TROY, N.Y. – Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) head women's hockey coach John Burke has announced that senior forward Alisa Harrison will serve as the captain of the Engineers for the 2011-12 season. Additionally, junior winger Taylor Horton has been named the lone assistant captain. Harrison served as an assistant captain last season, while Horton begins her first year in a leadership role.
A center out of Vienna, Va., Harrison had eight goals and 11 assists for 19 points in 35 contests last season. Ranking third overall in scoring, she added three power play goals and was a finalist for the conference's Best Defensive Forward Award. In 22 ECAC Hockey contests, she posted five goals with eight assists for 13 points.
One of the team's leading scorers over the past three seasons, Harrison was at the top of the stat sheet as a rookie, boasting 12 goals and 19 assists for 31 points over 37 games. Her talent helped lead the Engineers to their first-ever appearance in the ECAC Hockey Championship Game. As a sophomore, the former Washington Pride standout was third in scoring with 23 points (12 goals, 11 assists), helping RPI back to the league semifinals for the second straight year.
Harrison, who has played in all 109 games during her career, has appeared in 66 league games with 20 goals and 26 assists for 46 points. She is currently 16th on the program's all-time scoring list, having notched 32 goals and 41 assists for 73 points.
A junior winger from St. Thomas, Ont., Horton recorded 12 goals and 11 assists for 23 points in 35 games last season to lead the Engineers in scoring. She also notched a team-high four power play goals and added four game-winning tallies. In 22 conference games, Horton posted a team-best nine goals with eight assists for 17 points.
The former Bluewater Junior Hawks standout played a major impact during her freshman season as well, finishing sixth in scoring with seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points to help the Engineers into the post-season for the second straight season. Playing in all 72 games of her career thus far, Horton has notched 19 goals and 22 assists for 41 points.
The Engineers wrapped up the 2010-11 season with a 10-18-7 record, including an 8-12-2 mark in ECAC Hockey play. RPI advanced to the conference quarterfinals for the third straight season before falling to eventual conference champion and NCAA Final Four participant, Cornell.
