Season Outlook: Engineers Have High Expectations

By Amie Canfield
Sports Information Assistant 

With appearances in three of the last four ECAC Hockey Playoffs, expectations are higher than ever for the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) women’s hockey team as it seeks to add to its list of achievements since joining the conference in 2006-07.  The Engineers look to capture their first ECAC Hockey Championship, and earn the program’s first trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Leading the way for eighth-year head coach John Burke is netminder Sonja van der Bliek, who has re-written the program’s record books, a core of forwards that combined for over 97 points a season ago, and a veteran group of blueliners who helped RPI to the 12th-ranked scoring defense in the nation last season, allowing just 2.08 goals per game.

A senior from Toronto, Ont., van der Bliek has been the source of consistency for RPI since sliding between the pipes three seasons ago. Her focus under pressure and quick reflexes have not only made her the program’s all-time leader in six different statistical categories, including games played (85), wins (42) and shutouts (16), but has also carried the squad deep into the post-season in each of the last two years.

van der Bliek is coming off another banner year in 2009-10, posting a 15-15-5 record with a 1.85 goals against average – which ranked 12th among Division I goalies. In addition to stopping 817 of 884 shots for a .924 save percentage, she recorded 30 or more saves in five games, including two contests with 40+ stops.

Highlighting the year was a 49-save effort over five overtimes in a 2-1 victory at Quinnipiac in game three of the playoffs, which lifted the Engineers to their second consecutive semifinals appearance.

While conference honors have eluded the former Toronto Jr. Aeros standout thus far, she is a fixture in the minds of the Division I coaches as she was one of 45 players nominated for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, honoring the nation’s top female hockey player, last season.

Backing up van der Bliek is sophomore Shannon Ramelot (Bloomfield, MI/Honeybaked), who saw action in four contests during her rookie campaign. A fundamentally strong presence between the pipes, she uses her 5’11” frame to her advantage. With a 1-0-1 record last season, Ramelot shined in a 4-2 victory at #6 Harvard, in which she stopped 43 shots.

Offensively Rensselaer looks to nine returning forwards, led by senior center and captain Kendra Dunlop (Granum, AB/Warner Hockey School). A proven leader with good vision up the ice, she tallied nine goals with 12 assists for 21 points in 2009-10.  Cool under pressure, Dunlop showcased her ability to step up in the semifinals at Cornell, scoring a goal and assisting on two others as RPI fell just short of erasing a four-goal deficit in the final period, eventually losing, 5-4.

Junior center Alisa Harrison (Vienna, VA/Washington Pride) is also back for the Engineers this season. An assistant captain, she is the squad’s top returning scorer, having netted 12 goals with 11 assists for 23 points. A crafty center with quick feet and a nose for the puck, Harrison led the Cherry & White in scoring during her rookie season with 31 points.

Sophomore Taylor Horton (St. Thomas, ON/Bluewater Hawks) and senior Sydney O’Keefe (Prior Lake, MN/Prior Lake), both wingers, also add strength to Rensselaer’s offense. A heads-up player who moves the puck well in the zone, Horton tallied 18 points on seven goals and 11 assists in 2009-10, garnering the team’s Rookie of the Year Award. O’Keefe, also an assistant captain, boosted her offensive production with eight goals and six helpers for 14 points. A consistent presence, she has played all 107 games of her career.

Junior Jill Vandegrift (St. Paul, MN/Minnesota Thoroughbreds), who had 12 points (3 goals and 9 assists) in her sophomore season, proved to be especially valuable during conference play, when she scored all three of her goals and added six assists for nine points.

Rounding out the returnees are sophomores Clare Padmore (Toronto, ON/Toronto Jr. Aeros) and Audrey Stapleton (Barrington Hills, IL/Chicago Young Americans), and juniors Laura Guillemette (Ste. Marie-de-Beace, PQ/Notre Dame) and Kristen Jakubowski (Lake Placid, NY/Northwood School), each of whom are expected to contribute significantly.

With the loss of five players last season, including the program’s all-time leading scorer at the Division I level in Whitney Nalsund, the Engineers expect three newcomers to help fill the gap. Missy Mankey (Coon Rapids, MN/Minnesota Whitecaps/Hopkins HS), a tenacious, tough forward brings a burst of speed, while Toni Sanders (York, PA/West York HS Boys/Susquehanna Rapids U19) is a smooth skater with a nose for the net. Rounding out the rookies is Jordan Smelker (Anchorage, AK/Team Alaska U19), whose competitiveness on both sides of the puck will be a huge advantage.

Defending the blueline are four veterans, who continued to help the team rank among the best in the nation, and two freshmen. Filling the gap left by 2009-10 Sara Devens Award winner, Laura Gersten will be junior assistant captain Amanda Castignetti (Anchorage, AK/Shattuck St. Mary’s). A consistent leader who distributes the puck well, she tallied a goal with nine assists, while helping the Engineers rank fifth among the league’s 12 teams on the penalty kill with an .868 percentage last season.

Juniors Katie Daniels (Rockton, IL/Chicago Mission) and Sierra Vadner (Apple Valley, MN/Minnesota Thoroughbreds) will also be called upon to solidify the defense. Daniels, who brings a solid physical presence to the game despite her 5’3” stature, had eight assists, while Vadner, a skilled passer from the point, added two goals and five helpers for seven points.

Sophomore Andie Le Donne (Toronto, ON/Durham Lightning), who uses her 5’11” frame well in front of the net, is coming off a solid rookie season in which she had six assists. 

Joining the defensive unit in 2010-11 are Nona Letuligasenoa (Fairbanks, AK/North American Hockey Academy), who reads the ice well, and Madison Marzario (Prior Lake, MN/Shattuck St. Mary’s), whose aggressive game makes her a valuable addition to the squad. 

Coach Burke, an ECAC Hockey Coach of the Year finalist in 2009-10, is the program’s all-time winningest coach with a 118-83-21 record, including a 16-15-6 mark (11-7-4 ECAC Hockey) a season ago. The Engineers were the fifth-seed in the league playoffs and advanced to the ECAC Hockey Semifinals for the second straight season.

Rensselaer elevated to Division I in 2005-06 and has posted a 78-72-18 record in that time. The Engineers have made three runs to the playoffs in that span and five times in Burke’s tenure, which began in 2003.

Overall, 17 players have earned All-League honors, including two in 2010-11, and six have been named National All-America. Two others have earned National Academic All-America recognition.

Burke is assisted by Colette Youlen, who works with the forwards, and Brent Hill, an aide to the defense. Youlen is entering her fifth year while Hill is in his second season with the program. Youlen, a former standout at Cornell, spent four years at the University of New Hampshire prior to arriving in Troy, while Hill, a former standout at St. Michael’s College, came to RPI after spending two seasons as the director of player development for the Vermont Stars - Tier 1 Youth Girls Programs.