Box Score / Post-Game Comments

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 10^th 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.