Freshman Brooke Thompson broke a 2-2 game in the third, scoring two goals three minutes apart in the period, leading the women’s hockey team to a 4-2 victory over the Division I Sacred Heart Pioneers on Senior Night for the Engineers.
RPI put the pressure on early and often, out-shooting Sacred Heart 14-7 in the first period and 38-16 in the game. It was the Pioneers who got on the board first, however, six and a half minutes into the game. Sacred Heart forward Michelle Panella slid a rebound under senior goaltender Julie Vallarelli to give the Pioneers a 1-0 lead.
Junior Julie Welte tied the score at the 13:07 mark in the first. The Engineers were killing a Welte interference penalty when she came out of the penalty box and received a pass from Meredith Langille. Welte skated in and rifled a shot from the left circle that hit goalie Stephanie Boulay on the inside of the leg pad and slipped between her legs and into the goal.
A minute and a half later, Pioneer Erin Barry took a hooking penalty, and RPI took advantage. As the ensuing power play was winding down, the Pioneers tried to clear the zone, but junior Allison Malcolm held the puck in at the blue line. Malcolm controlled the puck and took a shot that classmate Kari Rabatin deflected up and over Boulay’s shoulder and into the net to give the Engineers a 2-1 lead.
RPI continued to keep the pressure on in the second, but Boulay turned away all nine Engineer shots.
Seven and a half minutes into the third, the Pioneers tied the score at two when Panella netted her second goal of the game off an assist from Katie McLaughlin.
Thompson scored the game-winner at the 10:38 mark when she knocked home a rebound off a Katie Temple shot. Senior Allie Cooper also received an assist on the goal. Thompson gave Rensselaer a two-goal cushion when she stole the puck from a Pioneer player and beat Boulay with just under six and a half minutes left in the game.
Boulay made 34 saves for the Sacred Heart, who fell to 8-14-1. Vallarelli saved 14 shots for RPI, who improves to 20-4-0 on the season.
The game was the final home game for seven Rensselaer seniors: Vallarelli, defensemen Cooper, Lane Dielwart, and Sondra Sherman, and forwards Paula Durham, Langille, and Bridget Rice.
The seniors have compiled 84 goals and 200 assists in 626 career games to this point. Vallarelli has played 58 career games in net, compiling a 38-14-2 record with a 2.17 goals-against average and a .898 save percentage.
Cooper and Dielwart both set a school record for games played in a career on Saturday, playing in their 104th game. In their four years at RPI, both have only missed one game.
The Engineers finish the regular season on Saturday when they travel to Plattsburgh to take on the second-ranked Cardinals. The game was originally scheduled for Thursday, but because RPI received a first round bye after placing second in the ECAC-East, the game was moved to Saturday. Game time is 7 pm.
RPI looks to capture their first ever ECAC-East title the weekend of March 5 and 6 in Rye, N.Y., when they participate in the ECAC-East Tournament being hosted by top-seeded Manhattanville. They will take on the winner of Saturday’s game between the sixth-seeded Southern Maine and third-seeded RIT on March 5, and if they win, they play for the championship on March 6.
