Colorado College continued its winning ways on Saturday – this time with a slighlty different twist.
Four different players found the back of the cage as No. 3-ranked CC scored shorthanded, on the power play, at even strength and into an empty net en route to claiming its
second 4-1 road victory in as many nights over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at Houston Field House in Troy, N.Y.
Junior forward
Scott Winkler struck for the game-winning goal and added an assist, while junior
Joe Howe turned in another stellar performance between the pipes, helping the Tigers improve to 4-0 with the non-conference sweep and remain the only undefeated team in the WCHA.
Sophomore winger
Alexander Krushelnyski, along with the Schwartz brothers – junior Rylan and sophomore Jaden – also lit the lamp to thwart RPI's bid for a series split.
Krushelnyski chased down his own rebound and notched the third shorthanded tally of his collegiate career at 11:19 of the opening period, giving CC the early advantage.
Winkler's power-play blast, a one-timer off a perfect feed from sophomore defenseman
Eamonn McDermott, restored the lead less than a minute after senior left wing Alex Angers-Goulet's shorthanded tally pulled the Engineers even midway through the second frame. It was the first red lighter of the season for Winkler, who later set up
Rylan Schwartz's sixth in three games at 7:21 of the final period.
The assist was Winkler's team-leading fifth of the 2011-12 campaign, two fewer than his total of the previous two years combined.
Jaden Schwartz sealed the victory with 1:35 left to play after RPI pulled freshman goalie Scott Diebold in favor of an extra attacker. Diebold finished with 23 saves in the loss while Howe steered away 20 of 21 attempts by the struggling Engineers, who fell to 1-6.
CC killed all six Rensselaer power plays in the contest and all 11 for the weekend.
McDermott also set up Krushelnyski's goal while freshman defenseman
Ian Young, making his official debut as a Tiger, earned an assist on Winkler's game winner.
