Preview: Union Weekend
RPI looks to retain Capital Skates Trophy and start ECAC play strong
Well, the leaves have turned, the Halloween costumes have been bought, and the non-conference schedule has been shelved for now. That can only mean one thing. It’s time for the Route 7 Rivalry to be renewed and for RPI and Union to open ECAC play again. It is one of my favorite weekends of the year, and it is one that has been favorable to the Engineers, who have held the Capital Skates Trophy since 2018. Throw the records out the window for this one, it will be a dog fight.
Checking in on the Engineers
1. 19’s Back.
That feels good. RPI’s prized player and Nashville Preds property, Sutter Muzzatti, will return to the lineup this weekend per Coach Smith. This is obviously a big deal for a couple reasons. First being, the RPI forward group is very banged up, so just getting another body back to plug into the top 6 will go a long way. Second, Sutter is a physical force and RPI’s best all-around player. I am excited to see what he can do at full health again; he was playing through injuries almost all last season. And finally, I think his game is a great fit with Felix Caron, who has been solid but not unleashed just yet. Adding Muzzatti (and eventually Tonelli) to Caron’s line will give RPI a better top 6 complement to the Hotson-Tinling-Lee line.
2. Most Goals per Game in the Country
It is hard to argue with the offense RPI has put up so far, which is spread throughout the lineup about as much as it can be. That is an encouraging sign for its sustainability, especially given that Sutter Muzzatti and Jordan Tonelli haven’t played yet. I am a little concerned that they didn’t outshoot Canisius or Niagara in either game, so that will be something to keep an eye on.
3. Odds and Ends
I am not ready to panic on RPI’s defense so far, despite giving up 3.42 per game thus far. There have been some real flukey goals including skate deflections, 3v3 goals, and final minute of a blowout type plays. I think they are moving pucks better and turning plays into offense. The powerplay has looked great and the PK has generally been good, especially when you add in the UMass game. Union will obviously be a big test for it though.
Checking in on the Dutchmen
Union is off to a very strong start thus far. They sit at 4-1 with the lone loss coming at powerhouse Boston University. Josh Hauge has done a nice job accumulating talent in Schenectady, headlined by preseason 1st-team All-ECAC defenseman John Prokop. He seems to have connected on a few freshmen as well, namely Ben Muthersbaugh out of Cedar Rapids, who leads the team with 9 points on the young season. Part of what makes this time of year so interesting is that teams have all taken a wildly different approach to their non-conference scheduling. You have the Ivies who haven’t played, years where RPI plays grueling Hockey East Schedules, and years where they roll through Atlantic Hockey. In my eyes, Union’s strong showing at BU says more than their wins over Army, Stonehill, and Mercyhurst. Union is a solid, middle of the pack ECAC team this year, who RPI would benefit from picking up points against. But the point still stands, it is very difficult to make equal the varying non-conference schedules we’ve seen so far when the sample size is so small.
What is a successful weekend?
I want to see a sweep as much as anyone. I hate Union, I want to blow them out on Blackout night at the Field House and then go out of Messa in style with one last win there. It would kickstart this season the way we want it and push away the demons of last year. But, there are other ways in which this weekend will be successful for RPI that don’t require 6 league points.
1. Keep the SOG battle close. The numbers last year indicated that Union was a better possession team and RPI finished more chances. If the scoring chances in both games are close, RPI will be set up well.
2. Earn at least one win. Union should be a solid, middle 4 team this season. A split will keep RPI right on pace with where we would expect them to be.
3. Get better goaltending than Union. I have liked the goaltending tandem so far and think Noah Giesbrecht got a bit unlucky on Saturday night. Chauvette and Watson have squared off a bunch now, and this one could come down to which goalies play better
4. Come out flying. The crowd should be electric on Friday. Go show that this year is different and set the tone right from the jump.
Lineup
If Muzzatti returns, Tinling is out (left game on Saturday), and Sullivan is okay, here is my best guess at RPI’s lines:
*Disclaimer: I have no more knowledge of injury updates than anyone else*
Hotson-Lee Gagnon
McNeil-Muzzatti-Caron
Beaton-Rullers-Tapper
Brackett-Payant-Sullivan
Bergmanis-Smolinski
McDermott-Gilson
Strom-Goffredo
Watson (Friday) – Giesbrecht (Saturday)
I linked a few classics from this rivalry, in case anyone needed any extra motivation. This is one of the best weekends of the year on RPI’s calendar. There are reasons to be excited about both teams this season. Let’s get the Field House jumping on Friday Night and set the tone for the rest of the season. As always, follow the blog and on X with us throughout the weekend. Let’s Go Red.