Box Score
TROY, N.Y. – Freshman Whitney Naslund (Bloomington, MN/Bloomington Jefferson) tallied the eventual game-winning goal early in the third period and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) women’s hockey team held on for a 3-2 victory over Robert Morris in non-conference action at the Houston Field House. With the win, the Engineers improve to 2-8-0 on the season. The Colonials fall to 3-5-1.
After a scoreless first period, Robert Morris jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second frame on a goal by sophomore Megan Picinic (Cliffside Park, NJ/Princeton Tigerlilies). Picinic scored her team-leading seventh goal after finding the loose puck within a sea of players piled up at the RPI net, sending a quick shot underneath Rensselaer goalie Ashley Mayr (Burnaby, BC/BC Breakers) at 9:51.
The Engineers came storming back into the game near the end of the second stanza, tallying a pair of goals just over a minute apart. Sophomore Emily Donowick (West Seneca, NY/Nichols School) tied the game at 1-1 after corralling a pass from freshman Laura Gersten (Queensbury, NY/Troy-Albany Ice Cats) at 16:11. Gersten sent the puck up from the left circle to Donowick, who put it past the right side of Robert Morris goalie Brianne McLaughlin (Sheffield Valley, OH/Ohio Flames) for the goal.
Junior Brooke Thompson (Rochester, NY/Rochester Edge) made it a 2-1 Engineers advantage on the power play at 17:18, after skating in front from the right side to lift the puck over the shoulder of McLaughlin for the unassisted goal. It was her first of the season.
Naslund made it a two-goal margin for Rensselaer in the third period on the power play when freshman Allysen Weidner (Wichita, KS/Shattuck St. Mary’s) passed the puck up to Gersten in the right circle. Naslund found the rebound of Gersten’s shot sending it past McLaughlin for the goal at 7:39.
The Colonials fought hard late in the game, pulling to within a goal at the 17:53 mark on a power play tally by freshman Chelsea Walkland (Pittsford, NY/Rochester Edge). Sophomore Kristen Miles (London, ON/London Devilettes) took the initial shot at Mayr which bounced loose out to Walkland for the goal. Classmate Morgan Beikirch (Livonia, NY/Syracuse Stars) was also credited with an assist.
Mayr posted 14 saves in the win for Rensselaer to improve to 2-7-0 overall. McLaughlin posted 47 saves in the loss for Robert Morris and is now 2-3-1 on the season. Rensselaer held a 50-16 shot advantage over the visiting Colonials, including a 20-6 margin in the first frame.
Rensselaer and Robert Morris conclude their two-game set tomorrow afternoon in a 2pm match up at the Houston Field House.
