Men's Hockey - McGill (2 Oct)

It's not a guarantee that a game full of penalties is going to be a snoozer. Sometimes it's an indication of a really raucous, hard hitting contest. When it's an exhibition game, it's probably more likely than not to be boring if it's full of penalties, and that's pretty much exactly what we got from RPI's "first" game on Sunday night against McGill. 29 penalties for 85 minutes made for a very uneven contest between a pair of teams that didn't have much of an investment in the final outcome once the final whistle blew. RPI alone picked up 16 penalties and went on the penalty kill 13 times, but still managed to come away with a 3-0 victory over the Redmen.

McGill
Liljegren-Bourbonnais-Wiffen
Ohrvall-Tironese-DeVito
Marrello-Melanson-Rodriguez
Wood-Hayhurst-Polino

Wilson-Reno
Prapavessis-Grant
Manley-Reilly
Bell-Samec

Perry

The only scratches were Max Reisinger (who isn't officially cleared to play yet, but should hopefully be cleared this week), Lou Nanne (sick, but not long term), Meirs Moore and Sam Rappaport (who likely just didn't have bench space in an exhibition).

The aforementioned penalties came early and often. Tommy Grant was called for hooking just 70 seconds into the game, and that stretch may have been one of the longer stretches of 5x5 play for the entire game. Both of McGill's first two power plays in the first period were truncated due to McGill penalties being called during those power plays, but the Redmen ultimately ended up 0-for-5 on the man advantage in the first period alone.

Riley Bourbonnais opened the game's scoring at even strength at 6:43 of the first period, rifling home a rebound off a shot by Viktor Liljegren to give RPI a 1-0 lead. The Engineers outshot McGill 14-5 in the first period, a stunning statistic when one considers that there was at least one Engineer in the penalty box for nearly half the period - just under nine minutes.

That's because one of McGill's best opportunities of the first period came when Jared Wilson was called for a trip while Evan Tironese was already off for slashing, giving the Redmen a 5x3 of just over a minute. They called timeout to prepare for the advantage, but the RPI penalty kill, led by Chase Perry between the pipes, kept the Redmen from scoring.

Four RPI minors in the first nine minutes of the second period got the middle frame going, but the penalty kill continued to stay strong, running McGill's power play futility to nine even before the game was half over. By the time Jake Wood was called for hooking at 9:03 of the second period, the Engineers had taken seven straight penalties by seven different players.

The true game-changer came with about a minute and a half left in the second period, and as one would expect, it was a penalty that drove the moment. One minute into RPI's sixth man advantage of the game, McGill captain Patrick Delisle-Houde was assessed an automatic five-minute major and game misconduct for slew-footing, giving the Engineers a 5x3 power play. Jacob Hayhurst needed just 16 seconds to put the Engineers up 2-0 on a one-timer of a pass from Mike Prapavessis in the left faceoff circle.

An interference call against McGill early in the third period with the major penalty still active gave RPI another 5x3, and Evan Tironese cashed in with a blast from the point to make it 3-0. From there, the march to the penalty box continued unabated.

Midway thorough the third, McGill appeared to get on the board early in a penalty to Liljegren, but after review, the goal was waved off. From the overhead view, the puck certainly appeared to have been kicked in, but a side shot provided by RPI TV certainly makes it look as though the puck was accidentally pushed in by Prapavessis' stick. Either way, the wave-off was at least a little bit of justice for Perry, who had made an incredible toe-save just a beat earlier. Perhaps the Engineers' best penalty killer all night long, his 26-save performance helped key an impressive 13-for-13 showing for RPI on the kill.

RPI ended the evening 2-for-9 on the power play, uncorking a total of 43 shots on goal in the contest. Two of the three goals came on 5x3 power play opportunities, which could highlight a nagging problem that has hampered the RPI offense for a few years now - a lack of finishing. Hopefully, the wisdom that it's foolish to draw too many conclusions from an exhibition game will apply to that element as well.

The Engineers kick off their 2016-17 schedule with two weekends on the road, opening up this coming Friday and Saturday against Maine. These games are not expected to be aired on WRPI, unfortunately, but they do represent an opportunity to get out of the gate the right way, as Maine doesn't look ready to reclaim their lost mantle as one of the top teams in Hockey East, not this season at least, as the Black Bears were pegged to finish last in the conference in the preseason coaches' poll.

McGill at RPI
Exhibition Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
10/2/16 - 7:00pm

RESULT: RPI 3, McGill 0

BOX SCORES
College Hockey Stats

RECAPS
RPI
Albany Times Union

VIDEO
Highlights (RPI TV)
Full game (RPI TV)

RECORD: 0-0-0

Upcoming games
07 Oct - at Maine
08 Oct - at Maine
15 Oct - at #1 North Dakota
21 Oct - Niagara
22 Oct - RIT

October Dreams

Ahh, yes. It's the first weekend in October. Early Christmas for puckheads - the college season gets underway, and the NHL is just around the corner. Drink it in. We're ready for five months of fun or heartache. Or both. Probably both.

The women open their season this weekend with very little pressure against one of the best teams in the nation as they welcome the University of North Dakota to the friendly confines of the Houston Field House. Meanwhile, the men have their exhibition game against St. Thomas, a Canadian school from New Brunswick. Get thee to the Field House, ladies and gentlemen. Hockey season is upon us.

Reasonably certain I've used this for an early season pump-up in the past, but it works on so many levels that... whatever. Let's run with it.

HOCKEY!

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

BOX SCORES
College Hockey Stats
USCHO

RECAPS
RPI
Troy Record

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

The Ecstasy of Gold

It may be 70 degrees outside, but summer is over. Let winter's icy grip commence... inside, at least.

The women got their unofficial start last week with a 2-0 victory over the Ottawa Jr. Senators, and they get things started for real this evening at North Dakota... listen to the action on WRPI tonight with Perry Laskaris.

Club hockey kicks off its home schedule tonight against Marist (I'll be on the call from the Houston Field House on RPITV), and the varsity gets their exhibition legs tomorrow night against Prince Edward Island).

Rejoice. Hockey season is here.

Back to Hockey

Our long national nightmare is almost over.

Real, honest to goodness hockey debuts tonight at the Field House at 7:30. We've got your fix as our sixth season of live tweeting kicks off with the women's team facing off against the Ottawa Jr. Senators.

Tonight is our first opportunity to see Whitney Renn, Shayna Tomlinson, Marisa Raspa, and Amanda Kimmerle suit up for the Engineers. The coaches poll has RPI finishing 10th this season and out of a playoff spot. The way the team finished off last season, and given the offensive losses they're dealing with, it's hard to quibble - but the path to quibble begins tonight.

And, of course, the time-honored tradition of the weekend pumpup. Something upbeat, something bouncy. Enjoy.

Men's Hockey - Denver, US Under-18 Team (13/14/15 Dec)

The RPI Engineers closed out their 2013 schedule with a back-to-back-to-back home helping of hockey that will be their last in Troy for over a month, for the first time taking on a program from the new NCHC in welcoming Denver to town. A pair of very evenly matched games did not turn out 100% in the Engineers favor, but both games went to overtime, producing a 2-1 loss and a 1-1 tie to complete the calendar year's competitive game slate. On Sunday afternoon, an exhibition game gave RPI fans the first opportunity to see Jake Soffer in action, and he did quite well in backstopping an unofficial 2-1 victory over the US Under-18 national development program team.

Denver (Friday)
Neal-Higgs-Haggerty
Laliberte-Zalewski-Bubela
Tinordi-Rogic-Schroeder
Bourbonnais-McGowan-DeVito

Leboeuf-Leonard

Bradley-Dolan
Curadi-Hampton

Diebold

Parker Reno was pulled from the RPI lineup in favor of Phil Hampton for the two Denver games, with most of the remainder of the forward lineup consisting of the Engineers who were healthy - Travis Fulton was the lone healthy scratch up front.

The list of injuries for the forwards grew by one almost right off the bat as Jacob Laliberte suffered a separated shoulder mere seconds into his first shift of the game, leaving the Engieners with a short bench for just about the entire contest. That didn't stop them from jumping out to a quick lead as they have done for nearly the whole season, with Brock Higgs notching his 12th goal of the year just 2:30 into the contest to give RPI the 1-0 lead that they have earned with such frequency.

On the other end, Scott Diebold stood tall in net, stopping all 13 shots that he saw during the first period. The Engineers maintained that one goal lead for 32 solid minutes thanks in part to the junior netminder's play. RPI was outshot in the first 40 minutes 26-14, and in all honesty just about all of those shots for RPI came in the first 10 minutes of the 1st period and the last five or so of the 2nd.

The lead came to an end with just over five minutes left to play in the middle frame as Denver scored a goal in transition to tie things up. That woke up an RPI offense that had been sluggish to be kind during the 2nd period, which has become a habit almost as strong as the early goals.

A lackluster third period followed which was devoid of any real sense of drama despite the tie score. Neither team appeared close to scoring in the period, which saw Scott Diebold add another 10 saves to his record for the weekend.

Ultimately, the game hinged only on a defensive lapse while Denver was in transition with about two minutes left in the overtime period. The Pioneers took advantage of out-of-position defensemen to score with a considerable amount of open ice, providing the difference in a game in which RPI did not play its best hockey but was right in until the end.

Denver (Saturday)
Neal-Higgs-Haggerty
Fulton-Zalewski-Bubela
Tinordi-Rogic-Schroeder
Bourbonnais-McGowan-DeVito

Leboeuf-Leonard

Bradley-Dolan
Curadi-Hampton

Diebold

Laliberte was listed on the initial line chart and planned to participate in the pre-game warmup, but was quickly replaced by Travis Fulton in what ended up a lost weekend for the junior. The lineup otherwise was exactly the same as Friday night.

The Engineers outshot Denver 7-4 in the opening period on Saturday, but failed to score a first period goal for only the fourth time this season. Meanwhile, the second period struggles continued, as RPI managed only 6 shots on goal in the period.

Saturday night's game was scoreless for the first 38 minutes and change, but Denver opened the scoring on a beautiful goal highly reminiscent of Brock Higgs' highlight reel goal against Princeton as the Pioneers took a 1-0 lead in the dying minutes of the second period.

But a pair of Denver penalties for roughing combined with a Mike Zalewski roughing call put RPI on the power play seconds later, and the Engineers converted with Matt Neal scoring his 7th goal of the season with only four seconds left in the period to tie the game back up just 1:08 after Denver had taken their only lead of the weekend.

For the second straight night, the third period only brought further deadlock and not much in the way of excitement. Denver turned on the jets in the overtime period, forcing Scott Diebold to be sharp with five saves, and the game ended in a 1-1 tie. The Engineers managed only 19 shots on Saturday night, most of which did not feature a rebound from the solid Denver netminder, Sam Brittain.

The tie marked the first time this season the Engineers did not lose a game in which Ryan Haggerty failed to score a goal. Diebold put together a very solid weekend against a team that's struggling to score, but 68 saves on 71 shots is decent no matter how you slice it.

US Under-18 Team
Neal-Higgs-Haggerty
McGowan-Zalewski-DeVito
Tinordi-Bubela-Schroeder
Fulton-Rogic-Bourbonnais

Curadi-Reno
Bradley-Dolan
Leboeuf-Leonard

Bokenfohr

Soffer

Although exhibition rules allow a team to dress as many players as will fit on the bench, a lack of healthy forwards left RPI with just 12 up front, and with Phil Hampton seeing little ice time late in the Saturday game against Denver, only one extra defenseman suited up in Craig Bokenfohr. The biggest change, of course, was in net, where freshman Jake Soffer got his unofficial first start in net, or at least his first game action for RPI.

Soffer looked a little bit shaky on his first save, giving up a big rebound that the U-18s buried rather quickly to make it 1-0 just 66 seconds into the game, but it would be his only mistake of the evening. His team helped him have a relatively quiet first 40 minutes as Soffer faced just 9 shots in the first two periods.

Meanwhile, the game was rather chippy from the outset, and that eventually played into RPI's hands. Matt Neal scored 1:14 into the second period on the power play to make it 1-1, and Riley Bourbonnais followed up at 7:37 to make it 2-1. Neal would eventually leave with what was reported to be a dislocated elbow, a worse-case scenario for RPI to be sure, but while he would not return, he is not expected to miss time down the road.

Most notable other than the two RPI goals in the second period was the shot onslaught that the Engineers produced, unleashing 20 shots in the period alone, more than they had managed in the entire 65 minutes against Denver a night prior. That diminished sharply in the third period, as momentum changed drastically with the U-18s outshooting RPI 13-1 in the final period, but it was in the third that Soffer encouraged some optimism in the RPI faithful standing strong in net against a team that was definitely looking to get itself back into the game. He finished with 21 saves on 22 shots.

Other junk - The "one-point" weekend knocked the Engineers back out of the USCHO poll, becoming instead the top unranked vote getter for the second time in three weeks with 54, 13 away from #20 Minnesota State. Ranked ECAC teams include #6 Union (beat and tied St. Cloud State, up four), #8 Quinnipiac (idle, down one), #9 Clarkson (idle, up one), #11 Yale (idle, no change), and #15 Cornell (idle, down one). No other ECAC teams received votes this week. Other ranked teams on the RPI schedule include #1 Minnesota (up one with 32 first place votes), #2 Ferris State (up two with 12 first place votes), #7 Boston College (down one), and #17 Denver (up three). New Hampshire (18) and Mercyhurst (3) also received votes.

Despite no goals on the weekend, Ryan Haggerty continues to lead the nation in goals with 18, still five ahead of second place. He remains the only player in the country with more than one goal per game at 1.06. With 1.53 points per game, he is alone in 6th in the nation in that category, and he leads the country in power play goals (8) and is tied for the national lead in game-winning goals (4) with Matt Bailey of Alaska-Anchorage.

Brock Higgs is now on 12 goals, which is tied for 7th in the nation - one more on the weekend (the Neal goal was originally credited to him) would have tied him for 2nd. His 1.11 points per game is tied for 36th in the country.

Jacob Laliberte and Matt Neal are both sitting on 1.00 points per game, tying them for 49th in the nation there. Laliberte is 23rd in assists per game with 0.76.

RPI's team offense, thanks to a pair of one goal efforts, is now outside the national Top 10 for the first time this season at 3.44 goals per game.

The Engineers have a tall task ahead of them after the New Year, as they take on the #2 team in the country, Ferris State. The Bulldogs have the longest unbeaten streak in the nation at 15 games. Beyond that game, RPI could find itself facing off with #1 Minnesota on the Gophers' home ice if the chips fall correctly. That's a tough weekend no matter how you slice it.

ECAC Standings
1. Union - 16 points (8-1-0)
2. Quinnipiac - 14 points (6-2-2)
3. Clarkson - 12 points (6-2-0)
4. Colgate - 11 points (5-3-1)
5. Cornell - 10 points (4-3-2)
6. Yale - 9 points (3-2-3)
7. RPI - 9 points (3-3-3)
8. Brown - 7 points (3-4-1)
9. St. Lawrence - 6 points (2-4-2)
10. Harvard - 6 points (2-6-2)
11. Dartmouth - 4 points (2-8-0, -16 GD)
12. Princeton - 4 points (2-8-0, -19 GD)

#20 Denver at #18 RPI
Non-Conference Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
12/13/13 - 7:00pm

RESULT: Denver 2, RPI 1 (OT)

BOX SCORES
College Hockey Stats
USCHO

RECAPS
RPI
Troy Record
Albany Times Union

VIDEO
RPI TV (full game)
YouTube (post game press-conference)

RECORD: 8-6-3 (2-3-3 ECAC, 7 pts)

#20 Denver at #18 RPI
Non-Conference Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
12/14/13 - 7:00pm

RESULT: RPI 1, Denver 1 (OT)

BOX SCORES
College Hockey Stats
USCHO

RECAPS
RPI
Troy Record
Albany Times Union

VIDEO
RPI TV (full game)
YouTube (post game press-conference)

RECORD: 8-6-4 (3-3-3 ECAC, 9 pts)

US Under-18 Team at #18 RPI
Exhibition Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
12/15/13 - 7:00pm

RESULT: RPI 2, US Under-18 Team 1

BOX SCORES

College Hockey Stats
USCHO

RECAPS
RPI

VIDEO
RPI TV (full game)
YouTube (post game press-conference)

RECORD: 8-6-4 (3-3-3 ECAC, 9 pts)

Upcoming games
03 Jan - vs. #2 Ferris State (Minneapolis, MN)
04 Jan - vs. #1 Minnesota OR Colgate (Minneapolis, MN)
10 Jan - at Princeton
11 Jan - at #8 Quinnipiac
24 Jan - Dartmouth

Men's Hockey - Saint Mary's (5 Oct)

The annual exhibition game against a top Canadian program is in the books, and as usual, the actual result of the game - 5-1 in favor of the Engineers - tells us very little about anything. There are various reasons for this, not the least of which include the extended bench which the Engineers will not have going forward (and which the opposition did not enjoy) and the various juggling of lines that went on for both teams during the course of the game. However, it was at least an opportunity to see the freshmen in action for the first time and get a look at how the team appears out on the ice. The freshmen show promise, but the team as a whole was a touch rusty.

Saint Mary's
Tinordi-Laliberte-Haggerty
Zalewski-Neal-Bubela
Bourbonnais-McGowan-Fulton
Rogic-Miller-Schroeder
Wood, DeVito

Leboeuf-Reno
Leonard-Hampton
Curadi-Dolan
Bokenfohr

Kasdorf

The only two players on the roster who did not dress for this game were assistant captain Brock Higgs, who was resting a hand injury picked up in practice (Appert mentioned that if it had been an important game, he would have played), and Chris Bradley, who likely was simply a victim of not having enough room on the bench for him, which is typically the reason why there are some scratches in the exhibition.

Additionally, freshman goaltender Jake Soffer did not get to log any ice time during the game, despite reports that he would see some action.

It didn't take long for the fireworks to begin - just 1:29 into the game, Mike Zalewski grabbed the puck and entered the zone all by himself, and was interfered with by the goaltender, resulting in a penalty shot. Zalewski calmly and slowly circled to the left, moved back in, and after dekeing the goalie, softly moved to his backhand and placed it in the back of the net to give RPI the early 1-0 advantage.

Five minutes later, after a significant Saint Mary's push was weathered, the Engineers potted a power play goal thanks to a nifty laser of a shot by Ryan Haggerty that beat the goaltender on the short side to make it 2-0 on two shots for the Engineers.

Despite the lead, the first period was generally out of sorts for RPI, as turnovers galore helped the Huskies maintain good control of the puck in the Engineers' zone. The defense, especially the blueliners, helped things stay pretty firm for the most part, but a turnover did directly lead to what would be Saint Mary's only goal of the game as a turnover in the RPI zone produced a shot that deflected off a defenseman and past Kasdorf, who was moving from left to right in anticipation of the puck's direction before it was deflected.

Between the end of the first period and the first three minutes of the second, RPI racked up five penalties, including two in quick succession early in the second that led to a 5x3 for the Huskies, and another penalty after that long two-man disadvantage was over. Despite the lack of discipline and lackadaisical play, the Engineer penalty kill was strong all night, completing the evening with a perfect 7-for-7 showing, even though SMU appeared more than competent on the man advantage.

And once more, despite the rusty play, RPI capitalized with another pair of goals in the middle frame, with Mark McGowan scoring on the power play about six-and-a-half minutes in to make it 3-1, followed by a Jake Wood goal exactly two minutes later created by an optimistic shot from Zach Schroeder along the boards near the goal line.

Matt Tinordi picked up a late power play goal to give RPI four goals off penalties and three power play tallies on the night. Chippiness picked up late, but nothing major took place that would cause problems going forward. The Engineers appeared to emerge from the game without sustaining any major injuries - Zalewski skated off the ice gingerly after going down on RPI's second power play in the first period, but returned for the second and third periods, while Ryan Haggerty also was slow to skate off during the third period but ultimately didn't miss a shift.

With the first game conditions matchup out of the way, attention now moves to the season-opening non-conference games, the first of which takes place on Saturday at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport against one of the worst teams in the nation last year, Sacred Heart. That's followed up on Sunday afternoon with a game against a decidedly more difficult opponent, Boston College.

Other junk - This season, the Engineers begin the year with a national ranking, 15th according to the USCHO.com poll with 266 votes. Other ranked ECAC teams are #6 Yale (with eight first place votes), #10 Quinnipiac (with one first place vote), and #16 Union. Cornell (80 votes), Harvard (18), Brown (4), and Dartmouth (2) also received votes. Other teams on RPI's schedule ranked this week include #4 Boston College, #5 Minnesota (with one first place vote), #13 New Hampshire, #17 Denver, and #19 Boston University. Ferris State (67 votes) and Mercyhurst (10) also received votes.

Saint Mary's at #15 RPI
Exhibition Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
10/5/12 - 7:00pm

RESULT: RPI 5, Saint Mary's 1

BOX SCORES
College Hockey Stats
USCHO

RECAPS

RPI
Troy Record

VIDEO
Goals (no audio, YouTube)
Full game (RPI TV)

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

Upcoming games
12 Oct - at Sacred Heart (Bridgeport, CT)
13 Oct - at #4 Boston College
18 Oct - at #19 Boston University
19 Oct - Sacred Heart
26 Oct - #13 New Hampshire

Women's Hockey - Brock (29 Sep)

It was a hat trick for Jordan Smelker at the Field House Sunday afternoon the captain of the Engineers led the team to a 9-0 exhibition win over the Badgers of Brock University. Five other Engineers had multiple-point games and the Engineers outshot the visiting Badgers 48-13 en route to closing out the exhibition portion of the 2013 schedule.

Smelker/Mahoney/Svoboda

Sanders/Wash/Gruschow

Horwood/Hylwa/Rooney

Letuligasenoa

Banks/Schilter

Huhtamaki/Marzario

Middlebrook/Behounek

O'Brien/Piper/Till

Five goals in just over five minutes of game time made for a furious rush which turned a scoreless affair into a 5-0 drubbing just past three minutes into the second period.

Smelker's first was also the first of the day at 17:58 of the first, a quick shot off a perfect pass from Ali Svoboda which left the Brock goaltender little chance of stopping it. Toni Sanders made it 2-0 just 24 seconds later, scoring off a scrum in front of the Brock net where most players had lost track of the puck.

The scoring continued unabated to start the second, with Alexa Gruschow outskating the Brock defense to free herself on a shorthanded breakaway and make it 3-0 at 1:27. Nona Letuligasenoa picked up the Engineers' fourth goal, taking the puck from behind the net and firing a quick backhander which caught netminder Julia Ouroumis by surprise.

Taylor Mahoney notched the fifth goal, picking up the puck after a faceoff win by Svoboda and quickly blasting a shot past Ouroumis. The Engineers were unable to convert on a pair of power play opportunities after Mahoney's goal, but Smelker proceeded make it 6-0 on her second of the afternoon at 9:55, powering past the Brock defense in much the same way as Gruschow had earlier, carrying the puck across the crease and making the ensuing backhander look easy.

Three more goals in the third period finished things off for the Engineers, starting with Smelker's hat trick goal at 9:25, where she took control of a Brock turnover on the near side boards, flipped the puck to Svoboda and headed for the net just in time to receive another precise pass for an easy goal. Lauren Wash scored RPI's 8th after another 24 second gap, forcing home a rebound on another scrum in front of the Brock net, and Svoboda scored one of her own to go with her three assists at 15:46, a wrister from the slot that found its way through traffic and wound up top shelf in the back of the net.

The exhibition schedule over, the Engineers now travel to Pittsburgh for a non-conference weekend at Robert Morris. The Colonials have been a fixture on RPI's schedule, appearing all but one season since 2005-2006. Since that one season off in 2010-11, the Engineers have been 0-3-1 against RMU, so this coming weekend should prove a much tougher test for the Engineers than their exhibition matchups. Game times for next weekend are 7pm Friday and 3pm Saturday.

-----

RPI vs. Brock

Exhibition Game – Houston Field House (Troy, NY)

9/29/13 - 3:00pm

RPI 9, Brock 0

BOX SCORES:

RPI: not posted

College Hockey Stats: http://www.collegehockeystats.net/1314/boxes/wbrkren1.s29

RECAPS:

RPI: http://www.rpiathletics.com/news/2013/9/29/WICE_0929133315.aspx

Video Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CM-w1mfJ4g

Complete Game: http://rpitv.org/p/599

RECORD: 0-0 (0-0 ECAC)

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Upcoming Games

Oct. 4 - at Robert Morris (7pm)

Oct. 5 - at Robert Morris (3pm)

Oct. 11 - Boston University (7pm)

Oct. 12 - Northeastern (4pm)

Oct. 19 - Vermont (3pm)

Women's Hockey - Ottawa Jr. Senators (22 Sep)

As has been customary since 2007 (exception: last year) the Engineers returned to the ice for a new season in an exhibition matchup against a Canadian squad - this year facing the Ottawa Jr. Senators for the first time.

After they were shutout 6-0 by Union on Saturday afternoon, it was no surprise that the Senators didn't offer very stiff competition for the Engineers, instead serving the usual purpose of letting the team get a feel for line combinations and game action before the games start counting. RPI won the exhibition matchup 5-0, with a significant 60-10 edge in shots on goal.

Smelker/Mahoney/Mari Mankey

Sanders/Gruschow/Svoboda

Wash/Horwood/Rooney

Letuligasenoa/Hylwa/Missy Mankey

Schilter/Godin

Huhtamaki/Marzario

Middlebrook/Banks

Behounek

O'Brien/Piper

There were only two penalties in this affair - which flew by in well under two hours - so the opportunity to see special teams play was limited. That didn't stop it looking like an Engineers power play for most of the afternoon Sunday.

The Senators did a pretty remarkable job keeping the score to 1-0 after one and 2-0 after two before the Engineers went on to score three goals in the third to turn it into an official rout.

Freshman Laura Horwood opened the scoring early in the first period, capitalizing on one of the first of several odd-man rushes by the third line, on which she was joined by Lauren Wash and fellow freshman Katie Rooney.

Newly-appointed captain Jordan Smelker doubled the lead to 2-0 on an unassisted goal at the midpoint of the second period. She had a number of quality plays over the course of the game, also picking up an assist on the final goal of the game.

Ali Svoboda had a great start to the third period, picking up a pair of goals less than four minutes apart. The first was scored almost immediately after a faceoff win by Alexa Gruschow which was funneled to Svoboda through Toni Sanders. The second goal came on the rush after a blast of a shot by Sanders and a rebound attempt by Gruschow before Svoboda put the third chance home.

Freshman Heidi Huhtamaki capped off a solid debut on the blue line with a goal of her own in the game's final minutes, lobbing a long-distance wrister through traffic which may have been deflected on its way to the back of the net.

Overall, the team looked like one might expect in an opening exhibition - fast-paced but prone to some missed passes and miscues. With the Senators penned in their own zone as long as they were, there was little opportunity to see the team play defense. As always, it's hard to evaluate where a group stands in an early exhibition, but the freshman looked comfortable on the ice and upperclassmen like Svoboda, Smelker, and Gruschow helped drive the pace and maintain momentum.

RPI will take advantage of one more exhibition tuneup next Sunday at 3pm against Brock University before hitting the road for a non-conference pair in the Pittsburgh area against Robert Morris. The non-conference schedule continues with games against BU, Northeastern, Vermont, and UConn (x2) before the ECAC schedule opens up on November 1st against Harvard.

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RPI vs. Ottawa Jr. Senators

Exhibition Game – Houston Field House (Troy, NY)

9/22/13 - 1:00pm

RPI 5, Senators 0

BOX SCORES:

RPI: http://www.rpiathletics.com/boxscore.aspx?id=3917&path=whock

College Hockey Stats: http://collegehockeystats.net/1314/boxes/wowsren1.s22

RECAPS:

RPI: http://www.rpiathletics.com/news/2013/9/22/WICE_0922132102.aspx

Video Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwvdSB4CtXg

Complete Game Video: http://rpitv.org/p/596

RECORD: 0-0 (0-0 ECAC)

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Upcoming Games

Sep. 29 - Brock (3pm)

Oct. 4 - at Robert Morris (7pm)

OCt. 5 - at Robert Morris (3pm)

Oct. 11 - Boston University (7pm)

Oct. 12 - Northeastern (4pm)

Oct. 19 - Vermont (3pm)

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)

Whither Acadia?

Following last year's exhibition game with the Acadia Axemen, the Engineers were prohibitive favorites to win the national championship. Or at least, you would have thought so given game's turnout, the reaction to what was seen, and some of the expectations coming off of an NCAA tournament appearance. Two goals for Ryan Haggerty. A goal and two assists for Zach Schroeder. A 19-save shutout for Scott Diebold. All three of those stars of the game, part of an anticipated freshman class. A 7-0 demolition in front of a larger-than-usual exhibition crowd.

Our writeup was a little more reserved, given the general unpredictability of just what one can take away from an exhibition contest, which always features a longer bench than normal and plenty of different line permutations.

Acadia last year was coming off of a strong season and had been undefeated in their five prior exhibition matchups in Canada, so there was, at the time, every reason to believe the the Engineers had just laid the smackdown on a pretty solid team. Unfortunately, it turned out to be nothing of a harbinger whatsoever, as RPI took six games to score the seven goals they had tallied in the exhibition, four of them coming in just one of those six games. Meanwhile, the defense allowed four goals or more in five of the team's first eight contests.


Acadia, incidentally, went on to finish fifth in the eight-team Atlantic University Sport, making the playoffs but falling in a best-of-three quarterfinal series against fourth-ranked Prince Edward Island, two games to one. Still, the Axemen did turn out to be the only team to land two players on the AUS All-Stars first team, with Andrew Clark (who led the league in scoring) and Christopher Owens both earning the honor, and both players are back with the team this season, as is Evan Mosher, who allowed 7 goals on 34 shots against the Engineers last season. In fact, a good number of the same players that were in Troy last year with the Wolfville, Nova Scotia team will be back this season.

So what should we expect from Saturday's game? Well, expect an exciting opportunity to see this year's team for the first time. Expect a solid opportunity to see the freshmen play for the first time. Expect a fun night. And don't expect to translate what you see into anything you can apply for next week's games against the national runners-up, Ferris State.

Bear in mind not only last year's result and subsequent rough season, but consider also that the 2005-06 Engineers lit up the University of Ottawa by a 13-3 score on their way to a 14-17-6 season. In fact, since that game in 2005 (the first season opening exhibition game against a Canadian team since 1994), the Engineers are 2-1-1 in Canadian exhibitions - and the only times RPI skated to a winning season were following the tie (2009 against Prince Edward Island) and the loss (2010 against New Brunswick).

Women's Hockey - Toronto Aeros (23 Sep)

RPI opened the 2011-2012 season at Houston Field House this weekend, as the Engineers took on the Toronto Junior Aeros in an exhibition before they jump into the season with three straight weeks on the road.

Despite play which favored the Engineers for much of the game, the Aeros presented quite a challenge and it was only with a goal in the final ten seconds that the Engineers picked up a 3-2 win

Toronto Aeros

Cox/Harrison/Vandegrift

Smelker/Mahoney/Svoboda

Sanders/Guillemette/Walsh

Letuligasenoa/Mankey

Le Donne/Vadner

Castignetti/Marzario

Schilter

Piper

O'Brien

RPI took to the ice Friday night with three goaltenders in the line up, and that didn't include the only returning netminder, Shannon Ramelot. Coach Burke used the exhibition opportunity to get the two freshmen netminders some playing time, electing to start Brianna Piper for the first half of the game.

It didn't take long for RPI to get rolling, as Sierra Vadner gave the Engineers a 1-0 lead just 2:18 into the game when she sent a lofting shot on goal from the right point which sailed right past Aeros goalie Sarah Stephens.

RPI laid on the pressure early but Toronto tied the game at 8:55 when Victoria Andreakos tipped a shot from the point past Piper, giving the Engineer netminder little chance at making the stop. RPI continued to pressure, however - and early in the second period it paid off as captain Alisa Harrison put home the rebound of an Eleeza Cox shot to take a 2-1 lead.

RPI switched goalies at the midpoint of the second, and as Kelly O'Brien took the ice the Aeros seemingly stepped up their game, with much better puck control and pressure. Shots were hard to come by for the visitors while RPI peppered the Aeros net, but Laura Stacey capitalized on a two-on-one late in the second to again tie the game. Although RPI outshot Toronto 15-3 in the first and 14-8 in the second, the game was getting increasingly close.

It looked like the teams were headed to overtime despite a big push from the Engineers in the third, but back-to-back-to-back penalties on the Aeros allowed the Engineers to chip away and look for the equalizer. With just ten seconds left in regulation and Toronto's Erin Ambrose off on a hooking call, freshman Taylor Mahoney took a pass from Jordan Smelker at the goal post and put it home for the game-winning goal. RPI would end up outshooting the Aeros by a 45-16 margin despite the close final score.

A few miscellaneous observations from the game - Eleeza Cox was a serious presence on the ice, factoring in more than a few nice plays, picking up a pair of assists, and leading the team with seven shots on goal. Jordan Smelker picked up an assist and looks to have picked up right where she left off last season, at one point breaking away from double coverage by Aeros defenders to carry the puck into the offensive zone singlehandedly. Both RPI goalies looked okay, but a little shaky. This was true of many of the skaters as well, and we can assume will pass as the team gets a few games under its belt.

All told, RPI played a good game against a strong Aeros squad who just last year captured the PWHL championship, and went on to hang eight goals on Colgate the next day. The Engineers now hit the road for the next three weekends straight, starting with a pair at UConn on Friday and Saturday.

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RPI vs. Toronto Aeros

Exhibition Game – Houston Field House (Troy, NY)

9/23/11 – 7:00pm

RPI 3, Aeros 2

BOX SCORES:

USCHO: http://www.uscho.com/box/womens-hockey/2011/09/23/exhib-vs-rensselaer/

College Hockey Stats: http://collegehockeystats.net/1112/boxes/wrentja1.s23

RECAPS:

RPI: http://rpiathletics.com/news/2011/9/23/WICE_0923113854.aspx

RECORD: 0-0 (0-0 ECAC)

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Upcoming Games

Sep. 30 - @UConn (7pm)

Oct. 1 - @UConn (3pm)

Oct. 7 - @Vermont (7pm)

Oct. 8 - @Vermont (4pm)

Oct. 14 - @Niagara (7pm)

Oct. 15- @Niagara (4pm)