Terriers Drop Hockey Opener To RPI, 5-4
October 15, 2000 | Men's Ice Hockey
The Terrier hockey team displayed some offense but not enough defense on Oct. 14 as it lost its season opener to Rensselaer, 5-4, in front of a sellout crowd of 3,806 at Walter Brown Arena.
It marked the first loss the Terriers have suffered at home since March 5, 1999 when they ended their regular-season with a 3-2 loss to Boston College. A year ago, en route to an overall record of 25-10-7, the Terriers finished with a 14-0-3 record at home. What's more, it was the first time since the 1996-97 season that the Terriers dropped their home opener.
"We just didn't play well tonight," said head coach Jack Parker, whose team is now 10-2 in its last 12 season openers. Ironically, both losses have been to RPI, as the Engineers skated to a 4-3 overtime win on October 17, 1998.
"We were tentative, and we made bad decisions with the puck," continued the coach. "We didn't cover up anyone in front of our goal. We gave up five goals in our building, and they were all goals that were scored in front. We are not going to win many games that way.
"Their defense played well in front of their goalie, and our guys didn't do the same in front of our goalie," said Parker.
On a very positive note, the Terriers showed some fight when they came back from a 4-2 deficit to score two goals within a span of 1:11 of the third period to tie the game, 4-4.
However, RPI's Mark Cavosie scored the third of his three-goal hat trick at 17:20 of the third period, and the Engineers managed to hold on for the win.
"We didn't die," Parker said of his team's comeback. "We didn't fold, and we didn't wilt. But, we didn't play hard.
"Our defense was back on its heels," said the coach. "We were tentative on defense, and we didn't have any tenacity. We just couldn't handle their forwards.
"I said at the beginning of the season that the strength of our team will be the defense, and I still feel that way," Parker went on."
With the exception of that late rally in the third period, the Terriers trailed throughout.
Cavosie, a sophomore who scored 12 goals in 33 games as a freshman last year, opened the scoring with a power play goal at 4:37 of the first period. He then came back with his second goal of the evening at 11:16 of the period, while his team was skating a man-down.
Before the period was over, sophomore Brian Collins (Shrewsbury) pulled the Terriers back to within a goal as he scored with just 22 seconds to play. The assists went to senior Keith Emery (Belmont) and junior Chris Dyment (Reading).
RPI's Scott Basiuk and Terrier junior Dan Cavanaugh (Springfield) exchanged goals in the second period. Cavanaugh, who scored at 17:34, got assists from Collins and junior Jack Baker (South Boston).
It appeared the score would remain 3-2 at the end of two periods when Matt Murley scored on a breakaway with just one second to play in the period, as RPI headed into the lockerroom with a 4-2 lead.
"When you lose by one goal, every goal is a back breaker," Parker said after the game.
The Terriers mounted their third-period comeback when sophomore John Cronin (Duxbury) took a shot from the right point that beat RPI goalie Nathan Marsters to the upper left corner of the goal. It was a power play goal with the assists going to Cavanaugh and Collins
Then, just 1:11 later, junior Mike Pandolfo (Burlington) slipped the puck past Marsters. Pandolfo received a nifty pass from senior Carl Corazzini (Framingham), while sophomore John Sabo (Harding Township, NJ) also had an assist.
The two quick goals tied the game and seemed to give momentum back to the Terriers.
That all ended when Cavosie finished off his hat trick.
