ALBANY, N.Y. – Sophomore Owen Savory made 26 saves and seniors Patrick Polino and Todd Burgess netted shootout goals to lead the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men’s hockey team to a victory over Union College, in the Eighth Annual Mayor’s Cup at the Times Union Center. Officially a 1-1 tie, the Engineers are now 10-12-2 overall, while the Dutchmen are 6-17-3.
Following empty trips on both ends in the first round of the shootout, Polino (Buffalo, NY/Lincoln Stars) picked up the top right corner of the net to give the Engineers a 1-0 advantage. A second straight save from Savory (Cambridge, ON/St. Catharines Falcons) set up Burgess (Phoenix, AZ/Fairbanks Ice Dogs) for a third round tally and a 2-0 lead.
A fourth stop from Union junior Darion Hanson (East Bethel, MN), meant the Dutchmen were still alive, but Union freshman Liam Robertson (Courtice, ON) hit the crossbar and the Engineers claimed the Mayor’s Cup for the first time since 2016.
RPI jumped out to a hot start in the first period and held a 10-4 lead at one point, before settling for a 14-9 edge as the buzzer sounded to the end the frame. A late power play chance gave the Dutchmen some life, but Savory was on top of his game, stopping five man-advantage shots in the period.
Union broke onto the board at 16:08 of the second, when junior defenseman Taylor Brierley (East Grand Forks, MN) broke up the right wing boards and lifted a shot off the mask of Savory, before swatting the rebound home out of the air. The tally was his first of the season and second of his career.
The Engineers answered on the power play, just 1:11 later, as freshman Zach Dubinsky (Highland Park, IL/Lincoln Stars) chipped a shot past Hanson from close range for his second goal of the season. Helpers went to senior captain Will Reilly (Toronto, ON/Nanaimo Clippers) and freshman Cory Babichuk (Edmonton, AB/Spruce Grove Saints).
RPI turned in the best chance of the final 25 minutes of regulation and overtime when Burgess received a cross-ice feed a minute into the extra session and ripped a shot that parried away the goalie stick of Hanson.
Savory (6-7-2) had 11 saves in the second period, while Hanson (6-17-3) turned away 14 in the first and 12 in the second, totaling 30 in the contest. RPI finished 1 for 4 on the power play, with Union going 0 for 2.
The Engineers are back in action next weekend, when they host Dartmouth on Friday (7pm) and Vermont on Saturday in the 43rd Annual Big Red Freakout! (7pm). Union welcomes Harvard and Dartmouth to Messa Rink next weekend.
