RPI falls at Princeton and Quinnipiac

A weekend of strong play on the road yields a disappointing 1 point

Photo: Princeton Hockey

RPI was very game for 5 of their 6 periods this weekend against 2 of the ECAC’s best teams. Both Princeton and Quinnipiac find themselves in the top 20 of the national polls. RPI took a 2-1 lead to the 3rd period Friday night against Princeton, before allowing 4 consecutive goals to fall 5-2. Matthew Buckley scored a last-minute goal against Quinnipiac Saturday night to send the game to overtime, but Markus Vidicek scored with 17 seconds left in the overtime period for Quinnipiac. It’s a disappointing set of results for an Engineer team that has struggled to find wins this season. It hasn’t been for a lack of effort, but RPI has just seemed at a talent disadvantage to many teams this season. Nonetheless, this is a weekend for the team to build upon as it presses further into the 2nd half.

Friday: 5-2 Loss at #20 Princeton

Ben Syer’s group has been one of the biggest surprises in the country thus far, reflected in their first national ranking since the 2018-19 season. RPI had them legitimately on the ropes Friday night as the game pushed late in the 3rd period, but the floodgates opened, and boy did they open quickly. Luc Wilson scored both goals for RPI, as the graduate transfer continues his hot stretch to charge out to the team lead in points. A sloppy offensive zone turnover by the Engineers led to a quick breakaway for Princeton and a highlight reel goal. Princeton took all the momentum from there and ran RPI off their feet the rest of the way.

I’ll continue to highlight until I am blue in the face that this team plays the right way structurally, it just doesn’t have the horses to compete yet. RPI outshot and out chanced Princeton in this one, which is a testament to their effort and the systems they play within. It still feels like they are lacking the magic goal scoring touch, which may not come this season. But for now, I’ll take some form of a moral victory from the competitiveness with which they play.

Saturday: 4-3 OT Loss at #8 Quinnipiac

Quinnipiac is a blue blood every single year, and it’s been quite a while since RPI notched a win over them. Saturday looked like their best chance in some time, as a goal from Kaz Sobieski was the only marker at the halfway point. Quinnipiac got 2 in the second, but Rainers Rullers tied it early in the 3rd. Chris Pelosi’s late goal looked like it would be the difference maker, but Matthew Buckley tied it on a beautiful one-timer with just 14 seconds left. Buckley’s goal was one of the most exciting goals of the season and you could see the excitement on the bench after that one. It looked like this one was destined for a shootout, but the late goal from Vidicek sent the fans home happy. It was a disappointing outcome for RPI, who perhaps played their best game of the year against the #8 team in the country.

It was good to see the top line & Sobieski come alive in this one; this group has been silenced for a bit and RPI desperately needs them to score. RPI certainly put a scare into the Bobcats, but this group is hungry for more than just that. Hopefully this is momentum they can build upon with two winnable games (Yale and Brown) coming up this weekend. The Engineers badly need league points, and this upcoming weekend presents their best opportunity to date to pick them up.