Box Score

Troy, N.Y. - The American International College men's ice hockey team tied 16th-ranked Rensselaer before falling in a shootout 2-1 in the opening round of the 57th Annual Rensselaer Holiday Tournament. Junior goalie Tom Fenton (Sarnia, Ont.) recorded a season-high 45 saves for the Yellow Jackets.

The tie was the first against a nationally ranked opponent since the program elevated to Division I for 1998-99 season. It was also the first time AIC did not lose to a team from the ECACHL.

AIC (2-5-2) took a 1-0 in the closing seconds of the first period on senior forward Greg Genovese's (Hingham, Mass.) second goal of the season. The Yellow Jackets won a face-off with in its defensive zone with 18 seconds remaining in the first stanza and sophomore forward Chad Richardson (Regina, Sask.) led a rush into the offensive zone. Genovese then received a centering feed from Richardson in front of the RPI net and beat sophomore goalie Mathias Lange (Klagenfurt, Austria.) stick-side with just two seconds left in the period.

The Engineers (6-3-3) tied the game at 16:41 of the third period when sophomore forward Paul Kerins (Weston, Ont.) buried a shot from the slot with assists going to junior forward Andrei Uryadov (St. Petersburg, Russia) and sophomore defenseman Peter Merth (New Westminster, B.C.).

RPI had the best chance to win the game in overtime when freshman forward Tyler Hlfrich (Calgary, Alb.) hit the post in the first minute of the extra frame. It was the third time the Engineers rang a shot of the post in the game. Helfrich later broke a 1-1 tie in the shootout to advance the Engineers to the tournament final.

AIC had a tremendous opportunity to put the game away early in the third period. The Yellow Jackets started the period with two players in the penalty box and after Genovese's penalty expired he left the box and was setup on a shorthanded breakaway just one-minute into the period. Lange made a game-saving stop in goal and kept his team's deficit at just a single goal.

AIC also had a chance to win the game in regulation when senior forward Mike Field (Marquette, Mich.) broke through RPI's defense on a two-on-two rush. Lange, who made 26 saves in the game, once again made the stop and sent the game into overtime.

Fenton also made some outstanding saves between the pipes for AIC. He made a pair of diving stops in the final 1:30 of the second period, one of which was with 10 seconds left on the clock just after RPI went on a five-on-three power play. Fenton also turned away several partial break away opportunities and stoned freshman forward Chase Polacek (Edina, Minn.) on a two-on-one break eight minutes into the third period.

The Yellow Jackets will face Alabama-Huntsville in the consolation game Saturday at 4 p.m., while the Engineers advance to face ninth-ranked Notre Dame in the championship game at 7:15 p.m.