RPI kicked off the month of December with a trip to take on Ivy League foes Brown and Harvard. After a disappointing showing the Holiday Tournament, in which the team fell to Air Force in the final, the Engineers resumed league play, needing a big weekend to get back into reasonable position in the conference. However, the team continues to need a big weekend, after blowing a big lead and tying Brown 3-3, then being stymied by Harvard in a 2-1 loss.
Brown overcame a 3-0 deficit to earn the tie in front of a meager crowd of 1,354 at Meehan Arena in Providence, R.I., behind the two-point effort from forward Les Haggett, which included the game-tying goal. The tie, coupled with a victory over Union College, improved Brown’s record to 5-4-2 overall, with a 4-3-2 conference mark.
The first period was a hectic one, with the Engineers dominating. The Engineers out shot the Bears 11-8, and were given three power plays, one of which they converted. Jake Luthi scored his first career collegiate goal on a power play in the first period, beating freshman goalie Adam D’Alba.
Oren Eizenman made it 2-0 in the second period, also on the power play, with help from Kevin Broad and Chris Hussey. Eizenman returned the favor five minutes later, just 11 seconds after the Engineers killed a Brown power play, when Hussey gave the team a three goal lead. Broad also was credited with an assist on the goal.
Brown worked quickly to chip away at the lead. Paul Baier put the puck over goalie Andrew Martin’s shoulder to make it 3-1 halfway through the second period. It was the third of four power play goals scored by both teams in the game.
The Bears controlled the third period. They didn’t allow RPI to run away with the game, and clawed their way back into a tie. Brown senior defenseman and alternate captain Gerry Burke brought the Bears within one when he scored his first goal of the season—and only the third of his career.
Last season’s freshman sensation for Brown, Brian Ihnacak, continued to show no signs of a sophomore slump, making a skilled play to find Haggett in the slot. Haggett handily chipped the puck in for the equalizer. Despite an overtime period that featured eight combined shots on goal over five minutes, no team could get the win, and each had to settle for one point from the game. Martin finished with 25 saves, and D’Alba had 34.
The Engineers then looked to rebound against a potent Harvard Crimson squad, but came up empty-handed in a 2-1 loss. The Crimson only needed 15 shots—and an outstanding effort by goalie Justin Tobe, who gave regular starter Dov Grumet-Morris the night off—for the win.
Harvard struck early, on the power play in the first. Good puck cycling by the Crimson caused a defensive zone scramble by the Engineers. Harvard’s Kevin Du cycled the puck to the point, where defenseman Dylan Reese fed forward Charlie Johnson, who one-timed the puck into the net, past goalie Jordan Alford.
Harvard doubled their lead in the second on another defensive zone breakdown by the Engineers. Ryan Maki carried the puck down the wing, baiting the defense. Maki then passed to the middle, finding defenseman Ryan Lannon, who maneuvered past the defense, and slipped the puck through Alford’s five-hole, as the netminder was slow to get down on the ice.
RPI halved the lead later in the period. Nick Economakos took advantage of good passes by Brad Farynuk and Blake Pickett, firing a shot from the face-off dot that beat Tobe. Tobe, however, stonewalled any attempt for an equalizer late in the game. He stood on his head, making some great saves, and finished with 25. Alford finished with only 13, as Harvard made the most of their limited chances.
The Engineers had not lost to the Crimson since the 2002-2003 season. RPI swept Harvard last season, but was swept by them in the 2001-2002 campaign.
RPI plays its final games of the calendar year at home this week. RPI takes on the Providence Friars tonight at 7 pm in “White-out Wednesday,” where fans wearing white will be given a free gift. RPI’s last meeting with Providence was last season, when the Friars won 5-2. The Engineers will play the Boston University Terriers on Saturday. The Terriers won the last meeting of the two teams last season, also by a score of 5-2.
