Box Score / ECACHL Standings

PRINCETON, N.J. - Senior defenseman Keith MCWilliams (Valencia, CA/Omaha Lancers) had a goal and two assists to lead the Rensselaer men's hockey team to a come-from-behind 4-4 tie at Princeton.  The Engineers, who trailed by two goals midway through the third period, are now 13-14-5 overall and 7-7-5 in the ECACHL.  The Tigers, who scored four unanswered goals to take a two-goal lead, are 9-15-2 and 6-11-2.

In addition to MCWilliams, three other players had multiple points for RPI, including senior Kevin Croxton (Calgary, AB/Camrose Kodiaks), who tallied the game-tying goal at 14:07 of the third period, and assisted on the game's first goal.  Junior Oren Eizenman (Toronto, ON/Wexford Raiders), who opened the scoring, also had a goal and an assist while freshman Kurt Colling (Ripley, ON/Vernon Vipers) added two helpers.

Rensselaer opened the scoring with the game's first two goals in the second half of the opening period. Eizenman started things off when he scored on the power play at 8:27 from MCWilliams and Croxton. Eizenman blocked MCWilliams' point shot then picked up the puck and whipped it into the Tigers net for the goal.

The Engineers made it 2-0 7:01 later when Chris Hussey (Plymouth, MN/Avon Old Farms) scored on a wraparound. MCWilliams picked off a Tiger pass and fed Hussey in the neutral zone. He carried the puck behind the net, stopped and came in front to score and make the game 2-0.

Princeton came back 1:38 later to cut the lead in half and send the game to the first intermission with the Engineers holding a 2-1 lead. Freshman Brandan Kushniruk fed junior Darroll Powe with a touch pass in the neutral zone and Powe carried into the RPI end before making a centering pass through the slot where senior Patrick Neundorfer directed it on net and by RPI goaltender Matthias Lange (Klagenfurt, Austria/New York Apple Core).

Neither team pressured very much through the majority of the second period until Princeton had a late flurry and scored twice to take a 3-2 lead. First, at 17:15, junior Kevin Westgarth hammered a loose puck through Lange from sophomore Kyle Hagel and senior Seamus Young. Then 1:18 later, Neundorfer sprung Powe on a breakaway and Powe scored through the five-hole.

Princeton extended its lead to 4-2 early in the third period just as an Engineers penalty had expired when senior Sebastian Borza scored. Junior Grant Goeckner-Zoeller and senior Brian Carthas assisted on the goal, which came at 2:03 of the period.

Rensselaer picked up its play and moved within a goal at the 8:48 mark with its second power-play tally of the night.  MCWilliams scored high to the upper right corner with assists from Eizenman and Colling.

The Engineers evened the score at 14:07 of the period when Colling sent Croxton in alone on the Princeton net.  Croxton’s shot was deflected high into the air by Leroux and landed behind him before trickling over the goal line to knot the score at 4-4.

Neither team was able to score in the final six minutes of regulation or the five-minute overtime period. Both teams had three shots in overtime.

Princeton senior goaltender Eric Leroux made 25 saves for the Tigers while Lange made 33 in the Engineers net.