Mankato Recap and 2nd Half Preview

RPI and Minnesota State split the series

The Engineers and the Mavericks of Minnesota State skated to a weekend split at the Field House in what were two highly contested games. I was in town for both games this weekend and was able to do media Friday night, so I will break down what I picked up on each night below.

(Photo: RPI Athletics)

Friday

Friday night’s 4-3 OT victory was undoubtedly RPI’s best game of the season. You can’t even begin to write the story of this game without mentioning the line of Tyler Hotson, Dovar Tinling, and Jakob Lee, each of whom was everywhere in this game. All three guys tallied a Goal and 2 Assists in the contest, with the eventual game winner going to Jake Lee. The line was dominant all night long, and while we do not have the advanced metrics yet, I would reckon the numbers would tell the same story.

Minnesota State struck first blood on the PP, but Tyler Hotson responded on a shift the Engineers could have scored 4 times on. Lauri Sertti tossed one through traffic for his first marker of the year on the PP to make it 2-1 after 2. After a SHG from the Mavericks, Tinling restored the lead on the PP, but Josh Groll sent the game to overtime with a Power Play Goal. After a massive 4-on-3 PK by RPI, Jake Lee scored off the feed from Max Smolinski to send the Engineer faithful home happy.

RPI’s possession was excellent on Friday, and they were able to get pucks to the net, which resulted in them outshooting Mankato. This has not been a frequent theme of the season, so seeing them control play was exciting to see. Another theme of the night was the play of Brett Miller, who made “timely” saves according to Coach Smith. In the absence of Jack Watson, goaltending has been a big problem, but improved play from Miller has given the team a much better chance to win lately. Finally, the resiliency of this group was evident on Friday, headlined by two immediate answers to Minnesota State goals with goals of RPI’s own. The team has struggled quite a bit early on, but anyone watching closely can tell how hard they are playing each night, which should lead to success in the 2^nd half as the schedule lightens up.

Here are the postgame interviews I captured with Sean Martin of the TU:

Dave Smith:

Dovar Tinling:

Jakob Lee:

Saturday

RPI was unable to complete the weekend sweep on Saturday, falling to Minnesota State 4-2 with an empty net goal. The first thing that caught my eye were the line combinations, specifically in the bottom 6. Jack Brackett, Jake Gagnon, and Danny Ciccarello all appeared to suffer injuries in Friday night’s contest, and with Coach Smith stating Nathan Sullivan’s injury on our podcast, the lineup was drained of some of its experience and skill. Not to mention a 4^th consecutive start for Miller, who has seen limited playing time in his college career. This acknowledgement is not to excuse RPI’s below-average performance on Saturday, it is just worth stating that this was not full strength for the team in the slightest.

I walked in a few minutes late Saturday night and was greeted with a Minnesota State goal. Funny how that happens. Sutter Muzzatti took an O-zone penalty which led to a Mankato powerplay, which saw Brett Miller make an initial save but lose the puck, resulting in a wide-open net for Evan Murr. Austin Heidemann tipped home a Max Smolinski shot to tie it at 1, before Adam Eisele potted a rebound in front to make it 2-1 Mavs. Jake Lee tipped home his 2^nd of the weekend, this one on the powerplay to make it 2-2. Early in the 3^rd, Brett Miller mishandled a shot from the blueline to give the Mavericks a 3-2 lead, certainly one Brett would like back. RPI nearly scored with the extra attacker a few times, but a turnover lead to an ENG from Sam Morton, and that was all she wrote.

RPI did not play their best game in the slightest, but it is tough to draw real negative takeaways from this one. First, the injuries up front took away numerous top players that generate offense. Second, none of the MSU goals were Grade-A scoring chances, in fact you could argue that Miller would like the 1^st and the 3^rd back. I would like to see RPI come out with more energy on Saturdays coming off a win, as they are now 0-3 in this situation. But seeing as an at-large bid is not in the picture, this game is not one that I am going to lose sleep over.

What needs to happen for a 2^nd half run:

1.      Get Sutter Muzzatti going:

Muzzatti is ice-cold, with no points in his last 9 games. The team needs Sutter to play to his ability down the stretch to get on a run.

2.      The return of Jack Watson is badly needed:

No disrespect to Carson Cherepak and Brett Miller who have fought hard these last 2 months, but the team is at its best with Jack Watson between the pipes. Watson’s return to full health and form is essential for improved team defense.

3.      Hotson-Tinling-Lee?

Maybe you just had to be there in person, but this line was special on Friday. I hope this line sticks together and develops the chemistry we saw Leppanen-Linden-Lacka with 2 years ago.

4.      Penalty Kill needs to be better

RPI is last in the nation in PK% and 2^nd in PIM per game. Hopefully this improves as league play gets into full swing next month.

There is a lot to evaluate at the midway point of the season, most of which has been a struggle so far. However, the talent is there, as well as the effort, so I really expect to see better results in the 2^nd half. As always, get your RPI Hockey content here, and if you missed it check out our podcast with Coach Smith! Let’s Go Red!