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POTSDAM, N.Y. - Junior Milos Bubela scored two goals, including the eventual game-winner, as the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's hockey team defeated Clarkson University, 3-2, in game one of a best-of-three ECAC Hockey playoff series at Cheel Arena. With the win, the Engineers improve to 11-23-3 overall, while the Golden Knights drop to 11-19-5.

Trailing 1-0 in the second period, Bubela (Banska Bystrica, Slovakia/Dubuque Fighting Saints) finished off a 2-on-1 feed from senior Zach Schroeder (Prior Lake, MN/St. Thomas Academy) to tie the game at 9:18. Senior Luke Curadi (Cheshire, CT/Dubuque Fighting Saints) sent the puck up the left wing boards for Schroeder, who found Bubela in the right circle for the one-time finish.

RPI took its first lead (2-1) at 1:25 of the third, when freshman Bradley Bell (Sudbury, ON/Sudbury Nickel Barons) made a play at the Clarkson blue to keep the puck in the zone. Bell found junior Mark Miller (Massena, NY/Omaha Lancers) in the slot, where he ripped a shot into the top right corner of the net for his fifth goal of the year.

The Engineers could not convert on a pair of breakaways in the middle of the third, as neither senior Mark McGowan (Toronto, ON/Oakville Blades) nor sophomore Riley Bourbonnais (Rochester, NY/Lincoln Stars) could sneak a puck past  junior goaltender Greg Lewis (Mars, PA/Wenatchee Wild) in one-on-one situations.

Bubela was able to break through at 16:50, netting his second of the game and eighth of season. Stealing the puck in the left circle, he picked out the top left corner, to give the visitors a 3-1 advantage. 

Clarkson pulled Lewis with 3:02 to play and then drew a penalty for a full two minutes of 6-on-4 play, but junior netminder Jason Kasdorf (Winnipeg, MB/Des Moines Bucs) and the RPI penalty killers stood tall in keeping the puck out of the net.

The Golden Knights did draw to within one with 10.7 seconds left, as freshman Brett Gervais (Corona, CA/Fairbanks Ice Dogs) beat Kasdorf to the left post for an extra-attacker tally. Helpers went to junior Jeff DiNallo (Aurora, ON/Newmarket Hurricanes) and sophomore A.J. Fossen (Maple Grove, MN/Dubuque Fighting Saints).

Junior Pat Magennety (Oakville, ON/Georgetown Raiders) opened the scoring at 4:30 of the second period, redirecting a shot by senior Joe Zarbo (Grand Island, NY/Wellington Dukes) inside the left post for his sixth of the year.

Kasdorf (10-16-3) made 36 saves - 12 in each period, while Lewis (4-7-1) had 14. The Golden Knights won 35 of the 54 face-offs, but went 0 for 3 on the man advantage. RPI was unsuccessful in its lone power play chance.

Both teams are back in action tomorrow night for game two. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30pm.