TROY, N.Y. – The 20th-ranked Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) men’s hockey team took a pair of one-goal leads, but was forced to settle for a 2-2 with Colgate University on Saturday night at the Houston Field House. With the draw, the Engineers move to 12-7-5 overall (5-1-5 ECAC Hockey), while the Raiders are now 7-14-2 (3-6-2 ECAC Hockey).
Freshman Tommy Grant (Sparta, NJ/Bay State Breakers) gave the hosts a 1-0 lead at 4:59 of the second period, when his shot from the blue line beat Colgate sophomore netminder Zac Hamilton (Ottawa, ON/Westminster School) high, glove side. Assists on Grant’s second goal of the year went to senior Zach Schroeder (Prior Lake, MN/St. Thomas Academy) and freshman Alex Rodriguez (Miami, FL/Sioux City Musketeers).
The Raiders drew even at 14:37 of the second, when freshman Hunter Racine (Ottawa, ON/Hawkesbury Hawks) steered home a rebound from just outside the crease. Sophomore Evan Peterson (Lakeville, MN/Carleton Place Canadians) took the shot that created the rebound opportunity.
RPI senior Milos Bubela (Banska Bystrica, Slovakia/Dubuque Fighting Saints) then went coast-to-coast at 11:19 of the third period to put the Engineers back on top, 2-1. Bubela skated the puck from right to left through the neutral zone, before flipping a backhand shot past Hamilton for his fifth goal of the season. Grant picked up the lone assist on the goal.
Racine put home the game-tying goal at 16:07 of the third, once again finding a rebound at the doorstep. Peterson and freshman Adam Dauda (Kitchener, ON/Pembroke Lumber Kings) combined to assist on Racine’s second of the game and fourth of the season.
RPI senior netminder Jason Kasdorf (Winnipeg, MB/Des Moines Buccaneers) finished with 20 saves, while Hamilton had 37, including 12 each in the first and third periods.
Colgate was unsuccessful on its only power play chance, while the Engineers did not have one.
EXTRA HOCKEY IN LEAGUE PLAY:
The Engineers have played 11 ECAC Hockey games this season and seven of them have gone to overtime. RPI has a 2-0-5 record in those contests.
EVENS ARE ODD:
RPI senior Milos Bubela scored just his second even strength goal of the season against the Raiders on Saturday. His three other goals this year have come shorthanded.
UNBEATEN IN CONFERENCE PLAY:
Senior goaltender Jason Kasdorf moved his personal record to 2-0-3 in ECAC Hockey play this season.
UP NEXT:
The Engineers travel to Hampton, Conn., on Thursday for a match-up with second-ranked Quinnipiac (7pm).
Colgate hosts seventh-ranked Harvard and Dartmouth next Friday (7pm) and Saturday (7pm), respectively.
