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TROY, N.Y. – Senior Jason Walters scored at 3:39 of overtime to give the Union men's hockey team a 5-4 win over Rensselaer in the championship game of the 59th Annual RPI Invitational at the Houston Field House. The Dutchmen improved to 6-3-4, while the Engineers, who tied the game with one second remaining in the third period, fall to 8-6-1.

The game-winning goal, the second of the night for Walters (Renfrew, ON/Pembroke Lumber Kings), came on a deflection off a backhand as the center drove to the net down the right side of the slot.

The game was sent to overtime when RPI senior Paul Kerins (Weston, ON/North York Rangers) lifted a rebound into the right side of the net at 19:59 of regulation with the Engineers skating on the power-play and the goaltender pulled for an extra attacker.

Union built a 3-0 lead in the first period, scoring on power-plays of 5-on-3 and 5-on-4 as well as an even-strength marker. Senior defenseman Mike Schreiber (Sherwood Park, AB/Fort McMurray Oil Barons) opened the scoring on a screen shot from the left point at 9:01 of the opening frame. The two-man advantage tally was assisted by junior Stephane Boileau (Blainville, PQ/Ste. Jerome Panthers) and Walters.

The Dutchmen made it 2-0 less than 1:30 later, when Boileau set up freshman Jeremy Welsh (Bayfield, ON/Oakville Blades) right in front of the RPI net for an easy one-timer finish. Sophomore Kelly Zajac (Winnipeg, MB/Salmon Arm Silverbacks) earned the second helper on Welsh's third of the year.

Solid fore-checking by Walters and freshman Wayne Simpson (Boxborough, MA/Lawrence Academy) led to a third Union goal at 14:56 of the first. Freshman Kyle Bodie (East St. Paul, MB/Power River Kings) went down in the low slot, but was able to slide the puck past the dive of Rensselaer sophomore netminder Allen York (Wetaskiwin, AB/Camrose Kodiaks) and into the net.

Rensselaer sophomore Josh Rabbani (Woodland Hills, CA/St. Louis Bandits) pulled the hosts to within 3-1 on a power-play goal at 17:09 of the second frame. Rabbani took a pass from junior Chase Polacek (Edina, MN/Academy of Holy Angels) and fired a wrist shot from just below the left circle, past Union freshman goalie Keith Kinkaid (Farmingville, NY/St. Louis Bandits), short side. A second assist went to Kerins.

The Engineers pulled to within one goal (3-2), when freshman Brandon Pirri (Toronto, ON/Georgetown Raiders) scored on a slap shot from the right circle. Junior Tyler Helfrich (Calgary, AB/Prince George Spruce Kings) faked a shot from the high slot and sent a pass to Pirri, who scored on the power play.

Walters gave the visitors a two-goal lead on a slap shot from the right point, which beat York high to the glove side at 16:09 of the third.

Kerins got the goal back, less than a minute later, when sophomore Alex Angers-Goulet (St. Augustin, PQ/Langley Chiefs) worked the puck fre from behind the goal. Angers-Goulet's wrap-around attempt slipped right to Kerins at the right side of the net, for the goal.

Kinkaid (3-1-1) made 25 saves to earn the win in net for Union, while York (6-5-1) finished with 16 stops at the other end of the ice.

Walters was named the Tournament's MVP and joined fellow Dutchmen Zajac, Schreiber and Kinkaid on the All-Tournament Team. Rensselaer's Kerins and Polacek also earned All-Tournament Team honors, along with Lake Superior State's Simon Gysbers.

The Engineers return to the ice next weekend, when they host seventh-ranked Cornell and Colgate on Friday (7pm) and Saturday (4pm), respectively, at the Houston Field House. Union hosts the Raiders on Friday (7pm) and the Big Red on Saturday (7pm).