All this reminiscing has got me going. I recall two memorable (not best,
but memorable) games from ancient history and, oddly enough, both were RPI
vs. Michigan in the RPI Christmas Tournament.
 
First was in the 61-62 season when Bobby Brinkworth was a Sophomore
playing his first season on the varsity. For those of you who've never heard of
Brinkworth, he was an amazing player. 2 or 3 time All American (I don't
remember if he made it as a Sophomore); third on RPI's all-time career
scoring list (tied with Adam Oates and ahead of Joe Juneau); small in stature,
but fast and an amazing stick handler; in his three year varsity career
he had but one minor penalty -- his explanation was that his father had
taught him "you can't score goals from the penalty box" and he took it to
heart. This was also Red Berenson's senior year for Michigan. The game itself
was not noteworthy -- Berenson dominated everybody and Michigan won 8-3.
But, near the end of the game, Brinkworth and a Michigan player are
fighting for the puck along the boards right in front of RPI's bench. Another
Michigan player comes charging at full speed from directly across the ice,
makes no attempt at all to get the puck, but lowers his shoulder and
_creams_ Brinkworth into boards. The echo from the hit hadn't even subsided when
a kazillion pairs of arms reach out over the boards from the RPI bench
and the offending Michigan player is hauled up off the ice and disappears
into a sea of red (pardon me, cherry) RPI uniforms. Seeing their compatriate
vanish from the ice, the entire Michigan bench scrambles over the boards
and across the ice and as wild a melee as I've ever seen ensues. Even Stu
Benton, an RPI goalie who'd been ejected from the game earlier, comes
running from the dressing room in his underwear to join in the fray.
Amazingly, about the only two players who were trying to break up the brawling were
Berenson and Brinkworth. Order was restored only after the refs had the
band start playing the national anthem.
 
The second game is the final Christmas Tournament game in the 66-67
season. RPI was suffering through some dismal seasons -- 0-13 in ECAC the
previous year, headed for a 1-14 ECAC record this year. Michigan, on the other
hand, came into the Field House rated #1 in the nation in the polls.
Talking to some of the RPI players after the game, they were seriously
considering not even showing up for the slaughter that was about to take place.
But they did, and they went out onto the ice totally relaxed because they
had absolutely no hopes of even staying close. Well, the details are a bit
of a blur after all these years, but I remember that at the end of the
first period RPI was ahead by like a goal -- 2-1 or something. And no one
could believe it--Willy Stanton, Mr. RPI to all who knew him, had, by the end
of the first period, finished his entire jar of "medicine" that usually
lasted him the whole game. The second period continues the same way --
everyone is waiting for the dam to burst, but RPI hangs in there, taking
advantage of breaks that they would ordinarily have blown, and at the end of the
period it's something like 3-2 or 4-3 RPI. Well, in the third period the
fates start cashing in their chits and Michigan pulls ahead. They're up to
6 goals and pulling away. Some of the less faithful start to leave. But
RPI scores again, and in the waning moments the score is 6-5 Michigan. RPI
pulls their goalie (Tom Nichol) and, with only 11 seconds left in the
game, Dale Watson puts one away for the Engineers to tie it up at 6-6.
Tournament rules precluded any overtime, so lowly, bottom of the heap RPI skates
away with a dead even tie with mighty #1 Michigan. In the annals of
college hockey history, the game is of no consequence. But for those of us that
were there, that suffered through those agonizing seasons, and stayed til
the bitter end, it was one of the most amazing, unbelievable games we'd
ever witnessed.
 
Bob Stagat
RPI '64 '68
 
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