TROY, N.Y. – Senior captain Taylor Mahoney and junior Alexa Gruschow each recorded four points to lead the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) women's hockey team to a wild 7-5 victory over Brown University, this evening at the Houston Field House. With the win, the Engineers improve to 3-11-2 overall (1-4-0 ECAC Hockey), while the Bears drop to 4-8-0 (1-4-0 ECAC Hockey).
 
RPI scored the game's first seven goals, before Brown came roaring back with a five-goal third period, including four on the power-play.
 
Junior blueliner Jenn Godin (Clarence Center, NY/Tabor Academy) opened the scoring for the hosts at 1:49 of the first period. Carrying the puck into the left side of the offensive zone 1-on-4, she ripped a shot past Brown sophomore goaltender Monica Elvin (Oakland, CA) for her first goal of the season.
 
Rensselaer quickly turned its one-goal advantage into a 3-0 lead, when freshman Marisa Raspa (Downingtown, PA/North American Hockey Academy) netted two goals in a span of 13 seconds. The first, which came at 3:28 of the opening frame, developed off an errant shot by junior Brandi Banks (Burlington, ON/Stoney Creek Jr. Sabres). The puck drifted to Raspa in the slot, before she buried a low shot past Elvin.
 
Raspa then netted her second of the game and fourth of the season at 3:41, taking a feed from Mahoney (Cary, IL/Chicago Mission), and sticking into the top right corner of the net. Gruschow (Mechanicsburg, PA/Washington Pride) earned the second assist.
 
The hosts took a 4-0 lead at 7:27 of the period, when senior Delaney Middlebrook (Minneapolis, MN/Niagara University) snuck home a low shot from the right point. The tally, which was her first at RPI, was assisted by Gruschow and Raspa.
 
Sophomore Laura Horwood (Belleville, ON/Durham West Lighting) jammed home a rebound to give the hosts a 5-0 advantage at 1:13 of the second. Senior captain Ali Svoboda (Arlington Heights, IL/Chicago Mission) drove the net from the right and tried to stuff the puck in. Brown freshman netminder Julianne Landry (Hanover, MA/Thayer Academy) made the initial save, but Horwood was there to stick home her fourth of the year.
 
Gruschow then scored back-to-back tallies at 15:46 of the second and 0:12 of the third. Her first goal, which came on the man-advantage, was a shot from the top of the left circle that found its way into the left side of the net. She then bagged a shorthanded tally on a 2-on-1 chance, just 12 seconds into the third period.
In the third, the Bears took advantage of five RPI penalties, scoring four times on the power-play. Junior Kelly Micholson (Elk Grove Village, IL) and sophomore Maddie Woo (Plymouth, MN) each scored 5-on-3 goals to draw within 7-2, with 11:09 to play.
 
Freshman Samantha Swanstrom (Ham Lake, MN/Blaine) then netted her first collegiate goal, with an assist from Woo, to make it 7-3. That power-play goal was followed by another by senior Kaitlyn Keon (Toronto, ON) to bring the visitors within 7-4.
 
Brown senior Janice Yang (Westport, CT) capped the scoring with just 0.9 seconds left, recording her second of the season.
 
RPI senior goalie Brianna Piper (1-5-2) finished with 27 saves, including 12 in the third period alone. Elvin (4-5-0) made just one stop, before giving way to Landry, who had 20.
 
The Engineers are back on the ice tomorrow afternoon, when they host Yale University at 4pm. Brown travels to Schenectady to take on Union College at 4pm.