Preview: RPI at/vs Union
The Route 7 Rivalry is renewed this weekend
The Capital Skates Trophy is once again back on the line this weekend. RPI and Union will meet Friday night at Messa Rink in Schenectady and Saturday at the Houston Field House, this time with league points on the line. Let’s jump into it:
Matchup Outlook:
The Engineers and Garnet Chargers skated to a 2-2 tie in an exhibition about a month ago, but since then the two teams have challenged themselves with difficult non-conference schedules. Union has fared a bit better, currently sitting 2-3 with a win over Army, a sweep at the hands of Colorado College, and a split at home against UConn. It is worth noting that their underlying numbers aren’t bad, and most of the difficulties have come in net. We all know the start RPI has gotten off to, but let’s have some patience here. They have played arguably the toughest schedule in the country all on the road, without a top scorer in Jakob Lee. I expect the week off and the rivalry series will have the team ready for two hard-fought games this weekend. Speaking of the rivalry, Union was the one with the last laugh a year ago. After RPI won at home on Friday, Union proceeded to beat the Engineers 6-0 in Schenectady, then again by the same score in the Mayor’s Cup. Union seems to be on an upward trajectory as Josh Hauge sets his roots here, which is good to see because these two programs haven’t both been good at the same time in nearly a decade. This rivalry has certainly had its share of moments, so leave the records at the door when these two squads get together.
Union Key Players:
Sophomore defenseman John Prokop (D, #21) is the leader of Union’s defense and is currently on a point-per-game pace this season. He leads Union’s regulars in Corsi-for at 54% along with his D partner Cal Mell. It will be important for the Engineers to keep this pair in check throughout the weekend.
Former Lake State Laker Josh Nixon (RW, #15) is off to a solid start this year with 5 points on the young season. He has been on the top line and will be one to keep an eye on.
Fellow sophomore Nate Hanley (C, #24) centers that top line with Nixon, and he is another sitting on 5 points so far. Union is still fairly thin up front, so this line should be a priority for RPI to keep off the scoresheet.
Kyle Chauvette (G, #36) has seen the bulk of the work in net early in his sophomore year after the departure of Connor Murphy. The numbers aren’t great for Chauvette, but he did set a program record for saves in a game against UConn a few weeks ago. I expect he will get the nod both nights this weekend.
Keys to the Weekend:
1. Whose goaltending shows up?
I find it difficult to believe that either team is particularly happy with their goaltending so far, as a matter-of-fact Dave Smith spoke on the radio this week about the goaltending competition at RPI. I mentioned the struggles Chauvette has had so far, so I expect that goaltending could go a long way to deciding the games this weekend.
2. Will RPI’s non-conference strategy pay off in ECAC play?
Following the program’s return from COVID last year, Coach Smith opted for a lighter non-conference schedule heavy on home games. This year, he opted to challenge his experienced team with a difficult road schedule to begin the season. This weekend will be our first taste of league play to see if the difficult non-conference schedule has the team a bit more ready to go than they were last year.
3. Has either team’s powerplay improved?
RPI and Union are off to really poor starts on the man-advantage this season, at 5.9% and 9.1% respectively. Both teams have played a strong schedule which hasn’t lent itself to a lot of offense, but both groups need to see improvement to achieve what they want to this season. Like the goaltending, special teams will be a big factor to keep an eye on this weekend.
The start of ECAC play is always an exciting time of the year, especially after an extended non-conference road trip. I expect a presumably healthier RPI team to play with a high sense of urgency, looking to avenge the two ugly losses Union handed them this season. It should be a great weekend of hockey, let’s go red!