The RPI men’s hockey team and their fans experienced a weekend of extreme ups and downs with a dramatic 3-2 overtime victory over Colgate Friday night and a very disappointing 6-1 loss Saturday night to Cornell. The Engineers remained true to form, earning the hardfought, come-from-behind victory on Friday, but stumbling in the presence of 20th-ranked Cornell University.
It has been an up-and-down season for the Engineers who had a strong start. This early run was highlighted when they seized the Governor’s Cup from Colgate back in October. Then, Colgate beat the team on their home ice in December 3. So it was again that the Engineers would square off against the Colgate Raiders, this time at home on a night honoring legendary Rensselaer hockey coach Ned Harkness. The man who led the 1954 Engineers to a national championship and college hockey immortality was added to the Ring of Honor on Friday night during the game. In support of Coach Harkness, the Engineers suitably battled back from a first period 2-0 deficit to knot the game 2-2 before regulation expired.
Senior Captain Kirk MacDonald opened the scoring for RPI when he scored at 18:54 in the first period, and Matt Angers-Goulet scored the tying goal at 8:03 in the second period. Junior Jonathan Ornelas assisted Angers-Goulet, and Mathias Lange came up with a tremendous save on a penalty shot late in the third period to send the game into overtime. The Engineers are unbeaten in overtime this year and took pains to ensure they maintained the tradition. Again, it was the Ornelas to Angers-Goulet combination that equated to points for RPI. Halfway through overtime, Ornelas sent a long pass to Angers-Goulet who played it off the boards and into a one-on-one with Raiders goaltender Mark Dekanich.
In this contest, Angers-Goulet was victorious, netting the game winner with a sharp shot through Dekanich’s legs, and throwing the Field House into an explosive symphony of celebration.
With the dramatic win, the Engineers entered another fierce contest with 20-th ranked rival Cornell. It was the third annual White Out event at the Houston Field House, and 4,448 were on hand for the game. Unfortunately, the Engineers stumbled early and often, allowing three goals in the first period. It was a disappointing start, but while short-handed, freshman Paul Kerins netted a spectacular goal at 5:26 in the second period. It was masterfully executed, but unfortunately, the Engineers were unable to take advantage of the moment and the support of the crowd. Just under nine minutes later, Cornell answered back with a long, outside shot that found the top shelf.
RPI took 16 shots in the third period, but none helped their cause. Cornell seemed to capitalize on every opportunity, scoring on both power plays and when even handed. With the 6-1 loss, RPI drops to 9-14-7 on the season and will be traveling north this upcoming weekend to take on Clarkson and St. Lawrence.
Aside from Kerin’s goal, the lone highlight of the game came at intermission when Senior Captain Kirk MacDonald was honored with the Hockey Humanitarian finalist trophy. MacDonald’s remarkable achievement was the fruit of many labors. According to Hockey Humanitarian Award Foundation’s website, MacDonald has worked as a mentor for middle-school students, volunteer-coached youth hockey, bagged groceries for seniors, organized events to raise money for cancer research, and served on the committee of the First Annual American Cancer Society Relay for Life, which raised nearly $124,000. Congratulations to MacDonald for setting such a tremendous example of how to transmit success in sports or academics to success in real life.
