ROCHESTER, N.Y. –
Rainers Rullers scored twice and Benjamin Yurchuk recorded three assists as the RPI men's hockey team rallied from a two-goal deficit to tie the game in the third period, but RIT scored late to earn a 5-4 victory over the Engineers tonight in Rochester.
RIT opened the scoring on the power play early in the first period before RPI answered with a man-advantage goal of its own. Rullers finished a setup from Yurchuk and
Kazimier Sobieski for his fifth goal of the season, sending the teams into the first intermission tied at 1-1.
The teams traded goals early in the second period, with RIT moving ahead before
Jordan Gavin responded for the Engineers off assists from
Filip Sitar and
Caleb Hadland to make it 2-2. RIT then scored twice in just over two minutes to take a 4-2 advantage midway through the frame.
RPI cut the deficit back to one later in the second when
Alfred Lindberg found the back of the net off a feed from Yurchuk for his first goal of the season. The Engineers carried the 4-3 deficit into the third period before successfully navigating a stretch that included three RPI penalties early in the frame.
The Engineers completed the comeback midway through the third after earning another power-play opportunity. Rullers scored his second goal of the night off assists from Yurchuk and Gavin to tie the game at 4-4. The power-play tally was Rullers' sixth goal of the season and gave RPI two goals on six man-advantage opportunities.
RIT regained the lead with 2:53 remaining when Christian Catalano scored his second goal of the night. RPI pulled
Ethan McCallum for an extra attacker in the closing minutes, but the Engineers were unable to find another equalizer.
Rullers finished with two goals, while Gavin recorded a goal and an assist and Yurchuk assisted on three of RPI's four tallies. McCallum made 25 saves, including 12 in the third period, while the Engineers held a 31-24 advantage in faceoffs behind 12 wins from Sitar and nine from Rullers.
