Ruggio, outran two Hobart defenders to a harmless clearing pass and then fired a low grounder past sprawling Statesmen goalie Ben Tamberella with just two seconds remaining in the game’s second overtime, was buried under his 27 fellow Red Hawks.

The goal gave RPI a dramatic, and much needed, 1-0 victory at Harkness field over Hobart, a team that before Friday led the Red Hawks in the Liberty League standings.

“I couldn’t believe it just happened, I was pretty much set on the outcome being a tie,” Rensselaer Head Coach Adam Clinton said. “This is my most exciting win as a coach and one of the biggest wins for our program in my three years here.”

The win was much needed as it solidified RPI’s chance at a playoff sport. However, it was not an all-around good game for Rensselaer as the Red Hawks got outplayed for much of the first half. And while Ruggio may have been the game’s star, his heroics were only made possible by the outstanding play of RPI goaltender Nick Bochette.

Bochette finished the game with just three saves, but they have been the biggest saves for RPI this season. The sophomore transfer was everywhere, directing traffic on defense, coming out to play loose, and cutting off shooting angles for potential scorers.

“Nick has just been tremendous in goal,” Clinton said of Bochette, who was selected “Man of the Match” by his teammates. “He has given us exactly what I thought he would when he transferred here.”

In the first overtime, Hobart’s Ricky Klotz found out just how far Bochette was willing to challenge him as the goalkeeper came all the way to the edge of the goal box, taking away any possible shot before eventually smothering the ball.

As Bochette and middle defenseman Joe Johnson continued to foil the Statesmen’s scoring chances, the Rensselaer offense finally created more of their own in overtime.

“We are playing well defensively,” Clinton said. “Now we need to start playing more consistent offensively.”

Hobart out-shot RPI 8-1 in the second half, but the Red Hawks reversed the roles in the two overtimes, firing five shots on net, one of which finally found the net with just seconds remaining. Rensselaer played almost all of the two overtimes in Hobart’s end of the field and looked more energetic down the stretch.

This could not have been more evident than on Ruggio’s dead sprint to a lofted pass in front of the Hobart goal box. Ruggio, who has scored three goals in two weeks, simply wanted the ball more as he sprinted past two confused Statesmen defenders for the ball and the eventual game winner.

However, Rensselaer got a little taste of their own medicine Saturday in a 1-0 loss against Hamilton at Harkness Field.

Despite playing most of the game in their zone, Hamilton managed to tally the game’s only goal, a strike from Zach Kelly about midway through the first half.

Hamilton seemed to think the game was over after the first half, but RPI continued to pound shots at the Continentals. Rensselaer put 20 shots and 14 corner kicks near Hamilton net minder Anthony Tripicchio compared to the five shots and four corners garnered by Hamilton.

RPI had one shot hit the crossbar while one of Thomas Frost Anderson’s seven shots looked to be going in before it was snatched out of the air by Tripicchio.

“We played well against Hamilton,” Clinton said. “We just couldn’t get a goal.”

Tripicchio tallied three saves compared to just one for Bochette.

Rensselaer, who is now 6-3-3 overall and 2-2 in conference play, remains tied with Union and Hobart with six points in the Liberty League standings. Only the top four teams make the conference tournament and with it a chance at a NCAA tournament birth.

“I’m excited to see how this team will respond to a chance to earn a NCAA and Liberty League tournament birth,” Clinton said of his Red Hawks who are now ranked seventh in the region. “We are confident and have hung in games we haven’t been supposed to win.”

A Liberty League tournament birth looks favorable for the Red Hawks despite that four of their last five games are on the road. RPI will face two of the three worst teams in Liberty League (Skidmore and Vassar) along with a head-to-head battle with Union to finish out their league schedule.

“Our schedule is favorable, we hold all the cards we need to be successful,” Clinton said. “But we can’t overlook our local rivals.”

This week will be a light week for Rensselaer. The Red Hawks will play one road non-league contest today against Keene State. Keene State is ranked 15th in the country and will be the third nationally ranked opponent Rensselaer has faced in the last six games.

“These games have been excellent confidence builders,” Clinton said despite the fact RPI has dropped all three games against nationally ranked opponents. “We have shown we can play with these teams and we want another shot at the likes of St. Lawrence.”