ERIE, Pa. – The RPI women's hockey team received a 43-save performance from
Reese Keating, but a pair of first-period goals helped Mercyhurst earn a 3-0 victory over the Engineers this afternoon.
RPI generated its first sustained pressure during an early power play, putting three shots on goal during the advantage.
Naomi Forand,
Alexis Brunet, and
Kaylynn Fisher each tested Mercyhurst netminder Magdalena Luggin, but the Engineers were unable to break through.
Mercyhurst opened the scoring later in the first period when Julia Perjus finished a setup from Sofia Nuutinen and Mariia Polozkova. The Lakers doubled the advantage just over two minutes later, as Halle Duchene converted off assists from Perjus and Holly VanNetten to send RPI into the first intermission trailing 2-0.
Keating helped keep the Engineers within striking distance throughout the second period, turning aside all 16 shots she faced in the frame. RPI's best opportunities in the period included chances from
Mia Montanari,
Keira Johnson, and
Barbora Cerna-Proskova, while the Engineers also blocked nine Mercyhurst attempts during the scoreless stanza.
RPI continued to battle through a scoreless third period and successfully killed off Mercyhurst's lone power-play opportunity. The Engineers pulled Keating for an extra attacker with two and a half minutes remaining, but Polozkova added an empty-net goal to account for the final margin.
Keating finished with 43 saves, including 16 apiece in the first and second periods, while RPI blocked 23 shots as a team. Brunet led the Engineers with two shots on goal, while
Georgia Bailey won 10 faceoffs and Brunet added nine victories at the dot.
