When a team is struggling like the Engineers have been this season, the most important games tend to be the ones that are most winnable - against the other teams who are in the same boat. In recent seasons in the ECAC, these teams include Union, Colgate, Yale, and Brown. RPI had a chance to pick up points against two of the four this weekend and did so, earning a weekend sweep with a 3-0 shutout of Brown followed by a close 4-3 victory over Yale.
Brown
Smelker/Horton/Svoboda
Sanders/Gruschow/Mari Mankey
Wash/Cox/Walsh
Letuligasenoa
Daniels/Le Donne
Banks/Schilter
Godin/Marzario
O'Brien
After last weekend's nailbiter victory over Princeton, RPI had a little momentum heading into this weekend and took advantage of it on Friday, rolling to an easy 3-0 victory over Brown and the first shutout of the season for Kelly O'Brien.
Lauren Wash opened the scoring for RPI at 8:23 of the first period, forcing a turnover in the Brown zone and taking it to the net and past Brown goalie Aubree Moore for an unassisted tally.
The remainder of the first and second periods went by without further scoring, however the Engineers outshot their visitors by a 17-4 margin over the span.
Early in the third period, Toni Sanders made it a 2-0 lead when Moore misplayed the puck behind her own net, allowing Sanders to take the puck and quickly slide it to the front of the net and poke it in before anyone could get in position to make a save.
The Bears had opportunities to get back in the game in the latter half of the third period, with a penalty near the middle of the frame followed by a full two-minute 5-on-3 with 3:30 remaining, however O'Brien and the penalty killers held them off the board. Much of the 5-on-3 was effectively a 6-on-3 as Brown pulled their goalie, however this backfired in the long run as Jordan Smelker notched an empty net goal with 35 seconds left to put the game away by its final 3-0 score. O'Brien had 10 saves in the shutout while the Engineers finished with 21.
Yale
Smelker/Horton/Svoboda
Sanders/Gruschow/Mari Mankey
Wash/Cox/Walsh
Letuligasenoa/Mahoney
Daniels/Banks
Le Donne/Schilter
Middlebrook/Godin
O'Brien
For as easy as Friday's win was for RPI, Saturday came as no walk in the park against a Yale squad who fought hard and put 21 shots on net. Fortunately for the Engineers, they elevated their offense just enough to get the job done, taking a 4-3 lead with 1:07 left in regulation and holding on for a 4-3 victory. It proved to be one of the strongest offensive performances of the season to date for RPI, as the Engineers tallied 38 shots on goal in the afternoon.
The Bulldogs took an early lead at 4:08 of the first when Aurora Kennedy deked around the RPI defense to break in 2-on-1, feeding Jen Matichuk for a tap-in goal that O'Brien had little chance to stop.
RPI knotted the score a few minutes later on their first power play of the afternoon when Jamie Haddad was sent off for unsportsmanlike conduct, having shot a puck on net after the play was blown dead for an offside call. Taylor Horton picked up the goal, cashing in on a rebound from a bomb of a point shot by Andie Le Donne. The play was initially ruled no goal on the ice but after a video review the officials overturned their call and awarded the goal.
The Engineers appeared to have taken the lead shortly thereafter, but once again the goal was waved off and this time the call stood due to an RPI player in the crease when the goal was scored.
The Engineers picked up their first lead of the afternoon at 4:23 of the second period, with a goal very similar to Horton's. Alexa Gruschow was left unmarked on the doorstep during an RPI power play, and when Kathryn Schilter fired a shot from the opposite point, Gruschow was in position for a quick tap-in on the rebound to make it a 2-1 game.
Yale tied things back up 2-2 at 12:59 of the middle frame on a power play of their own, with Jamie Haddad finishing a 2-on-1 feed from Danielle Moncion to catch O'Brien moving for the goal.
Just 29 seconds later, Yale took a 3-2 lead when Alyssa Zupon was able to receive a feed from behind the net and fire it past O'Brien as she stood unmarked just outside the crease.
A power play goal for Taylor Mahoney knotted things back up at 3-3 with less than two minutes remaining in the second period. Mahoney cashed in on a rebound from a shot by Gruschow to beat Yale's Jamie Leonoff and head into the final frame all tied up.
The teams traded penalties in the third period but neither capitalized on their opportunities. The Engineers built a 12-4 margin in shots in the final period and finally broke through with 1:07 left when they broke out on a 3-on-1 opportunity and headed down ice. On what looked to be a third or fourth effort after several saved by Leonoff, Mahoney scored her second of the game to give the Engineers a 4-3 lead which held up through heavy Yale pressure in the final minute.
Saturday's win gave the Engineers their first weekend sweep of the season and brought them into a tie for 7th place with Princeton. RPI has four games in hand over the Tigers however, and sit one point behind Dartmouth (which has a game in hand over the Engineers). With 14 league games to play, the Engineers are now halfway to last season's win total of six and still have six more games remaining against Yale, Brown, Union, and Colgate. If RPI can continue to play well against those teams, a decent finish to the season is certainly not out of the question, even with the rough start.
RPI now has a month off and will not take to the ice for their next game until Dartmouth and Harvard visit the Field House on January 4th and 5th. That weekend promises to be a little different than this one, as the Crimson have roared out to a 7-0 record in ECAC play, outscoring their opponents 31-3 in those games. While on paper Dartmouth has had a rougher go of it with a 3-3-1 record, their three losses in ECAC play have come to Quinnipiac, Harvard, and Cornell and are not that good of an indicator of the strength of the Big Green squad. Needless to say, the Engineers should have their hands full when they get back to action in January.
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RPI vs. Brown
ECAC Hockey Game – Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
12/7/12 - 7pm
RPI 3, Brown 0
BOX SCORES:
USCHO: http://www.uscho.com/box/womens-hockey/2012/12/07/brown-vs-rensselaer/
College Hockey Stats: http://collegehockeystats.net/1213/boxes/wbrnren1.d07
RECAPS:
RPI: http://www.rpiathletics.com/news/2012/12/7/WICE_1207124141.aspx
Brown: http://brownbears.com/sports/w-hockey/2012-13/releases/201212072aopv7
Video Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo3POZDSM6g
RECORD: 4-11-2 (2-5-0 ECAC)
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RPI vs. Yale
ECAC Hockey Game – Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
12/8/12 - 4pm
RPI 4, Yale 3
BOX SCORES:
USCHO: http://www.uscho.com/box/womens-hockey/2012/12/08/yale-vs-rensselaer/
College Hockey Stats: http://collegehockeystats.net/1213/boxes/wrenyal1.d08
RECAPS:
RPI: http://www.rpiathletics.com/news/2012/12/8/WICE_1208125454.aspx
Yale: http://www.yalebulldogs.com/sports/w-hockey/2012-13/releases/20121208j0uhoq
Video Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PDrjORiNl8
RECORD: 5-11-2 (3-5-0 ECAC)
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ECAC Standings
1. Quinnipiac - 17 points (8-3-1)
2. Cornell - 16 points (8-2-0)
3t. Harvard - 14 points (7-0-0)
3t. Clarkson - 14 points (7-1-0)
5. St. Lawrence - 12 points (6-2-0)
6. Dartmouth - 7 points (3-3-1)
7t. RPI - 6 points (3-5-0)
7t. Princeton - 6 points (2-6-2)
9t. Brown - 4 points (2-6-0)
9t. Colgate - 4 points (1-7-2)
11t. Union - 3 points (0-5-3)
11t. Yale - 3 points (1-6-1)
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Upcoming Games
Jan. 4 - Dartmouth (7pm)
Jan. 5 - Harvard (4pm)
Jan. 11 - Providence (7pm)
Jan. 12 - Providence (4pm)
Monday, December 10, 2012
Friday, December 7, 2012
First Half Finish
Yup, the season's half in the bag already after this weekend. As was mentioned yesterday, once the rink lights go dim in Troy and Providence tomorrow, we'll be without hockey for 19 days until the men face off with St. Cloud State on the 28th and the women host Harvard in January.
Both teams got themselves on the board last weekend, but it's certainly not enough. The women at home tonight and tomorrow afternoon face a golden opportunity - home games against Brown and Yale, which has been the weakest overall travel pairing in the league for a number of seasons. This year, they both have two points, just like RPI and Union do, so this weekend's games are going to be big with regards to determining which teams are going to be shooting for the playoffs, and which ones are going to be trying to keep their heads above water. Four points for RPI would be gigantic, and they're certainly available.
As for the men, they picked up their first ECAC point last weekend but still have sole possession of the league basement, a point behind Saturday's opponent, Brown (who has a game in hand), and three behind 10th place St. Lawrence (who the Engineers have a game in hand over). That makes points on Saturday important, but don't overlook tonight's game in Gun Wavin' New Haven - the series between Yale and RPI has produced some fantastically good contests in the last couple of years, including a big 2-1 win for the Engineers last season. They're underdogs tonight without doubt, but RPI needs points where they can get them at this point, and teams with their backs against the wall can be dangerous. Let's hope that's the case tonight.
The Smiths regale us this weekend with a battle cry for desperate times...
Both teams got themselves on the board last weekend, but it's certainly not enough. The women at home tonight and tomorrow afternoon face a golden opportunity - home games against Brown and Yale, which has been the weakest overall travel pairing in the league for a number of seasons. This year, they both have two points, just like RPI and Union do, so this weekend's games are going to be big with regards to determining which teams are going to be shooting for the playoffs, and which ones are going to be trying to keep their heads above water. Four points for RPI would be gigantic, and they're certainly available.
As for the men, they picked up their first ECAC point last weekend but still have sole possession of the league basement, a point behind Saturday's opponent, Brown (who has a game in hand), and three behind 10th place St. Lawrence (who the Engineers have a game in hand over). That makes points on Saturday important, but don't overlook tonight's game in Gun Wavin' New Haven - the series between Yale and RPI has produced some fantastically good contests in the last couple of years, including a big 2-1 win for the Engineers last season. They're underdogs tonight without doubt, but RPI needs points where they can get them at this point, and teams with their backs against the wall can be dangerous. Let's hope that's the case tonight.
The Smiths regale us this weekend with a battle cry for desperate times...
Thursday, December 6, 2012
What If?
So... after this weekend, we're going to have a little bit of time to kill. The men will be off until just after Christmas, when they make their second trip to Minnesota in three months, and the women will be off until after the New Year, when they pick up with a the last four games of a six game homestand that begins tomorrow night.
No hockey for 19 days, and only four games involving ECAC teams during that stretch, none of which are worth getting excited over. What to do, especially since our podcast has been silent this season?
How about a little walk through history?
Without a Peer is proud to present, as our Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Saturnalia gift to you, an 12-part series of essays titled "What If?" This series focuses on 12 different turning points spanning the modern era of RPI hockey, describes what happened with them in real life and why they were important to the evolution of the program, and offers a few suggestions of how things could have potentially happened differently, either to the benefit or the detriment of the program.
If you're a relative RPI noob, we hope this series will help you learn more about the program's storied past. If you're a long-time fan, perhaps we'll evoke a few memories and get you thinking about how things could be different today if certain things had failed to take place.
It's one part history, one part nerdy counterfactual history, but this is RPI, and we wouldn't have it any other way. The essays will be presented in chronological order of the events they discuss, and each has been the subject of a significant amount of Internet and library research to ensure as much accuracy as possible in the description of events. The first essay, next week, touches on events at the Institute during World War II.
And, just for a little fun and ambiance, and since this is Without a Peer, each essay will be accompanied by a musical embed featuring a song that was popular around the time of the event in question to enjoy as you read. We've spared no expense!
If you have any input, all feedback will be more than welcome! If you think events would have unfolded in a different manner than they are portrayed, or if we've gotten any of the facts wrong, please let us know.
Enjoy!
No hockey for 19 days, and only four games involving ECAC teams during that stretch, none of which are worth getting excited over. What to do, especially since our podcast has been silent this season?
How about a little walk through history?
Without a Peer is proud to present, as our Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Saturnalia gift to you, an 12-part series of essays titled "What If?" This series focuses on 12 different turning points spanning the modern era of RPI hockey, describes what happened with them in real life and why they were important to the evolution of the program, and offers a few suggestions of how things could have potentially happened differently, either to the benefit or the detriment of the program.
If you're a relative RPI noob, we hope this series will help you learn more about the program's storied past. If you're a long-time fan, perhaps we'll evoke a few memories and get you thinking about how things could be different today if certain things had failed to take place.
It's one part history, one part nerdy counterfactual history, but this is RPI, and we wouldn't have it any other way. The essays will be presented in chronological order of the events they discuss, and each has been the subject of a significant amount of Internet and library research to ensure as much accuracy as possible in the description of events. The first essay, next week, touches on events at the Institute during World War II.
And, just for a little fun and ambiance, and since this is Without a Peer, each essay will be accompanied by a musical embed featuring a song that was popular around the time of the event in question to enjoy as you read. We've spared no expense!
If you have any input, all feedback will be more than welcome! If you think events would have unfolded in a different manner than they are portrayed, or if we've gotten any of the facts wrong, please let us know.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
ECAC Power Rankings - November
Every year we release our power rankings for the ECAC following the months of November, December, and January. We skip October because the Ivy League's delayed start doesn't allow us to get a very good handle on half the league, and we skip February because by the time March rolls around, the league's standings are the effective power rankings. For other months, we factor in non-conference and conference games to determine who's hot and who's not.
As November closes, the league is certainly creating a great deal of buzz. Arguably, a good 2/3 of the league has at least something to be happy with at this point, and there are three teams currently in the top 10 in KRACH and seven in the top 20. That's pretty amazing, although we expect things to calm significantly as the league season kicks into high gear in January. Still, early prospects have the league with a strong likelihood of landing three bids to the NCAA tournament this year - four if the league can land an upset tournament champion, which bodes well for the future.
Without further ado, the league as we see it after the second month of the season..
1. Dartmouth (6-2-2) - The Big Green have practically no pimples on their record. They went unbeaten in their first six contests, lost to Colgate by one goal in a game they led 4-1 in the third period, and lost to the defending national champions, Boston College, in a game that was tied heading into the third period. Other than the last 12 minutes of the Colgate game, the Big Green have very little to be disappointed with at all this season. Their penalty kill is a ridiculous 97.2%, best in the nation by over a percentage point having given up just one power play goal all year long (November 2 against Yale). Just three home non-conference games on tap for Dartmouth in December, and one is huge - a showdown with #1 New Hampshire on December 30. That's must see TV.
2. Yale (6-2-1) - If not for a 1-0 stumble at home against Clarkson in early November, the Bulldogs' record is almost equally spotless as Dartmouth's. The main point of separation is Yale's other loss, a 7-4 defeat in Hanover. Otherwise, a pair of impressive overtime victories in Colorado against Denver and Colorado College have vaulted Yale back into the national discussion after last year's tough season. The Clarkson loss came on a goal in the last three minutes of regulation, marring an otherwise decent outing, but if Yale has one weakness it's that they've been in a lot of close games - only their loss to Dartmouth and a 5-1 win at Harvard were outside the two-goal margin. Yale has ECAC contests at home against RPI and Union this coming weekend, a home game against UMass the following weekend, then hosts the Russian Red Stars in an exhibition after Christmas before traveling to Holy Cross on December 30.
3. Quinnipiac (10-3-2) - Tough to put the undefeated league leaders this far down, but when third is considered low, that's pretty decent. The Bobcats had a far more difficult October than they probably drew up. They won at Maine to start the season before anyone realized Maine was beyond awful. They fell 4-0 against Robert Morris at home, and 5-1 to Colgate on Cape Cod. They bottomed out at the beginning of November with a 2-1 loss to American International, something no team should ever be in a position to need to make excuses for. But ever since that AIC loss, the Q has been on a tear, unbeaten in eight straight with six big ECAC victories. We knew the Bobcats would be good and that appears to be coming true in spades, they boast the nation's top defense. After their home-and-home with travel partners Princeton this weekend, they host Nebraska-Omaha after Christmas as a check on how far they've come as a program.
4. Cornell (6-3-2) - Five-game winless and three-game losing streaks are pretty rare in Ithaca, and the Big Red had to endure just that during November, albeit against some decent competition. After taking three points from Colgate in the yearly home-and-home to start the season, Cornell lost three in a row to Princeton, Quinnipiac, and Harvard before bouncing back with a big tie at home with Dartmouth, a 5-1 demolition of a bad Michigan team at Madison Square Garden, and an important home sweep of Clarkson and St. Lawrence last weekend, which should have the Big Red back on track. They'll look to add to their unbeaten non-conference record after Christmas in the annual Florida College Classic, facing Ferris State and then either Minnesota-Duluth or Maine.
5. Union (8-3-2) - One bad weekend can be all it takes to slip a bit, and that's why Union's down here in fifth. The Dutchmen had an OK November after a very good October. They fell at Dartmouth after beating up on Harvard the previous night, then swept first-year Penn State at home before a rough outing last weekend, picking up just one point against Quinnipiac and Princeton. Truth is, all of Union's non-conference wins and ties are against teams in the bottom 2/3 of KRACH. Their signature win thus far is over Harvard, and the second best team they've beaten is... RPI, who's almost in that bottom 2/3 themselves. So while the record is strong, the schedule certainly isn't and when challenged by Dartmouth and Quinnipiac, the Dutch were not up to the task. An important weekend at Brown and Yale beckons this weekend, followed by Vermont and a rematch with Merrimack in the Catamount Cup after Christmas.
6. Harvard (4-3-0) - Yeah, you're reading that correctly. Harvard has just seven games under their belt, less than half that of Quinnipiac (15). They took the last two weeks of November off, but the Crimson are off to an OK start otherwise. They lost big in back to back games with Yale and Union, then stomped RPI and Cornell in back to back contests, so they aren't perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but they're still decent. It's tough to compare Harvard to the rest of the league with such a light resume to date, but all indications point to a very, very talented freshman group that is already pitching in to make the Crimson a dangerous team to play against. Harvard's layover ends on Friday when they visit Merrimack, followed by a home game against UMass-Lowell on Monday of next week. They're then off 19 more days before a home game with Beanpot rivals Northeastern, so in all likelihood we're not going to learn much more about this group until the league schedule in January.
7. St. Lawrence (7-5-2) - Inconsistency crept into the works in November for St. Lawrence after a torrid start to the season, continuing the up-and-down trend from last year. 5-1-0 to start the year, SLU is 2-4-2 since ECAC play got underway and struggling to keep their heads above water on the league table. At the end of the day, they've only lost to teams ahead of them in these power rankings, and they've either beaten or tied the teams below them, so this position certainly makes sense. In hindsight, the hot October was definitely assisted by some weak opponents (Maine, Alabama-Huntsville), but a split at Western Michigan doesn't suck, that's for sure. This is still a team with a great deal of potential and despite some tough losses they, could work their way back into the thick of things sooner rather than later. Tomorrow night they host rivals Clarkson in an ECAC contest, and on Saturday they throw down with the Golden Knights again in a non-conference game in Lake Placid. They finish out December with a home game against Vermont on the 15th.
8. Colgate (7-7-2) - Difficult to put a seven-win team this far down after November, but inconsistency has reigned in Hamilton. Despite a non-conference win over Quinnipiac at the end of October and league wins over Dartmouth and Harvard in the middle of November, the Raiders have generally been all over the map since the beginning of the season. They needed overtime to beat Clarkson last weekend, couldn't match up with Cornell in the yearly home-and-home, and has losses to Bowling Green and Princeton on their record. Both offense and defense, it seems, are either on or off on any given night, creating unpredictability, but Colgate is admirably at a .500 record despite it all. A weekend series at UMass this coming weekend will be their only outing in December, and they kick off January with a home weekend series against last-in-KRACH Sacred Heart.
9. Princeton (3-4-3) - November was semi-kind to the Tigers after a rough first two weeks of their season in October. Princeton lost a pair of exhibitions and lost twice in the Ivy Shootout to start the year, but a 3-2-3 record since then has buoyed the Tigers in the ECAC standings, which is certainly important. They submitted real stinkers against Clarkson (7-2) and UMass-Lowell (3-1), but they've generally hung tough in ECAC games, though they blew the opportunity for a four-point weekend in the Capital District last weekend, losing third-period leads against both RPI and Union to settle for a pair of draws. Still, their home sweep of Colgate and Cornell at the beginning of the month got them off on the right foot, and if they can squeeze points from the home-and-home with Quinnipiac this weekend, the Tigers might certainly be onto something. They join Union at the Catamount Cup in Burlington after Christmas, facing Merrimack and then Vermont to close out the month.
10. Brown (3-5-2) - Brown is a team still in search of a signature victory. The Bears have won the two games against Atlantic Hockey programs that they need to win, and picked up a season-opening 2-1 win over Princeton, but that's where the good news ends. While they've been competitive in every league game they've been in, they haven't been able to get over the hump, with three one-goal losses and two ties in league play - they get the edge on RPI thanks to these close contests. Tack on blowout non-conference losses to Dartmouth and Providence, and there you have Brown. They host Union and RPI this coming weekend, then participate in the UConn Hockey Classic after Christmas with games against Minnesota State and either UConn or AIC, the latter of which they should be able to do well in.
11. RPI (3-6-3) - The Engineers can be thankful they're not last here even if they're certainly last in the ECAC right now. A somewhat more difficult schedule than the other bottom feeders props up the Engineers here, but even that isn't a very good excuse for their poor record, and this past weekend's travails against Princeton and Quinnipiac are a microcosm of the problems they've faced. The weekend sweep of Mercyhurst is fairly unimpressive compared to the rest of the league, with their opening weekend against Ferris State the only really shining element of the team's record. To be fair, they've played most of the top teams in the ECAC already, but with their only point coming against Princeton, it's easy to see that they aren't among the best of what's around.
12. Clarkson (2-7-5) - The Golden Knights are fairly aimless at the present. They have two big wins on their record, the first being a 7-2 home destruction of Princeton and the latter the last-minute win over Yale, but it's difficult to ignore the rest of their schedule, especially the 0-2-4 record against Atlantic Hockey. To their credit, their two wins have come in league play, but defensively Clarkson has been a mess, giving up 3.21 goals per game, taxing a young offense which, with the exception of the Princeton game, hasn't been able to generate the goals necessary to keep pace. The two games with St. Lawrence in the next four days make up the heart of Clarkson's December schedule, a home game against Mercyhurst on the 15th rounds it out.
As November closes, the league is certainly creating a great deal of buzz. Arguably, a good 2/3 of the league has at least something to be happy with at this point, and there are three teams currently in the top 10 in KRACH and seven in the top 20. That's pretty amazing, although we expect things to calm significantly as the league season kicks into high gear in January. Still, early prospects have the league with a strong likelihood of landing three bids to the NCAA tournament this year - four if the league can land an upset tournament champion, which bodes well for the future.
Without further ado, the league as we see it after the second month of the season..
1. Dartmouth (6-2-2) - The Big Green have practically no pimples on their record. They went unbeaten in their first six contests, lost to Colgate by one goal in a game they led 4-1 in the third period, and lost to the defending national champions, Boston College, in a game that was tied heading into the third period. Other than the last 12 minutes of the Colgate game, the Big Green have very little to be disappointed with at all this season. Their penalty kill is a ridiculous 97.2%, best in the nation by over a percentage point having given up just one power play goal all year long (November 2 against Yale). Just three home non-conference games on tap for Dartmouth in December, and one is huge - a showdown with #1 New Hampshire on December 30. That's must see TV.
2. Yale (6-2-1) - If not for a 1-0 stumble at home against Clarkson in early November, the Bulldogs' record is almost equally spotless as Dartmouth's. The main point of separation is Yale's other loss, a 7-4 defeat in Hanover. Otherwise, a pair of impressive overtime victories in Colorado against Denver and Colorado College have vaulted Yale back into the national discussion after last year's tough season. The Clarkson loss came on a goal in the last three minutes of regulation, marring an otherwise decent outing, but if Yale has one weakness it's that they've been in a lot of close games - only their loss to Dartmouth and a 5-1 win at Harvard were outside the two-goal margin. Yale has ECAC contests at home against RPI and Union this coming weekend, a home game against UMass the following weekend, then hosts the Russian Red Stars in an exhibition after Christmas before traveling to Holy Cross on December 30.
3. Quinnipiac (10-3-2) - Tough to put the undefeated league leaders this far down, but when third is considered low, that's pretty decent. The Bobcats had a far more difficult October than they probably drew up. They won at Maine to start the season before anyone realized Maine was beyond awful. They fell 4-0 against Robert Morris at home, and 5-1 to Colgate on Cape Cod. They bottomed out at the beginning of November with a 2-1 loss to American International, something no team should ever be in a position to need to make excuses for. But ever since that AIC loss, the Q has been on a tear, unbeaten in eight straight with six big ECAC victories. We knew the Bobcats would be good and that appears to be coming true in spades, they boast the nation's top defense. After their home-and-home with travel partners Princeton this weekend, they host Nebraska-Omaha after Christmas as a check on how far they've come as a program.
4. Cornell (6-3-2) - Five-game winless and three-game losing streaks are pretty rare in Ithaca, and the Big Red had to endure just that during November, albeit against some decent competition. After taking three points from Colgate in the yearly home-and-home to start the season, Cornell lost three in a row to Princeton, Quinnipiac, and Harvard before bouncing back with a big tie at home with Dartmouth, a 5-1 demolition of a bad Michigan team at Madison Square Garden, and an important home sweep of Clarkson and St. Lawrence last weekend, which should have the Big Red back on track. They'll look to add to their unbeaten non-conference record after Christmas in the annual Florida College Classic, facing Ferris State and then either Minnesota-Duluth or Maine.
5. Union (8-3-2) - One bad weekend can be all it takes to slip a bit, and that's why Union's down here in fifth. The Dutchmen had an OK November after a very good October. They fell at Dartmouth after beating up on Harvard the previous night, then swept first-year Penn State at home before a rough outing last weekend, picking up just one point against Quinnipiac and Princeton. Truth is, all of Union's non-conference wins and ties are against teams in the bottom 2/3 of KRACH. Their signature win thus far is over Harvard, and the second best team they've beaten is... RPI, who's almost in that bottom 2/3 themselves. So while the record is strong, the schedule certainly isn't and when challenged by Dartmouth and Quinnipiac, the Dutch were not up to the task. An important weekend at Brown and Yale beckons this weekend, followed by Vermont and a rematch with Merrimack in the Catamount Cup after Christmas.
6. Harvard (4-3-0) - Yeah, you're reading that correctly. Harvard has just seven games under their belt, less than half that of Quinnipiac (15). They took the last two weeks of November off, but the Crimson are off to an OK start otherwise. They lost big in back to back games with Yale and Union, then stomped RPI and Cornell in back to back contests, so they aren't perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but they're still decent. It's tough to compare Harvard to the rest of the league with such a light resume to date, but all indications point to a very, very talented freshman group that is already pitching in to make the Crimson a dangerous team to play against. Harvard's layover ends on Friday when they visit Merrimack, followed by a home game against UMass-Lowell on Monday of next week. They're then off 19 more days before a home game with Beanpot rivals Northeastern, so in all likelihood we're not going to learn much more about this group until the league schedule in January.
7. St. Lawrence (7-5-2) - Inconsistency crept into the works in November for St. Lawrence after a torrid start to the season, continuing the up-and-down trend from last year. 5-1-0 to start the year, SLU is 2-4-2 since ECAC play got underway and struggling to keep their heads above water on the league table. At the end of the day, they've only lost to teams ahead of them in these power rankings, and they've either beaten or tied the teams below them, so this position certainly makes sense. In hindsight, the hot October was definitely assisted by some weak opponents (Maine, Alabama-Huntsville), but a split at Western Michigan doesn't suck, that's for sure. This is still a team with a great deal of potential and despite some tough losses they, could work their way back into the thick of things sooner rather than later. Tomorrow night they host rivals Clarkson in an ECAC contest, and on Saturday they throw down with the Golden Knights again in a non-conference game in Lake Placid. They finish out December with a home game against Vermont on the 15th.
8. Colgate (7-7-2) - Difficult to put a seven-win team this far down after November, but inconsistency has reigned in Hamilton. Despite a non-conference win over Quinnipiac at the end of October and league wins over Dartmouth and Harvard in the middle of November, the Raiders have generally been all over the map since the beginning of the season. They needed overtime to beat Clarkson last weekend, couldn't match up with Cornell in the yearly home-and-home, and has losses to Bowling Green and Princeton on their record. Both offense and defense, it seems, are either on or off on any given night, creating unpredictability, but Colgate is admirably at a .500 record despite it all. A weekend series at UMass this coming weekend will be their only outing in December, and they kick off January with a home weekend series against last-in-KRACH Sacred Heart.
9. Princeton (3-4-3) - November was semi-kind to the Tigers after a rough first two weeks of their season in October. Princeton lost a pair of exhibitions and lost twice in the Ivy Shootout to start the year, but a 3-2-3 record since then has buoyed the Tigers in the ECAC standings, which is certainly important. They submitted real stinkers against Clarkson (7-2) and UMass-Lowell (3-1), but they've generally hung tough in ECAC games, though they blew the opportunity for a four-point weekend in the Capital District last weekend, losing third-period leads against both RPI and Union to settle for a pair of draws. Still, their home sweep of Colgate and Cornell at the beginning of the month got them off on the right foot, and if they can squeeze points from the home-and-home with Quinnipiac this weekend, the Tigers might certainly be onto something. They join Union at the Catamount Cup in Burlington after Christmas, facing Merrimack and then Vermont to close out the month.
10. Brown (3-5-2) - Brown is a team still in search of a signature victory. The Bears have won the two games against Atlantic Hockey programs that they need to win, and picked up a season-opening 2-1 win over Princeton, but that's where the good news ends. While they've been competitive in every league game they've been in, they haven't been able to get over the hump, with three one-goal losses and two ties in league play - they get the edge on RPI thanks to these close contests. Tack on blowout non-conference losses to Dartmouth and Providence, and there you have Brown. They host Union and RPI this coming weekend, then participate in the UConn Hockey Classic after Christmas with games against Minnesota State and either UConn or AIC, the latter of which they should be able to do well in.
11. RPI (3-6-3) - The Engineers can be thankful they're not last here even if they're certainly last in the ECAC right now. A somewhat more difficult schedule than the other bottom feeders props up the Engineers here, but even that isn't a very good excuse for their poor record, and this past weekend's travails against Princeton and Quinnipiac are a microcosm of the problems they've faced. The weekend sweep of Mercyhurst is fairly unimpressive compared to the rest of the league, with their opening weekend against Ferris State the only really shining element of the team's record. To be fair, they've played most of the top teams in the ECAC already, but with their only point coming against Princeton, it's easy to see that they aren't among the best of what's around.
12. Clarkson (2-7-5) - The Golden Knights are fairly aimless at the present. They have two big wins on their record, the first being a 7-2 home destruction of Princeton and the latter the last-minute win over Yale, but it's difficult to ignore the rest of their schedule, especially the 0-2-4 record against Atlantic Hockey. To their credit, their two wins have come in league play, but defensively Clarkson has been a mess, giving up 3.21 goals per game, taxing a young offense which, with the exception of the Princeton game, hasn't been able to generate the goals necessary to keep pace. The two games with St. Lawrence in the next four days make up the heart of Clarkson's December schedule, a home game against Mercyhurst on the 15th rounds it out.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Men's Hockey - Princeton/Quinnipiac (30 Nov/1 Dec)
Well, they're on the board. That's about the best that can be said for the past weekend. If you'd told the average RPI fan before the weekend started that the Engineers would not get blown out at home against Princeton has had been the norm, and that they'd be tied with Quinnipiac midway through the third period, you probably would have taken it. Unfortunately, RPI was unable to pull any more than their first ECAC point with a tie against the Tigers, and an utter collapse of the special teams play on Saturday squandered RPI's shot for an upset with in a 3-1 loss.
Princeton
Neal-Laliberte-Haggerty
Zalewski-Miller-Bubela
Tinordi-Schroeder-Lee
Fulton-O'Grady-Burgdoerfer
Leonard-Bailen
Leboeuf-Bradley
Curadi-Dolan
Upcoming games
7 Dec - at #15 Yale
8 Dec - at Brown
27 Dec - at #17 St. Cloud State
28 Dec - at #17 St. Cloud State
31 Dec - Sacred Heart
Neal-Laliberte-Haggerty
Zalewski-Miller-Bubela
Tinordi-Schroeder-Lee
Fulton-O'Grady-Burgdoerfer
Leonard-Bailen
Leboeuf-Bradley
Curadi-Dolan
Kasdorf
Despite having two weeks between games, RPI pretty much emerged from the break more banged up than they were heading in. Brock Higgs was injured in practice, and Mark McGowan came down with mono. C.J. Lee also apparently hurt his knee in practice to compound the existing back injury that he suffered against Mercyhurst. Ahead of the weekends games, it was thought that Lee would be out until after Christmas, with Zach Schroeder still out with a wrist injury, while Higgs and Johnny Rogic would be game-time decisions on Friday. As it turned out, Lee and Schroeder both returned to the ice, while Higgs and Rogic were out.
Additionally, team-issued suspensions to Craig Bokenfohr and Phil Hampton left RPI with six defensemen, making the task of figuring out the starters on the blue line pretty plain.
Just 5:36 into the contest, RPI gave up the first goal of the game for the fifth time in as many league contests this season as Princeton, operating with near impunity near the blue line at even strength, was able to rocket a shot to the back of the net to go up 1-0. That was the only major event of the first period, as no penalties were called in the first 20 minutes (despite a number of good opportunities for a whistle).
Matt Tinordi notched his first goal of the season 2:20 into the second period after Lee stole a clearing attempt behind the Princeton cage and dished it to the junior in the slot. Tinordi one-timed it in to make it 1-1.
Over the next 20 minutes and change, the Engineers had three power play opportunities - the only three they would gather on the evening - but they were unable to break the deadlock with these golden opportunities. All told, RPI would launch a total of 39 pucks on net in the game, but goals proved to be few and far between, in part because of some solid play by Princeton goaltender Mike Condon.
The game's fifth and final penalty was assessed about midway through the third period to Mike Zalewski, and Princeton would proceed to score the game's only power play tally as Andrew Calof put back a rebound from a blue line blast about 30 seconds after the penalty began to make it 2-1 in favor of Princeton.
As time grew short, the Engineers continued to blast away at Condon in search of the tying goal, and eventually found it with Curtis Leonard scoring his first goal of the season in similar fashion to Princeton's first goal of the game. Condon appeared to get a piece of Leonard's initial slapper from the point, but it trickled behind him and into the net for a 2-2 game.
RPI played very well in the overtime period and almost got a couple of different turnovers to go in, but the game was destined for a draw, giving the Engineers their first ECAC point of the season but almost certainly leaving them wishing that they could have derived more from the contest.
Quinnipiac
Tinordi-Schroeder-Lee
Zalewski-Miller-Bubela
Neal-Laliberte-Haggerty
Rogic-O'Grady-Higgs
Leonard-Bailen
Leboeuf-Bradley
Curadi-Dolan
Despite having two weeks between games, RPI pretty much emerged from the break more banged up than they were heading in. Brock Higgs was injured in practice, and Mark McGowan came down with mono. C.J. Lee also apparently hurt his knee in practice to compound the existing back injury that he suffered against Mercyhurst. Ahead of the weekends games, it was thought that Lee would be out until after Christmas, with Zach Schroeder still out with a wrist injury, while Higgs and Johnny Rogic would be game-time decisions on Friday. As it turned out, Lee and Schroeder both returned to the ice, while Higgs and Rogic were out.
Additionally, team-issued suspensions to Craig Bokenfohr and Phil Hampton left RPI with six defensemen, making the task of figuring out the starters on the blue line pretty plain.
Just 5:36 into the contest, RPI gave up the first goal of the game for the fifth time in as many league contests this season as Princeton, operating with near impunity near the blue line at even strength, was able to rocket a shot to the back of the net to go up 1-0. That was the only major event of the first period, as no penalties were called in the first 20 minutes (despite a number of good opportunities for a whistle).
Matt Tinordi notched his first goal of the season 2:20 into the second period after Lee stole a clearing attempt behind the Princeton cage and dished it to the junior in the slot. Tinordi one-timed it in to make it 1-1.
Over the next 20 minutes and change, the Engineers had three power play opportunities - the only three they would gather on the evening - but they were unable to break the deadlock with these golden opportunities. All told, RPI would launch a total of 39 pucks on net in the game, but goals proved to be few and far between, in part because of some solid play by Princeton goaltender Mike Condon.
The game's fifth and final penalty was assessed about midway through the third period to Mike Zalewski, and Princeton would proceed to score the game's only power play tally as Andrew Calof put back a rebound from a blue line blast about 30 seconds after the penalty began to make it 2-1 in favor of Princeton.
As time grew short, the Engineers continued to blast away at Condon in search of the tying goal, and eventually found it with Curtis Leonard scoring his first goal of the season in similar fashion to Princeton's first goal of the game. Condon appeared to get a piece of Leonard's initial slapper from the point, but it trickled behind him and into the net for a 2-2 game.
RPI played very well in the overtime period and almost got a couple of different turnovers to go in, but the game was destined for a draw, giving the Engineers their first ECAC point of the season but almost certainly leaving them wishing that they could have derived more from the contest.
Quinnipiac
Tinordi-Schroeder-Lee
Zalewski-Miller-Bubela
Neal-Laliberte-Haggerty
Rogic-O'Grady-Higgs
Leonard-Bailen
Leboeuf-Bradley
Curadi-Dolan
Kasdorf
Higgs and Rogic returned to the lineup on Saturday, replacing an injured Greg Burgdoerfer (who appeared with his wrist in a brace while in the stands) and Travis Fulton.
Quinnipiac, undefeated in the ECAC and coming off a 4-0 win at Union the previous night, looked to be everything they had been billed, but the Engineers looked to be catching them on a bit of an off night early on. Jason Kasdorf, appearing in his third consecutive game, played well early to keep the Bobcats out of the cage, and RPI looked to be Quinnipiac's equal for much of the first period.
It was the Q, however, that broke onto the scoreboard first with a power play goal scored with about three minutes left in the first period. Observers felt that the Bobcats had two men offsides as the puck was brought into the zone, but whether that was true or not, Quinnipiac got the 1-0 lead with a pretty common tactic against RPI this season - a long-range shot that made its way through traffic and into the net.
If the Engineers were mostly equal to the Q in the first period, they played even better in the second period, and it was there that they drew even on Mike Zalewski's first career goal, set up well by some amazing footwork from classmate Milos Bubela. Shortly after an unbelievable toe save by Kasdorf that featured the massive freshman moving from one side of the net to the other to keep a puck out of an open net, Bubela deftly maneuvered around two defenders in the left faceoff circle before backhanding a pass to Zalewski, who promptly found himself with plenty of ice to work with thanks to Bubela's moves. He practically walked right in and roofed it for the tying tally.
Late in the second period Nick Bailen was ridden hard into the boards behind Kasdorf, but the Engineers only got a two-minute power play from it, another questionable call. But ultimately, it was a major moment midway through the third period that would change the game, and in ways few would have expected. Quinnipiac was charged with a boarding penalty and a cross-checking penalty at the same time, giving the Engineers a two-minute five-on-three chance. With four forwards and Bailen out on the power play, RPI pushed for the go-ahead goal, but as we've seen time and time again, a blocked shot from the point was pounced on by the opposition, turning into a short-handed breakway and yet another short-handed goal, this one even more embarrassing for RPI considering that it came with the Engineers up two men. The goal was a game-changing backbreaker to say the least.
RPI visibly retreated following the goal, failing to gain any traction whatsoever for the remainder of the two-man advantage, and failing to put up much of a fight for the rest of the game. Kasdorf was pulled for the extra attacker late, but just seconds after the net was vacated, a slow dribbler eventually made its way down ice and into the net thanks to some exceptionally lax play by the Engineers in chasing it down. That made it 3-1 and the arena quickly emptied.
RPI had a total of nine power play chances against Quinnipiac if one includes the two-minute two-man advantage as two power plays, but the Engineers managed just five shots on net total. The failure of the power play to both score and protect against counter-attacks doomed RPI to defeat in a game in which they were distinct underdogs coming in, but certainly was very much a part of with 10 minutes left in regulation. Quinnipiac has one of the nation's best penalty kills, but RPI often made it easy for them - after all, if you're not being shot at, time's just ticking away.
Higgs and Rogic returned to the lineup on Saturday, replacing an injured Greg Burgdoerfer (who appeared with his wrist in a brace while in the stands) and Travis Fulton.
Quinnipiac, undefeated in the ECAC and coming off a 4-0 win at Union the previous night, looked to be everything they had been billed, but the Engineers looked to be catching them on a bit of an off night early on. Jason Kasdorf, appearing in his third consecutive game, played well early to keep the Bobcats out of the cage, and RPI looked to be Quinnipiac's equal for much of the first period.
It was the Q, however, that broke onto the scoreboard first with a power play goal scored with about three minutes left in the first period. Observers felt that the Bobcats had two men offsides as the puck was brought into the zone, but whether that was true or not, Quinnipiac got the 1-0 lead with a pretty common tactic against RPI this season - a long-range shot that made its way through traffic and into the net.
If the Engineers were mostly equal to the Q in the first period, they played even better in the second period, and it was there that they drew even on Mike Zalewski's first career goal, set up well by some amazing footwork from classmate Milos Bubela. Shortly after an unbelievable toe save by Kasdorf that featured the massive freshman moving from one side of the net to the other to keep a puck out of an open net, Bubela deftly maneuvered around two defenders in the left faceoff circle before backhanding a pass to Zalewski, who promptly found himself with plenty of ice to work with thanks to Bubela's moves. He practically walked right in and roofed it for the tying tally.
Late in the second period Nick Bailen was ridden hard into the boards behind Kasdorf, but the Engineers only got a two-minute power play from it, another questionable call. But ultimately, it was a major moment midway through the third period that would change the game, and in ways few would have expected. Quinnipiac was charged with a boarding penalty and a cross-checking penalty at the same time, giving the Engineers a two-minute five-on-three chance. With four forwards and Bailen out on the power play, RPI pushed for the go-ahead goal, but as we've seen time and time again, a blocked shot from the point was pounced on by the opposition, turning into a short-handed breakway and yet another short-handed goal, this one even more embarrassing for RPI considering that it came with the Engineers up two men. The goal was a game-changing backbreaker to say the least.
RPI visibly retreated following the goal, failing to gain any traction whatsoever for the remainder of the two-man advantage, and failing to put up much of a fight for the rest of the game. Kasdorf was pulled for the extra attacker late, but just seconds after the net was vacated, a slow dribbler eventually made its way down ice and into the net thanks to some exceptionally lax play by the Engineers in chasing it down. That made it 3-1 and the arena quickly emptied.
RPI had a total of nine power play chances against Quinnipiac if one includes the two-minute two-man advantage as two power plays, but the Engineers managed just five shots on net total. The failure of the power play to both score and protect against counter-attacks doomed RPI to defeat in a game in which they were distinct underdogs coming in, but certainly was very much a part of with 10 minutes left in regulation. Quinnipiac has one of the nation's best penalty kills, but RPI often made it easy for them - after all, if you're not being shot at, time's just ticking away.
Other junk - Ranked teams in the ECAC this week include #10 Dartmouth (beat Bentley, up one), #11 Cornell (swept Clarkson/SLU, up one), #12 Union (lost to Quinnipiac and tied Princeton, down four), #13 Quinnipiac (swept Union/RPI, up three), #15 Yale (beat Brown, no change), and #20 Harvard (idle, down one). Also receiving votes were St. Lawrence (2) and Colgate (1). Other ranked RPI opponents are #1 New Hampshire (up one, 31 first-place votes), #7 Boston University (up two), #16 Ferris State (up one), and #17 St. Cloud State (down three). Also receiving votes was Minnesota State (2).
RPI's iron man club is down to five after Higgs sat out on Friday - Bailen, Bubela, Leboeuf, Miller, and Neal. These are the only players on the roster who have played in all 12 games this season.
RPI has given up the first goal of the game in eight of their last nine ECAC regular-season games, including the last seven in a row.
The RPI power play went 0-for-12 on the weekend, and is a putrid 1-for-30 in six ECAC games. Meanwhile, the Engineers have given up three short-handed goals in league play, making the power play a head-shaking -2 in ECAC play. (For what it's worth, Dartmouth's power play is also underwater in league play with two power play goals against three shorties.)
Next up for RPI is another ECAC road weekend, this time against a resurgent Yale that is now nationally ranked an winners of four straight, including wins at Denver and Colorado College. That is followed by a must-produce-points game against Brown, the team closest to the Engineers in the standings. RPI now has the one ECAC point, but if they fail this weekend, they make the hoped-for trek out of the bottom four a daunting task indeed.
ECAC Standings (by winning percentage in parentheses)
1 (1). Quinnipiac - 12 points (6-0-0)
2 (2). Dartmouth - 9 points (4-1-1)
3 (7). Cornell - 8 points (3-3-2)
4 (4). Princeton - 7 points (2-1-3)
5 (5). Union - 7 points (3-2-1)
6 (8). Colgate - 7 points (3-4-1)
7 (3). Yale - 6 points (3-2-0)
8 (6). Harvard - 6 points (3-3-0)
9 (9). Clarkson - 5 points (2-1-1)
10 (10). St. Lawrence - 4 points (1-3-2)
11 (11). Brown - 2 points (0-3-2)
12 (12). RPI - 1 point (0-5-1)
Princeton at RPI
ECAC Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
11/30/12 - 7:00pm
RESULT: RPI 2, Princeton 2
BOX SCORES
College Hockey Stats
USCHO
RPI's iron man club is down to five after Higgs sat out on Friday - Bailen, Bubela, Leboeuf, Miller, and Neal. These are the only players on the roster who have played in all 12 games this season.
RPI has given up the first goal of the game in eight of their last nine ECAC regular-season games, including the last seven in a row.
The RPI power play went 0-for-12 on the weekend, and is a putrid 1-for-30 in six ECAC games. Meanwhile, the Engineers have given up three short-handed goals in league play, making the power play a head-shaking -2 in ECAC play. (For what it's worth, Dartmouth's power play is also underwater in league play with two power play goals against three shorties.)
Next up for RPI is another ECAC road weekend, this time against a resurgent Yale that is now nationally ranked an winners of four straight, including wins at Denver and Colorado College. That is followed by a must-produce-points game against Brown, the team closest to the Engineers in the standings. RPI now has the one ECAC point, but if they fail this weekend, they make the hoped-for trek out of the bottom four a daunting task indeed.
ECAC Standings (by winning percentage in parentheses)
1 (1). Quinnipiac - 12 points (6-0-0)
2 (2). Dartmouth - 9 points (4-1-1)
3 (7). Cornell - 8 points (3-3-2)
4 (4). Princeton - 7 points (2-1-3)
5 (5). Union - 7 points (3-2-1)
6 (8). Colgate - 7 points (3-4-1)
7 (3). Yale - 6 points (3-2-0)
8 (6). Harvard - 6 points (3-3-0)
9 (9). Clarkson - 5 points (2-1-1)
10 (10). St. Lawrence - 4 points (1-3-2)
11 (11). Brown - 2 points (0-3-2)
12 (12). RPI - 1 point (0-5-1)
Princeton at RPI
ECAC Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
11/30/12 - 7:00pm
RESULT: RPI 2, Princeton 2
BOX SCORES
College Hockey Stats
USCHO
RECAPS
RPI
Troy Record
Albany Times Union
VIDEO
YouTube (highlights, no audio)
YouTube (Appert post-game conference)
RPI TV (full game)
RECORD: 3-5-3 (0-4-1 ECAC, 1 point)
RPI
Troy Record
Albany Times Union
VIDEO
YouTube (highlights, no audio)
YouTube (Appert post-game conference)
RPI TV (full game)
RECORD: 3-5-3 (0-4-1 ECAC, 1 point)
#16 Quinnipiac at RPI
ECAC Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
12/1/12 - 7:00pm
RESULT: Quinnipiac 3, RPI 1
ECAC Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
12/1/12 - 7:00pm
RESULT: Quinnipiac 3, RPI 1
RECORD: 3-6-3 (0-5-1 ECAC, 1 point)
Upcoming games
7 Dec - at #15 Yale
8 Dec - at Brown
27 Dec - at #17 St. Cloud State
28 Dec - at #17 St. Cloud State
31 Dec - Sacred Heart
Women's Hockey - at Quinnipiac & Princeton (30 Nov/1 Dec)
After a case of "more of the same" on Friday evening where the Engineers were thoroughly outworked by Quinnipac in a 4-1 loss, RPI bounced back Saturday afternoon in New Jersey to take a 3-0 lead and hold on for an eventual 4-3 victory over Princeton - earning their first ECAC points of the season.
Quinnipiac
Smelker/Mahoney/Horton
Sanders/Gruschow/Svoboda
Wash/Cox/Mari Mankey
Letuligasenoa/Walsh
Godin/Marzario
Daniels/Banks
Le Donne/Schilter
O'Brien
RPI has had a problem in recent weeks getting outshot, outworked, and ultimately defeated in games, and that recipe was once again followed on Friday night as the Engineers were flat out beat by Quinnipiac, 4-1, and outshot 45-16. RPI managed just three shots on goal in the third period, one of which was their only goal of the game.
The Engineers were strongest in the first period, managing to throw eight shots at QU netminder Victoria Vigilanti, but it would be the Bobcats who picked up the period's only goal, taking a feed from Kelly Babstock and slipping it past Kelly O'Brien to take a 1-0 lead.
O'Brien held the Bobcats at bay for most of the second period, turning away 16 shots, but a Brittany Lyons shot got past her in the period's final minute, giving the Bobcats a 2-0 lead going into the third period.
Mari Mankey drew the Engineers back to within one at 2:06 of the third period, taking a centering pass from Eleeza Cox and beating Vigilanti to make it a 2-1 game. That would be the end of the Engineers' offense as consecutive penalties shifted the momentum right back to QU who held onto it for the remainder of the game.
Babstock added two more goals, at 13:04 and 17:31 of the third, to put the game away with a final score of 4-1.
Princeton
Smelker/Mahoney/Horton
Sanders/Gruschow/Svoboda
Wash/Cox/Mari Mankey
Walsh
Daniels/Le Donne
Banks/Schilter
Godin/Marzario
O'Brien
After a poor showing on Friday, RPI rebounded dramatically on Saturday to capture a 4-3 victory over Princeton. After jumping out to a 3-0 lead, and despite soundly outshooting the Tigers, the Engineers struggled to hold on, with Princeton coming back to 3-2 and 4-3 over the course of the afternoon.
Taylor Horton scored an unlikely first goal for the Engineers, giving RPI a 1-0 lead with nine seconds left in the first period - while shorthanded. Less than a minute into the second, Eleeza Cox (who had been serving the penalty on which Horton scored shorthanded) extended the RPI lead to 2-0 after getting out of the box.
Jordan Smelker made it 3-0 at 5:09 and it looked like the Engineers were running away with the game, but three consecutive penalties slowed RPI's momentum late in the second period into the early third. Despite being shorthanded for much of the latter half of the period, the Engineers outshot the Tigers 13-3 in the middle frame.
What should have been a good opportunity to get momentum back in the third period went quite wrong as Princeton scored two shorthanded goals on the same RPI power play early in the third, quickly turning a 3-0 game into a 3-2 game.
Smelker picked up the game winning goal at 8:16, giving RPI a 4-2 lead. Kelly Cooke scored for Princeton with 2:15 left in regulation and the extra attacker on the ice, but RPI limited Princeton to six shots in the third and denied them the tying goal in the final minutes.
The win ended a seven-game winless streak for the Engineers and gave them their much-needed first two points in ECAC play. Those points move them into a 4-way tie for 9th place with Union, Yale, and Brown. All four of those 9th place teams will play each other next weekend (the only ECAC games on the weekend), offering the potential for any of the teams to move ahead of the bottom of the pack and into a tie for 7th - ahead of the tied group, Colgate and Princeton are two and four points ahead but each has played four more games than each of the tied teams.
Next weekend may be an early make or break weekend for the Engineers' season, as the games against Yale, Brown, and Union become must wins if RPI wants to finish the season in playoff contention. Spotting any of those teams point leads would make it tough to climb back up the standings, knowing that competition only gets tougher from there.
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RPI at Quinnipiac
ECAC Hockey Game – TD Bank Sports Center (Hamden, CT)
11/30/12 - 7pm
Quinnipiac 4, RPI 1
BOX SCORES:
USCHO: http://www.uscho.com/box/womens-hockey/2012/11/30/rensselaer-vs-quinnipiac/
College Hockey Stats: http://collegehockeystats.net/1213/boxes/wquiren1.n30
RECAPS:
RPI: http://www.rpiathletics.com/news/2012/11/30/WICE_1130125839.aspx
QU: http://www.quinnipiacbobcats.com/sports/wice/2012-13/releases/201211307u50aj
Full Game Video: http://athleticsmedia.quinnipiac.edu/athletics/Podcasts/womensicehockey/RPI-2012.mp4
RECORD: 2-11-2 (0-5-0 ECAC)
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RPI at Princeton
ECAC Hockey Game – Hobey Baker Rink (Princeton, NJ)
12/1/12 - 4pm
RPI 4, Princeton 3
BOX SCORES:
USCHO: http://www.uscho.com/box/womens-hockey/2012/12/01/rensselaer-vs-princeton/
College Hockey Stats: http://collegehockeystats.net/1213/boxes/wprnren1.d01
RECAPS:
RPI: http://www.rpiathletics.com/news/2012/12/1/WICE_1201124511.aspx
PU: http://www.goprincetontigers.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=205819224
USCHO: http://www.uscho.com/recaps/2012/12/01/smelker-scores-twice-as-rensselaer-holds-off-princeton/
RECORD: 3-11-2 (1-5-0 ECAC)
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ECAC Standings
1. Cornell - 16 points (8-2-0)
2t. Harvard - 12 points (7-0-0)
2t. Clarkson - 12 points (7-1-0)
4. Quinnipiac - 13 points (6-3-1)
5. St. Lawrence - 12 points (6-2-0)
6. Dartmouth - 7 points (3-3-1)
7. Princeton - 6 points (2-6-2)
8. Colgate - 4 points (1-7-2)
9t. Union - 2 points (0-4-2)
9t. RPI - 2 points (1-5-0)
9t. Brown - 2 points (1-5-0)
9t. Yale - 2 points (1-5-0)
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Upcoming Games
Dec. 7 - Brown (7pm)
Dec. 8 - Yale (4pm)
Jan. 4 - Dartmouth (7pm)
Jan. 5 - Harvard (4pm)
Sunday, December 2, 2012
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