recap follows
period 1
P 2:26 CU Moynihan (hooking)
P 6:59 RPI Battaglia (holding)
G 9:31 RPI (1-0) Gosselin(Caley, Brad Tapper)
P 12:35 CU Dailey (holding)
P 16:15 CU Adler (boarding)
period 2
P 1:08 RPI Pothier (hooking)
P 5:31 RPI Healey (interference)
P 9:39 CU Peach (holding)
P 13:10 CU Oates (hitting from behind)
P 16:47 RPI Bryan Tapper (holding)
period 3
P 2:15 CU Dailey (roughing)
P 5:08 RPI Dupee (cross check)
G 11:49 RPI (2-0) Riva(Brad Tapper,Murphy)
P 16:45 RPI Battaglia (slashing)
P 16:45 CU Dailey (cross check)
P 16:54 RPI too many men on the ice
17:00 Elliott comes off the ice
P 17:58 CU Stienstra (roughing)
P 17:58 RPI Bryan Tapper (roughing)
17:58 time out CU
G 19:35 RPI (3-0) Gardiner (?? assists) eng
saves 1 2 3 total
Laing(RPI) 8 9 17 34
Elliott(CU) 7 8 11 26
referee Mike Noeth
assistants Joel Dupree, Tom DiFusco
attendance (not announced) estimated 2600-2700
RPI came out flying tonight knowing that anything less than a win
would end their season. Where last night they attempted to match
Cornell's defensive style, tonight they threw everything into
scoring the first goal. As a result, they sent men in deep
allowing for some fast breakouts and odd-man rushes on the part
of Cornell. Fortunately for the Engineers, goaltender Joel Laing
was up to the task as he made numerous, excellent saves.
The first goal of the night was very strange. At 6:59, Cornell
went on a power play that kept the puck in the RPI offensive zone for
almost the entire 2 minutes. As the power play ended there was a flurry
of shots in front of the RPI net with Laing flopping and diving all
over the place. Finally, the exhausted Engineers cleared the zone
and tossed the puck to center ice. The Engineers headed toward the
bench, visibly tired when J.F. Gosselin picked up the puck, stepped
across the blue line and took a rather soft shot toward Elliott and
turned around to head for the bench. Much to his surprise, a cheer
went up and the (damn) airhorn went off as the puck scooted through
Elliott's pads to put the Engineer's up 1-0.
The second period went back to a tight checking style although the
Engineers did try to start some offensive pressure several times
only to be rebuffed by the Cornell defense. The play was even and
both goalies kept the puck out their nets. RPI 1-0 after 2.
At 11:15 (or so) into the 3rd period, CU forward Darren Tymchyshyn
took a shot from Laing's left. The Cornell crowd (who were sitting directly
behind the RPI nets) jumped into the air cheering. The Cornell band,
seeing the cheering, (but sitting at the opposite end of the Field House)
started playing their fight song, the Cornell team lifted their sticks in
the air in celebration, but there was no goal. The red light never
went on, the referee never blew the whistle or stopped play.
(More about this later). After a few seconds, the fans (and Cornell's
team noticed 3 Engineers heading up ice with only one Cornell
defenseman going back. Danny Riva carried the puck from end to
end and blasted the puck past a diving Jason Elliott to give the Engineers
a 2-0 lead and some breathing room.
At 17:00, with Cornell on a 4-3 power play, Elliott was pulled to put
Cornell up 5 on 3. After several close in shots and acrobatic saves
on the part of Joel Laing, the red light went on. The referee immediately
waved off the goal. Although the fans were cheering, they quickly sat
down when the ref waved this one off and the Cornell players didn't seem
to put up too much of a fuss (as opposed to the previous disputed goal).
Cornell continued to put pressure on Laing until the last minute of play when
Pete Gardiner grabbed the puck inside his own blue line and zig zagged
his way through center ice to deposit the puck in the empty Cornell net
making the score 3-0.
Back to the disputed goal. This took place at the west end of the Field House
(the opposite end from the stage). I sit inside the blue line at the
eastern end of the rink (actually even with the top of the faceoff circle).
In addition, I sit down low (4th row) just about even with the top of the
plexiglas. I cannot see one corner of the opposite end of the ice
and I cannot easily see the net when there is a crowd in front. If the
players on the visitors bench are standing, it also can block part
of my vision at that end of the ice.
Thus, when the red light came on ( second goal that was waved off),
I cannot tell you what happened. There were a lot of bodies in front
of the net and I had no clear view of what happened leading up to the
red light coming on.
The first disputed goal however was a different story. I had a clear
line of sight straight to the RPI goal as most of the players were on
Laing's left (opposite side from me). I clearly saw the puck come off
Tymchyshyn's stick, go over Laing's shoulder, tip the cross bar,
deflect down to the back of the net where it must have hit the bar
at the back base of the net and came shooting back out.
I don't know where the referee was. I can believe that with all the action
going on, he might not have been in position to see the goal. That is
why they have goal judges whose sole job is to watch. I was listening to
the radio (WRPI) and one announcer thought the puck had gone in while the
other
honestly didn't know. I clearly saw the puck and it WAS a goal. I spoke to
several
other people after the game (all RPI fans) who sit higher up than I do
and everyone I spoke to agreed that the puck had gone in.
Now I'm not willing to say that the referee stole the game from Cornell.
After all, no matter what happened, there was still 8 minutes left in
the period. But consider:
Cornell needed a win or a tie to win the series. RPI needed a win just
to continue the series.
If Cornell's goal counts, it's 1-1 and RPI has approximately 8 more
minutes + the 5 minutes of overtime to put one in the net for a victory
or the series is over. Instead, RPI taking advantage of Cornell's
confusion ( a horrible mistake on the players' part but quite understandable)
brings the puck down on a 3 on 1 and put RPI up 2-0 giving Cornell
8 minutes to score 2 goals.
I am glad for RPI's sake since they live to play another day. If Cornell
wins tomorrow night, then this becomes a non-event and it all goes away.
If RPI comes back to win, the argument will be made that Cornell's season
ended because of sloppy officiating (which of course is what we've all
been complaining about all year long).
I still root for my alma mater on Sunday night. But I do empathize with
Cornell fans. They got screwed!!!
Mark Lewin
RPI - class of '69
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