Official release from RPI's SID


MEN'S HOCKEY WINS WITH EIGHT SECONDS LEFT

Junior Ryan Shields gives Engineers a 4-3 Freakout! win in overtime

A Ryan Shields goal with just eight seconds remaining in overtime gave Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) a 4-3 victory over Brown University in an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division I men's hockey game at the Houston Field House in Troy, N.Y.  The game, the 26th Annual Big Red Freakout!, was played in front of a season-high crowd of 5,070.

Shields, a junior, was credited with an unassisted, game-winning goal when he sent the puck from the right corner toward the front of the net.  The puck deflected off a Brown player and into the back of the net to end an exciting game.

With the victory, the Engineers improve to 9-19-2 overall and 3-11-2 in the ECAC.  The win snapped a seven-game losing streak and a nine-game winless streak (0-8-1).  It also extended RPI's Big Red Freakout! unbeaten streak to 13 games (9-0-4).  Brown, which has lost all six Freakouts! it has played, is now 10-10-2 overall and 8-7-1 in the league.

The Engineers struck first when their leading scorer, Kevin Croxton, tallied a power play goal at 11:43 of the opening period.  Croxton, a freshman, took the puck in the left circle, skated to the middle of the circles and beat goaltender Yann Danis for his 12th of the season.  Nolan Graham and Shields picked up the assists.  The Bears came right back with two quick goals to take the lead just over three minutes later.  Junior Shane Mudryk tied the game when he knocked in a rebound at 14:51 and sophomore Les Haggett, Brown's leading scorer, put the visitors ahead just 58 seconds later.  Nick Ringstad and Cory Caouette set up the first goal while Rugo Santini and Brent Robinson assisted on the second.  Rensselaer tied the score late in the period when junior Scott Basiuk beat a screened Danis on a slapshot with only 1:33 left in the period.  Ben Barr, who won the faceoff back to Basiuk, earned the lone assist on the play.

Basiuk put the Engineers ahead with only 1:18 left in the second period when he scored his second goal of the night, and sixth of the season, on a slapshot from the left point.  Vic Pereira and Mikael Hammarstrom were credited with the assists on the goal.

The Bears tied the game at 3-3 when Haggett scored his second of the night over the shoulder of Nathan Marsters just 2:27 into the third period.  Paul Crosty and Scott Ford assisted on the goal.

Danis, a junior, was outstanding throughout, stopping 34 shots, including 13 in the first period and 11 in the third.  Marsters picked up the win by making 18 saves.

RPI returns to action next Friday night when they will host league opponent Princeton at the Houston Field House beginning at 7pm.  Brown will take on nationally-ranked Cornell next Friday night at 7pm at Meehan Auditorium in Providence, R.I.