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TROY, N.Y. - The Cornell University women's hockey team scored two second period power play goals on 22 shots in the frame and the third-ranked Big Red went on to a 4-1 victory over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in ECAC Hockey action at Houston Field House.

Cornell improves to 22-5-1 overall and 17-3-1 in the league and maintain their attempt to capture the regular season crown with one game to play. The Engineers fall to 10-19-4 and 8-11-2. RPI will finish in seventh place in the ECAC Hockey standings and face the second-place team in the first round of the playoffs next weekend.

Hayleigh Cudmore (Oakville, ON / Oakville Ice), Emily Fulton (Stratford, ON / Bluewater Hawks) and Alyssa Gagliardi (Raleigh, NC / Shattuck-St. Mary's) each had a goal and an assist in the victory. Jessica Campbell (Melville, SK / Pursuit of Excellence) added two assists.

The first period was played evenly, though Cornell finished the frame with a 1-0 lead. RPI netminder Kelly O'Brien (Sussex, WI / Madison Capitals) kept the game scoreless with some high-quality saves before Big Red blueliner Cudmore picked up a loose puck between the circles and scored through a crowd at 13:27. Fulton dug the puck out of the left corner and drove toward the net, where the puck came free to Cudmore, who scored her fifth of the season. Campbell had the secondary helper.

The Big Red controlled the second period, outshooting the Engineers by 19, 22-3. Cornell took advantage of two of its power play opportunities for a 3-0 edge after 40 minutes.Senior Lauriane Rougeau (Beaconsfield, PQ / Dawson College) scored from the bottom of the left faceoff circle at 12:42 and Fulton scored from close range with just two seconds left in the second. Cudmore set up the game's second goal, while Campbell and Gagliardi had assists on the third.

RPI came out in the third period and forced three straight Cornell penalties, capitalizing on the third to cut its deficit to two goals, 3-1. Jordan Smelker (Anchorage, AK / Team Alaska 19U) rushed up the middle of the ice and got a shot off that was stopped by Big Red netminder Lauren Slebodnick (Manchester, NH / Cushing Academy). Freshman Mari Mankey (Coon Rapids, MN / Hopkins High School) backhanded the rebound through Slebodnick at 9:21 of the third period for her sixth goal of the season.

Gagliardi scored into an empty net with 0.4 seconds left for the final margin.

O'Brien finished with 39 saves for Rensselaer, while Slebodnick had 24 saves for Cornell. The Big Red were 2 for 5 on the power play and the Engineers were 1 for 6, including 1 for 4 in the third period.

RPI returns to action on Saturday afternoon when it host Colgate University at 4pm in the final home game of the season. Cornell travels to Schenectady to play Union College its regular season finale (4pm).