Box Score

TROY, N.Y. – Despite a 27-save effort from rookie netminder Kelly O'Brien, including 13 stops in the final period, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) women's hockey team could not get past Cornell University, falling 3-0 in ECAC Hockey action.  The third-ranked Big Red move to 12-2-0 on the season with an 8-1-0 league record, while the Engineers slip to 5-13-4 and 2-6-2 in ECAC Hockey.
 
O'Brien made a number of key saves between the pipes for the Engineers, stopping 10 shots in the first period, four in the second and 13 in the final stanza.  She also had two major saves in the third period, stoning sophomore Brianne Jenner (Oakville, ON/Canada Sr. National Team) down the middle slot and senior Rebecca Johnston (Sudbury, ON/Canadian Olympic Team) at the right post just seconds later.
 
The Big Red struck first in the opening period as senior center Kendice Ogilvie (Delburne, AB/Red Deer Chiefs) fired a shot in from the top of the right circle.  As the Engineers attempted to clear the puck, Ogilvie grabbed it at the far boards, sending it into the opposite corner to rookie Monika Leck (Nepean, ON/Ottawa Jr. Senators).
 
Digging it out of the boards, Leck made a nice turn around an RPI defender and sent to Ogilvie, who settled it briefly before roofing it over the shoulder of O'Brien (Sussex, WI/Madison Capitals) at 11:07.
 
Cornell carried the slim advantage into the second stanza and capitalized in a big way with two tallies for a 3-0 lead.  Junior defender Laura Fortino (Hamilton, ON/Stoney Creek Jr. Sabres) made it a 2-0 margin at 13:53 of the middle period after she one-timed a cross-ice pass through the slot from Leck past O'Brien at the right post.
 
Jenner later pushed the Big Red's lead to three (3-0) in the closing seconds of the frame after she rocketed a side angle shot from the left circle that careened inside off the back right post of the net and out.  Fortino earned the lone assist on the goal.
 
Rensselaer played outstanding defense in the final stanza, holding the nationally-ranked Big Red off the scoreboard despite a 13-4 shot disadvantage in the stanza.  The Engineers had chances of their own in the frame, including a quick shot down the left slot by sophomore Jordan Smelker (Anchorage, AK/Team Alaska 19U), which Cornell goalie Lauren Slebodnick (Manchester, NH/Cushing Academy) was able to deflect away.
 
Slebodnick posted 15 saves in the victory for the Big Red, which went 1-for-5 on the power play and held RPI scoreless on all six of its power play chances.
 
The Engineers return to action next weekend with games at Dartmouth and Harvard on Friday (7pm) and Saturday (4pm), respectively.  Cornell is back on the ice on Tuesday, hosting Colgate at 7pm, before welcoming Quinnipiac and Princeton on Friday (7pm) and Saturday (4pm).