TROY, N.Y. – Three defenseman found the back of the net and senior goaltender Jason Kasdorf made 33 saves to lead the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men’s hockey team to a 3-2 victory over Brown University, in Game 1 of a best-of-three playoff series at the Houston Field House on Friday night. With the win, the Engineers improve to 17-13-7, while the Bears drop to 5-18-7.
Freshman Meirs Moore (Duluth, MN/Victoria Grizzlies) opened the scoring at 7:37 of the first period, when he picked out the top right corner of the net with a shot from below the left faceoff dot. Sophomore Kenny Gillespie (Morrisville, NC/Jersey Hitmen) and freshman Alex Rodriguez (Miami, FL/Sioux City Musketeers) picked the assists on Moore’s second of the season.
Brown pulled even at 2:57 of the second period on a deflection in front of goal by sophomore Max Willman (Barnstable, MA). A shot from the top of the right circle by classmate Charlie Corcoran (New Canaan, CT) was tipped home by Willman for his third tally of the year. A second helper was credited to freshman Max Gottlieb (Old Bridge, NJ/Bloomington Thunder).
A late second period goal gave the hosts back the lead (2-1), as sophomore blueliner Mike Prapavessis (Oakville, ON/Toronto Patriots) got loose in the slot and buried his fourth of the season from right between the circles. Junior Riley Bourbonnais (Rochester, NY/Lincoln Stars) and senior Zach Schroeder (Prior Lake, MN/St. Thomas Academy) had the assists on the marker, which came with just 44.4 seconds left in the frame.
Sophomore Jared Wilson (Calgary, AB/Vernon Vipers) made it 3-1 at 2:39 of the third period. The one-time power play goal was set up by a cross-ice feed from Prapavessis, while Bourbonnais earned the second helper.
Corcoran brought the visitors to within 3-2 with a power play goal of his own at 7:04 of the third. He snapped home his third of the year after Brown had moved the puck around the offensive zone. Sophomore Sam Lafferty (Hilldayburg, PA) and freshman Tommy Marchin (Algonac, MI/Muskegon Lumberjacks) had the assists.
Kasdorf (Winnipeg, MB/Des Moines Buccaneers) made 17 of 33 stops in the first period alone. He followed that up with a 16-save third period to help the Engineers preserve the one-goal win. Junior Tim Ernst (Pickering, ON) finished with 20 stops at the other end of the ice.
LOOK UP, SEE BLUE:
All three RPI goals against Brown came from defensemen. It is the first time the Engineers have had multiple goals from their d-core and won since the Mayor’s Cup, when Mike Prapavessis and Phil Hampton found the back of the net.
BACK IN BUSINESS:
After being kept off the scoresheet over the last three games, junior Riley Bourbonnais earned a pair of assists on Friday night against Brown.
ONE OF EACH:
For the first time this season, sophomore Mike Prapavessis recorded both a goal and an assist. His three previous multi-point games consisted of only helpers.
UP NEXT:
Both teams are back in action tomorrow night for Game 2 of the best-of-three series at the Houston Field House. Puck drop is scheduled for 7pm.
