HAMDEN, CT – Senior Ryan Mahshie and freshman Sutter Muzzatti each recorded three points apiece as the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's hockey team fell to the No. 2 Quinnipiac Bobcats by a final score of 8-3 from M&T Bank Arena Friday evening. With the loss, RPI moves to 7-8-1 and 2-5-0 in ECAC Hockey play, while Quinnipiac improves to 13-1-3 and a perfect 9-0-0 in their ECAC Hockey slate.
 
Quinnipiac opened the scoring less than five minutes in, as Sam Lipken scored on a wrist shot from the left of RPI goaltender Jack Watson that sailed over his shoulder for the 1-0 Bobcats lead. Iivari Rasanen and Jacob Nordqvist each assisted on the play.
 
Four minutes later, the Bobcats found their second tally courtesy of Victor Czerneckianair. He got a puck right in front of the net from Cristophe Tellier on a pass from the corner ad knocked it into the twine on the one-timer to give Quinnipiac the 2-0 lead.
 
The Bobcats turned in their third goal before the end of the period, as a loose puck off the boards found the stick of Desi Burgart. Burgart snapped a wrist shot from the right-wing circle that found its way inside the right post to give the Bobcats their 3-0 lead after the first frame.
 
Quinnipiac scored three more goals in the second period, all around RPI's lone goal of the game. The Bobcats scored just minutes into the second frame as Joey Cipollone scored off a 2-on-1 to make it 4-0. That led into RPI's lone goal of the game as Mahshie sent a puck in from the right-wing circle off a feed from Muzzatti to make it 4-1 Bobcats.
 
Quinnipiac then scored four more goal in the second period, each scored by a different player. Christophe Fillion, Michael Lombardi, Collin Graf, and Jake Johnson all tallied scores in the period to join Cipollone to make it 8-1 Bobcats heading into the final period. Graf's goal was scored on the power play.
 
Muzzatti and Mahshie switched places early in the third period, as the duo combined for the Engineers second goal courtesy of Muzzatti. The freshman got the puck from Mahshie in the slot on his back hand, spun around, and took a wrist shot that got by netminder Chase Clark to make it 8-2.
 
Mahshie added his second goal of the night minutes later, getting the puck on his stick after Muzzatti threw a shot on net that bounced off Clark to the stick of Mahshie to make it 8-3 early in the third period. That would remain through the final whistle, as the Engineers held the Bobcats off the scoreboard in the final frame.
 
Yaniv Perets made 11 saves for Quinnipiac in the win before giving way to Clark in the second period. Clark added six saves on the evening. For RPI, Jack Watson made seven saves and allowed three goals before giving way to Carson Cherepak – who made 20 saves on the night.
 
RPI returns to the ice tomorrow, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. for another league matchup, as they take on Princeton at Hobey Baker Rink.