Durham, NH – Rensselaer made the 200 mile trek to UNH for a Tuesday night tilt in which it frustrated the home team to no end. UNH controlled play for a good portion of the game and got the game’s first goal. John Furgele sent in a point shot from the right point, in which RPI starter Jason Kasdorf gave up a rebound. Warren Foegele found the rebound and buried it into the empty net giving UNH the 1-0 lead at eight minutes, nine seconds of the first period. Rensselaer responded six minutes later, as Curtis Leonard sniped a shot from the high slot to the top corner of the net knotting the game. A mere two minutes later, RPI took the lead for good off the stick of Parker Reno. The 2-1 lead held to the third period, as the Engineers frustrated UNH in the period, stifling most quality chances with sticks and bodies.

The third period saw the Engineers hold on with Scott Diebold putting on a show late. Diebold made 6-8 saves in the game’s last two minutes to preserve the win for RPI, which was its fifth in eight games after 1-5-0 start to the season. With the 2-1 win, Rensselaer improves its record to 6-7-1, while UNH’s record fell to 4-8-0 overall on the season. To view highlights visit this link, via the UNH athletics website and youtube channel.

What I Saw

• Rensselaer did a good job frustrating UNH in the neutral zone and in its own end. It is the game the RPI has played this year. Tonight it was on full display. When UNH had chances, RPI got their sticks involved and got bodies in front of shots and passes. RPI’s game can be ugly but it has been working for them. Tonight may not have been the prettiest win, as it could have finished the game off many of times but it got the job done. It just needs to finish off the odd-man rushes it had tonight. If it can start finishing opportunities, RPI could be really dangerous in the ECAC because of its defensive and goaltending prowess.
• UNH struggled to create offense, as it has for much of the season. Tonight, though, it didn’t get as many of quality chances it has been in recent weeks. When this did not happen the young UNH team got frustrated. In the third, the frustration took a new turn as UNH not only struggled to create offense but it gave up many odd man rushes. Late in the game it seemed to gain its composure again, but as been the case recently it was unable to beat the opposing goaltender.

What I Thought

• RPI has had its growing pains this season but it has come around mainly because its goaltending is so good. Tonight, Jason Kasdorf struggled in the first period with rebound control, but the Engineers still left the period with the lead. Kasdorf was pulled in lieu of Scott Diebold in the second period for precautionary reasons as Kasdorf suffered a minor injury. Diebold made 22 of 22 saves in his two periods of play, while Kasdorf stopped 12 of 13 in the first. Diebold saved his team late in the game, when UNH peppered the Engineer net on a power-play. That power-play turned into a six on four, when UNH pulled its goalie. It has a 1A and 1B, which is a huge luxury for a team to have. Kasdorf’s injury does not seem serious, but having a goalie like Scott Diebold in the wings will pay dividends going forward.
• UNH just needs to find a way and it has yet to do that. At 4-8-0 its season is teetering on failure, which is a relatively new concept in Durham. Tonight, when the bad was bad it was really bad. It was visibly frustrated in the second period, which is something that Dick Umile’s teams never show. This frustration adversely effected a normally possession dominant team. UNH isn’t a bad team, it is better than its record shows but if it is going to have success in coming weeks, the frustration will need to exit its game because it was very visible tonight. For them, the best medicine would be seeing the puck go into the net.
• Rensselaer’s confidence has come a long way. One of the things I always hear when I talk to Seth Appert is how important his captain, Curtis Leonard has been to its turnaround this season. Leonard leads by example, and tonight that seemed ever the case. His snipe to the top corner of the UNH net was one of the prettiest shots you will ever see. His defensive play and stick were fantastic. It also seems as though, his leadership is untouched in the ECAC right now. Leadership is so huge in the ECAC and in college hockey, RPI seems to have the cream of the crop and I talk to all the teams weekly.

 What They Said

RPI coach Seth Appert said,

“This was a really good win on the road because it is a tough building to come into and win. I thought our guys did a great job finding a way on the road to win a hard hockey game.”

“I thought we did a good job in the first two periods of keeping a lot of their looks to the outside. We also did a good job countering on them. We had a lot of two on ones, breakaways and ever a two on O. We didn’t capitalize on them which was disappointing but we did a good job of that.”

“Scott Diebold was fantastic in a relief role for us. Those last five minutes on the penalty kill, those two back-door saves were spectacular.”

“There was an injury to Jason in the first period. It was a lower body injury. I don’t think it is dramatically serious but serious enough after conferring with our trainers we decided to take him out. It is late november, it is a non-conference game and we didn’t want to risk putting him back him and further injuring him, where he would be out longer. We thought it better to go with Scotty, who is also an excellent goalie.”

RPI senior captain Curtis Leonard,

“I think we did a great job of controlling the puck and getting the pucks in deep. We did a good job of using our speed and forced turnovers deep. When you do that you tend to frustrate the other team.”

“It makes defense a lot easier when you have the best goaltending in the country. Jason Kasdorf played well in the first and then Scott Diebold played well in the last two periods. We like keeping shots to the outside for them. Making smart and direct plays, makes it easier game.”

“Scotty played well for us last year. Jason is a great goalie and Scott is a great goalie. It is really comforting knowing when one gets hurt the other can go in

What Else You Should Know

Rensselaer’s schedule gets no easier this weekend, as its road trip hits Yost Arena on the Campus of the University of Michigan. RPI has been playing consistent hockey of late and its tough schedule continues. That schedule has payed dividends, and will continue to do so in the second half.

UNH has the weekend off and will next play a home and home against Boston College.

Tuesday, November 25th, 2014 - 11:54 pm | Blogs, ECAC, Hockey East, Notes, Thoughts, Ramblings