Box Score / Game Highlights

POTSDAM, N.Y. - Junior goaltender Bryce Merriam stopped 21 of 22 shots and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute men's hockey team defeated Clarkson University, 4-1, in the third and decisive game of an ECAC Hockey First Round series at Cheel Arena. The 10th-seeded Engineers improve to 12-22-3 and will face top-seeded and travel partner Union in a best-of-three series next weekend. The Golden Knights, the seventh seed, finish the season with a 16-17-6 record.

Merriam (Bethel Park, PA/Topeka RoadRunners) had seven saves in the first period, 10 in the second and four in the third period. Several of his stops in the final period came with Clarkson on a pair of extended 5x3 power plays.

After a scoreless first period, the Golden Knights struck on the power play when freshman defenseman Sam Labrecque (Granby, PQ/Nanaimo Clippers) scored on a hard shot from the right point for his eighth goal of the season. Senior Nick Tremblay (Candiac, PQ/Smiths Falls Bears) earned the lone assist on the goal, which came at the 8:03 mark.

RPI tied the game at 13:02 when a Nick Bailen (Fredonia, NY/Indiana Ice) shot from the bottom of the right faceoff circle deflected off teammate Ryan Haggerty (Stamford, CT/U.S. National Development Team) and across the goal line. For Haggerty, a freshman, the goal was his seventh of the season. Guy Leboeuf (West Palm Beach, FL/Cornwall Colts) also had an assist on the play.

Senior Mike Bergin put the visitors in front at 4:14 of the third period when his shot from the high slot found its way past Clarkson netminder Paul Karpowich's (Thunder Bay, ON/Wellington Dukes) glove hand. Freshman Mark McGowan (Toronto, ON/Oakville Blades) dug the puck out of the corner and fed Bergin for the primary assist. Bailen also had an assist on the goal, which came with Rensselaer on a five-minute power play.

Senior Joel Malchuk quickly made it a 3-1 lead when he slapped a loose puck past Karpowichh at 5:47. Freshman defenseman Curtis Leonard (Napanee, ON/Wellington Dukes) started the play with a long shot from the neutral zone, which Karpowich gloved but was unable to control. Malchuk skated in alone to the puck and blasted a shot from the right wing circle for his seventh of the year.

Junior Marty O'Grady (London, ON/Wellington Dukes) finished the scoring with an empty net goal with 1:23 left in the third period. Lee and Bailen had the assists for RPI, which is now 7-1-1 in its last nine road games.

Karpowich finished with 24 saves for the Golden Knights.