The problem was that it was the wrong one.

The Red Hawks, who were tied with the Saints for first place in the Liberty League, clearly established themselves as the second place team in the conference as the Saints dominated RPI 12-4. St. Lawrence (9-3, 5-0 LL) also earned at least a share of the 2006 Liberty League title with the win while Rensselaer (5-8, 3-1 LL) must win one of its remaining two games to secure a berth in the conference tournament.

By the time Rensselaer stepped off the bus from their five-hour ride, the Red Hawks must have thought they were already behind as St. Lawrence jumped out to an 8-1 lead at the end of the first quarter, and led 12-1 at halftime.

Peter Carroll led the Saints offensive explosion with three goals in the first quarter while Kevin Russell failed to net a goal, but assisted on six of St. Lawrence’s scores. RPI’s lone first-half score came on an unassisted marker from sophomore midfielder Briggs Thompson.

The Saints offensive dominance started on the “X.” St. Lawrence was 16-19 on face offs, which severely limited the Red Hawks’ offensive opportunities. The Saints shot total in the first half, 29, matched RPI’s shot count for the entire game. RPI netminder Ryan Michels did have 14 saves in the contest, but the volume of quality shots he faced seemed to overwhelm the junior.

The Red Hawks did make a spirited run to start the second half scoring three quick third period goals, but it was far too little way too late.

“You can’t expect to erase and 11-goal lead in lacrosse,” Rensselaer Head Coach Tom Korrie said. “We were not aggressive early and they just went into cruise control in the second half.”

The embarrassment in Canton was the second consecutive contest where Rensselaer failed to show up and play, and virtually loss the game in the first quarter. The Red Hawks also failed to show up early at home last Tuesday in a 14-3 loss against Middlebury, a one of the nation’s top-ten teams.

The Red Hawks’ recent failures, albeit against quality competition, has led Korrie to open up competition for starting positions despite their only being a week left in the regular season.

“Right now guys are not stepping up and performing,” a noticeably frustrated Korrie said. “We are going to get the best talent on the field.”

Korrie would not speculate about where, if any, lineup changes would occur, only saying he wanted to see how thing played out the next two days in practice. However, the four-year head coach’s concerns appear to be concentrated on the defensive end and in the face-off circle.

In Rensselaer’s last three losses, the Red Hawks have struggled substantially in the face-off circle, winning just 23 percent of the time. Poor decision-making on clear attempts and in the transition game has prevented RPI from getting extra scoring opportunities.

“We are not playing real smart right now,” Korrie said. “We are continuing to turn the ball over, which is flatly unacceptable.”

Despite their struggles last week, RPI can still rebound to claim second place in the Liberty League, therefore avoiding a first-round playoff match up with St. Lawrence in the conference playoffs, with a win over Skidmore at 4 pm, Wednesday, on Harkness Field.

A loss Wednesday would force the Red Hawks into a winner-take all showdown with cross-town rival Union on Saturday at noon on the turf in Troy. That, however, is situation Korrie desperately wants to avoid.