Offensive outburst powers RPI to 7-4 win over Army – troy record

TROY, NY RPIs Offensive outburst on Saturday was powered by a TJ Walsh hat trick, the first of his college career.

It felt like I was in the right spots and our powerplay was really clicking today, said Walsh. We had some really good looks. We were creating traffic and really wearing them down and I was lucky enough to be in the right spots and get a few good looks.

Walsh and RPI powered their way past Army in a 7-4 win Saturday. Along with Walsh’s three goal, one assist night, Jack Agnew collected three assists and Jake Gagnon, John Evans, Austin Heidemann, and Max Smolinski each scored a goal to help power the Engineers to the win over the Black Knights.

Our emphasis Tonight was shots from the point and have two guys get to the net, said Agnew. Im happy TJ was going towards the net. Im trying to be more involved in the offense this year.

RPI was clicking from the jump and the power play was a big reason why. The Engineers were three for six with the man advantage Saturday, making them five for 18 this year and the best power play in the ECAC, operating at 28 percent.

I thought the most important piece of the powerplay was the response, said Smith. I think our first goal was a powerplay goal. They come back and we end up getting up by just one and then we get a power play goal, power play goal. When you get those and when you capitalize on it I thought it was really important. The guys were really dialed in at those moments.

RPI took a 2-1 lead out of the first period thanks to Walsh’s first goal coming just four minutes into the game on the power play. Army responded with a powerplay goal of their own but RPI’s Gagnon was able to net his own on a far side shot that beat Army goalie Gavin Abric glove side for the lead out of period one. Gagnon was fed by a beautiful pass out of the corner by John Beaton who continued to impress in the first few weeks of the season.

I think we are looking at the net more. Looking for shots with traffic in front, said Walsh on the Offensive change from Friday to Saturday this weekend. RPI scored just one goal Friday night in their win.

“I think we aren’t worrying about getting pretty goals, just greasy goals in front of the net and Bang them home. A goal is a goal at the end of the day so as long as we get them into the back of the net it doesn’t matter how they happen.

In period two, RPI scored two more times, both during five-on-five hockey. John Evans scored his first Collegiate goal five and a half minutes into the period and Walsh scored his second with three minutes left in the period. The period proved to be Sheer dominance for RPI, outshooting Army 10-2 in the period.

In the third, Army mounted their comeback. Two quick goals in the first two and a half minutes quickly made the game 4-3. Army’s Brett Abdelnour scored on RPI’s Jack Watson for Army’s second goal of the night and Jake Felker capitalized on a rebound out at the hash marks that made the game a one goal differential.

I don’t think we were on cruise control. They started on the power play. We are trying some new things. We have a 4-1 lead, said Smith on the Army comeback. We tried something that didn’t work, that’s us, they scored a powerplay goal and got a little momentum. Then, there’s an unfortunate breakdown, and suddenly it’s 4-3.

Smith continued.

I thought our focus was there. I thought our intentional play was there. I don’t think we got off the gas pedal. The other team is trying to do stuff too and Army has a really good powerplay. They move the puck well and they shoot from the right spots.

That was the closest the Army would get to feeling any sort of lead.

Smolinski scored from the point on the powerplay and Walsh completed the hat trick, also on the powerplay, to give RPI the 6-2 lead. Army’s Mike Sacco scored one more goal, which was a good shorthanded opportunity for the Black Knights, to cap off Army’s scoring. Austin Heidemann completed RPIs scoring for the night on the empty net to score his first goal as an Engineer.

We have a really tight locker room and we have very real conversations about how to protect the lead and we aren’t worried about mistakes and what could happen, said Smith. The conversations have been great. The guys are really supportive, which I think is critical.

RPI is 4-0-0 for the first time since 1999. The best start in the Dave Smith Era so far, the Engineers are not counting their chickens before they hatch just yet. RPI travels to take on Smith’s former team, the Canisius Griffins, Tuesday night in Buffalo, before meeting the US National Development U18 team at the Houston Field House next Friday.

Obviously winning four is a big way to start the year, but we have a quick turnaround, said Walsh. We can’t look at this too deep. We have a tough team to play at Canisius and we have to keep that same mentality and energy that we have brought these last two weekends.

Smith was the head coach at Canisius for 12 seasons, leading the Golden Griffins to three straight trips to the Atlantic Hockey Championship weekend, including a Championship in 2013.

We will take tomorrow off. Our guys have been high energy, high effort and it has been great, said Smith. They will practice short and hard Monday and get on the bus and head to Buffalo Monday and get ready to play a team in a city, and a rink, that I know very well. I know I will be very ready and I expect our guys will be ready as well.