TROY, N.Y. – Six different players found the back of the net as the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's hockey team defeated St. Lawrence University, 6-2, on Friday night at the Houston Field House. With the win, the Engineers improve to 4-3-0 overall (2-1-0 ECAC Hockey), while the Saints drop to 2-6-1 (0-1-0 ECAC Hockey).
RPI scored three times in the opening frame to jump out to an early lead. Senior
Patrick Polino (Buffalo, NY/Lincoln Stars) got things started at 6:08, stuffing home a rebound from close range for his fourth goal of the year. Helpers went to sophomore
Brady Ferner (Dakota Dunes, SD/Sioux City Musketeers) and senior
Jake Marrello (Slingerlands, NY/PAL Jr. Islanders).
Senior captain
Will Reilly (Toronto, ON/Nanaimo Clippers) then made it 2-0 at 11:00, picking out the top right corner of the net on the power play for his fourth of the campaign. Freshman
Cory Babichuk (Edmonton, AB/Spruce Grove Kings) and senior
Chase Zieky (Avon, CT/Salmon Arm Silverbacks) collected the assists on the man advantage tally.
Marrello then closed out period at 18:45 with his third goal, claiming a loose puck in the slot and wiring into the top corner of the net. Polino and junior
Billy Jerry (River Falls, NY/Madison Capitals) dished out the assists on RPI's third goal.
St. Lawrence cut into the Engineers' lead at 3:33 of the second, when sophomore Zach Risteau (Lakeville, MN/Merritt) beat RPI sophomore goaltender
Owen Savory (Cambridge, ON/St. Catharines Falcons) from inside the right circle. Risteau's power play marker, which was his fourth on the season, came with assists to classmate David Jankowski (Waterdown, ON/Hawkesbury) and freshman Jordan Steinmetz (Chippewa Falls, WI/Sioux City).
RPI got the goal back later in the middle frame, when Zieky broke into the offensive zone and fired a shot that snuck under the right pad of St. Lawrence freshman goaltender Francis Boisvert (Blainville, ON/Ottawa Jr. Senators) four his fourth of the year. Reilly and sophomore
Ture Linden (Great Falls, VA/Lone Star Brahmas) claimed the assists on the tally that gave the hosts back their three-goal cushion (4-1).
The Engineers then struck twice in quick succession to open the third and put the game away. Linden finished off a centering feed from senior
Todd Burgess (Phoenix, AZ/Fairbanks Ice Dogs) at the left side of the at 51 seconds of the frame, before senior
Mike Gornall (Irwin, PA/Topeka Roadrunners) potted his first of the year just 26 seconds later. Savory was credited with his first collegiate assist on the Gornall marker.
Freshman Ted McGeen (Windsor, ON/Wellington) capped the scoring with his first of the year, burying a pass from sophomore Jacob Nielsen (New Berlin, WI/Lincoln) into a wide open net, after the Saints forced a turnover in the offensive zone.
Savory (3-2-0) had 20 saves, including 11 in the third period alone, while Boisvert (0-3-0) had 19 stops, before being relieved by sophomore Emil Zetterquist (Stockholm, Sweden/Coulee Region), who turned away all seven shots he faced. The Saints wound up 1 for 7 on the man advantage, while RPI was 1 for 5.
The Engineers return to the ice tomorrow night, when they host No. 8 Clarkson University (7pm). SLU heads to Schenectady to face Union College tomorrow (7pm).
