Official press release from RPI's SID


MEN'S HOCKEY SWEEPS ST. CLOUD STATE
Croxton's goal; Marsters goaltending give Engineers a 2-1 win

Sophomore Kevin Croxton scored a power play goal at 9:32 of the third
period and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) held off St. Cloud
State
University, the fifth-ranked team in the nation, for a 2-1 win in a
Division I non-league men's hockey game before 2,690 fans at the Houston
Field House in Troy, N.Y. The game was the second in as many nights for
the two teams.

With the win, the Engineers improve to 6-3-2, including a 6-1-2 mark
record
in their last nine games. This is RPI's second straight win over the
Huskies, who are now 8-3-1. RPI won Friday's game, 3-2.

Croxton put the Engineers ahead for the first time in the game when he
scored a power play goal from the bottom of the left faceoff circle at
the
9:32 mark. Croxton tallied his fourth of the season when he collected a
rebound of a Nick Economakos shot. Kirk MacDonald also earned an assist
on
the play.

Only one goal was tallied in the first period and that came off the
stick
of St. Cloud's Mike Doyle. The junior left wing notched his fifth of the
year when he sent a wrist shot over the shoulder of senior netminder
Nathan
Marsters with the Huskies skating with the man advantage. Sophomores
Billy
Hengen and Joe Jensen assisted on the goal, which came with 9:54 left in
the first period.

Rensselaer defenseman Matt McNeely tied the game at 4:58 of the second
period when he skated in from the right side at the goal line and scored
over St. Cloud's goalie, Tim Boron. Seniors Ryan Shields and Conrad
Barnes
set up McNeely's goal, his third of the season.

Marsters finished with 35 saves, including 12 in each of the first two
periods, and Boron stopped 22 shots.

Rensselaer returns to action on Friday night when they play at the
University of Massachusetts Lowell in a non-league affair. St. Cloud
will
play a pair of games at home against the University of Alaska-Anchorage
next weekend.



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