Aside from the Bryan Richardson show, this was a relatively evenly
matched game. Union started out with some good checking and good
defense. Most of the play was in Mike Tamburro's end, but the big
problem (for Union, at least) was the lack of shots. RPI's defense
didn't let Union get many quality shots off. Any shots in the first
period were easily stopped by Tamburro.
THE play of the 1st period was some good forchecking by Richardson
against Scott Boyd in the Union zone. Richardson stole the puck from
Boyd and moved around the net to try a wrap-around. Trevor Koenig
initially stopped the shot and the rebound by Eric Healey. However,
Scott Boyd was the only other Union defender down there, so Healey
grabbed the rebound again and beat Koenig top shelf.
That goal set the tone. RPI's firt two lines kept the Dutchmen in check
for the majority of the game. Once again, Union couldn't generate
enough offense. They were at least able to get the puck in the RPI
zone, but not enough to make Tamburro sweat. I'd say that the play
in the offenseive zones was about 60-40 in favor of Union. But the
shots just were not there.
RPI had their chances, as well. When they could control the puck in
the Union zone, they had some decent scoring chances. Koenig stood
tall again, especially in the 2nd period when RPI had a 5-3 for about
a minute and a 5-4 for another 45 seconds or so. Union's special
teams showed up. For the most part, they stifled RPI's power play.
If it wasn't the defense, it was Koenig. I'm becoming more & more
impressed with Union's penalty-killing units this year. RPI was
0 for 9 with the man advantage.
While a great penalty-killing unit helps, lack of offense doesn't. This
has been the story all year for the Dutchmen. They're going to need
to do two things to make a run at the playoffs this year. One, handle
the puck better. They showed this last night a little bit. The second
thing, generate more scoring chances. They can get the puck in the
offensive zone, but they have to get shots, shots, and more shots. I'll
harp on this for the rest of the year if I have to.
Don't worry RPI people, I'm giving them the credit they should get. RPI
kept the pressure on when they had to. They got their chances, as I
said earlier. However, they didn't score, either. Well, except for the
4 chances made by Richardson. :-) If Richardson wasn't playing, this
game may have well been 2-0 Union. Bryan certainly took the weight of
the team on his shoulders. It seemed to me that the rest of the team
was inspired by his play. This was definitely a solid and important
victory for RPI. Brian Morris said that there will be some cautious
optimism for the rest of the year. I'd agree with the cautious part.
We'll see when they go on the road to Colgate-Cornell & Harvard-Brown.
As for Union, SCORE SOME GOALS!!!!!! Getting the offense going will show
the rest of the league that they deserve the respect. Trevor Koenig
will help. More goals will result in more confidence. Also, they need to
use Achilles rink to their advantage. Once that place gets excited, it
will prove to be one of the more intimidating places to play in the
ECAC.
Andy
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+ +
+ Andy Weise Let's Go Tech! +
+ SUNY Potsdam '93 [log in to unmask] +
+ Union College '95 Let's Go U! +
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+ Performance Systems International, Inc. (PSI) +
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+ "If you think nobody cares you're alive, try missing a couple of +
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