Freakout magic was alive and well at the Houston Field House on Saturday night. This year, the Engineers took to the ice against rival Clarkson. Much like two years ago, RPI fell behind early to the Knights. With luck, hard work, and the crowd behind them, however, they eventually rallied to win the game, much to the delight of the raucous sell-out crowd.
After a scoreless first period, the Knights took the lead on goals by Trevor Edwards and Matt Nickerson, the latter of which came on a four-on-four. Penalties were called early and often by a whistle-happy referee Dan Murphy, who called 24 infractions total during the game. It was the fourth consecutive Rensselaer game that Murphy was the official for.
Kirk MacDonald started the Engineer comeback in the second period, when he tipped a shot by Brad Farynuk into the net, beating goalie Dustin Traylen. Kevin Croxton also had an assist. The goal was the first of three power play goals in the game for RPI. The second came in the third period, where the Engineers came out fast and furious, creating chances and shooting often. They put 21 third-period shots on goal.
Speedy freshman forward Oren Eizenman tied the game 6:36 into the third. He took a cross ice pass from defenseman Matt McNeely, and fired from the right face-off circle to the back of the net. Eizenman was also a factor in the go-ahead goal. Just several minutes later, the Engineers were cycling the puck on the power play, when Eizenman, again from the right circle, faked out Traylen, then quickly passed to Ben Barr. Barr, who was standing very close to the goal line, buried the shot into an open net, despite being at a difficult angle.
Late in the third, Kevin Broad sealed the game, taking a Farynuk clear and sending the puck down the length of the ice into an empty net, prompting the crowd to erupt, and the band to start in with a rendition of “Na Na Hey Hey Goodbye.”
The game was no doubt affected by the officiating. Several bizarre unsportsmanlike conduct penalties were handed down, and Clarkson was called for icing when shorthanded. The officials also waved off an apparent Scott Romfo goal when, on a delayed Clarkson penalty, the puck was whistled dead just before Romfo shot, even though puck possession by Clarkson was debatable.
Despite the constant presence of someone in the box, the Engineers special teams performed admirably, going three-for-nine on the power play, and killing off all 10 of Clarkson’s man advantages. Senior goalie Nathan Marsters turned aside 29 shots in total, while Clarkson’s Traylen made 32 saves, 18 of which came in the third period.
With all the excitement surrounding the Freakout, it’s easy to overlook the game the Engineers played on Friday night against the St. Lawrence Saints. It may almost be preferable to overlook the game if you’re an Engineer fan, considering the result. RPI’s recent split standard was upheld, as the Saints handed the Engineers a 3-2 home loss.
After a scoreless first, the Saints pulled ahead on a Ziga Petac goal in the second period. With Marsters on the ice and out of position, several Engineers stood in front of the net attempting to block shots, but Petac’s shot, on a rebound, found the back of the net regardless.
RPI knotted the score up on a Croxton power play goal later in the second. MacDonald and Nick Economakos had assists on the goal.
Croxton got his eighth power-play goal in conference play which leads the ECAC, and his ten power- play goals overall are good for a tie for first in the nation, with the Saints’ T. J. Trevelyan.
St. Lawrence took the lead for good later in the second, when defenseman Ryan Glenn joined an odd-man rush and fired a one timer to beat Marsters. They extended the lead on an Adam Hogg goal in the third, who buried a rebound of a Tony Maci shot.
RPI crawled back within one when Economakos scored on the power play midway through the third. Scott Basiuk and Croxton had the assists, but the goal was all the Engineers could muster and the game ended 3-2. Marsters finished with 28 saves.
With the weekend split, the Engineers move into a tie for third place in the ECAC, and stay in the hunt for a first-round bye. RPI, Cornell, and Dartmouth all have 19 points in 16 conference games, while Yale lurks behind with 18 in sixth place.
RPI re-entered the USCHO poll this weekend, garnering two votes. However, the Engineers dropped out of the top 20 in INCH’s Power Rankings. The Engineers will take to the road this weekend against an underachieving Harvard squad on Friday night, and the Brown Bears on Saturday evening. Harvard has struggled under lofty expectations this season, and Brown has the top goalie in the nation in Yann Danis.
