Dec. 2, 2005

Final Stats

Troy, NY - Sacred Heart University freshman forward Bear Trapp (Regina, SK/Estevan), tallied two goals, including the game-winner in overtime, and junior goaltender Jason Smith (St. Lambert, PQ/Lennoxville Cougars) recorded 44 saves to lead the Pioneers to a 4-3 victory over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in a non-conference Division I men's hockey contest at the Houston Field House. With its victory, Sacred Heart improves to 8-3-1 on the season, including a 6-1-0 mark in its last seven games. The Engineers fall to 7-6-3.

Trapp got the game-winner at 1:01 of overtime from behind the net when his attempted pass deflected off a Rensselaer defenseman and into the back of the net. Smith earned the win by making 16 saves in the first period, 17 in the second, 11 in the third period and none in the overtime. He is now 7-3-1 on the season.

The Pioneers opened the scoring at 4:38 of the first period when junior forward Peter Ferraro (Pleasantville, NY/Avon Old Farms) skated up the left side of the ice on a two-on-one with Erik Rose (Milford, CT/Junior Coyotes) and snapped off a wrist shot to the short side. For Ferraro, the unassisted goal was his fourth marker of the season. RPI answered at 16:57 when junior forward Oren Eizenman (Toronto, ON/Wexford Raiders) tallied from just outside the crease. Eizenman earned his ninth goal of the season when his wrist shot was partially stopped by the goaltender but still managed to get the puck across the goal line. For Eizenman, the goal extended his point-scoring streak to 14 games (9 goals, 10 assists). Senior Kevin Croxton (Calgary, AB/Camrose Kodiaks), who fed Eizenman in the neutral zone, earned the primary assist while defenseman Brad Farynuk (Enderby, BC/Vernon Vipers) earned the secondary for Rensselaer, which outshot the Pioneers 17-7 in the period.

Sacred Heart built a two-goal lead after two periods with a pair of power play goals in the middle stanza. Senior Rocco Molinaro (Dearborn, MI/Cleveland Barons) ripped a slap shot from the blueline in the middle of the circles that range off the crossbar for a 2-1 lead at 8:48. Kalen Wright (Candle Lake, SK/Melfort Mustangs) and Molinaro earned the assists on the goal. Trapp made it 3-1 less than two minutes later when he swept in a loose puck that was laying in the crease. Trapp's goal, his seventh of the season, was scored after Bernie Chmiel's (Pittsburgh, PA/Pittsburgh Force) shot slipped through Rensselaer goaltender Mathias Lange (Klagenfurt, Austria/New York Apple Core). Sacred Heart's leading scorer, Pierre-Luc O'Brien (Nicolet, QC/Cowichan Valley Capitals) also earned an assist on the goal.

Rensselaer battled back in the third period, tallying two goals to tie the game at 3-3. Eizenman notched his second of the game off a rebound of a shot by sophomore Andrew Lord (West Vancouver, BC/Vernon Vipers) at 7:21 and sophomore Jonathan Ornelas (Mississauga, ON/Milton IceHawks) tied the game at 15:33. Croxton started the play on RPI's second goal from the top of the left circle, passing the puck to Lord, who had his shot stopped. Ornelas tied the game at 15:33 when he lifted a shot into the upper right corner for his tenth goal of the season. Farynuk and Croxton tallied the assists.

Lange finished with 24 saves, including six in the first period, 11 in the second, six in the third and one in overtime.

The Pioneers close out the weekend with a road trip to Army on Sunday afternoon. Face off at Tate Rink is set for 2:00 pm.