Box Score

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. - Sophomore Troy Grosenick stopped 39 shots and Union College scored four special teams goals, including three in the first period, to defeat Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), 5-1, in an ECAC Hockey contest at Messa Rink.

Offensively junior Jeremy Welsh led the home team, which is now 12-5-6 overall and 6-2-3 in the league, scoring a pair of power play goals. Kelly Zajac added three assists.

RPI, which got a shorthanded goal from Brock Higgs in the third period, falls to 4-17-1 and 1-8-1.

Union jumped out to a 2-0 lead just 8:41 into the game, scoring a power play goal and a shorthanded goal. Welsh notched his team-leading 15th goal of the season at 5:15 just as the first of two RPI penalties had expired. Defenseman Mat Bodie then added a shorthanded goal 4:46 later when he completed a two-on-two with Matt Hatch, wristing a shot past Engineers netminder Scott Diebold. Hatch made it 3-0 at 12:49 when he scored a shorthanded goal. Zajac had two assists in the period, setting up Welsh and Hatch.

Welsh added his second of the night just three seconds into a power play, blasting a shot into the back of the net at 14:38 of the second period. Josh Jooris won the faceoff back to Welsh to earn the lone assist on the goal.

The Engineers got their goal, a shorthanded marker of their own, when Nick Bailen scored on a rush at 14:06. Mark McGowan and Brock Higgs were credited with the assists. The Dutchmen added an empty net goal for the final margin.

Scott Diebold finished with 35 saves for Rensselaer, which returns to action on Friday when it travels to Brown for an ECAC Hockey contest at 7pm. Union faces Yale next Friday at 7pm.