Engineers de-fang Tigers

Two goals from Jagger Tapper and a solid performance from goaltender Noah Giesbrecht propelled Rensselaer to a 4-1 victory against the visiting Princeton Tigers. This game marks the last six games of the regular season for the Engineers, who hope to enter the ECAC playoffs on a strong note.

Rensselaer was immediately put on the defensive by the visitors, who levied 14 shots on goal to RPI's four. The Tigers had the Engineers on the ropes—a problem exacerbated by two untimely penalties on the Engineers that halted any momentum Rensselaer may have gained. The period itself ended with a brief scuffle in front of the RPI goal as Princeton attempted to pry the puck from Giesbrecht's glove. Despite the perilous period, Giesbrecht successfully blocked every shot from the Tigers.

Against the run of play, however, the Engineers were the first to get on the scoreboard. Four minutes into the second period, the puck fell to Felix Carron on the right side of the goal, who was able to break past two defenders before the Princeton goaltender was able to knock the puck away from his possession. Unfortunately for the Tigers, the puck fell to Jakob Lee, who maneuvered his way past the outstretched goalie and sent the puck into the top of the net to take the lead.

Rensselaer, thanks to a Princeton penalty, would continue to mount attacks on the Tigers. Despite this, Princeton would strike back with less than four minutes left in the period. Benefitting from an overextended Engineer attack, Princeton would attack with a 2-on-1 advantage on the Engineer goal and capitalize to tie the game.

The Engineers would continue to put pressure on the Tigers and eventually break the deadlock in the opening minute of the 3rd period. Passing the puck around the Princeton defense, who were under-manned due to a penalty, John Beaton found an open Tapper to put the Engineers ahead. The Engineers extended their lead five minutes later when Smolinski threaded a well-placed pass to Dovar Tinling across the rink, who fired his shot through the goalie to make the score 3-1.

Princeton seemed to reduce the margin to one, but it was called back due to an offside call earlier in the play. A final goal to cap it off was scored by Tapper, who slotted in a puck into an empty Princeton net to seal the victory. The win helps the Engineers keep pace with Brown University, who are as of now 5 points ahead of Rensselaer in the ECAC standings. See the box score here.