TROY, N.Y. – Senior goaltender Jason Kasdorf made 43 saves to lead the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men’s hockey team to a 0-0 tie with eighth-ranked Harvard, on Saturday at the Houston Field House. With the draw, the Engineers move to 8-6-3 overall (4-1-3 ECAC Hockey), while the Crimson are now 6-1-3 (4-1-3 ECAC Hockey).
Kasdorf (Winnipeg, MB/Des Moines Buccaneers) made 20 saves in the first period, 13 in the second and a combined 10 in the third period and overtime. Also earning a shutout at the other of the ice was Harvard sophomore Merrick Madsen (Acton, CA/Minot Minotaurs), who had 32 stops, including a 16 in the third and four in OT.
In a first period that saw the Crimson hold a 20-7 advantage in shots, it was the Engineers who came the closest to scoring, when sophomore Viktor Liljegren (Stockholm, Sweden/Fairbanks Ice Dogs) hit the inside of the left post with a shot from the middle of the slot.
Harvard junior defenseman Victor Newell (Burnaby, BC/Waterloo) then hit the post in the second period, while RPI freshman Meirs Moore (Duluth, MN/Victoria Grizzlies) did the same later in the frame. The Crimson went into the second intermission with a 33-12 advantage in shots.
In the third, the Engineers began to tip the scale in their favor, creating a number of chances at the offensive end.
RPI outshot the Crimson 16-8 in the third and even hit the post on two more occasions, but could not sneak a puck past Madsen. Kasdorf was need to make one big save in the overtime session, going left to right to stop a one-timer by Harvard sophomore Wiley Sherman (Greenwich, CT/The Hotchkiss School) from just inside the left circle.
The Engineers were 0 for 4 on the power play, while Harvard was 0 for 2.
RARE SCORELESS TIE:
Until Saturday night, the Engineers had not played in a scoreless tie since 1927. RPI played to 0-0 score line against Amherst College on that occasion.
HOME SCORELESS TIE:
RPI hasn’t played to a scoreless tie at home since 1918, when it drew with Massachusetts Agricultural (now UMass-Amherst), 0-0.
FIRST SHUTOUT:
The Engineers shutout was the first of the season and sixth of the career for senior Jason Kasdorf.
UP NEXT:
The Engineers are back in action next weekend, when they host Arizona State for a two-game series at the Houston Field House. Puck drop is scheduled for 7pm on both nights.
Harvard is off until January 1 and 2, when they play Ferris State and either UConn or Minnesota in the Mariucci Classic.
