It seemed the presence of RPI hockey fans surpassed that of Union College followers in both houses this weekend. However, their dedication would not be enough to earn points for the Engineers, as they fell in the home-and-home series against the Dutchmen.
The weekend began with Rensselaer and Union going toe-to-toe on Friday night in the Houston Field House. With little action aside from the general play-by-play, the first intermission began without a goal, with five saves by senior goaltender Mathias Lange and 12 by Union sophomore netminder Corey Milan.
Action picked up in the second period. Senior forward Kurt Colling was called for interference at 5:20 to put the Dutchmen on a one-man advantage. Less than one minute into the penalty, sophomore Joel Malchuk went to the box for hooking, giving Union its first five-on-three power play of the period. The Dutchmen captured their first goal 13 seconds later with a slap shot from senior Lane Caffaro.
After a save from Lange, a scuffle involving the majority of the players on the ice occured, sending RPI junior Eric Burgdoerfer and Union sophomore Stephane Boileau to the box for roughing, with 12:22 left in the second. Union would remain on the power play, as Malchuk still had 26 seconds left on his hooking penalty. Sophomore Dutchman Adam Presizniuk won the ensuing faceoff and took a shot. Lange made the save, but Presizniuk caught the rebound and placed the puck in the net.
The Engineers finally returned to full strength with 6:16 remaining. This did not last long, however, as junior Peter Merth took a delayed call for cross-checking, and sophomore Chase Polacek received an elbowing penalty, sending both to the box at the same time. The two-man advantage would bring about Union’s final goal, a shot from the left circle by junior Mario Valery-Trabucco, making the score 3-0 Dutchmen.
Each team found itself on the advantage once during the third; however, neither was able to find the net. Union only managed one shot on goal in the third, while RPI had six.
The evening ended with RPI having more than double Union’s shots on goal, 31-14. Union’s special teams stole the night, though, scoring all three goals on the advantage. On the night, the Dutchmen connected on 42.9 percent of their power plays.
Saturday opened up with a penalty shot for Union 5:57 into the first. The shot was awarded when Burgdoerfer took down Presizniuk, who was on a breakaway. Senior Captain Matt Angers-Goulet and junior Dutchman Jason Walters were sent to the box for matching roughing minors at the same time of the shot. Presizniuk, Union’s leading scorer with 12 on the season, skated up to the puck and sent it in the air to freshman goalie Allen York. The goalie caught the puck and flipped it forward onto the ice to make the save.
M. Angers-Goulet and Walters sat for their entire penalties, and upon their completion, Walters was sent back into the box. As Walters exited the first time, he found freshman forward Patrick Cullen nearby and sent him into a referee. Cullen commented on the situation: “I was going up the ice on the outside lane, near the penalty box, and I was a little ahead of the play. I looked back a little and called for the puck and right as I got it, the man stepped out of the box and drilled me.” It appeared as though Walters had elbowed Cullen, and the official call was for interference.
Burgdoerfer left the game almost halfway through the first, but this time it was not due to a penalty. In an attempt to keep the puck in Union’s zone, Burgdoerfer launched himself toward the airborne puck. Burgdoerfer’s skate blade snapped in half due to this pursuit, causing him to exit briefly. He returned a few minutes later, on two full blades.
Despite all the excitement, the first period ended scoreless, with three saves for York and six for Milan.
The second period saw the first goal of the game: a slap shot sent from outside the right circle by junior Mike Watika. The goal gave the Dutchmen the 1-0 lead with 15:30 remaining in the second.
Sophomore Tyler Helfrich set up teammate Polacek to tie the score early in the third. He passed the puck down the ice while in the Union zone; Polacek took the shot and closed the gap at 3:21 into the third. The score would remain tied for the remainder of regulation play, sending the game into overtime.
Though each team had several opportunities to win the game, Union found the net first. Freshman Kelly Zajac tallied his second game-winning marker of his collegiate career 3:19 into overtime. A questionable play, Appert and the team contested the goal, feeling there should have been a call for goaltender interference. As Zajac took his shot, a Union player crashed into the net, knocking into York. The referees and Union did not agree with RPI, and the game ended.
Union ended the weekend with four points, breaking the tie between the Engineers and the Dutchmen. This lifted its ranking from a tie for ninth to a three-way tie for sixth with Clarkson University a+nd St. Lawrence University.
The Engineers fall to 10th place with the losses, with just a two point cushion between them and Colgate University. The men return to the Field House to play Brown University, a team that the Engineers have not lost to under the guidance of Head Coach Seth Appert. Ranked last in the league with a conference record of 2-11-3, the Bears should be defeated by the Engineers.
The following night will be the pinnacle of the hockey season: Big Red Freakout!, against Yale University. RPI has not had a home win against the Bulldogs since February 2006. The excitement and energy of Freakout! could break the four-game losing streak against Yale.
