Thanks to Mark for posting a recap, which gives me the luxury of playing off
someone else's commentary.
 
RPI's first goal was really an incredible effort by Eric Healey.  Healey has
grown as a player immeasurably this season.  It used to be the Healey was the
kind of guy who could finish, but that's all-- get him the puck near the goal
and Healey knew what to do with it.  But this year Healey has added a lot
more to his game.  Healey likes to lay the hip check at center ice, the kind
where the defenseman meets this body coming out of the corner at breakneck
speed.  Healey has grown into the heart and soul of the team, he takes it
upon himself to pick up the play and get RPI into the game.  And Healey has
also learned how to create, how to make space in order to get off the shot
you want.  The first goal exhibited all of this.
 
Down in the defensive zone Healy makes a desperate lunge to free up the puck
on the boards and get the puck ahead to Matt Garver at the blue line.  Healey
pays the price as his face is smashed into the boards.  Garver takes it down
wing with speed but can't elude the defenseman who picks him up in the Union
end.  Garver is ridden off the puck which lies unattended at the face-off
circle.  Healey follows the play and grabs the puck, and skates it behind the
goal and all the way back to the front.  Healey unleashes a nasty wrist shot
from directly in front of Koenig through a partial screen.  Goal!  RPI 1,
Union 0 on a tremendous individual effort.
 
RPI's second came off the gasp! power play.  Their first power play goal in
some six games.  (They're not ranked second to last in the ECAC on the PP for
nothing.)
Doug Battaglia scores a typical Battaglia garbage-type goal after Pete
Gardiner makes a great pass to set up Battaglia in front.  Watch out for
Gardiner next year-
he's got all the tools to become the prototype power forward.
 
Coach Dan Fridgen put in a masterful coaching job for the series.  Everything
he tried worked.  First he goes with the hottest goaltender down the
stretch--Joel Laing, and gets rewarded by two great games.  I thought Laing
was the difference
on Friday night.  I don't agree with the Union crowd's assessment of his
play.  Laing has a great sense of positioning.   I truly think that he
intentionally allows the pucks to fly by the net since he knows that they are
off-line.  He also cut down on his rebounds noticeably through the series,
although the Dutchman aren't the best at crashing the net (other than Chris
Ford :-)  )  Saturday night was an almost error-free performace.  His play in
the first period set the tone.   He only gave up two goals in two nights, and
both shots were nearly perfect.  (I'm not getting in to a discussion of the
apparent Union goal on Friday night however.)
 
Getting back to my point (yawn) Fridge installed a plan stressing patience,
and short passing.  The RPI forwards were schooled to take the shot and peel
back to center ice, even when there was acres of space in front of Koenig.
 And the shots they did take weren't just of the shotgun variety--they were
quality tests which Koenig just couldn't handle.  Fridge is a pretty good big
game coach, and he can draw on his success in 1994 at Lake Placid.
 
Stan Moore in contrast is a rookie.  He got outcoached, even though he
deserves to win coach of the year in the ECAC.  I thought Moore's pulling
Koenig after the second RPI goal was a bad move.  Returning him to the nets
in the beginning of the second was even worse.  Koenig didn't seem to be
ready to move on the two on one coming at him.  Granted Healy again makes a
great play.  Healy takes the puck down the right wing and slides the puck
over to St. Hilaire in the center.  St. Hilaire waits as Healy goes to the
corner to take the return pass, and Healey smacks the puck into the open
corner.  But I would have left Koenig in the game to keep him in it.  Koenig
is going to be the man for Union for the next couple of seasons, and it is
paramount that he knows the coach has confidence in him.   Sending Koenig
back in to start the second didn't send a message to Koenig, it sent a
message to Shtrom that he wasn't the guy to bring Union back.
 
That quick goal, only 32 seconds into the second period, was really the
pivotal point of the game.  On Friday Union went down 2-0, but had the
ability to come back through the second and third period.  On Saturday going
down 3-0 in the second spelled the game.  Union could not be expected to
score four goals with the shotmakers and puck carriers they have on their
roster.  Union is not adept at creating scoring chances.  They are very good
at getting the other team to create Union scoring chances.   But on Saturday
the game was over before one minute had expire in the second.
 
Finally, I am now willing to sing the praises for the 1996-97 Engineers.
 They got farther than anyone expected, with the sophomores maturing into
talented juniors, the freshman coming up with four gems, including two
goaltenders, and a coach whose junior year saw him put his stamp on Engineer
hockey.  The question has been answered: RPI can win playing Dan Fridgen's
style.  If the Engineers don't win another game, and unless Princeton wins
tonight, that isn't unlikely, they have had a supremely successful season.
 Next year they should be the preseason favorite, and can now use whatever
experience they gain next weekend at Lake Placid to take the program to the
next level.
***************************************************************
Brian Morris                                      RPI Engineers--Big and
Nasty
[log in to unmask]                Two to the Phinal Phour!
 
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