Preview: RPI vs Princeton
The Tigers visit the Engineers for a Saturday night matchup in Troy
After RPI’s Friday night clash with the reigning National Champions, Princeton will roll into town to take on the Engineers. Princeton has gotten off to a solid start this year, highlighted by wins over Harvard and Cornell. Let’s break down some of the Tigers’ strengths and weaknesses:
Team Preview
Princeton currently sits at 3-4-1 after being swept by Ohio State, but they are 3-2-1 in the league so this is the type of game RPI needs to pick up at home, especially considering Quinnipiac will be a tough matchup Friday. Similar to RPI, their games have been nothing if not exciting, as they average 3.26 goals per game, but are giving up 3.86. Safe to say there should be some fireworks in this one.
Princeton honestly has a similar team setup to RPI. They returned some experience and have the ability to score, but they have absolutely no answer in net so far. 5 guys are tied for the team lead in points and 13 players have 3 points or more, so depth scoring is a major strength for the Tigers.
Ron Fogarty has tried three different guys in net so far, none of whom have had success. Arthur Smith has played the most and had the best results, so I would assume he is the guy RPI will see on Saturday. Smith had two really good years in the NAHL before his time at Princeton and I expect he will settle in as a solid college goaltender.
Key Threats
Sophomore Brendan Gorman (F, #16) is off to a strong start this season at nearly a point per game. He put up 19 points as a freshman and has proven himself as one of Princeton’s top threats.
After two years with the Tri-City Storm, Ian Murphy (F, #12) has become a top producer for Princeton, highlighted by his 29-point campaign last year. He is another one tied for the team lead in points and is probably the #1 threat.
Freshman Kai Daniells (F, #26) was 5th in scoring in the BCHL last year where he was teammates with RPI center Jeremie Payant. He has gotten off to a fast start with the Tigers this year, who seem to have found themselves another strong scoring option.
Finally, senior Adam Robbins (F, #17) has become one of Princeton’s top options in the last few years. He is off to a good start, including a highlight reel goal in overtime to beat Yale.
Summary
Saturday night’s contest with Princeton will be an important game for RPI to pick up as they look to stay on pace in the ECAC. The Tigers were expected to improve this season as Stephen’s model had them picked 4th, so I expect them to get it going as the season goes on. Princeton can score so they really just need the goaltending and defense to come along to contend in the ECAC. This should be a tight one that RPI has a real chance to win if they play their game.