The RPI Engineers easily handled a weak UMass Minuteman team in Friday's
Rensselaer Marine Midland Holiday Tournament nightcap.  Last year's visit
by the Minuteman to the Houston Fieldhouse saw RPI defeated by what looked
to be an up and coming HE team that would soon rise to the contender
level. However this year's edition seems to have slipped back a little,
even with a number of strong returning players.  While RPI played an
aggressive game offensively, UMass didn't seem to have enough to step up
to an Engineer attack that scored five goals in the second period.  Eric
Healy was the star of the night scoring four goals.  Goaltender Scott
Prekaski played well in goal for two periods before relaxing a bit in the
third after RPI had pulled out to a commanding 7-2 lead.
 
The first period saw a mostly close checking affair with neither team
mounting many effective rushes.  RPI showed an aggressive penalty kill
which thwarted the few chances the Minuteman had, and Prekaski stopped
everything shot at him.  Prekaski is particularly effective when the puck
is shot from directly in front of him, almost never allowing those shots
through.  UMass's Regan was also effective, at least in the first period,
until RPI broke through with 22 seconds remaining.  Alain St. Hilaire
leads an Engineer 3 on 2 down the left side.  St. Hilaire passes to
Garver, and the puck goes on to Eric Healy, standing in front of an open
right side of the goal.  Healy wheels and deposits the puck into the
opening.
 
The second period features a UMass collapse, which decides the outcome.
Eric Healy opens the goalfest after he is sprung on a gorgeous pass
threaded through the center zone by Matt Garver, at 3:03.  At 4:35 Doug
Battaglia skates the puck deep into the offensive zone and tries to shove
the puck past Regan.  The puck sets up nicely for Dan Riva, who shoots the
rebound into the goal, with RPI on the power play.  UMass briefly
interrupts the scoring parade with its own power play goal, as Juden
slides the puck across the goalmouth, and Fawcett lifts the puck over
Prekaski's outstretched leg.  Brian Tapper scores his second of the year
at 11:46 launching a wrister from the the point which flew over the
shoulder of Regan.  At 11:46 Tapper skates down the left side and tries to
cram the puck past Regan.  Battaglia cleans up.  At 15:00 Healy gets a
gift goal as the puck deflects off a UMass defenseman into the net.  It
appeared Healy got wood on the puck to re-direct the puck toward the net,
but regardless, Healy was the closest Engineer to the goal at the time.
UMass scores again at 16:27 as Prekaski misses a soft shot to his glove
side from Blanchard, making the score RPI 6, UMass 2 at the end of the
second period.
 
With the game decided the Engineers relax in the third, as their defense
allows the Minuteman forwards space in front of Prekaski.  After Healy
scores his fourth goal at 8:18, a rebound from a Garver blast from the
lower face-off circle, UMass scores the next two.  Healy scores as RPI
enjoys a 5-3 advantage, and the power play continues for the next minute.
UMass immediately counterattacks as the power play expires and McKinnon
buries the rebound of a Hurley shot.  Prekaski loses concentration and
lets in another UMass goal just a minute later, at 10:40 with McKinnon
getting his second consecutive goal.  RPI responds with the next two goals
as Riva knocks a rebound past Regan after Eric Healy makes the initial
shot from in close on the left side.  Pat Brownlee gets into the act at
17:14 off a Riva assist.  UMass closes out the scoring at 19:05 with
Fawcett getting his second of the night.
 
RPI showed it now has three good lines, an efficient #1 and capable second
and third lines which can score when needed.  The defense rested through
the third period, but remains the strength of the Engineer team.  Whether
RPI received much of a test at the hands of UMass remains questionable.
****************************************************************************
Brian Morris                            RPI Engineers--Big and Nasty
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