Banquet Gallery

TROY, N.Y. - The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) women's ice hockey team recently held its season-ending banquet, where the team's 2011-12 award winners were announced.  Six honors were handed out by ninth-year head coach John Burke and his staff.
 
Earning the team's highest award, the Most Valuable Player was senior center Alisa Harrison. The team's captain, who is a native of Vienna, Va., finished third in scoring with eight goals and 14 assists for 22 points over 32 games.  Her assists ranked second overall on the squad.  Among her eight goals was a shorthanded tally, three game winners and a game-tying effort. She also blocked 21 shots on the season.
 
Harrison, who was also named the team's recipient of the Bill Cahill Memorial Award, which is presented annually to a player who displays high character, ability and dedication, appeared in 20 ECAC Hockey games in 2011-12. She scored three goals with a team-high 10 assists for 13 points in that span.  One of her tallies was the game-winner in a 4-2 victory over Yale. 
 
A two-time ECAC Hockey Best Defensive Forward finalist, Harrison played in 141 career games, scoring 40 goals with 55 assists for 95 points.  Among the program's leaders in a number of categories, she ranks seventh all-time in games played, eighth in assists and 10th in goals.  Additionally, the former Washington Pride standout became one of the first RPI players at the Division I level to be named to the ECAC Hockey All-Rookie Team, earning the honor in 2008-09. 
 
This year's Robert Conway Scholar-Athlete Award was given to sophomore winger Jordan Smelker.  A native of Anchorage, Alaska, Smelker is a biomedical engineering major with a cumulative grade point average of 3.70.  A Dean's List and ECAC Hockey All-Academic selection, Smelker led the squad in scoring for the second straight season, tallying 10 goals and 16 assists for 26 points in all 34 games. In addition to two power play goals, the former Team Alaska 19U standout, also notched a shorthanded goal and scored a game-winner.  
 
The Engineers' Most Improved Player was senior center Laura Guillemette, who played in all 34 games this season.  The Ste-Marie-de-Beauce, Que., native had her strongest season in 2011-12, tallying six goals with three assists for nine points.  Two of her tallies came on the power play, while four were scored against ECAC Hockey opponents over 22 games. She also blocked seven shots and was assessed just one penalty all season.
 
Freshman center Eleeza Cox was this year's recipient of the Rookie of the Year Award.  A native of St. Catharines, Ont., Cox played in all 34 games, leading all freshmen and finishing second overall in scoring with 23 points on a team-high 13 goals and 10 assists.  A two-time ECAC Hockey Rookie of the Week selection, as well as the conference's Rookie of the Month in January, she finished the year ranked 16th-nationally in points per game by a rookie (0.68) and fourth among ECAC Hockey freshmen.  Cox, who is a former standout at Ridley College, was also a finalist for the league's Rookie of the Year Award.
 
Also recognized was graduate student and goaltender Alicia Miksic, who was the recipient of the Willie Stanton Award, which is presented annually to the player who demonstrates leadership, sportsmanship, hard work and a genuine love of the game.  The Chestwick, Pa., native appeared in one game this season and was a consistent presence for the Engineers, stepping up in a number of situations when called upon.
 
Rensselaer concluded its season with a 9-21-4 overall record and a 6-14-2 ECAC Hockey mark