Dunlop to Lead Engineers in 2010-11

2010-11 Captains (l to r): Sydney O'Keefe (A), Alisa Harrison (A), Kendra Dunlop (C) and Amanda Castignetti (A). Photo by Nick Sosin

TROY, N.Y. – Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) head women’s hockey coach John Burke has announced that current junior Kendra Dunlop will serve as the captain of the Engineers for the 2010-11 season. Additionally, current sophomores Amanda Castignetti and Alisa Harrison, along with junior Sydney O’Keefe have been named assistant captains. This is the first time that any of the four student-athletes will have served in the team’s leadership role.

“Kendra is a mature and hard-working individual and is respected by her teammates and our staff through her commitment to the game,” said Burke. “All four of these student-athletes have showed relentless dedication and our staff knows that they will bring a great deal of leadership to our team.”

A center out of Granum, Alb., Dunlop has been among the team’s leading scorers in each of the past three seasons. In 2009-10, she played in all 37 contests, finishing fourth on the squad in scoring with 22 points on nine goals and 13 assists. She had two power play goals and scored the game-winning marker in a 1-0 victory over Qunnipiac on January 29. Dunlop also led the squad in game-tying goals with two.

Dunlop, who has played in 106 of 107 games during her career, has appeared in 66 league games with 16 goals and 18 assists for 34 points. She is currently 25th on the program’s all-time scoring list, having posted 26 goals and 28 assists for 54 points. Dunlop is a graduate of the Warner Hockey School.

A defenseman from Anchorage, Alaska, Castignetti played in all 37 games last season, recording a goal and nine assists for 10 points. She appeared in all 22 ECAC Hockey contests in 2009-10, recording seven points (1 goal, 6 assists). In 74 career games, the Shattuck St. Mary’s graduate has tallied three goals with 17 assists for 20 points.

Harrison, a center out of Vienna, Va., finished third on the team in scoring with 12 goals and 11 assists for 23 points. Second on the squad in goals, she had three come on the power play, while two were game-winners and one was shorthanded. A former standout with the Washington Pride, she has recorded 24 goals and 30 assists for 54 points in her career to rank 25th overall in program history.

A junior winger from Prior Lake, Minn., O’Keefe recorded eight goals and six assists for 14 points last season, appearing in all 37 contests. She had two power play markers and two game-winners, including one in a 3-1 win over then #3 Clarkson on February 5. A former standout at Prior Lake High School, O’Keefe has played in all 107 games of her career, posting 10 goals and 14 assists for 24 points.

The Engineers wrapped up the 2009-10 season with a 16-15-6 record, including an 11-7-4 mark in ECAC Hockey play. RPI, which defeated Quinnipiac in a best-of-three quarterfinal series, advanced to its second straight appearance in the semifinals before falling to eventual conference champion and NCAA Runner-up, Cornell.