TROY, N.Y. – Junior goaltender Matthew Galajda made 25 saves to lead the second-ranked Cornell University men's hockey team to a 3-0 victory over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), on Friday night at the Houston Field House. With the win, the Big Red improve to 12-1-1 overall (8-1-0 ECAC Hockey), while the Engineers drop to 8-11-1 (5-6-1 ECAC Hockey).

A late first period power play goal gave the visitors a 1-0 lead. Junior Tristan Mullen (Cartwright, MB/Powell River Kings) finished off the play with a one-timer at the left side of the RPI net after taking a cross-crease feed from classmate Brenden Locke (Iroquois Falls, ON/Cobourg Cougars). Sophomore Michael Regush (Surrey, BC/Youngstown Phantoms) started the play with a slap shot from the left point, earning him the secondary assist on Mullen's fourth goal of the year, which came at 16:46 of the first.

Locke then doubled the visitors' advantage at 7:10 of the second period, burying a pass back to the slot from fellow junior Cam Donaldson (Pittsboro, NC/Powell River Kings) for his sixth tally of the year. Donaldson drove the net from the left side, but had his initial shot blocked. He recovered the puck and sent it back through his legs to a trailing Locke for the goal. Mullen earned the second assist.

Just over two minutes later Cornell made it 3-0, as senior Jeff Malott (Burlington, ON/Brooks Bandits) took advantage of a fortuitous bounce as the left side of the RPI cage and potted his fourth of the season. A shot from the left wing boards by freshman blueliner Travis Mitchell (South Lyon, MI/Omaha Lancers) hit a body in front of goal and the puck fell to Malott, who lifted the puck into an open net from four feet out.

RPI turned its best chances in the third period, including a tip try from sophomore Ture Linden (Great Falls, VA/Lone Star Brahmas) that was turned away by Big Red junior netminder Matthew Galajda (Aurora, ON/Victoria Grizzlies), just four minutes into the frame.

Six minutes later, freshman Zach Dubinsky (Highland Park, IL/Lincoln Stars) saw his quick wrist shot from the right circle saved by the right shoulder of Galajda. Senior Shane Bear (Calgary, AB/Brooks Bandits) stepped into a one-timer from the right side with 11:30 left, but that was stopped and held as well.

Rensselaer junior netminder Alec Calvaruso (Linovia, MI/Sioux Falls Stampede), who relieved starter Linden Marshall (Victoria, BC/Trails Smoke Eaters) with eight minutes left in the second, made two highlight-reel saves in the final seven minutes of the game to keep the deficit at three. First, he denied Malott with a sprawling stop on a point blank try. He then denied the Big Red on a close range one-timer, sticking out his right pad with under a minute to go.

Galajda (12-1-1) finished with 25 saves, while Marshall (3-3-0) had 18 in the opening 31:39. Calvaruso stopped all eight shots he faced over the final 28:03 of the contest. The Big Red went 1 for 2 on the power play, with RPI going 0 for 1.

The Engineers are back on the ice tomorrow night, when they host Colgate University (7pm). Cornell travels to Schenectady to take on Union College tomorrow (7pm).