The RPI men’s hockey team, whilst on the road, continued to keep their head above water this weekend. The 18th-ranked Engineers, who have gone 2-3-3 since winning the Governor’s Cup at the end of October, grabbed a pair of points in New Jersey. The Engineers split their road trip, storming back to defeat Princeton University on Friday night, but falling to Quinnipiac University on Saturday.
The first leg on their weekend journey was a visit to New Jersey, and so with an offense still clicking and a defense looking to get back on track, the Engineers hit the road for Princeton to take on the Tigers.
Princeton leapt out to an early lead with a score at 7:56 in the first, and added to it minutes later at 9:37 when senior Landis Stankievech beat junior Mathias Lange for the tally. The 18th-ranked Engineers struggled to get anything going, and when sophomore Erik Burgdoerfer was called for tripping at 16:13, it looked as if the Engineers would start the second period with, at best, a two-goal deficit.
But a few heroics were in store for RPI hockey on Friday night. Freshman defender Jeff Foss managed to turn the tables on the Tigers when he buried a short-handed goal behind freshman Alan Reynolds at 17:08 to pull RPI within one.
It would go to first intermission like that.
Hitting the ice in the second, RPI found itself short-handed yet again, and Princeton would finally make good on the opportunity. The goal came just under four minutes into the second period, and the Engineers were faced with their second two-goal deficit of the night. But on Friday, this last Tiger goal seemed to knock the Engineers awake rather than down-and-out.
In the remaining 16 minutes of the second period, the Engineers’ offense scored three goals, including the decisive fourth overall with only one second remaining. Burgdoerfer got it started at 6:32, beating Reynolds with a wrist shot, and sophomore Paul Kerins skated his way to a tally, beating two defenders and Reynolds for the equalizer.
But it was the prolific senior Jonathan Ornelas who put the Engineers ahead on a power play, depositing the winner behind Reynolds with only a second remaining in the second period.
The Engineers would hold this 4-3 lead throughout the final frame—overcoming four penalties and a numerical disadvantage as a result of the Tigers pulling Reynolds with just over a minute left in the game—to earn the win.
Unfortunately, the momentum of the comeback victory would not linger long enough for the Engineers, who fell to unranked Quinnipiac on Saturday night by the score of 2-3. The Bobcats played the Engineers hard and shot accurately, scoring the three goals while senior Jordan Alford had only 17 saves.
Junior Andrei Uryadov made the game 1-1 at just 4:56 in the second period, and after falling behind again, junior Seth Klerer tied it at 2-2 with 1:30 remaining in the second.
But the Engineers would not prevail, as Bobcats freshman defender Zach Hansen hit the winner just 55 seconds into the third period, and the Engineers could not find the back of the net for a third time.
Last night, RPI returned to home ice for a mid-week match against 13th-ranked Harvard University. In a contest where the phrase “put up or shut up” was certainly applicable, the Engineers brought their A-game.
Rensselaer came out strong in the first period, making effective passes and setting itself up for several scoring opportunities. The Crimson, however, opened scoring late in the first on a power play; RPI quickly answered back 20 seconds later, on sophomore Christian Jensen’s first goal of the season. The score would remain knotted at 1-1 heading into the locker room.
Play resumed in the second period with the Engineers continuing their dominant ways. Finally able to convert on quick passes, setting each other up in the slot, they opened up the game with two goals. Freshman Chase Polacek broke the tie, scoring on a pass from classmate Tyler Helfrich 7:56 into the period. Senior captain Jake Morissette followed up with RPI’s third—and game-winning—goal of the match five and a half minutes later.
This season, RPI has been outscored 16-6 in the third period. Early into the last period of the contest, it looked like this dismal trend would continue. CrimsonSenior Dave Watters scored just 25 seconds into the third, right off a faceoff win by junior Jimmy Fraser. The Engineers turned things around, however, holding off the aggressive Crimson forwards. Senior Jonathan Ornelas sealed the game win with a goal at 11:38, marking the final score 4-2.
Overall, while RPI’s hot offense was certainly a high point, the game was instead marked by shoddy officiating. Early in the first, an Engineers goal was called off (those photographing the event disagree). The seemingly “let them play” mentality clearly got out of hand in the third, with brawls breaking out after many stoppages around the goal. It looked as if the referees were completely ignoring any potential calls against Harvard when at one point midway through the final period, Crimson sophomore Alex Biega was blatantly punching a fallen Engineer right next to a linesman.
With Tuesday’s win, RPI moved to 8-5-3 overall and 3-2-2 in the league, creating a four-way tie for third. Harvard dropped to 6-3-1, 5-3-1 in the ECAC. Interestingly, Crimson goalie sophomore Kyle Richter entered the game ranked first in Division I goals against average, at 1.1. The Engineers’ four goals—the most allowed by Richter all year—knocked him down two slots.
Rensselaer returns to action next Saturday against the top-ranked team in the nation, the Miami University Redhawks, in a weekend double-header at the Houston Field House.
