What a difference a first quarter makes, and for the Rensselaer men’s lacrosse team, that difference appears to be a win or a loss. The Red Hawks fell behind 6-0 in the first quarter of RPI’s 15-6 loss to Skidmore Wednesday, April 27, and got out to a 4-0 lead against Union in the first session of Rensselaer’s 14-12 on Saturday.
The Thoroughbreds did to RPI what they had done to many league opponents this season­—simply dominated. Skidmore, who demolished league playoff contenders Hamilton 12-3 and Clarkson 12-5, won the game’s first six face-offs and fired 21 shots on net in the first quarter alone en route to mounting an early lead. The Red Hawks did not help their cause, committing several costly turnovers that kept the ball in their defensive zone.
“That was just a bad quarter,” Rensselaer Head Coach Tom Korrie said after the game. “We weren’t ready to play against Skidmore. They have done that to every team this season.”
Brendan Bellefeuille tallied six markers, and Tom Spinella added five for Skidmore while Adam LoGuidice netted four for the Red Hawks. The loss Wednesday to the Thoroughbreds effectively eliminated RPI from first place contention and forced them into a must-win situation with rival Union, adding another element to this already intense battle.
“It was a playoff atmosphere,” Korrie said of the Union game. “Both of [RPI and Union’s] backs were against the wall, we knew what was at stake and that took the intensity to another level.” Win and you’re in was the rule for the day, as the game’s winner qualified for the Liberty League Tournament while the loser could start making plans for summer vacation.
Rensselaer came out amped up for the first period as the Red Hawks won 4-5 face-offs, controlled the ball game, and launched 13 shots at Union goaltender Will Tamm in the first period. Senior Ryan Frisch scored two goals in the stretch and while freshman Briggs Thompson and classmate PJ McComb added one in the first to deflate the Dutchmen and their home crowd.
Despite the early success, Korrie would downplay the importance of the first quarter, saying it was “not crucial” to the team’s victory. “I’m not concerned with what the scoreboard says after the first quarter, just what is says after 60 minutes. I just want to see we are executing and playing our game.”
Union quickly proved Korrie right as they exploded in the second quarter, outscoring Rensselaer 4-1 with RPI’s lone goal coming from LoGuidice’s stick after a senior Chris Sherman pass on the man-up situation. The man-up team found the net on three of seven occasions compared to Union’s 1-2 in man-advantage situations. The Dutchmen’s intensity forced them to take a number of ill-advised penalties, of which the Red Hawks took advantage.
“The man-up team did a nice job,” Korrie said. “You normally only have time for one good shot in those situations and they finished it when they had the chance.” Korrie said that the man-up squad, which has been largely ineffective this season, wasn’t doing anything differently, they were just performing better.
The entire Rensselaer offense was blazing as it exploded for 14 goals, nine of which came in the second half to stave off Union’s passionate run. The Dutchmen took advantage of a disappointing effort from the Rensselaer defense, who allowed Union to score all 12 goals in the final three quarters, including eight in the second half. RPI goaltender Ryan Michels was solid, making 10 saves on 22 shots-on-goal in the win, but in front of him, his supporting cast was ineffective for the second straight week at checking the Dutchmen scorers and creating turnovers. Korrie said another “soft” performance from his defense would ensure an early exit from the playoffs for RPI.
Fortunately, the Rensselaer offense covered any defensive shortcomings. Peter Rice, McComb, and LoGuidice scored three goals apiece, Frisch had the aforementioned two early markers while Sherman, senior Rob Messner, and Thompson tallied one goal respectively. RPI’s top midfield line of LoGuidice, Frisch, and Sherman came up huge, combining for six goals and six assists. RPI tallied nine assists on the day as it made a conscious effort to move the ball around the offensive zone.
“We consistently had plenty of shots all season I think we were just being more selective,” Korrie said, although the third-year head coach admitted it can often be hard to tell. “We were a little more balanced. Peter Rice and PJ McComb really stepped up and sort of had a breakout game for us and LoGuidice, Sherman, and Frisch were really looking for each other, which got us some high percentage shots.”
LoGuidice and McComb were given weekly awards by the Liberty League for their performances. LoGuidice, who tallied seven goals and three assists in two games en route to the Co-Offensive Player of the Week award, while McComb’s three goals against Union earned him the Rookie of the Week honors.
The win over the Dutchmen secured the second seed and a home game for the Red Hawks in the Liberty League playoffs, but also gave a very young Rensselaer squad some much needed “playoff” experience. RPI will host Clarkson, who they beat 4-3 in Potsdam, N.Y., back on April 16. The Golden Knights defeated the top-seeded Red Hawks last year in the conference title game 8-6, stealing the league title and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
“The exposure to a playoff-type atmosphere will help the younger guys,” Korrie said. “Most of them don’t remember last year because they weren’t here, but I know the older guys remember…Everyone is 0-0 now. This is the start of the second season.”
Rensselaer’s second season starts against Clarkson on Friday, May 6, at 4 pm on Harkness Field. The winner of the Rensselaer/Clarkson game will take on the winner of the Skidmore/St. Lawrence contest, which will be played Friday in Saratoga, N.Y.
