In a game that had a lot of unusual plays, edge-of-your-seat tension, and constant LSSU-type defense, RPI and Princeton use up 65 minutes to get a 2-2 tie. The Engineers, to their credit, refuse to wilt under the shadowing Princeton attack, and employ their newly-found defensive strategy to gain the point, allowing them to gain three points on both Clarkson and Harvard in the standings for the weekend. The first period set the standard for the whole game. The initial 11:00 saw neither team with significant territorial advantage. RPI seemed conscious of their defensive responsibilities, both in tepositionally and individually. The defensemen were unusually active, not only take the puck away from the incoming forwards, but also forcing the forwards wide adn away from Mike Tamburro. Princeton played the style that earned a victory against Maine--perster the forwards at center ice, wall off the goal, keep a man between the puck and the net at all times. at the 15:49 mark the red light goes on for RPI. Kelly Askew goes down ice and passes off to Eric Healy, who greatly missed his regular linemate Craig Hamelin the entire weekend. Healy roofs the puck off the crossbar, with the puck apparently falling straight down on the blue line. The referred promptly whistles off the score and play continues down the other way. The period looks to end up a hard-fought 0-0 tie, but astonishingly the puck comes in front of Mike Tamburro with one second remaining, and Prinectceton's Kelly bats in in for a score at the 20:00 mark. Brevor and Steven receive assists (standard disclaimer that the actual box score may have no semblance to this report due to the skill of the RPI scorer) The second period goes the first 9 like the last 19:59--not many chances, some good saves by goaltenders Tamburro and Konte and lots of defensive pressure. Brian Richardson manages a good shot from the lower circle at the 7:59 mark w which Konte handles adeptly. Tim Regan misses a wide open left side of the net when the puck bounces across the crease and just beyond his outstretched stick at 10:00. RPI manages to break through at 11:03 when Patrick Rochon fires an off-speed shot directly in front of Konte but above the face-off circles. After the normal series of corrections the official scorer awards the goal to Jeff Matthews with Rochon and Kiley receiving assists. But Princeton immediately snuffs out whatever momentum RPI might have gained scoring at 11:55 on a shot from Shays (Sinclair,Smith). Princeton however becomes a little too physical after the score, taking a series of penalties. An RPI power play from a Smith cross-check gives Konte the opportunity to make a terrific save at the 17:32 mark on a shot that was pounded from in-close. Soon after Princeton takes a second penalty giving RPI a 5 on 3 advantage. And given the only real mistake that the Tigers commit all night, the Engineers take advantage. At 18:53 Brian Richardson waits oh so patiently in the left slot for Konte to make his move. Konte finally commits to the stick side, and Richardson sends a very soft shot into the now-open left side of the net. Eventually the scorer figures out that Regan and Bartel earn assists. The second period ends soon after a 2-2 tie. The third period of course sets up as a replay of the first two, only more i intense. Fans who like defense hockey were treated to a exhausing exhibition of skill by both teams. Play seemed like a chess match, with each side waiting foror the other to commit the fatal mistake. But tonight, nether side would wilt. Strange plays kept the period interesting. At the 10:50 mark RPI its second goal of the night waived off. To me it looked pretty clear that an RPI skate had kicked in the puck, and the referees's call only earned a smattering of boos.s from the partisan crowd. at 14:22 referee Gallagher, standing behind the RPI net, has a hard shot carrom off the glass striking him just below the ear. Gallagher collapsed, and may have lost consciousness, with a slight trickle of bllod staining the ice. Play was stopped for a good five minutes or so with Gallagher eventually being helped off the ice to a waiting ambulance. Tr Truthfully this was the worst injury to an official I have ever witnessed, including the NHL, and it probably would have been better to have had the prone official taken off-ice on a stretcher. I sincerely wish the best to John GAllagher, and hope that his injuries are only a concussion. Of course the break has little effect on either team. The waning minutes would see Princeton getting the best chances, but RPI's Tamburro shows he is back to his early season form. At the 17:57 mark Princeton shovels the puck toward the goal, but Tamburro flops down to pick it up, and hold it high for all the fans to see. Shortly thereafter a Princeton skater gets free in front, but Tamburro makes a great stop to send the game into overtime. The overtime hasn't nothing much to talk about. Lots of pressure, lots of stick checks, few shots. It seemed pre-ordained that no one was going to score at this point, and it might have taken several additional periods before either team's mettle would break. The game ends a 2-2 tie, but a very good tie, for both teams. Although I hate to continually repeat myself, the Engineers (and the Tigers) played an outstanding game. There were only a handful of times when a Princeton skater got a step on the defense, and even fewer opportunities to get off a decent shot. Coach Dan Fridgen also merits mention. Tonight he seemed to have matured as a coach. His line choices in the third period were virtually perfect, and he kept his players concentration on the game at all times. While the offense couldn't produce much, the forwards seemed much more conscious of preventing the opposing forwards from roaming freely. Again Fridgen's hand in the strategy seemed obvious, and it was the only strategy that could work in a game like this. Coupled with the unexpected turn of events in the ECAC, RPI now can work towards consistency and the prize of a top 4 finish. The weekend provides a foundation for next weekend's big face-off against Harvard and Brown. Hopefully the Engineers will remember how to play the kind of defensive hockey they showed this weekend which, while not the most glamorous, usually works the best. ******************************************************************* Brian Morris Go RPI! Home Ice is in Reach! [log in to unmask] [log in to unmask]