The decimated Red Hawks would lose the contest 9-2 to Skidmore on Harkness Field, leaving their season in peril and forcing Korrie back to the drawing board with just one game left in the season and the team’s Liberty League playoff hopes on the line.

A new-look RPI squad stepped onto Harkness Field in the Red Hawks’ season finale Saturday against Union, and it showed.

Rensselaer, behind a number of key line-up changes, demolished the rival Dutchmen 12-5. This ended a three-game losing streak and earned them second seed in the conference playoffs.

“We had to have some people step up and perform,” Korrie said. “We saw that this Saturday.”

On defense, senior Brandon Recchia, sophomore Paul Vavonese, and freshman Dave Cardella, who have all come off the bench most of the year, started Saturday and were crucial in limiting Union to just five goals on only 29 shot attempts.

Another major change for the Red Hawks was in the cage. Korrie benched junior and three-year starter Ryan Michels in favor of John Thibdeau prior to the Skidmore game. The sophomore netminder, making his first career RPI start last week, had 24 saves in two games, including several game-changing saves against the Dutchmen.

“We have to go with the hot players,” Korrie said. “John has progressed all year and showed a lot of poise and patience in net Saturday.”

The fifth-year head coach went on to praise Thibdeau’s decision- making on clear attempts, and his ability to limit turnovers—which has been a problem all season for the Red Hawks. Korrie admitted he is now in a fortunate, but difficult, situation with two proven goaltenders vying for time.

The personnel changes were not limited to defense, as Korrie made significant changes to the midfield, moving All-American Adam LoGuidice back from the attack position. Korrie said his senior captain made the move to help his team in transition, on defense, and in the faceoff circle.

The move obviously paid dividends. Sophomore midfielder Alex MacDiarmad combined with LoGuidice, sophomore Jordan Quellman, and the rest of his faceoff squad to win 16 of 21 faceoffs against Union. RPI’s ability to control the ball resulted in a 13-shot advantage for the Red Hawk offense.

“Adam’s north-south speed is hard to match in the open field,” Korrie said. “That has substantially helped the rest of the team.”

LoGuidice, along with sophomore midfielder PJ McComb, further aided the Rensselaer offensive explosion. The two did an excellent job distributing the ball, leading a 10-goal turnaround between the Skidmore game and the Union game.

Senior attacker Chris Sherman was a direct beneficiary of the superb midfield play, scoring four goals versus the Dutchmen. Freshmen Ryan Bigham added three goals and Josh Secora tallied two to help secure the win for the Red Hawks.

Korrie was particularly pleased with his team’s ability to adjust their roles. Several players are currently playing out of position and had to take on extra responsibility to compensate for some of the team’s losses.

“Guys really stepped up when we needed them to,” Korrie said. “We were more focused, and we had to be.”

With the changes to the Rensselaer line-up, and the return of many of the starters still questionable, Korrie said this Saturday’s game against Hamilton promises to be very different from RPI’s 11-10 overtime win in Clinton, N.Y., on April 1.

Hamilton’s only two losses of the season came against Rensselaer and Liberty League regular season champion St. Lawrence, and RPI needed a goal in the final few minutes of regulation just to get the game to overtime. In the extra session LoGuidice, who scored three goals, netted the game-winner.

RPI, as the league’s two-seed, will host the Continentals at 4 pm this Saturday on Harkness Field. The winner will take on the victor of the Clarkson-St. Lawrence game the next day. The Saints, who finished league play undefeated, will host the championship, barring a loss to the Golden Knights. A Clarkson win would result in the title game being played in Troy.