> the RPI SID:
 MEN’S HOCKEY SKATES TO 2-2 TIE WITH UNION
  Engineers and Dutchmen each earn one point in ECAC standings

In a game with playoff intensity, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men’s hockey team tied Union College, 2-2, in an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division I game at the Houston Field House before a season-high crowd of 4,223.  Union goaltender Brandon Snee made 34 saves to help the Skating Dutchmen improve to 6-1-2 overall and 3-0-1 in the ECAC.  Union is now unbeaten in their last six games (4-0-2). RPI is now 5-3-1 overall and 1-2-1 in the league.  They have a three game unbeaten streak (2-0-1).

After a scoreless first period, Engineers’ sophomore Nolan Graham finally broke a scoreless tie when he deflected a Jim Henkel shot into the back of the net at 18:17 of the second period with the Engineers on a power play.  Graham, who won the faceoff back to Henkel, slipped the puck over Snee for his sixth goal of the year.  Just 23 seconds later, however, Dutchmen junior forward Doug Christiansen scored on a slapshot from just inside the blueline to tie the game.  Christiansen earned his
fifth marker of the year with the assists going to Alex Todd and Nathan Gillies.

It didn’t take long into the third period before the Engineers regained the lead as Henkel tallied an unassisted goal from just outside the crease 1:51 into the third stanza.  For Henkel, a junior, the goal was his first of the season and the third of his career.  Union again fought back as they notched a power play goal of their own at the 13:18 mark. Sophomore defenseman Randy Dagenais blasted home a shot from the center of the blueline for his first goal of his career.  Clark Jones earned
the lone assist on what proved to be the game-tying goal.

Snee, a junior from Philadelphia, Penn., was outstanding throughout. After making six saves in the first period, he stopped 18 shots in the second, including several with his team down two men, and ten in the third period.  Freshman Kevin Kurk stopped 19 shots for Rensselaer.   The Engineeers are right back in action on Saturday night when they’ll host MAAC-leading Quinnipiac University (9-2-2; 7-1-1 MAAC) at 7pm at the Houston Field House.  The Dutchmen will then host the Braves on Sunday night in their next game.  That game will be held at Achilles
Rink in Schenectady beginning at 7pm.

  --
  Kevin Beattie
  Sports Information Director
  Rensselaer

end RPI SID press release; begin Lewin commentary:

The renewal of the RPI Union rivalry was unique tonight.
As always, Union came in pumped as they would against their
biggest rival. Usually, that's a one way feeling as RPI
doesn't normally regard Union as its biggest rival (that
spot is usually reserved for Clarkson). Tonight, however, the Engineers were looking to avenge an earlier loss to Union in Schenectady and, for the first time ever, the Engineers were underdogs against the 11th ranked Dutchmen.

The first period seemed tentative to me, resembling an international game more than anything else. There was a concentration of defense on both sides but the checking was more bumping than the usual hard checking seen between RPI and Union.
The period ended at 0-0 and neither team had any advantage over the other.

The second period was all RPI in all ways except on the scoreboard. RPI dominated territorially for most of the period
and outshot the Dutchmen 19 to 3. At 11:43, RPI went on a 5 on 3 powerplay that was spent entirely in the Union zone. RPI was controlling the puck and skating around the Union defensemen, firing at will. Only the quick glove and tremendous reflexes of Union goaltender Brendon Snee kept the Engineers off the board. At 17:07, RPI went on a power play and scored 1:10 seconds later to the delight of the Field House crowd. Just a few seconds later, before the crowd buzz had a chance to quiet down, Union's Doug Christiansen drilled a slapshot past RPI netminder Kevin Kurk from just inside the blue line to tie the score at 1-1.

At 1:51 into the third period, Union defenseman Charles Simard
mishandled the puck coming out from behind his own net. He put the puck on the stick of Jim Henkel who was standing all alone in the slot. Henkel was as surprised as anyone to find the puck, but he recovered fast enough to fire a shot over Snee's shoulder to put RPI up 2-1. Halfway through the third period, referee Murphy must have changed his definition of what he considered slashing.RPI's Conrad Barnes was called for slashing on what I considered to be a very light hit. On the ensuing power play, Union tied the score at 2-2. After scoring the tying goal, Union came alive and really started taking it to the Engineers. The wind was taken out of their sails though when, several minutes later, Union's Jeff Hutchins was called for slashing and 38 seconds later, Union's Doug Christiansen was also sent off for slashing.  I thought that both those calls were light hits also but the Union defense held off RPI's 5 on 3. Neither team seemed willing to settle for a tie and both fought right down to the end to score but strong defense and solid goaltending prevailed and the game ended in a 2-2 tie.

This marks the first time in Union's division 1 history that they have taken the season series from RPI (1-0-1). A few more of these and perhaps the RPI rivalry for Union will become as intense as Union's rivalry with RPI.