Box Score
ERIE, Pa. – Senior forward Valerie Chouinard (Matane, PQ/Montreal Axion) scored on the power play with just under three minutes remaining to give ninth-ranked Mercyhurst College a 2-1 victory over Rensselaer in non-conference women's hockey action. The Lakers improve to 2-1 on the season while the Engineers slip to 1-3 overall.
Capitalizing on Rensselaer's sixth penalty of the game, Chouinard collected the puck from sophomore forward Vicki Bendus (Wasaga Beach, ON/Aurora Panthers) for the game-winner past the reach of Engineers goalie
Sonja van der Bliek (Toronto, ON/Toronto Jr. Aeros) at 17:24. Freshman Bailey Bram (Ste. Anne, MB/Balmoral) was credited with the second assist.
RPI continued to fight through the closing minutes, pulling van der Bliek with 55 seconds remaining, but it just wasn't enough as the Lakers held on.
The Engineers struck first in the opening period, taking the early lead over the Lakers just 3:10 into the game. Off a pass from junior center
Whitney Naslund (Bloomington, MN/Bloomington Jefferson), winger
Allysen Weidner (Wichita, KS/Shattuck St. Mary's) lifted a quick shot over the glove side of Mercyhurst goalie Hillary Pattenden (Surry, BC/Pacific Steelers Midget AAA).
Both goalies put up solid efforts in the first period as Pattenden made nine of 10 saves while Rensselaer's van der Bliek stopped all five shots she faced.
Mercyhurst tied things up in the middle period after senior Hayley McMeekin (Unionville, ON/Toronto Jr. Aeros) took advantage of an RPI penalty for a power play marker at 14:37.
Bram earned the lone assist after she collected the puck on the left side, swung around behind the net and chipped the puck up to McMeekin, who shot from the bottom of the right circle past van der Bliek.
In goal, Pattenden, a freshman, recorded 17 saves for the Lakers, while van der Bliek, a sophomore, had 24 saves for RPI. Mercyhurst held the edge in shots, 26-18, and went 2 for 6 on the power play. The Engineers were 0 for 5 with the man advantage.
The Engineers and the Lakers are back on the ice tomorrow afternoon with a 2pm face-off at the Mercyhurst Ice Center.
