Showing posts with label curtis leonard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label curtis leonard. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Men's Hockey - UPEI (4 Oct)

As usual, the Engineers got their season started with an exhibition contest against a Canadian team, and as usual, there were a number of things that can be said about the game. It was physical. It was sloppy. It was full of encouraging signs. It was meaningless in the end. There are no conclusions to be drawn from RPI's 5-2 victory over the University of Prince Edward Island, but there are certainly some highlights worth mentioning.

UPEI
Neal-Laliberte-Bourbonnais
Nanne-McGowan-Schroeder
Wood-Liljegren-Melanson
Fulton-Miller-DeVito
Hampton

Leonard-Bokenfohr
Curadi-Prapavessis
Wilson-Bradley
Bell-Reno

Kasdorf

The only players who didn't suit up for this game were Milos Bubela and Kenny Gillespie. Tough to say if there are any issues there, as you can only fit so many players on a bench - the only real limitation to who dresses for an exhibition. There was also one change in position, as Phil Hampton participated in the game as a center, a departure from his position as a defenseman during his first two seasons in Troy.

After a sloppy opening 10 minutes to the game that featured quite a lot of missed passes and blown opportunities by both teams, PEI was first on the board with a goal scored at point blank range by Tyler Brown, one of two Americans on the Panthers. He capitalized on a pass from behind the RPI net from Darcy Ashley, who had picked an Engineer's pocket in order to create the opportunity.

The Engineers finished the first period with a bang, however, as Lou Nanne scored six minutes later to tie the game, and then a goal by Matt Neal picking up a rebound from a shot by a coast-to-coast moving Riley Bourbonnais with about 40 seconds left in the first to send the teams back to the locker room at 2-1.

RPI continued the momentum early in the second period, as freshman Viktor Liljegren scored just 11 seconds into the game's first power play for either team to make it 3-1, a scoreline that was maintained throughout much of the middle frame.

With about six minutes left to play in the second, an open ice hit by Jake Wood on Spencer Metcalfe set in motion events that would have lasting reprecussions on the rest of the game. Wood's hit completely upended Metcalfe and created a huge cheer from the crowd. Metcalfe then sought out Wood for retribution, and got a minor penalty for charging for his trouble.

The Engineers didn't score on that power play opportunity, but as the period drew to a close, Curtis Leonard scored on a blistering slapshot from the point to make the score 4-1.

PEI's Brock Beukeboom, about a minute later, decided to take his own run at Wood, delivering a vicious elbow that earned him a five minute major with 9 seconds left in the second period. Wood skated back to the locker room, but would return in the third. The major carried over into the final period, and late in RPI's power play is when all hell broke loose.

In the corner behind the PEI net, Panthers defenseman Nelson Armstrong fell down on the puck, and multiple RPI forwards tried to pry it loose. That led to a serious scuffle and some wrestling on the ice that quickly included PEI goaltender Mavric Parks, as the Panthers, down a man, sought to even things up. Parks would be thrown out of the game for facemasking, while Bourbonnais picked up a double minor for slashing and roughing and Jimmy DeVito was given a minor for roughing.

The Parks penalty brought with it another five minute major, and late in that penalty - only one minute of which the Engineers actually had a power play, due to the Bourbonnais penalty - Leonard scored again on a long slapper, this one from a little closer to the net at the top of a faceoff circle, putting RPI ahead 5-1.

A minute and a half later, the Wood/Metcalfe saga came to an end when, after more pushing and shoving between the two, the referees simply awarded both 10-minute misconducts, effectively ending their night.

PEI pulled one back minutes later, beating Scott Diebold (who played the second half of the game) to make it 5-2, but that was as close as they would get. Overall, both goaltenders played well for the Engineers, and after the first 10 minutes were over, RPI's defensive corps produced some strong two-way play, which is expected to be part of their gameplan this season.

Next up for the Engineers is a trip to Notre Dame for the annual Icebreaker tournament. This will be RPI's third time playing in the Icebreaker. They'll face the home team on Friday, then either Minnesota - the top ranked team in the nation - or Minnesota-Duluth on Sunday.

UPEI at RPI
Exhibition Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
10/4/14 - 7:00pm

RESULT: RPI 5, UPEI 2


RECORD: 0-0-0

Upcoming games
10 Oct - at #12 Notre Dame
12 Oct - vs. #1 Minnesota/Minnesota-Duluth (South Bend, IN)
17 Oct - at #18 Denver
18 Oct - at #18 Denver
24 Oct - Bentley

Monday, January 7, 2013

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
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)

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Men's Hockey - American International (10 Jan), at Union (14 Jan)

What a difference four days makes. Less than a week after finally getting the monkey off their back with a mid-week win over American International (3-1) that snapped a seven-game winless streak, the Engineers backslid considerably on Saturday, getting overwhelmed early with a long two-man penalty kill followed by two shorthanded goals given up on consecutive power plays, falling to Union 5-1 in a game they never really were in.

American International
Lee/Higgs/Schroeder 
Neal/McGowan/Haggerty
Laliberte/O'Grady/Tinordi
Cullen/Malchuk/Rabbani
Burgdoerfer

Leonard/Bergin
Leboeuf/Bailen
Koudys

Merriam

Following the tie against Harvard that snapped a losing streak of six straight, RPI played its final non-conference game of the season on a Tuesday without school being in session - it made for a pretty empty Field House to begin the game (plus no band), although the final attendance did reach over 3,000, which is impressive considering all of that and the team's record.

Alex Angers-Goulet suffered a leg injury against Harvard and was out of action - a sickness affecting a few undisclosed members of the team also had an effect on the lineup, which led to 13 forwards and 5 defensemen dressing for the game against the Yellow Jackets.

RPI dominated play throughout the first two periods as we have rarely seen them dominate all year. Through the first 40 minutes, the Engineers uncorked 31 shots, while Bryce Merriam saw only 6 - three in each period - on the other end of the ice. However, some very solid play by AIC goaltender Ben Meisner kept RPI from scoring in the first period despite 14 shots on goal. He kept the Engineers out of the net for the first 13 minutes or so of the second period as well; although RPI thoroughly controlled the game, it was 0-0 halfway through.

The Engineers finally broke through with a shot right off a faceoff win from the point. Marty O'Grady won a draw in the AIC zone back to Curtis Leonard, whose shot beat a screened Meisner for the freshman's first career goal and point, making it 1-0 RPI.

Another blast from the point made it 2-0 about five minutes later, as Greg Burgdoerfer found Nick Bailen at the blue line, and the junior defenseman ripped a shot that was saved by Meisner, but C.J. Lee, who had been robbed on a similar play by  Cab Morris against Dartmouth just a few days earlier, swatted home the rebound into an open net.

AIC found some life in the third period, as they began to control the puck more frequently. RPI had only 6 shots on goal in the final 20 minutes, while the Yellow Jackets pushed to get themselves back into the game, which they did on a 4-on-4 goal with three minutes left to play, cutting the RPI lead in half and placing things in doubt. Meisner was pulled from the net, and AIC had some good chances to draw level, but eventually Joel Malchuk scored RPI's first empty net goal of the season with 28 seconds remaining to seal the Engineers' fourth win of the season.

Regardless of the win, there was much to dislike about the game. RPI was 0-for-6 on the power play and could only manage two goals despite a total domination of the first two periods.

Union
Lee/Higgs/Schroeder 
Neal/McGowan/Haggerty
Laliberte/O'Grady/Tinordi
Rabbani/Malchuk/Burgdoerfer

Leonard/Bergin  
Leboeuf/Bailen
Curadi/Koudys

Diebold

It was hoped that the victory would give the Engineers the push they needed to bounce back into league play with a push for home ice, but it was not to be on Saturday in Schenectady. Although Union had been through a tough outdoor game the previous night in Boston (a 2-0 win over Harvard at Fenway Park), they appeared no worse for the wear against a relatively rested RPI squad.

The Engineers dressed 13 forwards for the pre-game warmup, and Patrick Cullen was removed from the lineup as a game-time decision.

If it could go wrong for RPI early on, it did. Matt Tinordi picked up a hitting from behind penalty just 2:13 into the game, and after getting burned on a move in his own zone, Curtis Leonard added a holding penalty 18 seconds later, giving Union a long 5-on-3. While the Dutchmen technically didn't capitalize on the two-man advantage, they scored two seconds after Tinordi's penalty expired, too early for RPI to add the fourth skater back to the defensive scheme, so it was functionally a 5-on-3 goal that put Union ahead 1-0.

It only got worse as RPI ostensibly got opportunities to draw even. On the Engineers' first power play chance three minutes later, a lazy effort moving down ice ended with Union moving quickly in transition and netting a shorthanded goal to make it 2-0. Four minutes after that, RPI's second power play resulted in yet another shorthanded goal, this one from an exceptionally lackadaisical pass in the defensive zone that caused a turnover right in front of Scott Diebold, who had no chance as Union went up 3-0 after about 13 minutes of play.

That was a bridge too far for the Engineers, but Union dominated play in the first two periods almost as much as RPI had against AIC - the only difference being that they managed goals during that domination. Another power play goal came in the latter half of the second period, making it 4-0.

RPI supposedly put 40 shots on net - a questionable tally - and got only one goal, oddly enough, coming in a shorthanded situation as Nick Bailen scored his fourth goal of the season with six minutes left to play, but by this time it was far too late. Union added an empty netter four minutes later for the final tally.

Both teams officially combined for 80 shots in the game (40 each), which again is questionable, but it does at least underscore perhaps the one player who had an OK game for the Engineers - Scott Diebold. He did not give up a single goal at even strength and was hung out to dry completely on three of the four goals he allowed.

RPI heads back on the road next weekend to face an unpredictable Brown team and an also-down-on-their-luck Yale squad. Time is running out for a turnaround.

Other junk - Ranked teams on the RPI schedule this week are #7 Notre Dame (down four), #9 Cornell (no change), #11 Colorado College (down three), #12 Union (up two), #13 Ferris State (no change), #14 UMass-Lowell (down three) and #18 Colgate (down six). Also receiving votes were Quinnipiac (15), Harvard (6), Minnesota State (4) and RIT (2).

The Engineers are now 6 points behind the rest of the field. To show how big of a gap that is, 11th place Dartmouth and St. Lawrence are 7 points behind first place. 8th place, the last home ice spot, is 7 points out as well. Not looking good for hockey at Houston Field House past Senior Night.

ECAC Standings (by win% in parentheses)
1 (1). Cornell - 16 pts (7-1-2)
2 (2). Union - 15 pts (6-2-3)
3 (8). Quinnipiac - 14 pts (5-5-4)
4 (3). Colgate - 12 pts (6-4-0)
5 (11). Princeton - 12 pts (5-8-2)
6 (4). Yale - 11 pts (5-4-1)
7 (7). Clarkson - 11 pts (4-4-3)
8 (6). Brown - 10 pts (4-4-2)
9 (9). Harvard - 10 pts (3-3-4)
10 (5). Dartmouth - 9 pts (4-4-1)
11 (10). St. Lawrence - 9 pts (4-6-1)
12 (12). RPI - 3 pts (1-8-1)

American International at RPI
Non-Conference Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
1/10/12- 7:00pm
RESULT: RPI 3, American International 1

BOX SCORES

RECAPS

RECORD: 4-16-1 (1-7-1 ECAC, 3 pts)

RPI at #14 Union
ECAC Game -  Achilles Center (Schenectady, NY)
1/14/12 - 7:00pm
RESULT: Union 5, RPI 1

BOX SCORES

RECAPS

RECORD: 4-17-1 (1-8-1 ECAC, 3 pts)

Upcoming games
20 Jan - at Brown
21 Jan - at Yale
27 Jan - St. Lawrence
28 Jan - Clarkson
03 Feb - #9 Cornell