Last Saturday, Rensselaer Women’s Ice Hockey hosted Capital Region rival Union College for an Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference showdown. The previous night, a 2-2 stalemate formed after a goal from sophomore forward Laura Horwood midway through the third period. The game ended with the stalemate unresolved.
In the rematch, RPI struck quickly, scoring two early goals to take a 2-0 lead. Soon after Union scored, the Engineers scored two more goals to build a 4-1 lead, which would prove to be insurmountable. A Dutchmen goal in the final minute of the third period wasn’t enough, as RPI finished with the 4-2 victory.
Early in the first period, Horwood scored her seventh goal of the season to give the Engineers a 1-0 lead. The goal was assisted by freshman forward Shayna Tomlinson. In the ensuing five minute stretch, Rensselaer senior goalie Kelly O’Brien made three key saves to keep Union off the scoreboard. This set up a goal by sophomore forward Katie Rooney at the 16:29 mark of the first period. Sophomore defenseman Hannah Behounek tallied her second assist of the season on the goal. Just over a minute later, Union left wing Jessica Kaminsky trimmed the Rensselaer lead back down to one, slipping the puck past the RPI defense to put Union on the board.
Midway through the second period, junior forward Lauren Wash lit the lamp for the third time this season to put the Engineers up 3-1. Senior forward Ali Svoboda and senior defender Delaney Middlebrook assisted.
Rensselaer right wing Alex Gruschow tidied up for the Engineers nine minutes into the final frame, scoring the fourth and final goal. Horwood and Tomlinson both assisted.
O’Brien finished with 25 saves on 27 attempts. Lundberg saved 39 of 43 on her end. With the win, RPI improved to a record of 5-17-4, while Union fell to 4-18-4. RPI is on a road trip next weekend as they take on Colgate and Cornell.