TROY, N.Y. – Junior Julia Blitz scored late in the third period to send the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) women's hockey team past Syracuse University, 3-2, in exhibition play, Sunday afternoon at the Houston Field House. The Engineers open the regular season next weekend with a two-game series at Mercyhurst University. Puck drop is scheduled for 6pm on Friday and 2pm on Saturday.

RPI opened the scoring at 2:02 of the first period, when junior Marah Wagner (Langley, BC / Robert Morris) redirected a shot from sophomore Maddy Papineau (Sudbury, ON / Oakville Hornets) past Syracuse graduate student netminder Allison Small (Nestleton, ON / Durham West Lightning) for a 1-0 lead.

Less than five minutes later, freshman Mika Jahnke (Allen, TX / Dallas Stars) shot the puck off the leg of a defender and into the net for a 2-0 RPI advantage. The unassisted tally came at 6:54 of the opening frame.

The Orange got on the board at 5:33 of the second, when sophomore Rayla Clemons (Franklin, MI / Pittsburgh Pens Elite) split the defense and scored past RPI junior netminder Amanda Rampado (Stoney Creek, ON / Stoney Creek Sabres), cutting the Syracuse deficit to 2-1. Classmate Tatum White (Kingston, ON / Kingston Jr. Wolves) and junior Mae Batherson (New Minas, NS / Kingston Jr. Ice Wolves) picked up the helpers on the play, which came during a delayed penalty against RPI.

On the ensuing power play, the Orange capitalized, knotting the score at 2-2. Graduate student and captain, Jessica DiGirolamo (Mississauga, ON / Oakville Jr. Hornets) fired through a screen at the top of the zone and beat Rampado under her right arm for the tally. Assists on the man advantage marker were credited to Abby Moloughney (Ottawa, ON / Nepean Wildcats) and freshman Sarah Marchand (Belle River, ON / Southwest Wildcats).

An evenly played third saw the Orange kill off one penalty early, before the Engineers were able to score the winner late.

With just under two minutes left in regulation, junior Hannah Price (Pittsburgh, PA / Pittsburgh Pens Elite) fired the puck up the right wing boards for classmate Maddy Peterson (Princeton, MN / Princeton High School), who walked the goal line and shot from close range. The rebound popped out to the left side of the goal for Blitz (Potomac, MD / Washington Pride), who stuffed home the eventual game-winner.

Rampado went the distance between the pipes for RPI, making 29 saves, while the Orange saw three netminder each see a period. Small had seven stops in the first, before sophomore Amelia Van Vliet (Kemptville, ON / Kingston Jr. Wolves) saved five in the second. Senior Arielle DeSmet (Charlotte, VT / Robert Morris) took the loss, making six saves in the third period.

The Orange begin their regular season on October 1 and 2, when they visit St. Lawrence for two.