Rensselaer Blanks Union
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union (4-20-4; 2-12-2 ECACH) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rensselaer (8-16-4; 5-9-2 ECACH) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Scoring Summary | |
|---|---|
| 1st - 10:22 | Cox, Eleeza (Rensselaer) |
| 2nd - 19:34 | Cox, Eleeza (Rensselaer) |
| 3rd - 18:13 | SH - EN - Smelker, Jordan (Rensselaer) |
| Union | Rensselaer |
|---|---|
|
G:
N/A
A: N/A Sh: Lauren Hoffman - 3 Sv: Shenae Lundberg - 34 |
G:
Eleeza Cox - 2
A: 2 Players (#8, #21 - 1) Sh: Taylor Horton - 9 Sv: Kelly O'Brien - 12 |
| TEAM STATISTICS | Union | Rensselaer |
|---|---|---|
| Power Plays | 0 for 7 | 0 for 6 |
| Shorthanded Goals | 0 | 1 |
| Penalties (min) | 7 (14) | 6 (12) |
| Shots on Goal | 12 | 37 |
| Face Offs Won | 22 | 34 |
TROY, N.Y. – Behind a two goal afternoon from Eleeza Cox
and a 12-save performance from goalie Kelly O'Brien, the Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute (RPI) women's hockey team skated to a 3-0
shutout of Union College at the Houston Field House. With the
win – RPI's third in its last four games – the
Engineers move to 8-16-4 and 5-9-2 in league play. The
Dutchwomen slip to 4-20-4 and 2-12-2 in ECAC Hockey.
It marked the second straight victory and third shutout of the
season for O'Brien, who improved to 5-9-1 after stopping six shots
in the first period, five in the second and one in the final
frame.
Fresh off a goal and two assists in Friday's contest, Cox (St.
Catharines, ON/Ridley College) kept the momentum going in today's
game as she scored her third goal in as many games at 10:22 of the
opening period.
Junior Andie Le Donne (Toronto, ON/Durham Jr. Lightning) earned the
lone assist after she shot the puck cross-ice in the RPI zone to
Cox at the Engineers bench. The rookie center quickly
navigated into the Union end, deking around a defender before
backhanding a shot in five-hole at the right post on Dutchwomen
netminder Shenae Lundberg (Peterborough, NH/Deerfield Academy).
After a close middle period – which saw Rensselaer hold a 7-5
edge in shots – Cox built the home team's lead with her
team-leading 12th tally of the season. The goal came with
just 26 seconds left in the second period as freshman Taylor
Mahoney (Cary, IL/Chicago Mission), sent a pass from the top of the
near circle through the slot to Cox, who banged it in past Lundberg
at the left side.
Despite the goal, Union's defense came up big in the period as they
successfully killed off an RPI 5-on-3 advantage mid-way through the
frame.
In the final stanza, Lundberg proved outstanding for the
Dutchwomen, stopping all 22 shots she faced as the Engineers held a
22-1 shot margin. She made key stops late in the frame as
sophomore Jordan Smelker (Anchorage, AK/Team Alaska 19U) fired one
from point blank and senior Sierra Vadner (Apple Valley,
MN/Minnesota Thoroughbreds) barreled in for a shot at the
rebound.
Rensselaer capitalized at the 18:13 mark on a shorthanded tally by
Smelker. After a late penalty on the Engineers, Union pulled
Lundberg in favor of the extra-skater and a 6-on-4 chance.
Smelker made a heads-up play, intercepting the puck and speeding
past several defenders for her 10th of the year.
Both teams were 0-for-6 on the power play, while the Engineers
outshot the Dutchwomen by a 37-12 margin. Lundberg made 34
stops for Union, including seven in the first period, six in the
second and 21 in the third.
The Engineers return to the ice next weekend when they travel to #2
Cornell and Colgate on Friday (7pm) and Saturday (4pm),
respectively. Union is also in action next weekend at Colgate
and Cornell.
