RPI Edged by Boston College

TROY, N.Y. - Sophomore Alli Thunstrom (Maplewood, MN/North St. Paul) scored off her own rebound at 2:29 of overtime to lift eighth-ranked Boston College to a 2-1 victory over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in non-conference women's hockey action this afternoon. The game was the first of the season for both squads.

Thunstrom secured the victory for the Eagles in overtime after collecting the puck off her own rebound. Taking a shot at the left side, Mayr made the initial save, but Thunstrom was there to bang it home for the win.

Down 1-0 to Rensselaer heading into the third period, the Eagles tied things up on a goal by Meaghan Fardelmann (Lansing, KS/Culver Girl's Academy). Fardelmann, a junior forward, stole the puck off the stick of an RPI player at center ice before skating into the zone. Ducking around one defender she came in alone on RPI netminder Ashley Mayr (Burnaby, BC/BC Breakers) for the goal at 2:00 setting up the overtime drama.

The Engineers opened the scoring with an early 1-0 lead in the first period on a tally by senior Kelly Barbera (Nesconset, NY/Gunnery School). Setting up at the near point, Barbera passed the puck toward the right side to junior Melanie Guillemette (North Bay, ON/Stoney Creek Jr. Sabres). Several volleying passes found the puck back on the stick of Barbera, who buried it past Eagles goalie Molly Schaus (Natick, MA/Deerfield Academy) at 12:43.

Rensselaer, which outshot the Eagles, 13-7, in the opening frame, saw Boston College take the edge in shots in the second period (13-11). The Eagles nearly got on the scoreboard at 11:48 of the frame, but the net had come off its moorings prior to the puck crossing the line and it was declared a no-goal.

The Engineers, who held a 37-34 advantage in shots in the contest, saw Mayr finish with 32 saves on the afternoon. Her counterpart, Schaus, posted 36 saves in picking up the victory.

Rensselaer continues its homestand next weekend with a two-game set against North Dakota. Action begins on Friday (7pm) and continues on Saturday (4pm). Boston College is back on the ice on Friday when it hosts Colgate (7pm).