A quick return to non-conference play after just a week of ECAC action saw RPI host St. Cloud State for a pair at Houston Field House. Though the Huskies have traditionally struggled in a strong WCHA, they took it to the Engineers, picking up a 3-2 win on Friday before dominating their hosts on Saturday in a 3-0 shutout.
Friday
Mahoney/Tomlinson/Svoboda
Horwood/Wash/Renn
Rooney/Mankey/Walsh
Hylwa/Raspa
Kimmerle/Schilter
Behounek/Banks
Middlebrook/Godin
Piper
A shorthanded goal in the second period was the difference on Friday as St. Cloud State picked up a 3-2 victory over RPI at Houston Field House.
A back-and-forth first period saw the teams tied at two after twenty minutes before the shorty by Abby Ness put St. Cloud on top in the second.
Molly Illikainen scored first, taking a turnover at the RPI blue line to skate in alone and put one past Brianna Piper, while also drawing a penalty by being hooked on the attempt.
The ensuing power play saw St. Cloud double the lead to 2-0, as Lauren Hespenheide cleanly beat Piper on a wrist shot from the faceoff dot just 23 seconds after the Huskies' first goal.
Lauren Wash cut the deficit to 2-1 at 13:42, picking up a rebound of a point shot from Kathryn Schilter and snaking a shot through traffic for the goal.
Ali Svoboda tied things up 1:41 later, taking a nice drop pass from Shayna Tomlinson and beating Julie Friend with a monster slapshot to make it 2-2.
Abby Ness picked up the shorthanded game-winner in the second after being sprung on a breakaway by Illikainen. A quick deke to Piper's left and she put it over the pads to take a 3-2 lead.
Though the Huskies took three straight penalties late in the second and early in the third, the RPI power play (clicking at an unfathomably low 3.0%, at 2-for-66) did not capitalize, and St. Cloud hung on for the 3-2 win.
Saturday
Mahoney/Tomlinson/Svoboda
Horwood/Wash/Renn
Rooney/Mankey/Walsh
Hylwa/Raspa
Kimmerle/Schilter
Behounek/Banks
Middlebrook/Godin
O'Brien
While Friday's game was a fairly close affair, a switch seemed to turn off for the Engineers overnight as Saturday's game was one of their worst in recent memory. An inability to keep control of the puck or get any pucks to the net resulted in a 3-0 SCSU shutout in which RPI mustered just eight shots over three periods.
Lexi Slattery gave the Huskies the early lead at 8:33 of the first period, poking home a rebound for a power play goal.
Vanessa Spataro made it 2-0 at 11:21 of the second, skating down ice 1-on-1 but still managing to put a precise shot over the shoulder of Kelly O'Brien for the goal.
An RPI penalty shortly after Spataro's goal put SCSU back on the man advantage, and though they didn't officially score on the power play, Illikainen's tally six seconds after it expired may as well have been a power play goal, a rebound put into the back of the net before RPI could get the fifth skater back into the zone.
The RPI power play went 0-11 over the weekend and the lack of offense has gone from being troublesome to downright serious as the ECAC schedule is about to hit full stride. While the Engineers have struggled with the injury bug in this young season, the lack of potent offensive weapons has the potential to handicap RPI for the season.
The Engineers next hit the road for games against Quinnipiac and Princeton. Quinnipiac has roared out to a 7-0-1 start, while is 4-1-1. Both look to pose a challenge for the struggling Engineers as they look for their first ECAC victory of the season.
-----
RPI vs. St. Cloud State
Non-Conference Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
11/7/14 - 3:00pm
SCSU 3, RPI 2
BOX SCORES:
College Hockey Stats: http://collegehockeystats.net/1415/boxes/wrenstc1.n07
RPI: http://rpiathletics.com/boxscore.aspx?path=whock&id=4432
RECAPS:
RPI: http://rpiathletics.com/news/2014/11/7/WICE_1107145311.aspx
SCSU: http://www.scsuhuskies.com/news/2014/11/7/WHOCKEY_1107144027.aspx
Video Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McMf7eXSYr0
Complete Game Video: http://www.rpitv.org/productions/855
RECORD: 1-7-2 (0-2-0 ECAC)
-----
RPI vs. St. Cloud State
Non-Conference Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
11/8/14 - 3:00pm
SCSU 3, RPI 0
BOX SCORES:
College Hockey Stats: http://collegehockeystats.net/1415/boxes/wrenstc1.n08
RPI: http://rpiathletics.com/boxscore.aspx?path=whock&id=4433
RECAPS:
RPI: http://rpiathletics.com/news/2014/11/8/WICE_1108140827.aspx
SCSU: http://www.scsuhuskies.com/news/2014/11/8/WHOCKEY_1108142151.aspx
Video Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmXx7z_C1tg
Complete Game Video: http://www.rpitv.org/productions/856
RECORD: 1-8-2 (0-2-0 ECAC)
-----
Upcoming Schedule
Nov. 14 - at Quinnipiac (7pm)
Nov. 15 - at Princeton (4pm)
Nov. 28 - RIT (7pm)
Nov. 29 - RIT (4pm)
Showing posts with label st. cloud state. Show all posts
Showing posts with label st. cloud state. Show all posts
Monday, November 10, 2014
Friday, November 7, 2014
Proving Ground
There's been some improvement from both the men and the women in recent weeks.
The women got themselves off of that painful winless streak that ended last season and continued into this season with a win against UConn two weeks ago. After settling for a draw in the second game of the weekend, the Engineers were sent straight into the lion's den, traveling to Harvard and Dartmouth. That's a tough haul even for the Clarksons and Quinnipiacs of the world, to say nothing of a team just getting its feet back underneath them. It's not a point of shame that the Engineers couldn't conjure up their first ECAC points.
The men were at rock bottom - or at least, we all hoped it was rock bottom. After being completely destroyed by Bentley of all teams, the defending national champions beckoned. It was the lowest of lows sent directly to the highest of highs.
Now it's time for both teams to prove that recent successes were no fluke. They're right where they want to be - at home. The women will have to settle for a non-conference series with St. Cloud State, but for the men, it's an opportunity for four more ECAC points (against Harvard and Dartmouth), and a chance to solidify the first place position the schedule and their play have given them. Every point is precious by the time February arrives - so the more you can grab in November, the easier things can be late.
So how about it? Who's hot, and who's not?
The women got themselves off of that painful winless streak that ended last season and continued into this season with a win against UConn two weeks ago. After settling for a draw in the second game of the weekend, the Engineers were sent straight into the lion's den, traveling to Harvard and Dartmouth. That's a tough haul even for the Clarksons and Quinnipiacs of the world, to say nothing of a team just getting its feet back underneath them. It's not a point of shame that the Engineers couldn't conjure up their first ECAC points.
The men were at rock bottom - or at least, we all hoped it was rock bottom. After being completely destroyed by Bentley of all teams, the defending national champions beckoned. It was the lowest of lows sent directly to the highest of highs.
Now it's time for both teams to prove that recent successes were no fluke. They're right where they want to be - at home. The women will have to settle for a non-conference series with St. Cloud State, but for the men, it's an opportunity for four more ECAC points (against Harvard and Dartmouth), and a chance to solidify the first place position the schedule and their play have given them. Every point is precious by the time February arrives - so the more you can grab in November, the easier things can be late.
So how about it? Who's hot, and who's not?
Monday, December 2, 2013
Women's Hockey - at St. Cloud State (29/30 Nov)
Before last weekend's short respite, we noted that the Engineers were difficult to pin down. They did nothing to change that notion this weekend, winning two games against St. Cloud State by scores of 4-1 and 2-1 despite being outshot 77-41 on the weekend.
Kelly O'Brien was excellent in net for the Engineers, turning away 75 of 77 shots faced, including a career-high 44 saves on Friday afternoon, while many of the players had the opportunity to earn a road sweep in front of their family and friends in St. Cloud.
Friday
Mahoney/Wash/Sanders
Smelker/Mari Mankey/Svoboda
Horwood/Gruschow/Walsh
Letuligasenoa/Missy Mankey
Huhtamaki/Marzario
Banks/Schilter
Behounek/Godin
Middlebrook
O'Brien
RPI grabbed a 1-0 lead late in the first and held onto it until a 3-goal third period lifted them to an eventual 4-1 victory over St. Cloud State on Friday night, but it was Kelly O'Brien who stole the show with 44 saves on 45 shots.
Alexa Gruschow gave the Engineers that 1-0 lead at 17:59 of the first, first feeding Jordan Smelker for a shot then collecting Smelker's rebound and putting it past netminder Julie Friend.
O'Brien was called on to keep the Engineers in the game through the second period, which saw the Engineers outshot by a whopping 15-2 margin.
With some adjustments made during the intermission, RPI came out with a stronger third period and saw their lead doubled to 2-0 about five minutes in when Toni Sanders received a pass from Lauren Wash behind the Huskies' net and beat Friend up high.
St. Cloud State cut RPI's lead to 2-1 at 11:04 of the third with a power play goal by Payge Pena out of a scrum in front of O'Brien.
Wash scored a power play goal of her own with 2:19 remaining in regulation, with a little give and go from Jenn Godin to set her up for the shot.
Ali Svoboda put the game away with an empty net goal 32 seconds later, putting the Engineers up by the final 4-1 margin.
O'Brien was named the game's first star, making 14, 15, and 16 saves in the three periods respectively, while Toni Sanders (1G, 4 shots) was the game's second star and SCSU's Payge Pena (1G) was third star.
Saturday
Mahoney/Wash/Sanders
Smelker/Mari Mankey/Svoboda
Horwood/Gruschow/Rooney
Letuligasenoa/Missy Mankey/Hylwa
Huhtamaki/Marzario
Banks/Schilter
Behounek/Godin
O'Brien
RPI jumped out to an early lead thanks to two power play goals in the first period on Saturday, and O'Brien made the lead hold through the remainder of the game as RPI held on for a 2-1 victory where they were once again outshot.
The Engineers scored on their first two power plays of the game, with Smelker picking up the first as a pass from Kathryn Schilter found her all alone on the doorstep.
Heidi Huhtamaki picked up the second assist on the play, and would also figure in the second goal, earning the primary helper on a Madison Marzario goal, a slap shot from the point which got past Katie Fitzgerald to make it 2-0.
A long 5-on-3 chance for the Huskies late in the first was successfully killed by the Engineers, and the second period passed with just one penalty on each team and no scoring. RPI was held to six shots in each of the first two periods.
A shorthanded goal got SCSU on the board in the third period, with Molli Mott scoring for the Huskies early in the period. O'Brien turned away the remaining shots, making 10 saves in the third period and 25 overall for her sixth win of the season.
RPI has one weekend of ECAC play at Princeton and Quinnipiac remaining before a month-long holiday break. Game times are 7pm Friday against Princeton and 4pm Saturday against Quinnipiac.
-----
RPI at St. Cloud State
Non-Conference Game - Herb Brooks National Hockey Center (St. Cloud, MN)
11/29/13 - 4:07pm
RPI 4, SCSU 1
RECAPS:
RECORD: 5-8-1 (3-3 ECAC)
-----
RPI at St. Cloud State
Non-Conference Game - Herb Brooks National Hockey Center (St. Cloud, MN)
11/30/13 - 4:07pm
RPI 2, SCSU 1
RECAPS:
RECORD: 6-8-1 (3-3 ECAC)
-----
Upcoming Games
Dec. 6 - at Princeton (7pm)
Dec. 7 - at Quinnipiac (4pm)
Jan. 4 - at Providence (7pm)
Jan. 5 - at Providence (4pm)
Saturday, November 30, 2013
In the Clouds
So... this was due yesterday, and it's late. A thousand apologies. Busy as can be on Thanksgiving weekend.
Yesterday afternoon, the Engineers defeated St. Cloud 4-1 in a game you should have been able to hear on WRPI, except for the fact that Public Safety apparently wouldn't let anyone into the station to turn the transmitter on and start broadcasting. What you missed were two point efforts from Lauren Wash, Jordan Smelker, and Alexa Gruschow as RPI defeated the Huskies, although the Tute did need a goal with just over two minutes left, followed by an empty netter, to sew things up tight.
St. Cloud is a struggling team, but they're by no means pushovers. They managed a one-goal loss to a then-still unbeaten Minnesota, and they took three points out of four from Minnesota-Duluth in their best weekend of the season, a decent accomplishment even if the Bulldogs aren't world-beaters right now.
RPI, as well, has had their own struggles completing a full weekend. It's been nearly a full calendar year since the Engineers swept a weekend that wasn't Union - when they hosted Brown and Yale on December 7 and 8, 2012. For the last road weekend swept, go all the way back to January 22 and 23, 2010, against Harvard and Dartmouth, and the last non-conference road weekend swept was November 17/18, 2006 at Sacred Heart.
So when you consider that it was still a one-goal game late in the affair yesterday afternoon, the repeat showing this afternoon could be a real... dogfight? Wow, that was lame. But anyway, this time, you've got a pumpup to get you motivated for hopefully being able to actually listen to the game on WRPI - a treat, since most women's road games aren't broadcast, especially not from Minnesota (we can thank Minnesota native Perry Laskaris, home for the holiday, for this).
Puck drop, eastern time, is about 4:07pm. Let's pump it up with a short one from the mid-90s, quick enough to get the blood flowing in the short time we've got left this weekend.
Yesterday afternoon, the Engineers defeated St. Cloud 4-1 in a game you should have been able to hear on WRPI, except for the fact that Public Safety apparently wouldn't let anyone into the station to turn the transmitter on and start broadcasting. What you missed were two point efforts from Lauren Wash, Jordan Smelker, and Alexa Gruschow as RPI defeated the Huskies, although the Tute did need a goal with just over two minutes left, followed by an empty netter, to sew things up tight.
St. Cloud is a struggling team, but they're by no means pushovers. They managed a one-goal loss to a then-still unbeaten Minnesota, and they took three points out of four from Minnesota-Duluth in their best weekend of the season, a decent accomplishment even if the Bulldogs aren't world-beaters right now.
RPI, as well, has had their own struggles completing a full weekend. It's been nearly a full calendar year since the Engineers swept a weekend that wasn't Union - when they hosted Brown and Yale on December 7 and 8, 2012. For the last road weekend swept, go all the way back to January 22 and 23, 2010, against Harvard and Dartmouth, and the last non-conference road weekend swept was November 17/18, 2006 at Sacred Heart.
So when you consider that it was still a one-goal game late in the affair yesterday afternoon, the repeat showing this afternoon could be a real... dogfight? Wow, that was lame. But anyway, this time, you've got a pumpup to get you motivated for hopefully being able to actually listen to the game on WRPI - a treat, since most women's road games aren't broadcast, especially not from Minnesota (we can thank Minnesota native Perry Laskaris, home for the holiday, for this).
Puck drop, eastern time, is about 4:07pm. Let's pump it up with a short one from the mid-90s, quick enough to get the blood flowing in the short time we've got left this weekend.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
2013-14 Women's Hockey Schedule
We pieced together most of this schedule on Twitter over the last couple of weeks, but the full official schedule was released last week. So here it is. This year's schedule includes just three non-conference games at home (eight are on the road), but there are a couple of earlier opportunities to see the team play non-ECAC squads with a pair of exhibitions in late September - the official opening of the RPI hockey season.
Friday games are at 7pm and Saturday games are at 4pm unless otherwise indicated.
September
Sunday, 22 September - OTTAWA JR. SENATORS, 1pm (exhibition)
Monday, 23 September - BROCK, 3pm (exhibition)
October
Friday, 4 October - at Robert Morris
Saturday, 5 October - at Robert Morris, 3pm
Friday, 11 October - BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Saturday, 12 October - NORTHEASTERN
Saturday, 19 October - VERMONT, 3pm
Friday, 25 October - at UConn, 2pm
Saturday, 26 October - at UConn, 2pm
November
Friday, 1 November - HARVARD*
Saturday, 2 November - DARTMOUTH*
Friday, 8 November - at Cornell*
Saturday, 9 November - at Colgate*
Friday, 15 November - YALE*
Saturday, 16 November - BROWN*
Friday, 29 November - at St. Cloud State, 4pm
Saturday, 30 November - at St. Cloud State
December
Friday, 06 December - at Princeton*
Saturday, 07 December - at Quinnipiac*
January
Saturday, 04 January - at Providence, 7pm
Sunday, 05 January - at Providence, 4pm
Friday, 10 January - QUINNIPIAC*
Saturday, 11 January - PRINCETON*
Friday, 17 January - UNION*
Saturday, 18 January - at Union*
Friday, 24 January - at Dartmouth*
Saturday, 25 January - at Harvard,* 5pm
Friday, 31 January - ST. LAWRENCE*
February
Saturday, 01 February - CLARKSON*
Friday, 07 February - at Brown*
Saturday, 08 February - at Yale*
Friday, 14 February - COLGATE*
Saturday, 15 February - CORNELL* (Senior Night)
Friday, 21 February - at Clarkson*
Saturday, 22 February - at St. Lawrence*
Friday, 28 February - ECAC Quarterfinals Game 1 (at campus sites)
March
Saturday, 01 March - ECAC Quarterfinals Game 2 (at campus sites)
Sunday, 02 March - ECAC Quarterfinals Game 3 (if necessary, at campus sites)
Saturday, 08 March - ECAC Semifinals (at highest seed)
Sunday, 09 March - ECAC Championship (at highest semifinal seed)
Sat-Sun, 15-16 March - NCAA Quarterfinals (at campus sites)
Friday, 21 March - NCAA Frozen Four (Hamden, CT)
Sunday, 23 March - NCAA Championship (Hamden, CT)
Friday games are at 7pm and Saturday games are at 4pm unless otherwise indicated.
September
Sunday, 22 September - OTTAWA JR. SENATORS, 1pm (exhibition)
Monday, 23 September - BROCK, 3pm (exhibition)
October
Friday, 4 October - at Robert Morris
Saturday, 5 October - at Robert Morris, 3pm
Friday, 11 October - BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Saturday, 12 October - NORTHEASTERN
Saturday, 19 October - VERMONT, 3pm
Friday, 25 October - at UConn, 2pm
Saturday, 26 October - at UConn, 2pm
November
Friday, 1 November - HARVARD*
Saturday, 2 November - DARTMOUTH*
Friday, 8 November - at Cornell*
Saturday, 9 November - at Colgate*
Friday, 15 November - YALE*
Saturday, 16 November - BROWN*
Friday, 29 November - at St. Cloud State, 4pm
Saturday, 30 November - at St. Cloud State
December
Friday, 06 December - at Princeton*
Saturday, 07 December - at Quinnipiac*
January
Saturday, 04 January - at Providence, 7pm
Sunday, 05 January - at Providence, 4pm
Friday, 10 January - QUINNIPIAC*
Saturday, 11 January - PRINCETON*
Friday, 17 January - UNION*
Saturday, 18 January - at Union*
Friday, 24 January - at Dartmouth*
Saturday, 25 January - at Harvard,* 5pm
Friday, 31 January - ST. LAWRENCE*
February
Saturday, 01 February - CLARKSON*
Friday, 07 February - at Brown*
Saturday, 08 February - at Yale*
Friday, 14 February - COLGATE*
Saturday, 15 February - CORNELL* (Senior Night)
Friday, 21 February - at Clarkson*
Saturday, 22 February - at St. Lawrence*
Friday, 28 February - ECAC Quarterfinals Game 1 (at campus sites)
March
Saturday, 01 March - ECAC Quarterfinals Game 2 (at campus sites)
Sunday, 02 March - ECAC Quarterfinals Game 3 (if necessary, at campus sites)
Saturday, 08 March - ECAC Semifinals (at highest seed)
Sunday, 09 March - ECAC Championship (at highest semifinal seed)
Sat-Sun, 15-16 March - NCAA Quarterfinals (at campus sites)
Friday, 21 March - NCAA Frozen Four (Hamden, CT)
Sunday, 23 March - NCAA Championship (Hamden, CT)
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
EZAC!
So there it was, Easter night, and suddenly it dawned on me.
The national championship game could be a rematch of the ECAC consolation game.
Yeah. We're not in Kansas anymore, are we?
A couple of times this season, I've pooh-poohed some of the more excited suggestions about what the ECAC could accomplish on the national level. So far, I've been proven about right - three NCAA bids was about what I expected. So what is it to say that the ECAC now has two teams in the Frozen Four for the first time since 1983, and just a year removed from ending a nine-year drought without even a single team in the ultimate event of the college hockey season?
Some would say it was nothing but luck. Those people will point to the fact that Yale essentially backed into the tournament after failing miserably in Atlantic City (scoring a grand total of zero goals in two games), that Union could well have been out of the NCAAs themselves if they hadn't won the ECAC title (probably true), and that Quinnipiac had a lousy February and (of course) was never a deserving #1.
Ask Minnesota, North Dakota, and Boston College about what kind of year the ECAC had. Those three powerhouse programs can boast a single split regular-season title (the Gophers, with St. Cloud State earning the #1 seed in the conference tournament) between them while two ECAC teams do battle in Pittsburgh for the opportunity to claim the league's first national championship since 1989.
While I was trying to calm down the overly optimistic expectations of four or five bids, I also pointed to the upward trend the league has been experiencing in the last couple of years as a legitimate source of optimism, and this is certainly another sign of growth. In 2011, we saw the league picking up three bids for the first time in several years. In 2012, it was a Frozen Four berth. Now, it's both, plus an extra spot in the Frozen Four.
Now, we don't need to have Quinnipiac and Yale win tomorrow to make this a successful season for the league, and there are plenty of additional steps that need to be taken before we can really pound our chests. And, as I also brought up earlier this season, the ECAC is set to pretty much overtake the "new" WCHA starting next season in terms of stature.
So, what are the chances of an ECAC champion this weekend? I'd go with... fair. It sounds pessimistic to say that with half the teams being from the ECAC, but it's about as far as I'd be willing to go. UMass-Lowell, on their current seven-game win streak, has given up either one goal or none at all in six of those games. That's a defense that's dialed in. St. Cloud State played exceptionally well in the WCHA, and settled for a #4 seed based almost entirely upon non-conference stumbles against UNH, RPI, and Northern Michigan, plus a loss to Wisconsin in the WCHA tournament. They're good.
That's not to say that Yale and Quinnipiac don't have things going for them as well. The Bobcats may be as dialed in on offense as UML is on defense, and a matchup between the Q and the River Hawks could be very exciting - as could the actual Yale-UML matchup provided that the Bulldogs get the offense they had in Grand Rapids rather than the one they had in Atlantic City.
Overall, though? This is a weekend to enjoy if you're a college hockey fan. It's the Frozen Four, of course, and that's cause every year. But this year? It's an even bigger celebration of what makes college hockey special. It's borne out of Union beating Boston College and St. Cloud State beating Notre Dame. Name another sport where that result would be even remotely possible.
When the casual college sports fan looks at the Frozen Four and says "who the hell are these guys?", you can take pride when you say - these are four damn good college hockey teams, and they proved it.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Men's Hockey - at St. Cloud State, Sacred Heart (27/28 Dec, 31 Dec)
The Engineers returned to action with three games in the span of just five days after having a 19-day layoff for the holidays, heading to Minnesota for the second time this season before returning home to host the worst team in the nation by practically every metric. They did well in the North Star State, surprising St. Cloud State 4-3 before dropping a tough-fought 2-1 decision on Thursday and Friday, then returned home on short rest to soundly defeat winless Sacred Heart 6-2.
St. Cloud State (Thursday)
Lee-Laliberte-Haggerty
Higgs-McGowan-Neal
Zalewski-Miller-Bubela
Tinordi-Rogic-O'Grady
Leonard-Bailen
Leboeuf-Bradley
Curadi-Dolan
Upcoming games
04 Jan - at #9 Boston University
05 Jan - at #4 New Hampshire
11 Jan - at #5 Quinnipiac
12 Jan - at Princeton
18 Jan - Colgate
Lee-Laliberte-Haggerty
Higgs-McGowan-Neal
Zalewski-Miller-Bubela
Tinordi-Rogic-O'Grady
Leonard-Bailen
Leboeuf-Bradley
Curadi-Dolan
Kasdorf
The big roster change involved the return of Mark McGowan from his bout with mono, he was placed on a line with Brock Higgs and Matt Neal, splitting the "NHL line."
The early part of the first period was largely a feeling-out process for both teams, neither really grasping the upper hand over the other until about 15 minutes in, when St. Cloud scored on a bang-bang play in front of Kasdorf to put the Huskies up 1-0. Just under three minutes later, the Huskies would score again, and just like that, RPI was down 2-0 heading into the locker room and it looked like bad news was in store as the hosts were rolling and nearly notched a third before intermission.
However, it was the Engineers that came out of the locker room looking fired up and ready to go, with St. Cloud looking distinctively off at the same time. Ryan Haggerty scored just under two minutes into the second period to cut SCSU's lead in half, and just about four minutes later a nifty power goal in the slot by Milos Bubela tied the game up at two. Almost exactly three minutes after that, Bubela redirected in a blast from the point by Curtis Leonard to complete the comeback and put RPI up 3-2.
Jason Kasdorf played well in net, but was forced out of the game with a shoulder injury in the waning seconds of the second period after racing to his right to try and make an impossible save on a wide open net. The shooter missed the net anyway, but Kasdorf would leave and not return. Scott Diebold came on in relief.
Diebold had to be sharp in the third period, though his lone blemish led to a tie game with about seven and a half minutes left to play. But the Engineers didn't back down. Despite a lousy performance on what would prove to be their only power play opportunity of the entire game (there were only three penalties called total), RPI would retake the lead about a minute later, with 2:12 left on the game clock, as Mark McGowan would score a five-hole goal in his first game back to give RPI the late lead. Diebold and the Engineers survived the last minute of the game with the extra attacker, and they skated away with the upset 4-3 victory in St. Cloud. In addition to Bubela's two goals, Mike Zalewski picked up three assists on the evening, giving him four on the season to that point.
St. Cloud State (Friday)
Lee-Laliberte-Haggerty
Higgs-McGowan-Neal
Zalewski-Miller-Bubela
Tinordi-Rogic-O'Grady
Leonard-Bailen
Leboeuf-Bradley
Curadi-Dolan
With Kasdorf apparently OK but the team erring on the side of caution - Appert mentioned before the game that he wanted the team doctors in Troy to look at his shoulder before putting him back on the ice - Scott Diebold continued to hold down the fort for the Engineers in net.
The home crowd groaned and began expecting more of the same just 2:43 into the contest as Matt Tinordi scored to put the upstart visitors ahead 1-0, and that is where the score stayed throughout the game's first half. The Engineers weathered two penalty kills in the first period, and carried the lead well into the second period. That's where SCSU began their attack, which RPI continued to withhold until a cross-checking call against Zalewski gave the Huskies their third power play of the game, and first of the second period. That was the tonic they needed to break through against Diebold and finally tie the game over 30 minutes after Tinordi's goal.
RPI could have potentially reached the locker room with the game still knotted, but some very poor defensive play late in the second period cost them as St. Cloud took advantage of a situation where they were playing to the buzzer, scoring with 23 seconds remaining in the second to go up 2-1. All told in the middle stanza, Diebold stopped 13 of 15 shots.
Meanwhile, the Engineers appeared to be running out of steam but still played acceptable defense. Helped out by a bevy of broken sticks on golden SCSU scoring opportunities, they still limited the Huskies to just four shots in the third period, but on the other side of the coin, they could only muster four themselves. Unable to get much going with the extra attacker, the Engineers can at least say they fought to the very last to get the tying goal - avoiding an empty-netter on yet another broken stick by St. Cloud - but had to settle for the series split.
Sacred Heart
Lee-Laliberte-Haggerty
Higgs-McGowan-Neal
Zalewski-Miller-Bubela
O'Grady-Rogic-Burgdoerfer
Leonard-Bailen
Leboeuf-Bradley
Curadi-Dolan
The big roster change involved the return of Mark McGowan from his bout with mono, he was placed on a line with Brock Higgs and Matt Neal, splitting the "NHL line."
The early part of the first period was largely a feeling-out process for both teams, neither really grasping the upper hand over the other until about 15 minutes in, when St. Cloud scored on a bang-bang play in front of Kasdorf to put the Huskies up 1-0. Just under three minutes later, the Huskies would score again, and just like that, RPI was down 2-0 heading into the locker room and it looked like bad news was in store as the hosts were rolling and nearly notched a third before intermission.
However, it was the Engineers that came out of the locker room looking fired up and ready to go, with St. Cloud looking distinctively off at the same time. Ryan Haggerty scored just under two minutes into the second period to cut SCSU's lead in half, and just about four minutes later a nifty power goal in the slot by Milos Bubela tied the game up at two. Almost exactly three minutes after that, Bubela redirected in a blast from the point by Curtis Leonard to complete the comeback and put RPI up 3-2.
Jason Kasdorf played well in net, but was forced out of the game with a shoulder injury in the waning seconds of the second period after racing to his right to try and make an impossible save on a wide open net. The shooter missed the net anyway, but Kasdorf would leave and not return. Scott Diebold came on in relief.
Diebold had to be sharp in the third period, though his lone blemish led to a tie game with about seven and a half minutes left to play. But the Engineers didn't back down. Despite a lousy performance on what would prove to be their only power play opportunity of the entire game (there were only three penalties called total), RPI would retake the lead about a minute later, with 2:12 left on the game clock, as Mark McGowan would score a five-hole goal in his first game back to give RPI the late lead. Diebold and the Engineers survived the last minute of the game with the extra attacker, and they skated away with the upset 4-3 victory in St. Cloud. In addition to Bubela's two goals, Mike Zalewski picked up three assists on the evening, giving him four on the season to that point.
St. Cloud State (Friday)
Lee-Laliberte-Haggerty
Higgs-McGowan-Neal
Zalewski-Miller-Bubela
Tinordi-Rogic-O'Grady
Leonard-Bailen
Leboeuf-Bradley
Curadi-Dolan
Diebold
With Kasdorf apparently OK but the team erring on the side of caution - Appert mentioned before the game that he wanted the team doctors in Troy to look at his shoulder before putting him back on the ice - Scott Diebold continued to hold down the fort for the Engineers in net.
The home crowd groaned and began expecting more of the same just 2:43 into the contest as Matt Tinordi scored to put the upstart visitors ahead 1-0, and that is where the score stayed throughout the game's first half. The Engineers weathered two penalty kills in the first period, and carried the lead well into the second period. That's where SCSU began their attack, which RPI continued to withhold until a cross-checking call against Zalewski gave the Huskies their third power play of the game, and first of the second period. That was the tonic they needed to break through against Diebold and finally tie the game over 30 minutes after Tinordi's goal.
RPI could have potentially reached the locker room with the game still knotted, but some very poor defensive play late in the second period cost them as St. Cloud took advantage of a situation where they were playing to the buzzer, scoring with 23 seconds remaining in the second to go up 2-1. All told in the middle stanza, Diebold stopped 13 of 15 shots.
Meanwhile, the Engineers appeared to be running out of steam but still played acceptable defense. Helped out by a bevy of broken sticks on golden SCSU scoring opportunities, they still limited the Huskies to just four shots in the third period, but on the other side of the coin, they could only muster four themselves. Unable to get much going with the extra attacker, the Engineers can at least say they fought to the very last to get the tying goal - avoiding an empty-netter on yet another broken stick by St. Cloud - but had to settle for the series split.
Sacred Heart
Lee-Laliberte-Haggerty
Higgs-McGowan-Neal
Zalewski-Miller-Bubela
O'Grady-Rogic-Burgdoerfer
Leonard-Bailen
Leboeuf-Bradley
Curadi-Dolan
Merriam
Kasdorf's injury, while apparently not overly serious, were enough to at least suggest that a different goaltender get the start against the basically consensus worst team in America, Sacred Heart (only one computer model does not have the Pioneers in 59th - that one has them 58th). That honor fell to senior Bryce Merriam. Meanwhile, a stomach flu claimed Matt Tinordi, who sat out in favor of Greg Burgdoerfer, who was returning from an injury of his own.
RPI, despite the short turnaround, came out of the gate flying. The Engineers dominated the early part of the game, but it still took a little over seven minutes for them to break on the board. Jacob Laliberte scored into an open net off a rebound from a Ryan Haggerty shot to make the score 1-0. About seven minutes later, with RPI still controlling play, Sacred Heart got themselves onto the board with a nice goal in transition, going to Merriam's right in a two-on-one that evened the score.
That was as close as the Pioneers were going to get. Three minutes later, with just under two minutes left in the first period, Milos Bubela unleashed a wicked wrister in the slot that found the back of the net to make it 2-1 RPI.
Things opened up in the second period, as the Engineers scored three consecutive goals in 8:40 to break the game wide. C.J. Lee netted his first of the year on the power play 53 seconds in to make it 3-1. Then about five minutes later, Greg Burgdoerder notched his second of the season with a put-back of a Nick Bailen shot to make it 4-1. Finally, Bubela scored an emphatic goal, streaking up the side boards and cutting straight to the net to jam it home to put the Engineers ahead 5-1. It was nearly 6-1 shortly thereafter, but a goaltender interference call after review nullified the tally.
Sacred Heart scored their second goal late in the second period, again in transition, but RPI was rolling by this point. Zalewski's third goal of the season, on the power play, finished the scoring in the third period, but by that point the Engineers were ramping down and cruising to their third win in five games. Frequently, RPI has played down to the level of poor opponents in the recent past, that certainly was not a problem on New Year's Eve.
RPI, despite the short turnaround, came out of the gate flying. The Engineers dominated the early part of the game, but it still took a little over seven minutes for them to break on the board. Jacob Laliberte scored into an open net off a rebound from a Ryan Haggerty shot to make the score 1-0. About seven minutes later, with RPI still controlling play, Sacred Heart got themselves onto the board with a nice goal in transition, going to Merriam's right in a two-on-one that evened the score.
That was as close as the Pioneers were going to get. Three minutes later, with just under two minutes left in the first period, Milos Bubela unleashed a wicked wrister in the slot that found the back of the net to make it 2-1 RPI.
Things opened up in the second period, as the Engineers scored three consecutive goals in 8:40 to break the game wide. C.J. Lee netted his first of the year on the power play 53 seconds in to make it 3-1. Then about five minutes later, Greg Burgdoerder notched his second of the season with a put-back of a Nick Bailen shot to make it 4-1. Finally, Bubela scored an emphatic goal, streaking up the side boards and cutting straight to the net to jam it home to put the Engineers ahead 5-1. It was nearly 6-1 shortly thereafter, but a goaltender interference call after review nullified the tally.
Sacred Heart scored their second goal late in the second period, again in transition, but RPI was rolling by this point. Zalewski's third goal of the season, on the power play, finished the scoring in the third period, but by that point the Engineers were ramping down and cruising to their third win in five games. Frequently, RPI has played down to the level of poor opponents in the recent past, that certainly was not a problem on New Year's Eve.
Other junk - Ranked teams in the ECAC this week include #5 Quinnipiac (up four), #8 Dartmouth (up two, with one first place vote), #12 Cornell (down one), #13 Union (no change), and #17 Yale (down two). Also receiving votes were Colgate (50) and Harvard (10). Other ranked teams on the RPI schedule include #4 New Hampshire (down two), #9 Boston University (down three), #14 Minnesota State (up four), and #15 St. Cloud State (up one). Ferris State (47) also received votes.
All skaters on the roster have registered at least one point, with the exception of Andrew Commers (one game), Phil Hampton (three games), and Chris Bradley (15 games). All forwards have registered at least one goal with the exception of Commers, Travis Fulton (six games), and, surprisingly, Brock Higgs (16 games).
Jason Kasdorf, despite playing well in his two periods of play against St. Cloud, fell to a 1.63 GAA (6th in the nation) and .937 save percentage (11th).
Milos Bubela is fifth in the ECAC in freshman scoring nationally, trailing the Spink twins at Colgate, along with Colgate's Kyle Baun and Harvard's Jimmy Vesey.
Nick Bailen is tied for 13th in the nation in scoring among defensemen, third in the ECAC behind Union's Shayne Gostisbehere and Greg Coburn.
The Engineers still have a tough road ahead of them, with the next three games on their schedule coming on the road against opponents ranked in the top 10 nationally. Boston University, New Hampshire, and Quinnipiac beckon, which adds to the Engineers' already difficult schedule to date.
ECAC Standings (by winning percentage in parentheses)
1 (1). Quinnipiac - 16 points (8-0-0)
2 (2). Dartmouth - 9 points (4-1-1)
3 (3). Union - 9 points (3-2-3)
4 (7). Cornell - 8 points (3-3-2)
5 (5). Clarkson - 7 points (3-3-1, +3 GD)
6 (6). Yale - 7 points (3-3-1, -2 GD)
7 (8). Princeton - 7 points (2-3-3, -4 GD)
8 (9). Colgate - 7 points (3-4-1, -6 GD)
9 (4). Harvard - 6 points (3-3-0)
10 (10). Brown - 4 points (0-3-4, -3 GD)
11 (11). St. Lawrence - 4 points (1-3-2, -9 GD)
12 (12). RPI - 4 points (1-5-2)
RPI at #16 St. Cloud State
Non-Conference Game - National Hockey and Event Center (St. Cloud, MN)
12/27/12 - 8:00pm
RESULT: RPI 4, St. Cloud State 3
BOX SCORES
College Hockey Stats
USCHO
All skaters on the roster have registered at least one point, with the exception of Andrew Commers (one game), Phil Hampton (three games), and Chris Bradley (15 games). All forwards have registered at least one goal with the exception of Commers, Travis Fulton (six games), and, surprisingly, Brock Higgs (16 games).
Jason Kasdorf, despite playing well in his two periods of play against St. Cloud, fell to a 1.63 GAA (6th in the nation) and .937 save percentage (11th).
Milos Bubela is fifth in the ECAC in freshman scoring nationally, trailing the Spink twins at Colgate, along with Colgate's Kyle Baun and Harvard's Jimmy Vesey.
Nick Bailen is tied for 13th in the nation in scoring among defensemen, third in the ECAC behind Union's Shayne Gostisbehere and Greg Coburn.
The Engineers still have a tough road ahead of them, with the next three games on their schedule coming on the road against opponents ranked in the top 10 nationally. Boston University, New Hampshire, and Quinnipiac beckon, which adds to the Engineers' already difficult schedule to date.
ECAC Standings (by winning percentage in parentheses)
1 (1). Quinnipiac - 16 points (8-0-0)
2 (2). Dartmouth - 9 points (4-1-1)
3 (3). Union - 9 points (3-2-3)
4 (7). Cornell - 8 points (3-3-2)
5 (5). Clarkson - 7 points (3-3-1, +3 GD)
6 (6). Yale - 7 points (3-3-1, -2 GD)
7 (8). Princeton - 7 points (2-3-3, -4 GD)
8 (9). Colgate - 7 points (3-4-1, -6 GD)
9 (4). Harvard - 6 points (3-3-0)
10 (10). Brown - 4 points (0-3-4, -3 GD)
11 (11). St. Lawrence - 4 points (1-3-2, -9 GD)
12 (12). RPI - 4 points (1-5-2)
RPI at #16 St. Cloud State
Non-Conference Game - National Hockey and Event Center (St. Cloud, MN)
12/27/12 - 8:00pm
RESULT: RPI 4, St. Cloud State 3
BOX SCORES
College Hockey Stats
USCHO
RECAPS
RPI
Troy Record
Albany Times Union
St. Cloud Times
Associated Press
VIDEO
Highlights (YouTube)
RECORD: 5-6-4 (1-5-2 ECAC, 4 points)
RPI
Troy Record
Albany Times Union
St. Cloud Times
Associated Press
VIDEO
Highlights (YouTube)
RECORD: 5-6-4 (1-5-2 ECAC, 4 points)
RPI at #16 St. Cloud State
Non-Conference Game - National Hockey and Event Center (St. Cloud, MN)
12/28/12 - 8:00pm
RESULT: St. Cloud State 2, RPI 1
BOX SCORES
Non-Conference Game - National Hockey and Event Center (St. Cloud, MN)
12/28/12 - 8:00pm
RESULT: St. Cloud State 2, RPI 1
BOX SCORES
Sacred Heart at RPI
Non-Conference Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
12/31/12 - 4:00pm
RESULT: RPI 6, Sacred Heart 2
Non-Conference Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
12/31/12 - 4:00pm
RESULT: RPI 6, Sacred Heart 2
RECORD: 6-7-4 (1-5-2 ECAC, 4 points)
Upcoming games
04 Jan - at #9 Boston University
05 Jan - at #4 New Hampshire
11 Jan - at #5 Quinnipiac
12 Jan - at Princeton
18 Jan - Colgate
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Back To It
OK, now back to your regularly scheduled RPI hockey blog.
The men are back in action tonight, tomorrow, and on Monday, playing three games in five days. The first two are arguably more difficult, playing at nationally ranked St. Cloud State. Monday, it's the worst team in the nation according to KRACH, Sacred Heart.
The team ended the first half of the season playing pretty well. Can they keep the momentum up now that the Christmas holiday is over?
Speakers up, friends.
The men are back in action tonight, tomorrow, and on Monday, playing three games in five days. The first two are arguably more difficult, playing at nationally ranked St. Cloud State. Monday, it's the worst team in the nation according to KRACH, Sacred Heart.
The team ended the first half of the season playing pretty well. Can they keep the momentum up now that the Christmas holiday is over?
Speakers up, friends.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Know Your Enemy: St. Cloud State
This week's edition of "Know Your Enemy" is actually a team Tom is fairly well familiar with - he did his graduate work at St. Cloud State and covered the program for a couple of seasons for USCHO as his first foray into sports journalism. He also regularly put together a "Husky Bracketology" for SCSU fans, the forerunner to the same methodology that became "Engineer Bracketology" during the 2010-11 season here at Without a Peer.
This series came about after SCSU was bumped from this year's Great Lakes Invitational in favor of Western Michigan, since the GLI will coincide with the NHL's Winter Classic in Ann Arbor this season. The natural solution for WMU to drop its games with RPI, and for SCSU to pick them up.
St. Cloud State
Nickname: Huskies
Location: St. Cloud, MN
Founded: 1869
Conference: WCHA
National Championships: 0
Last NCAA Appearance: 2010
Last Frozen Four: 1987 (Division II)
Coach: Bob Motzko (8th season)
2011-12 Record: 17-17-5 (12-12-4 WCHA, 6th place)
Series: RPI leads, 4-2-0
First Game: January 15, 1988 (St. Cloud, MN)
Last RPI win: November 22, 2003 (Troy, NY)
Last SCSU win: November 1, 2002 (St. Cloud, MN)
2012-13 games: December 27-28, 2012 (St. Cloud, MN)
Key players: F Ben Hanowski, sr.; F Drew LeBlanc, sr.; D Taylor Johnson, sr.; F Nic Dowd, jr.; D Nick Jensen, jr.; D Kevin Gravel, jr.; D Andrew Prochno, so.; G Ryan Faragher, so.; D Jarrod Rabey, so.; F Garrett Hendrickson, fr.; F Joey Benik, fr.; F Ville Jarvelainen, fr.
For several years, St. Cloud was perhaps best known as the butt of everyone's jokes when it came to the NCAA tournament. It was hard to blame people for laughing, considering that the Huskies had frequently put together some very competitive teams only to fall flat on their faces in their first NCAA opportunity, losing their first nine NCAA games (including four seasons in a row). They broke that streak against Northern Michigan in 2010, but still have yet to get over the hump and reach the Division I Frozen Four.
As could be expected with Minnesota schools, hockey goes back quite a ways at St. Cloud. A formal team began during the 1930s, and despite the fact that college hockey would not become a legitimate pathway to the NHL for several more decades, two outstanding NHL goaltenders came through the then-St. Cloud State Teachers College: Hall of Fame inductee Frank Brimsek, who won two Stanley Cups with the Boston Bruins and was their goalie of choice during the 1940s, and Sam LoPresti, who set an NHL record by facing 83 shots in a single game against Brimsek and the Bruins in 1941.
These early teams were very successful, leading legendary Minnesota coach John Mariucci to say that St. Cloud "did more for collegiate hockey in the '30s and '40s" than any other institution.
The Huskies' program went on hiatus during World War II from 1942 to 1947, but returned with a bang, putting together 10 seasons out of 11 at .500 or better while playing outside of the NCAA's newly established championship, mostly against a variety of Minnesota and Wisconsin based teams. In 1956, Jack Wink became St. Cloud's first long-term coach, bringing the team to some high highs (including a perfect 11-0-0 record in 1962 after a 12-1-0 year in 1961) and some low lows (the team went 6-42-0 in his final three years from 1966 to 1968).
St. Cloud spent 16 seasons under the tutelage of Charles Basch from 1968 to 1984. During this time period, the Huskies joined Division III's NCHA in its inaugural season of 1980, a year after the team competed in the NCAA's D-II/D-III tournament for the first time. SCSU competed well in the NCHA, but their star turn came in 1987, with the arrival of a major name in the history of hockey: Herb Brooks.
Brooks came to St. Cloud with his legacy already written: three NCAA championships with the University of Minnesota, the gold medal as the legendary head coach of the 1980 Miracle on Ice team, and three-and-a-half seasons as the head coach of the New York Rangers. Brooks and his protege, Craig Dahl, had one thing in mind for the Huskies: Division I. Using his considerable pull with USA Hockey, Brooks proposed that the campus host the National Hockey Center, the first building in the nation with two Olympic-sized rinks, as training for international events. This would be the bedrock for the school's long-term plan for Division I hockey.
In 1987, his only season in St. Cloud, Brooks brought the Huskies to the NCHA regular season championship, tying a school record with 25 wins in a single season and advancing the team to the NCAA Division III Frozen Four. The Huskies fell 5-2 to Oswego State in the semifinals, ending their hopes of a national championship, but they bounced back with a victory over Bemidji State for 3rd place.
Just as St. Cloud was beginning its Division I adventure, Brooks was hired to be the head coach of his hometown Minnesota North Stars, and it fell to Dahl to guide the team into the elite ranks of college hockey. While the NHC was under construction, the Huskies were Division I independents from 1988 to 1990, picking up an independent bid to the NCAA tournament in their second season but dropping two games to the defending national champions, Lake Superior State.
SCSU joined the WCHA in 1990, a year after the NHC opened, and reached the middle of the pack right away, finishing 5th in the nine-team league in 1991. The team gradually improved its competitiveness throughout the 1990s, finishing 4th in 1994 and 3rd in 1997, the team's first two 20-win seasons in Division I. By the turn of the century, Dahl had molded one of the better programs in a league that was establishing itself as the best in the nation. The Huskies returned to the NCAA tournament in 2000, and arguably had its greatest season to date in 2001, winning 31 games, attaining a #1 national ranking for the first time and winning the WCHA championship, but falling to Michigan in the NCAA tournament, just one win away from the Frozen Four thanks to the top-seed bye.
The Huskies would reach the NCAA tournament in four consecutive campaigns from 2000 to 2003, but never picked up that elusive first victory. Dahl remained on board for two more seasons, the second of which saw St. Cloud finish next-to-last in the WCHA for the first time. Dahl left the team near the start of the 2005-06 season, and was replaced by SCSU alumnus Bob Motzko, who had just joined the team as an assistant coach after winning two national championships at Minnesota as an assistant.
Motzko turned SCSU's fortunes almost immediately. In 2006, his first year behind the bench, he guided the team back to the WCHA Championship game, and the following two seasons back to the NCAA tournament. It was not until 2010, however, that Motzko and Huskies would get over the hump and pick up their first NCAA victory on their 8th try. SCSU has had only one sub-.500 season under the coach entering his 8th year this season, coming in 2011, a disappointing result for a team that was expected to be among the best in the WCHA.
Last year, the team put together a .500 season with very little in the way of expectations. They overcame adversity, with LeBlanc, one of the team's top threats, lost to injury early in the season, as well as Mike Lee, the team's top goaltender. They lost forward Cam Reid to major junior midway through the season, and yet rebounded in time to get a home ice position for the WCHA first round and make an appearance at the Final Five in St. Paul.
LeBlanc, who was a senior last year, was granted a medical redshirt and will be back this season. While the Huskies do lose a pair of top goal scorers to graduation, they are expected to have their best forward back in Hanowski, a scorer of 23 goals and 20 assists last season as a junior who appears to be returning for his senior year. Dowd returns off of strong a season last year, and the return of LeBlanc with the addition of touted freshman Hendrickson could make SCSU difficult to stop offensively, cushioning the blow from David Eddy's decision to forego his senior year.
The defense will be backstopped by Faragher following the early NHL departure of Lee, who was Jerry D'Amigo's roommate in Saskatchewan when the US junior team won the gold medal in the 2010 championships. Lee missed most of last season after suffering an injury in October, but helped guide the team to a 7-3-1 record after the month of February, when he returned. Faragher proved at least a capable backup in Lee's absence from November through January, though the team was not as successful during that stretch. On the blue line, the team boasts some outstanding puck-moving defensemen in Prochno and Jensen, with some experienced toughness from Johnson.
All told, the Huskies have five NHL draft picks on their roster and are led by a talented senior class that has tasted NCAA success. With the team set to leave the WCHA for the start-up NCHC next season, this is a team that could be well positioned to leave the league on a strong note, and that could make for a couple of very difficult games for the Engineers in the Granite City.
This series came about after SCSU was bumped from this year's Great Lakes Invitational in favor of Western Michigan, since the GLI will coincide with the NHL's Winter Classic in Ann Arbor this season. The natural solution for WMU to drop its games with RPI, and for SCSU to pick them up.
St. Cloud StateNickname: Huskies
Location: St. Cloud, MN
Founded: 1869
Conference: WCHA
National Championships: 0
Last NCAA Appearance: 2010
Last Frozen Four: 1987 (Division II)
Coach: Bob Motzko (8th season)
2011-12 Record: 17-17-5 (12-12-4 WCHA, 6th place)
Series: RPI leads, 4-2-0
First Game: January 15, 1988 (St. Cloud, MN)
Last RPI win: November 22, 2003 (Troy, NY)
Last SCSU win: November 1, 2002 (St. Cloud, MN)
2012-13 games: December 27-28, 2012 (St. Cloud, MN)
Key players: F Ben Hanowski, sr.; F Drew LeBlanc, sr.; D Taylor Johnson, sr.; F Nic Dowd, jr.; D Nick Jensen, jr.; D Kevin Gravel, jr.; D Andrew Prochno, so.; G Ryan Faragher, so.; D Jarrod Rabey, so.; F Garrett Hendrickson, fr.; F Joey Benik, fr.; F Ville Jarvelainen, fr.
For several years, St. Cloud was perhaps best known as the butt of everyone's jokes when it came to the NCAA tournament. It was hard to blame people for laughing, considering that the Huskies had frequently put together some very competitive teams only to fall flat on their faces in their first NCAA opportunity, losing their first nine NCAA games (including four seasons in a row). They broke that streak against Northern Michigan in 2010, but still have yet to get over the hump and reach the Division I Frozen Four.
As could be expected with Minnesota schools, hockey goes back quite a ways at St. Cloud. A formal team began during the 1930s, and despite the fact that college hockey would not become a legitimate pathway to the NHL for several more decades, two outstanding NHL goaltenders came through the then-St. Cloud State Teachers College: Hall of Fame inductee Frank Brimsek, who won two Stanley Cups with the Boston Bruins and was their goalie of choice during the 1940s, and Sam LoPresti, who set an NHL record by facing 83 shots in a single game against Brimsek and the Bruins in 1941.
These early teams were very successful, leading legendary Minnesota coach John Mariucci to say that St. Cloud "did more for collegiate hockey in the '30s and '40s" than any other institution.
The Huskies' program went on hiatus during World War II from 1942 to 1947, but returned with a bang, putting together 10 seasons out of 11 at .500 or better while playing outside of the NCAA's newly established championship, mostly against a variety of Minnesota and Wisconsin based teams. In 1956, Jack Wink became St. Cloud's first long-term coach, bringing the team to some high highs (including a perfect 11-0-0 record in 1962 after a 12-1-0 year in 1961) and some low lows (the team went 6-42-0 in his final three years from 1966 to 1968).
St. Cloud spent 16 seasons under the tutelage of Charles Basch from 1968 to 1984. During this time period, the Huskies joined Division III's NCHA in its inaugural season of 1980, a year after the team competed in the NCAA's D-II/D-III tournament for the first time. SCSU competed well in the NCHA, but their star turn came in 1987, with the arrival of a major name in the history of hockey: Herb Brooks.
Brooks came to St. Cloud with his legacy already written: three NCAA championships with the University of Minnesota, the gold medal as the legendary head coach of the 1980 Miracle on Ice team, and three-and-a-half seasons as the head coach of the New York Rangers. Brooks and his protege, Craig Dahl, had one thing in mind for the Huskies: Division I. Using his considerable pull with USA Hockey, Brooks proposed that the campus host the National Hockey Center, the first building in the nation with two Olympic-sized rinks, as training for international events. This would be the bedrock for the school's long-term plan for Division I hockey.
In 1987, his only season in St. Cloud, Brooks brought the Huskies to the NCHA regular season championship, tying a school record with 25 wins in a single season and advancing the team to the NCAA Division III Frozen Four. The Huskies fell 5-2 to Oswego State in the semifinals, ending their hopes of a national championship, but they bounced back with a victory over Bemidji State for 3rd place.
Just as St. Cloud was beginning its Division I adventure, Brooks was hired to be the head coach of his hometown Minnesota North Stars, and it fell to Dahl to guide the team into the elite ranks of college hockey. While the NHC was under construction, the Huskies were Division I independents from 1988 to 1990, picking up an independent bid to the NCAA tournament in their second season but dropping two games to the defending national champions, Lake Superior State.
SCSU joined the WCHA in 1990, a year after the NHC opened, and reached the middle of the pack right away, finishing 5th in the nine-team league in 1991. The team gradually improved its competitiveness throughout the 1990s, finishing 4th in 1994 and 3rd in 1997, the team's first two 20-win seasons in Division I. By the turn of the century, Dahl had molded one of the better programs in a league that was establishing itself as the best in the nation. The Huskies returned to the NCAA tournament in 2000, and arguably had its greatest season to date in 2001, winning 31 games, attaining a #1 national ranking for the first time and winning the WCHA championship, but falling to Michigan in the NCAA tournament, just one win away from the Frozen Four thanks to the top-seed bye.
The Huskies would reach the NCAA tournament in four consecutive campaigns from 2000 to 2003, but never picked up that elusive first victory. Dahl remained on board for two more seasons, the second of which saw St. Cloud finish next-to-last in the WCHA for the first time. Dahl left the team near the start of the 2005-06 season, and was replaced by SCSU alumnus Bob Motzko, who had just joined the team as an assistant coach after winning two national championships at Minnesota as an assistant.
Motzko turned SCSU's fortunes almost immediately. In 2006, his first year behind the bench, he guided the team back to the WCHA Championship game, and the following two seasons back to the NCAA tournament. It was not until 2010, however, that Motzko and Huskies would get over the hump and pick up their first NCAA victory on their 8th try. SCSU has had only one sub-.500 season under the coach entering his 8th year this season, coming in 2011, a disappointing result for a team that was expected to be among the best in the WCHA.
Last year, the team put together a .500 season with very little in the way of expectations. They overcame adversity, with LeBlanc, one of the team's top threats, lost to injury early in the season, as well as Mike Lee, the team's top goaltender. They lost forward Cam Reid to major junior midway through the season, and yet rebounded in time to get a home ice position for the WCHA first round and make an appearance at the Final Five in St. Paul.
LeBlanc, who was a senior last year, was granted a medical redshirt and will be back this season. While the Huskies do lose a pair of top goal scorers to graduation, they are expected to have their best forward back in Hanowski, a scorer of 23 goals and 20 assists last season as a junior who appears to be returning for his senior year. Dowd returns off of strong a season last year, and the return of LeBlanc with the addition of touted freshman Hendrickson could make SCSU difficult to stop offensively, cushioning the blow from David Eddy's decision to forego his senior year.
The defense will be backstopped by Faragher following the early NHL departure of Lee, who was Jerry D'Amigo's roommate in Saskatchewan when the US junior team won the gold medal in the 2010 championships. Lee missed most of last season after suffering an injury in October, but helped guide the team to a 7-3-1 record after the month of February, when he returned. Faragher proved at least a capable backup in Lee's absence from November through January, though the team was not as successful during that stretch. On the blue line, the team boasts some outstanding puck-moving defensemen in Prochno and Jensen, with some experienced toughness from Johnson.
All told, the Huskies have five NHL draft picks on their roster and are led by a talented senior class that has tasted NCAA success. With the team set to leave the WCHA for the start-up NCHC next season, this is a team that could be well positioned to leave the league on a strong note, and that could make for a couple of very difficult games for the Engineers in the Granite City.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Men's 2012-13 Schedule, Take 2
The revised schedule for next year has been released. Changes from the last go-round are in bold. Note that the games previously scheduled for the 25th and 26th of October at Western Michigan have been removed, this is now an open weekend. They have been replaced by a holiday week series at St. Cloud State, which had been rumored for a few months. St. Cloud State needed two additional games after the Great Lakes Invitational, to which they had been invited, was moved to Comerica Park to coincide with the NHL's Winter Classic in Ann Arbor. To add to the Michigan theme, Western Michigan became the invited team, so the swap makes very good sense. We can probably expect to see the Broncos on the schedule in 2013-14 instead.
October
Saturday, 6 October - Acadia (Exhibition)
Friday, 12 October - Ferris State
Saturday, 13 October - Ferris State
Friday, 19 October - at Minnesota State
Saturday, 20 October - at Minnesota State
November
Friday, 02 November - Union* (Black Friday)
Saturday, 03 November - at Union*
Friday, 09 November - at Dartmouth*
Saturday, 10 November - at Harvard*
Friday, 16 November - Mercyhurst
Saturday, 17 November - Mercyhurst
Friday, 30 November - Princeton*
December
Saturday, 01 December - Quinnipiac*
Friday, 07 December - at Yale*
Saturday, 08 December - at Brown*
January
Friday, 04 January - at Boston University
Sunday, 06 January - at New Hampshire
Friday, 11 January - at Quinnipiac*
Saturday, 12 January - at Princeton*
Friday, 18 January - Colgate*
Saturday, 19 January - Cornell*
Saturday, 26 January - vs. Union (Albany, NY)
February
Friday, 01 February - Harvard*
Saturday, 02 February - Dartmouth* (Big Red Freakout!)
Friday, 08 February - at St. Lawrence*
Saturday, 09 February - at Clarkson*
Friday, 15 February - Brown*
Saturday, 16 February - Yale* (Whiteout)
Friday, 22 February - at Cornell*
Saturday, 23 February - at Colgate*
March
Friday, 01 March - Clarkson*
Saturday, 02 March - St. Lawrence* (Senior Night)
Fri-Sun, 08-10 March - ECAC First Round (at higher seeds)
Fri-Sun, 15-17 March - ECAC Quarterfinals (at higher seeds)
Friday, 22 March - ECAC Semifinals (Atlantic City, NJ)
Saturday, 23 March - ECAC Championship (Atlantic City, NJ)
Fri-Sun, 29-31 March - NCAA Regionals (Providence, RI; Manchester, NH; Toledo, OH; Grand Rapids, MI)
April
Thursday, 11 April - NCAA Frozen Four (Pittsburgh, PA)
Saturday, 13 April - NCAA Championship (Pittsburgh, PA)
All times are considered tentative, but expect the Sacred Heart game on New Year's Eve, the Sunday game at New Hampshire, and the Princeton road game to be 4pm puck drops. The games in Mankato and St. Cloud should begin at 8pm Eastern since Minnesota is in the Central Time Zone. Televised games are typically pushed back to 7:30.
Saturday, 6 October - Acadia (Exhibition)
Friday, 12 October - Ferris State
Saturday, 13 October - Ferris State
Friday, 19 October - at Minnesota State
Saturday, 20 October - at Minnesota State
November
Friday, 02 November - Union* (Black Friday)
Saturday, 03 November - at Union*
Friday, 09 November - at Dartmouth*
Saturday, 10 November - at Harvard*
Friday, 16 November - Mercyhurst
Saturday, 17 November - Mercyhurst
Friday, 30 November - Princeton*
December
Saturday, 01 December - Quinnipiac*
Friday, 07 December - at Yale*
Saturday, 08 December - at Brown*
Thursday, 27 December - at St. Cloud State
Friday, 28 December - at St. Cloud State
Monday, 31 December - Sacred HeartJanuary
Friday, 04 January - at Boston University
Sunday, 06 January - at New Hampshire
Friday, 11 January - at Quinnipiac*
Saturday, 12 January - at Princeton*
Friday, 18 January - Colgate*
Saturday, 19 January - Cornell*
Saturday, 26 January - vs. Union (Albany, NY)
February
Friday, 01 February - Harvard*
Saturday, 02 February - Dartmouth* (Big Red Freakout!)
Friday, 08 February - at St. Lawrence*
Saturday, 09 February - at Clarkson*
Friday, 15 February - Brown*
Saturday, 16 February - Yale* (Whiteout)
Friday, 22 February - at Cornell*
Saturday, 23 February - at Colgate*
March
Friday, 01 March - Clarkson*
Saturday, 02 March - St. Lawrence* (Senior Night)
Fri-Sun, 08-10 March - ECAC First Round (at higher seeds)
Fri-Sun, 15-17 March - ECAC Quarterfinals (at higher seeds)
Friday, 22 March - ECAC Semifinals (Atlantic City, NJ)
Saturday, 23 March - ECAC Championship (Atlantic City, NJ)
Fri-Sun, 29-31 March - NCAA Regionals (Providence, RI; Manchester, NH; Toledo, OH; Grand Rapids, MI)
April
Thursday, 11 April - NCAA Frozen Four (Pittsburgh, PA)
Saturday, 13 April - NCAA Championship (Pittsburgh, PA)
All times are considered tentative, but expect the Sacred Heart game on New Year's Eve, the Sunday game at New Hampshire, and the Princeton road game to be 4pm puck drops. The games in Mankato and St. Cloud should begin at 8pm Eastern since Minnesota is in the Central Time Zone. Televised games are typically pushed back to 7:30.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Tentative Men's 2012-13 Schedule
RPI's tentative 2012-13 schedule has been released in mailers to season ticket holders. Game times are 7pm unless otherwise indicated. ECAC games are starred.
October
Saturday, 6 October - Acadia (Exhibition)
Friday, 12 October - Ferris State
Saturday, 13 October - Ferris State
Friday, 19 October - at Minnesota State
Saturday, 20 October - at Minnesota State
Friday, 26 October - Western Michigan
Saturday, 27 October - Western Michigan
November
Friday, 02 November - Union* (Black Friday)
Saturday, 03 November - at Union*
Friday, 09 November - at Dartmouth*
Saturday, 10 November - at Harvard*
Friday, 16 November - Mercyhurst
Saturday, 17 November - Mercyhurst
Friday, 30 November - Princeton*
December
Saturday, 01 December - Quinnipiac*
Friday, 07 December - at Yale*
Saturday, 08 December - at Brown*
Monday, 31 December - Sacred Heart, 4pm
January
Friday, 04 January - at Boston University
Sunday, 06 January - at New Hampshire, 4pm
Friday, 11 January - at Quinnipiac*
Saturday, 12 January - at Princeton, 4pm*
Friday, 18 January - Colgate*
Saturday, 19 January - Cornell*
Saturday, 26 January - vs. Union (site TBD)
February
Friday, 01 February - Harvard*
Saturday, 02 February - Dartmouth*
Friday, 08 February - at St. Lawrence*
Saturday, 09 February - at Clarkson*
Friday, 15 February - Brown*
Saturday, 16 February - Yale*
Friday, 22 February - at Cornell*
Saturday, 23 February - at Colgate*
March
Friday, 01 March - Clarkson*
Saturday, 02 March - St. Lawrence* (Senior Night)
Fri-Sun, 08-10 March - ECAC First Round (at higher seeds)
Fri-Sun, 15-17 March - ECAC Quarterfinals (at higher seeds)
Friday, 22 March - ECAC Semifinals (Atlantic City, NJ)
Saturday, 23 March - ECAC Championship (Atlantic City, NJ)
Fri-Sun, 29-31 March - NCAA Regionals (Providence, RI; Manchester, NH; Toledo, OH; Grand Rapids, MI)
April
Thursday, 11 April - NCAA Frozen Four (Pittsburgh, PA)
Saturday, 13 April - NCAA Championship (Pittsburgh, PA)
This may be subject to change, especially if the Engineers end up hosting St. Cloud State, as the recent rumor out of Central Minnesota indicated. They do, however, have all 34 regular season games covered at present.
It is suspected that the third Union game may take place at the Times Union Center in Albany, subject to the AHL schedule for the Albany Devils.
The 36th Freakout! is likely to take place against either Dartmouth or Yale.
Unless something changes, or the Engineers reach the NCAA Tournament, Western Michigan will be the last CCHA team to face RPI. They would be favorites to also be the first NCHC team to face RPI in 2013-14 given the Engineers' almost certain return trip that season, unless fellow NCHCers St. Cloud State are also on the schedule that season.
The women's schedule generally isn't known until late in the summer, but based on previous schedules we can estimate that they will open the season with an exhibition in the afternoon on September 29, and should probably have non-conference weekends at Syracuse and Robert Morris and one at home against UConn. RPI has had four straight seasons of non-conference weekends against Niagara, it is unknown if that will continue.
Expect the women's season to wrap up the weekend of February 22/23. The 2013 Women's Frozen Four takes place at Ridder Arena on the campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, MN, taking place March 22 and 24.
October
Saturday, 6 October - Acadia (Exhibition)
Friday, 12 October - Ferris State
Saturday, 13 October - Ferris State
Friday, 19 October - at Minnesota State
Saturday, 20 October - at Minnesota State
Friday, 26 October - Western Michigan
Saturday, 27 October - Western Michigan
November
Friday, 02 November - Union* (Black Friday)
Saturday, 03 November - at Union*
Friday, 09 November - at Dartmouth*
Saturday, 10 November - at Harvard*
Friday, 16 November - Mercyhurst
Saturday, 17 November - Mercyhurst
Friday, 30 November - Princeton*
December
Saturday, 01 December - Quinnipiac*
Friday, 07 December - at Yale*
Saturday, 08 December - at Brown*
Monday, 31 December - Sacred Heart, 4pm
January
Friday, 04 January - at Boston University
Sunday, 06 January - at New Hampshire, 4pm
Friday, 11 January - at Quinnipiac*
Saturday, 12 January - at Princeton, 4pm*
Friday, 18 January - Colgate*
Saturday, 19 January - Cornell*
Saturday, 26 January - vs. Union (site TBD)
February
Friday, 01 February - Harvard*
Saturday, 02 February - Dartmouth*
Friday, 08 February - at St. Lawrence*
Saturday, 09 February - at Clarkson*
Friday, 15 February - Brown*
Saturday, 16 February - Yale*
Friday, 22 February - at Cornell*
Saturday, 23 February - at Colgate*
March
Friday, 01 March - Clarkson*
Saturday, 02 March - St. Lawrence* (Senior Night)
Fri-Sun, 08-10 March - ECAC First Round (at higher seeds)
Fri-Sun, 15-17 March - ECAC Quarterfinals (at higher seeds)
Friday, 22 March - ECAC Semifinals (Atlantic City, NJ)
Saturday, 23 March - ECAC Championship (Atlantic City, NJ)
Fri-Sun, 29-31 March - NCAA Regionals (Providence, RI; Manchester, NH; Toledo, OH; Grand Rapids, MI)
April
Thursday, 11 April - NCAA Frozen Four (Pittsburgh, PA)
Saturday, 13 April - NCAA Championship (Pittsburgh, PA)
This may be subject to change, especially if the Engineers end up hosting St. Cloud State, as the recent rumor out of Central Minnesota indicated. They do, however, have all 34 regular season games covered at present.
It is suspected that the third Union game may take place at the Times Union Center in Albany, subject to the AHL schedule for the Albany Devils.
The 36th Freakout! is likely to take place against either Dartmouth or Yale.
Unless something changes, or the Engineers reach the NCAA Tournament, Western Michigan will be the last CCHA team to face RPI. They would be favorites to also be the first NCHC team to face RPI in 2013-14 given the Engineers' almost certain return trip that season, unless fellow NCHCers St. Cloud State are also on the schedule that season.
The women's schedule generally isn't known until late in the summer, but based on previous schedules we can estimate that they will open the season with an exhibition in the afternoon on September 29, and should probably have non-conference weekends at Syracuse and Robert Morris and one at home against UConn. RPI has had four straight seasons of non-conference weekends against Niagara, it is unknown if that will continue.
Expect the women's season to wrap up the weekend of February 22/23. The 2013 Women's Frozen Four takes place at Ridder Arena on the campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, MN, taking place March 22 and 24.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Tsunami Watch: Double Dipping
Just when you thought the conference carousel might be slowing down, something happens and it kicks right back into full gear once more.
Without much notice, it was announced yesterday that the NCHC would offer membership to Western Michigan and St. Cloud State. The former wasn't much of a surprise, as the Broncos had an offer on the table already, but the latter was... surprising to say the least. Almost as surprising, the Huskies quickly accepted, going against statements the school had made a couple of months ago.
Why the turn around? Well, for one, everyone's still waiting to see what Notre Dame is going to do. In the meantime, the NCHC had only six teams: Colorado College, Denver, Miami, Minnesota-Duluth, North Dakota, and Nebraska-Omaha. Those are some high powered programs, and one of them has to come in last. Thus, thanks to the NCAA's rule that no team with a sub-.500 record can earn an at-large bid to the national tournament, the league would probably restricted to three or, at a maximum, four bids a year. Thus, the need to expand, and in a hurry.
So where does that leave us? Well, let's break it down.
Western Michigan: At the end of the day, this one's not too surprising, especially once St. Cloud was given an offer as well. WMU, through their actions over the last year, have proven that they are going to give 110% to their hockey program, and their athletic director has a stated goal for the program of a national championship. The huge raise they gave Jeff Blashill before the Red Wings came calling and the hiring of NHL coach Andy Murray is plenty to indicate an up and coming program, and the NCHC, in the long run, is probably the best place for the program given those goals.
St. Cloud State: This one's a little more surprising and there's already been a lot of debate in St. Cloud as to whether this was the right move to make. First off, when the NCHC was first announced, SCSU was adamant that they wanted nothing to do with the league and that they planned to take a leading role in the new WCHA. Secondly, when the "new" WCHA started to congeal, most observes had the Huskies pegged as one of the programs that could potentially dominate the conference on a regular basis, leading to more frequent NCAA appearances and, in turn, better shots at the Frozen Four and the national title.
Now, SCSU will have to fight with the big dogs of the NCHC - not that they haven't tangled with most of the teams in the league before, but there were also some minnows to fall back on in the WCHA. They won't have that in the NCHC. They also suddenly look like one of the villains just months after promising to be a hero for the WCHA. This move will help the school with their visibility, but they may find it a tougher row to hoe in the long run.
It's also worth noting that with this move, St. Cloud State turns its back on its MnSCU brethren in Bemidji and Mankato, something that definitely won't sit well with those programs. The loss of St. Cloud State takes an already weakening conference and makes it decidedly more weak.
Notre Dame: Once again, the Fighting Irish dither while the rest of the hockey world moves in anticipation of what they may or may not do. The options are still mostly the same as we've gone over many times before - NCHC, Hockey East, or independence - but in the much larger picture (not something hockey fans are used to examining), there may be a fourth option opening.
If you've been paying attention to the NCAA as a whole lately, you've seen the carousel going on at the highest levels as well, with teams changing conferences left and right. The Big East especially seems to be in serious danger of either fracturing outright or what we should probably call WCHA-ization in that they won't be much of a major conference anymore by the time the wheel stops spinning. The problem here is that while Notre Dame is famously independent in football, they're a member of the Big East in everything else. If the Big East implodes, Notre Dame will need a new home, and the rumor that will never die always revolves around the Big Ten. So that route may yet be open.
By the way, there's even talk of these BCS superconferences breaking from the NCAA altogether - and that would make some serious waves in college hockey as well since you're talking the Big Ten plus Boston College and Notre Dame among those. Topic for another day, perhaps, but... that would make this tsunami look like a ripple in a kiddie pool.
Bowling Green: The only other CCHA program without a dance partner, the Falcons appear to be out of options other than the still-pending WCHA invitation. If the NCHC had any interest in BGSU, they probably would have already sent them an invite, and since league members are already talking about how eight teams is fine and a ninth would have to bring a lot to the table (code for Notre Dame), BGSU might as well just take the WCHA invite while they have it.
Alabama-Huntsville: This new development actually opens the door a little bit for the Chargers as it pertains to the WCHA. Adding BGSU would leave the WCHA in the same place they were before this new development: nine teams. UAH could potentially round that back off to ten... if they can find a way to be palatable to a league that's already going to have to deal with having a pair of teams from Alaska in it, as we've already mentioned.
NCHC: Sitting pretty now that they've got a couple more teams to boost that at-large potential. The numbers and teams involved definitely make the conference better able to compete with the Big Ten head to head, which was the goal all along, though purists will point to its makeup - 6 WCHA teams and 2 CCHA teams - and call it a WCHA rehash, more polite than asking UAA, MTU, Mankato, and Bemidji to leave.
Big Ten: Of course, it's worth mentioning that the Big Ten, like the NCHC before yesterday's announcement, has only six members right now, and thus has the same issue with top programs potentially being forced out of the NCAAs due to their record. Unlike the NCHC, however, the Big Ten doesn't have any real prospects for expansion on the horizon (with the possible exception of the Notre Dame scenario above). The league has the stability that comes with direct affiliation with a major non-hockey conference, but it also has the limitation that it can't just throw invites to teams the way the NCHC just did. If the Big Ten expands, it's going to be with new varsity programs at Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska-Lincoln, Northwestern, or Purdue. That's it.
By the way, do you know who the sub-.500 at-large rule now benefits the most? WCHA, Hockey East, and ECAC teams.
RPI: Speaking of ECAC teams... we're still keeping an eye on the Notre Dame situation as it could pertain to new opportunities for RPI as we discussed earlier this summer. There are two things this NCHC expansion does to the metric we laid out for a potential RPI-Hockey East merger. First, it makes larger conferences more acceptable again. Second, it may increase the likelihood of Notre Dame choosing Hockey East, though they're certainly still more than welcome in the NCHC. As it is, there's little doubt that RPI is keeping a hawk an eagle eye on Notre Dame and weighing their own options. As always, stay tuned.
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