TROY, N.Y.  – Freshman goaltender Yaniv Perets stopped all 18 shots he faced to lead the fourth-ranked Quinnipiac University men's hockey team to a 2-0 victory over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), on Friday night at the Houston Field House. With the win, the Bobcats improve to 11-1-3 overall (4-0-1 ECAC Hockey), while the Engineers drop to 6-8-2 (3-4-0 ECAC Hockey).

Quinnipiac senior Michael Lombardi (Barrington, RI / West Kelowna Warriors) gave the visitors an early 1-0 lead, when he deked his way around RPI graduate student goaltender Linden Marshall (Victoria, BC / Trail Smoke Easters) at 7:28 of the opening period. Picking up the puck at his own blue line, he skated up the left wing boards, before sliding across the face of the goal and sticking home his fourth of the season.

Junior Zach Dubinsky (Highland Park, IL / Omaha Lancers) had a partial breakaway with six minutes left in the first, but his backhander was stopped by the blocker of Perets (Dollard-des-Ormeaux, PQ / Penticton Vees).

Midway through the second, the Engineers had three chances to tie the game, but two shots from senior Ottoville Leppanen (Espoo, Finland / Espoo Blues) were saved, before Dubinsky hit the left iron.

Marshall came up with a handful of key saves in the second period to keep the game within striking distance, but the Bobcats took their 1-0 advantage to the third, along with a slight 15-12 shot advantage.

RPI had two big opportunities to pull even in the third, including one with just over two minutes to play. Sophomore John Beaton (Stittsville, ON / Youngstown Phantoms) found classmate Jack Brackett (Manassas, VA / Powell River Kings) free in the low slot, but he first attempt was stopped by Perets and his second try was pushed wide the net.

Graduate student Oliver Chau (Oakville, ON / UMass) added an empty-netter with just over 12 seconds left to cap the scoring. Assists on his seventh goal of the season went to junior Skyler Brind'Amour (Raleigh, NC / Chilliwack Chiefs) and graduate student Brendan Less (Kinnelon, NJ / Dartmouth).

Perets (7-0-2) made six saves in each period, including two on RPI's three power play chances. Marshall (6-7-2) had 17 stops, with seven coming in each of the first two frame. He also made two saves while shorthanded.

RPI is back on the ice tomorrow night, when it hosts Princeton (7pm). Quinnipiac visits Union tomorrow (7pm).