The Red Hawks tied the nation’s 18th-ranked squad 2-2 with an early goal and a random bounce of the ball.

One week after a costly own goal contributed to RPI’s devastating 2-1 loss to Clarkson, Rensselaer finally found Lady Luck on their side. The Owls handed the Red Hawks a freebee that bloated the Rensselaer lead to 2-0 just five-and-a-half minutes after freshman forward Mike Henzel put a laser over the left shoulder of Keene State goaltender Matt Caron.

“I actually didn’t see it,” Rensselaer Head Coach Adam Clinton said of Keene State’s costly defensive miscue. “It just rolled right over the [the goaltender’s foot], but we put pressure on them to force them into that position.”

Clinton, surprisingly, felt his team was a little unlucky when the first half ended 2-1 in favor of the Red Hawks. RPI, despite being out shot 11-7 by the Owls garnered more quality scoring chances, and Clinton felt the score should have been 3-0.

“We could have really put them away,” Clinton said. “We knew we really needed to get another one because you are not going to shutout a team with that amount of firepower.”

Failing to convert again hurt the Red Hawks as Keene State managed to eventually evaporate the Rensselaer lead with a steady supply of pressure. Mike Cooley got the Owls on the board when he deflected the ball past RPI junior goaltender John Thibdeau at the 25:14 mark after RPI botched a golden opportunity to clear its defensive zone.

For the next 48 minutes, RPI clung to a one-goal lead, but couldn’t hold on as Alex Horne delivered the equalizer by gaining position and beating RPI sophomore back Scott Chuda.

“It was a good ball,” Clinton said of Horne’s shot. Clinton, however, was disappointed with Chuda’s defense. “If he played it the right way he would have picked it off.”

The tie was a disappointment at one level for RPI because the Red Hawks failed to hold a early two goal lead, but Clinton also felt the contest gave his team a much need boost.

“We played a very good team and showed we could compete with the best,” Clinton said. “We did not dwell on last weekend. We had to come out focused against the 18th best team in the country or we would have gotten spanked, and the guys responded.”

The Red Hawks carried that momentum into Saturday’s contest with Old Westbury. The Panthers proved no match for Rensselaer as the Red Hawks routed the Panthers 4-0.

Senior forward Craig DiDomenico scored two goals, both off assists from junior midfielder Colin Donahoe, in the first half. Freshman forward Max Molleo tallied both RPI goals in the second half. Senior backer Kris Zanotto and Thibdeau handed out assists on Molleo’s two scores.

Molleo, who now has four goals and an assist in just five games played, also grabbed the attention of the coaching staff.

“We are going to have to get Max in the games this weekend,” Clinton said. “He has a knack for finishing, which is something we have been lacking.”

Molleo’s development, along with the progress made by junior midfielder Scott Owens, and freshman backers Matt Hill and Brandon LeFevre, have also added depth to the Red Hawks’ roster.

“The season never seems long enough,” A somewhat frustrated Clinton said regarding his team’s development. “Just when you start to find all the pieces, the season is over.”

Currently, Clinton has a more pressing reason to be frustrated. Figuring out the Red Hawks’ chances at making the Liberty League playoffs is a mathematical mess with various tie-breakers and scenarios involved.

In the simplest form, Rensselaer needs to win both games and have Hamilton, Clarkson, or Skidmore lose at least once, if not twice, this weekend. The Golden Knights have a very difficult road ahead of them as they have to play conference leader Union and Skidmore.

Sweeping a league weekend has been a struggle for RPI during Clinton’s four-year tenure; in fact it has never happened—a fact Clinton hopes to change this weekend.

“We are in a very good position,” Clinton said. “We just need to take care of our own business … but that Clarkson loss could really come back to bite us.”

Of course, RPI could have picked an easier way to try and earn their first league sweep in years. Hamilton will be fighting for their playoff lives Friday night and Hobart, a team that has suffered numerous injuries and bad breaks this season, will certainly relish the opportunity to end the Red Hawks’ season early when the two teams square off Saturday.

Clinton will be leaning heavily this week on his seniors DiDomenico, Joe Johnson, Ed Sellitto, and Zanotto.

“They are ready,” Clinton said. “Big games bring out big-time players.”

For now, Clinton and his seniors are focused on staying loose in practice. The atmosphere surrounding the team is what Clinton called a “healthy mix” of nerves and excitement. Now Clinton is just hoping his team will peak at the right time.