Gersten, Wright Named RPI Co-Captains

TROY, N.Y. - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) head women's hockey coach John Burke has announced that current juniors Laura Gersten and Allison Wright will serve as co-captains of the Engineers for the 2009-10 season. Gersten was the squad's lone assistant captain in 2008-09 while Wright will serve as a captain for the first time.

"I am extremely excited to announce that Laura Gersten and Allison Wright will serve as the co-captains for the 2009-10 season," said Burke, who will enter his seventh season at the helm next fall. "Both have a tremendous amount of character on and off the ice, and have done an outstanding job as leaders in the past.  We fully expect that they will help lead this program toward continued success."

Gersten, a defenseman, played in all 37 games in 2008-09, tallying five goals and 11 assists for 16 points. The Queensbury, N.Y., native was fifth on the team in scoring and first among the team's blueliners. She propelled Rensselaer into its first-ever ECAC Hockey Championship Game appearance, scoring the game-winning goal in a 3-2 overtime semifinal victory at Harvard.

A multiple ECAC Hockey All-Academic selection, Gersten now has 42 points (13 goals, 29 assists) in 104 career games.  She has helped contribute to the Engineers conference success in her first three seasons, playing in 65 of 66 games with five goals and 19 assists for 24 points against ECACH opponents.  Additionally, the former Troy-Albany IceCats standout has been named to the ECAC Hockey Weekly Honor Roll four times during her career.

A left winger out of Oakville, Ont., Wright has been among the team's leading scorers in each of the past three seasons. In 2008-09, she led the team and was ranked 21st-nationally in game-winning goals with four.  Third on the team in points with 21, she added 13 assists and had three power play goals.  Wright played a key role in RPI's playoff run, scoring the game-winning goal in double overtime as the Engineers defeated Princeton, 2-1, for its first-ever quarterfinal win.

Wright, who has played in all 105 games during her career, has appeared in 66 league games with 17 goals and 16 assists for 33 points.  She is currently 23rd on the program's all-time scoring list, having posted 22 goals and 30 assists for 52 points in her career.  The former Oakville Ice standout is a multiple ECAC Hockey All-Academic selection.

Rensselaer concluded its season with a 19-14-4 overall record and an 11-8-3 ECAC Hockey mark. The Engineers finished as the conference's runner-up at the league tournament.