A tie was as good as a win for the Clarkson University Hockey team on Friday night as the Golden Knights battled back to gain a 3-3 draw at Rensselaer and in the process clinched a home-ice berth in the upcoming ECAC Hockey Playoffs.

The Golden Knights, who snapped a four-game losing skid, stand at 11-17-5 overall and are in eighth place in ECAC Hockey at 8-10-3. The Green and Gold close out the regular season at defending National Champion Union in Schenectady on Saturday night. Clarkson will host either Rensselaer or Union in the playoffs' first-round series next weekend at Cheel Arena.

Trailing 3-2 after 40 minutes, the Knights got the tying goal from one of their two four-year veterans midway through the third period.

Senior defenseman James Howden (Edgeley, SASK) tallied the key goal for Clarkson at 13:18 when he connected on a wrist shot from the right circle for his third goal of the season. Howden's tying score was set up by sophomores Troy Josephs (his third assist in the past two games) and A. J. Fossen (Maple Grove, MN).

Clarkson held a significant advantage in shots, 39-18, at Houston Field House in Troy, including a 14-2 margin in the second period and were 6-0 in the five-minute overtime session.

Junior goaltender Greg Lewis (Mars, PA) came in off the bench to play the final 40 minutes and turned aside all eight shots he faced to record the tie. Sophomore Steve Perry (Ligonier, PA) started the game in the Clarkson net and made seven saves on 10 shots through the opening 20 minutes.

Rensselaer (9-23-3, 7-12-2) began the scoring at 4:07 of the first period with a wrap-around goal by Viktor Liljegren. The Knights came back less than three minutes later to tie.

Clarkson went on a 5-on-3 power play shortly after the Rensselaer goal and scored late in the two-man advantage to make it 1-1. Fossen knocked in a rebound off a shot from the point by junior defenseman Kevin Tansey (Hammond, ONT) at 6:51 for his fifth goal of the season and fourth goal over the last three games. Senior Joe Zarbo (Grand Island, NY) also assisted.

The Knights made it 2-1 when junior Pat Megannety (Oakville, ONT) tipped in a shot from Howden moments after a Clarkson power play had expired. Zarbo, the Knights' other four-year veteran, also assisted on Megannety's fifth goal of the season.

Rensselaer, however, came back with a pair of goals to take a 3-2 lead after the opening 20 minutes.

The Engineers took advantage of a Clarkson miscue in front of the Knights' crease and tied it 2-2 on a goal by Drew Melanson at 14:01, and then regained the lead with 1:50 remaining in the period as Mark McGowan tallied.

Both teams were scoreless in the second period.

Jason Kasdorf made 36 saves for RPI.

The Knights went 1-of-4 on the power play and killed off the Engineers' lone man-advantage opportunity.