Young teams have trouble with stretch drives and last night RPI produced the
evidence, falling to a mediocre Colgate team by the score of 3-2. The
Engineers managed to put all their season -long problems into a single
volume--problems in pulling out low-scoring games, poor shot selection,
impotent power plays, inconsistent goaltending--leading to a loss that leaves
the Engineers staring at fourth place. And with red-hot Union tearing up the
league as they reinforced their hold on fifth place, drubbing Cornell 7-1,
fourth place is not where any team harboring visions of Lake Placid would
like to be.
The Colgate Red Raiders seem to have fallen back considerably from their
pre-season expectations. Despite defeating New Hampshire early on, the
team's play hasn't lived up to most analyst's expectations of an upper
echelon ECAC team, perhaps even a top 10 national contender. Colgate's play
last night showed how they have fallen back as they were physically contolled
by the Engineers, but gained the victory by letting the Engineers beat
themselves. Colgate's remaining skill players, especially forward Mike
Harder, were just enough to allow the Red Raiders to leave Houston Fieldhouse
with the two points they need to secure a fifth place finish in the ECAC.
Coach Dan Fridgen opens the contest by again re-arranging his second and
third lines. The move pays dividends as the lines are responsible for all
the paltry Engineer scoring. The #2 line now has Pete Gardiner centering Dan
Riva and Mark Murphy, and the #3 using Jean Francois Gosselin centering Steve
Caley and Doug Shepherd. Doug Battaglia seems to pop up on various lines,
and the second power play unit. Colgate gets the first opportunity of the
first period, as Mauro DiPaolo gets called for goalie interference. But
Colgate initiates an evening of power play futility as it fails to do much of
anything. For the night the Engineer and Red Raider power play units will go
a combined 0-9. For the Engineers their record of futility is even worse-
they have failed to convert on a power play in the last five games.
At 5:12 RPI begins as series of miscues which will culminate in a Colgate
goal. RPI goes out on a power play as Colgate's Dance gets called for
tripping. RPI generates few shots on goal a they pass the puck around the
perimeter of the offensive zone, and cancel the remaining seconds of the
power play as Doug Battaglia gets called for high sticking. Now skating 4-4
Colgate's Mike Harder goes down the right side of RPI's zone and lets fly
with a seemingly mild slap shot. Goalie Scott Prekaski however only manages
to get a piece of the puck and it trickles by him for a 1-0 Colgate
advantage, Macintosh receiving the assist. Colgate will go on the power play
immediately after the goal, but does a good imitation of the earlier Engineer
effort.
The Engineers are the beneficiaries of a number of referee gifts--two Colgate
penalties and a non-call on a JF Gosselin stick to the face of a Red
Raider--but RPI does little in the way of shot production. At 15:51 though
Steve Caley makes a strong individual effort and nets the Engineers half of
their scoring for the night. Caley starts a 3-2 rush at center ice but falls
down as the puck slides into the corner, where Murphy gains possession. He
sends the puck out to Doug Shepherd in front, who gets it back to Caley, now
parked in the slot, and Caley buries the puck into the corner of the net.
After the goal the net comes off its moorings in what has become a Houston
ritual, and play is stopped with 4:04 remaining. After the intermission the
first period resumes, but without much excitement.
The second period, commencing immediately after the first, is a testimony to
Engineer missteps and miscues--and missed pucks. Colgate gains another power
play just 35 seconds in, but no further description is necessary. RPI's
efforts are equally futile, with a 2-1 at the 3:51 resulting in the puck
getting shot off a Colgate defenseman. Colgate's offense in turn seems a far
cry from the high-powered affair of last year. The Red Raiders have broken
up their formerly potent first line, but one of the trio remains. And it is
Mike Harder (again) who gets the Red Raiders another goal. At 5:56 Harder
takes the puck over the blue line and launches a long slap shot that flies
over Prekaski's shoulder into the top of the netting. Another soft goal,
another Colgate lead, as DeBusschere and Holdridge receive assists.
The rest of the period follows the script of the first period. Despite
receiving favorable calls from the linesmen, who miss three RPI offsides, the
Engineers generate only two decent shots--a rising shot from Chris Aldous
which Colgate's Shep Harder gloves, and an Eric Healy backhander with St.
Hilaire follow-ups at the 18:08 mark. An earlier 2-1 for RPI ends when
Gosselin falls down before getting the shot off, and on the resulting Colgate
counterattack the Red Raiders ring the pipe on the other end. In contrast to
RPI's Scott Prekaski, who didn't seem very sharp throughout the game,
Colgate's Shep Harder, returning behind the pipes after a nine game absence,
plays a strong game and frustrates the Engineers repeatedly.
It is Harder who wins the game for the Red Raiders in the third period as the
Engineers finally manage to get off a volley of shots, 21 to the Red Raiders
4. But the Red Raiders scoring percentage is much higher, and the scoring
pattern is repeated early on. At the 3:00 mark JF Gosselin misses an open
net. Soon thereafter Colgate's Tim Loftsgard comes down the right side and
shoots an easy-looking wrist shot from the top of the face-off circle.
Prekaski misses another one and McDonald gets the assist, at 3:14. From
here on out Colgate plays a patient game of standing up at the blue line and
greeting the Engineer rushes as they enter the Colgate zone. RPI tries to
pick up its intensity level and starts to climb back into the game at the 9
minute mark on several offensive plays.
The Engineers begin to press the play deep into the Colgate zone and send
their defenseman down low to generate more offense. At 13:15 defenseman
Brian Tapper and Mark Murphy combine to get the Engineers back to within one
goal. Tapper gets off the first of a series of shots on Shep Harder, and
Murphy gets another and buries his own rebound into the top of the net. This
sends the Engineers off in a desperate frenzy to get the tying goal, but
Harder stands tall . Colgate counterattacks stymy the Engineer's ability to
get the extra skater on, and the last two minutes tick off quickly without a
sustained attack from RPI. Finally getting Prekaski off-ice inside 30
seconds the Engineers prevent a further score from Colgate as Chris Aldous
dives in front of his open goal to stop a shot as a Colgate forward skates
the puck deep into the RPI zone. But Colgate keeps the Engineer offense at
bay, and walls off its own goal to end the game, following a face-off in its
end with 6 seconds remaining after the RPI time-out.
Colgate skates into Achilles rink tonight to try and stop the Dutchman
juggernaut. RPI hosts Cornell in a battle for third place in the ECAC. The
Engineers figure to be severely tested as they try to get back on the winning
track for the remaining three games of the season.
***************************************************************
Brian Morris RPI Engineers--Big and Nasty
[log in to unmask]
HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey; send information to
[log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.
|
