Box Score

TROY, N.Y. – On the strength of four power-play goals, including two by senior Oren Eizenman (Toronto, ON/Wexford), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) defeated Merrimack College, 4-1, in a Division I non-league men’s hockey team game in front of a crowd of 2,757 at the Houston Field House.

The homestanding Engineers, the 18th-ranked team in the nation, broke out in front with a pair of power play goals within 36 seconds early in the first period. Eizenman scored from the right post with RPI enjoying a 5-on-3 advantage at 2:16 and junior Jake Morissette (Fruitvale, BC/Williams Lake) capitalized on a 5-on-4 at 2:52. Eizenman’s goal was set up by Paul Kerins (Weston, ON/North York) and Jake Luthi (Palmer, AK/Sioux Falls) while Morissette’s marker, which came from the center of the blueline, was assisted by Matt Angers-Goulet (St. Augustin, PQ/Notre Dame) and Jonathan Ornelas (Mississauga, ON/Milton).

The Engineers went up 3-1 with another power-play goal in the second period. Eizenman fed Angers-Goulet with a pass across the crease which Angers-Goulet put right into the net. This was followed by Merrimack’s lone goal as Matt Byrnes (Lincoln, RI/Boston) won a face-off to Jordan Hart (Huntington, NY/Cedar Rapids), who took a point shot that skipped past Engineers goaltender Jordan Alford (Red Deer, AB/Canmore).

The Engineers made the score 4-1 with their fourth power-play goal of the game in the third period. Eizenman scored his second of the game with a point shot that was set up by Luthi and Seth Klerer (Thornhill, ON/North York).

The Engineers finished the game 4-for-9 on the power play while the Warriors were 0-for-8. Alford (3-0-1) made 24 saves in the win while Patrick Watson (Waltham, MA/Indianapolis) (0-2-0) made 21 saves in the loss.

Eizenman finished with two goals and an assist, Morissette had a goal and an assist, and Luthi had two assists.

The Warriors (1-7-1) travel to Vermont next Saturday in a Hockey East contest while the Engineers (4-1-3) host Sacred Heart in a non-conference game on Friday evening at 7pm.