As repeated by the coach and captain, the key for a jump from D-III to D-I is the ability to take the season one game at a time. RPI has been able to persevere despite struggling in the first period during nearly every game.

How good are the Engineers? Their win percentage is tied for first with UNH, but because they are not eligible for postseason play, they cannot be voted into the top ranks.

Ironically titled, RPI is the Ratings Percentage Index, currently used to determine the five teams invited to the Frozen Four in addition to the three from the major conferences. The RPI rank of RPI women’s hockey is ninth in the nation! When they play Clarkson, ninth in the current polls, the Rensselaer women will be able to prove the math behind the ratings.

After a highly successful first half of the season, the women started off the new year with wins over the University of Connecticut, ranked second in Hockey East, a sweep of Union, and a victory over Northeastern.

Although the team struggled against Union after their long break, they were able to make a comeback with five unanswered goals to win 5-2 at the Houston Field House.

In the first period, Union freshman Dale Chaput made a power play goal on Senior Rosina Schiff with just seven seconds left in the period. Ashley Kilstein struck early in the second period making it 2-0 for Union.

Then came RPI’s now celebrated come-from-behind win. Freshman Nicole McDonald and senior Julie Welte started the comeback connecting for a power play goal. For the rest of the period, it was the Jamie-Lynn Stewart show as she first collected a rebounded shot from fellow freshman Melissa Boik and later connected with McDonald making it 3-2.

In the third period, the RPI attack continued and freshman Melanie Guillemette scored on a pass from Stewart. Then, McDonald finished the night with her second goal at 9:04. Schiff stopped 20 shots for the win and improved to 4-1-1.

The next afternoon the teams faced off again, but this time the Rensselaer women took the lead and hardly looked back when freshman Emily Donowick passed the puck over the net to senior Jennifer Onksen, who scored at 9:01 in the first.

Before the first period finished, RPI scored twice more to bring the score to 3-1. McDonald got a hold of a rebounded shot by Stewart. Then, Daniel forced her way to the goal and tallied another for RPI.

The second period was strangely scoreless. The first period was mimicked in the third as this time Stewart scored off a shot by McDonald that rebounded, and then Daniel again added a goal later in the period. Freshman Ashley Mayr held the Dutchwomen to just one goal, stopping 18 shots and improving to 4-0-1 on the season.

After their sweep over Union on January 6-7, the Engineers started their nine game set of away games beginning at UConn in Storrs, Conn.

In a close 2-1 win over UConn on January 12, Guillemette had a hand in both RPI goals. She started the game off with an unassisted goal less than a minute into the game. Less than ten minutes later, she had the assist on Stewart’s goal.

From then on, it was Schiff in the spotlight as she was able to hold UConn to just one goal and preserve RPI’s lead.

RPI’s women fared even better against the Northeastern Huskies the next night in Boston. Rensselaer took control early as sophomore Kelly Barbera and Daniel assisted Boik for a power play goal three minutes into the first period. RPI’s next goal came from a different trio, with Guillemette and Jaime Jacquard-Sowa assisting Welte.

In goal, Mayr had 28 saves for the night, letting only one shot slip past late in the second period. Her record is now 5-0-1 with a 1.32 goal against average.