TROY, N.Y. – Sophomore Mitchell Chaffee scored two goals, including the eventual game-winner to lead the University of Massachusetts men's hockey team to a 3-1 victory over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), on Saturday night at the Houston Field House. With the win, the Minutemen improve to 2-0 on young season, while the Engineers drop to 0-2.
Chaffee (Rockford, MI/Fargo Force) broke a 1-1 at 5:07 of the second period, wheeling towards the high slot and firing through a screen to beat RPI sophomore goaltender
Linden Marshall (Victoria, BC/Trail Smoke Eaters) for the first of his two goals on the night. The lone assist on the play went to freshman Bobby Trivigno (Setauket, NY/Waterloo Blackhawks).
In the third, UMass limited the Engineers to just five shots, while adding an insurance tally with 1:36 remaining in the game. Chaffee collected his own rebound, after trying to stuff the puck past Marshall on the left side of the net and lifted it over the fallen netminder for his second of the game and third of the year. Trivigno and sophomore Jake Gaudet (Ottawa, ON/Kemptville 73s) picked up the helpers.
Freshman Anthony Del Gaizo (Basking Ridge, NJ/Maskegon Lumberjacks) got the scoring started at 3:01 of the first period, following an early RPI penalty kill. Taking a feed from the right point by sophomore George Mika (Naples, FL/Amararillo Bulls), Del Gaizo ripped a shot inside the right post for his first collegiate tally.
The Engineers drew even at 11:03 of the opening stanza on an aerial redirection by freshman
Jakub Lacka (Bratislava, Slovakia/Central Illinois Flying Aces). On the man advantage, junior
Jacob Hayhurst (Mississauga, ON/Cedar Rapids RoughRiders) found classmate
Will Reilly (Toronto, ON/Nanaimo Clippers) at the top of the zone for the one-timer that was tipped down and into the net by Lacka for his second goal in as many nights.
Marshall (0-2-0) finished with 29 saves, while his counterpart, freshman Fille Lindberg (Espoo, Finand/Tuto Hockey U20) picked up the win in first collegiate start, stopping 20. RPI was 1 for 5 on the power play, with Massachusetts finishing 0 for 3.
Rensselaer is back in action next Saturday, when it hosts the University of Connecticut for a non-league contest on Family Weekend (7pm). The Minutemen travel to nationally first-ranked Ohio State University for a two-game series, beginning on Friday (7pm).
