CROXTON AND SHIELDS LEAD MEN'S HOCKEY
Engineers defeat area-rival Union, 4-2, in ECAC contest

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) got a goal and three assists from freshman Kevin Croxton and two goals and one assist from junior Ryan Shields to defeat area-rival Union College, 4-2, in a Division I Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) men's hockey game before a crowd of
3,524 at the Houston Field House in Troy, N.Y.  With the victory, RPI improves to 7-8-1 overall and 2-4-1 in the ECAC.  Union, which had a four-game unbeaten streak against the Engineers (2-0-2) snapped, is now 6-6-3 and 3-3-1.

Croxton, a native of Calgary, Alb., put the Engineers ahead late in the first period when he slid a loose puck past Union goaltender Kris Mayotte.  Freshman defenseman Brad Farynuk started an RPI rush up the ice with a breakout pass to Shields, who gained the offensive zone before being tied up by a defender and losing the puck.  Croxton picked it up and
tallied his fifth of the season at 18:22, giving Rensselaer a
1-0 lead after the first period despite being outshot, 12-5.

The second period was an entertaining one as the teams combined for 37 shots, including two goals, with nine penalties called.  The Dutchmen tied the score early in the stanza with a power play goal from senior defenseman Randy Dagenais.  Dagenais earned his second goal of the season on a shot that eluded Rensselaer junior goaltender Kevin Kurk, who was screened, at
the 28-second mark.  Sophomore Matt Vagvolgyi and senior captain Nathan Gillies earned the assists on the goal.  RPI, which had 17 shots in the second, regained the lead with an extra-man goal of its own when sophomore Vic Pereira deflected a Danny Eberly shot from the left point past Mayotte.  Croxton, the Engineers' leading scorer, also assisted on the goal, which came at the 9:16 mark.

Union then came out and tied the game early in the third period when sophomore Joel Beal notched his fourth of the season  and ECAC-leading 18th point of the campaign from the left side of the crease.  Gillies and Jordan Webb earned the helpers.  RPI again gained a one-goal margin when a trailing Shields picked up a Croxton rebound and scored over Mayotte.  Junior Mikael Hammarstrom also had an assist on the goal, the
third of the season for Shields.  Shields, a native of Portage LaPrairie, Man., closed out the scoring with an empty net goal with 57 seconds remaining.  Croxton earned the only assist on the play.

Kurk was outstanding throughout for RPI, stopping 31 saves, including 12 in the first period and 11 in the second.  Mayotte finished with 28 saves, including 26 in the wild second period.

Rensselaer is back in action on Tuesday night when they will host nationally-ranked Boston University at 7pm at the Houston Field House.  Union returns to the ice tomorrow night when they'll play Iona at Achilles Rink in Schenectady, N.Y. at 7pm.