In a game full of penalties and flared tempers (22 penalties for 55 minutes for RPI, and 17 penalties for 34 minutes for BU), RPI Head Coach Dan Fridgen admits "I made the comment in the pre-game skate that we have to stay out of the box and play a disciplined game. We have to play with emotion, but not emotionally. When you take too many penalties you end up beating yourself, and I thought that was the case tonight."

BU got on the board first at 2:08 of the first period when Brian McConnell got his first collegiate goal six seconds into BU’s first power play of the game. It wasn’t a pretty goal—McConnell simply hacked at the puck while it was lying in front of sophomore Goaltender Nathan Marsters, who was unable to cover it with all the bodies around him—but it got the job done.

RPI then tied it up at 8:13 when junior Forward Marc Cavosie scored on a power play. With BU’s John Sabo in the penalty box for tripping, Cavosie took a nice feed from Nolan Graham, and buried a wrister up high over Sean Fields’ right shoulder. Cavosie’s goal came just a few minutes after senior Forward Andrew McPherson (who had three assists on the night) was able to walk in on Fields with a mini-breakaway right off the faceoff. McPherson, however, just missed the net.

Unfortunately, the first intermission found BU leading RPI 2-1 after Mark Mullen got BU’s second goal of the game at 15:36 of the first period. It was an even-strength goal off a rebound that was left right in front of Marsters.

In the second period, RPI returned to the ice and controlled most of the play for the first couple of minutes, while keeping the puck in the BU zone. They didn’t jump to the puck and try to create scoring chances, as they did somewhat in the first period, though, and BU took advantage of this, which resulted in two more BU goals within the first eight minutes of the period, while RPI was held scoreless for the entirety of the second.

"It was a little lackluster in the locker room after the second period," said Cavosie. "[Fridgen] came in and inspired us a little bit, and told us we weren’t out of it, and that we just have to go out there and play our game, because we haven’t done it yet."

The third period began much like the second period ended, with BU looking like the more eager team and taking advantage of RPI’s mistakes, and it took all of 26 seconds for Sabo to capitalize when he got a step on the RPI defensemen while skating into the RPI zone.

A goal by David Klema at 2:58 made the score 6-1 midway into the third period, and Fridgen decided to pull Marsters in favor of Kevin Kurk; this may have provided the spark RPI needed, as they finally began playing their game and taking advantage of a tired BU team.

"I don’t know whether it was conditioning, but they seemed to get a little tired in the third and we seemed to pick up momentum," said Fridgen. "We did a good job killing off a five-minute major, and I thought our penalty killers did an outstanding job tonight."

Tempers began seriously flaring at 9:54 of the third period, when RPI began showing some frustration and BU began retaliating. Six players were sent to the penalty box after a melee broke out in the corner to Kurk’s right, and RPI’s Scott Basiuk was issued a 5 minute major and game disqualification for fighting, on top of a two-minute penalty for charging. But the game wasn’t over yet.

Cavosie got his second goal of the game shorthanded at 10:30 of the third. McPherson deked a BU defenseman, skated into the BU zone on a two-on-one rush, and dished the puck off to Cavosie, who was to McPherson’s left. Cavosie let a perfectly-placed wrister go and it sailed into the net to make it 6-2.

After a goal by Ryan Shields from the top of the crease at 15:12 made it 6-3, the spark turned into a fire.

The Engineers began showing some hunger and serious signs of life, getting the visiting Rensselaer crowd into it, when senior co-captain and Pittsburgh Penguins draft pick Matt Murley scored his first goal of the year, a shorthanded tally at 15:55 of the third. Murley stole the puck from a BU player at the Terriers’ blue line and skated in alone on Fields, burying the puck to his left and pumping his fist in excitement. BU Head Coach Jack Parker, disgusted with his team’s sudden lack of performance, called for a timeout.

"We played absolutely fabulous for 54 minutes," noted Parker, "but then we butchered a few power plays and we got a little full of ourselves."

Cavosie completed his bid for a hat trick at 19:03 of the third period, just five seconds after Fridgen called a timeout and decided to pull Kurk, giving RPI a man advantage. Cavosie took a pass from Jim Henkel and found the back of the net once again, making the score 6-5 BU.

"I think we showed what kind of team we can be in the third period," remarked Cavosie.

The energy and excitement in Walter Brown Arena reached its peak when, with only seconds left to play, Murley found himself alone in front of the net and took a shot which hit the right goalpost just as the horn sounded.

Fridgen wasn’t happy with his team’s play for most of the game. "I felt it was about the first 40 minutes that we just stood around and watched them (BU) play," he said. "It goes back to initiating and taking the play away from another team. I didn’t think we had the puck much for the first two periods and it showed."

BU outshot RPI in the game by a total of 54 to 19, which didn’t please Fridgen. "In order to score goals you’ve got to shoot the puck, and I didn’t think we did near enough shooting tonight. The game is about puck possession and for the first two periods they were hungrier for the puck than we were."