recap follows box
period 1
P 4:34 CU Hovey (cross check)
G 4:39 RPI (1-0) St. Hillaire(Murphy,Riva) ppg
P 5:57 RPI Caley (roughing)
P 8:21 CU Kovac (roughing)
G 9:42 RPI (2-0) Brad Tapper(Bryan Tapper, Caley) ppg
P 11:11 RPI Murray (holding)
G 13:03 CU (2-1) Smart(Peach,Pierce) ppg
P 17:11 CU Stienstra (cross check)
G 17:30 RPI (3-1) Gardiner(Brad Tapper, Bryan Tapper) ppg
P 20:00 CU Stienstra hitting after the whistle + 10 minute misconduct
period 2
P 4:02 RPI Brownlee (roughing)
G 5:53 CU (3-2) Moynihan(Tymchyshyn,Pierce) ppg
G 7:56 CU (3-3) Sutherland(Moynihan,Kirwan)
G 13:07 RPI (4-3) Healey(Garver,Coupal)
period 3
G 5:23 CU (4-4) Oates(Kovac,Adler)
G 15:28 CU (4-5) Oates
P 16:13 RPI Brad Tapper (4 min roughing)
P 16:13 CU Dailey (4 min. roughing)
18:42 timeout RPI
19:15 Laing out of RPI net
P 20:00 RPI Battaglia misconduct
P 20:00 CU Sutherland misconduct
saves 1 2 3 total
Elliott(CU) 6 10 21 37
Laing(RPI) 14 13 7 34
referee Mike Noeth
assistants Tom DiFusco, Joel Dupree
attendance (not announced) about 3000
As I predicted earlier this week, the RPI/Cornell series went
3 games and the last game was a close one. (I also predicted
that RPI would win, but 1 out of 2 ain't so bad).
RPI came out flying taking a 1-0 just 5 seconds into their
first power play. Five minutes later Brad Tapper scored his 14th
goal of the season (8 of them against Cornell) with an assist
from his brother (senior) Bryan Tapper on another power play
to put the Engineers up 2-0. The bubble burst at 13:03
when Cornell put their first goal on the board by Ryan Smart on
a power play. But the Engineers came back 4 minutes later
to go up 3-1 when Brad Tapper put on a skating exhibition,
weaving through the Cornell defense and putting a wrister onto
Elliott's stick. The rebound came out to Pete Gardiner who drove it home
with assists going to Bryan and Brad Tapper.
RPI was looking real good and dominated most of the first period. But
Engineer fans know from past experience that the 2nd period can be
their downfall. Game after game this year, the Engineers have dug
themselves into a hole in the second period and have had to climb
out in the third. Sometimes they are successful and sometimes not.
The second period reversed the roles. The RPI success in the first period
was attributable to ferocious forechecking. The RPI forwards went in deep
and dug pucks off the boards getting them back out in front and
moving the puck well. In the second, it seemed like they thought they
didn't have to do that any more. Instead, Cornell's forwards started
the forechecking and you could feel the momentum of the game shift.
Cornell cut the lead to 3-2 on a power play goal by Ryan Moynihan
and tied it at 7:56 on the game's first even strength goal by Tyler
Sutherland.
Both those goals were a direct result of Cornell forwards digging the
puck off the backboards and feeding it out into the slot.
But then, at 13:07, the Engineers broke out of their zone. Eric Healey
took a pass from Matt Garver and streaked down the left side (Elliott's
right). His skating lane cut off by a retreating Cornell defenseman,
Healey fired a wrister from the face-off circle that should have been
an easy save for Elliott. Elliott stopped the puck with his pads but
the puck dribbled through and in to give the Engineers a 4-3 lead.
But, at 5:23 of the 3rd, although the Engineers had just finished a flurry
in front of Elliott, having missed on numerous good scoring chances, Cornell
came back and tied the score 4-4 on a goal by Jeff Oates.
Then came the winning goal. After last night, the best anyone could hope for
was a clean game that was a clear cut win for one team or another. But
just like last night, the key goal was a controversy.
Again, the goal was down at the west grandstand but unlike last night,
I did not have clear view of this one. RPI was breaking out of its defensive
zone when the puck was picked off by Jeff Oates. He seemed to backhand
the puck toward the net, and the next thing I saw was Laing's glove go
up, about shoulder height and the puck went into the net putting
Cornell up 5-4. Laing was livid and the Engineers argued with Noeth
but the goal stood. Now one of three things might have happened:
1) the Oates' goal went in (possibly off of Laing's glove)
2) another Cornell player deflected the puck (but judging from the
location of the puck, it would have been with a high stick)
3) another Cornell player deflected the puck with a high stick
and the puck deflected off Laing's glove and into the net.
In the first case, it's a goal.In the second, it's no goal. I don't
know what happens in the 3rd case. Does the high stick infraction get
nullified when Laing touches it (he certainly didn't have possession)?
I just don't know. The Engineers argued vehemently and the only thing
they could possibly have been arguing about was a high stick.
I leave it for anybody at that end of the Field House to explain
because I just couldn't see.
The Engineers returned to their tenacious forechecking for the last
4 1/2 minutes of the game and created numerous scoring chances.
They were denied by Jason Elliott. Frankly, the last 5 minutes of game 3
was the only time all three nights that Elliott looked good. I thought
he looked shaky all 3 nights, gave up several soft goals and consistently
gave up dangerous rebounds out front. His defense saved his butt dozens
of times each night. If the Cornell defense hadn't cleared RPI forwards
from the slot all 3 nights, the outcome of this series would have been
very different. If I were a Cornell fan, I would be very concerned
with Jason Elliott going into next weekend.
An otherwise hard fought, but rather clean series was marred at the
end of the game when both Mark Murphy and Eric Healey were surrounded
and pummelled by about a dozen Cornell players behind the Cornell
net. I have no idea what precipitated that.
Fortunately, both teams' coaching staffs came out on the
ice and settled things down before any one was hurt.
It was too bad the series between 2 very evenly matched teams had to
end like that.
And as if to punctuate Mike Noeth's weekend, at 20:00 of the 3rd period,
after the series is over, he gave RPI's Doug Battaglia and Cornell's
Tyler Sutherland 10 minute misconducts. What a jackass.
It's now on to Lake Placid for Cornell where they must play a
Thursday night game against Princeton with the winner taking on
1st place Yale on Friday. Their only consolation is that both
Princeton and Yale had their series go three games also so everybody
will be sore Thursday.
For the Engineers, it's golf time. RPI loses Eric Healey as well
as three key defensemen in Chris Aldous, Bryan Tapper and Patrick Brownlee.
Other than Healey, most of RPI's scoring power returns next year along
with some promising new recruits.
But for now, adios.
Anyone coming to Albany for the eastern regionals will find me there.
I'll be the one wearing the red RPI sweatshirt and red Rensselaer
hockey cap. Why would I wear such an outfit?? Because there's
always next year.........
Mark Lewin
RPI - class of '69
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