TROY, N.Y. – Senior captain Ture Linden recorded a pair of assists to lead the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men's hockey team to a 3-2 victory over Dartmouth College in Game 2 of a best-of-three ECAC Hockey Tournament First Round series on Saturday night at the Houston Field House. With the win, the Engineers even the series at 1-1 and improve to 16-21-3 overall, while the Big Green drop to 7-21-3.

RPI got on the board first at 8:17 of the opening period on a rebound goal by junior blueliner Simon Kjellberg (Nashville, TN / Dubuque Fighting Saints). After shots from sophomore Jake Gagnon (Pointe-Claire, PQ / Wellington Dukes) and junior Zach Dubinsky (Highland Park, IL / Omaha Lancers) were stopped, Kjellberg crashed the right side of the net and lifted home his sixth goal of the year.

The Engineers doubled their lead at 10:43 of the second on a terrific passing play in front of goal. Linden (Great Falls, VA / Lone Star Brahmas) zipped pass to the bottom of the right circle for classmate Ottoville Leppanen (Espoo, Finland / Espoo Blues U20), who immediately sent the puck back to the left side of the slot for fellow senior Jakub Lacka (Bratislava, Slovakia / Central Illinois Flying Aces) for the one-time finish. The power play tally was Lacka's seventh of the season.

Sophomore Ryan Sorkin (Chicago, IL / Rockets Hockey Club) pulled the visits within 2-1 at 6:05 of the third, picking out the top left corner of the net for his second goal of the season. Helpers on Dartmouth's first goal of the game went to junior defensemen Jack Cameron (Halifax, NS / Coquitlam Express) and Tanner Palocsik (Aliquippa, PA / Jersey Hitmen).

The Engineers regained their two-goal cushion at 14:08 of the final frame, when Linden found junior Mason Klee (Morrison, CO / Sioux Falls Stampede) breaking to the net. Klee made a move to his right before lift the puck past Dartmouth sophomore netminder Clay Stevenson (Port Coquitlam, BC / Coquitlam Express) for his second of the season.

Dartmouth snuck a puck past RPI freshman goaltender Jack Watson (Toronto, ON / Coquitlam Express) less than a minute later to make it a one-goal game once again. Senior captain Harrison Markell (Andover, MA / Boston Jr. Bruins) was credited with the goal, as his wide shot was inadvertently deflected into the RPI net.

The Big Green pulled Stevenson for a sixth skater with just two minutes to play and generated a few chances, but couldn't find the tying goal.

RPI finished 1 for 3 on the power play, while Dartmouth was 0 for 2. Stevenson (6-13-2) had 28 saves, with Watson (7-7-0) stopping 21 at the other end of the ice.

A series-deciding Game 3 is set to start at 4pm tomorrow afternoon.