TROY, N.Y. – Senior
Jakub Lacka recorded a goal and an assist to lead the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's hockey team to a 2-2 tie with Bowling Green State University on Saturday night at the Houston Field House. Playing in their first home game in 592 days, the Engineers open the season at 0-0-1, while the Falcons are also 0-0-1.
The visitors opened the scoring at 13:24 of the first period, when senior Nathan Burke (Scottsdale, AZ / University of Minnesota) buried a rebound at the right side of the crease. The power play goal drew assists from freshman Austen Swankler (North Huntingdon, PA / Erie Otters) and senior Gabriel Chicione (St. Dominique, PQ / Norwich University).
After a scoreless second period in which RPI held a narrow, 6-5, edge in shots, the Engineers finally broke through at 2:04 of the third. Lacka (Bratislava, Slovakia / Central Illinois Flying Aces) wired a shot into the top left corner of the net after moving up the right wing boards. Classmate
Jake Johnson (Bloomington, MN / Cedar Rapids RoughRiders) and sophomore
Jack Agnew (Oakville, ON / Boston College) had the assists on the play.
Less than three minutes later, junior
Rory Herrman (Poway, CA / Fargo Force) gave RPI a 2-1 lead, after receiving a shot pass from senior
Ottoville Leppanen (Espoo, Finland / Espoo Blues), right in front of the net. Herrman collected the puck and stuck into an open cage for his second career tally.
Bowling Green tied the game at 7:40 of the third, when Junior Adam Conquest (Brighton, MI / Cowichan Valley) fired home a shot from the left circle. Classmate Adam Pitters (Grosse Pointe, MI / Aberdeen) had the assists on the tally that stood as the game-tying marker.
The Falcons finished 1 for 4 on the power play, while RPI was 0 for 2.
Senior captain
Linden Marshall (Victoria, BC / Trail Smoke Eaters) made 16 saves, while his counterpart, Zack Rose (Paradise, NF / Victoria) turned away 26 at the other end of the ice.
Both teams are back in action tomorrow night for game two of the weekend series (7pm).
