TROY, N.Y. - Freshman Lexie Laing scored two goals and Mary Parker had a goal and two assists to lead the sixth-ranked Harvard University women's hockey team to a 4-1 victory over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), this afternoon at the Houston Field House. With the win, the Crimson improve to 11-2-2 overall (9-1-1 ECAC Hockey), while the Engineers drop to 4-15-3 (2-8-0 ECAC Hockey).

Laing (Marblehead, MA/Noble & Greenough) netted the first two goals of the game at 5:37 and 15:37 of the first period to give the visitors an early lead. Senior Hillary Crowe (Eden Prarie, MN/The Blake School) made it 3-0 with just 1:18 to play in the frame, when she tipped home a point shot by classmate Sarah Edney (Mississauga, ON/Our Lady of Mt. Carmel) for her sixth goal of the season. 

RPI senior goaltender Kelly O'Brien (Sussex, WI/Madison Capitals) then turned in a stellar second period, turning away all 12 shots she faced. The frame included the only power play of the game for the Crimson, which was killed off thanks to a pair of close-range saves by O'Brien. The Engineers, who recorded just one shot in the first, picked up their play as the game went on, totaling five shots in the second and 10 in the third.

As the third period was winding to a close, RPI lifted O'Brien for an extra attacker, but Harvard struck quickly with an empty-net goal by junior Mary Parker (Milton, MA/Noble & Greenough) at 17:37. The tally, which was her fifth of the year, was assisted by senior Josephine Pucci (Pearl River, NY/Choate Rosemary Hall) and junior netminder Emerance Maschmeyer (Bruderheim, AB/Lloydminster).

The Engineers found their way onto the scoresheet at 19:22 of the third, when the puck deflected off senior captain Taylor Mahoney (Cary, IL/Chicago Mission) and past Maschmeyer for her third of the campaign. Helpers on the extra-attcker, power play goal went to juniors Lauren Wash (Belle Mead, NJ/New Jersey Rockets) and Alexa Gruschow (Mechanicsburg, PA/Washington Pride).

Maschmeyer (5-2-2) finished with 15 saves, while O'Brien (3-10-0) had 25. Rensselaer went 1 for 3 on the power play, while Harvard was 0 for 1.

RPI is back in action next weekend, when it visits St. Lawrence and Clarkson on Friday (7pm) and Saturday (4pm). Harvard travels to New Hampshire on Wednesday for a non-league game (7pm).