Team Notes: Engineers Host Holiday Tournament
TROY, N.Y. – The #17 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men’s hockey team hosts the 60th Annual Rensselaer Holiday Tournament this weekend, welcoming three teams to the Houston Field House for games on Friday and Saturday. In addition to the Engineers, the University of Alabama-Huntsville, Bowling Green State University and the University of Connecticut will be a part of the action.
The nation’s oldest holiday tournament begins on Friday at 4pm as Bowling Green and Alabama-Huntsville square-off. The Engineers host Connecticut at 7pm. Saturday’s games will also take place at 4pm and 7pm, with the Engineers playing the late game regardless of Friday's outcomes.
RPI, which is led by fifth-year head coach Seth Appert, is currently 5-3-3 with a 2-2-0 ECAC Hockey mark. The Engineers, who have won their own holiday tournament 16 times, have not claimed the title since 2001 when they defeated Massachusetts, 3-2 in overtime on December 29.
Individually, the Engineers are led by senior forward Chase Polacek (Edina, MN/Academy of Holy Angels), who is top on the team in scoring with five goals and eight assists for 13 points in 11 contests. His two power play goals and short-handed tally are also team-highs.
Senior forward Tyler Helfrich (Calgary, AB/Prince George Spruce Kings) and sophomore defenseman Nick Bailen (Fredonia, NY/Indiana Ice) round out the top three, recording 12 points apiece. Helfrich, who has four goals and a team-high eight assists, has recorded three helpers in each of the last four games. Bailen, who played the 2008-09 season at Bowling Green, also has four goals and eight assists and is second nationally in points per game by a defenseman (1.09). Both have played in all 11 games.
Junior netminder Allen York (Wetaskiwin, AB/Camrose Kodiaks) has backstopped the Engineers in all 11 games this season, posting a 5-3-3 record in that time. He has a 1.78 goals against average, which is sixth-best in the country, with a .931 save percentage. York has helped RPI hold its opponents to just 1.82 goals per game, which is the top-ranked scoring defense in the nation.
Alabama-Huntsville, which is led by first-year head coach Chris Luongo, is currently 1-10-1. The Chargers are playing in their first RPI Holiday Tournament and are guided by sophomore forward Keenan Desmet. He has four goals and four assists for eight points. In goal, freshman Clarke Saunders (1-7-0) has seen the majority of play, owning a 4.29 goals against average and a .875 save percentage.
Bowling Green, under the direction of first-year head coach Chris Bergeron, is making its third appearance in the tournament, having played previously in 1974 and most recently in 1999. The Falcons are led in scoring this season by sophomore forward Jordan Samuels-Thomas, who has three goals and seven assists for 10 points. Sophomore Andrew Hammond (2-5-0; 3.43 GAA; .899 save%) and senior Nick Eno (3-4-0; 3.17 GAA; .889 save%) have split time between the pipes this season.
Also making its first Holiday Tournament is Connecticut (3-4-3; 3-3-1 Atlantic Hockey), which shows freshman forward Cole Schneider at the top of the stat sheet with three goals and six assists for nine points in 10 games. The Huskies, who are led by 23rd-year head coach Bruce Marshall, are backstopped by sophomore Garrett Bartus (3-4-3), who has a 3.51 GAA and a .898 save %.
Information regarding all four games of this year's tournament, including live stats, live webcasts, on-air broadcasts, team line charts and game notes can be found athttp://www.rpiathletics.com/tournament.
