First-year Isaac Tremblay had a career night with two goals and an assist, and graduate student Dominic Basse turned in a 37-save performance in net as the St. Lawrence University men's hockey team defeated RPI 4-1 on Friday night in Appleton Arena.

The Scarlet and Brown improved to 6-12-1 on the season with the win and 2-4-1 in ECAC play, while the Engineers fell to 8-10-2 and 3-6-0 in league action.

RPI came out of the gates with the game's first four shots but Basse, who was making his fourth start of the season, settled in nicely stopping all four bids.

Things would turn in favor of the Saints, who held a territorial advantage through the television timeout. The game remained scoreless until late in the first when Tremblay tallied his first goal of the game.

Jan Olenginski caused a turnover in the Saints' end and found the first-year, who surged up the ice. Tremblay found senior captain Mason Waite at the blueline for a wall pass and carried the puck all the way into the offensive zone. The forward deked around Noah Giesbrecht and banked a shot off the goalie and in to take the lead.

The Skating Saints capitalized on the momentum and scored less than two minutes later. An Engineer held the puck in their defensive zone and attempted to chip the puck out but found the glove of Will Arquiett, who knocked it down. The puck eventually came to Sam Hall, who fired a hip-high shot on the goal. Reilly Connors was the benefactor as the graduate student deflected the shot past the goaltender to take the 2-0 lead into the intermission.



In the second period, both teams had a chance on the power play and put 12 shots on goal, but neither team was able to find twine as the game moved into the third period.

RPI came out in the third in attack mode as they searched for a goal to get back into the game. Instead, it was St. Lawrence that took a three-goal lead five minutes into the period. An Engineer shot was blocked by Tremblay and the puck rimmed around to his fellow Quebecois Isack Bandu. Bandu dished the puck up to Greg Lapointe, who carried the puck in and fired a shot five-hole to finish the French Canadian connection and take the 3-0 lead.

RPI went back to work pouring shots on goal but didn't cash in until a power play chance presented itself with six minutes to go. Dave Smith and the Engineers pulled Giesbrecht for a 6-on-4 and found the scoreboard when a Felix Caron shot deflected off a Saint and in to make it 3-1.

The two-goal deficit was short-lived as 28 seconds later Tremblay struck again. Felikss Gavars gathered a Tyler Cristall pass and used his speed to send an RPI defender into his own goalie. The junior found Tremblay in front, who buried the effort to regain the three-goal advantage that would last the final five and a half minutes.

Basse matched his season-high with 37 saves in the effort, while Giesbrecht came up with 28 saves in the opposing goal.

RPI's furious attempts to get back into the contest led them to a 38-32 shot advantage and the Engineers won the special teams battle going 1-for-3 on the power play as opposed to the Saints' 0-for-3 night.

The Skating Saints will be back in action tomorrow when the team hosts Union in a 7 p.m. matchup. Tomorrow's game will also serve as North Country Youth Hockey night where any youth hockey player wearing their jersey will get into the game for free!