RPI finished off its early season non-conference play by hosting UConn for a weekend pair at Houston Field House. The Engineers soundly defeated the Huskies in a 3-0 shutout on Friday, but the tables were turned Saturday as UConn took a 4-1 victory in the rematch.
Friday
Grigsby/Schwalbe/Thomas
Rooney/Repaci/Tomlinson
Hayes/Nolan/Orosz
Raspa/Hylwa/Tremblay
Hansen/Iwanski
Kimmerle/Behounek
Seper/Renn
Selander
Lovisa Selander earned her first shutout of the season in a 3-0 victory over UConn Friday night, also notching an assist on the Engineers' first goal. Six other players each tallied a point on the evening, while Marisa Raspa led the team in shots with seven.
RPI scored once in each period, starting out with a goal by Makenna Thomas at 5:45 of the opening frame. Thomas skated in one-on-one and put a shot off the pipe and in to give the Engineers a 1-0 lead.
Amanda Kimmerle made it a 2-0 game at 17:48 of the second period, firing a rocket of a shot through traffic from the point to beat a screened Annie Belanger.
Hannah Behounek grew the lead to 3-0 8:59 into the final period, an impressive unassisted tally where she picked up the puck in the neutral zone, skated in one-on-three and still managed to get the puck past Belanger.
RPI outshot UConn by a 41-21 margin on the night
Saturday
Grigsby/Schwalbe/Thomas
Rooney/Repaci/Tomlinson
Hayes/Nolan/Orosz
Raspa/Hylwa/Tremblay
Iwanski/Hansen
Kimmerle/Behounek
Farole/Renn
Selander
After a good win on Friday night, the Engineers didn't fare so well on Saturday - defeated by UConn 4-1 while being outshot 35-22. Aly Tremblay scored the Engineers' lone goal, while the Huskies' second line of Leah Lum, Briana Colangelo, and Theresa Knutson combined for a 3-6-9 line on the afternoon.
Lum was responsible for two goals, both scored in a first period which saw the Engineers outshot 16-2. Both goals were assisted by Colangelo and Knutson.
After a scoreless second period, RPI drew to within one on Tremblay's goal at 5:05 of the third. The Engineers found themselves back in a two-goal hole shortly after when Knutson scored to make it 3-1.
With the RPI net empty in favor of the extra attacker to get back to 5-on-5 during a penalty kill, UConn put the game away with a goal from Madison Badeau.
Morgan Fisher earned the win in the Huskies' net in her first collegiate appearance, making 21 saves on 22 shots. Lovisa Selander stopped 31 of 34 shots she faced on the afternoon.
RPI now takes a weekend off before opening up ECAC play at home against Cornell and Colgate on October 28th and 29th. Both games will have 3pm start times as the men also host Union the evening of the 28th.
-----
RPI vs. UConn
Non-Conference Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
10/14/16 - 6pm
RPI 3, UConn 0
BOX SCORES:
RPI: http://rpiathletics.com/boxscore.aspx?path=whock&id=5783
College Hockey Stats: http://collegehockeystats.net/1617/boxes/wconren1.o14
RECAPS:
RPI: http://rpiathletics.com/news/2016/10/14/womens-ice-hockey-womens-hockey-shuts-out-uconn.aspx?path=whock
UConn: http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/w-hockey/recaps/101416aab.html
Video Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQspoAs-MtI
RECORD: 2-4-1
-----
RPI vs. UConn
Non-Conference Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
10/15/16 - 3pm
UConn 4, RPI 1
BOX SCORES:
RPI: http://rpiathletics.com/boxscore.aspx?path=whock&id=5784
College Hockey Stats: http://collegehockeystats.net/1617/boxes/wconren1.o15
RECAPS:
RPI: http://rpiathletics.com/news/2016/10/15/womens-ice-hockey-uconn-splits-with-womens-hockey.aspx?path=whock
UConn: http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/w-hockey/recaps/101516aaa.html
RECORD: 2-5-1
-----
Upcoming Schedule
Oct. 28 - Cornell (3pm)
Oct. 29 - Colgate (3pm)
Nov. 4 - at Yale (6pm)
Nov. 5 - at Brown (3pm)
Showing posts with label uconn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label uconn. Show all posts
Monday, October 17, 2016
Saturday, October 15, 2016
The Great Plains
Neither the men nor the women got off to the starts they wanted - but the women may have turned the corner a bit last night with a 3-0 victory at home against UConn, and the men have at least the opportunity to mimic last season with a tough game against the #1 team in the nation.
For the third straight year (2014 - Minnesota, 2015 - Boston College) the Engineers' second opponent of the year is the #1 team in the nation. For RPI (0-2-0), it's not looking like a game that's going to produce a result. The goal tonight against North Dakota (2-0-0) is to take strides from last week's pair of losses in Maine - get shots on goal. Finish when possible. Hopefully, don't get destroyed. Then take what you learn in playing against the very best and apply it at home next weekend against not the very best.
The women (2-4-1) got themselves off a five game winless streak with their first shutout of the season, at home against UConn last night, a 21-save shutout for Lovisa Selander that included the third goals of the season for both Makenna Thomas and Hannah Behounek. They'll be seeking an opportunity to complete their first weekend sweep since January (the Union home-and-home) on home ice this afternoon.
Yes, it's more Tragically Hip this weekend, and it's impossible not to use this tune. Sure, the Engineers have a pair of games that will be played farther west than this, but they'll never be closer to the magic longitude.
For the third straight year (2014 - Minnesota, 2015 - Boston College) the Engineers' second opponent of the year is the #1 team in the nation. For RPI (0-2-0), it's not looking like a game that's going to produce a result. The goal tonight against North Dakota (2-0-0) is to take strides from last week's pair of losses in Maine - get shots on goal. Finish when possible. Hopefully, don't get destroyed. Then take what you learn in playing against the very best and apply it at home next weekend against not the very best.
The women (2-4-1) got themselves off a five game winless streak with their first shutout of the season, at home against UConn last night, a 21-save shutout for Lovisa Selander that included the third goals of the season for both Makenna Thomas and Hannah Behounek. They'll be seeking an opportunity to complete their first weekend sweep since January (the Union home-and-home) on home ice this afternoon.
Yes, it's more Tragically Hip this weekend, and it's impossible not to use this tune. Sure, the Engineers have a pair of games that will be played farther west than this, but they'll never be closer to the magic longitude.
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Men's Hockey - Princeton/Quinnipiac, at UConn (14/15, 18 Nov)
Three games in five nights is difficult enough under the best of circumstances. When your team is battling illness and injury, it tends to make things worse, especially when that team is still trying to get into an offensive groove. With all of that as the backdrop, it makes the 1-1-1 record the Engineers put together in that three game stretch pretty easy to accept, especially considering the manner in which the only loss came about. After taking down Princeton 3-1 on Friday night, RPI fell by the same score against Quinnipiac in somewhat controversial fashion, bouncing back with an even more depleted roster on Tuesday night with a 1-1 draw against Hockey East's UConn.
Princeton
Fulton-DeVito-Bourbonnais
Liljegren-Bubela-McGowan
Melanson-Miller-Nanne
Laliberte-Schroeder-Wood
Leonard-Prapavessis
Hampton-Bokenfohr
Wilson-Reno
Kasdorf
We got a little more clarity on some of the absences seen the previous week - Chris Bradley has been sidelined with a shoulder injury, Luke Curadi out with a concussion, and added to that list for the ECAC weekend was Matt Neal, who was sick.
The Engineers managed to score the game's first goal for only the second time all season as Mark Miller rocketed a pass from Drew Melanson to the back of the net at 8:45 of the first period to give RPI a 1-0 edge. Three minutes later on the power play, another one-timer from just about the same part of the ice put the Engineers up 2-0 as Jared Wilson blasted a pass by Milos Bubela for his second goal of the season.
Princeton almost halved the RPI lead late in the first period, but the apparent goal was waved off due to the net being disloged by an Engineer checked into the cage by a Princeton player.
RPI carried the 2-0 edge into the third period, pretty much sealing things up with a second goal by Miller midway through the final frame. Like the first two goals, it was an a one-timed shot from near the top of the slot, and this feed came from the stick of Riley Bourbonnais.
The Tigers pulled back within two just under two minutes later with a power play goal by Ben Foster that ended Jason Kasdorf's shutout bid, but Princeton would get no closer. The Engineers managed 35 shots on goal, a big improvement from their outing a week prior against Harvard, and Kasdorf stopped 24 of 25 shots for the victory.
Quinnipiac
Fulton-DeVito-Bourbonnais
Liljegren-Schroeder-McGowan
Melanson-Miller-Nanne
Wood-Laliberte-Gillespie
Leonard-Prapavessis
Hampton-Bokenfohr
Wilson-Reno
Kasdorf
Late in the Princeton game, the Engineers lost Milos Bubela to a concussion, leaving the already short-staffed Engineers with just 12 healthy forwards. Freshman Kenny Gillespie was inserted into the lineup, seeing his first collegiate action.
As with Friday night, it was RPI who struck first. A centering pass by Wilson was tapped home by a speeding Lou Nanne for his team-leading fourth goal of the season, putting the Engineers ahead 1-0 just 5:22 into the game.
RPI continued to dominate play in the first period until a tripping call against Craig Bokenfohr put them on the penalty kill. That kill did a pretty decent job, but late in the Bokenfohr penalty, a dicey tripping call against Mike Prapavessis put the Engineers down two men for 18 seconds. That danger zone was killed off without much of a problem either, but then an even dicier call against Parker Reno for high-sticking generated yet another two-man advantage for Quinnipiac, this one 17 seconds long. The Bobcats ultimately cashed in for a goal, but it came 19 seconds after the Reno call, officially coming 5-on-4, but tying the game nonetheless to the great displeasure of the home fans.
A deadlocked and fairly uninteresting second period gave way to a more interesting third period, and the Bobcats took the lead just under six minutes into the third with some sustained pressure in the RPI zone. The Engineers spent a good 90 seconds trapped in their own end, getting the puck out once but not far enough out to change the line that had been stuck out there for some time, and Quinnipiac eventually converted to take a 2-1 lead.
The Engineers did not back down. Despite struggles on the power play all night, they were the beneficiaries of a holding call with just over five minutes left to play. Early in the advantage, Prapavessis dug the puck out of the corner and then skated through the slot, trying to outwait Bobcat goaltender Michael Gartieg. When Gartieg went down, Prapavessis took a shot that rang off the post, and in the immediate interim, Quinnipiac's Michael Peca slid into the net to dislodge it. Immediately after the net was dislodged, Drew Melanson picked up the rebound and put it into the open cage for what should have been his first collegiate goal. Called a goal on the ice, the officials reviewed it and disallowed the goal for reasons that were not made abundantly clear.
The 2-1 lead for Quinnipiac intact, the Engineers pulled Kasdorf from the net late, but gave up an empty-netter to seal the victory for the Bobcats.
All told, RPI played a brave game despite some horrendous officiating practically from start to finish, and despite missing some very key players. They also lost another two important forwards during the game, as Lou Nanne was boarded behind the Quinnipiac net in the third period (no call), leading to him skating off favoring his surgically repaired shoulder, while Zach Schroeder picked up an ankle injury during the night.
UConn
Liljegren-Neal-McGowan
Melanson-Miller-Bourbonnais
Laliberte-DeVito-Wood
Fulton-Bokenfohr-Gillespie
Leonard-Prapavessis
Wilson-Reno
Bell-Hampton
Diebold
Now with only 11 healthy forwards following the loss of Nanne and Schroeder and the return from illness of Matt Neal, Kenny Gillespie was again in the lineup, joined on the fourth line by Craig Bokenfohr. The Engineers dressed literally every healthy skater they had available for their mid-week non-conference road game, and reports got out after the game was over that defenseman Phil Hampton was battling an illness himself despite playing.
After an uneventful first period, UConn got themselves on the board first in the cavernous XL Center (which is almost literally across the street from the RPI Hartford campus) about three minutes into the second period, shortly after the Engineers killed off their second penalty of the game. The Huskies pounced on a turnover in the RPI zone and put it past Diebold to go up 1-0, but it was the only goal the senior would allow on the evening. He eventually stopped 33 of 34 shots that he faced.
RPI pulled back within one late in the period, with Drew Melanson making up for the power play goal he was deprived of three nights earlier, officially notching his first collegiate goal from Neal and Curtis Leonard with just 2 ticks remaining on the clock to make it 1-1.
UConn dominated the third period almost completely, outshooting the Engineers 13-4, but Diebold was rarely tested beyond his capacity. The Huskies came close on a couple of occasions to taking the lead, but were unable to convert on one-timers or put shots wide. To some extent, RPI was lucky to get to the overtime period.
In that overtime period, however, it was all RPI as they poured on the output. They managed 7 shots in the extra five minutes, more shots than they managed in either the first or the third periods, and only two shy of their second period production. However they weren't able to find the winning goal, having to settle for a 1-1 tie, a draw that undoubtedly goes into the book as a "good" tie considering that they scored the game tying goal and fielded a less than ideal lineup.
RPI is off this weekend, but is back in action this coming Tuesday as they travel to play a struggling New Hampshire team in Durham ahead of a trip to Michigan against the equally struggling Wolverines. Most of the injured players are expected to be back in the lineup by the time the team gets to Ann Arbor.
By the way, the #1 team in the nation right now? 10-0-0 Michigan Tech. If anyone ever tells you that RPI's never going to get back to where they once were, they're lying.
Current ECAC Standings
1. Quinnipiac - 8 points (4-0-0)
2. Harvard - 8 points (3-1-2)
3. RPI - 8 points (4-2-0)
4. St. Lawrence - 6 points (3-1-0)
5. Colgate - 5 points (2-1-1)
6. Yale - 5 points (2-1-1)
7. Dartmouth - 5 points (2-3-1)
8. Clarkson - 4 points (1-1-2)
9. Union - 3 points (1-4-1)
10. Princeton - 2 points (1-3-0)
11. Cornell - 2 points (1-3-0)
12. Brown - 0 points (0-4-0)
Princeton at RPI
ECAC Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
11/14/14 - 7:00pm
RESULT: RPI 3, Princeton 1
Fulton-DeVito-Bourbonnais
Liljegren-Bubela-McGowan
Melanson-Miller-Nanne
Laliberte-Schroeder-Wood
Hampton-Bokenfohr
Wilson-Reno
Kasdorf
We got a little more clarity on some of the absences seen the previous week - Chris Bradley has been sidelined with a shoulder injury, Luke Curadi out with a concussion, and added to that list for the ECAC weekend was Matt Neal, who was sick.
The Engineers managed to score the game's first goal for only the second time all season as Mark Miller rocketed a pass from Drew Melanson to the back of the net at 8:45 of the first period to give RPI a 1-0 edge. Three minutes later on the power play, another one-timer from just about the same part of the ice put the Engineers up 2-0 as Jared Wilson blasted a pass by Milos Bubela for his second goal of the season.
Princeton almost halved the RPI lead late in the first period, but the apparent goal was waved off due to the net being disloged by an Engineer checked into the cage by a Princeton player.
RPI carried the 2-0 edge into the third period, pretty much sealing things up with a second goal by Miller midway through the final frame. Like the first two goals, it was an a one-timed shot from near the top of the slot, and this feed came from the stick of Riley Bourbonnais.
The Tigers pulled back within two just under two minutes later with a power play goal by Ben Foster that ended Jason Kasdorf's shutout bid, but Princeton would get no closer. The Engineers managed 35 shots on goal, a big improvement from their outing a week prior against Harvard, and Kasdorf stopped 24 of 25 shots for the victory.
Quinnipiac
Fulton-DeVito-Bourbonnais
Liljegren-Schroeder-McGowan
Melanson-Miller-Nanne
Wood-Laliberte-Gillespie
Leonard-Prapavessis
Hampton-Bokenfohr
Wilson-Reno
Kasdorf
Late in the Princeton game, the Engineers lost Milos Bubela to a concussion, leaving the already short-staffed Engineers with just 12 healthy forwards. Freshman Kenny Gillespie was inserted into the lineup, seeing his first collegiate action.
As with Friday night, it was RPI who struck first. A centering pass by Wilson was tapped home by a speeding Lou Nanne for his team-leading fourth goal of the season, putting the Engineers ahead 1-0 just 5:22 into the game.
RPI continued to dominate play in the first period until a tripping call against Craig Bokenfohr put them on the penalty kill. That kill did a pretty decent job, but late in the Bokenfohr penalty, a dicey tripping call against Mike Prapavessis put the Engineers down two men for 18 seconds. That danger zone was killed off without much of a problem either, but then an even dicier call against Parker Reno for high-sticking generated yet another two-man advantage for Quinnipiac, this one 17 seconds long. The Bobcats ultimately cashed in for a goal, but it came 19 seconds after the Reno call, officially coming 5-on-4, but tying the game nonetheless to the great displeasure of the home fans.
A deadlocked and fairly uninteresting second period gave way to a more interesting third period, and the Bobcats took the lead just under six minutes into the third with some sustained pressure in the RPI zone. The Engineers spent a good 90 seconds trapped in their own end, getting the puck out once but not far enough out to change the line that had been stuck out there for some time, and Quinnipiac eventually converted to take a 2-1 lead.
The Engineers did not back down. Despite struggles on the power play all night, they were the beneficiaries of a holding call with just over five minutes left to play. Early in the advantage, Prapavessis dug the puck out of the corner and then skated through the slot, trying to outwait Bobcat goaltender Michael Gartieg. When Gartieg went down, Prapavessis took a shot that rang off the post, and in the immediate interim, Quinnipiac's Michael Peca slid into the net to dislodge it. Immediately after the net was dislodged, Drew Melanson picked up the rebound and put it into the open cage for what should have been his first collegiate goal. Called a goal on the ice, the officials reviewed it and disallowed the goal for reasons that were not made abundantly clear.
The 2-1 lead for Quinnipiac intact, the Engineers pulled Kasdorf from the net late, but gave up an empty-netter to seal the victory for the Bobcats.
All told, RPI played a brave game despite some horrendous officiating practically from start to finish, and despite missing some very key players. They also lost another two important forwards during the game, as Lou Nanne was boarded behind the Quinnipiac net in the third period (no call), leading to him skating off favoring his surgically repaired shoulder, while Zach Schroeder picked up an ankle injury during the night.
UConn
Liljegren-Neal-McGowan
Melanson-Miller-Bourbonnais
Laliberte-DeVito-Wood
Fulton-Bokenfohr-Gillespie
Leonard-Prapavessis
Wilson-Reno
Bell-Hampton
Diebold
Now with only 11 healthy forwards following the loss of Nanne and Schroeder and the return from illness of Matt Neal, Kenny Gillespie was again in the lineup, joined on the fourth line by Craig Bokenfohr. The Engineers dressed literally every healthy skater they had available for their mid-week non-conference road game, and reports got out after the game was over that defenseman Phil Hampton was battling an illness himself despite playing.
After an uneventful first period, UConn got themselves on the board first in the cavernous XL Center (which is almost literally across the street from the RPI Hartford campus) about three minutes into the second period, shortly after the Engineers killed off their second penalty of the game. The Huskies pounced on a turnover in the RPI zone and put it past Diebold to go up 1-0, but it was the only goal the senior would allow on the evening. He eventually stopped 33 of 34 shots that he faced.
RPI pulled back within one late in the period, with Drew Melanson making up for the power play goal he was deprived of three nights earlier, officially notching his first collegiate goal from Neal and Curtis Leonard with just 2 ticks remaining on the clock to make it 1-1.
UConn dominated the third period almost completely, outshooting the Engineers 13-4, but Diebold was rarely tested beyond his capacity. The Huskies came close on a couple of occasions to taking the lead, but were unable to convert on one-timers or put shots wide. To some extent, RPI was lucky to get to the overtime period.
In that overtime period, however, it was all RPI as they poured on the output. They managed 7 shots in the extra five minutes, more shots than they managed in either the first or the third periods, and only two shy of their second period production. However they weren't able to find the winning goal, having to settle for a 1-1 tie, a draw that undoubtedly goes into the book as a "good" tie considering that they scored the game tying goal and fielded a less than ideal lineup.
RPI is off this weekend, but is back in action this coming Tuesday as they travel to play a struggling New Hampshire team in Durham ahead of a trip to Michigan against the equally struggling Wolverines. Most of the injured players are expected to be back in the lineup by the time the team gets to Ann Arbor.
By the way, the #1 team in the nation right now? 10-0-0 Michigan Tech. If anyone ever tells you that RPI's never going to get back to where they once were, they're lying.
Current ECAC Standings
1. Quinnipiac - 8 points (4-0-0)
2. Harvard - 8 points (3-1-2)
3. RPI - 8 points (4-2-0)
4. St. Lawrence - 6 points (3-1-0)
5. Colgate - 5 points (2-1-1)
6. Yale - 5 points (2-1-1)
7. Dartmouth - 5 points (2-3-1)
8. Clarkson - 4 points (1-1-2)
9. Union - 3 points (1-4-1)
10. Princeton - 2 points (1-3-0)
11. Cornell - 2 points (1-3-0)
12. Brown - 0 points (0-4-0)
Princeton at RPI
ECAC Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
11/14/14 - 7:00pm
RESULT: RPI 3, Princeton 1
RECORD: 5-6-0 (4-1-0, 8pts)
#20 Quinnipiac at RPI
ECAC Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
11/15/14 - 7:00pm
RESULT: Quinnipiac 3, RPI 1
ECAC Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
11/15/14 - 7:00pm
RESULT: Quinnipiac 3, RPI 1
RECORD: 5-7-0 (4-2-0, 8pts)
RPI at UConn
Non-conference Game - XL Center (Hartford, CT)
11/18/14 - 7:00pm
RESULT: RPI 1, UConn 1 (OT)
Non-conference Game - XL Center (Hartford, CT)
11/18/14 - 7:00pm
RESULT: RPI 1, UConn 1 (OT)
RECORD: 5-7-1 (4-2-0, 8pts)
Upcoming games
25 Nov - at New Hampshire
28 Nov - at Michigan
29 Nov - at Michigan
05 Dec - at Yale
06 Dec - at Brown
25 Nov - at New Hampshire
28 Nov - at Michigan
29 Nov - at Michigan
05 Dec - at Yale
06 Dec - at Brown
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Next Man Up
It's the first of two consecutive Tuesday matchups for the Engineers, and if you're healthy, you're probably playing tonight.
Lou Nanne (shoulder) is out tonight, but should thankfully be back next week. Also missing tonight will be Chris Bradley (shoulder), Luke Curadi (concussion), and Milos Bubela (concussion). Zach Schroeder (ankle) is questionable.
With the dressing room resembling a MASH unit, perhaps now's the best time to get back into non-conference games. Tonight, RPI faces off in Hartford (home of an RPI campus!) against UConn, a team that beat Boston College, tied Boston University, and lost to Sacred Heart. If that makes sense to you, we have a number of questions about life to ask you.
So... with so many players out of the lineup... who's going to be the man?
Lou Nanne (shoulder) is out tonight, but should thankfully be back next week. Also missing tonight will be Chris Bradley (shoulder), Luke Curadi (concussion), and Milos Bubela (concussion). Zach Schroeder (ankle) is questionable.
With the dressing room resembling a MASH unit, perhaps now's the best time to get back into non-conference games. Tonight, RPI faces off in Hartford (home of an RPI campus!) against UConn, a team that beat Boston College, tied Boston University, and lost to Sacred Heart. If that makes sense to you, we have a number of questions about life to ask you.
So... with so many players out of the lineup... who's going to be the man?
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Women's Hockey - UConn (25/26 Oct)
It took from January to the end of October, but the Engineers finally put a tally back in the win column with a 4-1 victory over UConn on Saturday at Houston Field House. Sunday's game was perhaps more tilted in favor of the Engineers, but a strong performance by UConn goalie Annie Belanger helped the Huskies hold on for a 2-2 tie.
Saturday
Mahoney/Gruschow/Tomlinson
Horwood/Wash/Renn
Rooney/Mankey/Svoboda
Walsh/Hylwa/Raspa
Schilter/Godin
Middlebrook/Behounek
Kimmerle/Banks
O'Brien
Alexa Gruschow had two goals, an assist, and eight shots on goal Saturday to lead RPI to a 4-1 win over UConn at Houston Field House.
Kathryn Schilter added a goal and an assist and Kelly O'Brien held the Huskies to one goal on 27 shots in net for the Engineers.
UConn wrecked its chances in the game by running a constant parade to the penalty box, and RPI broke a power play drought with two quick power play goals early in the second period.
Gruschow picked up the game's first goal on the man advantage at 2:22 of the second, with assists from Ali Svoboda and Schilter.
UConn took another penalty at 5:43 and RPI wasted no time, with Schilter scoring five seconds later to take a 2-0 lead on a blast from the point.
Gruschow's second at 12:23 of the middle frame put the Engineers up by three, but a power play goal for UConn finally got the Huskies on the board near the midpoint of the third.
Taylor Mahoney added an empty net goal in the game's waning minutes, pushing the RPI lead to 4-1 just 11 seconds after UConn netminder Elaine Chuli headed to the bench.
Despite spending 20 minutes in the penalty box, UConn managed to hold RPI to a 29-27 edge in shots. That would be more lopsided on Sunday, yet the result wouldn't be as good for the Engineers.
Sunday
Mahoney/Gruschow/Tomlinson
Horwood/Wash/Renn
Rooney/Mankey/Svoboda
Walsh/Hylwa/Raspa
-----
RPI vs. Connecticut
Non-Conference Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
10/25/14 - 3:00pm
RPI 4, UConn 1
BOX SCORES:
College Hockey Stats: http://collegehockeystats.net/1415/boxes/wconren1.o25
RPI: http://rpiathletics.com/boxscore.aspx?path=whock&id=4428
RECAPS:
RPI: http://rpiathletics.com/news/2014/10/25/WICE_1025143105.aspx
UConn: http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/w-hockey/recaps/102514aaa.html
Complete Game Video: http://rpitv.org/productions/827-womens-hockey-vs-uconn-game-1
RECORD: 1-4-1 (0-0-0 ECAC)
-----
RPI vs. Connecticut
Non-Conference Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
10/26/14 - 2:00pm
RPI 2, UConn 2 (OT)
BOX SCORES:
College Hockey Stats: http://collegehockeystats.net/1415/boxes/wconren1.o26
RPI: http://rpiathletics.com/boxscore.aspx?path=whock&id=4429
RECAPS:
RPI: http://rpiathletics.com/news/2014/10/26/WICE_1026144959.aspx
UConn: http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/w-hockey/recaps/102614aaa.html
Complete Game Video: http://rpitv.org/productions/829-womens-hockey-vs-uconn-game-2
RECORD: 1-4-2 (0-0-0 ECAC)
-----
Upcoming Schedule
Oct. 31 - at Harvard (7pm)
Nov. 1 - at Dartmouth (4pm)
Nov. 7 - St. Cloud State (3pm)
Nov. 8 - St. Cloud State (3pm)
Saturday
Mahoney/Gruschow/Tomlinson
Horwood/Wash/Renn
Rooney/Mankey/Svoboda
Walsh/Hylwa/Raspa
Schilter/Godin
Middlebrook/Behounek
Kimmerle/Banks
O'Brien
Alexa Gruschow had two goals, an assist, and eight shots on goal Saturday to lead RPI to a 4-1 win over UConn at Houston Field House.
Kathryn Schilter added a goal and an assist and Kelly O'Brien held the Huskies to one goal on 27 shots in net for the Engineers.
UConn wrecked its chances in the game by running a constant parade to the penalty box, and RPI broke a power play drought with two quick power play goals early in the second period.
Gruschow picked up the game's first goal on the man advantage at 2:22 of the second, with assists from Ali Svoboda and Schilter.
UConn took another penalty at 5:43 and RPI wasted no time, with Schilter scoring five seconds later to take a 2-0 lead on a blast from the point.
Gruschow's second at 12:23 of the middle frame put the Engineers up by three, but a power play goal for UConn finally got the Huskies on the board near the midpoint of the third.
Taylor Mahoney added an empty net goal in the game's waning minutes, pushing the RPI lead to 4-1 just 11 seconds after UConn netminder Elaine Chuli headed to the bench.
Despite spending 20 minutes in the penalty box, UConn managed to hold RPI to a 29-27 edge in shots. That would be more lopsided on Sunday, yet the result wouldn't be as good for the Engineers.
Sunday
Mahoney/Gruschow/Tomlinson
Horwood/Wash/Renn
Rooney/Mankey/Svoboda
Walsh/Hylwa/Raspa
Kimmerle/Schilter
Behounek/Banks
Middlebrook
Piper
RPI outshot UConn 32-20 but the Huskies won the special teams battle, scoring a shorthanded goal and a power play goal which ended up enough to hold RPI to a 2-2 tie on Sunday afternoon.
Sarah MacDonnell scored shorthanded at 4:23 of the opening period, breaking down ice on a 2-on-1, taking a pass from Leah Buress and putting it past Brianna Piper for a 1-0 lead.
RPI tied the game later in the first when Shayna Tomlinson scored. Three UConn penalties in a row in the early second period weren't enough to let RPI grab the lead, and instead it was UConn's Kelly Harris capitalizing on a 4-on-3 power play opportunity to put the Huskies up 2-1.
Laura Horwood would notch the game-tying goal for the Engineers in the third period, just moments after an apparent RPI goal had been waved off for a player interfering with UConn goalie Annie Belanger in the crease.
Another power play later in the third plus a short opportunity at the tail end of overtime proved fruitless for the Engineers and they had to settle for the 2-2 tie.
ECAC action starts for the Engineers next week as they face Harvard (7pm Fri) and Dartmouth (4pm Sat) on the road. It's hard to say much about the pair of Ivies at this point - each has beaten McGill in an exhibition, while Dartmouth soundly defeated New Hampshire on Sunday, hinting that perhaps there may be some improvement in Hanover as compared to last year's team which went 9-20-1.
-----
RPI vs. Connecticut
Non-Conference Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
10/25/14 - 3:00pm
RPI 4, UConn 1
BOX SCORES:
College Hockey Stats: http://collegehockeystats.net/1415/boxes/wconren1.o25
RPI: http://rpiathletics.com/boxscore.aspx?path=whock&id=4428
RECAPS:
RPI: http://rpiathletics.com/news/2014/10/25/WICE_1025143105.aspx
UConn: http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/w-hockey/recaps/102514aaa.html
Complete Game Video: http://rpitv.org/productions/827-womens-hockey-vs-uconn-game-1
RECORD: 1-4-1 (0-0-0 ECAC)
-----
RPI vs. Connecticut
Non-Conference Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
10/26/14 - 2:00pm
RPI 2, UConn 2 (OT)
BOX SCORES:
College Hockey Stats: http://collegehockeystats.net/1415/boxes/wconren1.o26
RPI: http://rpiathletics.com/boxscore.aspx?path=whock&id=4429
RECAPS:
RPI: http://rpiathletics.com/news/2014/10/26/WICE_1026144959.aspx
UConn: http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/w-hockey/recaps/102614aaa.html
Complete Game Video: http://rpitv.org/productions/829-womens-hockey-vs-uconn-game-2
RECORD: 1-4-2 (0-0-0 ECAC)
-----
Upcoming Schedule
Oct. 31 - at Harvard (7pm)
Nov. 1 - at Dartmouth (4pm)
Nov. 7 - St. Cloud State (3pm)
Nov. 8 - St. Cloud State (3pm)
Friday, October 24, 2014
Dust or Gold
Yeah, we didn't have anything this week, unfortunately. Gotta struggle for the legal tender sometimes.
But here's the gist of what would have been said anyway - wait a few weeks before you panic on the Engineers.
Minnesota and Denver are two of the best defenses in the country. It's too early to use stats to back this up, because 50% of Minnesota and 100% of Denver stats come from games against RPI, but coming into the season, that was part of the expectation on both teams. They'd do a pretty good job of keeping the puck out of the net.
Add a team that knew coming in that it had to find ways to score goals, and it's a recipe for the way the last three games played out - although to be very fair, the Engineers were awful on Saturday in Denver.
That said, the defense looks very good. Observers of the Minnesota game and the first Denver game saw a lot to like in Jason Kasdorf's play. But the goals have to come. Hopefully, that starts tonight against the first team in the RPI schedule that they should be favored to beat.
The rationale is that when you play difficult teams, it makes other teams feel a little easier by comparison. For years and years, though, we've become used to seeing RPI teams play at the level of their opponent no matter what, rarely a metric for success, especially against weaker teams.
If the RPI offense treats Bentley's defense as though it were Denver's, they'll find their opportunities to score, That can be nothing but helpful moving forward. If they don't... settle in, this one could be a long one.
Speaking of long ones, the RPI women had a lead last week for all of three-and-a-half minutes. It's a start, but it's still 15 games in a row without a win. Two more chances to snap that schneid starting tomorrow at home against UConn in the first full home weekend.
Get yourself to the Field House all weekend long, hockey has come home.
But here's the gist of what would have been said anyway - wait a few weeks before you panic on the Engineers.
Minnesota and Denver are two of the best defenses in the country. It's too early to use stats to back this up, because 50% of Minnesota and 100% of Denver stats come from games against RPI, but coming into the season, that was part of the expectation on both teams. They'd do a pretty good job of keeping the puck out of the net.
Add a team that knew coming in that it had to find ways to score goals, and it's a recipe for the way the last three games played out - although to be very fair, the Engineers were awful on Saturday in Denver.
That said, the defense looks very good. Observers of the Minnesota game and the first Denver game saw a lot to like in Jason Kasdorf's play. But the goals have to come. Hopefully, that starts tonight against the first team in the RPI schedule that they should be favored to beat.
The rationale is that when you play difficult teams, it makes other teams feel a little easier by comparison. For years and years, though, we've become used to seeing RPI teams play at the level of their opponent no matter what, rarely a metric for success, especially against weaker teams.
If the RPI offense treats Bentley's defense as though it were Denver's, they'll find their opportunities to score, That can be nothing but helpful moving forward. If they don't... settle in, this one could be a long one.
Speaking of long ones, the RPI women had a lead last week for all of three-and-a-half minutes. It's a start, but it's still 15 games in a row without a win. Two more chances to snap that schneid starting tomorrow at home against UConn in the first full home weekend.
Get yourself to the Field House all weekend long, hockey has come home.
Friday, June 13, 2014
Know Your Enemy: UConn
Once upon a time, RPI was considered by multiple outlets to be a good candidate to become the 12th team in Hockey East following Notre Dame's accession as the 11th. The rationale against UConn becoming that team was simple - although every other New England state school sponsoring college hockey was part of the league, UConn simply didn't have the facilities, the scholarships, or the coach to allow them to be even remotely competitive, and the school didn't seem to have the interest. Once the interest was there, the scholarships promised, and the coach upgraded (and the facilities promised soon), it was a no-brainer. UConn, long far less important in the hockey scene as compared to basketball (and football, to an extent), is about to become far more relevant.
Connecticut
Nickname: Huskies
Location: Storrs, CT
Founded: 1881
Conference: Hockey East
National Championships: 0
Last NCAA Appearance: None
Coach: Mike Cavanaugh (2nd season)
2013-14 Record: 18-14-4 (15-9-3 AHA, 3rd place)
Series: RPI leads, 3-0-2
First Game: January 18, 1930 (Troy, NY)
Last RPI win: November 26, 2010 (Troy, NY)
Last UConn win: Never
2014-15 game: November 18, 2014 (Storrs, CT)
Offensively, the team left something to be desired last season, but again, this is a program with much of its talent in its sophomore and freshman classes, so something like that is to be expected. While the team's top three scorers were all seniors, they return all of the remainder of their offensive output from last season, including Pauly and Gerling, who were both 20 point scorers.
Connecticut
Nickname: Huskies
Location: Storrs, CT
Founded: 1881
Conference: Hockey East
National Championships: 0
Last NCAA Appearance: None
Coach: Mike Cavanaugh (2nd season)
2013-14 Record: 18-14-4 (15-9-3 AHA, 3rd place)
Series: RPI leads, 3-0-2
First Game: January 18, 1930 (Troy, NY)
Last RPI win: November 26, 2010 (Troy, NY)
Last UConn win: Never
2014-15 game: November 18, 2014 (Storrs, CT)
Key players: F Trevor Gerling, sr.; D Jacob Poe, sr.; F Ryan Tyson, sr.; D Tyler Cooke, jr.; F Joe Ferriss, jr.; D Kyle Huson, jr.; F Patrick Kirtland, jr.; F Shawn Pauly, jr.; D Joona Kunnas, so.; G Robby Nichols, so.; F Brent Norris, so.; D Ryan Segalla, so.; D David Drake, fr.; F Kasperi Ojantakanen, fr.; F Corey Ronan, fr.; F Jesse Schwartz, fr.;
Previous KYE installments:
This is a big season for UConn, as their move to Hockey East gives the program a legitimate opportunity to raise its profile. With the Huskies' new regimen of scholarships and their more competitive conference, recruiting has certainly picked up. While it'll be difficult to peg them as contenders in Hockey East for another couple of seasons at least, the youth movement is definitely on in Storrs.
The announcement of the pending move came a few months after the 2011-12 season ended, and it had immediate impact on UConn's fortunes. Where the Huskies had been a weak to middling team for years in advance of the major news, they rebounded to a 4th place finish in Atlantic Hockey in 2013 and a tie for third in 2014. This didn't translate to postseason success, as UConn was ousted by Mercyhurst in the semifinals in 2013 and by eventual champions Robert Morris in 2014, but the trajectory is clearly moving in the right direction for the Huskies.
It's difficult to get a solid grasp on this team, however, in part because the increase in fortunes in Atlantic Hockey is relatively inconsequential to how competitive they'll be in Hockey East, and in part because the Huskies lose their top three scorers from last season and their top choice goaltender.
Defensively, UConn was quite strong last season, allowing just 2.39 goals per game. Nichols, the presumed new backstop, had even better individual numbers in the action that he saw last season, which was not an insignificant amount as he got the start in 11 of the Huskies' 36 outings and made two other appearances.
Offensively, the team left something to be desired last season, but again, this is a program with much of its talent in its sophomore and freshman classes, so something like that is to be expected. While the team's top three scorers were all seniors, they return all of the remainder of their offensive output from last season, including Pauly and Gerling, who were both 20 point scorers.
This is certainly a game that should provide a bit of a test for the RPI offense. The UConn defense is certainly competent, and while the Engineers will have seen more difficult defenses ahead of this game, it'll provide a good benchmark for discovering RPI's true potential when they have the puck going forward. Expect the Engineers to be slight favorites for this contest, with the difference coming in UConn holding home ice advantage for the first time. The Huskies may have never beaten RPI, but the time is coming soon where they'll be able to put up a very strong challenge.
Monday, October 28, 2013
Women's Hockey - at UConn (25/26 Oct)
RPI closed out the early season nonconference schedule with a weekend series at UConn, and the road trip was not friendly to the Engineers. After allowing a 2-0 lead turn into a 3-2 overtime loss on Friday despite playing well, RPI was thoroughly outplayed on Saturday in a 5-2 defeat. Now the Engineers find themselves without a win in six straight games.
Friday
Smelker/Mahoney/Mari Mankey
Sanders/Wash/Svoboda
Horwood/Rooney/Hylwa
Letuligasenoa/Gruschow/Missy Mankey
Banks/Schilter
Huhtamaki/Marzario
Middlebrook/Godin
Piper
RPI jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period, but UConn evened things up very early in the second and went on to win 3-2 in overtime despite being outshot by a 40-21 margin by the Engineers.
Ali Svoboda scored first for RPI, breaking into the UConn zone 2-on-1 with Toni Sanders as she finished serving an interference penalty. After Sanders' initial shot was stopped, Svoboda put home the rebound for the 1-0 lead.
A power play later in the first period led to the Engineers' second goal, with Kathryn Schilter blasting a slapshot through traffic to beat goalie Sarah Moses and make it a 2-0 game.
It didn't take long in the second period for UConn to get on the board. With most of an RPI penalty taken late in the first still remaining on the board, Jessica Stott launched a wrist shot past Brianna Piper to cut the RPI lead to 2-1, 30 seconds in.
A UConn penalty just a couple minutes later might have given the Engineers a chance to regain the momentum, but instead saw the Huskies tally a shorthanded goal just 13 seconds into their penalty kill. Emily Snodgrass made the most of a 2-on-1 with Sarah MacDonnell to beat Piper and tie the game two-all.
After RPI eventually outshot the Huskies 15-7 in the second and 11-6 in the third, the teams found themselves headed to overtime. There too the Engineers racked up a shot advantage to the tune of 6-2, but despite a power play chance in the extra frame, RPI couldn't capitalize. Instead, just moments after the successful penalty kill, Kayla Campero scored to give the Huskies the 3-2 overtime win.
Saturday
Sanders/Wash/Svoboda
Smelker/Mahoney/Mari Mankey
Horwood/Gruschow/Rooney
Walsh/Hylwa/Missy Mankey
Banks/Schilter
Huhtamaki/Marzario
Middlebrook/Godin
O'Brien/Piper
After losing despite a solid effort on Friday, Saturday's game was even less kind to the Engineers, who were outshot 33-24 in a lackluster 5-2 loss.
RPI scored first with Laura Horwood scoring an unassisted goal 3:11 in on a turnover, but that would be the last of the RPI scoring for over 48 minutes.
In the interim, UConn would pick up four goals before chasing Kelly O'Brien in favor of Piper. Emily Snodgrass notched her second goal of the weekend at 12:53 of the first to tie things up, and Sara MacDonnell picked up her second as well to put UConn ahead 2-1 on the power play.
An early 5-on-3 opportunity in the second set up the Huskies for their third goal, with Brittany Berisoff scoring on a rebound chance for a 3-1 lead. Less than two minutes later, the 3-1 lead became a 4-1 lead with Leah Buress picking up a feed from behind the net and putting it past Piper for her first goal of the season.
An extended 5-on-3 chance for RPI didn't get them back onto the score sheet, but shortly after the second penalty expired, Heidi Huhtamaki cut UConn's lead to 4-2.
Kayla Campero picked up an empty netter to put the game away by its final 5-2 score.
RPI opens up its ECAC schedule next weekend, hosting Harvard and Dartmouth in what should certainly prove a difficult test. In a bit of a departure from the usual, Dartmouth finds itself four games into the season without a win; meanwhile, Harvard has gone undefeated in early season play.
-----
RPI at Connecticut
Non-Conference Game – Frietas Ice Forum (Storrs, CT)
10/25/13 - 2:00pm
UConn 3, RPI 2 (OT)
BOX SCORES:
College Hockey Stats: http://collegehockeystats.net/1314/boxes/wconren1.o25
RECAPS:
RECORD: 1-4-1 (0-0 ECAC)
-----
RPI at Connecticut
Non-Conference Game – Frietas Ice Forum (Storrs, CT)
10/26/13 - 2:00pm
UConn 5, RPI 2
BOX SCORES:
College Hockey Stats: http://collegehockeystats.net/1314/boxes/wconren1.o25
RECAPS:
RECORD: 1-5-1 (0-0 ECAC)
-----
Upcoming Games
Nov. 1 - Harvard (7pm)
Nov. 2 - Dartmouth (4pm)
Nov. 8 - at Cornell (7pm)
Nov. 9 - at Colgate (4pm)
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Wildcat Offense
OK, folks. I'm back in the real world. Hopefully the two-week lull wasn't too bad. We were unable to live-tweet the Sacred Heart game in Connecticut (which was going on while I was busy getting married) and the men's recap from last weekend appears to have been lost in the ether due to a scheduling mix-up, but other than those, hopefully the coverage you've come to expect from WaP has been humming right along without a hitch.
As far as what was missing from the recap - here's the gist of it, most of which you already know. RPI beat BU 3-1 on Friday night last weekend, a solid bounce-back from a tough game at BC. Then they stomped Sacred Heart for the second time in as many weeks, 7-1 (see, Lowell? It's freakin' simple) for a combined 13-1 throttling across 120 minutes of action against the Pioneers.
Ryan Haggerty, with 7 goals, led the nation on his own in that category after last weekend, he has since been matched by Northeastern sophomore Kevin Roy, who notched two last night in Canton against St. Lawrence to even things up (Roy's kind of a jerk for reneging on Brown at the last minute last year - we're no fans of Brown around here right about now but at the end of the day, when it comes to things like this, Brown's family).
And RPI's now ranked #12 in the nation, up five spots from after the BC loss. Cornell is now ranked (and won last night), Union's out.
Yale lost to Brown last night. So there's that too.
And that's pretty much it.
The women suffered a tough OT loss to UConn yesterday afternoon, which was even tougher considering that they had a power play opportunity in the extra session. They're back at it in Storrs this afternoon, live-tweets to come from WaP.
The men have just one game this weekend, tonight at the Field House against #14 New Hampshire. Scott Diebold was certainly on his game last weekend, and the Engineers will need him to be strong tonight as well against an always-tough UNH.
Clean version for today's pumpup. If you want the real deal, go find it yourself, we're in family mode today.
As far as what was missing from the recap - here's the gist of it, most of which you already know. RPI beat BU 3-1 on Friday night last weekend, a solid bounce-back from a tough game at BC. Then they stomped Sacred Heart for the second time in as many weeks, 7-1 (see, Lowell? It's freakin' simple) for a combined 13-1 throttling across 120 minutes of action against the Pioneers.
Ryan Haggerty, with 7 goals, led the nation on his own in that category after last weekend, he has since been matched by Northeastern sophomore Kevin Roy, who notched two last night in Canton against St. Lawrence to even things up (Roy's kind of a jerk for reneging on Brown at the last minute last year - we're no fans of Brown around here right about now but at the end of the day, when it comes to things like this, Brown's family).
And RPI's now ranked #12 in the nation, up five spots from after the BC loss. Cornell is now ranked (and won last night), Union's out.
Yale lost to Brown last night. So there's that too.
And that's pretty much it.
The women suffered a tough OT loss to UConn yesterday afternoon, which was even tougher considering that they had a power play opportunity in the extra session. They're back at it in Storrs this afternoon, live-tweets to come from WaP.
The men have just one game this weekend, tonight at the Field House against #14 New Hampshire. Scott Diebold was certainly on his game last weekend, and the Engineers will need him to be strong tonight as well against an always-tough UNH.
Clean version for today's pumpup. If you want the real deal, go find it yourself, we're in family mode today.
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)
Monday, October 8, 2012
Women's Hockey - UConn (5/6 Oct)
With no exhibition on the schedule this year, RPI opened up the season at home with a pair of non-conference games against UConn. In similar fashion to last year's openers against the same opponent, the Engineers walked away with a tie and a win, yielding a 4-1 lead to settle for a 4-4 tie on Friday before rebounding to win Saturday by a 5-3 margin.
Friday
Smelker/Gruschow/Svoboda
Mahoney/Wash/Horton
Sanders/Cox/Mari Mankey
Padmore/Missy Mankey
Daniels/Banks
Godin/Marzario
Middlebrook/Schilter
Piper
Fans got their first glimpse of this season's incarnation of the Engineers Friday evening, and the home squad got things moving early, notching two goals in the latter half of the first period to jump out to a 2-0 lead.
Freshman Alexa Gruschow opened things up with her first career goal at 13:51, putting home a rebound off a Jordan Smelker shot taken as the latter was falling to the ice. Mari Mankey scored the second goal in what would become an all-freshman affair, another case of being in the right place at the right time for a rebound.
Things looked to be solidly in RPI's favor to start the second as a UConn penalty was quickly converted into a 3-0 lead on Gruschow's second of the game, but the Huskies cut the defecit to 3-1 at 11:27 of the middle frame after appearing to bump Piper in the crease.
Lauren Wash restored RPI's three-goal lead at 14:41, but an odd goal cut the lead back to two as a puck tipped off Pipers stick and slowly looped over her head to drop over the line and in the net.
UConn cut the Engineers' lead to one at 13:19 of the third period, and with the extra attacker out in the final minute drew a checking call which allowed them to play 6-on-4 with time winding down. It took just 17 seconds on the man advantage for the Huskies to tie things up on a scrum in front of Piper, with Rachel Farrel putting home her own rebound to knot things at four. A 5-0 shot advantage in the extra frame did nothing for RPI, as the Engineers were unable to pick up the game winner and settled for the 4-4 tie despite an overall 43-25 advantage in shots for the game.
Saturday
Smelker/Gruschow/Svoboda
Sanders/Mahoney/Horton
Padmore/Wash/Mari Mankey
Letuligasenoa/Walsh/Missy Mankey
Daniels/Banks
Godin/Marzario
Middlebrook/Schilter
O'Brien
With Friday night's goals all scored by freshmen, it would be no surprise on Saturday to see the Engineers' goals come from upperclassmen, including two from Ali Svoboda and one from Jordan Smelker, who combined on their line with freshman Alexa Gruschow for three goals and four assists en route to a 5-3 victory in Saturday's encore game against UConn.
Once again RPI scored first, this time just 3:20 into the game as Missy Mankey picked up a rebound just outside the crease and was greeted with a sprawling goaltender and a clear shot for the 1-0 lead.
Taylor Mahoney would double the Engineers' lead eleven minutes later, taking a feed from Toni Sanders behind the net an snapping it past UConn goalie Sarah Moses to double RPI's lead.
UConn would fight back to tie the game at two, with Kiana Nauheim firing a bomb from the point past Kelly O'Brien and Sarah MacDonnell notching the equalizer just three minutes into the second period on a feed from Stephanie Raithby from behind the Engineer net.
Svoboda would pick up the game's next two goals, giving RPI the lead as she put home a rebound from the doorstep and notching the eventual game winner with a wrist shot that beat Moses top shelf.
Smelker built the Engineers' lead to three at 4:06 of the third period with a spectacular effort that included fighting off a UConn defenseman before taking a blind backhand shot from one knee which snuck past Moses to make it 5-2.
UConn drew back to within two on a Michela Cava shorthanded breakaway goal, but that would be the end of the rally for the Huskies who fell 5-3 and were outshot 32-19 on the afternoon.
Early observations from the weekend - some much needed scoring was provided by the freshmen on Friday, led by Gruschow who on more than one occasion completely outhustled and outmanuevered her counterparts on the UConn squad. Coupled with Smelker and Svoboda, the Engineers' current top line appears to be shaping up as a lethal threat, combining for twelve points on the weekend.
We saw another dose of goaltender rotation on the weekend, with Piper and O'Brien each getting a start, but did not see freshman Sara Till in action.
The RPI defense was suspect at times, with a few missed passes and miscues resulting in several scoring opportunities for the Huskies. With each of the three defensive pairings including a newcomer to the team, it's likely the pairings are still getting used to playing with one another and things will tighten up in the coming games.
RPI returns to the ice next weekend as they head to Boston for a set against BU and Northeastern. Game time will be 7pm on Friday at BU and 3pm on Saturday at Northeastern.
-----
RPI vs. Connecticut
Non-Conference Game – Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
10/5/12 - 7pm
RPI 4, UConn 4
BOX SCORES:
USCHO: http://www.uscho.com/box/womens-hockey/2012/10/05/connecticut-vs-rensselaer/
College Hockey Stats: http://collegehockeystats.net/1213/boxes/wconren1.o05
RECAPS:
RPI: http://rpiathletics.com/news/2012/10/5/WICE_1005121637.aspx
UConn: http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/w-hockey/recaps/100512aaa.html
Video Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--dbqXOFv2k
RECORD: 0-0-1
-----
RPI vs. Connecticut
Non-Conference Game – Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
10/6/12 - 3pm
RPI 5, UConn 3
BOX SCORES:
USCHO: http://www.uscho.com/box/womens-hockey/2012/10/06/connecticut-vs-rensselaer/
College Hockey Stats: http://collegehockeystats.net/1213/boxes/wconren1.o06
RECAPS:
RPI: http://rpiathletics.com/news/2012/10/6/WICE_1006120119.aspx
UConn: http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/w-hockey/recaps/100612aab.html
Video Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FGahNf8xM0
RECORD: 1-0-1
-----
Upcoming Games
Oct. 12 - at BU (7pm)
Oct. 13 - at Northeastern (3pm)
Oct. 20 - Union (4pm)
Oct. 26 - at St. Lawrence (4pm)
Oct. 27 - at Clarkson (3:30pm)
Friday, October 5, 2012
Hockey!
The wait's over, it's back to hockey!
Things get started tonight with the women taking on UConn at home. The Engineers opened their season against the Huskies last year as well, picking up a 3-3 tie and a 1-0 victory in Storrs to get the season off on the right foot. Can they do it again this season? Well, just know that this is UConn's second consecutive weekend traveling to the Capital District, as they kicked off their season in Schenectady last week against the Dutchwomen, falling 3-2. Take from that what you will.
The men have their exhibition this weekend as well as the puck drops tomorrow against Acadia. As mentioned yesterday, it might be hard to glean much from what we see, but it still promises to be a fun outing.
So it's hockey season, it's Friday, and you know what that means... pumpup time! Here's a classic that'll never go out of style to get you set for the season's start.
Things get started tonight with the women taking on UConn at home. The Engineers opened their season against the Huskies last year as well, picking up a 3-3 tie and a 1-0 victory in Storrs to get the season off on the right foot. Can they do it again this season? Well, just know that this is UConn's second consecutive weekend traveling to the Capital District, as they kicked off their season in Schenectady last week against the Dutchwomen, falling 3-2. Take from that what you will.
The men have their exhibition this weekend as well as the puck drops tomorrow against Acadia. As mentioned yesterday, it might be hard to glean much from what we see, but it still promises to be a fun outing.
So it's hockey season, it's Friday, and you know what that means... pumpup time! Here's a classic that'll never go out of style to get you set for the season's start.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Men's Hockey - UConn Holiday Classic (29/30 Dec)
The unofficial start of the second half arrived with a great deal of promise for the struggling Engineers. With three weeks off and the team finally back to 100% health for the first time all season, hope seemed to be on the horizon. Unfortunately, the games turned out to be more of the same as RPI was savaged in the opening game of the UConn Holiday Classic, 7-2, and followed with a dismal consolation game, falling to Army 3-2.
UMass-Lowell
Lee/Neal/Schroeder
Laliberte/Higgs/Haggerty
Angers-Goulet/McGowan/O'Grady
Curadi/Bailen
Leonard/Bergin
Leboeuf/Koudys
UMass-Lowell
Lee/Neal/Schroeder
Laliberte/Higgs/Haggerty
Angers-Goulet/McGowan/O'Grady
Rogic/Malchuk/Tinordi
Curadi/Bailen
Leonard/Bergin
Leboeuf/Koudys
Diebold
The big news before the game was certainly the lineup. With no injuries to work around, Seth Appert was free to start whatever team he thought gave him the best chance to win for the first time all season, and the result was a number of seniors, especially Pat Cullen and Josh Rabbani, sitting in the stands. All seven freshman skaters started, as did freshman goaltender Scott Diebold. Matt Neal made his long awaited return to the lineup after missing more than two months with an ankle injury, and Ryan Haggerty came back after missing three games with the flu.
The optimism that came with the opening of the second half lasted precisely 43 seconds. That's how long it took the River Hawks to score, following a defensive breakdown that resulted in Lowell sending two forwards in alone on Diebold to make it 1-0. They made it 2-0 about 10 minutes later on a second defensive breakdown, and scored a shorthanded goal just two and a half minutes after that to make it 3-0. All three first period goals came as part of a lightning transition through the neutral zone that the RPI blueliners simply could not stop, leaving Diebold high and dry.
The Engineers tried to pick things up in the second period with Ryan Haggerty notching his team leading fourth goal of the season - yes, that's right - on the first opportunity of the middle stanza. The momentum didn't last long, however, as yet another defensive breakdown led to a Lowell goal just 30 seconds later, making the score 4-1 and immediately and visibly demoralizing RPI. Lowell picked up another goal about 10 minutes later to all but ice the game with almost a full half of the game left to be played.
Former RPI recruiting target Terrance Wallin - who reportedly had Lowell and RPI as his two finalists before choosing the River Hawks - made things worse three minutes into the third with his fourth of the season, making it 6-1. Zach Schroeder picked up his second of the year with just over three minutes left to play, but by that time it was far too late for anything to get going for the Engineers. Lowell added a power play goal with 10 seconds left just for good measure, and RPI limped away with a five-goal loss for the first time since the North Dakota NCAA game last year (which was six).
It was the first time since the "unspeakable Freakout!" two years ago that anyone had hung seven goals on RPI. The glaring issue was not between the pipes, as Scott Diebold frequently was left hanging by his defensemen and actually had a halfway decent appearance otherwise, although the goalfest left his numbers for the season significantly damaged.
Army, 2-0 losers to the homestanding UConn Huskies, became RPI's consolation game opponent.
Army
Angers-Goulet/McGowan/O'Grady
Laliberte/Higgs/Haggerty
Lee/Neal/Schroeder
The big news before the game was certainly the lineup. With no injuries to work around, Seth Appert was free to start whatever team he thought gave him the best chance to win for the first time all season, and the result was a number of seniors, especially Pat Cullen and Josh Rabbani, sitting in the stands. All seven freshman skaters started, as did freshman goaltender Scott Diebold. Matt Neal made his long awaited return to the lineup after missing more than two months with an ankle injury, and Ryan Haggerty came back after missing three games with the flu.
The optimism that came with the opening of the second half lasted precisely 43 seconds. That's how long it took the River Hawks to score, following a defensive breakdown that resulted in Lowell sending two forwards in alone on Diebold to make it 1-0. They made it 2-0 about 10 minutes later on a second defensive breakdown, and scored a shorthanded goal just two and a half minutes after that to make it 3-0. All three first period goals came as part of a lightning transition through the neutral zone that the RPI blueliners simply could not stop, leaving Diebold high and dry.
The Engineers tried to pick things up in the second period with Ryan Haggerty notching his team leading fourth goal of the season - yes, that's right - on the first opportunity of the middle stanza. The momentum didn't last long, however, as yet another defensive breakdown led to a Lowell goal just 30 seconds later, making the score 4-1 and immediately and visibly demoralizing RPI. Lowell picked up another goal about 10 minutes later to all but ice the game with almost a full half of the game left to be played.
Former RPI recruiting target Terrance Wallin - who reportedly had Lowell and RPI as his two finalists before choosing the River Hawks - made things worse three minutes into the third with his fourth of the season, making it 6-1. Zach Schroeder picked up his second of the year with just over three minutes left to play, but by that time it was far too late for anything to get going for the Engineers. Lowell added a power play goal with 10 seconds left just for good measure, and RPI limped away with a five-goal loss for the first time since the North Dakota NCAA game last year (which was six).
It was the first time since the "unspeakable Freakout!" two years ago that anyone had hung seven goals on RPI. The glaring issue was not between the pipes, as Scott Diebold frequently was left hanging by his defensemen and actually had a halfway decent appearance otherwise, although the goalfest left his numbers for the season significantly damaged.
Army, 2-0 losers to the homestanding UConn Huskies, became RPI's consolation game opponent.
Army
Angers-Goulet/McGowan/O'Grady
Laliberte/Higgs/Haggerty
Lee/Neal/Schroeder
Tinordi/Rogic/Rabbani
Smith
Leonard/Bergin
Curadi/Bailen
Dolan
Leonard/Bergin
Curadi/Bailen
Dolan
Merriam
The response was immediate. Joel Malchuk was benched for the first time this season, and defensemen Pat Koudys and Guy Leboeuf were also yanked, resulting in only five defensemen dressing. Bryce Merriam got the start in net, and senior Justin Smith skated as the extra forward.
With the Black Knights coming in with just one victory on the season, this had all the hallmarks of a must-win game for RPI, if only to maintain some semblance of confidence moving forward.
Once again, the Engineers got off on the wrong foot by getting behind early. After both sides had failed to score on their first power play of the game, Army was first to the scoresheet by notching a power play goal on Matt Neal's second penalty of the first period to go up 1-0.
RPI's power play struggles continued into the second period, as an opportunity right from the get-go fell by the wayside. In fact, it was not until Army went down two men six minutes into the second that the Engineers were able to get on the board, tying things with Brock Higgs' first goal of the season, getting the monkey off his back but keeping the Engineers somewhat behind the eight ball, as their efforts at even strength proved futile for the remainder of the period. RPI dominated the second in shots, 15-2, yet could only muster the two-man advantage goal.
Matt Neal's first career goal also came on the power play, arriving three and a half minutes into RPI's fifth man advantage of the game, giving the Engineers the lead for the first time in the tournament, but once again, the momentum was fleeting.
Just over two minutes later, following an interference call against Bo Dolan that Dolan, Appert and most RPI fans in attendance thought was a bit of a phantom call, Army scored on the ensuing faceoff to tie the game at two.
The Engineers pushed forward in an attempt to retake the lead, but just as they picked up the pressure, a slap shot by Nick Bailen broke the glass behind the Army net, resulting in a delay of about half an hour while repairs were made. When play resumed, the momentum built by the pressure was gone.
In heart-breaking fashion, a weak shot by Army with only 93 ticks remaining on the clock eluded Merriam and gave Army the late lead. The Engineers did what they could to get things square again with the empty net, but they could not get one past Army's Ryan Leets, who made 29 saves on 31 shots for the victory. Merriam finished with just 13 saves on 16 shots, while the Engineers allowed 10 goals on 40 shots on the weekend.
RPI now limps home to begin the second half of the ECAC schedule, in desperate need of a bounce their way in order to salvage the season.
With the Black Knights coming in with just one victory on the season, this had all the hallmarks of a must-win game for RPI, if only to maintain some semblance of confidence moving forward.
Once again, the Engineers got off on the wrong foot by getting behind early. After both sides had failed to score on their first power play of the game, Army was first to the scoresheet by notching a power play goal on Matt Neal's second penalty of the first period to go up 1-0.
RPI's power play struggles continued into the second period, as an opportunity right from the get-go fell by the wayside. In fact, it was not until Army went down two men six minutes into the second that the Engineers were able to get on the board, tying things with Brock Higgs' first goal of the season, getting the monkey off his back but keeping the Engineers somewhat behind the eight ball, as their efforts at even strength proved futile for the remainder of the period. RPI dominated the second in shots, 15-2, yet could only muster the two-man advantage goal.
Matt Neal's first career goal also came on the power play, arriving three and a half minutes into RPI's fifth man advantage of the game, giving the Engineers the lead for the first time in the tournament, but once again, the momentum was fleeting.
Just over two minutes later, following an interference call against Bo Dolan that Dolan, Appert and most RPI fans in attendance thought was a bit of a phantom call, Army scored on the ensuing faceoff to tie the game at two.
The Engineers pushed forward in an attempt to retake the lead, but just as they picked up the pressure, a slap shot by Nick Bailen broke the glass behind the Army net, resulting in a delay of about half an hour while repairs were made. When play resumed, the momentum built by the pressure was gone.
In heart-breaking fashion, a weak shot by Army with only 93 ticks remaining on the clock eluded Merriam and gave Army the late lead. The Engineers did what they could to get things square again with the empty net, but they could not get one past Army's Ryan Leets, who made 29 saves on 31 shots for the victory. Merriam finished with just 13 saves on 16 shots, while the Engineers allowed 10 goals on 40 shots on the weekend.
RPI now limps home to begin the second half of the ECAC schedule, in desperate need of a bounce their way in order to salvage the season.
Other junk - Plenty of movement in the national rankings this week. RPI opponents on the chart this week are #5 Notre Dame (no change), #6 Colorado College (no change), #9 Colgate (up three), #12 UMass-Lowell (up five), #13 Cornell (no change), #14 Union (down four), #17 Ferris State (down six), and #20 Yale (down one). Also receiving votes were RIT (12) and Harvard (4).
RPI's three leading scorers - Nick Bailen, Brock Higgs and Ryan Haggerty - have scored 100% of their goals on the power play, accounting for 8 of RPI's 10 power play goals.
All of RPI's freshmen forwards - Haggerty, Jacob Laliberte, Zach Schroeder, Mark McGowan and Matt Neal - have now notched their first career goal.
Bailen, Schroeder, C.J. Lee, Alex Angers-Goulet, Mike Bergin and Curtis Leonard are the only remaining players who have not missed a game this season.
RPI's next game is their first home game since November - and it's a big one as it's not only a league game, it's also a nationally televised game as the first college game to air on the newly rechristened NBC Sports Network. Unfortunately, it comes at a time when students are not on campus, against a team that doesn't travel well and with the team struggling significantly, so this showpiece game could be played in front of a fairly weak crowd. If you can get to the Field House on Friday, please do so.
RPI's three leading scorers - Nick Bailen, Brock Higgs and Ryan Haggerty - have scored 100% of their goals on the power play, accounting for 8 of RPI's 10 power play goals.
All of RPI's freshmen forwards - Haggerty, Jacob Laliberte, Zach Schroeder, Mark McGowan and Matt Neal - have now notched their first career goal.
Bailen, Schroeder, C.J. Lee, Alex Angers-Goulet, Mike Bergin and Curtis Leonard are the only remaining players who have not missed a game this season.
RPI's next game is their first home game since November - and it's a big one as it's not only a league game, it's also a nationally televised game as the first college game to air on the newly rechristened NBC Sports Network. Unfortunately, it comes at a time when students are not on campus, against a team that doesn't travel well and with the team struggling significantly, so this showpiece game could be played in front of a fairly weak crowd. If you can get to the Field House on Friday, please do so.
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)
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)
11 (5). Brown - 6 pts (3-3-0)
12 (12). RPI - 2 pts (1-6-0)
#17 UMass-Lowell vs. RPI
Non-Conference Game - Freitas Ice Forum (Storrs, CT)
12/29/11 - 4:00pm
RESULT: UMass-Lowell 7, RPI 2
BOX SCORES
College Hockey Stats
USCHO
Non-Conference Game - Freitas Ice Forum (Storrs, CT)
12/29/11 - 4:00pm
RESULT: UMass-Lowell 7, RPI 2
BOX SCORES
College Hockey Stats
USCHO
RECORD: 3-14-0 (1-6-0 ECAC, 2 pts)
Army vs. RPI
Non-Conference Game - Freitas Ice Forum (Storrs, CT)
12/30/11 - 4:00pm
RESULT: Army 3, RPI 2
BOX SCORES
College Hockey Stats
USCHO
Non-Conference Game - Freitas Ice Forum (Storrs, CT)
12/30/11 - 4:00pm
RESULT: Army 3, RPI 2
BOX SCORES
College Hockey Stats
USCHO
RECORD: 3-15-0 (1-6-0 ECAC, 2 pts)
Upcoming games
06 Jan - Dartmouth
07 Jan - Harvard
10 Jan - American International
14 Jan - at #14 Union
20 Jan - at Brown
07 Jan - Harvard
10 Jan - American International
14 Jan - at #14 Union
20 Jan - at Brown
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Hockey East Watch: November Update
There hasn't been an awful lot to report on the Hockey East front since the league has been focusing on, well, playing hockey, but there have at least been additional rumblings since the beginning of the season that are worth reflecting on.
We first touched on most of these schools during Tsunami Watch, here. We'll try not to rehash what we said back in September.
And, for what it's worth, we've endorsed the concept of RPI moving to Hockey East, which you can read here.
Here's the score.
RPI: The school still hasn't said publicly that it's interested in Hockey East, but it's generally known that the Engineers have at least been inquiring behind the scenes and that there have been discussions within the Hockey East ranks about RPI. There's really not much more to talk about on this level until something moves (as engineers, that probably calls for a healthy dose of WD-40), but it is important to note the early success this season of Merrimack, the #1 team in the country. They're proving, at least for the time being, that it is possible to be successful in Hockey East even from outside of the big guns.
UConn: From practically every perspective of what tends to be important in college sports, UConn is still the school that makes the most sense for Hockey East. Given the school's size and importance in the broader spectrum, as well as being the most marketable name of any of the contenders, UConn would be the best fit if only the practical concerns were not so heavily in the way. According to the Eagle Tribune's Mike McMahon, the school has at least let Atlantic Hockey know that it is exploring the option of a Hockey East move, which could potentially be the first signal that the school is looking to upgrade its program. If it does, there's not an awful lot of discussion to be had here - presuming the school builds a new facility and starts offering scholarships (with the required Title IX offsets elsewhere), UConn would be the 12th school. The question now as the school undoubtedly begins the process of deciding whether it is worthwhile for them to outlay all that money is whether it's something they want from an institutional perspective. You may have read in the news that UConn may be looking to bolt the Big East - hockey might not exactly be in the foreground.
Holy Cross: The big news on the Crusaders' front is that the city of Worcester is keen on Holy Cross moving into Hockey East from a economic standpoint - 11 games a year bringing fans from around New England into the city for hockey. The city council, led by a Holy Cross hockey alum who sits on the council, is pushing for the 12,239-seat DCU Center (formerly the Spectrum) to be a home venue for the Crusaders, though that can be lowered to 7,230 with the Times Union Center-like curtain system they have. For their part, the school has done the same as UConn, according to McMahon, in alerting Atlantic Hockey that they are exploring the Hockey East option. It's worth mentioning that on our podcast last week, RIT's Chris Lerch mentioned that RIT and Holy Cross are both looking to move their D-III women's programs into Division I in the near future, so that could indicate some budding interest in the sport at Holy Cross. Just 40 miles from Boston, the school probably fits better into the league's wheel well than any other possible candidate, but whether the Crusaders are a good fit for Hockey East from a competition standpoint remains to be seen.
Quinnipiac: Nothing new to report on Quinnipiac really, either, but the rise of interest out of UConn and Holy Cross combined with the positives that RPI has going for it as a potential target in the first place (not to mention the Tute's already existing buzz) tends to lead one to believe that the Bobcats might be falling back in the likelihood category. They've still got the shiny new arena as its best selling point.
Syracuse: The "new program" option that recurs most frequently is one of two schools that has D-I women's hockey but not men's hockey (the other being Lindenwood - the teams coincidentally meeting this coming weekend). The assumption is always made that Syracuse, as a big name school in football, basketball and lacrosse, has a giant athletic department. Nope. Seven men's sports (two being cross-country and track) and 11 women's sports (again, including XC and track). That's it. Why the low number? Because those big time sports eat up most of the budget. Why the disparity? Title IX. Syracuse had to cut men's and women's swimming and diving in order to start the women's hockey program and come into compliance with Title IX. Throw in a likely increased travel budget with the school moving to the ACC in the near future and there's really no room for men's hockey.
Cornell and Harvard: The rumors just won't die about either of these Ivy League schools, but it's worth saying again - there's nothing to them. At all. The Ivies play together in every sport they participate in, and they're not breaking apart here, either. As we've said before, there's a better chance that the Ivies leave the ECAC to maintain their own conference than any of them joining Hockey East on their own (and Hockey East isn't taking on six new teams). That's actually an increased argument for RPI leaving - it's a sword of Damocles that has hung over the ECAC for decades.
Nobody: The possibility that Hockey East could be content to sit at 11 teams indefinitely has also been advanced over the last couple of months. Commissioner Joe Bertagna has been adamant at press conferences that the league won't bring on just anyone for the sake of reaching 12 teams, even though it's obvious the league would function better with 12 than 11. Still, if there's any shot at bringing a revamped UConn program aboard, there's little doubt the league would be willing to wait a year, or even a few years, operating with 11 than bring RPI, Holy Cross, or someone else on board to suddenly have UConn have a change of heart. They probably won't take this route unless they think something is in the cards for the Huskies in the near future. Otherwise, they do have decent options.
We first touched on most of these schools during Tsunami Watch, here. We'll try not to rehash what we said back in September.
And, for what it's worth, we've endorsed the concept of RPI moving to Hockey East, which you can read here.
Here's the score.
RPI: The school still hasn't said publicly that it's interested in Hockey East, but it's generally known that the Engineers have at least been inquiring behind the scenes and that there have been discussions within the Hockey East ranks about RPI. There's really not much more to talk about on this level until something moves (as engineers, that probably calls for a healthy dose of WD-40), but it is important to note the early success this season of Merrimack, the #1 team in the country. They're proving, at least for the time being, that it is possible to be successful in Hockey East even from outside of the big guns.
UConn: From practically every perspective of what tends to be important in college sports, UConn is still the school that makes the most sense for Hockey East. Given the school's size and importance in the broader spectrum, as well as being the most marketable name of any of the contenders, UConn would be the best fit if only the practical concerns were not so heavily in the way. According to the Eagle Tribune's Mike McMahon, the school has at least let Atlantic Hockey know that it is exploring the option of a Hockey East move, which could potentially be the first signal that the school is looking to upgrade its program. If it does, there's not an awful lot of discussion to be had here - presuming the school builds a new facility and starts offering scholarships (with the required Title IX offsets elsewhere), UConn would be the 12th school. The question now as the school undoubtedly begins the process of deciding whether it is worthwhile for them to outlay all that money is whether it's something they want from an institutional perspective. You may have read in the news that UConn may be looking to bolt the Big East - hockey might not exactly be in the foreground.
Holy Cross: The big news on the Crusaders' front is that the city of Worcester is keen on Holy Cross moving into Hockey East from a economic standpoint - 11 games a year bringing fans from around New England into the city for hockey. The city council, led by a Holy Cross hockey alum who sits on the council, is pushing for the 12,239-seat DCU Center (formerly the Spectrum) to be a home venue for the Crusaders, though that can be lowered to 7,230 with the Times Union Center-like curtain system they have. For their part, the school has done the same as UConn, according to McMahon, in alerting Atlantic Hockey that they are exploring the Hockey East option. It's worth mentioning that on our podcast last week, RIT's Chris Lerch mentioned that RIT and Holy Cross are both looking to move their D-III women's programs into Division I in the near future, so that could indicate some budding interest in the sport at Holy Cross. Just 40 miles from Boston, the school probably fits better into the league's wheel well than any other possible candidate, but whether the Crusaders are a good fit for Hockey East from a competition standpoint remains to be seen.
Quinnipiac: Nothing new to report on Quinnipiac really, either, but the rise of interest out of UConn and Holy Cross combined with the positives that RPI has going for it as a potential target in the first place (not to mention the Tute's already existing buzz) tends to lead one to believe that the Bobcats might be falling back in the likelihood category. They've still got the shiny new arena as its best selling point.
Syracuse: The "new program" option that recurs most frequently is one of two schools that has D-I women's hockey but not men's hockey (the other being Lindenwood - the teams coincidentally meeting this coming weekend). The assumption is always made that Syracuse, as a big name school in football, basketball and lacrosse, has a giant athletic department. Nope. Seven men's sports (two being cross-country and track) and 11 women's sports (again, including XC and track). That's it. Why the low number? Because those big time sports eat up most of the budget. Why the disparity? Title IX. Syracuse had to cut men's and women's swimming and diving in order to start the women's hockey program and come into compliance with Title IX. Throw in a likely increased travel budget with the school moving to the ACC in the near future and there's really no room for men's hockey.
Cornell and Harvard: The rumors just won't die about either of these Ivy League schools, but it's worth saying again - there's nothing to them. At all. The Ivies play together in every sport they participate in, and they're not breaking apart here, either. As we've said before, there's a better chance that the Ivies leave the ECAC to maintain their own conference than any of them joining Hockey East on their own (and Hockey East isn't taking on six new teams). That's actually an increased argument for RPI leaving - it's a sword of Damocles that has hung over the ECAC for decades.
Nobody: The possibility that Hockey East could be content to sit at 11 teams indefinitely has also been advanced over the last couple of months. Commissioner Joe Bertagna has been adamant at press conferences that the league won't bring on just anyone for the sake of reaching 12 teams, even though it's obvious the league would function better with 12 than 11. Still, if there's any shot at bringing a revamped UConn program aboard, there's little doubt the league would be willing to wait a year, or even a few years, operating with 11 than bring RPI, Holy Cross, or someone else on board to suddenly have UConn have a change of heart. They probably won't take this route unless they think something is in the cards for the Huskies in the near future. Otherwise, they do have decent options.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Women's Hockey - at UConn (30 Sep/1 Oct)
The Engineers hit the road this weekend to start the games that count, with a pair of games at the University of Connecticut. While the teams skated to a 3-3 tie on Friday despite a solid effort from the Engineers, RPI got the upper hand with a last-minute goal on Saturday to head home with a 1-0 win and a 1-0-1 record.
Friday
Cox/Harrison/Vandegrift
Smelker/Mahoney/Horton
Sanders/Guillemette/Svoboda
Letuligasenoa/Mankey/Walsh
Castignetti/Vadner
Le Donne/Marzario
Schilter
Piper
RPI got off to a slow start Friday evening, having a hard time mustering much offense in a period that saw just three Engineer shots on goal. UConn didn't fare much better, but connected on one of their five shots when Caitlin Hewes collected a pass from Kelly Horan and put it past RPI's Kelly O'Brien for a 1-0 lead at 10:25.
RPI answered back early in the second, while killing a penalty nonetheless. Jill Vandegrift sprung Alisa Harrison on a breakaway, and despite being pressured from the chasing UConn defender, Harrison beat netminder Alexandra Garcia to tie the game at one.
The teams went on to trade another pair of goals in the second period, with UConn's Sarah MacDonnell scoring at 13:57 and Taylor Horton picking up an unassisted power play goal at 17:55 to send the teams to the locker room tied at two after two periods. RPI had a solid 10-4 advantage in shots for the frame.
UConn wasted no time to start the third, with Rebecca Hewett beating O'Brien for a 3-2 lead just 37 seconds into the period. Taylor Horton found the equalizer at 16:22 with another unassisted goal to knot the score at three, and neither team was able to pull out the win in overtime. UConn outshot RPI 3-0 in overtime, but the Engineers would maintain a 24-17 edge over the Huskies over the course of the game.
Saturday
Cox/Harrison/Vandegrift
Smelker/Mahoney/Horton
Sanders/Guillemette/Svoboda
Letuligasenoa/Mankey/Walsh
Castignetti/Vadner
Le Donne/Schilter
O'Brien
For as many goals as were scored on Friday, Saturday was a much different affair, with defense ruling the roost, a shutout for freshman goalie Kelly O'Brien in her first start, and a (literally) last-minute goal by Alisa Harrison deciding the outcome.
After two scoreless periods which also saw no penalties, RPI had dominated on faceoff wins but found themselves tied with UConn in shots at 14 each but neither was able to capitlize on any. The game appeared destined for overtime, but Alisa Harrison had other plans.
Set up with a pass from Andie Le Donne, Harrison flew into the UConn goal and sent a slapshot hurtling past the Huskies' Nicole Paniccia with just 9 seconds left in regulation to hand RPI the win.
Their first of three straight road weekends in the books, the Engineers head to Burlington, VT next weekend for a pair of games against the Vermont Catamounts. Vermont fell 3-2 to an always-tough Canadian squad from McGill on Sunday, and Friday's game will mark the first official game of their season.
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RPI at UConn
Non-Conference Game – Freitas Ice Forum (Storrs, CT)
9/30/11 – 7:00pm
RPI 3, UConn 3 (OT)
BOX SCORES:
College Hockey Stats: http://collegehockeystats.net/1112/boxes/wconren1.s30
RECAPS:
RECORD: 0-0-1 (0-0 ECAC)
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RPI at UConn
Non-Conference Game – Freitas Ice Forum (Storrs, CT)
10/1/11 – 3:00pm
RPI 1, UConn 0
BOX SCORES:
College Hockey Stats: http://collegehockeystats.net/1112/boxes/wconren1.o01
RECAPS:
RECORD: 1-0-1 (0-0 ECAC)
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Upcoming Games
Oct. 7 - @Vermont (7pm)
Oct. 8 - @Vermont (4pm)
Oct. 14 - @Niagara (7pm)
Oct. 15 - @Niagara (4pm)
Oct. 21 - Robert Morris (7pm)
Oct. 22 - Robert Morris (4pm)
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Know Your Enemy: UConn
Today's Know Your Enemy is one of two this season that represents only a potential opponent, given that the Engineers are taking part in just one in-season tournament this year. The UConn Classic is designed to give the hosts an Atlantic Hockey league game in the first round, so the Engineers could only potentially meet up with the Huskies on the second day, either in the championship or consolation game.
Connecticut
Nickname: Huskies
Location: Storrs, CT
Founded: 1881
Conference: Atlantic Hockey
National Championships: 0
Last NCAA Appearance: None
Coach: Bruce Marshall (24th season)
2010-11 Record: 15-18-4 (13-12-2 AHA, 6th place)
Series: RPI leads, 3-0-2
First Game: January 18, 1930 (Troy, NY)
Last RPI win: November 26, 2010 (Troy, NY)
Last UConn win: Never
2010-11 game: December 30, 2011 (Storrs, CT) - potential
Connecticut
Nickname: Huskies
Location: Storrs, CT
Founded: 1881
Conference: Atlantic Hockey
National Championships: 0
Last NCAA Appearance: None
Coach: Bruce Marshall (24th season)
2010-11 Record: 15-18-4 (13-12-2 AHA, 6th place)
Series: RPI leads, 3-0-2
First Game: January 18, 1930 (Troy, NY)
Last RPI win: November 26, 2010 (Troy, NY)
Last UConn win: Never
2010-11 game: December 30, 2011 (Storrs, CT) - potential
Key players: D Brad Cooper, sr.; F Marcello Ranallo, sr.; F Sean Ambrosie, jr.; G Garrett Bartus, jr.; D Alex Gerke, jr.; D Grant Scott, jr.; F Miles Winter, jr.; F Brant Harris, so.; F Billy Latta, so.; F Cole Schneider, so.; F Jordan Sims, so.; F Brad Smith, fr.
Previous KYE installment:
Last season's game against the Huskies was a roller-coaster to say the least. It was Bryce Merriam's first game action of the year, and he looked shaky at times but stuck it out to the end to pick up the victory despite giving up five goals in the opening round game of the final RPI Holiday Tournament. UConn led 1-0 after one period, and held two-goal leads on two separate occasions, though the Engineers did not stay down by two for more than a couple of minutes, both times scoring the game's next two goals in relatively rapid succession. Even after RPI took a late 5-4 lead, the Huskies came back to tie it before Chase Polacek's second goal of the game, on the power play, gave RPI a 6-5 win. It's worth noting that this was the game that the ECAC suspended Seth Appert for after the Schenectady Screwjob, so that may have also played a minor role in the game's outcome.
The next night, UConn dropped a 6-2 decision to Alabama-Huntsville, finshing the tournament in 4th place.
Thanksgiving weekend notwithstanding, UConn actually had a pretty decent season last year, defying the pre-season predictions from pretty much everyone and finishing not only in sixth, but as the second seed in the eastern "pod," earning themselves a preliminary round bye. The Huskies then dispatched Mercyhurst in two games, their season ending in the Atlantic Hockey semifinals with a 4-2 loss to RIT as the Tigers jumped on UConn early and finished strong.
That solid season has some reason for hope in Storrs for the first time in a long while, especially given how young the team was last season. Schneider led the team in scoring as a freshman, and four of the team's top six scorers were freshmen (Latta, Sims, and Harris). The only major loss for UConn is their top goalscorer, Andrew Olson, but offensively the Huskies seem to be doing OK by Atlantic Hockey standards.
Defensively, the team still needs a little work. The team's two games in Troy last year were pretty solid indicators of how rough the team was defensively, giving up 12 goals in two games. Bartus established himself as the team's top goaltender, and he's probably a little better individually than his middling numbers would indicate (for instance, he made 35 saves against RPI), because the blueliners in front of him were mostly a mess last year. If the Huskies are going to have success, this is their number one area of concern.
RPI is practically never in a position to take an opponent lightly, and UConn showed that in brilliant colors last year. If they meet on the second day of the tournament, the Engineers will need to exploit the Huskies' defense if they're going to ensure themselves the win. It's not a terrible drive from Troy, so if you're in the area between Christmas and New Year's, make the trip - UConn isn't exactly well known for its home fanbase, so it's a great opportunity to turn a road game into a home game.
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