New York Hockey Journal

14 NEW YORK HOCKEY JOURNAL April 2020 Subscribe today at NYHockeyJournal.com/subscribe Even without that carrot, there were some pleasant surprises in Old Nassau in 2019-20, not the least of which was sophomore Jeremie Forget establishing himself as the team's No. 1 netminder. He finished with a 5-10-2 record, a 2.79 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage with one shutout in 19 ap- pearances. He saw action in just six out- ings as a freshman. "He was very patient his first two years for an opportunity," said Fogarty. "He allowed us to be in games longer, and he did a great job." He added that Forget (pronounced for-ZHAY), a native of Quebec, also forced Princeton's other two goalten- ders, junior Ryan Ferland and freshman Aidan Porter, to "battle and get better." Concerning his senior class, Fogarty said it had tied a conference record for most games won by a class after the second Dartmouth playoff contest and could have set a new mark if the season had continued. As sophomores, they were also part of Princeton's 2018 ECAC Hockey championship team that ad- vanced to the NCAA Midwest Regional in Allentown, Pa. "They gave us great experience," said Fogarty. Senior blueliner and team captain Derek Topatigh posted three assists in the two playoff wins over Dartmouth. Jackson Cressey led the team in scor- ing with 22 points in his final collegiate campaign, while Liam Grande finished fourth in points and Topatigh fifth. Also completing their Princeton careers this season were Joey Fallon (West Islip, N.Y.), Jordan Fogarty and Jeremy Ger- main (Hamden, Conn.). The head coach lamented the way things ended for his six seniors, and not just on the ice, as students were banished from all on-campus activities in central New Jersey due to COVID-19, including graduation ceremonies in May. "I feel bad, that they were not able to partake in classes and are missing out on school traditions," said Fogarty. "They've done a great job for four years, and unfortunately they can't experience being students the last two months of their time at Princeton." As for the rest of the spring, Fogarty said that in-person recruiting efforts have been restricted by new NCAA regulations in regards to the coronavi- rus. He said that coaches were working remotely, with exit interviews with play- ers to be accomplished by computer, and with end-of-the-season team awards already having been announced. "It's a different way to close a season," said Fogarty, who will enter his seventh season at the Princeton hockey helm this fall. "We'll make do, and the important thing is that everyone is safe and healthy." ENSSELAER Polytechnic In- stitute men's hockey came back to relevance this year. The Engineers fashioned a 17-15-2 re- cord during the 2019-20 regular season, including a 13-8-1 mark in ECAC Hockey play that was good enough for fourth place in the league, and an accompany- ing first-round playoff bye. It was also their first winning record since 2015-16. Rensselaer was slated to host Har- vard, a first-round winner over St. Law- rence, in a best-of-three ECAC Hockey quarterfinal series on March 13-15. The Crimson, however, soon dropped out of the playoff picture, along with Yale, as the Ivy League dissuaded member com- petition with the migration of the coro- navirus. Rensselaer was then scheduled to play either Colgate or Quinnipiac, un- til ECAC Hockey axed the remainder of its tournament. The NCAA followed suit soon after by nixing the national tournament — and just like that, without even firing a (playoff) shot, the most successful men's hockey season in Troy, N.Y., in four years was over. "Our preparation had everything to do with Harvard, and we used the week off to rest and get our team ready," said Rensselaer head coach Dave Smith. "That Sunday, the school decided on a no-fan policy (at home games)." Smith called that decision a "blow to our psyche," with the Engineers' passion- ate fan base barred from the team's first home playoff contests since 2016 out of COVID-19 concerns. Two days before, he said that more than 100 fans had at- tended an open practice held at historic Houston Field House. From there, Smith related that the speed of events picked up, first with Harvard and then Yale dropping out of the ECACs. The Engineers prepared to face a changing conference opponent, just before the NBA suspended its sea- son after Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz tested positive for the coronavirus. The NHL followed suit with its own suspend- ed season, and then the ECAC Hockey championship was canceled, which ef- fectively ended Rensselaer's season due to its Pairwise Ranking, although the NCAA tournament also was eliminated soon afterward. Smith, who previously coached at Canisius for 12 seasons before coming to Rensselaer in 2017, said that his team had a terrific season, but that things changed once the ECACs were canceled and the coronavirus began to spread. "We felt we had a special season, and we learned a lot about our program and what it takes to win," said Smith. "We'll reflect in the spring, summer and fall, and the effort that was required needs to be remembered." It was a mix of both upperclassmen and rookies who lent their talents and work ethic to Rensselaer improving its on-ice lot this past season. "Mike Gornall played for a national championship team at North Dakota, and Chase Zieky was part of a success- ful culture at Providence," said Smith of the two senior forwards who transferred to Rensselaer and helped the Engineers progress. "Those guys added a lot to the mix." He also praised defenseman Will Reilly, who came back for his final year in Troy, as "really important." Reilly fin- ished one point behind leader Zieky on the team scoring scroll, tallying 22 points in his senior season on the blue line. "He had already been a top penalty killer and shutdown guy," said Smith. Jumping into the fray and providing quality play were freshmen Tristan Ash- brook and Zach Dubinsky. "They gave us important minutes as they grew, and then you really saw our team take off," said Smith. Other freshmen, all of whom played regularly, included Cory Babichuk, Si- mon Kjellberg, Rory Herrman, Mason Klee and Ryan Mahshie. In goal, sophomore Owen Savory fin- ished 13-9-2 (2.06, .932, five shutouts) in 24 games and was one of 10 semifinalists for the Mike Richter Award as the best goaltender in the nation. Along with Reilly, he was also named second team All-ECAC Hockey. Smith also praised his senior class as a whole, for their labors in re-estab- lishing Rensselaer as an upper-echelon ECAC Hockey team. That group also included TJ Samec, Todd Burgess, Jake Marrello, Shane Bear and Patrick Polino. "Their legacy as we got down the stretch was firm, and they helped turn around our culture," said Smith, who only wished that their final season had continued. "We wanted to get to Lake Placid and the NCAAs," he said. "We wanted to play more games, and I thank them for their efforts on and off the ice." Now it's wait and see, concerning life as well as hockey. "We're doing our part to flatten the curve," said Smith regarding COVID-19. That includes video conferencing with incoming, returning and potential play- ers, with all of those interviews being done concurrently. Coaching develop- DIVISION 1 COLLEGES DIVISION 1 COLLEGES Continued from Page 13 R Continued on Page 35 RPI Athletics Sophomore defenseman Kyle Hallbauer (Howell, N.J.) chipped in five assists in 33 games for the Engineers this season.

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