SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Mia Montanari scored the game-winning goal 2:40 into overtime and Reese Keating turned aside 37 shots as the RPI women's hockey team completed a weekend sweep of Syracuse with a 2-1 victory this afternoon. The win improved the Engineers to 4-14-0 on the season.
RPI opened the scoring late in the first period when Keira Johnson finished a setup from Gracyn Mackay and Linn Mattsson for her fourth goal of the season. The Engineers carried the advantage into the closing seconds of the frame before Rylee McLeod scored unassisted for Syracuse to send the teams into the first intermission tied at 1-1.
Neither team was able to break the tie during the second period. RPI generated 11 shots on goal and received a pair of power-play opportunities, while Keating stopped all eight Syracuse shots she faced. The Engineers also successfully killed off Syracuse's lone man advantage of the frame to keep the contest even heading into the third.
Keating continued to hold Syracuse off the scoreboard throughout the third, stopping all 18 shots she faced in the period. RPI successfully killed another Orange power play early in the frame before creating several chances of its own down the stretch through Kami O'Brien, Molly Hamilton, Taryn Rathwell, and Michaela Littlewood.
The game remained tied into overtime, where Georgia Bailey and Aylah Cioffi generated early opportunities for the Engineers. Montanari then ended the contest at 2:40, scoring an unassisted goal for her fourth tally of the season to give RPI the 2-1 victory and complete the two-game weekend sweep of the Orange.
Keating finished with 37 saves, including 18 in the third period and another in overtime. Montanari led RPI with four shots on goal, while Johnson and Bailey each recorded three. The Engineers blocked 19 Syracuse attempts, led by three apiece from Kendal Davidson and Kaylynn Fisher, and held the Orange scoreless on all three of their power-play opportunities.
