TROY, NY – Senior captain Kyle Hallbauer capped a three-goal, third period comeback with the lone shootout winner as the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) Men's Hockey team took a 3-3 shootout victory over the University of Alaska Fairbanks at House Field house Saturday night. The game counts as a tie in the standings.
After falling down 3-0 just seconds into the third period, the Engineers got on the board at the 16:58 mark as Ryan Mahshie scored his team-leading fifth goal of the season. Mahshie clocked one on the power play off a one-timer from the left circle on a feed from Austin Heidemann.
As the clock ticked down in the period, Alaska Fairbanks drew a five-minute major and game misconduct followed by a tripping penalty to set up a 5-on-3 that swayed the momentum.
Taking advantage of the man-up situation and pulling their goalie for a 6-on-4, RPI notched their second power play goal courtesy of Jake Gagnon. Gagnon waited at the door step after a shot from the blue line by Jack Agnew. Gagnon was there for the rebound, knocked the puck down to his stick, and roofed the puck into the top right corner of the net to pull the Engineers within a goal with just over four minutes left in regulation.
Still on the power play from the five-minute major, RPI once again pulled the goalie for a 6-on-4 as John Beaton collected the equalizer with 2:21 left to play. Originating from a one-time shot from the slot by Nick Strom that was saved, Beaton got his stick on the puck in a scramble in the crease after the save to tie the game at 3-3.
Things stayed even through the final whistle of the third period and through the overtime period. As the game went to a shootout, Hallbauer was the only player to convert on his attempt, finishing on the backhand before Watson shut down the Nanooks on their final two attempts to give RPI the 1-0 shootout victory.
Garrett Pyke opened the game's scoring on an unassisted goal on a wrist shot from the blue line that beat the glove of goaltender Jack Watson, as he stepped up to stop a clear from the zone for the Engineers. Alaska held the 1-0 through one period before Jonny Sorenson and Anton Rubtsov each collected the other tallies for the Nanooks.
Sorenson scored the only goal of the second period, finding the back of the net over the right shoulder of Watson on a breakaway during an RPI power play to give Alaska a 2-0 lead. Rubtsov's goal came just 28 seconds into the third period,
Watson finished with 30 saves in net for the Engineers, while Alaska's Matt Radomsky made 22.
RPI returns to the ice on Friday, Nov. 25 at 7 p.m. when they head to Burlington, Vermont to take on the Catamounts of the University of Vermont.
