Preview: RPI vs Colgate
The Engineers return home for the first time in a month and a half
On Friday, the Engineers return to the Houston Field House for the first time since Thanksgiving weekend to take on the Colgate Raiders.
Previous Matchup
Last time out, RPI and Colgate opened their seasons against each other with an exhibition game on October 1st.
The game was pretty even all around. The shot attempts were 42-38 in favor of Colgate, and the shots on goal were a similarly close 27-24 advantage for Colgate. Those numbers matched how the game felt while watching it.
Colgate was able to get two power play goals and a flukey goal that ping ponged into the net to come away with the win. John Beaton and Nick Strom scored for RPI, and Jack Watson made 23 saves.
Colgate Team Outlook
Colgate has been a bit inconsistent this season with some winning and losing streaks. Lately, they’ve been on an absolute tear though. They have a 4 game streak without a loss with 3 wins and a tie. In their last 9 games, they are 6-2-1 with a big win over Harvard. This will not be an easy matchup with how Colgate has been playing.
Colgate’s defense has been a big strength this season. They are only allowing 2.4 goals per game and have done a really good job keeping shots coming from the perimeter. Offensively, they have not been as strong with 2.8 goals per game, but a lot of that is due to their inconsistency. Colgate is a team that can put up goals in bunches when they get hot, and this shows in their recent hot streak. For ECAC opponents, they scored 8 goals against Yale, 5 against Dartmouth, and 6 against Harvard during this streak. RPI will have to defend hard against a confident Colgate team.
Lastly, Colgate’s special teams have been pretty good with the power play at 20.9% and the penalty kill at 84.0%. The power play helped them win the exhibition game against the Engineers, so staying out of the box and killing the (hopefully) few opportunities that Colgate gets will be key in this game.
Biggest Threats
Alex Young (#21, RW) is Colgate’s best player and a dynamic forward. The San Jose Sharks draft pick has 21 points in 20 games to lead the team. His 12 goals also lead the team. He has been particularly lethal on the power play as 8/12 of his goals have come with the man advantage. Young’s offense makes him a threat every time he steps on the ice.
Nick Anderson (#27, D) is Colgate’s best defenseman. He’s an offensive defenseman and has 13 points in 20 games to show for it. However, his defense has improved this season, which has helped him take his game up a notch. His +8 rating leads the team’s blue line. Expect Anderson to play a lot of minutes in a key ECAC matchup.
Last, but not least, Carter Gylander (#37, G) has finally taken the leap that everyone thought he was capable of with his play this season. He clearly had the talent, but his freshman and sophomore years, the results were not there. This season, he has broken out with a 0.923 SV%, which is tied for 9th in the country. He has been a big part of Colgate’s defensive success and has allowed them to play with confidence.