Box Score / Highlights / Post-Game Comments / Watch (RPI TV)

TROY, N.Y. – Senior Chase Polacek scored the eventual game-winning goal and added an assist to lead the 15th/16th-ranked Rensselaer men's hockey team to a, 4-2, victory over Colgate, tin the opening round of the ECAC Hockey playoffs at the Houston Field House. With the win, the Engineers improve to 20-10-5 overall and take game 1 of the best-of-three series, while the Raiders fall to 7-25-3.

Rensselaer came out firing early, scoring just 1:15 into the contest, on a goal by sophomore Marty O'Grady (London, ON/Wellington Dukes). Junior defenseman Mike Bergin (Ottawa, ON/Smiths Falls Bears) took a shot from the left point that was tipped by senior Bryan Brutlag (Lakeville, MN/Academy of Holy Angels) to O'Grady, who backhanded home his seventh of the season.

Freshman Brock Higgs (Kingston, ON/Kingston Voyageurs) gave the Engineers a 2-0 lead, on the power play, at 15:00 of the first period. Taking a cross-ice feed from senior Tyler Helfrich (Calgary, AB/Prince George Spruce Kings), Higgs snapped a one-timer past Colgate freshman netminder Eric Mihalik (Avon Lake, OH/Des Moines). Sophomore Nick Bailen (Fredonia, NY/Indiana Ice) earned the second assist.

RPI made it 3-0, 2:26 later, on a nearly identical play from the right circle, as Polacek (Edina, MN/Academy of Holy Angels) scored on pass from Helfrich. Bailen earned the second helper once again as Polacek netted the Engineers' second power play goal of the period. The tally was Polacek's 19th of the season and his nation-leading ninth game-winning goal – one shy of the NCAA single-season record.

After a scoreless second period, the Raiders began to chip into the RPI lead scoring first at 4:44 of the third on a rebound goal by junior Austin Smith (Dallas, TX/St. Paul's School). Sophomore Nathan Sinz (Anchorage, AK/Shattuck's St. Mary's) took a shot from the slot that was turned away by Engineers' junior goaltender Allen York (Wetaskiwin, AB/Camrose Kodiaks), but the carom fell to Smith who finished just under the cross bar.

The visitors pulled to within a goal (3-2) on the power play at 18:12 of the final stanza. Sophomore Jeremy Price (Milton, ON/Nepean) notched his fifth of year with assists going to Smith and classmate Kurtis Bartliff (Clinton, ON/Nanaimo).

The Engineers answered 49 seconds later as a Polacek-led 2-on-1 turned into RPI's fourth goal of the contest. Carrying the puck up the right wing boards, Polacek waited for the defenseman to commit, before sliding a pass onto the tape of Higgs, who tapped home his second of the game and ninth of the campaign.

York (18-8-4) made 24 saves, including 11 in the second period to earn the victory, while Mihalik finished with 23 stops at the other end of the ice.

Both teams are back in action tomorrow night for game 2 of the series at the Houston Field House (7pm). A Raiders win tomorrow would force a third game on Sunday (7pm).