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TROY, N.Y. – Senior Chase Polacek scored two goals, including his nation-leading fifth game-winning tally, to lead the Rensselaer men's hockey team to a 3-2 victory over Harvard, at the Houston Field House. With the win, the Engineers improve to 14-6-3 overall (6-5-0 ECAC Hockey), while the Crimson fall to 3-14-0 (2-10-0 ECAC Hockey).

Polacek (Edina, MN/Academy of Holy Angels) broke a 1-1 tie at 2:00 of the second period, when he took a feed from sophomore defenseman Nick Bailen (Fredonia, NY/Indiana Ice) and buried a shot into the top right corner of the net for his 12th of the season.

Just 1:37 later, Polacek tallied again, this time on a tight angle from the bottom of the right circle. Junior Alex Angers-Goulet (St. Augustin, PQ/Langley Chiefs) forced a turnover at neutral ice, allowing freshman Brock Higgs (Kingston, ON/Kingston Voyageurs) to find Polacek deep in the offensive zone. Polacek then snuck a shot through the legs of Harvard senior neminder Kyle Richter (Calgary, AB/Brooks) for the eventual game-winning goal.

The Crimson battled to within a goal, scoring at the tail end of a 5-on-3 three power-play, 6:22 into the third period. Pier-Olivier Michaud (Mont-Joli, PQ/Portland) picked up the rebound of a shot by sophomore Danny Biega (Montreal, PQ/Salisbury) and finished into an open net, for his first goal of the season. Freshman Dan Ford (Skaneateles, NY/Sioux City) earned the second assist.

Rensselaer was able to hold on for the win, despite surrendering six third-period power-plays to Harvard. The Crimson finished 1 for 9 on the man advantage, while the Engineers were unsuccessful on their lone opportunity.

Senior Patrick Cullen (Washington, DC/Indiana Ice) got the hosts on the scoreboard first, burying a loose puck at the right side of the Harvard net at 13:31 of the opening stanza. Higgs worked the puck from behind the cage to junior Josh Rabbani (Woodland Hills, CA/St. Louis Bandits), whose shot was deflected to Cullen for the goal.

Harvard tied the game at 1-1 with just 19 seconds left in the first, when senior captain Michael Del Mauro (Watchung, NJ/Indiana Ice) took advantage of a miss-play by RPI junior goaltender Allen York (Wetaskiwin, AB/Camrose Kodiaks) behind the Engineers' cage. Del Mauro capitalized on the error for his first of the year.

York (13-6-3) finished with 36 saves, including 29 in the final 40 minutes. Richter (3-9-0) ended the night with 13 stops, as he never had to make more than six in any given frame.

The Engineers return to action tomorrow afternoon, when the host Dartmouth (4pm). Harvard travels to Schenectady to take on Union (7pm).