
Rivals Skate to a Draw
TROY, N.Y. - Union freshman Marissa Gentile (Groton, MA/Tabor
Academy) netted the game-tying goal with 3.9 seconds remaining in
the contest to force overtime as Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
(RPI) and Union College skated to a 4-4 draw in ECAC Women's Hockey
action this afternoon. The Engineers are now 8-8-3 overall and
3-5-2 in conference play. The Dutchwomen improve to 1-15-2 and
0-8-2 in the league.
With the game netted at 3-3 all heading into the final period,
Rensselaer grabbed the lead off a breakaway by sophomore Whitney
Naslund (Bloomington, MN/Bloomington Jefferson) just 51 seconds in.
Classmate Allysen Weidner (Wichita, KS/Shattuck St. Mary's) earned
the lone assist after stripping the puck off a Union stick in the
neutral zone.
Union gambled in the closing seconds, pulling goaltender Lundy Day
(Calgary, AB/University of Maine) in favor of the extra attacker
with 44 seconds left. The Dutchwomen capitalized off an RPI miscue
as senior Courtney Chais (Plaintation, FL/North American Hockey
Academy) flipped the puck to Gentile on the right side for the
goal.
Day finished with 48 saves in the draw, including 12 in the first,
14 in the second and third, and eight in overtime. Mayr stopped 13
shots for Rensselaer.
After battling through two scoreless periods in Friday night's
victory, the Engineers wasted little time in getting on the board
in game two. Naslund put RPI on the board at 4:20 of the opening
frame after she skated into the offensive zone and split the
defense for a backhanded shot at Day. Junior defenseman Melanie
Guillemette (North Bay, ON/Stoney Creek Jr. Sabres) earned the lone
assist.
Rensselaer took a two-goal advantage later in the frame when
freshman Kendra Dunlop (Granum, AB/Warner Hockey School) recorded
her fifth goal of the season. Off a pass from the far point from
senior defenseman Ellen McNamara (Macomb, MI/Little Caesars U19),
Dunlop rifled a shot from the right circle over the shoulder of Day
at 14:57.
Sophomore Allison Wright (Oakville, ON/Oakville Ice) put RPI up 3-0
at 8:17 of the second period, after her shot from behind the net,
banked in off of Day's pads. The Engineers lead was short-lived
though as the homestanding Dutchwomen scored three unanswered goals
to tie things up at 3-3. Guillemette and senior defenseman Kelly
Barbera (Nesconset, NY/Gunnery School) notched the assists on the
tally.
Union got onto the scoreboard at 9:57 after sophomore Brenna Malnar
(Soughgate, MI/Honeybaked AAA) threw the puck up into the faceoff
circle to Gentile, who sent a quick wrist shot over the glove side
of Mayr. Junior Suzy Pocock (Sterling Heights, MI/Honeybaked AAA)
was credited with the second assist.
Chais narrowed the visitors lead to 3-2 after finding the rebound
of a Courtney Kerslake (Sarnia, ON/Bluewater Jr. Hawks) shot in
traffic for the goal at 15:48.
Pocock evened the score at 19:21 when she capitalized on another
loose rebound in front of the net for a 5 on 3 goal past Mayr.
Gentile, who took the initial shot at the goal, and Malnar were
credited with the assists.
Rensselaer, which outshot Union, 52-17, in the game, also saw
senior Brooke Thompson (Rochester, NY/Rochester Edge) play in her
100th career game.
Both squads return to action next weekend as Rensselaer heads to
Cornell for a 7pm matchup on Friday. Union is at Colgate, also at
7pm.














