Box Score

TROY, N.Y. – Led by two goals and two assists from senior captain Sarah Daniel (Calgary, AB/Bowness Bruins), the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) women’s hockey team defeated Cornell, 8-2, in ECAC Hockey League action at the Houston Field House.

With the victory, its second as an inaugural member of the ECACHL, the Engineers improve to 6-10-0 overall with a 2-3-0 league mark. Cornell falls to 1-11-1 overall and 1-8-0 in the ECACHL.

Tied 1-1 entering the second frame, the Engineers broke open the game with five unanswered goals to take a commanding 7-2 lead. Daniel opened the scoring less than 40 seconds into the frame with her fifth goal of the season. Junior Brittany Forgues (Kemptville, ON/Connecticut Polar Bears), who scored both Big Red goals, would tie the game once again at 3:14, but Rensselaer answered in a big way just under three minutes later.

Sophomore Jamie-Lynn Stewart (Cambridge, ON/Cambridge Jr. Fury) lit the lamp at 5:42 off a sharp pass from classmate Nicole McDonald (Ottawa, ON/Ottawa Raiders). Stewart would earn an assist on the next goal after her shot rebounded out to freshman Allison Wright (Oakville, ON/Oakville Ice), who put it past Big Red netminder Jenny Niesluchowski (Camarillo, CA/Cal Select U-19 AA) at 10:25.

Freshmen Whitney Naslund (Bloomington, MN/Bloomington Jefferson) and Jodi Yaworski (Calgary, AB/Choate Rosemary Hall) would give the Engineers a 6-2 cushion before junior Kelly Barbera (Nesconset, NY/Gunnery School), who tallied her first goal of the season in the first stanza of the game, scored at 17:26 to round out the seven-goal period.

Daniel would add a final tally early in the third frame for RPI, which saw fourteen different players tally a point or more in the game.

Sophomore goalie Ashley Mayr (Burnaby, BC/BC Breakers) post 20 saves in the victory to improve to 5-8-0 on the season. Niesluchowski, who shouldered the loss for Cornell posted 14 saves in goal before giving way to senior Sarah McConnachie (Newmarket, ON/Markham Stoufville Stars). She made three saves in relief.

Rensselaer, which is currently on a three-game winning streak, returns to action tomorrow afternoon against Colgate (4pm) at the Houston Field House. Cornell heads to Union for a 4pm game against the Dutchwomen.