Engineers Just Miss a Good Shot at a Knot

RPI's Rally Falls Short, but Goalie Martin Sharp

By Jon Paul Morosi

Albany Times Union, January 29, 2005

BURLINGTON, Vt. - RPI's leading goal-scorer, junior Kirk MacDonald, had the puck at the point, down a goal, with five seconds left on a hopeful Friday night. He sidestepped a defender, drew back his stick - and whiffed. Then came the horn, eliciting a guttural growl from the sold-out stands, the cruel cacophony of a loss at Gutterson Fieldhouse.

No time, no space, no victory. The Engineers' optimism, built with last weekend's historic North Country sweep, evaporated in the icy Green Mountain air. RPI staged an inspired rally but fell to Vermont, 3-2, before a buoyant crowd of 4,003.

Second-period goals by defensemen Brad Farynuk (9:25) and Scott Romfo (17:19) erased a 2-0 deficit. But their collaboration was spoiled in the final minute of that pivotal period. Romfo took a holding penalty with 53 seconds left. Then the glove of Matt Syroczynski - the Clarkson transfer who has scored three of his four goals against the Engineers - redirected a point shot from Torrey Mitchell, off Andrew Martin's leg, straight at RPI's fragile grip on momentum, with 18 seconds left.

"Ballgame," lamented RPI coach Dan Fridgen.

The Engineers slipped to 11-15-2, 4-10-1 in the ECAC Hockey League. They are 2-6-0 in their past eight games, with eight remaining.

If regular-season hardship makes for postseason success, Friday will be remembered as Andrew Martin Night. The RPI senior was as sensational as his home state of Texas is big. Against lesser goaltending, this was a 6-2 game. UVM coach Kevin Sneddon said Martin (34 saves) was "fantastic," and "player of the game."

He denied Hobey Baker candidate Scott Mifsud from 8 feet away on a third-period power play. After another acrobatic stop that period, Corey shook his head in disbelief.

Fridgen called him "the best player on the ice." MacDonald said "the other 19 of us" would be advised to take after him. A Lone Star, indeed.

Martin has started three straight games for the first time since November. Perhaps the Engineers - who do not own a puck-stopper with a plus-.900 save percentage - can smack a check next to "GOALTENDING" in their how-to-salvage-a-season manual.

Yet, for the sixth time in eight games, an Engineers' forward did not score. A contributing factor: Senior co-captain Nick Economakos, who snapped an eight-game drought with two goals last weekend, spent Friday night at home. He and fellow seniors Blake Pickett and Matt McNeely did not travel for "disciplinary reasons," said Fridgen who would not say what they did.