The Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey team struggled Friday night as it lost its fifth straight ECAC Hockey game to the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Engineers. The Bobcats fell 4-1, losing their first game at the TD Bank Sports Center in nine games this season.

Quinnipiac has gone 1-5-1 after a roaring 12-1 start to the season, dropping its record to 13-6-1 (7-5-0 ECAC Hockey). The Engineers improved to 11-10-1 (4-4-0 ECAC Hockey) with the win.

Cornell, tied for second place in ECAC Hockey, didn’t play last night, so Quinnipiac remains in first place by one point. Union is also tied for second after beating Princeton 7-3.

The Bobcats dominated the Engineers throughout the first period, outshooting them 13-5. Neither team could find the back of the net, but RPI came out of the locker room strong after the first intermission.

The Engineers filled the period with three unanswered goals by Jordan Watts, Marty O’Grady and Joel Malchuk, two of which were short-handed. Engineers forward Chase Polacek assisted on all three goals.

It seemed the Bobcats were ready to make another third period comeback when sophomore forward Scott Zurevinski put them on the scoreboard five minutes in. With only a minute remaining in the game, the Engineers responded with a goal of their own when the puck slid into an open net on a shot by Bryan Brutlag.

The Bobcats outshot the Engineers 37-15 for the game, but RPI made more of its shots count.

The Bobcats continue their five-game homestand on tonight at 7 p.m. vs. Union. A loss would put Quinnipiac out of first place for the first time all season.