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Dearborn, Michigan- The Eastern Michigan Eagles were defeated by the #3 Rhode Island Rams on Friday at the East/West Hockey Classic hosted by the University of Michigan-Dearborn by the score of 7-4. The Rhode Island rams showed that they are truly a team to contend with across the nation as they played a physical style of hockey that just made the Eagles look foolish for two periods.

The Eagles came out flying in this game putting up a quick 3 goals on Rhode Island. The Eagles looked extremely sharp as they were making some incredible passes and were really controlling the puck better than I had ever seen them. They looked in sync and looked like they were dominating Rhode Island and Rhode Island didn't seem to know what was hitting them. However, about midway through the period the tide seemed to switch as Rhode Island was starting to assert itself with its physical style of play. Thompson, Mayes and Majszak all scored in the first period and the Eagles were up 3-0 giving the EMU fans a reason to cheer and a reason to think that maybe the Eagles were for real as they were just amazing.

However, in the second period the Eagles looked dead. The Eagles went from a team that was playing extremely physical and flying around the ice and the puck into a team that looked like they were out for exercise and Rhode Island took complete advantage. The 3-0 Eagles lead was cut immediately to 3-1 18 seconds in as Rhode Island seemed to take all of the steam out of the Eagles. Rhode Island continued to control the puck and played aggressively pushing the Eagles into their own zone for large portions of the second period. This led to two more goals and really put the EMU fans into a daze. However, incredibly, almost miraculously the Eagles scored late in the period on a very nice goal by Jones and the Eagles despite being completely outplayed and outshot(20 to 11); were ahead after two periods.

As I was telling my friend next to me, ah the Eagles will make the adjustments necessary and will get out of this lapse. I've seen teams have lapses for a few minutes but considering the way the Eagles started I figured they'd come back in the third flying. Unfortunately, and extremely disappointingly I was WRONG. The Eagles seemed awash when Rhode Island scored the goal 18 seconds in the second period and played dead. Guess what Rhode Island did in the third? You guessed it! Rhode Island tied the game up 24 seconds in to make the game 4-4 and they never looked back as the Eagles struggled consistently just to get out of their own blue line. Players were standing around waiting for things to happen and Rhode Island wasn't going to do that. The Eagles had no real great opportunities to score; except for a Power Play when they were down by 2 with 7:00 left that produced one good chance. The last goal of the game was an empty netter that even a 3 year old could shoot in.

In any sport, you have to play the full 60 minutes to your fullest. If you don't, the other team probably is and will take advantage of it. The Eagles as I said were playing perfect hockey for approximately the first half of the first period as every single pass was crisp and controlled. The Eagles were out skating, out hitting, and outplaying the Rams. Heck, at one moment an EMU player was able to control the puck with THREE Rhode Island Rams players on him and still was able to get off a powerful shot. I was telling my friend that I had never seen the Eagles play this well in a LONG time. I was also thinking that this would be a defining game for the Eagles the way they looked. Then they went into the intermission.

Then the Eagles who looked so sharp turned into a team filled with mistakes. Passes right in front of the net to Rhode Island players; missing checks; going on a breakaway and just giving the puck to the Rhode Island goalie; Rhode Island players taking the fight to the Eagles and the Eagles not fighting back. It sickened me and it probably sickened my friend who I dragged to it.

Don't get me wrong though. Rhode Island is a great team. I wasn't very impressed with their defensive play or their goaltending for large majorities of the game. However, their style was very physical and very aggressive; it reminded me a lot of EMU's own style a couple of years ago except a LOT more physical. Rhode Island and EMU were hitting the hell out of each other the whole game; and you'd think that this might have worn out the Eagles which would of made sense in the third period. I'm impressed.

However, I'm still confused at what the hell happened during the intermission from the first to the second.. The Eagles changed from a championship caliber team into the caliber of my local high school. Dearborn's really brought the best and worst out of the Eagles the past two years in this tournament. However, I did see some really promising signs.. and I think the Eagles will get better... but losing 2 out of 3 at Dearborn heading to Happy Valley is not a good idea.. lol.

This game was really demonstrative of one word, Energy.

I think that sums it up pretty well.

Looking Ahead:

What great timing for a road trip to Penn State. That's all you need to know. :)

GO GREEN!

-Kevin  

C(Some beautiful plays for the goals. The extent of that grade comes in the first period as we really looked sharp; controlling the puck and taking the body out. Everything just began really well.. Then the last two periods; I saw nothing. Rhode Island dominated and prevented the offense from having any part..)

C
Considering we were on the defensive the last two periods and only gave up 7 goals on 40 shots... lol.

  N/A
Almost irrelevant really.

B
Gresham at times looked like Hasek. He was really incredible for moments throughout the game.

A/D(The first 10 minutes was a huge A. The rest of the game was a D; representing the word dead. I still want to know what extinguished the fire of the Eagles after the first ten minutes. If we could play those first ten minutes for an entire game.... we would of beaten Penn State or anyone. If we play the last fifty minutes any more... Colgate could beat us.

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