COLUMBUS, Ohio – Junior goaltender Chase Perry made a career-high 56 saves to lead the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men’s hockey team to a 1-1 tie at Ohio State University, on Friday night at Schottenstein Center. With the win, the Engineers open the season at 0-0-1, while the Buckeyes move to 1-1-1.
Perry (Andover, MN/Wenatchee Wild) made 12 saves in the first period, 25 in the second, 15 in the third and four in overtime. He is the first RPI netminder with 50 or more stops in a game since Mathias Lange ’09 had 53 against Yale on March 7, 2008.
After a scoreless first period, Ohio State junior Dakota Joshua (Dearborn, MI/Sioux Falls Stampede) netted the opening goal 2:34 of the second. Joshua claimed a loose puck in the low slot and flipped it home for his first goal of the year. Assists went to sophomore Sam McCormick (De Pere, WI/Waterloo Black Hawks) and junior John Wiitala (Lakeville, MN/Waterloo Black Hawks).
The Engineers pulled even (1-1) at 9:35 of the middle frame on a blast from the blue line by senior captain Jared Wilson (Calgary, AB/Vernon Vipers). Junior Meirs Moore (Duluth, MN/Victoria Grizzlies) and sophomore Todd Burgess (Phoenix, AZ/Fairbanks Ice Dogs) earned the assists on the power play goal. The point for Burgess was the first of his collegiate career.
Freshman Emil Ohrvall (Halmstad, Sweden/Waterloo Black Hawks) nearly put the visitors on top with five minutes to go in the second, but Buckeyes junior goaltender Sean Romeo (Cary, NC/Youngstown Phantoms) made the point-blank save.
An evenly played third period saw Ohio State out-shoot RPI, 15-11. Perry’s final save of regulation was his biggest, as he stoned sophomore Wyatt Ege (Elk River, MN/Dubuque Fighting Saints) with a glove stop, moving right-to-left across the crease.
The Engineers registered five shots to OSU’s four in the extra session, with Ohrvall once again finding himself alone with Romeo, but the Buckeyes goalie stood tall once again to deny the freshman.
Rensselaer finished 1 for 5 on the power play, while Ohio State was 0 for 6. Senior Viktor Liljegren (Stockholm, Sweden/Fairbanks Ice Dogs) and junior Evan Tironese (Qualicum Beach, BC/Victoria Grizzlies) each registered a team-best five shots.
Both teams are back in action tomorrow afternoon for game two of the weekend series. Puck drop is scheduled for 4pm.
