Rensselaer Trips Up Big Green, 2-1

Saturday, February 11

Hanover, N.H.

7:00 PM

Dartmouth College

RENSSELAER (Alumni Celebration)

2/11/2012 10:06:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey

By: Dartmouth

HANOVER, N.H. - After losing 5-1 to No. 11 Union to start the weekend, the Dartmouth men's hockey team looked to take two important ECAC Hockey points from Rensselaer Saturday night at Thompson Arena and salvage a weekend split with the two Capitol District teams. Unfortunately for the home team, two goals from RPI proved to be enough to take earn victory, 2-1, and the crucial league points.

For the second night in a row, freshman Brandon McNally (Saugus, Mass.) scored Dartmouth's (9-12-4, 6-9-3 ECAC Hockey) lone goal of the game. Against the Engineers (8-19-3, 5-10-3 ECAC Hockey), McNally's marker came in the form of a pretty move at the top of the slot to escape the grasp of a defender and fire a puck between the pads of RPI's Bryce Merriman.

The goal was McNally's sixth of the season and was set up by a long pass from senior winger Nick Walsh (Shannonville, Ontario) from his own defensive zone.

Making his first start for the Big Green in two weeks, senior goaltender James Mello (Rehoboth, Mass.) made 26 saves in a losing effort, dropping to 5-7-1 on the season.

Rensselaer's Joel Malchuck opened the scoring 9:23 into the first. A power-play tally from Jacob Laliberte 6:20 into the second proved to be the game winner as the Engineers took a 2-0 lead o a puck that barely trickled over the goal line beyond the reach of Mello from a sitting position in the crease.

McNally's goal came just under four minutes later, but was only one of two shots for the Big Green in the middle stanza. RPI wasn't much better at the other end, managing just four shots in the second, but did managed the one tally.

The third period proved to be a bit more offensive as the teams managed 25 combined shots in the final frame. However, neither club was able to score in the period, despite both having two power plays, and the game ended in defeat for the home team, 2-1.

Dartmouth once again benefits from the out of town scoreboard as Yale lost at Cornell to remain tied for eighth in the league standings, the final seed that would earn home ice in the first round of the league's postseason tournament. Princeton lost earlier in the afternoon at St. Lawrence to remain two points back of the Big Green and Elis.

Since picking up an assist in the first period against Yale on Jan. 28, senior Doug Jones (Marietta, Ga.) has been held off the scoresheet in five straight games. That assist was the 99th point of his career, leaving him one off of becoming the 36th player in program history to reach the milestone scoring mark.

Merriam made 19 saves in earning the win in goal for Rensselaer.

The Engineers finished the night 1-for-4 with the man-advantage, while Dartmouth was unable to capitalize on any of its four chances. Included in those four opportunities was a power play with 1:04 remaining in regulation and Mello pulled for the extra skater after Mike Bergin was sent to the box for an interference call.

The two teams split the season series after Dartmouth took the earlier win in Troy, 4-3, on Jan. 6.

The Big Green will head back out on the road next weekend for the final time in the 2011-12 regular season. Dartmouth will face Yale in New Haven Friday night at 7:30 p.m. in a game that will be seen by a national audience on the NBC Sports Network. The weekend will end with a trip up I-95 to Providence and a matchup with last-place Brown on Saturday night.