It's always interesting how two people at a game can have a different
perspective on the events.  Mine is a little different than Mark's, but
then it's also different than the T-U's.  Anyway...
 
Obviously a very BIG win for the young RPI team, and unexpected.  IMO it
was one of the greatest wins for the Engineers in the past four years, but
please understand RPI's schedule is usually filled with patsies, and this
year's is no exception (Union potentially four times?? But I digress.
 
I thought RPI looked green for the first period, but mysteriously poised
from the second on.  BU in contrast looked different than the Terrier
teams I have grown used to.  No stud.  Tommy Degerman likes to put up some
offense, but he's no  (Chris Drury, pick a BU Hobey candidate.)  The BU
forwards did not forecheck.  Another surprise for a Jack Parker team.  And
Bunny Larocque looked a little rusty.  I wouldn't pick BU as a favorite
for the HE title this year, but I'm sure the young players on the team
will develp as the year progresses.
 
RPI's Fridgen assembled two pretty good lines for this year: the #1 with
Alain St. Hilaire centering Brad Tapper and Mark Murphy, and the #2 with
Pete Gardiner between Danny Riva and freshman Matt Murley.  Murley was
given the #19 formerly worn by Brian Richardson, and if last night's game
is the rule, will easily fill the role of pure scorer.  In fact the #2
line was sensational all night, with Riva contributing the tying and
winning goals.  The #3 consists of Doug Shepherd, Steve Caley and freshman
Andrew McPherson, and a fourth line has J-F Gosselin between Keith Dupee
and Erick James.
 
The ten freshman on the team seemed to play mostly like freshman with the
exception of two.  Matt Murley was outstanding.  Murley know how to play
offense with a real sense of where to position himself around the goal.
And it is refreshing to see an Engineer who knows what to do on a
breakaway.  It is a nice way to start a career by scoring the first RPI
goal of the season in your first collegiate game. Murley also got an
assist on the tying goal, but my unofficial box had another assist for
him.  Quite a start.  On defense Steve Munn crushed people in the boards,
at center ice, in front of the net, everywhere.  Munn's aggressiveness
garnered him a pair of penalties, but he looks like he will be a force out
there.
 
The scoring I had as follows.  The first BU goal I didn't see since I
arrived late to the Fieldhouse.  The second had Albie O'Connell pushing
the puck past Laing from a scrum in front.  Didn't look that impressive
from my vantage point, at 12:35.  Matt Murley scores RPI's first on a
breakaway, with Murley deking out Larocque, then go back to the forehand
to score.  RPI's offense looked a little clueless in the first, with the
Engineers very fortunate to emerge down only 2-1.  Shot differential was
something like 14-4 in BU's favor.
 
RPI shortened up the space around BU's forwards in the second, and played
a very credible period.  Laing sharpened his goaltending, and from the
second period on made numerous saves, some very tough.  And for anyone who
cares at all, the chicken was apparently jettisoned for a return of the
puckman.
 
RPI tied the score at 10:03.  RPI's first unit got the goal on a
deflection by Alain St. Hilaire off a shot from Brad Tapper.  The #1 unit
looks very skilled with Tapper, St. Hilaire and Murley down low, and
Murphy and Riva up top.  They really move the puck, often times passing
down low instead of from the top. This unit has got muscle.  RPI would get
another power play later in the period, with a #2 unit of Shepherd,
Gardiner and Caley down low, Coupal and Pothier up top.  No other scoring,
with Laing keeping BU frustrated with some acrobatic saves.
 
The third period starts with Laing sporting another sprawling save, this
time while on his back at 1:46.  The period continues with both teams
looking to support their defense, although BU, as was the case throughout
the game, had more opportunities around the goal.  In fact BU seemed to
generate a lot of shots, 34 total for the game, but less quality ones than
the Engineers.  The Engineers seemed intent on counterpunching, a strategy
which has proven very effective in recent years at the Fieldhouse.  The
Engineers actually held the Terriers in check the entire third, except for
one lapse while BU held the man advantage.  RPI's d's lost the two BU
forwards down low as the puck re-entered the RPI zone.  As a result Laing
had no chance as the Baker and Bartlett vore down on him, with Baker
getting the goal.
 
For Engineer fans the shock was what happened next.  Instead of packing
their uniforms, as was often the case last year, the Engineers picked up
the tempo, and just 100 seconds later re-tied the score.  After a Murley
shot, Pete Gardiner does some nice work in front of the net and slides the
puck to Danny Riva on Larocque's stick side.  Rive snakes a sneaky wrister
through traffic for the fourth goal.
 
At this point most Engineer fans would be happy to go home with a tie, but
lo and behold the Engineers decide to go for the win in overtime.
Granted, for the first 3 1/2 RPI scarcely had a shot, with Laing again
bailing out the defense on a 2 on 1.  But at 3:23 a BU defenseman, didn't
get his number, coughs up the puck enabling Riva to go down ice with Matt
Murley to his left.  BU's defenseman lets Larocque square up on the
shooter, but Riva crosses his forehand past Larocque's stick into the
corner of the net.  Absolute pandemonium broke loose in Houston, with the
fans first stunned, then exhilirated to see RPI win a game in OT.  Then
the recognition the the Engineers had slain big bad BU, the first time
since 1993, set in leading to an extremely happy procession of fans out
the doors of Houston.
 
To show you how one's perspective differs, Mark Lewin cited Brad Tapper
for his physical play.  Actually I didn't think Tapper looked to be much
in the game, but his fellow wingmate, Mark Murphy, hit everyone in sight.
I counted three hits on one shift alone.  My guess is Tapper needs to get
used to St. Hilaire's feeds, but it won't take that long.
 
Next up for the Engineers is Lowell, away, then Army (uggh) at the
Fieldhouse on Halloween.  Defeating BU takes on enormous importance as the
schedule this year includes the likes of Niagara, the Wolverine slayer,
Union 3 or 4 times, Army and Western Michigan twice, which may or may not
be a CCHA also-ran this year.  Apparently RPI's AD couldn't get a team
from the MAAC into the schedule this year. :-)
 
An auspicicous start.  But I remain extremely cautious about this year's
team.
*****************************************************************************
Brian Morris              RPI Engineers--Young and Undefeated
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