Finally, the Rensselaer men’s hockey team has begun to heat up, and they chose the least likely of environments to do so. The air was the most frigid in history this weekend in tiny Canton and Potsdam, N.Y, but the frosty environment proved to be the absent catalyst the Engineers had been struggling to find.
The two one-goal wins in the bitterly cold Adirondack air over St. Lawrence and arch-rival Clarkson may have provided the reeling Engineers just the spark they needed to launch themselves toward the high expectations both the team and the fans entered the season possessing.
This flicker of hope for the Engineers and their fans could not have come at a more appropriate juncture in the season; the halfway point in the ECACHL schedule and against the hated Golden Knights. After limping—actually, more like crawling—through their first run of the gauntlet in conference play, Rensselaer now has a chance to show the entire league a reborn Engineer squad; one set on avenging the embarrassing losses to the likes of Dartmouth, Princeton, Colgate, and Cornell.
Now the Engineers must do something to nurture this dim flame struggling to emerge from the glowing embers. They have been given new life, not just by these two wins, but by the ECACHL. Ten more games remain on the league schedule, providing the Engineers an opportunity for redemption. The Rensselaer fans are begging for their beloved Engineers to climb out of the conference cellar, and possibly even secure a first-round playoff series at home.
Even if Rensselaer should fall short, the kind-hearted ECACHL has guaranteed even the most hapless of the league’s teams the opportunity to shock the world, or at least the conference, granting every team a post-season birth.
However, RPI can prove they do not deserve to be among the teams at the bottom. They can either smother their gentle flame with more inconsistency or grab some lighter fluid, logs, and pine needles throw them on the pile, and ignite a renewed fire in the eyes and hearts of the fans. This fresh flame will undoubtedly lead to more wins, confidence, and support for the Engineers.
It is sad to admit that it is not uncommon for fans to view success quantitatively, especially in a math and science school. So as the Big Red Freakout approaches, the Engineers have another opportunity to steal back their crazed face-painters and “you suck” chanters from their computer screens.
But despite all the possibilities staring down the Engineers, for now all RPI has is a sliver of hope, shining through the dense fog that has clouded the Engineers’ season from the beginning. However, two more successful performances in the frosty Vermont and New Hampshire air just might create an explosion big enough to thrust the Engineers back to where they belong: the top of the ECACHL.
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the individual writer and are not necessarily held by The Poly or the sports department.
