Rensselaer Battles Past Union
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rensselaer (7-16-4, 4-9-2 ECAC) | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Union (4-19-4, 2-11-2 ECAC) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Scoring Summary | |
|---|---|
| 1st - 13:42 | Cox, Eleeza (Rensselaer) |
| 3rd - 09:56 | Smelker, Jordan (Rensselaer) |
| 3rd - 11:53 | Vadner, Sierra (Rensselaer) |
| 3rd - 13:25 | Maddy Norton (Union) |
| Rensselaer | Union |
|---|---|
|
G:
3 Players (#2, #16, #19 - 1)
A: Jill Vandegrift - 3 Sh: 3 Players (#2, #14, #19 - 3) Sv: Kelly O'Brien - 16 |
G:
Maddy Norton - 1
A: Stefanie Thomson - 1 Sh: Emma Rambo - 3 Sv: Kate Gallagher - 18 |
| TEAM STATISTICS | Rensselaer | Union |
|---|---|---|
| Power Plays | 0 for 4 | 0 for 3 |
| Shorthanded Goals | 0 | 0 |
| Penalties (min) | 3 (6) | 6 (12) |
| Shots on Goal | 21 | 17 |
| Face Offs Won | 22 | 26 |
SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
(RPI) women's hockey team skated to a 3-1 victory at Union College
on Friday as its top line of Jordan Smelker, Eleeza Cox and Jill
Vandegrift combined for two goals and six assists in the game. The
Engineers improve to 7-16-4 with a 4-9-2 mark in conference
play. The Dutchwomen slip to 4-19-4 and 2-11-2 in ECAC
Hockey.
Additionally, rookie netminder Kelly O'Brien (Sussex, WI/Madison
Capitals) improved to 4-9-1 on the season, stopping 16 of the 17
shots she faced against Union.
The Engineers scored the game's first goal at the 13:42 mark of the
opening period as Cox (St. Catharines, ON/Ridley College) notched
her team-leading 10th of the season. Jetting into the Union
zone, Smelker (Anchorage, AK/Team Alaska 19U) sent a nice pass low
to Cox in front, who backhanded it five-hole past netminder Kate
Gallagher (Minneapolis, MN/Blake School).
Rensselaer rolled into the second period with solid momentum, but
was unable to add to its advantage as the Union defense held
strong. Gallagher came up big in net for the Dutchwomen as
the Engineers had two opportunities on the power play to grab
another goal.
Smelker had one of the best chances in the frame for RPI as she
fired several shots during the squad's first extra-man opportunity
of the stanza with a shot off the pipe and another shot moments
later blocked in front by senior captain and defender Dania
Simmonds (Aurora, ON/Toronto Aeros).
In the final period, after 40 minutes of a one-goal game, the two
teams engaged in a flurry of scoring as the Engineers broke things
open with a pair of goals at the mid-point. Smelker got
things going at 9:56 of the period as she collected a pass from Cox
and wristed a shot from the slot past Gallagher for the 2-0
lead. Vandegrift (St. Paul, MN/Minnesota Thoroughbreds)
earned her second helper of the contest on the goal.
Less than two minutes later, senior defender Sierra Vadner (Apple
Valley, MN/Minnesota Thoroughbreds) gave the visitors a 3-0 lead as
she caught the Dutchwomen on an odd-man rush, beating the defense
while corralling an outstanding pass from Smelker for the tally at
11:53. Cox was credited with the assist – her second of
the game.
Union battled back at the 13:25 mark as sophomore Maddy Norton (New
Canaan, CT/Choate Rosemary Hall) fired a shot from the point that
trickled in under O'Brien to make it a 3-1 game. Classmate
Stefanie Thomson (Port Perry, ON/Trinity College School) earned the
lone assist.
The homestanding Dutchwomen pulled Gallagher with just over a
minute remaining, but three costly penalties against Union in the
final stretch sealed the victory for Rensselaer.
Union's Gallagher finished with 18 stops in the loss and is now
2-7-4 on the year.
The same two teams return to action on Saturday in a 3pm conference
tilt at the Houston Field House.
