Preview: RPI at St. Lawrence
RPI finishes off the North Country trip in Canton
After a Friday night clash with the Golden Knights, RPI will travel to Canton to play the St. Lawrence University Skating Saints. Let’s take a look at the matchup:
St. Lawrence Team Outlook
RPI and St. Lawrence split the series last year, with the Saints winning in Appleton, and RPI winning at home on a Sutter Muzzatti overtime goal. St. Lawrence’s roster is largely unchanged from last year’s team which earned a top-4 seed, but they are off to a slow start this season. SLU is currently 2-5-1, with their lone wins coming over RIT and Ferris State. They have held their own in the non-conference slate, but their matchups against strong programs show that they are simply a tier below skill wise. They haven’t found the net much so far, averaging just 2.21 goals per game, but perhaps they are due for some positive regression here with an xG of 3. The Saints graduated long-time netminder Emil Zetterquist and it seems like they have replaced him with Arizona State transfer Ben Kraws. Kraws has been pretty good this year with a .914 SV%, outperforming their xGA of 3.1 by a good bit.
Candidly speaking, St. Lawrence is the epitome of average. Their expected goal numbers are nearly even, their Corsi is 50%, and they were picked right in the middle of the league. Head Coach Brent Brekke has done a nice job pulling this program back up to their standards, but they likely won’t be the same test that Clarkson is. Especially if Clarkson is expected to be rested after their week off, this is the type of team RPI needs to perform against to get where they want to be.
Biggest Threats
Luc Salem (#7, D) has been a major contributor for the Saints over the course of his career, headlined by his 27-point campaign last year. He is off to a slow start this year with just 2 points, but I wouldn’t read much into this, he is still one of their main pieces.
Edmonton Oilers draft pick Tomas Mazura (#10,F) came over from Providence last year after a huge career at Kimball Union, which is the same place RPI Recruit Jackson Kyrkostas played. He seems to be putting it all together this year, producing at nearly a point per game. He will be one to watch up front for the Engineers.
Veteran Cameron Buhl (#21, F) centers the top line for SLU, and is amongst their biggest forward threats. St. Lawrence uses depth to score as opposed to high-end talent, but Buhl has been one of their main point-getters the last few years.
Matchup Preview
St. Lawrence head coach Brent Brekke came over from Clarkson, and he has brought the traditional systems of the Golden Knights over with him. SLU plays heavy, tough, and relies on their depth and goaltending to succeed. The dreaded North Country trip hasn’t brought RPI a lot of success in the past, but if there is ever a time to start a streak it is now. RPI currently sits 1-5 with a strong Northeastern team waiting for them next, so some momentum would go a really long way for this group right now. I think St. Lawrence is a beatable team, and I am expecting the Engineers to edge out a one goal victory on the road, Saturday night at Appleton. As always, feel free to reach out to us online, we will be tuned in all weekend. Let’s go red!