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Marchin ’19 hat trick fuels Bears to 5-4 comeback victory over RPI

Three-goal third period powers Bruno to first overtime victory over Engineers Saturday

Following a 10-day hiatus over the Thanksgiving break, the men’s hockey team earned its first overtime victory of the season with a 5-4 comeback win over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Saturday. The victory earned Bruno another weekend split, as the Bears fell to No. 19 Union 3-1 Friday.


Tommy Marchin ’19 led the Bears with five points over the weekend, scoring Bruno’s lone goal Friday and earning a hat trick and an assist against RPI Saturday.


Brown 1, Union 3


Friday night, Marchin scored late in the third period, but the Bears (5-6-0, 3-6-0 ECAC) were unable to recover from a three goal deficit. Three different Dutchmen (9-7-1, 6-2-0) notched goals, one in each stanza, to claim the lead.


“They were running a really good forecheck on our breakout that we weren’t used to,” Marchin said. 


Bruno gained offensive momentum later in the contest, outshooting Union in the second and third periods to claim a total shot advantage of 32-28.


Marchin put the Bears on the board with five minutes remaining, collecting a stray rebound off the skate of Tim Lappin ’18 and slotting the puck past Union netminder Jake Kupsky.


Bruno came out strong on the penalty kill, holding the Dutchmen at 0-for-4 on the power play.


“We had plenty of chances to score in that game — I don’t think there was a lack of energy at the beginning,” said Head Coach Brendan Whittet ’94. “If anything, we have to make sure that we are disciplined in not taking needless penalties.”


The Bears pulled goaltender Gavin Nieto ’20 for an extra skater with 1:50 remaining, but were closed out by the Dutchmen in the final stretch. Nieto made 25 saves in the contest.


Brown 5, Rensselaer 4 / OT


The following day, a three-goal third period powered the Bears to a comeback victory over the Engineers (3-10-3, 2-5-1). Marchin earned a hat trick and Lappin scored the golden goal a minute and a half into overtime for the win.


“It all begins with the fact that the guys believed that we had the ability to be able to come back,” Whittet said. “We stuck with the process … and played with confidence in understanding that the game is not over until the final horn goes off. It was really a character-building win.”


Bruno burst out to an early lead at the 20 second mark as Marchin scored on the first shot of the game, launching the puck past RPI goaltender Linden Marshall from the left circle.


Rensselaer answered with a trio of goals in the second period, including one on the power play, to reclaim the advantage. The Engineers widened the lead to three with a shorthanded goal 10 seconds into the third.


But Bruno began to mount a rally midway through the final stanza when Marchin scored twice in a four minute span, capitalizing on a power play in the 16th minute to trim the deficit to one.


Chris Berger ’21 equalized the game a minute later, redirecting a rebound past Marshall for his first career goal.


“Once we got one, the bench came alive,” Marchin said. “We knew that we had the potential to actually come back and had plenty of time to do so, so we were pretty confident in ourselves.”


Lappin fired a shot from the right circle off the crossbar and into the back of the net to claim the victory in overtime.


Rensselaer slighted Brown 31-30 in shots on goal. Nieto made 27 saves in the win.


Looking ahead, the Bears seek to maximize offensive output on the power play, which has converted seven times so far this season.


“Our penalty kill has probably been a little bit ahead of our power play, although last night, our power play came through in a big way,” Whittet said. “I look at that and say that the power play performed in that situation — it was a pressure situation and it was good to see.”


“I’m really confident that we have good guys on units (on the power play) that know how to score goals and work together really well,” Marchin said. “We’re just going to stick to the process and the pucks will start coming our way.”


With two non-conference games remaining before the winter break, Bruno also looks to maintain the greater depth and cohesiveness that has helped the team to five wins early in the season. “We’re getting contributions throughout — people stepping in that may not have been playing and coming in and contributing,” Whittet said. “It’s a team in every aspect.”


The Bears host Bentley Wednesday in a non-conference matchup at Meehan Auditorium. Face-off is at 7 p.m.

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