The NCAA’s insisted crackdown certainly showed in the Maverick Stampede. In the Engineers’ two games this weekend, officials called an astonishing 50 penalties, 28 of which were against the Engineers. While ceding 25 power play opportunities to the other teams, RPI also had 19 chances of their own. RPI was two-for-19 with the one man advantage, their opponents five-for-25. These inflated numbers are not likely to last; either teams will make adjustments to accommodate the league, or the officials will become lackadaisical in enforcing the adjustments in the coming weeks.
Another thing unlikely to last is the end result for the Engineers; a one-point weekend is not something expected from this team. But they will have to deal with it for now, after dropping the season opener to Merrimack, and tying the University of Connecticut in the Maverick Stampede, hosted by the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
Matt Byrnes and Bryan Schmidt had a goal and an assist each, while Jeff Caron had three assists in leading the Merrimack Warriors to a 5-3 victory over RPI. This is the first time in three years that Merrimack has opened their season with a win, the last coming over Miami in 2001.
In the losing effort, Rensselaer got goals from Chris Hussey, Matt McNeely, and Nick Economakos, with Economakos’ coming on the power play. Hussey took advantage of a good rebound; C.J. Hanafin put the puck on goal, and Hussey slammed the puck into a wide-open net.
But after Economakos’ early third-period power play goal, Merrimack took control, and it was impossible for RPI to generate any momentum with all the penalties. After Hank Carisio’s goal put Merrimack up 5-3 with eight minutes remaining, however, RPI still had some late chances. Warrior goalie Jim Healey was up to the task, however, turning aside multiple chances on both 6-on-3 and 6-on-4 situations with under two minutes remaining. Andrew Martin tended the net for RPI, finishing with 11 saves. Healey had 29.
Looking to rebound in the consolation game, the Engineers faced the UConn Huskies. The Huskies scored first—on the power play—to get the first-period lead. But Hussey tied it up eight minutes into the second on a beautiful scoring play, where he carried the puck down the left wing and beat goalie Scott Tomes high to the glove side. Tomes left the game shortly thereafter, however, after being injured in a scrum in the crease.
RPI took advantage of the whistle-happy officiating, getting a pair of second-period, five-on-three goals by Matt McNeely and Kevin Croxton, who continues to cement his reputation as an outstanding power play contributor. Croxton reached around the goalie to score, and McNeely rocketed a shot from the high slot over freshman Brad Smith’s glove.
In the third, the Huskies tied it up with a rebound goal from Mike Neilon, and a behind-the-net goal from Brian Burns that took a crazy bounce past freshman goalie Jordan Alford. The game ended knotted; Alford finished with 26 saves, while Tomes had 14 and Smith had 24.
RPI takes on the Huskies again this Saturday, in the home opener at the Houston Field House.
