The following has been forwarded from a friend
of mine who attended the game.
 
------- Forwarded Message
 
Rensselaer at Harvard (Bright Arena)
 
Harvard 7, Rensselaer 5
 
Sigh. It's been awhile since I've watched the Engineers. My alma mater
has been in the throes of a perplexing season. The team is third in
the ECAC, after being slated to finish first. At Harvard, Rensselaer
skated against the number one team.
 
Could the Engineers still be the same team that beat BU early in the
season? I had to watch.
 
Bright arena was SRO. RPI fans were in full force. The RPI band was
loud, and at their obnoxious best. The Harvard program featured
defenseman Sean McCann on the cover, and I gave the image the bird. I
was ready for college hockey.
 
After the first period, the score was tied at two. Rensselaer was
easily the quickest team in the first period. Their break-out is
amazing. Many times, the Harvard defense was just plain turned around.
Since the Engineers tied it at two with under two minutes to go, I was
still hopeful.
 
I couldn't help noticing though, that Rensselaer just couldn't finish
off their shots. This was especially evident as Rensselaer showered
Tripp Tracy during the second period. Harvard couldn't clear the zone,
but Rensselaer couldn't get the points. Tracy seemed to play
unconscious for this stretch. He really pissed me off. In the second
period, the shots were definitely there for Rensselaer.
 
After trading goals in the second, the third period began with the
score locked at three a piece.
 
Harvard came hard at Rensselaer in the third. Three unanswered goals
put the score at 6-3 Harvard with fourteen minutes remaining.
 
Rensselaer's defense overall was strong, but its lapses were costly.
The first goal of the third period seemed to come off a rebound from
the boards behind the goal. The second goal had me extremely
frustrated, as Joe Craigen gets the hard shot after flying down the
right side unmolested by the defense. The third goal was from RPI's
defense (Layzell?) mishandling the puck in front of Little.  It was a
"gimme" goal for Harvard.
 
However, with about eight minutes to go, Hamelin lit up the score
board for a hat-trick goal. Two minutes after that, Hamelin does it
again, this time capping a pretty rush down the right wing.
 
I was beginning to see why RPI was predicted first in the ECAC by a
few major polls, and "The Big Red What?". The Engineers' goals were
calculated, patient, and skillful.
 
Rensselaer was "on" now. For five minutes, they battered Harvard's
goalie, but he wouldn't cave in. Harvard had their rushes, but Little
was turning them away. With less than a minute, Harvard ices the puck.
RPI pulls their goalie. I thought a tie was inevitable, the way RPI
"controlled" the Harvard zone. But again, a mishandling of the puck by
Layzell after RPI wins the face off (he couldn't keep the biscuit in,
I scribbled in my notes) causes a flurry of Harvard activity in
neutral ice. No one was in net to stop the final goal by Harvard.
 
A very frustrating game to watch. I sat in the Harvard section, and
numerous times all around me, the Harvard fans kept chattering that
"We got away with that mistake", or, during a flurry in front of
Tracy: "RPI's going to tie it now".
 
RPI did not rise up to the occasion like they did against BU earlier
this year.
 
------- End of Forwarded Message
 
 
You can reach Rick with any comments at
[log in to unmask]