How RPI Completed the Upset against a Strong Clarkson Team
RPI become the first 12th seed to advance to the QF since 2011
Let’s face it, we haven’t had many games this season that have been a true joy to watch. There have been a couple highs this season, but they’ve been scattered amongst far too many lows.
Tyler Hotson made sure that wasn’t going to be the case on Saturday, scoring just 40 seconds into the game, capping off a beautiful sequence of build-up play from the Engineers:
And the fun didn’t stop there. RPI controlled the game in the first period. They got a strong forecheck going. They were winning puck battles and completing passes consistently. They were finally able to have good puck possession. It was some of the best hockey the Engineers had played all season.
The game continued in similar fashion throughout the second period and into the beginning of the third. Watson made key saves here and there, and RPI extended their lead with a backdoor tap-in from Beaton and a lovely snipe of a goal from Muzzatti.
Then Clarkson pushed hard in the final 10 minutes of the game. Their season was on the line, and they played like it. They racked up more xG in the final 10 minutes than RPI did in the whole game:
RPI bent but ultimately didn’t buckle. It was absolutely a nervous couple of minutes with the extra attacker on for Clarkson. But with a little bit of luck and a couple of fantastic stops by Watson and the defense, RPI was able to squeak out the 3-2 victory against the Golden Knights and knock them out of the playoffs. (thanks First-Round single-elimination format!).
How Did They Do It?
As Ken Schott pointed out in his story yesterday, RPI became the first 12th seed to advance to the quarterfinals since 2011, when Colgate knocked out RPI in the best-of-three series. Obviously, it’s a lot easier to do now with the new format, but it’s a great result. So, how did RPI pull it off?
I alluded to this earlier, but a key difference in this game was puck possession.
This will be something we’ll break down in a bigger piece once the season ends, but RPI was near dead-last in a lot of the possession metrics that Instat tracks. They didn’t have enough good possessions in the offensive zone this season. They were 62nd in the country in the percentage of their offensive zone possessions that resulted in a shot. And when they didn’t have the puck, they struggled to ever get it back, ranking near the bottom in metrics like takeaways and puck retrievals.
This game was a different story, and it meant that there was much less pressure on the defensemen. They didn’t have to spend most of the game on the backfoot. The more time you have the puck, the less time you have to make defensive errors, to give up penalties, etc.
We saw a strong showing from the top four of Sertti, Agnew, Smolinksi, and Strom. They all were able to really stamp their authority on the game: there was a lot more winning the puck back quickly and transitioning right back to the attack from them than we had seen in previous weeks.
All four played a big role in the penalty kill along with the likes of McNeil, Brackett, Muzzatti, and Gagnon. Clarkson’s powerplay wasn’t converting at a high rate, but neither was RPI’s penalty kill. Going a perfect 4/4 on the day as well as scoring a powerplay goal of your own is critical in these single elimination games.
What’s Next?
It certainly doesn’t get any easier next weekend against Quinnipiac. RPI will need to play at this level again and the margin for error will be even lower. Keep an eye out for a more in depth preview later this week! LGR.