2021–22 RPI Engineers men's ice hockey season
The 2021-22 RPI Engineers Men's ice hockey season was the 102nd season of play for the program and the 60th season in the ECAC Hockey conference. The Engineers represented Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and played their home games at Houston Field House , and were coached by Dave Smith , in his 4th season.
Season
Rensselaer returned to the ice after losing all of last season to the COVID-19 pandemic . The team began the year with a decent start, albeit against fairly weak competition. But looked to be in good standing after taking down Clarkson in early November. However, the following week, the Engineers were embarrassed by Cornell 3–11, the program's worst loss in decades.[ 1] Afterwards, the defense recovered but the team was soon beset by a lack of offense over a several week span. RPI ended their first half with a 2–6 run with the only saving grace being that five of those losses were to non-conference teams.
After returning from the winter break, Rensselaer was forced to postpone or cancel several games in early January due to an increase in positive COVID-19 tests. When they did began playing games, the team also found itself in need of a new starting goaltender as presumptive primary netminder, Linden Marshall, had not performed well enough to retain the job. Newcomer Jack Watson was a bit inconsistent in his early appearances, but he possessed a higher ceiling than Marshall and Dave Smith eventually settled on the freshman as the starter. The offense also saw a steady improvement after returning to action but remained hot and cold for the remainder of the regular season. RPI would regularly follow stunning victories with confounding losses and ended the year just under .500. However, with a 6th-place finish, they did at least receive a home site for the first round of the conference tournament.
Despite having Marshall in net for the regular season finale, Watson led the Engineers into the postseason. Despite vastly outshooting Dartmouth in the opening match, RPI fell 2–3. The offense continued to pressure the Big Green net in the next two games and took advantage of several power play opportunities, riding their special team to consecutive wins and advancing to the quarterfinals. Rensselaer took control of the first game when they gained a 3–0 lead early in the third period. Watson kept Harvard off of the scoresheet despite a barrage of shots but, after the Crimson pulled their goaltender, the tide began to turn. RPI was swarmed over by Harvard and surrendered 3 goals in the final 4 minutes, all with the aide of an extra attacker. The momentum remained with their opponents and the Engineers allowed the winning goal just 2 minutes into overtime.
The second game did not have quite as much drama but it still saw Harvard tying the game late and force overtime once more. Watson was again called upon to stop a multitude of Crimson shots but this time he held his ground in the extra frame and sent the match into a second overtime. John Beaton saved the Engineer's season with the winner and set up a deciding third game. Watson was up to the task, holding Harvard to 2 goals, but the offense was not. RPI was stymied by the Crimson defense and the team fell 1–3.
Departures
Recruiting
Roster
As of August 19, 2021.[ 2]
No.
S/P/C
Player
Class
Pos
Height
Weight
DoB
Hometown
Previous team
NHL rights
1
Linden Marshall
Graduate
G
6' 3" (1.91 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
1998-07-21
Victoria, British Columbia
Trail (BCHL )
—
2
Simon Kjellberg
Junior
D
6' 3" (1.91 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
2000-02-17
Nashville, Tennessee
Dubuque (USHL )
NYR , 163rd overall 2018
3
Lauri Sertti
Sophomore
D
6' 1" (1.85 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
1999-07-11
Espoo, Finland
Amarillo (NAHL )
—
4
Mason Klee
Junior
D
6' 2" (1.88 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
1999-10-04
Morrison, Colorado
Sioux Falls (USHL )
—
5
Anthony Baxter
Graduate
D
6' 0" (1.83 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1997-11-26
Oakville, Ontario
UMass Lowell (HEA )
—
6
Jack Agnew
Sophomore
D
5' 11" (1.8 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
2001-10-22
Oakville, Ontario
Boston College (HEA )
—
7
Nick Bowman
Senior
F
6' 0" (1.83 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
1997-12-19
Shelby, Michigan
Coulee Region (NAHL )
—
8
James McIsaac
Sophomore
F
5' 10" (1.78 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
1999-04-29
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Brooks (AJHL )
—
9
Reid Leibold
Freshman
F
5' 10" (1.78 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
2001-10-23
Ashburn, Virginia
Maryland (NAHL )
—
10
Dylan Davies
Sophomore
D
6' 3" (1.91 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
2001-02-09
Traverse City, Michigan
Sioux Falls (USHL )
—
11
Ottoville Leppänen
Senior
F
5' 10" (1.78 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1998-06-18
Espoo, Finland
Blues U20 (Nuorten SM-liiga )
—
13
T. J. Walsh
Junior
F
5' 9" (1.75 m)
165 lb (75 kg)
2000-04-29
Shrewsbury, Massachusetts
Northeastern (HEA )
—
14
Zach Dubinsky
Junior
F
5' 8" (1.73 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
2000-03-14
Highland Park, Illinois
Omaha (USHL )
—
15
Altti Nykänen
Sophomore
F
6' 3" (1.91 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
2001-09-26
Vihti, Finland
Bishop's College (CISAA )
—
16
Rory Herrman
Junior
F
6' 0" (1.83 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
1999-03-16
Poway, California
Fargo (USHL )
—
17
John Beaton
Sophomore
F
6' 1" (1.85 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
2000-10-30
Stittsville, Ontario
Youngstown (USHL )
—
18
Jakob Lee
Sophomore
F
6' 0" (1.83 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1999-02-12
Owen Sound, Ontario
Merrimack (HEA )
—
19
Ture Linden
Senior
F
6' 0" (1.83 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
1997-07-06
Great Falls, Virginia
Lone Star (NAHL )
—
20
Henri Schreifels
Freshman
F
6' 1" (1.85 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
2000-07-01
Newbury Park, California
Victoria (BCHL )
—
21
Louie Helsen
Junior
D
6' 2" (1.88 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
1998-06-08
Dallas, Texas
Amarillo (NAHL )
—
23
Jake Johnson
Senior
D
6' 0" (1.83 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1998-08-13
Bloomington, Minnesota
Cedar Rapids (USHL )
—
24
Jack Brackett
Sophomore
F
5' 10" (1.78 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
2000-12-31
Manassas, Virginia
Maryland (NAHL )
—
25
Ryan Mahshie
Junior
F
6' 3" (1.91 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
1999-04-05
Stoney Creek, Ontario
Brooks (AJHL )
—
26
Shane Sellar
Graduate
F
6' 3" (1.91 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
1997-06-14
Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Dartmouth (ECAC )
—
27
Jake Gagnon
Sophomore
F
5' 10" (1.78 m)
170 lb (77 kg)
1999-11-04
Pointe-Claire, Quebec
Wellington (OJHL )
—
28
Kyle Hallbauer
Senior
D
5' 11" (1.8 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
1997-03-02
Howell, New Jersey
Lone Star (NAHL )
—
30
Brett Miller
Sophomore
G
6' 0" (1.83 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1999-04-26
Northville, Michigan
Austin (NAHL )
—
34
Jack Watson
Freshman
G
6' 3" (1.91 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
2000-03-14
Toronto, Ontario
Coquitlam (BCHL )
—
39
Jakub Lacka
Senior
F
6' 0" (1.83 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
1998-11-20
Bratislava, Slovakia
Central Illinois (USHL )
—
Standings
Conference record
Overall record
GP
W
L
T
OTW
OTL
3/SW
PTS
GF
GA
GP
W
L
T
GF
GA
#8 Quinnipiac †
22
17
4
1
0
1
1
54
71
14
42
32
7
3
139
53
#17 Clarkson
22
14
4
4
0
2
3
51
86
47
37
21
10
6
123
85
#15 Harvard *
22
14
6
2
0
0
2
46
69
46
35
21
11
3
116
82
Cornell
22
12
6
4
2
1
0
39
73
47
32
18
10
4
100
72
Colgate
22
9
9
4
1
0
3
33
55
57
40
18
18
4
111
112
Rensselaer
22
10
12
0
0
0
0
30
58
63
44
18
23
3
114
119
Union
22
9
11
2
3
1
0
27
52
66
37
14
19
4
89
110
St. Lawrence
22
7
10
5
2
0
2
26
44
60
37
11
19
7
72
110
Brown
22
6
12
4
0
1
2
25
36
61
31
7
20
4
50
100
Princeton
22
7
14
1
0
1
0
23
54
89
31
8
21
2
70
122
Yale
22
7
14
1
3
1
1
21
38
60
30
8
21
1
55
90
Dartmouth
22
5
15
2
0
3
1
21
45
71
32
7
22
3
69
110
Championship : March 19, 2022 † indicates conference regular season champion (Cleary Cup ) * indicates conference tournament champion (Whitelaw Cup ) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll
Schedule and results
Date
Time
Opponent#
Rank#
Site
TV
Decision
Result
Attendance
Record
Exhibition
October 2
4:00 PM
at Union *
Achilles Rink • Schenectady , New York (Exhibition)
W 5–2
0
Regular Season
October 8
7:00 PM
Bowling Green *
Houston Field House • Troy , New York
Marshall
T 2–2 OT
484
0–0–1
October 9
7:00 PM
Bowling Green *
Houston Field House • Troy , New York
Marshall
L 2–3 OT
361
0–1–1
October 15
7:00 PM
Canisius *
Houston Field House • Troy , New York
Marshall
W 7–3
370
1–1–1
October 16
7:00 PM
Canisius *
Houston Field House • Troy , New York
Watson
L 2–3 OT
304
1–2–1
October 23
7:00 PM
at Vermont *
Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington , Vermont
Marshall
W 2–1
2,882
2–2–1
October 29
7:00 PM
at Union
Achilles Rink • Schenectady , New York
Marshall
W 4–2
1,738
3–2–1 (1–0–0)
October 30
7:00 PM
Union
Houston Field House • Troy , New York
Marshall
W 3–0
693
4–2–1 (2–0–0)
November 5
7:00 PM
St. Lawrence
Houston Field House • Troy , New York
Marshall
L 3–4
344
4–3–1 (2–1–0)
November 6
7:00 PM
Clarkson
Houston Field House • Troy , New York
Marshall
W 3–1
261
5–3–1 (3–1–0)
November 12
7:00 PM
at Colgate
Class of 1965 Arena • Hamilton , New York
Marshall
L 2–5
350
5–4–1 (3–2–0)
November 13
7:00 PM
at #13 Cornell
Lynah Rink • Ithaca , New York
Marshall
L 3–11
2,322
5–5–1 (3–3–0)
November 19
7:00 PM
Long Island *
Houston Field House • Troy , New York
Marshall
W 7–2
404
6–5–1
November 20
8:00 PM
at Long Island *
Northwell Health Ice Center • East Meadow , New York
Marshall
T 2–2 OT
137
6–5–2
November 26
7:00 PM
#16 Northeastern *
Houston Field House • Troy , New York
Marshall
L 1–2
32
6–6–2
November 28
3:00 PM
at #16 Northeastern *
Matthews Arena • Boston , Massachusetts
NESN
Marshall
L 1–2
1,387
6–7–2
December 3
7:00 PM
#4 Quinnipiac
Houston Field House • Troy , New York
Marshall
L 0–2
252
6–8–2 (3–4–0)
December 4
7:00 PM
Princeton
Houston Field House • Troy , New York
Marshall
W 4–1
297
7–8–2 (4–4–0)
December 10
11:07 PM
at Alaska *
Carlson Center • Fairbanks , Alaska
Marshall
W 4–1
1,134
8–8–2
December 11
11:07 PM
at Alaska *
Carlson Center • Fairbanks , Alaska
Marshall
L 0–4
1,325
8–9–2
December 14
11:07 PM
at Alaska *
Carlson Center • Fairbanks , Alaska
Marshall
L 2–3
1,033
8–10–2
December 15
11:07 PM
at Alaska *
Carlson Center • Fairbanks , Alaska
Marshall
L 1–4
1,205
8–11–2
December 30
2:00 PM
Vermont *
Houston Field House • Troy , New York
Watson
W 3–2
2,195
9–11–2
January 2
2:05 PM
at Army *
Tate Rink • West Point , New York
Marshall
T 3–3 OT
1,712
9–11–3
January 16
7:00 PM
at Clarkson
Cheel Arena • Potsdam , New York
Miller
L 0–5
2,069
9–12–3 (4–5–0)
January 17
7:00 PM
at St. Lawrence
Appleton Arena • Canton , New York
Watson
W 4–0
412
10–12–3 (5–5–0)
January 21
7:00 PM
Yale
Houston Field House • Troy , New York
Watson
L 3–5
0
10–13–3 (5–6–0)
January 22
7:00 PM
Brown
Houston Field House • Troy , New York
Marshall
L 2–3
0
10–14–3 (5–7–0)
January 25
7:00 PM
at Harvard
Bright-Landry Hockey Center • Boston , Massachusetts
Watson
W 2–0
781
11–14–3 (6–7–0)
January 29
2:00 PM
vs. Union *
Times Union Center • Albany , New York (Mayor's Cup)
Watson
L 0–2
4,222
11–15–3
February 1
7:00 PM
at Dartmouth
Thompson Arena • Hanover , New Hampshire
Watson
W 2–0
101
12–15–3 (7–7–0)
February 4
7:00 PM
at Princeton
Hobey Baker Memorial Rink • Princeton , New Jersey
Watson
L 2–3
1,141
12–16–3 (7–8–0)
February 5
7:00 PM
at #2 Quinnipiac
People's United Center • Hamden , Connecticut
Marshall
L 0–1
0
12–17–3 (7–9–0)
February 11
7:00 PM
#16 Cornell
Houston Field House • Troy , New York
Watson
W 6–2
200
13–17–3 (8–9–0)
February 12
7:00 PM
Colgate
Houston Field House • Troy , New York
Watson
L 2–3
430
13–18–3 (8–10–0)
February 18
7:00 PM
at Brown
Meehan Auditorium • Providence , Rhode Island
Watson
W 4–2
291
14–18–3 (9–10–0)
February 19
7:00 PM
at Yale
Ingalls Rink • New Haven , Connecticut
Watson
L 2–5
984
14–19–3 (9–11–0)
February 25
7:00 PM
Dartmouth
Houston Field House • Troy , New York
Marshall
W 6–3
200
15–19–3 (10–11–0)
February 26
7:00 PM
Harvard
Houston Field House • Troy , New York
Marshall
L 1–5
478
15–20–3 (10–12–0)
ECAC Hockey Tournament
March 4
7:00 PM
Dartmouth *
Houston Field House • Troy, New York (First Round game 1)
Watson
L 2–3
800
15–21–3
March 5
7:00 PM
Dartmouth *
Houston Field House • Troy, New York (First Round game 2)
Watson
W 3–2
851
16–21–3
March 6
7:00 PM
Dartmouth *
Houston Field House • Troy, New York (First Round game 3)
Watson
W 5–3
579
17–21–3
Rensselaer Won Series 2–1
March 11
7:00 PM
at Harvard *
Bright-Landry Hockey Center • Boston , Massachusetts (Quarterfinal game 1)
Watson
L 3–4 OT
778
17–22–3
March 12
7:00 PM
at Harvard *
Bright-Landry Hockey Center • Boston , Massachusetts (Quarterfinal game 2)
Watson
W 4–3 2OT
765
18–22–3
March 13
4:00 PM
at Harvard *
Bright-Landry Hockey Center • Boston , Massachusetts (Quarterfinal game 3)
Watson
L 1–3
477
18–23–3
Rensselaer Lost Series 1–2
*Non-conference game. # Rankings from USCHO.com Poll . All times are in Eastern Time . Source:[ 3]
Scoring statistics
Name
Position
Games
Goals
Assists
Points
PIM
Ture Linden
F
44
20
19
39
10
Ottoville Leppänen
F
42
9
21
30
31
Simon Kjellberg
D
43
8
19
27
16
Jakub Lacka
LW
42
8
17
25
16
Zach Dubinsky
F
44
10
10
20
24
Ryan Mahshie
D
38
7
13
20
4
Justin Addamo
RW
42
14
5
19
43
T. J. Walsh
LW
36
4
15
19
4
Jake Johnson
D
40
2
14
16
26
Anthony Baxter
D
41
2
13
15
40
John Beaton
C
41
4
9
13
8
Shane Sellar
F
39
7
5
12
10
Lauri Sertti
D
40
2
6
8
59
Jakob Lee
C
27
4
3
7
25
Kyle Hallbauer
D
39
2
5
7
25
Robert Herrman
F
33
3
3
6
6
Jack Brackett
F
26
2
3
5
6
Mason Klee
D
36
2
3
5
14
Jack Agnew
D
41
1
4
5
8
James McIsaac
C /RW
11
1
1
2
0
Jake Gagnon
F
20
1
1
2
0
Dylan Davies
D /F
8
0
2
2
6
Reid Leibold
F
6
1
0
1
6
Nick Bowman
F
22
0
1
1
8
Altti Nykänen
F
2
0
0
0
0
Brett Miller
G
6
0
0
0
0
Louis Helsen
D
9
0
0
0
0
Henri Schreifels
F
18
0
0
0
0
Jack Watson
G
22
0
0
0
0
Linden Marshall
G
26
0
0
0
0
Bench
-
-
-
-
-
0
Total
114
190
304
397
[ 4]
Goaltending statistics
Name
Games
Minutes
Wins
Losses
Ties
Goals Against
Saves
Shut Outs
SV %
GAA
Jack Watson
22
1103
9
9
0
44
519
3
.922
2.29
Linden Marshall
26
1491
9
13
3
63
535
1
.895
2.53
Brett Miller
6
62
0
1
0
5
35
0
.875
4.79
Empty Net
-
23
-
-
-
5
-
-
-
-
Total
44
2684
18
23
3
119
1089
4
.901
2.66
Rankings
Poll
Week
Pre
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25 (Final)
USCHO.com
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
-
NR
USA Today
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
Note: USCHO did not release a poll in week 24. [ 5]
Awards and honors
References