Box Score / Print Media Coverage

HAMDEN, Conn. - The Rensselaer men's hockey team scored two shorthanded goals and a power play marker and sophomore Allen York stopped 36 shots as the Engineers defeated #12 Quinnipiac, 4-1, in ECAC Hockey action.  RPI, which saw Chase Polacek collect three assists, improves to 11-10-1 overall and 4-4-0 in the league.  The Bobcats are now 13-6-1 and 7-5-0.

After a scoreless first period, the Engineers scored three goals in the second period - all on special teams.  The first two came shorthanded while the third was on the power play.  Sophomore Jordan Watts broke the ice at 3:19, followed by a goal by Marty O'Grady (on a different penalty kill) just over two minutes later.  Junior Joel Malchuk put the visitors ahead by three goals with a rebound goal off a shot by Polacek.  RPI's leading scorer, Polacek had helpers on all three second period tallies.

The game's first goal came about when RPI defenseman Peter Merth connected with Polacek, who put a shot on goal. Watts collected the rebound off the pipe and dropped in his first goal of the season.  Polacek picked up his second assist less than three minutes later when he beat the Quinnipiac defense into the Bobcats' zone and put a shot on net. Eric Hartzell was able to knock it down, but O'Grady collected the rebound and tipped it in for a 2-0 lead.

RPI scored once again, with less than two minutes to play in the period, when Malchuk got his fourth of the year. Polacek picked up an assist on the play, his 17th of the year, while freshman Brandon Pirri was credited with his 16th of the season.

Quinnipiac got on the board at 4:49 of the third period.  Eric Lampe handled the puck and sent it to Greg Holt, who fed Scott Zurevinski to the left of York.  Zurevinski faked a shot, cut behind the net and beat York on a wrap-around to put Quinnipiac on the board and cut the RPI lead to 3-1. Lampe picked up his team-leading 15th assist of the season, while Holt was credited with his 10th of the year.  Rensslear junior Bryan Brutlag got that goal back with an unassisted, empty net effort with just one minute remaining in regulation.

York was outstanding throughout for the Engineers, making 14 saves in the first period, 13 in the second and nine in the third period.  On the other end, the Bobcats saw two goalies combine for 11 saves. Hartzell lasted two periods, totaling seven saves on 10 shots on goal. He was lifted after the second period in favor of classmate Mathieu Cadieux, who stopped all four RPI shots he faced.