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a men's hockey player wearing a black jersey, skating backwards, and looking to the right
Genevieve Gnodde
5
Winner Rensselaer RPI 1-6-0, 1-0-0
2
Union (NY) UNI 4-1-1, 0-1-0
Winner
Rensselaer RPI
1-6-0, 1-0-0
5
Final
2
Union (NY) UNI
4-1-1, 0-1-0
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 F
Rensselaer RPI 1 2 2 5
Union (NY) UNI 1 1 0 2

Game Recap: Men's Ice Hockey | | Tim LaDuca, Assistant Athletic Communications Director

Men's Hockey Drops ECAC Hockey Opener

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The Union College men's hockey team fell to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 5-2 in front of a home crowd of 2,034 at M&T Bank Center on Friday night.

Sophomore Connor Smith and first-year Etienne Lessard scored for the Garnet Chargers (4-1-1), and sophomore Cameron Korpi made 26 saves, but RPI (1-6-0) was one step ahead of the home team all night long. 

At the 6:54 mark in the first, it seemed Union had the first goal of the game when senior Brendan Miles fired a shot off RPI's goaltender and both posts. The puck slid along the goal line as it ricocheted off both posts, but never fully crossed the line. Two minutes later, sophomore Drew Sutton led a two-on-one rush and had his shot saved. First-year Alex Laurenza picked up the rebound and fed senior Carter Korpi, but his shot was saved as well. RPI's goaltender Nate Krawchuk made 45 saves on the night. 

Four minutes after RPI opened the scoring at the 14:49 mark, Union had another odd-man rush, this time led by sophomore Riley Brueck. His breakaway shot attempt was saved as he sprawled on the ice, but the puck drifted between Krawchuk's legs, and Smith tapped it in for his fourth goal of the season. He is now tied with senior Brandon Buhr for the team lead in scoring. 

The Engineers scored the first goal of the second period, and they led for a majority of the middle frame until RPI's Luciano Wilson was called for a slash and subsequently ejected for the game after video review upgraded his penalty to a major and game misconduct. 

Lessard scored his first-career goal one minute into the five-minute major, becoming the first Union first-year to score this season. His goal was assisted by senior Colby MacArthur and sophomore Ben Muthersbaugh, and it also marked the fourth consecutive game in which the Garnet Chargers have scored on the power play. 

RPI stole all the momentum before Union's five-minutes on the man advantage were over, scoring a short-handed goal 2:13 before the second intermission. 

Union outshot RPI 11-7 in the third period, but could not find the game-tying goal like it had done twice in the game and several times more throughout the season.

Head coach Josh Hauge pulled Korpi out of the net with 2:13 left in regulation, and Union earned another power play with 1:15 remaining in the third period. However, the Engineers scored two short-handed, empty-net goals to hand Union its first loss of the season. 

The Garnet Chargers get another crack at RPI on Saturday, Nov. 1 at 4 p.m. in Troy, N.Y. Union can keep the Capital Skates Trophy in Schenectady with a win, but a tie or another loss means RPI reclaims the rivalry hardware.
 
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