Boxscore

TROY, N.Y. -- Senior Julie Aho (Ann Arbor, MI/Birmingham Rangers) netted the game-winning goal at 1:13 of the third period to lead Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) to a 3-2 victory over Colgate University in ECAC Hockey action this evening. With the victory, the Engineers keep their playoff hopes alive and improve to 13-12-5 overall and 6-9-4 in conference play. The Raiders fall to 11-13-5 and 8-7-4 in the league.

With the game knotted at 2-2 heading into the final stanza, Aho carried the puck into the zone and took a shot at Raiders netminder Lisa Plenderleith (Ajax, ON/Durham Jr. Lightning). The puck rebounded out to senior Brooke Thompson (Rochester, NY/Rochester Edge), whose initial shot was saved, but Aho was there to bury the rebound in the slot.

Despite a 15-8 shot advantage by the Raiders in the last period, Rensselaer netminder Ashley Mayr (Burnaby, BC/BC Breakers) held strong, fending off 30 total shots in the game, including a number of saves at close range with Colgate's goaltender pulled in favor of the extra-attacker.

The Engineers got on the board first in the opening frame after freshman Kendra Dunlop (Granum, AB/Warner Hockey School) tipped the puck past Plenderleith at 9:36. Setting up on the power play, junior Melissa Boik (Allen Park, MI/Michigan Capitals) chipped the puck to sophomore Allison Wright (Oakville, ON/Oakville Ice), whose shot was tipped in at the corner by Dunlop.

Colgate answered less than five minutes later as sophomore Evan Minnick (Highlands Ranch, CO/Colorado Selects) notched a power play tally of her own. Clearing the puck up in the Raiders defensive zone, senior Mallory Johnston (Chatham, ON/Bluewater Jr. Hawks) hit a speeding Minnick, who sent a shot underneath Mayr at 13:58.

The Engineers regained the lead at the 18:21 mark after sophomore Whitney Naslund (Bloomington, MN/Bloomington Jefferson) had a spectacular breakaway tally. Picking the puck up off a blocked shot, Naslund beat the Raiders defense and deked around Plenderleith for the shorthanded tally.

Colgate's Marissa Dombovy (Webster, NY/Syracuse Stars) tallied the only goal of the middle stanza, knotting things at 2-2 after she converted a pass from junior Elin Brown (Calgary, AB/Bowness Bruins) between the pads of Mayr at 9:08.

Plenderleith finished with 16 saves in the loss for Colgate, which held a 32-19 shot advantage.

Rensselaer is back in action tomorrow afternoon in its final regular season game against Cornell. That contest, which marks the final home game for the Engineers' four seniors, begins at 4pm. Colgate heads to Schenectady, also on Saturday for a 4pm game at Union.

Additionally, the pink game-worn jerseys for all 12 ECAC Hockey women's teams, including the one's seen below from tonight's contest, are still available for bid. Log on to http://www.ecachockeycoachesvscancer.com/ for a chance to own your favorite teams' sweater.  The auction ends on Sunday!