Men's Hockey - Clarkson & St. Lawrence (27/28 Feb)

The Engineers needed a strong weekend and a little bit of help in order to secure home ice for the first round. They came within a goal on Friday of getting everything they needed, but they'll still be on the road despite a solid final weekend. A 3-3 tie on Friday against Clarkson guaranteed that RPI would be on the road in this coming weekend, but a strong effort against one of the best teams in the league on Saturday, St. Lawrence, produced a 4-3 victory to push the Engineers toward the post season having been unbeaten in three of their final four contests.

Clarkson
Liljegren-Schroeder-Bubela
Melanson-Miller-Nanne
Neal-McGowan-Laliberte

Wood-Bourbonnais-DeVito

Leonard-Bradley
Curadi-Bell
Prapavessis-Wilson

Kasdorf

Matt Neal returned to the lineup after missing the previous weekend's games in Central New York - he replaced Kenny Gillespie and slotted into an all-senior line.

The first period was action packed and full of scoring - five goals scored between the two teams in the first 20 minutes (that's one every four minutes for you math majors). The average almost got started right on, as Viktor Liljegren scored at 4:07 of the first period to put RPI in front 1-0. But just over a minute later, the Engineers put themselves in a tough spot as a Jake Wood hooking call was followed just four seconds later by a high-sticking call against Curtis Leonard, giving Clarkson a long five-on-three opportunity. The Engineers killed most of it well, but the Golden Knights broke through for a tying goal 21 seconds from the end of Wood's penalty.

A hooking call against Riley Bourbonnais about four minutes later created a goal for Clarkson that was essentially a power play goal, coming seven seconds after the penalty expired and while the puck remained in the RPI end. That put the Golden Knights up 2-1, but it was destined to be a short-lived lead for the visitors.

Just under a minute later, Drew Melanson tied the game up with his seventh goal of the year, and four minutes after that Mark McGowan netted number six on the year to make it 3-2 RPI.

Clarkson pulled their netminder, Steve Perry, to start the second period, as Perry had allowed three goals on just 10 shots in the opening period. The second, however, would prove to be the Jason Kasdorf show, as the junior goaltender made 14 saves to maintain RPI's lead. The Engineers mustered just two shots in the middle frame, which featured no goals despite the first period goal bonanza.

A potenital tipping point came 2:22 into the third, as Jimmy DeVito was assessed a five-minute major for a reckless knee-to-knee hit against Clarkson's James de Haas. The penalty was slightly mitigated by a retaliation penalty assessed to Kevin Tansey, who immediately went after DeVito, but nonetheless, Clarkson would enjoy three full minutes of major penalty power play time once Tansey's penalty was over. The RPI penalty bent, but did not break, keeping the Engineer lead at 3-2.

With under seven minutes left to play, Clarkson pulled themselves back even with the Engineers, as James Howden scored on a shot that Kasdorf was slightly screened on by one of his own defenders, just barely missing snagging the shot with his glove.

The tying goal helped build momentum for the visitors, who dominated the remainder of the period and much of the ensuing overtime. By the end of the game, the Engineers managed only 8 shots on Lewis, two fewer than they managed in the first period alone. Behind Jason Kasdorf's play, RPI did manage to hold on for the tie, but that was enough to ensure that they would be on the road in the playoffs.

St. Lawrence
Liljegren-Schroeder-Bubela
Melanson-Miller-Nanne
Neal-McGowan-Laliberte

Wood-Bourbonnais-DeVito

Leonard-Bradley
Curadi-Bell
Prapavessis-Wilson

Diebold

For senior night, Scott Diebold got the start in net - the only real change to the RPI lineup from the previous night. All of the graduating seniors were in the starting lineup.

A Jake Wood penalty led to the first goal for the opposition for the second straight night on Saturday as St. Lawrence scored an odd goal that coincided with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on one of its own players in the final minute of the period. It was the Saints' third power play opportunity of the opening 20 minutes.

RPI responded in the second with their second three-goal period of the weekend. After an entire season of barely missed nets and hitting several pipes, Mike Prapavessis finally came through with his first collegiate goal two and a half minutes into the second period, tying the score. SLU regained the lead 2:31 later on a laser of a shot by defenseman Eric Sweetman. From there on out, however, it was the Drew Melanson show.

The RPI freshman tied things up midway through the period. After catching a home-run pass from Bradley Bell, Melanson gained the zone on the breakaway and faked out St. Lawrence netminder Kyle Hayton scored for his 8th goal of the season. The assist for Bell was the freshman's first collegiate point, ensuring that every Engineer skater now has recorded at least one point on the season. Then, two minutes later on the power play, Melanson put home a rebound off a shot by Prapavessis, putting the Engineers ahead 3-2.

It was looking like a serious case of deja vu - a 3-2 RPI lead heading into the third period, and some seriously strong play by the opposition in search of the tying goal. Diebold stood strong in net during the second period, stopping 15 of 16 shots in the middle frame, and he continued heroic play during the third period as well, but was beaten on another laser shot from the point by Sweetman with just over nine minutes left in regulation.

From that point, RPI fans could be forgiven for groaning and basically saying "here we go again." It was the third time in four games that the Engineers had surrendered a lead in the third period. But the script was not about to play out in the same way it had been playing out. About three minutes later, as RPI fought to regain the lead, Mark McGowan was pulled down after getting behind the defense on his way toward the net, and he was awarded a penalty shot. McGowan calmly moved to his left and outwaited Hayton, scoring the go-ahead goal with six and a half minutes left in regulation.

Scott Diebold equally was not about to be denied on senior night. He stood proud and tall in net for the remainder of the game, remaining cool under pressure late as St. Lawrence pulled Hayton for the extra attacker. His play helped the 4-3 lead stand up, ending RPI's winless streak at nine (which equaled their nine-game losing streak from earlier in the year) and picking up a win that guaranteed the Engineers 9th place and a trip to Potsdam to take on Clarkson.

With the Golden Knights falling to Union that same night, the Engineers could have been the ones hosting Clarkson if only they'd been able to hold that Friday lead. The good news is that Clarkson has only picked up a single win and a single tie in their last nine games. The bad news is, both of those were against RPI. Still, the last playoff series the Engineers won in 2012 was won in Potsdam, and there are signs of life in both the offense and the defense. Anything is possible, even in a season as long as this one has really been for the Engineers.

Final ECAC Standings
1. Quinnipiac - 35 points (16-3-3)
2. St. Lawrence - 29 points (14-7-1)
3. Yale - 28 points (12-6-4)
4. Colgate - 26 points (11-7-4)
5. Dartmouth - 26 points (12-8-2)
6. Harvard - 25 points (11-8-3)
7. Cornell - 22 points (9-9-4)
8. Clarkson - 19 points (8-11-3)
9. RPI - 18 points (8-12-2)
10. Union - 17 points (8-13-1)
11. Brown - 13 points (5-14-3)
12. Princeton - 6 points (2-18-2)

First Round matchups
#12 Princeton at #5 Dartmouth
#11 Brown at #6 Harvard
#10 Union at #7 Cornell
#9 RPI at #8 Clarkson

Clarkson at RPI
ECAC Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
2/27/15 - 7:00pm

RESULT: RPI 3, Clarkson 3 (OT)

BOX SCORES
College Hockey Stats
USCHO

RECAPS
RPI
Troy Record
Albany Times Union

RECORD: 9-23-3 (7-12-2, 16pts)

#19 St. Lawrence at RPI
ECAC Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
2/28/15 - 7:00pm

RESULT: RPI 4, St. Lawrence 3

BOX SCORES
College Hockey Stats
USCHO

RECAPS
RPI
Troy Record
Albany Times Union

RECORD: 10-23-3 (8-12-2, 18pts)

Upcoming games
06 Mar - at Clarkson
07 Mar - at Clarkson
08 Mar - at Clarkson (if necessary)
13 Mar - ECAC Quarterfinals (at higher seed, if qualified)
14 Mar - ECAC Quarterfinals (at higher seed, if qualified)

Men's Hockey - Colgate/Cornell (18/19 Jan)

One-goal games can boost your season or they can ruin it - all depending on which side of the margin you're on. For RPI this weekend, a pair of positive one-goal outcomes boosted them from the very basement of the ECAC all the way up to 7th place, with room to grow. That's the good news. The bad news is that they now have to take a week off from league games before getting back into things for the first weekend of February. That's going to be tough to do, but at the very least, a pair of tight wins has the Engineers back into the hunt in league play.

Colgate
Lee-McGowan-Haggerty
Zalewski-Laliberte-Bubela
Neal-Miller-Tinordi
Rogic-O'Grady-Burgdoerfer

Leonard-Bailen
Leboeuf-Bradley
Curadi-Dolan

Kasdorf

Two upperclassmen have been struggling this season with injuries - Brock Higgs and Marty O'Grady. On Friday, Higgs came out of the lineup in favor of O'Grady, and freshman goaltender Jason Kasdorf returned from injury to play in his first game since a game just after Christmas against St. Cloud.

RPI played well in what was a fairly even first period. Kasdorf got himself back into the groove in a hurry, stopping 13 shots in the first period against 9 shots by the Engineers in the first twenty minutes. A penalty to Curtis Leonard for high-sticking was the only notable event of the period, and it was killed by RPI with some ease.

After a quick first, RPI started getting the lion's share of the action in the second, and once Colgate took their first penalty of the game midway through the second, the Engineers' power play appeared to put them ahead 1-0 on a goal by Leonard, but it was immediately disallowed by referee Bryan Hicks, who claimed that C.J. Lee was interfering with the goaltender. It was shades of the game at Union two years ago when a tying goal with 10 seconds left was disallowed because of Lee interfering with the goaltender. This time, goal review was available, but even with video evidence apparently showing a lack of any real interference, it was still disallowed.

After failing to score for the remainder of the power play, RPI had to regroup after the disallowed goal, and they did end up netting the first goal of the game a few minutes later as Johnny Rogic scored his second goal of the season to make it 1-0 Engineers.

Early in the third period, a boarding call against C.J. Lee put Colgate on the power play, but an odd facemasking minor against a Colgate player (and, for some reason, Lee as well even though it was his facemask being yanked) riled the RPI crowd, considering that facemasking is supposed to be an automatic major and game misconduct. The Engineers killed the power play, but a weak slashing call against Bo Dolan on a Colgate breakaway just under a minute later put them back on the penalty kill.

Late in the power play, Colgate scored to tie things up at one, and for much of the third period it looked as though the Raiders would be the team more likely to break that tie. Kasdorf had to have another big period in the third, stopping 12 of 13 shots. Meanwhile, the Engineers were having a hard time putting rubber on net, and were equally frustrated by good goaltending on the other end as well.

With 7:46 left in regulation, it was Matt Tinordi's third goal of the year that elevated the Engineers to a 2-1 lead, and an insurance goal was not forthcoming. Colgate worked hard to find their second equalizer of the game, but even after a flurry of activity with an empty net, they couldn't find it. RPI got the puck out of their zone with 10 seconds left, but they could not convert the empty netter. Instead, Ryan Haggerty took the puck into the corner and got absolutely crushed for his efforts. That gave Colgate's Thomas Larkin a five-minute major at 20:00 of the third period in a game that wasn't tied. Whoopee. Haggerty was very slow to get up, and the teams did eventually shake hands. Haggerty would be OK to go the next night despite what looked like a wrist injury.

Cornell
Lee-Laliberte-Haggerty
Zalewski-McGowan-Bubela
Neal-Miller-Tinordi
Rogic-O'Grady-Burgdoerfer

Leonard-Bailen
Leboeuf-Bradley
Curadi-Dolan

Kasdorf

Only one, minor change from Friday's victory as Jacob Laliberte and Mark McGowan swapped the lines they were centering, but otherwise the same players that dressed against Colgate also dressed against Cornell.

An early holding penalty against Cornell put RPI on the power play, and they did not mess around - Nick Bailen netted his fifth goal of the season just 18 seconds in to put the Engineers up 1-0 for the second straight night. Seconds later, RPI went on the penalty kill and had to be feeling good after getting through it unscathed.

Midway through the period, however, Greg Burgdoerfer was shown the gate with a five-minute major and game misconduct for blowing up returning US junior gold medalist Cole Bardreau against the boards. That penalty turned into a goal for Cornell less than a minute later, but it was the only one the Big Red would pull out of the major power play.

The Engineers responded well in the second period, but solid goaltending and team defense by Cornell kept things 1-1 until late in the period, when Ryan Haggerty scored on the power play to make it 2-1 Engineers with less than five to play in the second.

RPI's discipline was decent against the Big Red if you take out Burgdoerfer's ill-conceived hit. They did have to kill a carryover penalty to Mark McGowan into the third period, but they made it through with their lead intact. McGowan would later provide a key insurance goal, his fourth tally of the season, to put the Engineers up 3-1 with less than eight minutes to play.

The Engineers killed a penalty to Bailen shortly thereafter, but Cornell did not quit down two. The goaltender was pulled with a minute to play, and the Big Red pulled within one with an extra attacker goal coming with 32 seconds left in the game. However, that was as close as they would get as the Engineers held on for the 3-2 victory, picking up their first home sweep of Colgate and Cornell since 1998-99.

Jason Kasdorf's return to the net was... successful to say the least. He made 66 saves on 69 shots faced over the course of the weekend, and none of the three goals he allowed was at even strength, having given up two power play goals and an extra attacker goal. That bodes well for the Engineers moving forward.

Other junk - Ranked teams in the ECAC this week include #2 Quinnipiac (idle, up two with two first place votes), #8 Yale (swept Harvard/Dartmouth, up four), #12 Dartmouth (beat Brown and lost to Yale, down one), #18 Cornell (beat Union and lost to RPI, down two), and #19 Union (lost to Cornell and beat Colgate, down two). Also receiving votes was Colgate (6, formerly #20). Other teams on the RPI schedule ranked this week are #4 New Hampshire (down one), #11 Boston University (down two), #14 Minnesota State (no change), and #16 St. Cloud State (up three). Ferris State (39) also received votes.

Three of Mark McGowan's four goals have been game-winners. That places him in a tie for 11th in the nation.

Kasdorf's return also brought him back to the national stats race, since he again has over 33% of the team's total minutes. His 1.60 GAA and .943 save percentage are both good for fifth in the nation, while his 4-1-2 record and .714 winning percentage has him tied for 7th in the country with Boston College's Parker Milner, who you may remember won a national championship last year.

Next up for RPI, unfortunately, is not more games for ECAC points, as they have the "Mayor's Cup" game against Union coming up this coming Saturday. It's a non-conference game, the last one of the season. Union is closer to the Union of old right now than they are to the Union of last year, but it should still be a close game nonetheless. They're at least more vulnerable, apparently, than they've been in previous games between these schools.

Otherwise, the upcoming schedule for the Engineers is very solid. They have two more games at home against Harvard and Dartmouth, then take to the road for the annual North Country trip, which is a pair of games against teams that have struggled greatly of late. Then there's two more games at home against Brown and Yale. In all, 7 of the remaining 11 games will take place in the Capital District. Not bad at all.

ECAC Standings (by winning percentage in parentheses)
1 (1). Quinnipiac - 23 points (11-0-1)
2 (2). Yale - 15 points (7-3-1)
3 (3). Dartmouth - 13 points (6-4-1)

4 (4). Union - 13 points (5-4-3, +5 GD)

5 (5). Princeton - 13 points (5-4-3, 0 GD)
6 (6). Cornell - 10 points (4-4-2)
7 (8). RPI - 9 points (3-6-3)
8 (7). Clarkson - 8 points (3-5-2)
9 (9). Brown - 8 points (2-5-4)
10 (10). Colgate - 7 points (3-6-1)
11 (11). St. Lawrence - 7 points (2-5-3)
12 (12). Harvard - 6 points (3-8-0)

#20 Colgate at RPI
ECAC Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
1/18/13 - 7:00pm

RESULT: RPI 2, Colgate 1

BOX SCORES
College Hockey Stats
USCHO

RECAPS
RPI
Troy Record
Albany Times Union

RECORD: 7-10-5 (2-6-3 ECAC, 7 points)

#16 Cornell at RPI
ECAC Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
1/19/13 - 7:00pm

RESULT: RPI 3, Cornell 2

BOX SCORES

College Hockey Stats
USCHO

RECAPS

RPI
Troy Record
Albany Times Union

RECORD: 8-10-5 (3-6-3 ECAC, 9 points)

Upcoming games
26 Jan - vs. #17 Union (Albany, NY)
01 Feb - Harvard
02 Feb - #12 Dartmouth (Big Red Freakout!)
08 Feb - at St. Lawrence
09 Feb - at Clarkson

Men's Hockey - at Colgate & Cornell (24/25 Feb)

Road warriors indeed. For the fifth and sixth straight time away from Houston Field House, the Engineers picked up ECAC points, this time completing just their second weekend sweep of the season (the other was also on the road) with a 4-2 victory over Colgate and a 2-1 overtime win at Cornell. The surprise sweep, coming against the travel partner pairing with the most combined points on the year, followed a dismal Senior Night low, and the 4 points brought the Engineers' total in the last six road games to 11, a full 65% of their final total for the season.

Colgate

Lee/McGowan/Schroeder

Cullen/Higgs/Tinordi

Neal/Laliberte/Haggerty

Angers-Goulet/Malchuk/Rogic

Leonard/Bergin
Leboeuf/Bailen

Curadi/Dolan

Diebold

Marty O'Grady was sidelined all weekend after picking up an upper-body injury - Seth Appert said he would have played had it been a playoff week, but was kept out to heal in time for the playoffs instead.

Penalties were the name of the game in the first period, with referees refusing to allow either team to get into a groove, calling nine minor penalties during the first 20 minutes including four which were coincidental (and another two close enough that they were almost coincidental), creating a lot of four-on-four action. Colgate's high-flying offense unleashed 18 shots in the first period alone, but Scott Diebold turned all of them away. The Engineers, meanwhile, managed just six in the first.

Johnny Rogic picked up a kneeing penalty five minutes into the second period to give Colgate their fourth power play of the game, but it was RPI who found the back of the net with Rogic in the penalty box. Just 16 seconds after the call, Mark McGowan scored a shorthanded goal, his second goal of the year, putting RPI up 1-0.

The Engineers maintained that lead for over 10 minutes, but a bad clearance attempt by Rogic put the puck on a Colgate player's stick right in front of the net, and just like that things were even again. Things got even worse 10 seconds later when Brock Higgs was called for elbowing, and a boarding call just over a minute into the ensuing power play against Mike Bergin gave Colgate a 5-on-3 advantage, and they capitalized with goal on that extra bonus, putting the Raiders up 2-1.

Colgate took a hitting from behind penalty with just six ticks left on the clock in the second period, which looked to give the Engineers a power play to start the third period on fresh ice with plenty of time to work with. Instead, Jacob Laliberte won the faceoff in the Colgate zone, sending it back to Nick Bailen who immediately blasted a shot that was redirected in front by Laliberte to the back of the net with two seconds left in the second period. It was Laliberte's fourth goal of the season, tying the game at two and giving RPI the momentum heading into the third.

That momentum powered the Engineers off the opening faceoff of the third, as just 15 seconds into the period - technically, 17 seconds removed from the tying goal - C.J. Lee scored his team leading seventh goal of the year to give RPI the lead.

From there, it was largely the Scott Diebold show. The freshman netminder stood on his head in the third period, making a total of 19 saves on 19 shots in the final frame to give him a total of 49 for the contest to power the Engineers to victory. McGowan would pick up an insurance goal just seconds after a late RPI timeout, his third point of the game and second goal of the night to put the Engineers up 4-2 with two minutes to play.

After years of failing to win at Starr Rink, the win was the second straight for the Engineers in Hamilton.

Cornell

Lee/McGowan/Schroeder

Cullen/Higgs/Tinordi

Neal/Laliberte/Haggerty

Rogic/Malchuk/Burgdoerfer

Leonard/Bergin
Leboeuf/Bailen

Curadi/Koudys

Merriam

Despite - or possibly, because of - Diebold's amazing effort on Friday, junior Bryce Merriam returned between the pipes on Saturday for the final game of the regular season, a game Cornell needed to win in order to guarantee themselves the #1 seed in the ECAC Tournament. Size, as is always the case with Cornell, was also valued in the RPI lineup, as Pat Koudys and Greg Burgdoerfer also made return appearances.

As one would expect with a game at Cornell, the Engineers were the recipients of the only two penalties of the first period, but the Big Red were unable to get anywhere with them. Cornell looked fairly lost during the first 20 minutes, but RPI was unable to take advantage of the forecheck-induced possession advantage, pulling only a 6-5 shot edge out of the first period and nothing more.

The second period also ended with no pucks ending up in the back of the net, and unlike Friday's game, it was hardly a goaltender's duel. Merriam and Andy Iles combined for just 20 saves (10 each) in the first two periods, just two more than Diebold nabbed alone in the first period on Friday. Both teams had one power play chance in the second period, but there was still no scoring.

Cornell just missed scoring about six minutes into the period during a power play caused by a boarding call on Nick Bailen, but after a lengthy review the initial call of "no goal" was upheld. This was made moot, however, about two minutes later when the Big Red finally broke onto the scoreboard with a goal that came with 12 minutes left in regulation.

From there, Cornell was served up an additional two power plays (they had six against RPI's one on the evening), but the Big Red could not find the insurance tally and still led 1-0 as time began to get tight in the third period.

With just over two minutes left to play, the Engineers tied things up on a redirect in front by Matt Tinordi, scoring his fourth goal of the season by tipping a blast from Patrick Cullen to create the late tie for RPI.

The game went into overtime, and the Engineers took complete control during the extra period. Despite the much shorter length of the overtime period, the Engineers put an amazing seven shots on goal, which was more than either team had done in any one period all night long. In the end, good forechecking by the Engineers kept the puck in the Cornell zone late, and Patrick Cullen blasted home a Tinordi rebound into an open net to give the Engineers a 2-1 victory, their first in the regular season at Lynah Rink since the 2003-o4 season.

The victory deprived Cornell of the #1 seed, which went to Union thanks in part to the Dutchmen's victory over Colgate minutes before.

The win, coupled with Princeton's 1-1 tie against Brown that afternoon, pushed the Engineers past the Tigers into sole possession of 10th place in the final reckoning. That draws them against 7th place Clarkson, who were in 4th place coming into the week but were swept by Harvard and Dartmouth in the final weekend to drop them down. In typical ECAC fashion, only 4 points separated 3rd place (Harvard) from 8th place (St. Lawrence).

Other junk - After two weeks on top, Ferris State fell out of the #1 slot this week, falling two places to #3 (with one first place vote). Other RPI opponents ranked this week are #7 Union (up one), #8 UMass-Lowell (down one), #13 Cornell (down two), #18 Notre Dame (no change), and #19 Colorado College (down three). Also receiving votes were Quinnipiac (26), Harvard (25), and Colgate (ex-#20, 12).

The Engineers were the only team in the ECAC to pick up four points on the road against Colgate and Cornell this season.

Defense has played a huge role in RPI's success on the road. In the last six road contests, the Engineers have given up just seven goals, one less than they gave up in the Freakout! loss to Colgate alone. On the flip side, RPI has scored 15 markers of their own outside of the Capital District in 2012.

The weekend sweep guaranteed RPI its 30th consecutive season of 10 wins or more. The Engineers nabbed only 9 wins in 1981-82, and reached double digits by the slimmest of margins - exactly 10 - in 1995-96, 2006-07, and 2008-09. The team could technically still notch its second straight 20-win season, but it would require winning the national championship, and would still result in a losing overall record.

This will be Seth Appert's fourth losing season behind the bench for RPI - Dan Fridgen and Mike Addesa also had four losing seasons.

Believe it or not, RPI and Clarkson have met only once before in a playoff series. The #5 Golden Knights won a two game series in Troy over the #4 Engineers  3-1 and 6-4 to end the defending national champions' season. On the flip side, however, Clarkson is 0-2 (0-4 in games) as the #7 seed hosting the #10 seed.  Clarkson fell 3-2 and 6-1 to Vermont in 2003 and lost 2-1 and 6-4 to Harvard in 2011.

RPI was a Dartmouth loss (to Clarkson, on Friday) away from skating away with their best possible result coming into the weekend. That result would have put the Engineers in a tie with the Big Green, which they would have won based on a better record against the Top 4 teams (which would have seen Clarkson as #4) thanks to RPI's win over Cornell. That would have had the #9 Engineers playing at #8 St. Lawrence rather than at Clarkson.

Final ECAC Standings

1. Union - 32 pts (14-4-4)
2. Cornell - 30 pts (12-4-6)
3. Harvard - 25 pts (8-5-9)

4. Colgate - 23 pts (11-10-1)

5. Quinnipiac - 23 pts (9-8-5)
6. Yale - 22 pts (10-10-2)

7. Clarkson - 22 pts (9-9-4)

8. St. Lawrence - 21 pts (10-11-1)

9. Dartmouth - 19 pts (8-11-3)

10. RPI - 17 pts (7-12-3)

11. Princeton - 16 pts (6-12-4)

12. Brown - 14 pts (5-13-4)

RPI at #20 Colgate
ECAC Game - Starr Rink (Hamilton, NY)
2/24/12- 7:00pm
RESULT: RPI 4, Colgate 2

BOX SCORES

College Hockey Stats

USCHO

RECAPS

RPI

Troy Record

Albany Times Union

RECORD: 9-21-3 (6-12-3 ECAC, 15 pts)

RPI at #11 Cornell
ECAC Game - Lynah Rink  (Ithaca, NY)
2/25/12 - 7:00pm
RESULT:  RPI 2, Cornell 1 (OT)

BOX SCORES

College Hockey Stats

USCHO

RECAPS

RPI

Troy Record

Ithaca Journal

Cornell Daily Sun

RECORD: 10-21-3 (7-12-3 ECAC, 17 pts)

Upcoming games

02 Mar - at Clarkson (ECAC First Round, Game 1)

03 Mar - at Clarkson (ECAC First Round, Game 2)

04 Mar - at Clarkson (ECAC First Round, Game 3, if necessary)

09 Mar - at #7 Union, #13 Cornell, or Harvard (ECAC Quarterfinals, Game 1, if qualified)

10 Mar - at #7 Union, #13 Cornell, or Harvard (ECAC Quarterfinals, Game 2, if qualified)

Men's Hockey - vs. Union (10 Dec)

On the big ice at Lake Placid, the Engineers had one last opportunity to gain a little bit of redemption before going into a nearly three-week winter break. For nearly 35 minutes, RPI looked like they were ready to give Union a run for their money in the annual non-conference matchup, but a slew of bad penalties and rough goals buried the team and doomed them to their 13th loss of the season - the same number as all of last year - before Christmas, falling 5-2.

Union
Angers-Goulet/Rogic/Malchuk
Lee/O'Grady/Schroeder
Higgs/Laliberte/Cullen

Tinordi/McGowan/Rabbani

Leboeuf/Bergin

Leonard/Bailen

Curadi/Dolan

Merriam

Not too many changes to the lineup from the Quinnipiac game - Merriam returned in net, Cullen returned to replace Burgdoerfer on the Laliberte line, and Guy Leboeuf returned in place of Pat Koudys, whose absence was not explained. Otherwise, basically the same lines. Ryan Haggerty remained out with what has been reported as a bout of the flu, missing his third straight game, while Matt Neal remained out for the 11th straight outing with an ankle injury.

For the fifth time in six games, the Engineers got the all important first goal. Following a very early penalty kill, RPI struck first just as their first power play of the game was expiring. A blast by Jacob Laliberte was redirected in front by C.J. Lee, the junior's first goal of the season (though it was originally noted as Laliberte's goal, which would have been his third in as many games).

While scoring the first goal hasn't been a problem lately, only once - in RPI's game against RIT, scoring twice on a major power play - have the Engineers been able to take control by going up 2-0. That was not to be on Saturday afternoon, either, as Union got the tying goal with just under five minutes left in the first period, depriving RPI of a much needed first intermission boost - the Engineers have never led after one period in 16 games thus far.

Union made it 2-1 four minutes into the second period, but the Engineers, to their credit, did not back off as they did after giving up the lead in Troy against the Dutchmen. On the counter attack, a shot by Matt Tinordi was initially saved, and Mark McGowan was there to rifle home the rebound, tying the game up at two with McGowan's first career goal.

As the period wore on and the Engineers killed another penalty, it was beginning to look like they had an opportunity to fight for a win in the third period, but then the specter of bad penalties came down and snuffed out any opportunity to stay in things.

A cross-checking penalty was called against Guy Leboeuf with about five and a half minutes left in the second period, and while arguing the call, Seth Appert was assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that for some reason was served by Guy Leboeuf as part of a new double minor. Making matters worse, Alex Angers-Goulet, one of the team's most crucial penalty killers, was called for boarding less than a minute later, giving Union a long 5-on-3 power play. It took more than a minute, but the Dutchmen eventually capitalized on the two man advantage, and then made it 4-2 with a minute and a half left in the period after a blown defensive assignment by Mike Bergin left Union with a breakaway which they capitalized on.

RPI got a pair of power plays early in the third period, but neither were even remotely successful. The Dutchmen added a third straight goal midway through the third to lock things down tight. RPI managed a total of 25 shots on goal in the game, and the Engineers got 10 on net in the third, but by that time they were already facing a deep deficit. Bryce Merriam made 27 saves in the loss.

Other junk - Want further proof of RPI's fall from grace? Union's win was their only game of the week, and yet they fell one spot and are now only ranked #11. Also ranked this week: #6 Notre Dame (split with Ferris State, up one), #7 Colorado College (split with Alaska-Anchorage, down one), #10 Ferris State (down one), #12 Colgate (tied Merrimack, no change), #13 Cornell (idle, up three), #17 UMass-Lowell (beat BC, lost to Northeastern, up one), and #19 Yale (lost to UMass, down two). Also receiving votes, Quinnipiac (45), Harvard (9), Clarkson (4) and RIT (3).

With 9 goals in the last 4 games - at least 2 in each for the first time since doing it 7 times in a row late last year - the Engineers offense is slowly improving, but is still among the bottom five offenses in the nation, all scoring under two goals per game.

The Engineers started the season by falling behind 1-0 in their first seven games and understandably went 1-6 during that stretch. They have since gone up 1-0 in six of the nine games since, but are 2-3 in those games, with the two being shutouts. The Engineers still have given up only one goal in games they've won, the first goal of the game in the second Minnesota State outing.

Matt Neal, who has played only four games due to injury, is the only freshman forward who has yet to record his first career goal. Freshmen have scored 7 of the team's 15 goals by forwards.

ECAC Standings (by win% in parentheses)

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

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

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

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

#10 Union vs. RPI
Non-Conference Game - Herb Brooks Arena (Lake Placid, NY)
12/10/11 - 4:00pm
RESULT: Union 5, RPI 2


BOX SCORES
College Hockey Stats
USCHO

RECAPS

RPI
Troy Record
Albany Times Union

RECORD: 3-13-0 (1-6-0 ECAC, 2 pts)

Upcoming games

29 Dec - vs. #17 UMass-Lowell (Storrs, CT)
30 Dec - vs. Army OR at UConn (Storrs, CT)
06 Jan - Dartmouth
07 Jan - Harvard
10 Jan - American International

Looking Ahead - The Pipeline

Recruiting. It's the lifeblood of every college program. Unlike the professional ranks, where a team can sign players to long-term contracts an where players can bounce from team to team, the process of a team building its roster never ends, and the decision that a player makes in choosing a school is crucial - you're only going to get one good shot at it, or else your career might be interrupted and/or damaged if you choose the wrong school for you and end up needing to transfer or go pro before you're ready.

One thing Seth Appert has absolutely excelled at throughout his coaching career, be it as an assistant at Denver or as the head coach at RPI, is recruiting. He is widely credited as having been one of the key influences that brought guys like Hobey Baker winner Matt Carle and top goaltender Peter Mannino to Denver - both men were key elements of the Pioneers' national championship years. That hasn't changed since his arrival in Troy. Chase Polacek. Allen York. Jerry D'Amigo. Brandon Pirri. Brock Higgs. Even the ones that got away, like Nick Quinn (who bolted his commitment for the OHL this past summer) and several of the big names we've seen land at traditional powerhouses for whom RPI was a finalist.

The ones he's landed? Just as good. Some of them are even better.

Thanks to Reilly Hamilton and RPI TV for their snazzy graphics. We've included a projection as to who on the RPI roster (and no longer on the RPI roster, for that matter) these incoming recruits are expected to replace positionally, but that doesn't mean they're going to be mirror images of them. Some may take a season or two to get to that potential. Some may already be better than the guy they're replacing.

And understand also that recruiting never ends. This is not the final list for 2011, not by a longshot. We did this look at about this time last year, and the freshman class added Guy Leboeuf, Johnny Rogic, and Bo Dolan between then and May. Specifically, we're probably going to be in search of at least one more defenseman and one more forward, and we'll likely see a goaltender for 2012 and/or 2013 in the coming months.

Listed next to the player names are their current number, their position, and their birth year. They are listed in the order of their commitment, and also by their anticipated arrival year, with those expected or possibly arriving after this coming August at the very bottom.

Team: Cornwall Colts (CJHL)
Projected to replace: Chase Polacek

How long have RPI fans been waiting for Laliberté? Let's put it this way. Three months after Laliberté committed in February 2008, Engineers fans learned that Josh Rabbani had committed to RPI. When Laliberté arrives in Troy as a freshman next season, Rabbani will be starting his senior season.

Originally expected to arrive in 2009, he was initially pushed back to 2010 - potentially because of scholarship concerns with both Brandon Pirri and Jerry D'Amigo committing to RPI for 2009 during the summer of 2008, though for much of the 2008-09 season, it was expected that he would be coming in as part of a triple threat. It was even more unexpected (and painful) when word came out near the end of last season that Laliberté would be pushed back again, and some began to believe he was never coming at all.

Those fears have mostly been dashed by Laliberté's reiteration of his commitment to come to RPI in the fall of 2011. Rumor had it that the second deferral was Appert's choice, related to Laliberté's maturity level and work ethic. Laliberté himself admitted in the Cornwall Standard-Freeholder that he needed work on those things, and he appears to have put significant time and effort into improving both. That's great news for RPI, as he will likely arrive on campus in August a step ahead of other freshmen on the team, in the league, and around the nation.

Laliberté has been playing on a line with twins Tylor and Tyson Spink, whose services RPI was reportedly in the running for, though they both recently committed to Colgate for 2012. That line has been among the most dynamic in the CHL, and Laliberté himself is running away with the league's "three stars" award, racking up multiple points night in and night out. Like Polacek, Laliberté's size keeps him from being considered an NHL prospect, so we can expect to get four good years out of him as he works toward his degree and giving himself a shot at a higher level.


Team: Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL)
Projected to replace: John Kennedy

RPI fans on the Internet already have the nickname picked out for Curadi: the Big Red One. It's got a double meaning - his parents both served in the Army and Luke himself was born at the United States Military Academy in West Point ("The Big Red One" is the nickname of the Army's 1st Infantry Division), and the red-haired Curadi is... well, BIG. His frame has variably been given between 6'4" and 6'6", and he's been touted as tipping the scales between 245 and 260 - he'll easily be the biggest Engineer to roam Houston Field House since Pete Gardiner over a decade ago, and perhaps the biggest ever.

With the Engineer blueline already boasting a couple of redwoods with freshmen Pat Koudys and Guy Leboeuf (plus Mike Bergin, who's not exactly short himself), Curadi will come in and add even more size and strength next season. As his stat-line would indicate, he's not going to be even close to the Nick Bailen mold of defenseman, but that isn't too surprising given that Bailen could probably use Curadi for shade in the summertime.

The one thing that is definitely apparent from the stat-line is that Curadi isn't afraid to be physical. Last year, we posted a video of Curadi fighting in the Atlantic JHL All-Star game as an indicator of his toughness, and he has continued that over the last two seasons in Penticton of the BCHL, and now with Dubuque, where he is coached by former RPI assistant Jim Montgomery (and where he was supposed to be playing with the aforementioned Quinn). Needless to say, Curadi will make opposing teams think twice about messing with guys like Cullen, O'Grady, Lee, Higgs, or Laliberté, and presents a serious roadblock to any forward, speed or no speed, who wants to draw in toward the RPI net.

Curadi initially committed to UMass - where he would be a sophomore right now if he had gone through with it - but instead the B.R.O. has spent the last two seasons growing as a player in two of the toughest and most competitive junior leagues in North America. He committed to RPI in December 2009, and according to the Milford-Orange Bulletin, signed a National Letter of Intent in May, which is something athletes at RPI rarely do. It's at the very least a symbol of his commitment to the program and the school.


Team: Stouffville Spirit (OJHL)
Projected to replace: Brandon Pirri

Next to Laliberté, the most exciting and dynamic incoming forward has got to be center Matt Neal. The fact that the two are coming to RPI at the same time is cause for even more excitement.

Like Laliberté, the numbers speak for themselves. They're not nearly as outrageous as Laliberté's, but they're still impressive nonetheless. Neal chose RPI over Cornell and Union back in September, in part, because he likes the fact that RPI doesn't play a trap-style game, instead preferring the Engineers' up-tempo style (incidentally, he seems to be planning to study management and economics at the Institute).

Neal is in his third season with Stouffville, and his numbers have gradually increased along the lines of what one should expect from a developing player who will have an outstanding collegiate career. He was one of the final cuts from the 2010 World Junior A Challenge squad for Team Canada East, a team which has included Brandon Pirri, Marty O'Grady, and Jacob Laliberté in recent years. That's the level of guy RPI is getting with Neal.




Team: US National Team Development Program (USHL)
Projected to replace: Scott Halpern

When he committed to RPI in September, Haggerty became the second player to commit from the US National Team Development Program team following Jerry D'Amigo.

It is worth recognizing that not every player who comes through USA Hockey's developmental program is destined for instant stardom in the same vein that D'Amigo shot to when he arrived at the Institute. The fact that Haggerty plays for the USNTDP should not alone be cause for celebration. There are several examples of former USNTDP guys who go on to be relative busts, or merely become solid contributors.

At the same time, don't be disheartened by only nine points in 27 games. Haggerty is playing on a team full of talent in a very difficult junior league (not to mention against D-I and D-III college teams). Even in the USHL, only a handful of players on each team will take the next step and play Division I college hockey. That's not the case on the USNTDP. Every single member of that team eventually goes on to play in either the NCAA or go to Canada for major junior. There are nine forwards (and 15 total players) on the squad who are ranked in the NHL Central Scouting Bureau's draft ranking and have committed NCAA teams. Let there be no doubt that Haggerty is still an elite prospect - you have to be in order to even earn an invite to try out for the USNTDP, let alone make the team.

Haggerty has, according to what we can see, been getting mostly fourth line time on this squad. Usually, that line isn't tasked with scoring an awful lot of goals.

Like Curadi, Haggerty has signed a National Letter of Intent. His father played hockey at Providence and told the Stamford Times that Ryan should get the opportunity to play right away, possibly on one of the top two lines. Given the amount of scoring talent that the Engineers are losing this offseason, that may well be a possibility, and if Haggerty can live up to the ability that landed him on the USNDTP in the first place, he'll be a solid asset for the RPI attack.


Team: Oakville Blades (OJHL)
Projected to replace: Bryan Brutlag

Any time you have a guy scoring more than a point per game in juniors, you're talking about a guy who has the ability to be a significant contributor offensively in college, even if it's just as a role-player. When you can do it for multiple seasons in succession, you've probably got the ability to be even more.

Presently among the "three star" leaders in the OJHL, McGowan will likely be the oldest incoming freshman given the fact the he turns 21 in May (which also means he couldn't possibly come in any later than next season). He's in his fourth year in the league, and he's on track for his third season scoring over a point per game, just missing out on that figure in 2008-09 when he netted "only" 46 points in 49 games.

As a replacement for Bryan Brutlag the forward, he seems to be a pretty solid guy with the experience to be able to step in right away and make contributions in a similar vein as Brock Higgs this year. The one knock may be that he could already be approaching his upside, which is always a concern with guys who commit just before their final year of eligibility. But that doesn't always come true - Guy Leboeuf has already elevated his game pretty well coming out of a similar situation.


Team: Wellington Dukes (OJHL)
Projected to replace: Jeff Foss

Leonard was ranked 200th among North American skaters in the NHL Central Scouting Bureau's ranking system when it was released this week. Given that there are 210 draft positions, that means Leonard may get a late-round look in this year's NHL Entry Draft in Minnesota (bear in mind that goaltenders and international prospects aren't on the same list).

He describes himself as a "defensive defenseman," but he does have a good solid number of assists - one every other game - which indicates that he might well be a decent puck distributor as well, something we've seen the Engineers do more and more from the back of the zone in the last couple of years, especially with the addition of Nick Bailen, but Jeff Foss and Mike Bergin have done their fair share of it as well.

And then, of course, there's Leonard's size, something you can't teach. Appert is intent in growing a forest in front of the net and Leonard's 6'3" frame will fit very well back there. He is expected to be arriving next season and is planning to enroll as a business and management major.


Team: St. Thomas Academy (MSHSL)
Projected to replace: Jerry D'Amigo

If the name sounds familiar, there's a very simple reason for it - Zach is the younger brother of Jordan Schroeder, a two-year standout at the University of Minnesota, a veteran of three World Junior Championship teams, and a top prospect of the Vancouver Canucks currently playing for the Manitoba Moose of the AHL.

It's not unusual to see a whole slew of talented players come out of a single family; just look at the NHL's Staals, Harvard's Biegas, or the Zajacs who have starred at North Dakota and Union (oh, and there's another one still out there and uncommitted). The truth is, even if Zach was only half as talented as his older brother, the Engineers are getting an impact player - and just as important, perhaps an impact player who may stick around to finish his degree.

Schroeder (pronounced SHRAY-dur) may be similar to Bryan Brutlag in his decision to come to RPI directly out of high school in Minnesota. Quite frequently, the WCHA teams that the best players in Minnesota are more frequently attracted to will want those players to spend at least a year in the USHL or the BCHL before coming to school. It was reported that one of the things that attracted Brutlag to RPI over suitors which included Minnesota and St. Cloud State was the fact that RPI offered to take him right away and offered immediate playing time as well. That could well be the case with Schroeder as well, who last year had observers saying that he "look[ed] like a future Gopher."

That may translate to a less-productive freshman season than may otherwise have been the case, since a year or two of development in a top level junior league usually assists incoming freshman in being immediate stars, but that's the deal that Appert and other ECAC coaches frequently need to make with top players in the North Star State to secure their commitment. But make no mistake - Schroeder is one of the best players on a St. Thomas Academy team that is practically always one of the top Class A (small and private school) teams in the state.


Team: Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)
Projected to replace: Bryan Brutlag or Mike Bergin

Bradley has a lot of raw talent, and it was recognized by the NHL CSB, who pegged him 152nd among North American skaters. Like Leonard, that means Bradley has a shot at a late-round look.

The numbers don't lie - Bradley isn't going to pop up on the score sheet an awful lot. He represented the United States in the Ivan Hlinka tournament this past summer in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and was apparently considered for the USNDTP. He has been described as a "big, puck-moving defenseman," which is exactly what Seth Appert has been looking for on the blue line lately. He's not as big as Curadi, Leonard, Koudys, and Leboeuf, but he's big enough to be another difficult obstacle for forwards in the ECAC to navigate. At the very least, he's roughly the same size as Jeff Foss with some room to grow.

Bradley's tentatively scheduled to come to Troy in 2011, but that may end up actually being 2012, especially given that Curadi and Leonard are coming next year with only Kennedy and Foss graduating from the defensive corps. It depends on whether another defenseman is recruited for 2011, or whether Appert decides carrying seven defensemen on the roster is OK.


Team: Omaha Lancers (USHL)
Projected to replace: Joel Malchuk or Alex Angers-Goulet

Miller is a bit of an unknown quantity at this point. When he committed to RPI in November, he was the Lancers' leading goal scorer after 12 games, an impressive feat considering that one of his teammates is Seth Ambroz, one of the most highly touted incoming recruits in the country for next season (he's going to Minnesota). The problem? At the time, he was leading the Lancers with four goals. He also had two assists.

Since committing, Miller has yet to register a point in 15 games - the only addition to his stat-line since then are his 7 penalty minutes, accrued all at the same time as he was called for tripping and then engaged in a fight.

So in other words, since we've been watching - as best as one can from Troy, anyway - it's tough to say what's going on with Miller. That's not to say he doesn't have some solid bonafides. We don't know his full story, but we do know he was playing well in midgets in Kansas City last year before moving on to the Wenatchee Wild of the NAHL late in the season, where he played in 4 games. He was then taken 29th overall in the 2nd round of the USHL Draft by Omaha, an indication of the expectations the team had for him, considering that there are 21 rounds to the USHL Draft.

Chris Heisenberg says Miller's an unknown arrival year, either next year or in 2012. We suspect he's more likely a 2012, unless it turns out that he's going to be a walk-on in the Kevin Beauregard mold, which is not outside the realm of possibility. We just don't know right now.


Team: Vernon Vipers (BCHL)
Projected to replace: Patrick Cullen

Here's yet another name that should sound familiar, perhaps even moreso to RPI fans than Schroeder. Mike's older brother, Steve, played four years at Clarkson before moving on to play for the San Jose Sharks. Sharper college hockey aficionados will remember another older brother, Rich, who helped lead Oswego State to a Division III national championship a few years back.

Like his brothers, Mike has chosen to stay close to home, which was a big part of his decision to come to RPI. Like Mark Zarbo and his younger brothers Matt and Joe (the former a Clarkson freshman, the latter a Clarkson commit), we're sure Mike Zalewski will have plenty of good-natured sibling ribbing as part of the rivalry.

Zalewski is the first (and actually, still the only) confirmed recruit for the Class of 2016, which arrives in Troy in August 2012. Like any American playing in the BCHL, he's a talent that's worth waiting for. He was good enough to get drafted by the USHL (by Youngstown, Bradley's team) even after he had made it evident that he was planning to play in the BCHL this season. That's how much he was sought after scoring in bunches for his high school team in New Hartford two years ago, and then again for the Syracuse Stars of the EJHL last season. According to hockey scout Dan Sallows, Mike and his older brother Steve "mirror each other with their offensive ability, good work ethic, and strong two-way play." Definitely good news.



Team: The Gunnery (Prep-CT)
Projected to replace: C.J. Lee or Marty O'Grady

There is some degree of ambiguity as to whether Wood - for whom word of his commitment came down just this past Monday - will be arriving in Troy with Zalewski in 2012 or whether he will be the Engineers' first recruit for 2013. Given that he is a junior at The Gunnery, it certainly will not be next season even though he turns 18 this year.

Given that we just learned of Wood's commitment, we don't know that much about him other than his numbers and his size (which isn't much, but he could still grow). If you want a chance to see him in action, roll on down to Albany Academy on February 19th to watch the Gunners take Eric Cavosie's Cadets - that is, of course, if you're not up in the North Country watching RPI play Clarkson.

If Wood does arrive in 2012, he will be the first Engineer to come directly out of a New England prep school since Andrei Uryadov, who played for South Kent.

We'll say this much about Wood, especially if he's being penciled in for 2013. Landing players this far out is what programs do nowadays when they are putting themselves in a position to eschew the rebuilding process that tends to crop up every now and then, and start reloading instead.