Season Outlook: High Hopes Abound at RPI

The old adage in college athletics states that teams are most successful when they are led by their upperclassmen, in particular their juniors and seniors.  Given that, the hopes are high on the campus of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) for the men’s hockey program as the 2010-11 Engineers feature eight seniors and six juniors among their 17 returners.

Leading the way for fifth-year head coach Seth Appert is forward Chase Polacek, who enjoyed a terrific junior campaign, a talented defensive unit and goalie Allen York, who finished second in the voting for the league’s Ken Dryden Award as the top goaltender in 2009-10.

Polacek, a senior from Edina, Minn., led ECAC Hockey in numerous categories on his way to capturing many prestigious accolades last season, including ECAC Hockey Player of the Year, Hobey Baker Award finalist and National All-America.  In 39 games, the highly-skilled 5-8, 190-pounder who plays with tremendous speed and energy had 26 goals and 26 assists for 52 points.   Twenty-eight of his points came on the power play as he notched 13 goals and 15 assists with the extra skater.  He also had two shorthanded goals and a pair of game-winners.

Polacek, an assistant captain who played at Academy of Holy Angels prior to enrolling at Rensselaer, was a model of consistency, tallying at least one point in 29 games, including 15 contests with multiple points.

At season’s end he ranked first in the league in points, points per game (1.33), power play points and shorthanded points (5).  He was second in goals, power play goals and shorthanded goals and was fifth in assists.  Nationally Polacek, who has 112 points (44 goals, 68 assists) in 116 career games, was third in power play goals, sixth in points per game, eighth in goals per game (0.67) and tenth in shorthanded goals.

Joining him up front are five other seniors, four juniors, three sophomores and three freshmen who will make up for the loss of five departed forwards from a season ago, including two who signed National Hockey League contracts (Jerry D’Amigo with Toronto, Brandon Pirri with Chicago) following their freshmen seasons.

Bryan Brutlag, who is also a senior, Minnesotan (Lakeville), Academy of Holy Angels graduate and assistant captain, had 18 points on seven goals and 11 assists while playing the first half of the year on defense.  He is expected to play this entire season up front, providing quickness and a tenacious fore-check to his offensive game.

Expected to regain his natural scoring touch around the net – while staying healthy – is senior Tyler Helfrich (Calgary, AB/Prince George Spruce Kings), who led RPI in scoring during his freshman year when he had 29 points (9 goals, 20 assists) in 38 games.  He had five goals and 11 assists in 26 contests a season ago and now has 19 goals and 49 assists for 68 points in 97 career games.

Senior Scott Halpern (Boca Raton, FL/Bay State Breakers) is also critical to the Engineers success as he looks to add significantly to his career numbers of seven goals and 13 assists.  Given his outstanding speed, increased strength and added opportunity, Halpern could match the output of his 72 career games during his final season.

Another senior forward who will play a key role is Joel Malchuk (Brandon, MB/Dauphin Kings), an excellent center-man who is strong on face-offs and persistent defensively.  Malchuk, who missed much of his sophomore season due to injury, has five goals and six assists in 65 career games.  Four goals and an assist came last season.  Adding size and athleticism is Kevin Beauregard (South Windsor, CT/Hartford Jr. Wolf Pack), who stands 6-3 and weighs 225 pounds.

The junior forwards compliment the seniors with their various abilities in several areas.  Alex Angers-Goulet (St. Augustin, PQ/Langley Chiefs) has a strong frame and good speed, which help him showcase his offensive attributes and intense defensive awareness.  As a sophomore he had five goals and 13 assists for 18 points in 36 games.  He was penalized only twice all season. 

Patrick Cullen (Washington, DC/Indiana Ice) anticipates a large role in helping making up for the loss of three of the team’s top four scorers from a season ago.  As a freshman he earned ECAC Hockey All-Rookie Team honors after finishing second on the team in both goals (10) and points (34) in 36 games.   Cullen’s numbers slipped to four goals and 10 assists during his sophomore season but increased ice time is available to him and his teammates.

RPI’s other two junior forwards – Josh Rabbani (Woodland Hills, CA/St. Louis Bandits) and Justin Smith (Hammonds Plains, NS/Langley Chiefs) – are hulking players who enjoy initiating contact to gain puck possession.  Rabbani, 5-11, 210 pounds, chipped in with five points (2 goals, 3 assists) last year, while Smith, 6-2, 210 pounds, had an assist in 10 games.

With the departures of D’Amigo and Pirri the sophomore class now features three forwards and they are each good players.  Marty O’Grady (London, ON/Wellington Dukes) is coming off an excellent season in which he showed he can play in all three zones and exhibited leadership qualities.  He suited up in all 39 games, registering nine goals, including four on the power play, with eight assists for 17 points. 

C.J. Lee (Staten Island, NY/Green Bay Gamblers) battled through injury but still showed the type of player he is – a hard-hitting agitator who is difficult to play against.  Greg Burgdoerfer (East Setauket, NY/Des Moines Buccaneers), the twin brother of former Engineers defenseman Erik Burgdoerfer ’10, joins the team after sitting out last season due to NCAA regulations.  A transfer from the Air Force Academy, he brings a physical presence to the rink every practice and every game.  As a freshman in 2008-09, he played 30 games, tallying three goals, three assists and 35 penalty minutes in helping the Falcons to the NCAA Tournament.

The newcomers have tremendous promise in providing scoring, solid two-way play and a physical presence.  Brock Higgs (Kingston, ON/Kingston Voyageurs) is a center who has offensive instincts (56 points in 48 games last season) but he also often finds himself in the corners trying to gain the puck to generate scoring chances for himself and his teammates.

Also coming in as a center is Johnny Rogic (North Vancouver, BC/Alberni Valley Bulldogs), who plays with speed that enables him to excel when either team has the puck.  Rogic came to RPI after playing for former Engineers standout Nolan Graham ‘03, who has since been named an assistant coach at his alma mater.  And to add bulk to the lineup is Matt Tinordi (Severna Park, MD/Olds Grizzlys ), a power forward who plays with a physical edge.

Much like the forwards, RPI’s blueline features players with an array of talents, whether it be stay-at-home, steady leaders; those skilled enough to start the offense with a crisp pass from the defensive zone; or hard-hitting intimidators.

The leader of the defense is second-year captain John Kennedy (Saginaw, MI/St. Louis Bandits), who played all 39 games last season and has 102 career contests.  At 6-0 and a rock solid 205 pounds, the senior regularly plays against the other team’s top players in all defensive situations.

Classmate Jeff Foss (Moorhead, MN/Moorhead High School) is also capable of playing against any foe in any situation, including on the power play.  A draft choice of the Nashville Predators in 2009, Foss had two goals and seven assists to rank second on the team in defensemen scoring.  An assistant captain, he has 24 points (5 goals, 19 assists) in 116 career games, including all 39 a year ago.

RPI’s top returning scorer among the defensemen is junior Mike Bergin (Kanata, ON/Smiths Falls Bears), who had four goals and seven assists in 30 games.  A smooth offensive player, the draft choice of the Dallas Stars is most likely to once again quarterback the top power play for the Engineers.

With the loss of four defensemen to graduation there is ample opportunity for the four newcomers to earn ice time.  Sophomore Nick Bailen (Fredonia, NY/Indiana Ice), a transfer from Bowling Green, has a great deal of offensive talent and should be valuable on the power play as well as helping the Engineers transition from offense to defense.

Freshman Bo Dolan (St. Paul, MN/Penticton Vees) is a mobile, puck-moving blueliner who will compete at every chance he gets.  Classmate Patrick Koudys (Hamilton, ON/Burlington Cougars) comes to Rensselaer as an outstanding talent with a high level of hockey intelligence and impressive size (6-4, 200 pounds).  Highly regarded, Koudys participated in the NHL’s Research, Development and Orientation Camp this summer.  And Guy Leboeuf (West Palm Beach, FL/Cornwall Colts) is another big (6-4, 190), talented player who relishes the physical aspects of hockey.

Backstopping the Engineers are a pair of rangy, athletic goaltenders in York (Wetaskiwin, AB/Canmore Kodiaks), a junior, and Bryce Merriam (Bethel Park, PA/Topeka RoadRunners), a sophomore.   York (6-4, 190 pounds) earned All-ECAC Hockey Second Team recognition by playing in 33 games, including 32 as a starter, in 2009-10.  He had a 14-13-4 record with a 2.54 goals against average and a .910 save percentage.  The Columbus Blue Jackets draft pick was second in the league in goals against average and save percentage and fifth in win percentage.

Merriam (6-3, 200 pounds) played eight games, posting a 4-4-0 record.  He made 158 saves while allowing 22 goals in 404:26 for an .878 save percentage with a 3.26 goals against average.  Jeremy Coupal (Mt-St-Hilaire, PQ/Tilton School), a junior, is in his first season as the team’s third goaltender.

Back behind the bench is Appert, who led RPI to a winning record and home ice in the first round of the ECAC Hockey Playoffs last season.  He is joined by second-year assistant Bryan Vines and Graham, who was hired this summer.  Brad Stoffers is in his first season as a volunteer assistant coach and Kevin Anderson returns for his third year as the hockey operations coordinator.