffered a "freak" shoulder injury before practice on Tuesday, and while rumors are wild and flying about his long-term status (one blogger in Winnipeg suggested he was out for the year, others have said he'll be back relatively soon), we do know he's out for the coming weekend. RPI will look to Scott Diebold to channel Bryce Merriam's last two performances in order to orchestrate a bounce-back from Sunday's horrifying turnout at Boston College.

After a pair of games against two of the stronger college hockey programs in the nation, the Engineers bookend with a second game against Sacred Heart, this one the home opener. After a slow start last week in Connecticut, RPI thoroughly demolished a team that was one day removed from one of the biggest regular-season upsets in NCAA history, as the Pioneers, with just 2 wins all of last season, had just knocked off then-#1 UMass-Lowell. Hopefully, RPI can duplicate that success as a confidence builder heading into next week's till with New Hampshire, another one of the traditional Hockey East beasts.

Just one outing for the women this weekend as they take on Vermont tomorrow at the Field House as the first half of the family weekend doubleheader in Troy along with the men's game with Sacred Heart. The Engineers are coming off a big tie against BU and should be the favorites against a Catamounts team that has traditionally been one of the weakest in Hockey East. If you're planning to head to Troy for the men's game anyway, why not turn out to see the women at 3pm?

It's October, it's Friday, and you know what that means around here... turn up the volume and get psyched. In honor of the men's home opener... ladies and gentlemen... THE ROLLING STONES!

Women's Hockey - BU & Northeastern (11/12 Oct)

RPI returned to action at Houston Field House this weekend, hosting a pair of Hockey East opponents in Boston University and Northeastern. The Engineers started off the weekend with a solid tie against a nationally-ranked BU, before falling a goal short in a 2-1 loss to Northeastern the following afternoon.

Boston University

Smelker/Mahoney/Gruschow

Sanders/Wash/Svoboda

Horwood/Mari Mankey/Rooney

Walsh/Hylwa/Missy Mankey

Banks/Schilter

Huhtamaki/Marzario

Godin/Behounek

O'Brien

BU scored early in both the first and second periods, but both times the Engineers got the goal back en route to a 2-2 tie against the #7 Terriers at Houston Field House Friday night.

The Terriers capitalized on an early turnover by the Engineers just 2:42 into the game, when Rebecca Russo took control of the puck behind the RPI net and fed Jordan Juron who quickly fired the puck past Kelly O'Brien for a 1-0 lead.

Alexa Gruschow evened the score with her first goal of the season at 11:46, taking advantage of a BU turnover and taking off down ice to beat the defenseman and get a clear shot at goalie Kerrin Sperry which she buried to make it 1-1.

BU regained the lead a quick 34 seconds into the middle frame, with Russo firing a point blank shot past O'Brien. Russo was fed from Juron behind the net, who had picked up a rebound from a big point shot by Kaleigh Fratkin.

Though the teams traded power play opportunities several times in the remainder of the second, it was the latter half of the third before the Engineers would tie things up again, with Taylor Mahoney tipping in a point shot by Madison Marzario to make is a 2-2 game.

The tie held through overtime, despite a 6-3 edge in shots for the Engineers in the extra period (and 36-28 overall).

Northeastern

Smelker/Mahoney/Gruschow

Sanders/Wash/Svoboda

Horwood/Mari Mankey/Rooney

Walsh/Hylwa/Missy Mankey

Banks/Schilter

Huhtamaki/Marzario

Godin/Middlebrook

O'Brien

Like Friday night, the Engineers once again outshot their opponent on Saturday (this time by a little more lopsided 34-20 margin) but solid goaltending by Northeastern goalie Chloe Desjardins helped the Huskies defeat the Engineers 2-1.

Another early goal put Northeastern up 1-0 5:11 into the game, with Kelly Wallace making the most of a scrum in front of O'Brien to poke the puck home for the goal.

That would mark the end of the scoring until the third period. Although the Engineers peppered the Northeastern net with 24 shots in the first two periods, Desjardins held strong to keep RPI off the board.

That streak broke at 6:49 of the third when Lauren Wash made it a 1-1 game, after the Engineers stole the puck at the Northeastern blue line and broke in 3-on-1.

Northeastern waited only a few minutes before answering the Engineers' goal as Paige Savage  scored at 10:13 of the third to make it 2-1, and Desjardins made the goal stand up to lead the Huskies to a 2-1 win over RPI.

It will just be one game for the Engineers next weekend as Vermont pays a visit to the Field House Saturday afternoon at 3pm.

-----

RPI vs. Boston University

Non-Conference Game – Houston Field House (Troy, NY)

10/11/13 - 7:00pm

RPI 2, BU 2

BOX SCORES: 

College Hockey Stats: http://collegehockeystats.net/1314/boxes/wbu_ren1.o11

RPI: http://www.rpiathletics.com/boxscore.aspx?id=3921

RECAPS:

RPI: http://www.rpiathletics.com/news/2013/10/11/WICE_1011134630.aspx

BU: http://www.goterriers.com/sports/w-hockey/recaps/101113aaa.html

Video Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZadhki0OwE

RECORD: 1-1-1 (0-0 ECAC)

-----

RPI vs. Northeastern

Non-Conference Game – Houston Field House (Troy, NY)

10/12/13 - 4:00pm

Northeastern 2, RPI 1

BOX SCORES: 

College Hockey Stats: http://collegehockeystats.net/1314/boxes/wnoeren1.o12

RPI: http://www.rpiathletics.com/boxscore.aspx?id=3922&path=whock

RECAPS:

RPI: http://www.rpiathletics.com/news/2013/10/12/WICE_1012132242.aspx

NU: http://gonu.com/news/2013/10/12/WHKY_1012130348.aspx

Video Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Knox0CKftao

RECORD: 1-2-1 (0-0 ECAC)

-----

Upcoming Games

Oct. 19 - Vermont (3pm)

Oct. 25 - at UConn (2pm)

Oct. 26 - at UConn (2pm)

Nov. 1 - Harvard (7pm)

Nov. 2 - Dartmouth (4pm)

Three Days of Hockey!

It's the first full weekend of hockey that counts for the Engineers, with the women kicking off the home portion of the schedule on Friday and Saturday and the men getting the games that count underway on the road on Saturday and Sunday.

The women open their home games with contests against #7 Boston University tonight at 7pm (it's "pack the house night," so hit the Field House if you can get there) and then host Northeastern tomorrow afternoon. Tonight is obviously going to be a big challenge for the Engineers, but it's in those tough non-conference games that you earn the grit to gut out important league wins.

The men, meanwhile, open with a game in Bridgeport, CT against the Sacred Heart Pioneers, a game that they absolutely must win if they're going to inspire the confidence most pundits have in them this season. That game is at 1pm on Saturday and it's totally free admission-wise if you can get down to southern CT. (We may be unable to live-tweet this game, unfortunately, but we'll try to provide updates when and where possible.)

The weekend concludes with a rare trip to #4 Boston College, which is also their home opener. The Eagles lost 3-1 to Michigan last night, so you know they're going to be slightly amped not wanting to open their season 0-2.

You'd have to be clinically dead not to be pumped up for the first full weekend, especially three days worth, but in case you need a helping hand, here's a classic pumpup track that's pushing a quarter-century old... but definitely works.

 

2013-14 Women's Hockey Schedule

We pieced together most of this schedule on Twitter over the last couple of weeks, but the full official schedule was released last week. So here it is. This year's schedule includes just three non-conference games at home (eight are on the road), but there are a couple of earlier opportunities to see the team play non-ECAC squads with a pair of exhibitions in late September - the official opening of the RPI hockey season.

Friday games are at 7pm and Saturday games are at 4pm unless otherwise indicated.

September
Sunday, 22 September - OTTAWA JR. SENATORS, 1pm (exhibition)
Monday, 23 September - BROCK, 3pm (exhibition)

October
Friday, 4 October - at Robert Morris
Saturday, 5 October - at Robert Morris, 3pm
Friday, 11 October - BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Saturday, 12 October - NORTHEASTERN
Saturday, 19 October - VERMONT, 3pm
Friday, 25 October - at UConn, 2pm
Saturday, 26 October - at UConn, 2pm

November
Friday, 1 November - HARVARD*
Saturday, 2 November - DARTMOUTH*
Friday, 8 November - at Cornell*
Saturday, 9 November - at Colgate*
Friday, 15 November - YALE*
Saturday, 16 November - BROWN*
Friday, 29 November - at St. Cloud State, 4pm
Saturday, 30 November - at St. Cloud State

December
Friday, 06 December - at Princeton*
Saturday, 07 December - at Quinnipiac*

January
Saturday, 04 January - at Providence, 7pm
Sunday, 05 January - at Providence, 4pm
Friday, 10 January - QUINNIPIAC*
Saturday, 11 January - PRINCETON*
Friday, 17 January - UNION*
Saturday, 18 January - at Union*
Friday, 24 January - at Dartmouth*
Saturday, 25 January - at Harvard,* 5pm
Friday, 31 January - ST. LAWRENCE*

February
Saturday, 01 February - CLARKSON*
Friday, 07 February - at Brown*
Saturday, 08 February - at Yale*
Friday, 14 February - COLGATE*
Saturday, 15 February - CORNELL* (Senior Night)
Friday, 21 February - at Clarkson*
Saturday, 22 February - at St. Lawrence*
Friday, 28 February - ECAC Quarterfinals Game 1 (at campus sites)

March
Saturday, 01 March - ECAC Quarterfinals Game 2 (at campus sites)
Sunday, 02 March - ECAC Quarterfinals Game 3 (if necessary, at campus sites)
Saturday, 08 March - ECAC Semifinals (at highest seed)
Sunday, 09 March - ECAC Championship (at highest semifinal seed)
Sat-Sun, 15-16 March - NCAA Quarterfinals (at campus sites)
Friday, 21 March - NCAA Frozen Four (Hamden, CT)
Sunday, 23 March - NCAA Championship (Hamden, CT)

Know Your Enemy: Boston University

It's something more than a new era on Commonwealth Avenue. It's a separation from a 40-year legacy left by one of the greatest coaches in the history of college hockey. While there was BU hockey before Jack Parker (they won their first two national championships before his tenure began), it does feel odd for the Terriers to be moving on without the coach with the most career wins with a single program leading the way.

Boston University
Nickname: Terriers
Location: Boston, MA
Founded: 1839
Conference: Hockey East
National Championships: 5 (1971, 1972, 1978, 1995, 2009)
Last NCAA Appearance: 2012
Last Frozen Four: 2009
Coach: David Quinn (1st season)
2012-13 Record: 21-16-2 (15-10-2 Hockey East, 3rd place)
Series: BU leads, 34-29-3
First Game: March 14, 1953 (Colorado Springs, CO)
Last RPI win: December 11, 2010 (Troy, NY)
Last BU win: January 4, 2013 (Boston, MA)

2013-14 game: October 18, 2013 (Boston, MA)

Key players: F Sahir Gill, sr.; D Patrick MacGregor, sr.; D Garrett Noonan, sr.; F Cason Hohmann, jr.; D Alexx Privitera, jr.; F Evan Rodrigues, jr.; D Matt Grzelcyk, so.; F Sam Kurker, so.; G Sean Maguire, so.; D Ahti Oksanen, so.; G Matt O'Connor, so.; F Danny O'Regan, so.; F Robbie Baillargeon, fr.; F Brendan Collier, fr.; F Kevin Duane, fr.; D Doyle Somerby, fr.

Previous KYE installments:

• 2010-11
• 2012-13

There's practically nothing that could be more apparent in terms of change than in a program having its first new coach in 40 seasons. That's what the Terriers now have with Quinn taking control of a program that has had continuity in the captain's chair since 1973, when Parker replaced former RPI coach Leon Abbott early in the 1973-74 season.

Changing coaches can result in a change in direction for a program, even programs used to being among the best in the nation on a regular basis like BU. With Quinn, however, the chances of a precipitous fall seem low. Once a highly-touted defenseman drafted in the first round of the 1984 NHL Draft by Minnesota, Quinn was diagnosed with Christmas disease, a type of hemophilia, in 1987, which cut short his hockey career (although with medication, he played in the minors in the early 1990s). Quinn has been coaching since the 1990s, spending time as an assistant at Northeastern, Nebraska-Omaha, and BU over the years - he was an assistant on the 2009 national championship team. He also worked in development at USA Hockey.

In 2009, following the Terriers' crown, he gained his first head coaching gig in the AHL as the coach of the Lake Erie Monsters in Cleveland, where he spent three seasons before becoming an assistant coach with the Monsters' NHL team, the Colorado Avalanche, in 2012. Quinn's announcement as Parker's replacement was swift following BU's season, and there was little turbulence in the first transition of power in 40 years.

On the ice, the Terriers will look very similar to the team that just barely missed out on both a Hockey East championship and an NCAA tournament bid. Eight of the team's top 10 scorers from last season return, though the losses of Matt Nieto, who will forgo his senior season for an NHL contract, and Wade Megan, who graduated, will hurt a little, as they were the top two goal scorers last year.

Still, there's plenty of firepower to be had: Rodrigues did everything but score against RPI last season as part of a breakout sophomore year, and big things are expected from O'Regan, Hohmann, and Gill this year. Defensively, the Terriers should be in good shape as long as Privitera  who was shut down late last season for disciplinary reasons, can return. In net, BU platooned their freshman goaltenders last year, neither standing head and shoulders above the other. Expect that to continue into this season unless O'Connor or Maguire can firmly establish themselves as the top choice.

And, of course, BU being BU, they've got a few solid recruits coming into the program as it turns the page. Baillargeon, Somerby, and Collier were all drafted in 2012, and figure to be solid contributors out of the gate.

Whether the long-time RPI/BU non-conference series will continue without Parker (who was fond of playing RPI regularly) is unknown, but the "tradition" continues this season with a second consecutive year playing at Agganis Arena. Last year's 3-2 overtime victory for the Terriers was the first for BU over the Engineers in the building, but RPI played tough as they always do against their friendly rivals from Boston. The Tute will be without goaltender Bryce Merriam, who frequently gave BU fits, but this should be another outstanding edition of this long-running set given what both teams return to the equation this season. It should be a tough game for both sides that will likely mete out trouble spots for either team early in the campaign.

Tentative 2013-14 Men's Hockey Schedule

Here it is, the tentative schedule for next year. The exhibition game in October should be against a Canadian school as usual, the game against Boston College is rumored to be part of a doubleheader with BU/Cornell at Madison Square Garden (if it doesn't pan out, the game will likely take place in Chestnut Hill), and the second opponent in the Minnesota tournament in January is not known for sure, though it is believed the first opponent will be the Golden Gophers. Freakout! is presumed to be Brown, given the usual time of year for the event, though Harvard and Clarkson are outside possibilities.

Game times are at 7pm unless otherwise indicated, but are subject to change due to television scheduling.

October
Saturday, 05 October - EXHIBITION
Saturday, 12 October - at Sacred Heart (Bridgeport, CT)
Sunday, 13 October - at Boston College (time TBD)
Friday, 18 October - at Boston University
Saturday, 19 October - SACRED HEART (Parents Weekend)
Saturday, 26 October - NEW HAMPSHIRE

November
Friday, 01 November - at Harvard*
Saturday, 02 November - at Dartmouth*
Friday, 08 November - CORNELL* (Black Friday)
Saturday, 09 November - COLGATE*
Friday, 15 November - at Union*
Saturday, 16 November - UNION*
Friday, 22 November - at Mercyhurst
Saturday, 23 November - at Mercyhurst

December
Friday, 06 December - QUINNIPIAC*
Saturday, 07 December - PRINCETON* (4pm)
Friday, 13 December - DENVER
Saturday, 14 December - DENVER
Sunday, 15 December - US UNDER-18 TEAM (exhibition)
Friday, 20 December - vs. Union (Albany, NY)

January
Friday, 03 January - at Minnesota (8pm)
Saturday, 04 January - at Minnesota Tournament (Minneapolis, MN) (5pm)
Friday, 10 January - at Princeton*
Saturday, 11 January - at Quinnipiac*
Friday, 24 January - DARTMOUTH*
Saturday, 25 January - HARVARD*
Friday, 31 January - at Clarkson*

February
Saturday, 01 February - at St. Lawrence*
Friday, 07 February - YALE*
Saturday, 08 February - BROWN* (Big Red Freakout!)
Friday, 14 February - at Colgate*
Saturday, 15 February - at Cornell*
Friday, 21 February - ST. LAWRENCE*
Saturday, 22 February - CLARKSON* (Senior Night)
Friday, 28 February - at Brown*

March
Saturday, 01 March - at Yale*
Fri-Sun, 07-09 March - ECAC First Round (at campus sites)
Fri-Sun, 14-16 March - ECAC Quarterfinals (at campus sites)
Friday, 21 March - ECAC Semifinals (Lake Placid, NY)
Saturday, 22 March - ECAC Championship (Lake Placid, NY)
Fri-Sun 28-30 March - NCAA Regionals (Bridgeport, CT; Worcester, MA; Cincinnati, OH; St. Paul, MN)

April
Thursday, 10 April - NCAA Frozen Four (Philadelphia, PA)
Saturday, 12 April - NCAA Championship (Philadelphia, PA)

Men's Hockey - at Boston University and New Hampshire (4/5 Jan)

Sometimes, it's possible to continue making progress even when you lose - not that you really ever want to lose, especially when you've got leads, but for RPI's Hockey East road trip this past weekend, a 3-2 overtime loss to BU followed by a 5-2 loss against a very, very good UNH team can really only be classified as a bad weekend if you think RPI's a national championship contender this year. (Spoiler alert: They aren't.) Nonetheless, despite two losses, there were continued signs of improvement, as well as some high level "things to change" that came out of the weekend.

Boston University
Lee-Laliberte-Haggerty
Higgs-McGowan-Tinordi
Zalewski-Miller-Bubela
Burgdoerfer-Rogic-O'Grady

Leboeuf-Bradley
Leonard-Bokenfohr
Curadi-Dolan

Merriam

Jason Kasdorf's shoulder was no longer slinged, but the decision was made to keep him out for the weekend in order to make sure he was ready to go for the return to ECAC play. Bryce Merriam, who had two wins over BU notched on his belt prior to this season, was given the nod in net for the second straight game as Scott Diebold was suffering the effects of the flu. Also notable was the absence of Nick Bailen, who was benched for what appear to be disciplinary reasons, and Matt Neal, who suffered "whiplash" against Sacred Heart.

Ryan Haggerty got RPI onto the board first with a goal exactly halfway through the first period as he one-timed a pass across the goalmouth into the net to put an end to what was a very sloppy first 10 minutes of the contest with both teams seeming to be unable to link together a couple of passes.

Nonetheless, RPI had the 1-0 edge, but they would hold it for only 5:07 as BU responded with a goal scored on a delayed penalty to Bo Dolan, but before the extra skater could come on. The Terriers attacked a loose puck in the crease, and the goal was allowed to count after review when it was found that a BU player thought to have been in the crease was clear.

C.J. Lee picked up his second goal in as many games in the second period to make it 2-1 RPI, but the middle period was largely dominated by the Terriers. Merriam stood huge in net for the Engineers, stopping all 14 shots he saw in the second period to give him 22 saves on 23 shots after two periods of play, a major reason why RPI was able to take that 2-1 lead into the third period.

That shot domination carried over into the third period as BU again outshot RPI big time, 15-4 in this instance. The Terriers tied it 5:30 into the third, but Merriam's strong play in net again frustrated BU, who went 0-for-5 on the power play, pushing the game into overtime.

The extra period was far more even for as long as it lasted, with both teams having good opportunities to end it in their favor, but eventually BU was able to find Cason Hohmann all alone to Merriam's left, and the Terrier forward was able to skate in towards the net unabated, outwait Merriam, and pot the puck home to give BU the 3-2 overtime victory on their first lead of the night.

It was a heartbreaking ending for an RPI team that produced 1-0 and 2-1 leads on the evening, but at the very least, it proved the Engineers capable of running with a top 10 team.


New Hampshire
Lee-Laliberte-Haggerty
Tinordi-McGowan-Burgdoerfer
Zalewski-Miller-Bubela
Fulton-Rogic-Commers

Leonard-Bailen
Leboeuf-Bradley
Curadi-Dolan

Diebold

More lineup changes were in line the following night as Bailen returned to the lineup, but Brock Higgs and Marty O'Grady, upperclassmen who had been fighting injuries for practically the entire season - and struggling on the ice while playing through them - were pulled out of the lineup to give them the chance to heal better and return when they can be more productive.

Scott Diebold also got the start in net, which Appert called a "gut feeling" with the sophomore having recovered from his illness.

As with the previous night, RPI's best period was in the first. After the Engineers held off a very strong UNH attack off for the game's first ten minutes, the Wildcats got on the board first with what would become a running theme throughout the night - a defenseman down low being left alone and scoring.

About six and a half minutes later, RPI tied it at one with Curtis Leonard's second goal of the season, a laser slapshot from the blue line that found the net top shelf, somehow avoiding all traffic in front of the net. RPI outshot the Wildcats 11-6 in the first period.

The shot differentials weren't as stark after the first period as they had been against BU, but UNH took control nonetheless as RPI, playing its fifth game in nine days, began to wear down over the next two periods. New Hampshire took the lead for good five minutes into the second period on a bouncing puck play, then made it 3-1 a little over two minutes later with another goal by a defenseman down low.

A third defenseman below the faceoff dots helped make it 4-1 just 2:45 into the third, and by that time UNH was able to go into practical lockdown mode. Keeping RPI limited to the perimeter all night long, the Wildcats used their outstanding skill on both sides of the puck to wear down the clock as well as the weary Engineers.

Looking to make something happen with under five minutes to play and down by three, Appert pulled Diebold from the net prior to a faceoff in the UNH zone, but the Wildcats won the draw and promptly put the puck down ice and into the net after just nine seconds, making it 5-1.

Leonard would notch his second of the game in almost the same fashion as the first to grant RPI a degree of pride at the end of the game. The goal came on the power play, marking just the fourth time on the entire season UNH's #1 penalty kill in the nation had given up a power play goal, and boosting the GAA of Casey DeSmith, who entered the game with a GAA of 1.91.

Hard as it must have been to be happy after a three-goal loss, RPI faced adversity in Durham and were ultimately beaten by a better team - indeed, they would have had to have played nearly mistake-free hockey on Saturday night to even have a shot, and while they didn't, they still by and large played well considering all of the circumstances in place - especially that UNH hadn't played the night before.

Other junk - Ranked teams in the ECAC this week include #5 Quinnipiac (swept Dartmouth/Harvard, no change with two first place votes), #12 Dartmouth (swept by Quinnipiac/Princeton, down four), #14 Yale (tied Boston College, up three), #15 Cornell (swept by Denver, down three), #16 Union (swept by Lake Superior State, down three), and #19 Colgate (swept Sacred Heart, previously unranked). No other ECAC teams received votes. Also ranked on the RPI schedule are #4 New Hampshire (no change), #8 Boston University (up one), #11 Minnesota State (up three), and #18 St. Cloud State (down three). Also receiving votes were Ferris State (50) and Mercyhurst (2).

Next up is Quinnipiac, still on its amazing run. They're up to 14 straight games without a loss, and they've won their first 10 ECAC contests. In theory, they could lose the rest of their games this season and still have home ice in the playoffs - and they could statistically be locking up a first round bye if they can sweep RPI and Union this coming weekend. Just a reminder, it's still early January here, people. That's followed by a Princeton team that always plays RPI hard and has completed two home sweeps themselves this season (their only wins of the year in league play). After that it's three more games against ranked opponents, though all in the Capital District. The hits just keep on coming.


ECAC Standings (by winning percentage in parentheses)
1 (1). Quinnipiac - 20 points (10-0-0)
2 (4). Princeton - 11 points (4-3-3)
3 (2). Dartmouth - 9 points (4-3-1)
4 (3). Union - 9 points (3-2-3)
5 (7). Cornell - 8 points (3-3-2)
6 (5). Clarkson - 7 points (3-3-1, +3 GD)
7 (6). Yale - 7 points (3-3-1, -2 GD)
8 (8). Colgate - 7 points (3-4-1, -6 GD)
9 (9). Harvard - 6 points (3-5-0)
10 (10). Brown - 4 points (0-3-4, -3 GD)
11 (11). St. Lawrence - 4 points (1-4-2, -9 GD)
12 (12). RPI - 4 points (1-5-2)


RPI at #9 Boston University
Non-Conference Game - Agganis Arena (Boston, MA)
1/4/13 - 7:30pm

RESULT: Boston University 3, RPI 2 (OT)

BOX SCORES
College Hockey Stats
USCHO

RECAPS
RPI
USCHO
Troy Record
Albany Times Union

RECORD: 6-8-4 (1-5-2 ECAC, 4 points)

RPI at #4 New Hampshire
Non-Conference Game - Whittemore Center (Durham, NH)
1/5/13 - 7:00pm

RESULT: New Hampshire 5, RPI 2

BOX SCORES

College Hockey Stats
USCHO

RECAPS
RPI
Troy Record
Albany Times Union
New Hampshire Union-Leader

RECORD: 6-9-4 (1-5-2 ECAC, 4 points)

Upcoming games
11 Jan - at #5 Quinnipiac
12 Jan - at Princeton
18 Jan - #19 Colgate
19 Jan - #15 Cornell
26 Jan - vs. #16 Union (Albany, NY)

Time For Battle

"Great moments are born from great opportunity. And that's what you have here tonight... Tonight, we skate with them. Tonight, we stay with them. And we shut them down because we can! Tonight, we are the greatest hockey team in the world." - Kurt Russell as Herb Brooks in "Miracle"

Being great doesn't have to be a physical thing - it can be something you believe in. As Henry Ford said, "Whether you believe you can do something or believe you can't, you are right." That's precisely what the Engineers are going to need this weekend in both men's and women's hockey.

The men have been playing great over the last month or so. There's room for improvement, to be sure, but by and large they are a better team than we saw in October and November. Nonetheless, they head into their next-to-last non-conference weekend of the season as decided underdogs against #9 BU and #4 UNH, both of which are coming off of rough outings last weekend and are playing at home. Will they win? It won't be easy.

Can they win? Yes, they can.

The women have no less difficult a task, but at least they get to do it in Troy. Tonight is a matchup with a Dartmouth team that was in the NCAA tournament two years ago and has traditionally been one of the powers of the league. Tomorrow afternoon, it's #4 Harvard, unbeaten and untied in the ECAC coming into the weekend. Will they win? It won't be easy.

Can they win? They've done it to these teams in the past. Yes, they can.

There's nothing wrong with believing. This weekend, we believe in greatness.

Women's Hockey - at BU & Northeastern (12/13 Oct)

After a bit of a slow start in the opening weekend, RPI had a tall challenge on hand this past weekend as they headed to Boston for games against two of the top ten teams in the nation. Despite two hard-fought games, the Engineers were unable to squeak out a win, falling 3-2 to #3 BU on Friday and 1-0 to #8 Northeastern on Saturday.

BU

Smelker/Gruschow/Svoboda
Sanders/Cox/Horton
Padmore/Wash/Mari Mankey
Letuligasenoa/Walsh/Missy Mankey

Daniels/Banks
Godin/Marzario
Middlebrook/Schilter

O'Brien

RPI fell behind early on Friday night and spent the rest of the evening trying to play catch-up, as three first period goals for the Terriers saw the Engineers fall behind 3-0. With RPI shorthanded early in the first, Jenelle Kohanchuk poked a puck past Kelly O'Brien from a scrum in the crease to make it 1-0.

Just before the midway point of the period, Sara Lefort doubled the home team's lead to 2-0 by putting a feed from Jill Cardella past O'Brien. Dakota Woodworth would pick up the eventual game-winner at 17:53, sneaking a bad-angle shot into the net and making it appear that things were quickly getting out of hand for the Engineers.

Eleeza Cox got RPI on the board before the end of the period, picking up the rebound from a Toni Sanders breakaway to cut the BU lead to 3-1 at 19:19.

Cox scored her second of the game just past the midway point of the second, a quick tap-in off a feed from Clare Padmore which made it 3-2. That would be the end of the scoring for both teams, and the Engineers ended the day with comeback bid fallen short and outshot 33-19, including just five shots in a third period which saw them on the power play twice.

Northeastern

Smelker/Gruschow/Svoboda
Padmore/Wash/Mari Mankey
Letuligasenoa/Walsh/Missy Mankey
Cox/Horton

Daniels/Banks
Godin/Marzario
Middlebrook/Schilter

O'Brien

Saturday afternoon saw the Engineers take the ice just 2.5 miles from Friday night's game, at Northeastern's Matthews Arena. It would prove to be a lower-scoring affair, with a single Northeastern goal being the only tally on the afternoon despite an edge for the Engineers in shots and faceoffs, as well as control of much of the afternoon's play.

Taylor Horton had a shorthanded breakaway chance late in the first period which Northeastern's Kelly Desjardins turned aside. A checking call on the Huskies' Jordan Hampton moments later would give the Engineers a power play opportunity, which they were unable to convert on.

The second period was all Northeastern, with the home team outshooting their visitors 13-2 and scoring the game's only tally. Skating into the zone with several teammates, Katie MacSorley put a backhand shot on net which O'Brien knocked back out to the slot where MacSorley was waiting to put her own rebound home for the 1-0 lead.

A pair of penalties on Alexa Gruschow would keep the Engineers penned up in their own zone for most of the latter half of the period, unable to mount any offense in the frame.

For as badly as the Engineers were outworked in the second period, they turned things around dramatically in the third, essentially reversing the shot count to rack up a 12-3 advantage in the frame, but none were able to find the twine. With two power play opportunities in the period already gone, the Engineers got another with less than two minutes left thanks to a checking call on Colleen Murphy.

With the man advantage already, the Engineers pulled O'Brien for the extra attacker but ended up with seven skaters on the ice instead of six, which quickly brought an end to the power play. An elbowing call on Gruschow 30 seconds later sent the Engineers back for a defensive zone draw, now shorthanded, and Northeastern was able to run out the clock without any trouble.

RPI will be back in action next Saturday, hosting Union in a single non-conference game at the Field House at 4pm.

-----

RPI at #3 Boston University
Non-Conference Game – Walter Brown Arena (Boston, MA)
10/12/12 - 7pm
BU 3, RPI 2

BOX SCORES:
USCHO: http://www.uscho.com/box/womens-hockey/2012/10/12/rensselaer-vs-boston-university/
College Hockey Stats: http://collegehockeystats.net/1213/boxes/wbu_ren1.o12

RECAPS:
RPI: http://rpiathletics.com/news/2012/10/12/WICE_1012125643.aspx
BU: http://www.goterriers.com/sports/w-hockey/recaps/101212aaa.html
Video Highlights: http://www.goterriers.com/allaccess/?media=340834

RECORD: 1-1-1

-----

RPI at #8 Northeastern
Non-Conference Game – Matthews Arena (Boston, MA)
10/13/12 - 3pm
Northeastern 1, RPI 0

BOX SCORES:
USCHO: http://www.uscho.com/box/womens-hockey/2012/10/13/rensselaer-vs-northeastern/
College Hockey Stats: http://collegehockeystats.net/1213/boxes/wnoeren1.o13

RECAPS:
RPI: http://rpiathletics.com/news/2012/10/13/WICE_1013124113.aspx
Northeastern: http://gonu.com/news/2012/10/13/WHKY_1013123513.aspx
Video Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV2fZt8SKIc&feature=plcp

RECORD: 1-2-1

-----

Upcoming Games

Oct. 20 - Union (4pm)
Oct. 26 - at St. Lawrence (4pm)
Oct. 27 - at Clarkson (3:30pm)
Oct. 31 - at Vermont (7pm)
Nov. 9 - Princeton (7pm)
Nov. 10 - Quinnipiac (4pm)

Staring Down the Best

You want tough early weekends? We've got two of them to show off to you... in one weekend. (The math works, trust me.)

For the women, a Boston University team two years removed from the national championship game looms large tonight at Agganis Arena - the Terriers have been to the national tournament three years in a row now, and would have to be considered a legitimate national power at this point. It's going to be a tough test for RPI no matter what, especially after a couple of closer games last weekend against a UConn team we probably wanted to be convincing against. Following BU, the Engineers move across town to take on Northeastern tomorrow afternoon.

For the men, it's a weekend with Ferris State for the second straight October, this time in Troy, but also this time with the Bulldogs having come within a game of hoisting the national championship - and this is Ferris State's first competitive hockey game since that experience in Tampa. The Bulldogs won their exhibition last week by a similar 8-2 over Ryerson, so at least last week the offense appeared ready to go, and the team does bring back much of the defense that brought it to the Frozen Four last season. It's a heck of a difficult way to start the season, much the same way RPI did last year with Ferris and Colorado College.

A wise man once said, to be the best, (woo!) you've got to beat the best. Both teams put that to the test this weekend. We'll have the live tweets you need to stay on top of things, but honestly, if you're in Troy or Boston, you should have your tickets in hand already.

Let's rock.

In honor of the winner of our pump-up poll late last month... here's the jam of the moment.

Know Your Enemy: Boston University

For only the third time since 1990, the Engineers and Terriers did not renew their friendly rivalry last season, but given the way the last game between these two sides ended - with some cheap shots on both sides and Jack Parker shouting at the referees on his way off the ice (with cause) - it's probably a good thing that it'll have been two full calendar years since the last time the teams did battle. That's plenty of time for simmering bad blood to cool down, and return things to the way things usually are when RPI and BU face off - a spirited contest that frequently turns out to be anyone's game.

Boston University
Nickname: Terriers
Location: Boston, MA
Founded: 1839
Conference: Hockey East
National Championships: 5 (1971, 1972, 1978, 1995, 2009)
Last NCAA Appearance: 2012
Last Frozen Four: 2009
Coach: Jack Parker (40th season)
2011-12 Record: 23-15-1 (17-9-1 Hockey East, 2nd place)
Series: BU leads, 33-29-3
First Game: March 14, 1953 (Colorado Springs, CO)
Last RPI win: December 11, 2010 (Troy, NY)
Last BU win: January 2, 2009 (Denver, CO)

2012-13 game: January 4, 2013 (Boston, MA)

Key players: F Justin Courtnall, sr.; D Sean Escobedo, sr.; F Wade Megan, sr.; F Matt Nieto, jr.; F Sahir Gill, jr.; D Garrett Noonan, jr.; D Alexx Privitera, so.; D Matt Grzelczyk, fr.; F Sam Kurker, fr.; F Matt Lane, fr.; G Sean Maguire, fr.; F Danny O'Regan, fr.

Previous KYE installment:

• 2010-11

Don't look now, but RPI's home victory in 2010-11 over the Terriers makes it two in a row against the boys from Comm Ave, and the Engineers are unbeaten in four of the last five games against BU. In addition, RPI has won both of the games they've played in BU's Agganis Arena, which opened in 2005. Both of those streaks will be on the line in January.

Since last we saw the Terriers, they have returned themselves to familiar territory. Rebounding from a "dismal" national title defense year in 2010 (which saw them still finish with a winning record), BU put together a better overall season in 2011 but missed the NCAA tournament in consecutive years for the first time since the late 1980s.

Last season, BU returned to their winning ways, completing a 20-win season and returning to the NCAA tournament, but their season ended poorly, with senior Kieran Millan, who had backstopped the Terriers to a national championship as a freshman, giving up 11 goals in his last two games against Maine in the Hockey East semifinals and against Minnesota in the NCAA tournament. BU's defense had been fairly porous down the stretch in general.

The Terriers may have been more notorious last year, however, for their off-ice problems despite their on-ice successes. During the season, two NHL draftees, Corey Trivino and Max Nicastro, were arrested - the former for indecent assault and battery and the latter for rape (though the charges were dropped last month). Trivino, a senior, had been leading BU and Hockey East in scoring at the time, and Nicastro, a junior, was one of the team's top defensemen. Earlier in the season, sophomore standout Charlie Coyle (another NHL draftee) fled the team for major junior in Quebec, Millan had been suspended for skipping class, and Parker himself had to issue an apology after losing his cool with referees on national television.

Despite all of this, BU managed to claim the #1 ranking in the nation for a week in early February after racking up a 14-4-0 record from the middle of November, but the team went just 6-7-0 the remainder of the way.

In addition to losing Nicastro's last year of eligibility and Coyle's last two, the Terriers, no strangers to early departures to the pros, lost top scorer Alex Chiasson and junior-to-be Adam Clendening to pro contracts. In all, seven of the team's 12 NHL draftees that were on the roster coming into the season are now gone due to graduation, expulsion, defection to major junior, or signing pro contracts.

Two of those seven were both of the Terriers' goaltenders, Millan and Grant Rollheiser, which means that BU will be starting from scratch in net to go along with the turmoil and turnover. Maguire appears to have the leg up on becoming the new starter, but he'll likely have to earn it. Defensively, Escobedo and Noonan will be called upon to provide leadership on the blue line.

Once again, as has been the expectation every season, BU brings in a large freshman class that has quite a bit of talent. On offense, Nieto, Gill, and Megan provide the experienced punch that the Terriers will need, and guide a bevy of very talented forwards that arrive this year, especially Kurker and O'Regan.

Overall, the Terriers are a tough team to pin down. On one hand, they are going through a great deal of turnover, and that can have a negative effect on even the most talented of teams. They're going to be young in net and semi-young defensively. However, after 40 years Jack Parker still manages to squeeze some of the best out of his teams, and four years ago he won a national championship with a freshman goaltender. Anything's possible, and it's in Boston, so the Engineers need to be loaded for bear when they reach Commonwealth Avenue.

Tentative Men's 2012-13 Schedule

RPI's tentative 2012-13 schedule has been released in mailers to season ticket holders. Game times are 7pm unless otherwise indicated. ECAC games are starred.

October
Saturday, 6 October - Acadia (Exhibition)
Friday, 12 October - Ferris State
Saturday, 13 October - Ferris State
Friday, 19 October - at Minnesota State
Saturday, 20 October - at Minnesota State
Friday, 26 October - Western Michigan
Saturday, 27 October - Western Michigan

November
Friday, 02 November - Union* (Black Friday)
Saturday, 03 November - at Union*
Friday, 09 November - at Dartmouth*
Saturday, 10 November - at Harvard*
Friday, 16 November - Mercyhurst
Saturday, 17 November - Mercyhurst
Friday, 30 November - Princeton*

December
Saturday, 01 December - Quinnipiac*
Friday, 07 December - at Yale*
Saturday, 08 December - at Brown*
Monday, 31 December - Sacred Heart, 4pm

January
Friday, 04 January - at Boston University
Sunday, 06 January - at New Hampshire, 4pm
Friday, 11 January - at Quinnipiac*
Saturday, 12 January - at Princeton, 4pm*
Friday, 18 January - Colgate*
Saturday, 19 January - Cornell*
Saturday, 26 January - vs. Union (site TBD)

February
Friday, 01 February - Harvard*
Saturday, 02 February - Dartmouth*
Friday, 08 February - at St. Lawrence*
Saturday, 09 February - at Clarkson*
Friday, 15 February - Brown*
Saturday, 16 February - Yale*
Friday, 22 February - at Cornell*
Saturday, 23 February - at Colgate*

March
Friday, 01 March - Clarkson*
Saturday, 02 March - St. Lawrence* (Senior Night)
Fri-Sun, 08-10 March - ECAC First Round (at higher seeds)
Fri-Sun, 15-17 March - ECAC Quarterfinals (at higher seeds)
Friday, 22 March - ECAC Semifinals (Atlantic City, NJ)
Saturday, 23 March - ECAC Championship (Atlantic City, NJ)
Fri-Sun, 29-31 March - NCAA Regionals (Providence, RI; Manchester, NH; Toledo, OH; Grand Rapids, MI)

April
Thursday, 11 April - NCAA Frozen Four (Pittsburgh, PA)
Saturday, 13 April - NCAA Championship (Pittsburgh, PA)

This may be subject to change, especially if the Engineers end up hosting St. Cloud State, as the recent rumor out of Central Minnesota indicated. They do, however, have all 34 regular season games covered at present.

It is suspected that the third Union game may take place at the Times Union Center in Albany, subject to the AHL schedule for the Albany Devils.

The 36th Freakout! is likely to take place against either Dartmouth or Yale.

Unless something changes, or the Engineers reach the NCAA Tournament, Western Michigan will be the last CCHA team to face RPI. They would be favorites to also be the first NCHC team to face RPI in 2013-14 given the Engineers' almost certain return trip that season, unless fellow NCHCers St. Cloud State are also on the schedule that season.

The women's schedule generally isn't known until late in the summer, but based on previous schedules we can estimate that they will open the season with an exhibition in the afternoon on September 29, and should probably have non-conference weekends at Syracuse and Robert Morris and one at home against UConn. RPI has had four straight seasons of non-conference weekends against Niagara, it is unknown if that will continue.

Expect the women's season to wrap up the weekend of February 22/23. The 2013 Women's Frozen Four takes place at Ridder Arena on the campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, MN, taking place March 22 and 24.

Men's Hockey - Boston University (11 Dec)

There's no time like a game on national television to make a statement, and that's exactly what the RPI Engineers did this weekend with their lone outing at home against the BU Terriers. With Time Warner's cameras broadcasting their exploits around North America, RPI came through with a solid 4-1 victory partially spoiled by a ridiculous display by the referees, but ultimately earned on the ice with good hustle and outstanding special teams play.

Boston University
Angers-Goulet/Rogic/Brutlag
Cullen/Polacek/Helfrich
Lee/Higgs/Rabbani
Tinordi/Malchuk/Burgdoerfer

Bergin/Foss
Bailen/Dolan
Koudys/Leboeuf

York

The big news at the outset was the return of C.J. Lee and Joel Malchuk, fully one half of the injured quartet that was out against Yale and Brown. There was a bit of good news about John Kennedy as well - he has had his cast removed. He probably won't play next week in the exhibition as a precaution, but he may well be back in time for the Alabama-Huntsville games. Marty O'Grady, however, is an unknown going forward.

The game got off to a rough start for RPI as Joel Malchuk and Guy Leboeuf were each called for tripping early on, giving BU a short 5-on-3 power play opportunity. The penalty kill was up to the challenge though, and the Engineers escaped unharmed. Two minute later, a BU penalty set up RPI's first chance on the man advantage, but a penalty to Pat Koudys for interference just a minute later negated the chance and eventually gave BU it's third power play opportunity only midway through the first period.

That was when the Engineers struck. A clearing pass out of the zone by Mike Bergin was taken by Lee, who raced forward with Malchuk. The two players returning from injury raced into the attacking zone two-on-two, with Lee making a drop pass to Malchuk, who promptly blasted it from near the top of the zone, beating BU's Grant Rollheiser to put the Engineers up 1-0 on a shorthanded tally.

In the final minute of the first period, BU defenseman David Warsofsky was called on a cross-checking call that put RPI on its 2nd power play of the game, and the Engineers responded quickly. Tyler Helfrich scored his 9th goal of the season after being left all alone on the doorstep to Rollheiser's right. He one-timed a cycling pass from Chase Polacek to give RPI a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission.

Right off the bat in the second period, another BU penalty led to an RPI goal. Polacek scored with one of his signature "one-timer near the goal line from a sick angle" shots for his 8th goal of the year to make it 3-0. After the next whistle, BU coach Jack Parker decided that 3 goals on 13 shots was too much, and pulled Rollheiser in favor of his classmate, Kieran Millan. The move did seem to get the Terriers back into things, as the game opened up and became more of a two-way affair than the one-sided tilt the Engineers had turned it into at that point.

Midway through the period, BU's Matt Nieto got a great breakaway opportunity to score, but was stoned cold by Allen York to keep the shutout intact. Each team got a power play chance following the Polacek goal, but neither scored until Wade Megan was able to put back a big rebound that York had let up, putting the Terriers on the board and ending the night for York's stick, as he smashed it against the pipe out of frustration for giving up the rebound. For the remainder of the period - a good four minutes - momentum was definitely in BU's favor.

The 3-1 score carried over into the third period, where things really started to get out of hand. The referees, led by Bryan Hicks of Union wave-off fame, appeared ready to swallow their whistles, but it was a bad move given the myriad calls that had not been made for both teams in the first two periods, and the smattering of bogus calls both teams were called for as well. The game had already been chippy, but it got much worse during the third period. The Terriers worked hard looking for another goal to put them back in the thick of things, but Allen York did what he has increasingly been able to do - clamp things down. He made another big breakaway save during the period to preserve the 2-goal lead.

Things definitively unraveled late in the period after an interference call against BU. It was one of those "had to" penalties, given that the Engineers had come into the zone on a lightening-fast 3-on-0, which you don't see every day. The penalty came with about two-and-a-half minutes left in the 3rd, putting a serious damper on BU's ability to come back. Then, the referees lost control of the game, as BU's frustrations began to boil over. Parker's argument with the referees after the interference call - more than likely, an argument stemming from things not called rather than the actual call - resulted in a bench minor to go along with the interference, putting RPI on a 5-on-3 for two minutes holding the 2-goal lead.

Less than a minute later, BU was whistled again for cross-checking (which was really iffy given that they were already down a player) and the brawling began. No player was issued a game DQ, but several were sent to the locker rooms early, including Lee, Nick Bailen, and BU's Alex Chiasson.

About a minute later, as the 5-on-3 was about to expire, Bryan Brutlag scored on a one-timer in the slot to make it 4-1, putting the seal on the victory. In the immediate aftermath, Warsofsky was shown the gate. Seconds after the ensuing faceoff, Bo Dolan was called for roughing, and seconds after that, a 5-minute major and a game misconduct was assessed to BU's Garrett Noonan for grasping the facemask in another scrum with 16 seconds left. The game was essentially over, but the referees had lost control well before. Jack Parker was furious after the final horn, talking to one of the linesmen during the hand-shake and making a sarcastic gesture to Bryan Hicks, a move which saw him slapped with a game misconduct of his own at the 20:00 mark of the 3rd period.

The ugliness and the terrible officiating aside, it was a monster mid-season win for RPI hockey, scoring a solid victory against one of the top teams in the nation - a team which was ranked #1 just a few weeks ago. The win continued the Engineers' unbeaten streak at Houston Field House this season to 7-0-0.

Next up for the Engineers is a bit of a treat - they play an exhibition this Sunday against the US Junior Team in their first preparation game for the World Junior Championships in Buffalo, which run from December 26 to January 5 at the Sabres' HSBC Arena and Niagara's Dwyer Arena. This is the team on which Jerry D'Amigo won a gold medal last year - and D'Amigo will be back to lead the United States in its quest for a second straight gold. This game will be something of a valedictory for D'Amigo at the Field House. Expect an ovation for the Toronto Marlies forward when he is announced on Sunday. If you're going to be in the Capital District, you are advised not to miss it.

Other junk - The upward mobility continues for the Engineers; another week, another rise in the polls. The win over BU propelled RPI up one place to #14 in the nation. The loss was a bit more of a hit for the Terriers, however, as they dropped three to #10. Other ECAC teams ranked this week are #1 Yale (up to 45/50 first place votes, idle) and #12 Union (up one, blew out AIC and Army at home). Ex-#19 Dartmouth dropped out after just one week as a ranked team after losing to one-win Vermont last night. #20 Colorado College is ranked for the first time in over a month. Other RPI opponents receiving votes are Clarkson (41, the second straight week with the most votes for an unranked team), Dartmouth (36), Princeton (23), and Niagara (1).

With a goal and two assists on Saturday, Chase Polacek has seven points in the last two games. His goal tied him with Don Hearns '75 and Brian Ferreira '90 for 33rd in RPI history with 134 points, and he is now tied with Trevor Kaye '62 for 32nd with 135 points. Next on the list, tied for 30th, are two big names - Mo Mosco '55 and Richard Scammell '69, who have 137 points each.

Joel Malchuk's second goal of the year was also his second shorthanded goal of the year. He is one of only 17 players in the nation with multiple shorties on the season.

The Capital District may be turning into Fort Neverlose. RPI and Union are a combined 14-0-1 at home this season - the lone blemish being Union's tie with UConn.

The ECAC league schedule is finished for 2010, it picks back up on January 3 with a travel-partner game between Quinnipiac and Princeton in New Jersey, then goes to a full 12-game weekend January 7th and 8th.

ECAC Standings
1. Yale - 6-0-0 (12 pts)
2. Princeton - 6-3-0 (12 pts)
3. Dartmouth - 5-2-1 (11 pts)
4. Clarkson - 4-2-1 (9 pts)
5. Quinnipiac - 4-5-1 (9 pts)
6. Union - 3-2-1 (7 pts)
7. RPI - 3-3-0 (6 pts)
8. St. Lawrence - 3-4-0 (6 pts)
9. Brown - 2-3-1 (5 pts)
10. Cornell - 2-4-0 (4 pts)
11. Harvard - 2-7-0 (4 pts)
12. Colgate - 0-5-1 (1 pt)

Adjusted Standings
1. Yale (1.000)
2. Dartmouth (.688)
3. Princeton (.667)
4. Clarkson (.643)
5. Union (.583)
6. RPI (.500)
7. Quinnipiac (.450)
8. St. Lawrence (.429)
9. Brown (.417)
10. Cornell (.333)
11. Harvard (.222)
12. Colgate (.083)

#7 Boston University at #15 RPI
Nonconference Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
12/11/10 - 3:30pm

RESULT: RPI 4, Boston University 1

BOX SCORES
College Hockey Stats
USCHO

RECAPS
RPI
Troy Record
Albany Times Union
BU Daily Free Press
Boston Herald
College Hockey News
Inside Hockey

VIDEO
Goals (no audio, includes one York breakaway save)
Post-game interviews

RECORD: 9-4-3 (3-3-0 ECAC, 6 pts)

Reale Deals
1. G Allen York, 28 saves
2. F Chase Polacek, 1 G, 2 A
3. D Nick Bailen, 2 A, 5 shots

Upcoming games
19 Dec - US Junior National Team (exhibition)
30 Dec - at Alabama-Huntsville
31 Dec - at Alabama-Huntsville
07 Jan - Clarkson
08 Jan - St. Lawrence

Boston Terriers Are Not Scary

See? Very cute and not scary.

And this is coming from fans of a team called the "Engineers." So of course, it's all in good fun.

As was last night's game. Getting past the awful officiating that marred the whole thing and especially the waning moments (and what else can you really expect from a game officiated by Bryan Hicks at this point?), RPI looks primed. They played as a team against a squad loaded with talent and while BU didn't appear to play their best game, they're nothing to shake a stick at. It was a solid victory for the home team, which is now 7-0-0 inside the friendly confines of Houston Field House.

And don't look now, but if the season ended today, 9 of RPI's 16 games thus far would be against teams playing in the national tournament. It should come as no surprise that the Engineers' schedule to date is rated as the toughest in the ECAC - or that their 9-4-3 record sees them ranked 9th in the nation according to KRACH.

When asked if this was a signature win for the team, Allen York (28 saves, including two on the breakaway) had the right response. "You know, it could be...but at the end of the day it's still a regular season win so I hope not."

Strap in and hold on. This could get exciting.