With those bitter memories erased, RPI is set to host its first playoff series since the 2015-16 season and will once again welcome vaccinated and masked fans to Houston Field House for the 7 p.m. BigGreen.

Union College (12-17-4, 9-11-2 ECAC) opens its season opener against Princeton (8-19-2, 7-14-1) at 7 p.m. Friday at Messa Rink.

Linden, the ECAC’s top scorer with 16 goals this season (to go with 16 assists), was named a finalist this week for the league’s top defensive forward award.

“You never know when your next playoff is going to be so that’s something I’m looking forward to, I think we all are, especially for RPI who haven’t had a home playoff for a long time. “, said Linden. “We can’t wait to play in front of our fans again, we’ve already heard from some of them that they were delighted to be in the building, extra motivation and pride to play in front of them.”

RPI (15-20-3, 10-12-0) have beaten Dartmouth (6-20-3, 5-15-2) twice this season, first a 2-0 win on the road in early February and again last Friday with a 6-3 win at home in a game in which RPI edged the Big Green 38-12.

“The familiarity is cool, but we still go through the same routine of watching their last four games. Two of those games we had already played and the last two were against us and Union,” said RPI coach Dave Smith. “For the players, when pre-scouting, we might want to separate out the details a little bit more about where we can play with our strengths.”

RPI received the bulk of its late-season production from its core of senior veterans, including Linden’s scorching line with Ottoville Leppanen and Jakub Lacka, and will seek that leadership once the puck drops on this series.

“It seems like around 80-85% of our targets over the past few weeks have been veterans. They know how to play, they know what the end of the season looks like,” Smith said. “A lot of them share personal stories and experiences about the teams they’ve played in, they’ve had this great feeling. It brings a feeling and an awareness that the end of the season is just around the corner – don’t leave nothing in the tank.” For a man, the entire class of 11 really focused on the importance of our group.

Linden centered the line with Leppanen, second on the team with 24 points and Lacka, who is fourth in points with 21, down the stretch and the trio seem to know where the other teammates are on the ice at all times. . This is demonstrated by the clean passes that created good scoring chances.

“It was a lot of fun. We all see the ice well and read to each other,” Linden said. “We understand where we’re going to be and that chemistry has been built.”

Graduate student Justin Addamo is another who has stepped up his efforts. The 6-foot-6, 250-pound French forward scored twice last week against Dartmouth and has asserted himself well on defense while providing a physical presence on the ice.

“He’s a tough guy to deal with,” Linden said. “He keeps the other team on their toes. He can take the guys wide really well. He’s also been good defensively, blocking shots and canceling plays for the other team.

Sean Martin, a local freelance writer, is a frequent contributor to The Times Union.