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TROY, N.Y. – The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) women's ice hockey team will make its fifth appearance in the ECAC Hockey playoffs this weekend, heading to Potsdam, N.Y., for a best-of-three quarterfinals against fifth-ranked Clarkson University. The Engineers enter the post-season as the seventh-seed and will play the second-seeded Golden Knights, beginning Friday at 7pm at Cheel Arena. Game times for Saturday and Sunday's (if necessary) contests are scheduled for 4pm.
 
Under the direction of 10th-year head coach John Burke, Rensselaer posted a 10-20-4 overall record and an 8-12-2 mark in ECAC Hockey play. The Engineers, who put together a pair of four-game unbeaten streaks this season, currently have the 19th best scoring defense in the nation (2.68 goals allowed per game).
 
Freshman Alexa Gruschow (Mechanicburgh, PA/Washington Pride) leads the Engineers in scoring through 34 games. She has recorded 25 points on 12 goals and 13 assists, while notching a team-high four power-play tallies, a shorthanded goal and a game-winner.
 
Junior Jordan Smelker (Anchorage, AK/Team Alaska 19U) and senior captain Taylor Horton (St. Thomas, ON/Bluewater Hawks) are second and third on the team in scoring with 19 and 18 points, respectively. Smelker has nine goals and 10 assists, while Horton has 11 goals and seven assists, including three power-play tallies, a club-best two shorthanded markers and two game-winners.
 
In goal, sophomore Kelly O'Brien (Sussex, WI/Madison Capitals) has seen the majority of time, posting a 9-18-3 overall record, with an 8-11-2 mark in ECAC Hockey play. She has a 2.42 goals against average and a .905 save percentage in 32 games (29 starts), with two shutouts. In league play, she has a 2.35 goals against average and a .907 save percentage.
 
Friday's contest marks the Engineers' third of the season against the Golden Knights, who are 26-8-0 overall and 18-4-0 in ECAC Hockey play. In their first meeting (Oct. 27), freshman Erin Ambrose had a four-point game (1 goal, 3 assists) as Clarkson came away with a 6-2 victory at Cheel Arena. In the rematch at the Houston Field House (Feb. 8), the visitors took a 2-0 lead, before RPI freshman Lauren Wash (Belle Mead, NJ/New Jersey Rockets) scored late in the second period. Ambrose added an insurance goal in the third for a 3-1 win.
 
Live stats for all games in the series will be available at http://livestats.prestosports.com/clarkson/. In addition, Saturday and Sunday's (if necessary) games will be broadcast live in 91.5 FM, WRPI. The games can also be heard online at www.wrpi.org.