LEAGUE SCHEDULE BEGINS: After dropping their only game last week to 11th-ranked Michigan, 5-2, Rensselaer opens its ECAC Hockey schedule this weekend against area-rival Union College … The Engineers travel to Schenectady on Friday (7pm), before hosting the Dutchmen at the Houston Filed House on Saturday (7pm).
FOLLOWING THE ACTION: All RPI men’s hockey games can be heard live on WRPI, 91.5 FM, and on the Internet on www.wrpi.org … Home games can also be seen – for free – on RPI TV … The video stream can be found at www.rpitv.org.
RIVALRY WEEK: The Engineers face their Route 7 rivals from Union for the 93rd and 94th time this weekend … The two schools square off in the Mayor’s Cup at the Times Union Center on January 23.
FIRST HOME LOSS: The Engineers fell to 11th-ranked Michigan on Saturday at the Houston Field House … Senior Zach Schroeder and junior Jake Wood each scored goals that brought the Engineers within a goal of the visiting Wolverines, but Michigan was able to create some separation, thanks to Brendan Warren’s second of the game and an empty net tally by Tyler Motte.
TICKETS: Tickets to all Rensselaer home games are available through the Houston Field House box office or by calling 518-276-6262.
POINTS LEADERS: Freshman Evan Tironese has a goal and three assists for a team-high four points … Junior Riley Bourbonnais (3 goals) and sophomore Mike Prapavessis (3 assists) have three points each … Five players have two points, including junior Jake Wood, who has two goals.
BETWEEN THE PIPES: Senior Jason Kasdorf has started all five games this season and is 1-4-0 with a 3.05 goals against average and a .916 save percentage.
ALL-TIME VS. UNION: Rensselaer holds a 48-34-10 lead in the all-time series with Union, which dates back to February 26, 1904 … The Engineers won the inaugural meeting, 6-2, in Albany.
RECENTLY: Union has won 11 of the last 14 meetings, dating back to the 2011-12 season … The Dutchmen won 10 straight before RPI earned a 2-1 win the 2014 Mayor’s Cup at the Times Union Center … Following a three-game winning streak by the Engineers, Union took home last season’s neutral site meeting, 8-3.
CAPITAL SKATES: The Capital Skates was originally awarded to the winner of the Capital Skates Classic – a non-conference game between RPI and Union, which was first played in 1996 … There were five games played under this format, running up until the 2000-01 season, after which it was discontinued … The Engineers won 3 of 5 during that stretch … In 2007-08, the Skates were brought back in a series format and Union promplty took home the first three, before a split in 2010-11 … After three more Dutchmen victories, the Engineers finally won the trophy last season, taking the regular season series with wins of 6-1 and 2-1 in overtime.
2014-15 VS. THE DUTCHMEN: RPI earned a sweep of the regular season series over Union for the first time since 2004-05 … The Engineers opened with a 6-1 win in Troy, which saw Riley Bourbonnais notch a hat trick, while Mark Miller and Drew Melanson each had two assists … Jason Kadorf made 24 saves for the win … The following night in Schenectady, Mark McGowan netted a late third period goal to tie the game at 1-1, and Viktor Liljegren scored the overtime winner for the Engineers … Kasdorf had 34 stops, including 12 in each of the first two periods.
