GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Junior Becca Kohler netted a hat trick to lead the seventh-ranked University of North Dakota women's hockey team to a 7-1 victory over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), this evening at Ralph Engelstad Arena. With the win, UND improves to 1-0, while the Engineers open the season at 0-1.
 
Kohler (St. Thomas, ON) got the scoring started at 7:28 of the first period, when she took a feed from classmate Meghan Dufault (Winnipeg, MB) and roofed a shot over the left should over RPI senior goaltender Kelly O'Brien (Sussex, WI/Madison Capitals). Senior Josefine Jakobsen (Aalborg, Denmark) earned the second helper on the power-play tally.
 
Jakobsen made it 2-0 at 2:35 of the second, receiving a behind-the-back pass from Dufault and sticking it past O'Brien along the ice before she could recover. Less than five minutes later Kohler netted her second of the game. Once again the man advantage, she finished off another feed from Dufault.
 
UND sophomore Marissa Salo (Grand Rapids, MN) scored the first of her two goals in the game at 15:05 of the second, picking up a loose puck in the slot and firing it past O'Brien.
 
Senior Andrea Dalen (Honefoss, Norway) got on the scoresheet at 1:52 of the third, when she picked out the top left corner of the net for a shorthanded goal to make it 5-0. Kohler completed the hat trick at 9:02 burying a one-timer from the low slot, off a pass from Dufault.
 
Salo then netted her second of the contest at 15:12. The assist went to junior Sam LaShomb (Inver Grove Heights, MN), who had two helpers on the evening.
 
Rensselaer got on the board at 16:03 of the third, when freshman Shayna Tomlinson (Gilford, NH/Assabet Valley) picked off a UND outlet pass and walked in on goal. Her shot deflected off the skate of a defender and trickled past North Dakota junior goalie Shelby Amsley-Benzie (Warroad, MN). The goal was the first of Tomlinson's collegiate career.
 
Amsley-Benzie (1-0) made 20 saves, while O'Brien (0-1) finished with 32. RPI was 0 for 11 on the power-play, while North Dakota finished 2 for 4.
 
The Engineers return to the ice tomorrow night, when they visit Bemidji State for a non-league game (8pm ET). UND hosts Vermont on tomorrow (8:07pm ET).