RENSSELAER DOWNS UCONN, 4-1
Freshman Alford Gets First Win, Top Line Scores Six Points

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) got six points from its top line
and
23 saves from freshman goaltender Jordan Alford as the Engineers
defeated
the University of Connecticut, 4-1, before a crowd of 4,523 at the
Houston
Field House in Troy, N.Y. RPI improves to 1-1-1 while UConn is now
0-2-1.

Alford, making his first start at home got his first win in his second
game
against Connecticut in the last six days. They skated to a 3-3 tie in
the
consolation game of the Mutual of Omaha Stampede in Omaha, Neb. on
Sunday.

The Engineers got on the board first when junior Kirk MacDonald tipped a
Matt McNeely shot at the 12:31 mark of the first period. Nick Economakos
also assisted on the goal, which was a power-play marker. Connecticut
knotted the score just 2:10 later when freshman Mike Neilon scored on a
backhander from the bottom of the right faceoff circle. Linemates Eric
Helstedt and Beau McLaughlin were credited with the assists on the goal,
Neilon's second of the season.

RPI regained the lead when junior defenseman Brad Farynuk scored from
the
bottom of the right faceoff circle on a rebound of a Kevin Croxton
shot. Farynuk's goal, which was also assisted by Economakos, came just
as
an Engineer power play expired. The goal was the eventual game-winning
goal.

MacDonald increased the Engineer lead to two goals when he scored his
second of the night on a shot from the left half-board that rolled up
Connecticut goalie Brad Smith's arm and then over his shoulder. Croxton
and Farynuk were both credited with their second assists of the game on
the
goal, which came at 4:28 of the third period. Junior Chris Hussey added
an
empty net goal his third goal in as many games on an assist from Oren
Eizenman with 51 seconds remaining in the third period for the final
margin.

The Engineer top line of MacDonald-Economakos-Croxton had a combined six
points on the evening. The line now has a total of eleven points in
three
games (4-711).

Rensselaer returns to action on Tuesday when it will play at
Northeastern
in a non-league affair (7pm) and then travels to Army on Saturday
(7pm). The Huskies will play again on Sunday, October 24, at
Massachusetts
(3pm).


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