Entering the weekend, Quinnipiac was ranked 20th in the nation. The Bobcats also had the country’s longest winning streak, rattling off eight straight, including an impressive home sweep of Harvard and Dartmouth. RPI came out strong and eventually took the game, 4-2.

Junior Tommy Green got things started for the Engineers just 2:23 into the first period. He took a pass from senior Chris Hussey and shot the puck through the five-hole of goalie Bud Fisher. The goal was Green’s second in as many games and impressed Head Coach Dan Fridgen. “He’s been playing real well and making the most of his opportunity. That’s what you have to do,” said Fridgen.

The Bobcats struck back later in the period, on the power play, when stud defenseman Reid Cashman found Brian Leitch with a great pass for an easy goal. Cashman, a Hobey Baker finalist last season, is the nation’s leader in scoring among defensemen.

The two teams traded goals in the second before RPI took the lead for good. Senior Brad Farynuk brought the puck up the ice and skated into the offensive end. Farynuk’s classmate Kevin Croxton drove to the net, and Farynuk hit his stick with a perfect pass. Croxton moved across the crease; Fisher went down to make the save and Croxton slid it by him easily. “[Farynuk] made a great play,” said Croxton. “He kept the puck in and he was rolling. He got to the net there and the guy just kind of left me. I went forehand to backhand to forehand and the goalie was out of the net, and I slid it in there.”

Sophomore Jonathan Ornelas added some insurance for the Engineers early in the third. Croxton held the puck behind the net and centered a pass looking for junior Oren Eizenman. Eizenman’s shot went wide of the net to the right. Ornelas, though, was standing right behind the net and the puck hit him in the chest. He controlled it, brought it in front. The quick thinking caught Fisher out of position, and Ornelas shoved the puck in the net. “Nobody was with me, the goalie was still down, and I just had the open net and just put it in,” stated Ornelas. “Can’t complain about that one; I’ll take all those goals in the world.”

The players all wore special black jerseys, which were auctioned and raffled off during the game. In addition to that, jerseys for Juneau and recovering senior Kirk MacDonald were also made. The pair participated in a ceremonial puck drop before the game, which marked MacDonald’s return to Troy after recovering from cancer surgeries at home.

Though MacDonald looked like a very different person, his presence was still felt by the team. “He came in Thursday night, and I think every single player went in and hung out with him,” said Eizenman. “A lot of guys went to the airport; it was just amazing.”

“It’s unbelievable to have him back. It’s awesome,” added Ornelas.

On Saturday night, the team honored Juneau with an intermission ceremony, inducting his jersey number into the newly crowned “Ring of Honor.” Juneau’s number nine now hangs on the west wall of the Field House along with Adam Oates’ number 12.

Ornelas also wears jersey number nine. It was only fitting, then, that Ornelas would have two goals to key RPI’s 4-1 victory over Princeton. In an interesting coincidence, both goals came on a breakaway in the third period. In all his years of playing, Ornelas never had two breakaways in a period before: “I’ve had two breakaways in a game before, but I’ve never scored on both of them.”

The first was actually on a scripted play that started from the Engineers’ end. Eizenman won a faceoff back to junior Ryan Swanson. Ornelas skated hard out to center ice, and Swanson delivered an outlet pass along the boards.

“We executed the play perfectly,” said Ornelas. “It was coming to me; I just lifted the guy’s stick and went in on my own.”

“I thought it was a great call by that line as far as the faceoff play is concerned,” said Fridgen, who also noted that the play “is designed to spring [Ornelas] because he’s got such good speed.”

Eizenman started the scoring in the first on the power play. Freshman Seth Klerer held the puck at the left-wing boards and passed it down to Croxton. Croxton quickly sent it back across the goal mouth for Eizenman, who slammed the puck in the net.

Princeton knotted the score a minute into the third when Brett Wilson took a pass from behind the net and scored his first goal of the season on a high one-time shot. Freshman goalie Mathias Lange didn’t have much of a chance at making the save. “It was a pass from behind the net out in front and the guy just put it over my blocker side,” said Lange. “I went from post to post, but it was a little late.”

Lange also made a great save to keep RPI in the lead late in the second period. During an RPI power play, Princeton’s Erik Pridham grabbed the puck and raced toward the net with Engineer senior Alex Valentin right behind him. Valentin caught up slightly, forcing Pridham to his backhand, and Lange made the save. “I just squared up to the puck and he pretty much put it right on me,” said Lange.

Ornelas was named ECACHL Player of the Week with three goals in two games, and Lange, who saved 59 of 62 shots on the weekend, was named Rookie of the Week.