Women's Ice Hockey | 9/22/2019 4:39:00 PM

TROY, N.Y. – Freshman Julia Blitz scored the game-tying goal early in the third period, to help the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) women's hockey team to a 2-2 tie with Brock University, in exhibition play on Sunday afternoon at the Houston Field House.

Trailing 2-1 entering the third period, the Engineers evened the score (2-2) just 1:17 in, as graduate student Claudia Black (Newmarket, ON/Toronto Jr. Aeros) found Blitz (Potomac, MD/Washington Pride) with a cross-crease pass for the easy tap in. Black initially carried the puck into the left circle, before flipping a shot on goal. Brock goaltender Jensen Murphy made the save, but Black quickly moved the rebound to Blitz for the tally.

Neither team was able to break the deadlock for the remainder of the contest, as the two teams settled for the tie. RPI did outshoot the Badgers, 17-9, in the third and, 3-2, in overtime.

Freshman MJ Alexander (Deerfield, IL/Chicago Young Americans) opened the scoring for the Engineers at 7:17 of the first period, collecting a failed clearing attempt in the high slot and ripping a shot past Murphy. The unassisted tally came moments after Alexander took a feed from sophomore Lilli Friis-Hansen (Lyngby, Denmark/Gentofle) and had her attempt blocked by the defense.

Brock tied the game seven minutes later, as Amanda Leradi walked up the right wing boards and fired a shot into the top right corner of the net. Assists on the tally, which came at 14:36, went to Kate Whiteye and Rebecca Feld.

Feld gave the Badgers a 2-1 lead at 19:50 of the opening frame, burying a shot from the center of the blue line. Mikayla Flanagan earned the lone helper on the power play goal.

All three Engineers goalies log at least 20 minutes between the pipes, with freshman Amanda Rampado (Stoney Creek, ON/Stoney Creek Sabres) playing the third period and overtime to pick up the decision. She made 11 saves, while Jenn Gregg (Altamont, NY/Troy Albany Ice Cats) and Ena Nystrom (Stavanger, Norway/Ontario Hockey Academy) registered 10 and seven stops, respectively. Murphy made 41 saves at the other end of the ice.

RPI finished with a 43-30 advantage in shots, while going 0 for 4 on the power play. The Badgers went 1 for 5 on the man advantage.

The Engineers open regular season play next weekend, when they Minnesota State-Mankota for a two-game series, beginning on Friday at 6pm. Brock takes on the Buffalo Beauts of the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL) on Saturday (4:30pm).