period 1
G Brown(0-1) 3:19 Prescott(Brackenridge,Lawler)
P RPI 4:04 Bryan Tapper (cross-check)
P RPI 8:28 Healey (interfering with the goaltender)
G Brown(0-2) 9:07 Bent(DiRenzo,Andersson) ppg
P RPI 11:40 Brad Tapper (interference)
P Brown 11:40 Pratt (interference)
saves RPI(Laing) 10 Brown(Holowaty) 11
period 2
G RPI(1-2) 2:30 Brad Tapper(Caley,Bryan Tapper)
P Brown 7:56 DiRenzo (holding)
P RPI 7:56 Bryan Tapper (holding)
P Brown 8:20 Harding (holding)
G RPI(2-2) 9:27 Healey(Murphy,Garver)ppg
G Brown(2-3) 10:24 DiRenzo(Bent,Giblin)
G RPI(3-3) 15:15 Gardiner(Riva,Gosselin)
saves RPI(Laing) 8 Brown(Holowaty) 10
period 3
G Brown(3-4) 5:11 Smith(Duval,DiRenzo)
G RPI(4-4) 6:45 Garver(Murphy,Healey)
P RPI 9:55 Riva (slashing)
P RPI 14:40 Garver (roughing)
P Brown 14:40 Hoiness (roughing)
P RPI 14:53 Healey (holding)
P Brown 14:53 Lawler (roughing)
P RPI 18:30 Brad tapper (cross checking)
saves RPI(Laing) 13 Brown(Holowaty) 13
OT
P Brown 4:58 Prescott (interference)
saves RPI(Laing) 7 Brown(Holowaty) 0
total saves RPI(Laing) 38 Brown(Holowaty) 34
referee: Bunyon
assistants: Hutchinson and Cadman
attendence- 3197
This seemed like 4 different games.
In the first period, Brown played a clutch and grab style of hockey
that kept RPI off balance the whole period. In addition, RPI couldn't
seem to stay with their assignments on defense. Brown had numerous
quality shots and the fact that RPI came out of that period down
by only 2 goals was quite fortunate (at least from my point of
view);-).
In the second period, RPI came alive and outplayed Brown for most
of the period. RPI outscored Brown 3-1 and finished the second period
tied at 3. The one goal of note came at 9:27 of the period when Matt
Garver got the puck to Mark Murphy just to the right of the high slot.
Brown goalie Holowaty came out quite far to effectively cut down the
angle so Murphy blasted a shot(?) wide of the net. The puck bounced off the
boards and back out to a waiting Eric Healey who put the puck into an
empty net as Holowaty tried to scramble back into the crease. There was
no way Murphy could have passed to Healey on the inside; it was too crowded.
But he wisely used the richochet off the back boards to get the puck to
Healey who must have been amazed to have the puck on his stick and no-one
between him and the net.
The third period was a period of tentative hockey, especially in the
final 10 minutes when no-one wanted to make the mistake that would cost
the game. Brown's goal at 5:11 came from Adrian Smith who skated around
the back of the net in full view of RPI goalie Joel Laing. Smith wrapped
it around and Laing failed to get his pads closed completely as the puck
snuck through for a 4-3 Brown lead; a very soft goal on Laing's part.
A minute and a half later, during a faceoff to Holowaty's right, the
puck was kicked out of the faceoff circle by a Brown player, towards the
corner.
Before it got there, Mark Murphy picked it up and quickly fed
it across to Matt Garver who was standing all alone in front. He lifted
the puck over Holowaty's left shoulder to tie the game at 4-4.
Several minutes later, Pete Gardiner beat the Brown defenseman to Holowaty's
right and beat Holowaty only to have the puck hit inside the corner junction
where the left post meets the cross bar. The puck dropped straight down
onto the goal line where Holowaty easily swept it clear.
There was one interesting play later on that raises a rules question.
As RPI was breaking out of their own zone, RPI's Matt Garver and Brown's
Brent Hoiness were wrestling on the ground in the RPI defensive zone where
they
were being watched by the referee.
The play continued as RPI rushed through center ice and into the zone where
the play set up and the whistle blew just as RPI was shooting the puck. The
puck
went past Holowaty and the crowd roared but there was no goal. Some of the
players heard the whistle although some obviously didn't. I did hear the
whistle and it was clearly blown before the goal was scored. However, what
rules, if any, govern when the whistle should be blown. The ref had been
watching
the 2 go at it for a good 20-25 seconds before blowing the whistle. The state
of the wrestling match hadn't changed, i.e. it's not like one player had
gotten
an advantage and there was a danger of either player hurting the other.
It seemed odd that the referee didn't blow the whistle when RPI was advancing
the puck through neutral ice but rather, waited until there was a scoring
opportunity before stopping play. The penalties were coincidental by the
way.
In OT, where you would expect the play to be very tentative, it was wide open
hockey. Brown outshot RPI 7-0 in the OT and Laing was called on to make
some of his best saves of the night to preserve the tie. But in my opinion,
the best defensive play of the game occurred in OT. And it seems like most
people either missed it or wrote it off as a blown play.
Just after RPI killed off the final 30 seconds of a power play left over
from the 3rd period, Eric Healey grabbed the puck deep in his own zone
and broke out with linemates Garver and Murphy. Healey went up the right
side while Garver and Murphy went left. The Brown defenseman played
the pass, never allowing Healey to get the puck to either linemate. But
at the same time, as he was skating up ice (backwards) he was inching towards
Healey forcing Healey further and further to the right. By the time Healey
realized he had no-one to pass to, he was in so deep that he had no net to
shoot at and he shot it into the side of the net. Even if Garver or Murphy
had had the presence of mind to drop back as a trailer, the defenseman
still would have been in position to block the trailer's shot.
The play wasn't spectacular, or even flashy, but it was just solid defense
under duress (3 on 1 in overtime) and it saved the game. I'm sorry that
I didn't the defenseman's number so I could identify him. He deserves
recognition for that play.
In general RPI played tonight like a middle of the pack team. They played well
at times and poorly at times. They are not playing like the 1st place
team they were picked to be in the pre-season. Junior Mark Murphy was
called upon this weekend to fill in for the injured Alain St-Hillaire
on a line with Eric Healey and Matt Garver. He responded well and played
aggressively both tonight as well as against Harvard last night.
Unfortunately, taking him from his usual line, as well as having Doug
Battaglia out with a neck injury, limited the usual balanced scoring
attack from the 2nd,3rd and 4th lines.
Also, sophomore Pete Gardiner has really come around since Christmas.
He was always good as a checking forward, hitting anything that moved
but he would otherwise just stand around, looking awkwardly for someone
else to hit. Since he was moved onto a scoring line, he's been able to show
some surprising stick handling and skating finesse, scoring 3 goals in his
last 5 games (including 1 each against Harvard and Brown this weekend) as
well as several assists. It's a welcome surprise to a somewhat mediocre
season so far.
I'd like to say hello to Brian Morris and his wife
(oops, I assume it was his wife), who wandered into an eating
establishment in downtown Troy (where my wife and I were dining)
while wearing his bright red HOCKEY-L sweatshirt. I went up and
introduced myself. It's always nice to be able to associate a face
with a name on the list. Maybe some more hockey-l'ers would like
to get together this March at the Eastern regionals
at the Knick (it will NEVER be the Pepsi).
Mark Lewin
RPI - class of '69
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