Engineers Down No. 6 Harvard

Photo by DSPics.com

Final	1	2	3	Final
Rensselaer (10-10-5, 7-4-3)	2	1	1	4
Harvard (10-5-4, 8-5-2)	1	0	1	2

Scoring Summary
1st - 01:47	Guillemette, Laura (Rensselaer)
1st - 08:06	PP - Gersten, Laura (Rensselaer)
1st - 18:51	Bassett, Cori (Harvard)
2nd - 06:54	Gersten, Laura (Rensselaer)
3rd - 16:20	Buesser, Kate (Harvard)
3rd - 19:30	EN - Harrison, Alisa (Rensselaer)

Rensselaer	Harvard
G: Laura Gersten - 2 A: 5 Players (#6, #8, #18, #24, #86 - 1) Sh: Laura Gersten - 5 Sv: Shannon Ramelot - 43	G: 2 Players (#18, #20 - 1) A: Jillian Dempsey - 1 Sh: Kate Buesser - 11 Sv: Laura Bellamy - 25

TEAM STATISTICS	Rensselaer	Harvard
Power Plays	1 for 3	0 for 3
Shorthanded Goals	0	0
Penalties (min)	4 (8)	4 (8)
Shots on Goal	29	45
Face Offs Won	37	25

full stats

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Powered by a 43-save effort from freshman netminder Shannon Ramelot, the Rensselaer women's hockey team defeated sixth-ranked Harvard, 4-2 in ECAC Hockey action at Bright Hockey Center.  The game was the first between the two teams since the Engineers defeated the Crimson in a 3-2 overtime contest in the ECAC Hockey Semifinals last March.

After falling behind 2-0 on goals by Rensselaer's Laura Guillemette at 1:47 and Laura Gersten at 8:06 of the first period, Harvard (10-5-4, 8-5-2 ECAC Hockey) cut its deficit in half on an unassisted tally by Bassett with 1:09 remaining in the frame. Bassett took a shot from just inside the blue line near the right boards, as the senior scored her fourth goal of the season.
 
At 6:54 of the second period, Rensselaer (10-10-5, 7-4-3) grabbed its second two-goal lead of the game, as Gersten netted her second goal of the game from the left circle. Gersten's shot sailed over Bellamy's left shoulder, giving the Engineers a 3-1 lead. The Crimson enjoyed a 20-8 advantage in shots on goal during the second, but could not sneak a shot past Ramelot during the stanza.

With 3:40 remaining in the third, Jillian Dempsey eluded three defenders at center ice and carried the puck down the left side into the Rensselaer zone. Dempsey wristed a shot on goal and the puck deflected off Ramelot's left pad, creating a rebound in front. Buesser, who leads Harvard in scoring with eight goals and 23 points, tipped home the puck, making it a 3-2 game.

With time winding down, the Crimson pulled Bellamy, creating an empty net and the Engineers capitalized as Alisa Harrison fired a shot from the top of the point and lit the lamp at 19:30.

For Rensselaer, it marked the first-ever regular season victory over Harvard since the teams first met on October 28, 2006.  The Engineers claimed their first victory over Dartmouth on Friday in a 2-1 victory in Hanover, N.H.

Harvard owned a 45-29 advantage in shots for the game and was 0-for-3 on the power play. The Crimson will visit ECAC Hockey and Ivy League rival Dartmouth Friday, Jan. 29 at 3:30 p.m.  RPI is at home next weekend, hosting Quinnipiac at the Houston Field House at 7:00 p.m.