TROY, N.Y. – Junior Travis St. Denis netted the eventual game-winning goal early in the third period to lead the 20th-ranked Quinnipiac University men's hockey team to a 3-1 victory over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), this evening at the Houston Field House. With the win, the Bobcats improve to 7-2-1 overall (4-0-0 ECAC Hockey), while the Engineers drop to 5-7-0 (4-2-0 ECAC Hockey).
 
St. Denis (Trail, BC/Penticton Vees) buried a rebound at 5:42 of the third period to break a 1-1. After sustained pressure in the offensive end, St. Denis snuck a shot past RPI junior netminder Jason Kasdorf (Winnipeg, MB/Des Moines Bucs) for his second of the game and fifth of the season. Assists went to freshmen Andrew Taverner (Edmonton, AB/Sherwood Park Crusaders) and Bo Pieper (Roseville, MN/Coquitlam Express).

The Engineers thought they had tied the game with 5:09 to go in regulation, but the officials ruled that the net had come off its pegs and the potential power-play marker for Melanson was denied.
 
Quinnipiac was able to add an empty net goal at 19:30 to cap the scoring.
 
Rensselaer opened the scoring at 5:22 of the first period when freshman Lou Nanne (Edina, MN/Sioux Falls Stampede) jammed home a cross-ice pass from classmate Jared Wilson (Calgary, AB/Vernon Vipers). The play started with fellow rookie Drew Melanson (Paramus, NJ/Waterloo Black Hawks) on the left side of the RPI zone. He found Wilson with a pass up the boards, before the puck was sent across the face of goal for Nanne to finish.
 
The Bobcats drew even at 16:28 of the period, scoring on the tail end of back-to-back 5-on-3 power-play opportunities. St. Denis corralled a puck inside the left circle and stuck home the man advantage tally, which knotted the game at 1-1. Helpers went to freshman Landon Smith (Greenwood Village, CO/Salmon Arm Silverbacks) and senior captain Matthew Peca (Petawawa, ON/Pembroke Lumber Kings).
 
Wilson hit the post in the second period, which would have given the Engineers the lead. Then, nearing the end of the frame, St. Denis was stoned by Kasdorf from point blank range.
 
Kasdorf (5-6) finished with 21 saves for the Engineers, while junior Michael Garteig (Prince George, BC/Penticton Vees) had 21 stops at the other end of the ice. Rensselaer was 0 for 7 on the power-play, while the Bobcats finished 1 for 6.
 
The Engineers return to the ice on Tuesday, when they visit UConn for a non-league game (7pm). Quinnipiac travels to Clarkson and St. Lawrence next Friday (7pm) and Saturday (7pm).