Box Score
HANOVER, N.H. - Senior
Chase Polacek notched two goals to lead the Rensselaer men's hockey team to a 4-1 victory over Dartmouth in the ECAC Hockey opener for both schools. With the win, the Engineers extend their unbeaten streak to seven games and improve their overall record to 4-1-3 (1-0-0 ECACH). The Big Green fall to 1-2-0 (0-1-0 ECACH).
Rensselaer took the first lead in the game despite Dartmouth's constant pressure around the visiting net. RPI's leading scorer, Polacek used hard work to bury
Tyler Helfrich's rebound past rookie netminder Cab Morris (Wilmette, Ill.) at 5:51 in the opening period.
Jason Bourgea (South Burlington, Vt.) tallied his second goal in as many games to tie the contest at 3:31. Paul Lee (Garden City, N.Y.) passed to a streaking Nick Walsh (Shannonville, Ont.) who brought the puck down the right side and shot over to Bourgea who was camped by the right post. The sophomore snuck the puck past netminder
Allen York on the goalie's glove side.
RPI grabbed the lead back on a bang-bang play by
Marty Grady and
Bryan Brutlag just 0:51 into the second frame. The Big Green had been outshooting Rensselaer by almost 10 through most of the game but by the second break the gap had closed, still in favor of Dartmouth however, 17-16.
Early in the final period of play, Connor Goggin (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) and Dustin Walsh (Shannonville, Ont.) both had some terrific looks at the net as the Big Green started the frame peppering York.
But it was the Engineers that were able to score again, increasing the lead to two at 3-1 off the first power play goal of the game less than 20 seconds into a Big Green penalty, as CJ Lee capitalized on a
Nick Bailen pass.
A shorthanded strike by Polacek midway through the third gave RPI all the confidence needed to sit back and carry the three-goal lead to the end of the contest.
On the power play late in the game, Kyle Reeds (St. Louis, Mo.) tried to get one back as his shot flew sideways off the facemask of York.
York finished with 25 saves while Morris had 17 for Dartmouth. Rensselaer recorded 21 shots to the Big Green's 26.
