Men's Hockey - Michigan (24 Oct)

RPI rounded out the first part of its non-conference schedule with a single game against Michigan, the second consecutive Power 5 opponent to grace the Houston Field House ice this season. The first time out, against Boston College, an upset was in the works. This past weekend, the Engineers again managed to play a respectable game against a top opponent, but flat starts to the first and second periods doomed RPI to their third consecutive loss and fourth in five games as they fell 5-2 in a game that was closer than the final scoreline indicated.

Michigan
Liljegren-Bubela-Wood
Ohrvall-Tironese-Bourbonnais
Melanson-Miller-Nanne
Fulton-Schroeder-Gillespie

Bradley-Prapavessis
Wilson-Reno
Moore-Hampton

Kasdorf

Mark Miller's return to the lineup led to the reunification of the "M-N-M" line alongside Drew Melanson and Lou Nanne. The trio was one of the Engineers' top combinations last season.

Against Boston College, RPI set the tone early with defense, and they appeared to be focusing on the same to start against Michigan, but the Wolverines came out for the first period with a little more jump in their stride, and as they pushed the pace early they put the Engineers into an early hole. Brendan Warren scored his first collegiate goal through a screen 2:40 into the game to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. That was ultimately the only major occurrence of the first period, as the opening 20 minutes quickly evolved into a relatively sloppy show of hockey.

A quick start bolstered Michigan again in the second period, as Tyler Motte scored a goal that seemed highlight-reel quality but surely was one that RPI netminder Jason Kasdorf would have wanted a second chance with. Motte took a backhanded swing at the puck while sliding on his stomach, and Kasdorf played too close to his left post as the puck squeaked by him to the right, just past an outstretched leg and into the net to give Michigan an improbable 2-0 lead.

But RPI didn't buckle at that point. Zach Schroeder would pick up his first goal of the year just four and a half minutes later, stuffing home a rebound off a shot by Travis Fulton (that itself was a rebound off a shot by Parker Reno) to halve the Michigan lead.

The Engineers arguably dominated the remainder of the second period, especially during a power play opportunity that came down the pike a minute and a half after the Schroeder goal. RPI kept the puck down in the Michigan end for well over the first minute of the man advantage, cycling well and taking a few shots, but an errant pass to the point couldn't be corralled by Meirs Moore, allowing Michigan off the hook.

A bad bounce put RPI back in the hole with about five minutes remaining in the period. Against the flow of play, Michigan pounced on an unexpectedly loose puck as both teams transitioned out of the RPI end. It was picked up by Joseph Cecconi, who moved it to Tony Calderone alone in the slot, and Calderone picked his spot perfectly to put it past Kasdorf and lift Michigan to a 3-1 lead. Despite RPI's dominance of the middle frame, they were now down a pair heading into the third.

Penalties early in the third period had doomed RPI both nights in Alaska the previous weekend, but the Engineers buttoned up well at home, keeping themselves in the game until a power play opportunity with about nine minutes left to play provided an opening to draw closer. While working the puck in the corner to the left of Michigan's Zach Nagelvoort, Jake Wood was able to take advantage of a stumble by Michigan defenseman Nolan de Jong. As de Jong fell to the ice, Wood saw his opening and cut straight to the net, poking it in to make the score 3-2.

From there, with about 7:30 or so to try and tie the score, RPI pushed for that third goal hard, but lax play eventually set in and helped Michigan secure the victory. After a faceoff win in the RPI zone, the Wolverines managed to hold the zone with relative ease as the Engineers seemed unwilling to challenge the puck while Michigan played a little keep-away to kill the clock. Eventually, Warren took an opportunistic shot from the point that got through everyone and dented the twine to give Michigan their third two-goal lead of the night, essentially ending hope with about three minutes left in the game.

Kasdorf was pulled from the net moments later, but a minute of extra attacker time couldn't pull the Engineers any closer. Motte scored his second of the night with the empty net to provide the final 5-2 scoreline - a score which a casual observer might look at and see an obviously rough loss for RPI, but a close scrutiny of the box score would indicate a relatively close contest. Kasdorf made 23 saves and Nagelvoort 19, and it was a one-goal contest up to the 17:00 mark of the third period.

Regardless of how the game played out, RPI now has its preparation for the beginning of the ECAC season complete, and must next rush headlong into the Union weekend whether they're ready for it or not. 

#11 Michigan at RPI
Non-conference Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
10/24/15 - 7:00pm

RESULT: Michigan 5, RPI 2

BOX SCORES
College Hockey Stats
USCHO

RECAPS
RPI
Troy Record
Albany Times Union
Michigan Daily

VIDEO
Full game
Appert post-game

RECORD: 1-4-0

Upcoming games
30 Oct - at Union
31 Oct - Union (Black Saturday)
06 Nov - at #19 Clarkson
07 Nov - at #16 St. Lawrence
13 Nov - #13 Yale

Michigan Plays Here Tonight

Check this out - before this weekend, Michigan hadn't played in an ECAC building in almost 30 years. That's a long time. So while we can partially thank Col. Knowlton's move to make road wins more important in the PairWise Rankings, we also have to give kudos to Seth Appert, whose deal with Red Berenson brought the Wolverines out to take on both of the Capital District teams this weekend in exchange for four home games for Michigan - the two against RPI last year, and two against Union next year.

It was a barn burner in an actual barn last night as Michigan and Union skated to a 5-5 draw in Schenectady, a game in which the Dutchmen blew a two-goal lead in the third period (sound familiar?). The Engineers cannot afford to get themselves into a track meet like that if they have a hope of even matching Union's draw against the Wolverines - the offense just isn't in a position to go blow for blow just yet.

The name of the game is defense. And if the defense that beat Boston College shows up tonight, or any night, anything can happen for this team. Anything at all - much of it great.

It's just one night this week. Tonight.

Men's Hockey - Brice Alaska Goal Rush (16/17 Oct)

Right off a big upset of #1 Boston College, the Engineers were off to Alaska for a pair of games against the two teams from the Last Frontier. 0-3 all time against those schools on their home turf, RPI did quite a bit to put themselves into a position to succeed on both nights, but couldn't follow through, as uneven play and penalties in the third periods against both the Seawolves and the Nanooks doomed the Engineers to move to 0-5 against Alaskan teams in Alaska, falling 4-3 to UAA on Friday and 4-2 to UAF on Saturday.

Alaska-Anchorage
Liljegren-Bubela-Ohrvall
Melanson-Tironese-Nanne
Bourbonnais-Schroeder-Gillespie
Wood-Fulton-Clary

Bradley-Prapavessis
Wilson-Reno
Moore-Hampton

Kasdorf

A fast-paced but even first period between the Engineers and Seawolves was mostly a feeling-out for both teams, the first whistle not coming until the period was nearly half over. Shots were only 10-9 in favor of UAA, but the Seawolves earned the game's first goal with about five and a half minutes left in the opening frame as UAA's Dylan Hubbs scored to put the nominal home side ahead 1-0.

The second period was much more to RPI's liking, a dominant period for the Engineers that saw them taking a lead into the final 20. Evan Tironese scored his first collegiate goal five minutes into the second to tie the game, striking on a great give-and-go with linemate Lou Nanne. Not long after Tironese's goal, UAA began getting into a bit of penalty trouble, taking a tripping call and a kneeing call for back-to-back man advantage opportunities for the Engineers. Late in the latter penalty, RPI got a glimpse of the future as Meirs Moore, competing in his first collegiate game on the blue line as the Engineers' power play quarterback of the future, notched his first college goal to put RPI ahead 2-1.

RPI came out slow for the third period and they paid for it almost immediately. Austin Azurdia took advantage of an opening to tie the game at two just 1:24 into the third period. Seconds later, A hooking penalty to Milos Bubela put RPI on the penalty kill, a place they'd been with some frequency starting just a minute after Moore's goal had put them ahead. The Bubela penalty was killed off, and Bubela himself would score during a penalty kill minutes later to give RPI the lead back at 3-2. But a march to the box that included Nanne and Tironese gave UAA an opening, and during a 4-on-3 on Fairbanks' Olympic-sized ice surface, Seawolves freshman Wyatt Ege struck to tie the score, then just three minutes later hit again with a laser of a shot that put UAA up for good at 4-3.

Kasdorf was pulled for the final 1:15, but RPI could not find the tying goal, and despite a solid early 40 minutes, the Engineers had to swallow a loss due to poorly timed penalties and an overall sub-par effort in the final period.

Alaska
Liljegren-Bubela-Wood
Nanne-Tironese-Ohrvall
Bourbonnais-Schroeder-Gillespie
Melanson-Fulton-Clary

Bradley-Prapavessis
Wilson-Reno
Moore-Hampton

Kasdorf

Fresh off a solid performance against UAA, Jake Wood was graduated to the top line, while Drew Melanson, who has struggled to find his pace early this season, was moved to the grind line. With both Alaska schools winning on Friday night, the title was definitively out of reach, but RPI still had their sights set on what could have at least been a worthwhile victory.

The Engineers were the ones who pounced on Saturday night against the actual hosts. An early penalty against the Nanooks was cashed in on quickly by Riley Bourbonnais, who netted his team-leading third goal of the season just six seconds into the man advantage off a faceoff win by Tironese to put RPI up 1-0 3:25 into the game. Five and a half minutes later, Wood scored his first of the year on a shorthanded breakaway. With Zach Schroeder off for tripping, a UAF shot was blocked at the blue line and Wood pounced on it, giving him a long breakaway that he put home to put the Engineers up 2-0 nine minutes into the game.

From there, however, it was a slow bleed for RPI. The Nanooks had two power play chances late in the first period, including one that carried over into the second. The Engineers eventually went 6-for-6 on the penalty kill, but the penalties certainly helped swing momentum at inopportune times. The carried-over penalty helped UAF establish control early in the second period, and the home team cut the lead in half with a goal by Tayler Munson at 5:30 of the middle frame.

Another RPI penalty early in the third period set the table for the tying goal. While the Nanooks didn't score on the tripping penalty to Jared Wilson, they did put one past Jason Kasdorf 10 seconds after the penalty expired, so it's not too much of a stretch to say that the penalty at least put them in a good spot to create a scoring opportunity. Colton Sparrow's first goal of the season tied the game up, then UAF took the lead on a 4-on-4 tally four and a half minutes later as Peter Krieger scored his first of the year.

RPI looked fairly beaten at that point, even just down a goal. The Nanooks poured on the shots all night long, especially in the third period where Kasdorf made an incredible 21 saves to keep the Engineers alive. They were given a golden opportunity with 1:46 left as Zach Frye took a roughing call for UAF, but with Kasdorf out of the net on the ensuing draw in the Nanooks zone, UAF won the faceoff and proceeded to shoot the puck the length of the ice and directly into the net for the 4-2 win on Munson's second goal of the night.

Kasdorf finished with a career-high 47 saves on 49 shots, an effort that led to his being named goaltender of the tournament despite RPI's two losses.

The Engineers will be looking for a bit of home-cooking and perhaps a bit of whatever magic they had against Boston College as they come home to face another Power 5 conference ranked opponent in Michigan. It should be a raucous crowd at least for Saturday, as the game is expected to be sold out. It's not a must win by any stretch of the imagination, but they're going to have to show a little more heart up front against a top-level opponent.

RPI vs. Alaska-Anchorage
Non-conference Game - Carlson Center (Fairbanks, AK)
10/16/15 - 8:00pm

RESULT: Alaska-Anchorage 4, RPI 3

BOX SCORES
College Hockey Stats
USCHO

RECAPS
RPI
Troy Record
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
KTUU-TV

RECORD: 1-2-0

RPI at Alaska
Non-conference Game - Carlson Center (Fairbanks, AK)
10/17/15 - 11:00pm

RESULT: Alaska 4, RPI 2

BOX SCORES
College Hockey Stats
USCHO

RECAPS
RPI
Troy Record
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

RECORD: 1-3-0

Upcoming games
24 Oct - #11 Michigan
30 Oct - at #18 Union
31 Oct - #18 Union (Black Saturday)
06 Nov - at Clarkson
07 Nov - at #17 St. Lawrence

Women's Hockey - Robert Morris (16/17 Oct)

After a weekend sweep at RIT, things went downhill for the Engineers as they were swept at home by Robert Morris in the last non-conference games of the early season. Despite playing well on Friday, RPI was shutout 2-0 then fell 3-1 the following night.

Friday

Wash/Gruschow/Tomlinson
Horwood/Schwalbe/Rooney
Grigsby/Mankey/Thomas
Tremblay/Hylwa/Raspa

Hansen/Godin
Banks/Behounek
Kimmerle/Renn

Selander

39 shots on goal didn't help RPI solve netminder Jessica Dodds on Friday, and the Engineers dropped the first of two games to Robert Morris by a 2-0 margin. The Colonials capitalized on two good opportunities to score their goals on just 14 shots.

Both RMU goals came in the latter half of the second period. The first came when Mackenzie Johnson was able to steal a puck and break in alone on the net to beat Lovisa Selander for a 1-0 lead.

Ashley Vesci added a second goal for the Colonials with 15 seconds left in the second, capitalizing on a 2-on-1 opportunity to double the visitors' lead.

RPI poured on the pressure in the third period, putting 20 shots on Dodds, but couldn't get one past the RMU netminder and the Engineers were shutout for the first time this season.

Saturday

Horwood/Schwalbe/Rooney
Wash/Gruschow/Tomlinson
Grigsby/Mankey/Thomas
Tremblay/Hylwa/Raspa

Banks/Behounek
Hansen/Godin
Kimmerle/Renn

Till/Selander

After outplaying Robert Morris and more than doubling them up in shots on Friday night, RPI found the Colonials to be a tougher fight on Saturday afternoon - and RMU rode their stronger play to a second win and weekend sweep behind another strong effort from Jessica Dodds.

Sarah Till started in net for the Engineers, but ended up being pulled in the middle of the first period after RMU had already scored three goals.

The game's first goals came on the two teams' first shots of the game, with RPI jumping out to a 1-0 lead on a goal by Taylor Schwalbe just 35 seconds in before RMU tied it less than a minute later with a Mackenzie Johnston tally.

RPI got into penalty trouble later in the first period, taking a series of penalties that left RMU on an extended 5-on-3. The Colonials made the most of the opportunity, adding two quick goals at 11:33 and 12:44 to turn a 1-1 tie into a 3-1 lead.

From there, Dodds took over once again and stoned the Engineers for the remaining 40-plus minutes, making a total of 34 saves on 35 shots and an impressive 72 for 73 on the weekend.

With the early non-conference schedule behind them, the Engineers will have a weekend off then travel to Cornell and Colgate to start ECAC play. The Big Red played their first game this weekend, beating Western Ontario 3-2 in exhibition play. Colgate has rushed out to a 3-1 record after a 7-0 exhibition win - including a sweep (5-3, 6-0) of the same Robert Morris team that just swept the Engineers. The Raiders have scored 20 goals in their first four games and look like they will be more of a threat this season than in years past.

-----

RPI vs. Robert Morris
Non-Conference Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
10/16/15 - 7pm
RMU 2, RPI 0

BOX SCORES:
RPI: http://www.rpiathletics.com/boxscore.aspx?path=whock&id=5182
College Hockey Stats: http://collegehockeystats.net/1516/boxes/wrenrmu1.o16

RECAPS:
RPI: http://www.rpiathletics.com/news/2015/10/16/WICE_1016154810.aspx?path=whock
RMU: http://rmucolonials.com/news/2015/10/16/WHOCKEY_1016153756.aspx?path=whockey
Complete Game Video: http://rpitv.org/productions/986

RECORD: 2-3 (0-0 ECAC)

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RPI vs. Robert Morris
Non-Conference Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
10/17/15 - 4pm
RMU 3, RPI 1

BOX SCORES:
RPI: http://www.rpiathletics.com/boxscore.aspx?path=whock&id=5183
College Hockey Stats: http://collegehockeystats.net/1516/boxes/wrenrmu1.o17

RECAPS:
RPI: http://www.rpiathletics.com/news/2015/10/17/WICE_1017151501.aspx?path=whock
RMU: http://rmucolonials.com/news/2015/10/17/WHOCKEY_1017152314.aspx?path=whockey
Complete Game Video: http://rpitv.org/productions/988

RECORD: 2-4 (0-0 ECAC)

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Upcoming Schedule

Oct. 30 - at Cornell (3pm)
Oct. 31 - at Colgate (3pm)
Nov. 6 - St. Lawrence (7pm)
Nov. 7 - Clarkson (4pm)

North of 60

And here... we... go.

The season's fully open now, and it's time to get rolling. Tonight and tomorrow, the women face off with a Robert Morris team that was thrashed by Colgate twice two weeks ago. That would be the same Colgate that claimed the last playoff spot last season. Where are the Engineers now? Well, a couple of wins over the Colonials would go a long way to proving that they're going to be in the mix when February rolls around.

The men, meanwhile, embark on their longest possible road-trip as they take a trip to the Last Frontier to showdown with the two Alaska schools in the annual Brice Alaska Goal Rush in Fairbanks. Only about 9 1/2 hours of daylight this time of year in central Alaska, and RPI's going to want to offer even less to opposing snipers if they're going to earn their first bit of hardware since the '14 Mayor's Cup (and first tournament win since the final RPI Tournament in 2010 - which would be the first trophy from outside the Capital District since the '95 ECAC crown).

Last week's win over Boston College and the women's sweep of RIT was meaningless if RPI can't build upon that experience as we start to approach the first league games. It's time to open fire.

Men's Hockey - at UML & Boston College, 9 & 11 Oct

Apologies for the extreme lateness of the recap of last week's games - I've been traveling overseas and didn't return until Thursday morning. Jet lag to account for the rest of it, but here it is nonetheless - an opening weekend to the RPI season that typifies all of our expectations for the team this season. A punchless loss followed by a world-beating moment, and an underscoring that this team will live and die by its defense. The year kicked off with a barely-there game against UMass-Lowell in which the Engineers rarely looked competitive in a 3-0 loss, followed two days later in the home opener by a 2-1 victory over the #1 team in the nation that turned heads.

UMass-Lowell
Melanson-Liljegren-Ohrvall
Nanne-Bubela-Schroeder
Wood-Bourbonnais-Gillespie
Moore-Fulton-Clary

Bradley-Prapavessis
Bell-Reno
Wilson-Hampton

Kasdorf

One thing mentioned from the very outset of the season was that RPI needed to stay healthy this season in order to be competitive. With game one beginning, injuries were already a big part of the story. Senior Mark Miller is recovering from a wrist injury, and freshmen Evan Tironese and Alex Rodriguez are also in the infirmary, the latter suffering an injury in the exhibition game a week prior. With Jimmy DeVito also sidelined, offensive-minded defenseman Miers Moore made his RPI debut not on the blue line, but playing left-wing on the Engineers' fourth line.

For the fifth time in six seasons, the Engineers gave up their first goal of the season before scoring their first. 4:03 into the game, with a delayed hooking penalty coming to Jared Wilson, the River Hawks drew first blood with a goal by A.J. White to go ahead 1-0. UML would not score on the ensuing power play, but they did strike again on the power play before the opening 20 minutes were over. An unassisted goal by Evan Campbell with 32 seconds left made it 2-0 as Viktor Liljegren served an elbowing penalty.

Another power play goal early in the second period put the home team up 3-0 with Milos Bubela off for cross-checking. Adam Chapie's goal made the game look pretty much over with only 22:06 ticked off the clock.

From there, it was fairly academic for UML's Kevin Boyle to pitch a first-time out shutout. The Engineers came alive slightly in the third period, putting 13 shots on net, but none of them got through as Boyle made 27 saves to earn the victory. Jason Kasdorf picked up 35 saves on 38 shots - 28 in the first two periods - in defeat. Dominated at the faceoff circle and effectively bottled up, RPI simply never looked competitive against one of Hockey East's top teams.

Boston College
Liljegren-Bubela-Ohrvall
Melanson-Tironese-Nanne
Bourbonnais-Schroeder-Gillespie
Moore-Fulton-Wood

Bradley-Prapavessis
Wilson-Reno
Bell-Hampton

Kasdorf

Tironese was added to the lineup two days later, replacing Lonnie Clary, and a minor line shakeup was in order as well to take on the Eagles, the #1 team in the most recent national polls. Tironese was added to a line that included Drew Melanson and Lou Nanne, the sophomore duo that regularly teamed with Miller on a dynamic line last season (when they were healthy). Additionally, the Engineers' top line was retooled, adding Milos Bubela to a combination that already included RPI's two Swedish forwards, Liljegren and Jesper Ohrvall, creating the first-ever all-European line in team history.

Defense was the name of the game for much of the first 40 minutes, as the Engineers bared down against the Eagles' high-flying offense. Jason Kasdorf was sharp throughout the game, picking up 29 saves in the first two periods on as many shots, but the shot-blocking in front of him was equally important to the defensive effort against BC. All night long, players gave up the body, especially Mike Prapavessis and Chris Bradley, to keep the visitors off the scoreboard.

Riley Bourbonnais opened the scoring in the final minute of the second period, notching his first goal of the season with 46 seconds left to put RPI ahead 1-0 on a bouncing puck that BC's Thatcher Demko usually can get himself in front of. Just before the second intermission, it was a huge boost to an Engineers team that was still very much an underdog despite the heroic defensive stand.

Bourbonnais struck again on the power play early in the third period. With Ryan Fitzgerald serving an elbowing penalty for the Eagles, Bourbonnais took a pass from Tironese a 3-on-2 break and whipped it past Demko to give RPI an improbable 2-0 edge with 17 minutes left in the game.

But one doesn't just put away the #1 team in the nation that easily. With solid puck control throughout the game, it seemed inevitable that BC would eventually find a way to put one past Kasdorf and they managed to halve the RPI lead five-and-a-half minutes later on the man advantage. Zach Sanford's second goal of the season made it 2-1 and turned the pucker factor up to 11 for the crowd at Houston Field House.

Far from being rattled, however, the Engineers stayed in their lanes when it came to their defensive stand. Indeed, despite trailing and their talent and possession edges, BC was ultimately able to get only 8 shots on Kasdorf in the final 20 minutes. While holding the 2-1 lead, RPI continued blocking shots and otherwise frustrating the Eagle offense. With Demko pulled in the final 1:20, BC managed to hold the attacking zone for nearly the entire end of the game, but still were unable to find a quality scoring opportunity to get the game tied, and the Engineers escaped with their first victory over a #1 ranked team in five seasons.

The weekend was a true microcosm - RPI must get healthy to be successful, and Tironese's debut was crucial for the Engineers. The freshman dominated in the faceoff circle and assisted on both of Bourbonnais' goals. They need defense in order to be successful, and the shot-blocking and top-end play by the combined defense powered the victory more than anything. The way the Engineers can become truly dangerous is to start scoring goals with more regularity - despite the high-caliber opponents they played in the opening weekend, averaging a goal per game isn't going to lead to a lot of wins.

They get the opportunity to try scoring goals against slightly lower-caliber opponents this weekend, as they face Alaska-Anchorage and the University of Alaska, WCHA teams who were a combined 1-3-0 to start the year, in the Brice Alaska Goal Rush. With American International as the fourth team, if the RPI team that played against Boston College shows up both nights in Fairbanks, the Engineers would be the likely favorites in the tournament.

RPI players swept the ECAC weekly awards this week on the strength of their win over BC. Riley Bourbonnais' two goals made him Player of the Week, Tironese's two assists and faceoff excellence won him Rookie of the Week, and Kasdorf's superior play in the pips earned him Goalie of the Week honors.

RPI at #14 UMass-Lowell
Non-conference Game - Tsongas Center (Lowell, MA)
10/9/15 - 7:15pm

RESULT: UMass-Lowell 3, RPI 0

BOX SCORES
College Hockey Stats
USCHO

RECAPS
RPI
Troy Record
Albany Times Union
Lowell Sun

RECORD: 0-1-0

#1 Boston College at RPI
Non-conference Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)
10/11/15 - 2:00pm

RESULT: RPI 2, Boston College 1

BOX SCORES
College Hockey Stats
USCHO

RECAPS
RPI
Troy Record
Albany Times Union
BC Interruption

RECORD: 1-1-0

Upcoming games
16 Oct - vs. Alaska-Anchorage (Fairbanks, AK)
17 Oct - at Alaska
24 Oct - #11 Michigan
30 Oct - at Union
31 Oct - Union (Black Saturday)

Women's Hockey - at RIT (9/10 Oct)

Non-conference play continued for the Engineers this weekend with a short jaunt over to Rochester to take on RIT. RPI fared well against the Tigers, picking up a 6-2 win Friday night followed by a 3-1 victory Saturday afternoon.

Friday

Wash/Gruschow/Tomlinson
Horwood/Schwalbe/Rooney
Grigsby/Mankey/Tremblay
Hylwa/Thomas/Renn

Hansen/Godin
Banks/Behounek
Kimmerle/Orzechowski

Selander

Mari Mankey scored two goals, nine Engineers recorded points, and freshman Lovisa Selander stopped 15 of 17 shots as RPI defeated RIT on Friday night.

Mankey's goals included the eventual game-winner which put RPI up 3-0 in the first period, as well as the last goal of the game late in the second which made it 6-2 on the power play.

Katie Rooney got things going for RPI just 1:05 in, picking up Laura Horwood's rebound and putting it past Brooke Stoddart for a 1-0 lead.

Aly Tremblay doubled the RPI lead with a goal off a 3-on-1 at 9:24, and Mankey's first goal followed about three minutes later.

RIT got on the board at 13:50 when Cassie Clayton scored on a one-timer, but Shayna Tomlinson gave RPI their three-goal cushion back with 11 seconds left in a busy first period.

The Tigers again drew within two with a Carly Payerl goal early in the third, but Laura Horwood made it 5-2 before Mankey scored her second of the night late in the middle frame to leave the score at 6-2, where it remained through the third period.

Saturday

Wash/Gruschow/Tomlinson
Horwood/Schwalbe/Rooney
Grigsby/Mankey/Tremblay
Raspa/Thomas/Renn

Hansen/Godin
Banks/Behounek
Kimmerle/Orzechowski

Till

After combining for eight goals on Friday, RPI and RIT scaled things back a little on Saturday, only racking up four goals as the Engineers beat the Tigers 3-1.

Alexa Gruschow scored twice for the Engineers, while Katie Rooney tacked on a goal and Sarah Till finished with 20 saves.

RIT jumped out to an early lead off a Carly Payerl power play goal at 7:15 of the first, but Rooney scored just 42 seconds later off an RIT turnover to tie it up.

Gruschow scored her first goal 3:44 into the second period, picking up a Jenn Godin rebound and tucking it behind goalie Jetta Rackleff. She gave the Engineers an insurance goal on the power play in the third period to make it 3-1 which held up as the final score despite nearly two minutes spent by RIT with the extra attacker.

The Engineers close out their early season non-conference play next weekend as they host Robert Morris, then will start off ECAC play on the road at Cornell and Colgate.

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RPI at RIT
Non-Conference Game - Gene Polisseni Center (Rochester, NY)
10/9/15 - 7pm
RPI 6, RIT 2

BOX SCORES:
RPI: http://www.rpiathletics.com/boxscore.aspx?path=whock&id=5180
College Hockey Stats: http://collegehockeystats.net/1516/boxes/wrenrit1.o09

RECAPS:
RPI: http://www.rpiathletics.com/news/2015/10/9/WICE_1009153037.aspx?path=whock
RIT: http://www.ritathletics.com/news/2015/10/9/WHOCKEY_1009153910.aspx

RECORD: 1-2 (0-0 ECAC)

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RPI at RIT
Non-Conference Game - Gene Polisseni Center (Rochester, NY)
10/9/15 - 3pm
RPI 3, RIT 1

BOX SCORES:
RPI: http://www.rpiathletics.com/boxscore.aspx?path=whock&id=5181
College Hockey Stats: http://collegehockeystats.net/1516/boxes/wrenrit1.o10

RECAPS:
RPI: http://www.rpiathletics.com/news/2015/10/10/WICE_1010150313.aspx?path=whock
RIT: http://www.ritathletics.com/news/2015/10/10/WHOCKEY_1010151810.aspx

RECORD: 2-2 (0-0 ECAC)

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Upcoming Schedule

Oct. 16 - Robert Morris (7pm)
Oct. 17 - Robert Morris (4pm)
Oct. 30 - at Cornell (3pm)
Oct. 31 - at Colgate (3pm)