Box Score / Print Media

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – With the Bears enjoying a two-man advantage to start overtime, senior Aaron Volpatti (Revelstoke, BC) lifted the Brown men's hockey team (7-12-1, 5-7-1 ECAC Hockey) to a thrilling 4-3 victory over Rensselaer (13-12-2, 6-6-1 ECAC Hockey) when he scored just 47 seconds into the extra period. The win is Brown's first over RPI since the 2004-05 season, giving the Class of 2010 its first win over the Engineers.

After settling into the offensive zone with possession, Brown senior Sean McMonagle (Oakville, ONT) and sophomore Jeff Buvinow (Turnersville, NJ) passed the puck along the perimeter, inching closer and closer to the net. Stationed in the slot, McMonagle collected the puck from Buvinow on his left and immediately sent it to Volpatti on the right side. Volpatti waited for RPI goalie Allen York (Wetaskiwin, AB/Camrose Kodiaks) to drop and lifted his shot over his right shoulder, emptying the Brown bench.

The two teams played a sluggish first period with RPI holding a slight, 9-7, advantage in shots on goal, despite Brown having two power-play opportunities to Rensselaer's one.

Just 1:15 into the second period, the Engineers went on their second power play of the night, and had several good looks at the goal, but sophomore goaltender Mike Clemente (Great Falls, VA) turned aside both shots that came his way. The visitors had a particularly dangerous chance at the tail end of the power play, as Clemente couldn't corral a lose puck shot by defenseman Jeff Foss (Moorhead, MN/Moorhead). He tried to cover it with his glove, but RPI got to it first and had a partially open net to shoot at, but the Bears' defense blocked the puck to end the threat.

As soon as the power play ended, McMonagle skated the puck out of the zone and the Bears grabbed a 1-0 lead 41 seconds later on a goal by freshman Chris Zaires (Aberdeen, NJ). Junior Harry Zolnierczyk (Toronto, ONT) controlled the puck in the right corner and sent it around the boards. Zaires collected it at the left faceoff circle, spun around, and fired a wrist shot that beat York near-side at 3:56.

Sophomore Jack Maclellan (Calgary, ALB) increased Brown's lead to 2-0 exactly three minutes later with a shot from the opposite circle that eluded York on the glove side. Sophomore Bobby Farnham (North Andover, MA) earned an assist on the goal.

Just 2:03 after the goal, the Engineers capitalized on a Bears penalty.   Senior Paul Kerins put back the rebound of his own shot from the bottom of the left faceoff circle at the 10:26 mark.  Brandon Pirri (Toronto, ON/Georgetown Raiders) and Chase Polacek (Edina, MN/Academy of Holy Angels) assisted on the goal.

Brown took another penalty at 13:41, giving the Engineers their third power play of the period, but this time, it would be the Bears who would score. With about a minute left in the RPI power play, Volpatti, McMonagle, and Farnham combined to intercept a Rensselaer pass just inside the blueline. Farnham freed himself along the left boards and skated into the zone with Volpatti and McMonagle trailing, as the Bears had a three-on-one break.  Opting to keep the puck, Farnham fired a slapshot from the top of the left faceoff circle that beat York to the far side, giving Brown a 3-1 lead at 14:45.

The Engineers closed the gap to one goal for a second time when Polacek scored another power play goal at 4:31 of the third. After Brown failed to clear the zone with time winding down on the man-advantage, Polacek collected the puck at the left faceoff circle and beat Clemente, who was sliding over from the opposite post, stick-side for his 17th of the year.  Pirri and Jerry D'Amigo (Binghamton, NY/U.S. National Under-18 Team) collected the helpers.

Just about a minute later, RPI's Bryan Brutlag (Lakeville, MN/Academy of Holy Angels) raced in on a breakaway, but Clemente made the save to hold the score at 3-2.

The Bears had a power play for nearly four minutes after a five-minute major negated what had been an RPI man-advantage, on which they failed to capitalize and it came back to haunt them, as Kerins tied the game at 3-3 with 4:33 left to play, scoring his second of the night.

Brown went up on the power play with nine seconds left in regulation. On the ensuing faceoff, the Engineers took a second penalty, setting up the two-man advantage for the Bears going into overtime and Volpatti's eventual game-winner.

Clemente finished with 27 saves, while York made 21 for RPI.