Well... no, I'm tired of saying "told you so." So in the vein of Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory, I'm switching that up to "we informed you thusly."
We informed you thusly.
That's six ECAC wins in a row for the men, and they've moved into fourth place pending the outcome of Dartmouth-Harvard tomorrow. Yale-Brown has been moved to Tuesday... which means Yale will be playing their third game in five days by the time they arrive in Troy next Saturday.
It's an enjoyable weekend sweep, so keep the pumpup going with these - the first of which I've been saving for the right moment for a couple of years, and this is probably the weekend to bust it out.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Friday, February 8, 2013
Grinding Nemo
Well, as of now, it's still game on despite the snow.
And of course, since it's going to snow, it's a North Country weekend.
The women have 15 points with six games left to play. That's one point more than they had at the end of last season, when they missed the playoffs. They're five points up on Princeton in eighth place, which means that unless the Tigers were to sweep a remaining schedule that includes Harvard, Clarkson, and St. Lawrence, the Engineers can finish no worse than they are now provided they beat the teams below them in the standings - Yale, Brown, and Colgate. Those are the games where points are a must for the playoffs.
If they want to aim higher - and they should - then they do need points this weekend against Clarkson and St. Lawrence at home. Even a split or a pair of ties would be helpful as they try to track down Dartmouth in 6th. It won't be easy - Clarkson is trying to catch Harvard and Cornell ahead of them, while St. Lawrence seeks to fend off Quinnipiac for home ice. Both of these teams are going to be in the playoffs, but their games against RPI will have an impact as they jockey for position.
Meanwhile, the men are already up in the North Country ahead of the storm, and since they're right in the middle of a free-for-all, they need points this weekend. On Wednesday we scoffed at the North Country's overall toughness, which used to be legendary but isn't quite as difficult anymore. Still, these are two teams that are basically right where the Engineers are - Clarkson literally coming into tonight (same 5-6-3 record in ECAC play) and St. Lawrence just a point ahead (5-5-4). Things couldn't be tighter, and the four points up for grabs between RPI and the North Country schools are crucial for all parties involved. RPI has played good hockey of late, but they must stay tough.
In the weekend recap, we mentioned RPI could be in 3rd by themselves at the end of the weekend if all goes perfectly for them (they sweep, Union swept, Dartmouth loses to Harvard, Princeton and Colgate do not sweep) but as low as 11th by themselves if everything goes badly (getting swept, Cornell sweeps, and Colgate, Princeton, and Brown all get at least one point). That makes this a weekend that could potentially have far reaching impact no matter what happens.
We used Immigrant Song for when the women were up in Canton and Potsdam - the Nine Inch Nails version, anyway. Since it's the song about snow (and, incidentally, Vikings) that rocks the hardest, here's the original version so you can get the Led out while you watch the snow and pucks fly.
And of course, since it's going to snow, it's a North Country weekend.
The women have 15 points with six games left to play. That's one point more than they had at the end of last season, when they missed the playoffs. They're five points up on Princeton in eighth place, which means that unless the Tigers were to sweep a remaining schedule that includes Harvard, Clarkson, and St. Lawrence, the Engineers can finish no worse than they are now provided they beat the teams below them in the standings - Yale, Brown, and Colgate. Those are the games where points are a must for the playoffs.
If they want to aim higher - and they should - then they do need points this weekend against Clarkson and St. Lawrence at home. Even a split or a pair of ties would be helpful as they try to track down Dartmouth in 6th. It won't be easy - Clarkson is trying to catch Harvard and Cornell ahead of them, while St. Lawrence seeks to fend off Quinnipiac for home ice. Both of these teams are going to be in the playoffs, but their games against RPI will have an impact as they jockey for position.
Meanwhile, the men are already up in the North Country ahead of the storm, and since they're right in the middle of a free-for-all, they need points this weekend. On Wednesday we scoffed at the North Country's overall toughness, which used to be legendary but isn't quite as difficult anymore. Still, these are two teams that are basically right where the Engineers are - Clarkson literally coming into tonight (same 5-6-3 record in ECAC play) and St. Lawrence just a point ahead (5-5-4). Things couldn't be tighter, and the four points up for grabs between RPI and the North Country schools are crucial for all parties involved. RPI has played good hockey of late, but they must stay tough.
In the weekend recap, we mentioned RPI could be in 3rd by themselves at the end of the weekend if all goes perfectly for them (they sweep, Union swept, Dartmouth loses to Harvard, Princeton and Colgate do not sweep) but as low as 11th by themselves if everything goes badly (getting swept, Cornell sweeps, and Colgate, Princeton, and Brown all get at least one point). That makes this a weekend that could potentially have far reaching impact no matter what happens.
We used Immigrant Song for when the women were up in Canton and Potsdam - the Nine Inch Nails version, anyway. Since it's the song about snow (and, incidentally, Vikings) that rocks the hardest, here's the original version so you can get the Led out while you watch the snow and pucks fly.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
It's Been Done
Vermont, 2003-04
Yale, 2003-04
Cornell, 2004-05
Brown, 2004-05
RPI, 2004-05
Princeton, 2008-09
Quinnipiac, 2008-09
Union, 2009-10
Dartmouth, 2010-11
Princeton, 2010-11
Union, 2010-11
Union, 2011-12
Quinnipiac, 2012-13
Yale, 2012-13
That's the list of teams that have swept weekends at the North Country in the last 10 seasons. It's happened 14 times, including twice already this year.
In the same span, teams have come to the Capital District and swept weekends 16 times. Ooh, big difference.
Let's cut the crap about the mystical North Country where no one ever succeeds already. It's hard to sweep on the road no matter where it is. The Cornell/Colgate trip has been swept only 11 times in that span, and while it's obviously a difficult trip, it's never treated with the hushed tones of the "dreaded" North Country.
A sweep this weekend won't be easy, because it never is on the road. RPI has swept road weekends only seven times in the last 10 seasons. A team as good as Cornell has been in the last decade managed only 11 sweeps in what has been 48 road weekends (they have two more in the next month to make 50).
But let's not act like it's impossible - or that it's necessarily harder somehow in the North Country.
Yale, 2003-04
Cornell, 2004-05
Brown, 2004-05
RPI, 2004-05
Princeton, 2008-09
Quinnipiac, 2008-09
Union, 2009-10
Dartmouth, 2010-11
Princeton, 2010-11
Union, 2010-11
Union, 2011-12
Quinnipiac, 2012-13
Yale, 2012-13
That's the list of teams that have swept weekends at the North Country in the last 10 seasons. It's happened 14 times, including twice already this year.
In the same span, teams have come to the Capital District and swept weekends 16 times. Ooh, big difference.
Let's cut the crap about the mystical North Country where no one ever succeeds already. It's hard to sweep on the road no matter where it is. The Cornell/Colgate trip has been swept only 11 times in that span, and while it's obviously a difficult trip, it's never treated with the hushed tones of the "dreaded" North Country.
A sweep this weekend won't be easy, because it never is on the road. RPI has swept road weekends only seven times in the last 10 seasons. A team as good as Cornell has been in the last decade managed only 11 sweeps in what has been 48 road weekends (they have two more in the next month to make 50).
But let's not act like it's impossible - or that it's necessarily harder somehow in the North Country.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
For Q
It never fails.
An ECAC team gets into the national discussion on which team might be the best in all the land, and the cacophony, especially from out west, is that, of course, there's no way that loser EZAC team could possibly be the best. THEY HAVEN'T PLAYED NE1!!!
Please.
In this case, the team in question is obviously Quinnipiac. There aren't too many other teams out there with the best record in the country and a 19-game unbeaten streak that are still unbeaten in league play. They've earned the right to be in the discussion, but don't tell that to many WCHA fans (most of whom are soon to be either Big Ten or NCHC fans) or even some Hockey East fans.
In fact, I got a tweet earlier last week that basically laid it out like this - "other than the fact that they swept Nebraska-Omaha at home, why should I be impressed with Quinnipiac?"
Ugh.
Let's break this down. Who's got the best record in the nation? Again, that's Quinnipiac.
It's not enough by itself, of course. Niagara has the third best record, but no one is touting them as the third best team in the country. That's because, excuse the repetition, they actually haven't played anyone. KRACH tells us that their strength of schedule is 58th out of 59 teams in the country - only Army has played an easier schedule. So while 17-4-5 Niagara has the nation's third best record and are in the hunt for what could be Atlantic Hockey's first ever at-large bid, they're being pegged as a team that might be in the Top 15, if that. That's fair.
Does Quinnipac deserve similar treatment?
According to KRACH, Quinnipiac has played the 33rd most difficult schedule to date nationally. In a world where there are 59 teams, 33rd is... pretty plain, yes. But then again, Minnesota, who has been number one for a few weeks now, and who many thought would drop down in favor of the Q, is only 27th themselves - yet no one ever asks who THEY'VE played.
Why is that? The answer is pretty simple. They play in the WCHA, which is recognized as a difficult league regardless of the year. They're the place where Herb Brooks won national championships. If they have a similar record to Quinnipiac, they must be better, because they're Minnesota and they play in the WCHA.
That's pretty lame. Determining the top team in the nation shouldn't have anything to do with what a program has done in the past, or the reputation of their conference alone - only what they're doing right now. Right now, the Gophers are one of the best teams in the country, there's no doubt. But look at the metrics - all of those mathematical methods for comparing all of the nation's teams against each other.
Who's #1 in KRACH? Quinnipiac. Who's #1 in the Pairwise, as we get into the month of February? Quinnipiac, and they don't lose a single Pairwise comparison with anyone, including the Gophers. Ratings Percentage Index? Quinnipiac. It's all there - that pretty much concludes the major metrics of comparison right there.
Need more? OK. As we did two years ago when a similar complaint was levied against Yale for having the temerity to lay claim to the title of the best team in the nation, check out the extended list of computer rankings for college hockey as compiled by the Markhams over at rpihockey.net. KASA is basically KRACH 2.0 - it takes into account the impact of home ice advantage when calculating KRACH. The Q's still #1. They're #1 in HEAL. Then they're #2 in four other rankings. Yes, every possible metric is saying that Quinnipiac is either best in the nation or second best, and the ones that say they're second best are the ones you've never heard of.
The fact of the matter is, the ECAC is in an up year. No, they're nowhere near the level they were at in November when certain ECAC backers were claiming that this was the year for five NCAA tournament teams, but three teams in the tournament is looking like a stronger likelihood than it usually ever does, and four doesn't appear to be outside the realm of possibility, which is almost never said about the ECAC (and hasn't happened in quite some time). This is a tough league this season with some very good teams.
In fact, it's such a good league that teams like Cornell and Harvard, who were consensus top-level picks, are struggling to keep their heads above water. Are they underperforming? Sure they are. But that's not the only reason they're in 11th and 12th right now - the league is just very competitive from top to bottom.
That makes it all the more impressive that Quinnipiac has functionally, if not mathematically, clinched the #1 seed in the ECAC tournament with a month left to play. That makes it all the more impressive that they still haven't tasted defeat in league play - and should be a huge boost to their national credentials.
But for some reason, it's not enough. For some reason, a team that's not even in first place in their conference is supposed to be best in the nation.
We know better. Rand Pecknold and his charges are the real deal - for 19 straight games, against some solid competition from within the league and without, they've found ways to win most nights and have at least walked away with a draw. How hard is that to do? The next highest unbeaten streak right now is SIX - and most people think six in a row without losing is pretty good.
Get used to it.
(By the way... we told you Quinnipiac was going to be good.)
An ECAC team gets into the national discussion on which team might be the best in all the land, and the cacophony, especially from out west, is that, of course, there's no way that loser EZAC team could possibly be the best. THEY HAVEN'T PLAYED NE1!!!
Please.
In this case, the team in question is obviously Quinnipiac. There aren't too many other teams out there with the best record in the country and a 19-game unbeaten streak that are still unbeaten in league play. They've earned the right to be in the discussion, but don't tell that to many WCHA fans (most of whom are soon to be either Big Ten or NCHC fans) or even some Hockey East fans.
In fact, I got a tweet earlier last week that basically laid it out like this - "other than the fact that they swept Nebraska-Omaha at home, why should I be impressed with Quinnipiac?"
Ugh.
Let's break this down. Who's got the best record in the nation? Again, that's Quinnipiac.
It's not enough by itself, of course. Niagara has the third best record, but no one is touting them as the third best team in the country. That's because, excuse the repetition, they actually haven't played anyone. KRACH tells us that their strength of schedule is 58th out of 59 teams in the country - only Army has played an easier schedule. So while 17-4-5 Niagara has the nation's third best record and are in the hunt for what could be Atlantic Hockey's first ever at-large bid, they're being pegged as a team that might be in the Top 15, if that. That's fair.
Does Quinnipac deserve similar treatment?
According to KRACH, Quinnipiac has played the 33rd most difficult schedule to date nationally. In a world where there are 59 teams, 33rd is... pretty plain, yes. But then again, Minnesota, who has been number one for a few weeks now, and who many thought would drop down in favor of the Q, is only 27th themselves - yet no one ever asks who THEY'VE played.
Why is that? The answer is pretty simple. They play in the WCHA, which is recognized as a difficult league regardless of the year. They're the place where Herb Brooks won national championships. If they have a similar record to Quinnipiac, they must be better, because they're Minnesota and they play in the WCHA.
That's pretty lame. Determining the top team in the nation shouldn't have anything to do with what a program has done in the past, or the reputation of their conference alone - only what they're doing right now. Right now, the Gophers are one of the best teams in the country, there's no doubt. But look at the metrics - all of those mathematical methods for comparing all of the nation's teams against each other.
Who's #1 in KRACH? Quinnipiac. Who's #1 in the Pairwise, as we get into the month of February? Quinnipiac, and they don't lose a single Pairwise comparison with anyone, including the Gophers. Ratings Percentage Index? Quinnipiac. It's all there - that pretty much concludes the major metrics of comparison right there.
Need more? OK. As we did two years ago when a similar complaint was levied against Yale for having the temerity to lay claim to the title of the best team in the nation, check out the extended list of computer rankings for college hockey as compiled by the Markhams over at rpihockey.net. KASA is basically KRACH 2.0 - it takes into account the impact of home ice advantage when calculating KRACH. The Q's still #1. They're #1 in HEAL. Then they're #2 in four other rankings. Yes, every possible metric is saying that Quinnipiac is either best in the nation or second best, and the ones that say they're second best are the ones you've never heard of.
The fact of the matter is, the ECAC is in an up year. No, they're nowhere near the level they were at in November when certain ECAC backers were claiming that this was the year for five NCAA tournament teams, but three teams in the tournament is looking like a stronger likelihood than it usually ever does, and four doesn't appear to be outside the realm of possibility, which is almost never said about the ECAC (and hasn't happened in quite some time). This is a tough league this season with some very good teams.
In fact, it's such a good league that teams like Cornell and Harvard, who were consensus top-level picks, are struggling to keep their heads above water. Are they underperforming? Sure they are. But that's not the only reason they're in 11th and 12th right now - the league is just very competitive from top to bottom.
That makes it all the more impressive that Quinnipiac has functionally, if not mathematically, clinched the #1 seed in the ECAC tournament with a month left to play. That makes it all the more impressive that they still haven't tasted defeat in league play - and should be a huge boost to their national credentials.
But for some reason, it's not enough. For some reason, a team that's not even in first place in their conference is supposed to be best in the nation.
We know better. Rand Pecknold and his charges are the real deal - for 19 straight games, against some solid competition from within the league and without, they've found ways to win most nights and have at least walked away with a draw. How hard is that to do? The next highest unbeaten streak right now is SIX - and most people think six in a row without losing is pretty good.
Get used to it.
(By the way... we told you Quinnipiac was going to be good.)
Monday, February 4, 2013
Men's Hockey - Harvard/Dartmouth (1/2 Feb)
February is about the right time for teams to start making their moves, especially if they're near the bottom and looking to move up, and RPI put forward exactly the right signals on that front, pitching back-to-back shutouts in a home league weekend. They took care of Harvard and Dartmouth by twin 3-0 scores to earn four more big ECAC points as the stretch run begins.
Harvard
Lee-Rogic-Haggerty
Zalewski-Higgs-Bubela
Neal-McGowan-Tinordi
Burgdoerfer-Miller-Commers
Leonard-Bailen
Leboeuf-Bradley
Curadi-Dolan
Lee-Rogic-Haggerty
Zalewski-Higgs-Bubela
Neal-McGowan-Tinordi
Burgdoerfer-Miller-Commers
Leonard-Bailen
Leboeuf-Bradley
Curadi-Dolan
Kasdorf
Originally, Jacob Laliberte was slated to play against the Crimson, but he was a last minute scratch due to illness. Johnny Rogic was moved up to the top line to replace him, and Andrew Commers got the start on the fourth line instead, making his home-ice debut.
Rogic's time as the top line center was short and came to a very abrupt end just 10:37 into the game, when he was called for checking from behind thanks to a reckless hit at the Harvard bench on Alex Fallstrom. That ended his night early and put Harvard on a five-minute power play that had the potential to put the Crimson into a game they had been floundering in to that point. However, what transpired following the penalty was five solid minutes of the Engineers playing fetch with Harvard, as the penalty kill threw the puck down ice repeatedly. Only once, for a short time, were the Crimson able to even set up in the RPI zone during the long power play, and they were unable to put a single shot on goal while the Engineers managed two of their own.
Late in the first period, RPI put the first goal on the board as Mark Miller redirected a shot from the point by Luke Curadi into the back of the net, giving the Engineers a 1-0 edge heading into the locker room.
Shortly after another fairly easy penalty kill by RPI in the early part of the second period, the Engineers converted on their second power play opportunity of the game thanks to a highlight-reel goal by Mike Zalewski. The freshman skated with the puck from behind the net to the left of the goaltender, waiting so long to find his opening that he eventually went down to his knees and shot from the backhand to score and put RPI up 2-0.
Harvard put the majority of their shots on goal up in the second period, but even that wasn't much of a feat, as Jason Kasdorf stopped just six shots in the second to preserve the shutout going forward. The third was even quieter for him, with Kasdorf stopping only two shots in the third period for a total of 11 in the entire game in his first collegiate shutout.
Meanwhile, Miller scored his second goal of the game to put it away a little under three minutes into the third, shooting from the slot and beating the goaltender top shelf to make it 3-0, which would stand as the final score. The RPI penalty kill ended up 3-for-3 on the evening, including the five-minute major.
Dartmouth
Lee-Laliberte-Haggerty
Zalewski-Higgs-Bubela
Neal-McGowan-Tinordi
Burgdoerfer-Miller-Commers
Leonard-Bailen
Leboeuf-Bradley
Curadi-Dolan
Originally, Jacob Laliberte was slated to play against the Crimson, but he was a last minute scratch due to illness. Johnny Rogic was moved up to the top line to replace him, and Andrew Commers got the start on the fourth line instead, making his home-ice debut.
Rogic's time as the top line center was short and came to a very abrupt end just 10:37 into the game, when he was called for checking from behind thanks to a reckless hit at the Harvard bench on Alex Fallstrom. That ended his night early and put Harvard on a five-minute power play that had the potential to put the Crimson into a game they had been floundering in to that point. However, what transpired following the penalty was five solid minutes of the Engineers playing fetch with Harvard, as the penalty kill threw the puck down ice repeatedly. Only once, for a short time, were the Crimson able to even set up in the RPI zone during the long power play, and they were unable to put a single shot on goal while the Engineers managed two of their own.
Late in the first period, RPI put the first goal on the board as Mark Miller redirected a shot from the point by Luke Curadi into the back of the net, giving the Engineers a 1-0 edge heading into the locker room.
Shortly after another fairly easy penalty kill by RPI in the early part of the second period, the Engineers converted on their second power play opportunity of the game thanks to a highlight-reel goal by Mike Zalewski. The freshman skated with the puck from behind the net to the left of the goaltender, waiting so long to find his opening that he eventually went down to his knees and shot from the backhand to score and put RPI up 2-0.
Harvard put the majority of their shots on goal up in the second period, but even that wasn't much of a feat, as Jason Kasdorf stopped just six shots in the second to preserve the shutout going forward. The third was even quieter for him, with Kasdorf stopping only two shots in the third period for a total of 11 in the entire game in his first collegiate shutout.
Meanwhile, Miller scored his second goal of the game to put it away a little under three minutes into the third, shooting from the slot and beating the goaltender top shelf to make it 3-0, which would stand as the final score. The RPI penalty kill ended up 3-for-3 on the evening, including the five-minute major.
Dartmouth
Lee-Laliberte-Haggerty
Zalewski-Higgs-Bubela
Neal-McGowan-Tinordi
Burgdoerfer-Miller-Commers
Leonard-Bailen
Leboeuf-Bradley
Curadi-Dolan
Kasdorf
Laliberte, still feeling ill but well enough to give it a go, returned to the lineup on Saturday night for the Freakout!, arguably replacing Johnny Rogic, who was given a one-game suspension by the league thanks to his check from behind during the first period against Harvard. Functionally, it was Andrew Commers getting a second consecutive start due to the Rogic suspension.
A very physical first period was put together by both teams on Saturday night, but you'd never know it by looking at the box score, which shows no penalties whatsoever being called in the first 20 minutes. That set the tone for the rest of the evening, as both teams were called just three times over the course of the game, the second straight night that five-on-five action was the name of the game.
Dartmouth arguably had the best chance of breaking the deadlock early in the game as an initial shot was saved by Kasdorf, but the rebound dropped to a position that left him out of line for the followup save. Fortunately, Guy Leboeuf was standing in the crease at the right time and made a save of his own to keep the Big Green off the board.
Just as it appeared that Dartmouth and RPI were destined to hit the first intermission without scoring, RPI landed a confidence crusher with just 11 seconds remaining in the first period. Leboeuf didn't get all of a one-timer attempt to the goaltender's left off a pass from Matt Neal, but the momentum of the puck carried to Matt Tinordi, situated just a little farther back, and the junior one-timed the puck himself to the back of the net to make it 1-0 at the death of the first.
RPI got enough jump out of the gate early in the second period as well to make it 2-0 just 1:52 of game-time after the Tinordi goal. Brock Higgs found Mike Zalewski sitting alone at point blank range in the slot, and Zalewski one-timed the pass in for his second goal of the weekend.
With about five minutes left in the second, Mark Miller scored his third goal of the weekend on one of the most amazing moves you'll see. Leboeuf found him with a long up-ice pass, and the freshman darted in alone on the Dartmouth net. Despite being tripped up from behind (and no call on the play), Miller stayed with the play, firing the puck while stretched out in mid-air and beating the netminder for a 3-0 RPI edge.
Dartmouth regularly got the puck on Kasdorf, and Saturday night was nothing like Friday for the freshman goalie. He turned away as many shots in the second period - 11 - as he had the entire previous night, and was forced to step up for 12 saves in the third period, but despite the Big Green's fevered attempts in the final period to crawl back into things, Kasdorf and the defenders around him played shutdown hockey. C.J. Lee even chipped in early in the third by slashing apart the stick of a Dartmouth forward who had been in good position to score on a rebound - it resulted in a penalty, but RPI successfully killed it off.
Kasdorf ultimately stopped 28 shots on the night and 39 for the weekend in picking up back-to-back saves for the first time since Nathan Marsters accomplished the feat in 2004 against Cornell and Sacred Heart. More importantly for the Engineers, it was their fourth consecutive win in as many ECAC games, running their record in the last eight league outings to 5-1-2.
Laliberte, still feeling ill but well enough to give it a go, returned to the lineup on Saturday night for the Freakout!, arguably replacing Johnny Rogic, who was given a one-game suspension by the league thanks to his check from behind during the first period against Harvard. Functionally, it was Andrew Commers getting a second consecutive start due to the Rogic suspension.
A very physical first period was put together by both teams on Saturday night, but you'd never know it by looking at the box score, which shows no penalties whatsoever being called in the first 20 minutes. That set the tone for the rest of the evening, as both teams were called just three times over the course of the game, the second straight night that five-on-five action was the name of the game.
Dartmouth arguably had the best chance of breaking the deadlock early in the game as an initial shot was saved by Kasdorf, but the rebound dropped to a position that left him out of line for the followup save. Fortunately, Guy Leboeuf was standing in the crease at the right time and made a save of his own to keep the Big Green off the board.
Just as it appeared that Dartmouth and RPI were destined to hit the first intermission without scoring, RPI landed a confidence crusher with just 11 seconds remaining in the first period. Leboeuf didn't get all of a one-timer attempt to the goaltender's left off a pass from Matt Neal, but the momentum of the puck carried to Matt Tinordi, situated just a little farther back, and the junior one-timed the puck himself to the back of the net to make it 1-0 at the death of the first.
RPI got enough jump out of the gate early in the second period as well to make it 2-0 just 1:52 of game-time after the Tinordi goal. Brock Higgs found Mike Zalewski sitting alone at point blank range in the slot, and Zalewski one-timed the pass in for his second goal of the weekend.
With about five minutes left in the second, Mark Miller scored his third goal of the weekend on one of the most amazing moves you'll see. Leboeuf found him with a long up-ice pass, and the freshman darted in alone on the Dartmouth net. Despite being tripped up from behind (and no call on the play), Miller stayed with the play, firing the puck while stretched out in mid-air and beating the netminder for a 3-0 RPI edge.
Dartmouth regularly got the puck on Kasdorf, and Saturday night was nothing like Friday for the freshman goalie. He turned away as many shots in the second period - 11 - as he had the entire previous night, and was forced to step up for 12 saves in the third period, but despite the Big Green's fevered attempts in the final period to crawl back into things, Kasdorf and the defenders around him played shutdown hockey. C.J. Lee even chipped in early in the third by slashing apart the stick of a Dartmouth forward who had been in good position to score on a rebound - it resulted in a penalty, but RPI successfully killed it off.
Kasdorf ultimately stopped 28 shots on the night and 39 for the weekend in picking up back-to-back saves for the first time since Nathan Marsters accomplished the feat in 2004 against Cornell and Sacred Heart. More importantly for the Engineers, it was their fourth consecutive win in as many ECAC games, running their record in the last eight league outings to 5-1-2.
Other junk - Quinnipiac again just missed the #1 ranking in the nation this week, dropping two first place votes but still coming in at #2 with 20 first place votes after tying Brown and beating Yale. Also ranked this week are #10 Yale (beat Princeton and lost to Quinnipiac, down two), #17 Dartmouth (tied Union and lost to RPI, down one), and #18 Union (beat Harvard and tied Dartmouth, no change). Colgate (46) and St. Lawrence (2) also received votes. Other ranked teams on RPI's schedule this season are #4 New Hampshire (down one), #8 St. Cloud State (up four), #11 Minnesota State (up four), and #13 Boston University (down two). Ferris State (17) also received votes.
Jason Kasdorf holds the second best goals against average in the nation with a 1.44 GAA in 667:27 of game time. That trails only Miami freshman Ryan McKay, who has a 1.08 GAA in 612:33. His .944 save percentage is good enough for fifth in the nation, second only to McKay's nation-leading .960 among freshman. Interestingly, both McKay and Kasdorf are 6-2-2 on the season.
Next weekend, RPI takes their ECAC streak up to the North Country, where on Friday they face one of the hottest teams in the nation outside of Quinnipiac - St. Lawrence is 4-0-2 in their last six games and as a by-product of that, are now sitting alone in fifth place in the ECAC. That's a spot that the Engineers covet, and they can pass the Saints with a win on Friday, where a loss puts them three points behind, making that a big game indeed. The Saturday game in Potsdam will be just as important for RPI, as they are currently tied with the Golden Knights in the ECAC standings.
If everything goes perfectly for RPI next weekend, they could be sitting in as high as 3rd (alone) at the end of Saturday. If everything goes badly, they could end up back in 11th. More likely, they should end up somewhere in between. That's the ECAC for you - but make no mistake every point is precious now, and the Engineers are undoubtedly playing their best hockey of the year.
ECAC Standings
1. Quinnipiac - 26 points (12-0-2)
2. Yale - 19 points (9-5-1)
3. Dartmouth - 16 points (7-6-2)
4. Union - 16 points (6-4-4)
5. St. Lawrence - 14 points (5-5-4)
6. Princeton - 13 points (5-6-3)
7. Colgate - 13 points (5-6-3)
8. Clarkson - 13 points (5-6-3)
9. RPI - 13 points (5-6-3)
10. Brown - 13 points (4-6-5)
11. Cornell - 10 points (4-8-2)
12. Harvard - 6 points (3-12-0)
Jason Kasdorf holds the second best goals against average in the nation with a 1.44 GAA in 667:27 of game time. That trails only Miami freshman Ryan McKay, who has a 1.08 GAA in 612:33. His .944 save percentage is good enough for fifth in the nation, second only to McKay's nation-leading .960 among freshman. Interestingly, both McKay and Kasdorf are 6-2-2 on the season.
Next weekend, RPI takes their ECAC streak up to the North Country, where on Friday they face one of the hottest teams in the nation outside of Quinnipiac - St. Lawrence is 4-0-2 in their last six games and as a by-product of that, are now sitting alone in fifth place in the ECAC. That's a spot that the Engineers covet, and they can pass the Saints with a win on Friday, where a loss puts them three points behind, making that a big game indeed. The Saturday game in Potsdam will be just as important for RPI, as they are currently tied with the Golden Knights in the ECAC standings.
If everything goes perfectly for RPI next weekend, they could be sitting in as high as 3rd (alone) at the end of Saturday. If everything goes badly, they could end up back in 11th. More likely, they should end up somewhere in between. That's the ECAC for you - but make no mistake every point is precious now, and the Engineers are undoubtedly playing their best hockey of the year.
ECAC Standings
1. Quinnipiac - 26 points (12-0-2)
2. Yale - 19 points (9-5-1)
3. Dartmouth - 16 points (7-6-2)
4. Union - 16 points (6-4-4)
5. St. Lawrence - 14 points (5-5-4)
6. Princeton - 13 points (5-6-3)
7. Colgate - 13 points (5-6-3)
8. Clarkson - 13 points (5-6-3)
9. RPI - 13 points (5-6-3)
10. Brown - 13 points (4-6-5)
11. Cornell - 10 points (4-8-2)
12. Harvard - 6 points (3-12-0)
Harvard at RPI
ECAC Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
2/1/13 - 7:00pm
RESULT: RPI 3, Harvard 0
BOX SCORES
College Hockey Stats
USCHO
ECAC Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
2/1/13 - 7:00pm
RESULT: RPI 3, Harvard 0
BOX SCORES
College Hockey Stats
USCHO
RECORD: 9-11-5 (4-6-3 ECAC, 11 points)
#16 Dartmouth at RPI
ECAC Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
2/2/13 - 7:05pm
RESULT: RPI 3, Dartmouth 0
BOX SCORES
ECAC Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
2/2/13 - 7:05pm
RESULT: RPI 3, Dartmouth 0
BOX SCORES
RECAPS
RECORD: 10-11-5 (5-6-3 ECAC, 13 points)
Upcoming games
08 Feb - at St. Lawrence
09 Feb - at Clarkson
15 Feb - Brown
16 Feb - #10 Yale
22 Feb - at Cornell
08 Feb - at St. Lawrence
09 Feb - at Clarkson
15 Feb - Brown
16 Feb - #10 Yale
22 Feb - at Cornell
Women's Hockey - at Colgate & Cornell (1/2 Feb)
Heading out to Central New York for the weekend, the Engineers got the results most would have expected, earning a 4-1 victory at Colgate Friday night before suffering a 3-1 loss at the hands of #5 Cornell.
With six games remaining in the season, RPI continues to hold seventh place in the ECAC, five points ahead of Princeton in eighth, and six ahead of Colgate, the first team out if the playoffs were to start today.
Colgate
Wash/Horton/Svoboda
Smelker/Gruschow/Cox
Sanders/Mahoney/Mankey
Letuligasenoa/Walsh
Daniels/Le Donne
Banks/Marzario
Godin/Schilter
Middlebrook
O'Brien
It was Autism Awareness Night in Hamilton Friday and the event saw nearly 1,000 fans fill Starr Rink to see the Raiders take on the Engineers. Unfortunately for the home crowd, RPI took it to Colgate, outshooting the Raiders 23-10 in a 4-1 victory.
Colgate picked up the opening goal in the game but couldn't get another, and after the Engineers answered minutes later, they never looked back, scoring four unanswered.
The Raiders' goal came at 8:42 of the first as Jenna Klynstra put one past Kelly O'Brien on the power play for a 1-0 lead.
Eleeza Cox scored what would be the first of three on the weekend at 14:03 to knot the score at one, tipping a shot by Alexa Gruschow past Ashlynne Rando for the goal.
Cox gave RPI the lead 4:23 into the middle frame with a power play goal set up by Jordan Smelker and Jenn Godin.
Toni Sanders made the lead 3-1 just over 10 minutes after Cox's second goal, taking a drop pass from Marianna Walsh and putting it past Rando for the tally.
Godin added an insurance goal for the Engineers 24 seconds into the third period to make it 4-1, after Colgate's Klynstra took a hooking call just five seconds in. Cox fed Godin from behind the net and the defenseman was able to sneak through traffic preventing Rando from making the save.
The teams traded penalties late in the period and Colgate opted for the extra attacker for over two minutes late in the period but the Engineer defense held the Raiders to just three shots in each of the latter two periods and O'Brien kept those out for the 4-1 victory.
Cornell
Wash/Horton/Svoboda
Smelker/Gruschow/Cox
Sanders/Mahoney/Mankey
Letuligasenoa/Walsh
Daniels/Le Donne
Banks/Marzario
Godin/Schilter
Middlebrook
O'Brien
Nobody expected Saturday afternoon's affair to go anywhere near as smoothly for the Engineers as Friday's and that proved out as the #5-ranked Cornell Big Red picked up a solid 3-1 victory over the Engineers. The Big Red outshot the Engineers by a margin of 38-18 on the afternoon.
Eleeza Cox scored her third of the weekend early in the second period to draw within one of Cornell but Jessica Campbell's goal at 6:29 of the third made it a 3-1 game and despite several power play opportunities late in the game, the Engineers couldn't put another one home.
The Big Red jumped out to an early lead, with Brianne Jenner scoring just 1:30 into the first period before three consecutive RPI penalties set up Cassandra Poudrier for a power play goal at 13:25.
Jordan Smelker was assessed a 10-minute misconduct to go with a high sticking penalty with 3:12 remaining in the game.
The Engineers face Clarkson and St. Lawrence at the Field House next weekend as the march to the end of the season continues. Easily the toughest weekend overall remaining on the schedule, RPI can expect quite the challenge from the league's third and fourth-place teams.
While the Engineers have by no means locked up the 7th spot in the league standings, it shouldn't take much more to accomplish that task as the teams trailing them (Princeton, Colgate, Yale) each have similarly difficult schedules in the final three weeks of the season.
After the North Country teams come to visit, the Engineers will travel to Yale and Brown before returning home to end the regular season against Cornell and Colgate. With three of those games solidly in the "winnable" category, going .500 for the remainder of the schedule would all but guarantee a 7th place finish. An upset win for RPI or an upset loss for Dartmouth could result in the possibility for a 6th place tie - a tie which the Engineers would win thanks to a 1-0-1 record against the Big Green.
-----
RPI at Colgate
ECAC Hockey Game – Starr Rink (Hamilton, NY)
2/1/13 - 7pm
RPI 4, Colgate 1
BOX SCORES:
USCHO: http://www.uscho.com/box/womens-hockey/2013/02/01/rensselaer-vs-colgate/
College Hockey Stats: http://collegehockeystats.net/1213/boxes/wclgren1.f01
RECAPS:
RPI: http://www.rpiathletics.com/news/2013/2/1/WICE_0201133121.aspx
Colgate: http://gocolgateraiders.com/news/2013/2/1/WHOCKEY_0201132108.aspx
RECORD: 9-15-3 (7-7-1 ECAC)
-----
RPI at Cornell
ECAC Hockey Game – Lynah Rink Ithaca, NY)
2/2/13 - 4pm
Cornell 3, RPI 1
BOX SCORES:
USCHO: http://www.uscho.com/box/womens-hockey/2013/02/02/rensselaer-vs-cornell/
College Hockey Stats: http://collegehockeystats.net/1213/boxes/wcorren1.f02
RECAPS:
RPI: http://www.rpiathletics.com/news/2013/2/2/WICE_0202132523.aspx
Cornell: http://cornellbigred.com/news/2013/2/2/WICE_0202135855.aspx
RECORD: 9-16-3 (7-8-1 ECAC)
-----
ECAC Standings
1. Harvard - 29 points (14-1-1)
2. Cornell - 28 points (14-2-0)
3. Clarkson - 26 points (13-3-0)
4. St. Lawrence - 21 points (10-5-1)
5. Quinnipiac - 20 points (9-5-2)
6. Dartmouth - 17 points (7-6-3)
7. RPI - 15 points (7-8-1)
8. Princeton - 10 points (4-10-2)
9. Colgate - 9 points (3-10-3)
10. Yale - 8 points (3-12-2)
11. Brown - 6 points (3-13-0)
12. Union - 3 points (0-13-3)
-----
Upcoming Games
Feb. 8 - Clarkson (7pm)
Feb. 9 - St. Lawrence (4pm)
Feb. 15 - at Yale (7pm)
Feb. 16 - at Brown (4pm)
With six games remaining in the season, RPI continues to hold seventh place in the ECAC, five points ahead of Princeton in eighth, and six ahead of Colgate, the first team out if the playoffs were to start today.
Colgate
Wash/Horton/Svoboda
Smelker/Gruschow/Cox
Sanders/Mahoney/Mankey
Letuligasenoa/Walsh
Daniels/Le Donne
Banks/Marzario
Godin/Schilter
Middlebrook
O'Brien
It was Autism Awareness Night in Hamilton Friday and the event saw nearly 1,000 fans fill Starr Rink to see the Raiders take on the Engineers. Unfortunately for the home crowd, RPI took it to Colgate, outshooting the Raiders 23-10 in a 4-1 victory.
Colgate picked up the opening goal in the game but couldn't get another, and after the Engineers answered minutes later, they never looked back, scoring four unanswered.
The Raiders' goal came at 8:42 of the first as Jenna Klynstra put one past Kelly O'Brien on the power play for a 1-0 lead.
Eleeza Cox scored what would be the first of three on the weekend at 14:03 to knot the score at one, tipping a shot by Alexa Gruschow past Ashlynne Rando for the goal.
Cox gave RPI the lead 4:23 into the middle frame with a power play goal set up by Jordan Smelker and Jenn Godin.
Toni Sanders made the lead 3-1 just over 10 minutes after Cox's second goal, taking a drop pass from Marianna Walsh and putting it past Rando for the tally.
Godin added an insurance goal for the Engineers 24 seconds into the third period to make it 4-1, after Colgate's Klynstra took a hooking call just five seconds in. Cox fed Godin from behind the net and the defenseman was able to sneak through traffic preventing Rando from making the save.
The teams traded penalties late in the period and Colgate opted for the extra attacker for over two minutes late in the period but the Engineer defense held the Raiders to just three shots in each of the latter two periods and O'Brien kept those out for the 4-1 victory.
Cornell
Wash/Horton/Svoboda
Smelker/Gruschow/Cox
Sanders/Mahoney/Mankey
Letuligasenoa/Walsh
Daniels/Le Donne
Banks/Marzario
Godin/Schilter
Middlebrook
O'Brien
Nobody expected Saturday afternoon's affair to go anywhere near as smoothly for the Engineers as Friday's and that proved out as the #5-ranked Cornell Big Red picked up a solid 3-1 victory over the Engineers. The Big Red outshot the Engineers by a margin of 38-18 on the afternoon.
Eleeza Cox scored her third of the weekend early in the second period to draw within one of Cornell but Jessica Campbell's goal at 6:29 of the third made it a 3-1 game and despite several power play opportunities late in the game, the Engineers couldn't put another one home.
The Big Red jumped out to an early lead, with Brianne Jenner scoring just 1:30 into the first period before three consecutive RPI penalties set up Cassandra Poudrier for a power play goal at 13:25.
Jordan Smelker was assessed a 10-minute misconduct to go with a high sticking penalty with 3:12 remaining in the game.
The Engineers face Clarkson and St. Lawrence at the Field House next weekend as the march to the end of the season continues. Easily the toughest weekend overall remaining on the schedule, RPI can expect quite the challenge from the league's third and fourth-place teams.
While the Engineers have by no means locked up the 7th spot in the league standings, it shouldn't take much more to accomplish that task as the teams trailing them (Princeton, Colgate, Yale) each have similarly difficult schedules in the final three weeks of the season.
After the North Country teams come to visit, the Engineers will travel to Yale and Brown before returning home to end the regular season against Cornell and Colgate. With three of those games solidly in the "winnable" category, going .500 for the remainder of the schedule would all but guarantee a 7th place finish. An upset win for RPI or an upset loss for Dartmouth could result in the possibility for a 6th place tie - a tie which the Engineers would win thanks to a 1-0-1 record against the Big Green.
-----
RPI at Colgate
ECAC Hockey Game – Starr Rink (Hamilton, NY)
2/1/13 - 7pm
RPI 4, Colgate 1
BOX SCORES:
USCHO: http://www.uscho.com/box/womens-hockey/2013/02/01/rensselaer-vs-colgate/
College Hockey Stats: http://collegehockeystats.net/1213/boxes/wclgren1.f01
RECAPS:
RPI: http://www.rpiathletics.com/news/2013/2/1/WICE_0201133121.aspx
Colgate: http://gocolgateraiders.com/news/2013/2/1/WHOCKEY_0201132108.aspx
RECORD: 9-15-3 (7-7-1 ECAC)
-----
RPI at Cornell
ECAC Hockey Game – Lynah Rink Ithaca, NY)
2/2/13 - 4pm
Cornell 3, RPI 1
BOX SCORES:
USCHO: http://www.uscho.com/box/womens-hockey/2013/02/02/rensselaer-vs-cornell/
College Hockey Stats: http://collegehockeystats.net/1213/boxes/wcorren1.f02
RECAPS:
RPI: http://www.rpiathletics.com/news/2013/2/2/WICE_0202132523.aspx
Cornell: http://cornellbigred.com/news/2013/2/2/WICE_0202135855.aspx
RECORD: 9-16-3 (7-8-1 ECAC)
-----
ECAC Standings
1. Harvard - 29 points (14-1-1)
2. Cornell - 28 points (14-2-0)
3. Clarkson - 26 points (13-3-0)
4. St. Lawrence - 21 points (10-5-1)
5. Quinnipiac - 20 points (9-5-2)
6. Dartmouth - 17 points (7-6-3)
7. RPI - 15 points (7-8-1)
8. Princeton - 10 points (4-10-2)
9. Colgate - 9 points (3-10-3)
10. Yale - 8 points (3-12-2)
11. Brown - 6 points (3-13-0)
12. Union - 3 points (0-13-3)
-----
Upcoming Games
Feb. 8 - Clarkson (7pm)
Feb. 9 - St. Lawrence (4pm)
Feb. 15 - at Yale (7pm)
Feb. 16 - at Brown (4pm)
Friday, February 1, 2013
Sprint to the End
It's February, and you know what that means - crunch time.
The men have played 12 ECAC games - they have 10 to go. If they can go on a tear now, anything is possible. It starts tonight against a team that's in a very bad way right now in Harvard, and continues tomorrow in the biggest fan game of the year, the Big Red Freakout! against Dartmouth, a team that has turned in a few performances that makes one think they could be vulnerable right now.
The women are riding as high as they can expect right now, but there's room to improve. Six points up on eighth place and three behind sixth place Dartmouth with a game in hand, they don't have to fear falling off the playoff pace right now, but if they want to have a shot at catching Dartmouth and the ability to make their playoff bid more firm, points are going to be a must at Colgate tonight, preferably two. Then tomorrow in Ithaca, whatever happens, happens.
The bottom line... it's time.
God that segue was so cheesy.
The men have played 12 ECAC games - they have 10 to go. If they can go on a tear now, anything is possible. It starts tonight against a team that's in a very bad way right now in Harvard, and continues tomorrow in the biggest fan game of the year, the Big Red Freakout! against Dartmouth, a team that has turned in a few performances that makes one think they could be vulnerable right now.
The women are riding as high as they can expect right now, but there's room to improve. Six points up on eighth place and three behind sixth place Dartmouth with a game in hand, they don't have to fear falling off the playoff pace right now, but if they want to have a shot at catching Dartmouth and the ability to make their playoff bid more firm, points are going to be a must at Colgate tonight, preferably two. Then tomorrow in Ithaca, whatever happens, happens.
The bottom line... it's time.
God that segue was so cheesy.
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