TROY -- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute sophomore all-league goaltender Jason Kasdorf will have shoulder surgery in Troy on Wednesday. The Winnipeg native said that many factors were involved in the decision and why it took weeks to ascertain.
One of those is the fact that the shoulder separation problem may continue to recur.
"At least I'll get it over with," Kasdorf said.
He also said he plans to return to RPI for his junior season next year, delaying his professional career. He's a sixth-round draft pick of his hometown Winnipeg Jets.
  Engineers need to win tonight: When the ECAC Hockey schedule came out -- and the Harvard at RPI game was re-scheduled to Oct. 29 -- many RPI backers pointed to the two Harvard games at the outset of the league season and proclaimed it to be an advantage for the Engineers.
They were right.
The Crimson are a young, freshman-laden, rebuilding team. They figure to be better in January than they are now. We all know what happened, of course; RPI didn't win either game -- going over 100 minutes without scoring against two Harvard goalies in a 3-3 tie (blowing a 3-0 lead) and a 2-0 defeat.
When they blew a 3-1 lead in the final two minutes against Cornell on Friday night -- another 3-3 tie -- it was seen by many as an ominous sign. Losing a standings point in a game they had control of for the second time in 11 days almost dictates the Engineers beat Colgate tonight. Losing on the heels of the Cornell collapse could cause long-range problems.
Rensselaer is a veteran team but is still maturing.
They need to assert themselves tonight as they did one week ago when they routed Dartmouth, 7-1, one night after the loss at Harvard.
It should be added, however, that right now, Colgate is a much better team than Dartmouth.