HAMILTON -Â Looking for a third consecutive win on Friday night, the Raiders, with goals from
Tyson Doucette and
Robby Newton, secured a strong 2-1 victory over the RPI Engineers at the Class of 1965 Arena.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Neither team was able to get an early goal, but the Raiders came out swinging on Friday evening, putting lots of pressure on RPI, including a shot by Ryan Spinale that grazed the post in the opening minutes and another by
Ryan Sullivan that forced a great save by goaltender Nate Crawchuk.
Still, as the opening period dragged along, the game settled into a back-and-forth affair, with both the Raiders and the Engineers getting chances but failing to score the opening goal. A goal finally did come, though, as Colgate's Tyson Doucette netted from close range at 16:14, assisted by
Daniel Panetta and
Brett Merner, to give the hosts the advantage.
The score stayed at 1-0 after the first period in a dominant defensive performance early for the Raiders, with first-year goaltender Reid Dyck only forced to make five saves in the first 20 minutes.
Colgate kept the focus early in the second period, though Crawchuk remained strong in goal for RPI, holding their deficit at one. This fortitude allowed the Engineers, who put a flurry of shots on Reid Dyck's net in the middle stages of the period, to get back in the game. The RPI attacking pressure eventually paid off, as a power-play goal by Rainers Rullers at 13:35, assisted by Alfred Lindberg and Kazimier Sobieski, knotted the score at one.
The Colgate forwards struggled to respond to the RPI goal, but the defense held strong, bringing the second period to an end with the score at 1-1.
As the third period got underway, both teams looked poised to grab an advantage, but it was the Raiders that took the lead at 2:53 when Robby Newton, assisted by Isaiah Norlin and Niko Rexine, scored from the left side.
However, Colgate immediately had to defend a power play when Simon Labelle received a game misconduct for spearing. The Raiders were able to kill the penalty, giving them a major boost with just over 10 minutes remaining in Friday's contest.Â
With the Raiders still leading 2-1 at 17:15, the Engineers pulled goaltender Nate Crawchuk, but neither team was able to score in the final minutes, securing a close win for the Raiders.
GAME NOTES
- The Colgate win extended the Raiders' win streak to a season-long three games.
- Tyson Doucette's opening goal was the first-year's fourth on the year.
- Robby Newton's game-winner was his first ECAC goal this season.
- Reid Dyck made 27 saves and moved his record to 5-5 with Friday's victory.
- With the win, the Raiders evened their all-time record for the first time since Feb. 4, 2012 against RPI at 69-69-6.
UP NEXT
The Raiders (5-7-1, 3-2 ECAC) look to pick up their fourth straight victory tomorrow, hosting No. 20 Union at 7 p.m. at the Class of 1965 Arena. The game will air on ESPN+Â and SNY.
