Engineers shock Bears late
Hosts tie it with 2 seconds left, win 36 seconds into OT
Dec. 7, 2019 Updated: Dec. 7, 2019 11:03 p.m.
The RPI men's ice hockey team scored two goals within 38 seconds that spanned the final seconds of the third period and overtime to rally for a dramatic 2-1 win over Brown on Saturday.
The Engineers, a night removed from a frustrating 4-1 loss to Yale, fell behind 1-0 against the Bears but picked up their game as time went on and began to create offensive chances against Brown goaltender Gavin Nieto.
It took until there were two seconds left in regulation for RPI to tie the game. The hosts completed the rally just 36 seconds into overtime when freshman Tristan Ashbrook scored his second goal of the season to give the Engineers the win at Houston Field House.
"We do so many good things and tonight, we got rewarded at the very end," RPI coach Dave Smith said. "We just kept playing, we didn't over stress anything, we kept hearing on the bench, 'let's not run out of time' and we pushed that to the limit. We didn't run out of time."
RPI (6-9-1, 3-5-1) had the look of a desperate team the second half of the game and after Nieto continued to turn away Engineer shots, freshman Cory Babichuk feathered a centering pass to the stick of senior Mike Gornall, who pushed the puck into the net with Nieto on the ice at 19 minutes, 58 seconds of the third period to tie the game and force overtime.
"It is one of those plays, final seconds, you just throw it to the net and just pray. That play is all on Babs, it was a good hockey play," Gornall said. "It shows our resilience, the perseverance, the no-quit we have in our hockey team. We understood that if we stuck to the game plan that we'd get the right result. It took to the last seconds of the game but it paid off."
1of13RPI forward Mike Gornall just misses a goal against Brown University goalie Gavin Nieto during a game at RPI in Troy, New York on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019 (Jim Franco/Special to the Times Union.)
2of13RPI forward Mike Gornall tried to score against Brown University goalie Gavin Nieto during a game at RPI in Troy, New York on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019 (Jim Franco/Special to the Times Union.)
3of13RPI goalie Alec Calvaruso makes a save against Brown University during a game at RPI in Troy, New York on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019 (Jim Franco/Special to the Times Union.)
4of13RPI forward Billy Jerry skates along the Brown University bench during a game at RPI in Troy, New York on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019 (Jim Franco/Special to the Times Union.)
5of13RPI mena€™s hockey head coach Dave Smith, left, and assistant coach Scott Moser do not like a call during a game against Brown University at RPI in Troy, New York on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019 (Jim Franco/Special to the Times Union.)
6of13RPI defender Will Reilly slides into the wall during a game against Brown University on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019 at RPI in Troy, New York (Jim Franco/Special to the Times Union.)
7of13RPI forward Zach Dubinsky looks to make a move on Brown University forward Jack Gessert during a game at RPI in Troy, New York on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019 (Jim Franco/Special to the Times Union.)
8of13RPI forward Patrick Polino gets tripped up by Brown University forward Colin Burston during a game at RPI in Troy, New York on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019 (Jim Franco/Special to the Times Union.)
9of13Brown University defender Luke Krys gets one by RPI goalie Alec Calvaruso during a game at RPI in Troy, New York on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019 (Jim Franco/Special to the Times Union.)
10of13RPI forward Chase Zieky fights off Brown University forward Trey Dodd during a game at RPI in Troy, New York on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019 (Jim Franco/Special to the Times Union.)
11of13Brown University mena€™s hockey coach Brendan Whittet has words with his players during a game against RPI at RPI in Troy, New York on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019 (Jim Franco/Special to the Times Union.)
12of13Brown University defender Dorian Dawson takes a seat on RPI forward Mike Gornall during a game at RPI in Troy, New York on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019 (Jim Franco/Special to the Times Union.)
13of13RPI defender Simon Kjellberg goes after the puck in front of Brown University forward Trey Dodd at RPI in Troy, New York on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2019 (Jim Franco/Special to the Times Union.)
Riding the emotion, Gornall's pass to Ashbrook sent the freshman in alone on the first shift of overtime for the winning goal.
"I knew that Mike had been making great plays all game," Ashbrook said. "I was just trying to be ready for it and get it off quick. The momentum was really on our side and we just wanted to get back to what we were doing."
Brown (3-9-0, 3-7-0) took a 1-0 lead at 16:25 of the first period when Luke Krys beat RPI goaltender Alec Calvaruso over the left shoulder.
Calvaruso, making his RPI debut after transferring from Colorado College last December before finishing his season with Sioux Falls of the United States Hockey League, discovered he was in the lineup when he arrived in the locker room and came up with 25 saves just one day after becoming eligible to play.
"I haven't played a game in eight months, I was itching to get back out there," Calvaruso said. "I came to stretch early and coach (Smith) said 'you are going tonight'. It was a pretty big surprise but he has always told me you have to be ready in case your time comes."
Smith decided to shake things up among his goaltending ranks for the game and the move paid off.
"Our goalies have been a little bit snake bit with the rest of us, nobody has stolen a game, we haven't allowed them to steal a game either," Smith said. "We wanted a different look, a different feel. All three work hard, Linden (Marshall) and Owen (Savory) have played fine and I thought Calvi played fine tonight. Maybe just shake it up a little bit, anything to try and get a win."
Sean Martin, a local freelance writer, is a frequent contributor to the Times Union