Box Score

TROY, NY – Goaltending took center stage in a back and forth battle between cross-town rivals as Union and RPI skated to a 1-1 overtime draw at Houston Field House. For the Dutchmen it was senior Kris Mayotte (Pittsburgh, PA) who starred between the pipes, making 30 saves, to help his team capture the season series against the Engineers. It was the seventh game of the season the netminder has recorded 30 or more saves in a game.

The first period saw chances on both sides but none produced a result. Rensselaer's Oren Eizenman was denied in front on a one-timer in front at 2:39. Mathias Lange matched Mayotte on the other end, standing up Jonathan Poirier (St. Jerome, QUE) at the right post on the power play at 7:27.

Mayotte made one of what would come to be many game-saving stops with 2:27 left in the first on Kurt Colling. An initial shot by Jake Luthi from the left side was turned away by Mayotte but the puck bounced behind him and lay unclaimed. Colling came in with an open net but waited for the puck to settle down before taking the shot, giving Mayotte just enough time to reach over and make a pad save with his right leg.

The game remained scoreless through the second period as shots finished even at 11. The Engineers came away empty on back-to-back power play shots in front at 1:03. Senior Scott Seney (Silver Spring, MD) fired a shot on goal for Union at 18:15 that was kicked away by Lange. Olivier Bouchard (Quebec City, QUE) tried to sneak the puck past Lange at the left post forty seconds later but to no avail.

Rensselaer had another chance in the opening minutes of the third period. Andrei Uryadov hit the post on a two-on-one break at 1:19.

The Engineers capitalized on another odd-man rush later in the period to break the scoreless tie. Andrew Lord was the savior for the home crowd at 5:03. He led the rush on the right side and kept the puck, roofing a shot over Mayotte's left shoulder.

Union did not back down and their fortitude paid off with the equalizer at 7:47. Defenseman Lane Caffaro (Slave Lake, ALB) sniped a one-timer at the right post past Lange. Jason Visser (Mississauga, ONT) started the play with a pass out of the Union zone up to Augie DiMarzo (West Haven, CT). The freshman rushed in to the defensive zone and made a hard-angled, cross-ice pass from the left side boards over to Caffaro, who was waiting at the back door.

The goaltending clamped up after that and neither would concede another goal the rest of the way despite a pair of chances in overtime by both teams.

The tie pushed Union's unbeaten streak against Rensselaer to four games.

The Engineers outshot the Dutchmen 31-28. Neither team converted on the power play. Union finished 0-for-4 while Rensselaer came up empty on five attempts.

Union returns home next week to host Brown and Yale. The Bears invade Messa Rink for the first game on Friday, February 10 at 7:00 p.m.