TWO-GAME SERIES: Rensselaer is back at the Houston Field House for a two-game series with UConn, this Saturday (3pm) and Sunday (2pm).

FAMILY WEEKEND: It is family weekend at Rensselaer, this Friday-Sunday ... The institute has a number of activities to take part in throughout campus, including four home athletics contests at the Houston Field House and East Campus Stadium.

FOLLOW THE ACTION: Live statistics for this weekend's game – and all Rensselaer home games – can be followed at http://www.sidearmstats.com/rpi/whockey.

WATCH ONLINE: This weekend's action can be seen live online at www.rpiathletics.com/watch/whockey.

ON THE AIR AND ONLINE: Select games throughout the season can be heard live on 91.5 FM, WRPI or online at www.wrpi.org/listen.

ENGINEERS EDGED BY WILDCATS:  Junior Alexa Gruschow scored the game's first goal, but Rensselaer fell to New Hampshire, 2-1, last Friday ... Gruschow opened the scoring at 5:05 of the first period, with an assist to classmate Brandi Banks ... The hosts answered at 8:34 of the frame, when Heather Kashman buried one past RPI senior goaltender Brianna Piper to tie the game at 1-1 ... Assists went to Haley Breedlove and Sara Carlson ... New Hampshire made it 2-1 at 13:06 of the opening stanza on Breedlove's first of the season ... The lone helper went to Kayla Mork ... Piper finished with 20 saves for RPI, while Vilma Vaatovaara also had 20 stops at the other end of the ice.

ENGINEERS LEADERS: Junior Alexa Gruschow (1 goal, 1 assist), senior Kathryn Schilter (2 assists) and sophomore Laura Horwood (2 assists) are all tied for the team lead with two points apiece ... Nine other players have a point, including freshmen Shayna Tomlinson and Whitney Renn, who each have a goal.

BETWEEN THE PIPES: Senior Brianna Piper (0-2-1) has a 2.61 goals against average and a .918 save percentage in three starts, while classmate Kelly O'Brien (0-2-0) has a 5.58 goals against average and a .857 save percentage in two starts.

2013-14 VS. UCONN: The Huskies swept a two-game series in Storrs on October 25 and 26, winning by scores of 3-2 (in OT) and 5-2 ... In game one, RPI received first period tallies from Ali Svoboda and Kathryn Schilter, but UConn answered with a two-goal second to tie the game at 2-2 ... After a scoreless third, Kayla Campero netted the winner 3:44 into the extra session, earning the hosts a win ... In game two, Laura Horwood gave Rensselaer a 1-0 lead 3:11 into the game, but the Huskies came back with four unanswered goals, including two on the power-play to open up a 4-1 lead after two periods ... Heidi Huhtamaki recorded her first collegiate tally in the third, but Campero scored a late empty netter to seal the win ... Briana Piper made 18 saves in game one for RPI, while Kelly O'Brien had 10 saves before being pulled Piper (18 saves) in the series finale.

PACING THE HUSKIES: Senior Emily Snodgrass (4 goals, 2 assists) leads the team with six points ... Classmate Sarah MacDonnell (3 goals, 2 assists) is second with five points, while freshman blueliner Leah Lum (1 goal, 3 assists) has four points ... In goal, junior Elaine Chuli (2-2-1) has a 2.37 goals against average and a .931 save percentage ... Freshman Annie Belanger (0-1-1) has a 1.45 goals against average and a .950 save percentage.

UCONN TIES AT SYRACUSE: Annie Belanger made 37 saves to help UConn to a 2-2 tie at Syracuse on Sunday afternoon at Tennity Ice Pavilion ... The Huskies got second period goals from Theresa Knutson and Emily Snodgrass to erase an early Orange lead ... Belanger was excellent in her second career start, helping UConn withstand a 39-19 shot advantage for Syracuse ... The Huskies were a perfect 5 for 5 on the penalty kill, also connecting on one of their five power play chances ... Belanger was sharp to turn aside 11 shots in the opening frame, helping to send the contest to the first intermission with no score ... Syracuse got the scoring started less than one minute into the second stanza, when Emily Costales recorded her first career goal at the 0:52 mark to give the Orange a 1-0 lead ... The Huskies worked back to tie 10 minutes later, capitalizing on a 4 on 4 situation with a goal at 10:57 of the second ... Sarah MacDonnell played the puck to Knutson with space, and the freshman winger swooped in goal for a backhand attempt that was saved ... Not to be denied, Knutson kept working and buried her own rebound to tie the contest at 1-1 ... UConn struck again at the 16:55 mark of the second period, scoring on the power play ... Caitlin Hewes sent a pass to Rebecca Fleming at the point, and Fleming aimed one towards the goalmouth ... Snodgrass was there waiting to redirect the pass past Gilligan, giving the Huskies a 2-1 lead ... With barely one tick left in regulation, Jessica Sibley scored an extra attacker goal to tie the contest at 2-2 and send it to overtime ... MacDonnell had a chance for the Huskies during the extra frame, but her odd-man rush was broken up by the Syracuse defense. Belanger made five more saves during overtime.

THROUGH TWO: Junior Alex Gruschow has 47 points in her first two seasons with the Engineers, on 20 goals and 27 assists ... That point total is third most in the school's DI history, behind Alisa Harrison '12 and Whitney Naslund '10, who put up 54 and 50 points, respectively, in their first two seasons at RPI. 

SOPHOMORE SCORING: Last year's sophomore class accounted for 25 of the team's 68 goals (36.8%).

THE CAPTAINS: Seniors Taylor Mahoney and Ali Svoboda will join assistant captain junior Mari Mankey as the captains for the 2014-15 season ... All three are in their first season wearing the "C" or the "A" for the Engineers.

O'BRIEN IN THE RECORD BOOKS: Senior goaltender Kelly O'Brien trails just former RPI standout Sonja van der Bliek '11 in a number of career school records ... She is second in games played (85), minutes (4753:09), total saves (1819) and losses (49) ... O'Brien ranks fifth in save percentage (.901) and goals against average (2.52). 

BY CLASS: The 2014-15 roster consists of four freshmen, five sophomores, six juniors and seven seniors.

BY POSITION: The Engineers roster consists of 12 forwards, seven defensemen and three goaltenders.

UPCOMING ACTION: Both teams are back in action tomorrow afternoon at the Houston Field House for the series finale (2pm).

WHILE AT THE HOUSTON FIELD HOUSE: The NCAA and ECAC Hockey promote good sportsmanship by student-athletes, coaches and spectators. We request your cooperation by supporting the participants and officials in a positive manner. Profanity, racial or sexist comments or other intimidating actions directed at officials, student-athletes, coaches or team representatives – as well as public intoxication, the consumption or possession of alcoholic beverages and tobacco products are grounds for removal from the site of competition and other disciplinary actions.