The eighth-ranked women’s hockey team extended their undefeated streak to six and ran their winning streak to four with a pair of victories over St. Michael’s and wins over Wesleyan and Division I Quinnipiac.
The Engineers’ current winning streak started November 21 with an 8-1 win over lowly St. Michael’s. RPI stormed out of the locker room and scored four quick goals on the Purple Knights. Freshman Holly O’Donohue scored her first collegiate goal at 5:46 with help from sophomores Christina Jankowski and Jennifer Onksen.
Sarah Daniel found the net a minute and a half later, assisted by Paula Durham and Bridget Rice. Onksen tallied the third goal of the game from linemates Jankowski and O’Donohue. Kari Rabatin scored at 14:10, from Daniel.
St. Michael’s was forced to take a timeout at 14:10 to quell the Engineer momentum. The Purple Knights’ strategy paid off, and they held RPI off the board for the remainder of the period.
St. Michael’s found the net early in the second period, just 49 seconds after the break. The Engineers fired right back; Meredith Langille scored an unassisted goal at 4:26 to put the Engineer back up by four.
RPI tallied three more goals in the third period. Captain Deanna Dougherty scored at 9:45 with help from co-captain, Katie Woodward. Jankowski scored the game’s final two goals; O’Donohue assisted on the first, and Onksen tallied a pair of assists. Julie Vallarelli stopped seven of eight shots for her third win of the season.
The Purple Knights’ defense held stronger on Saturday, November 22, but the Engineers’ stellar play overpowered the game. Julie Aho scored the eventual game-winning goal at 15:03 in the first period, with help from Julie Welte and Langille.
Lane Dielwart scored her first goal of the year in the second period, blasting a shot past Purple Knight goaltender Annice Mason. Rice capped off the scoring in the third period. Rosina Schiff stopped all 11 shots she faced for her second win of the year.
The Engineers traveled home to take on the Cardinals of Wesleyan. Aho led the RPI offense, tallying the first two Engineer goals and four of the first five. Welte, Dougherty, and Rice also added goals to beat Wesleyan 8-1. Vallarelli got the win, and remains undefeated at 4-0-1.
Rensselaer took the ice against Quinnipiac on Saturday. Despite the Bobcats being a D-I program, the Engineers looked like the dominant team. Aho scored the first goal of the game at 12:29 of the first period.
Quinnipiac tied the game in the second period, with Caitlin Peters beating Schiff at 8:50. The Bobcats took a pair of penalties at the end of the second period, but the Engineers could not convert on the ensuing power plays.
RPI tallied the game winning goal at 7:39, when Welte pushed a puck past Bobcat goalie Janelle Wolitski. Schiff stopped 30 shots in the victory, upping her record to 3-1-1, with her lone loss coming to the D-I Catamounts of Vermont.
Rensselaer is second in the ECAC D-III East with six points. Manhattanville is currently in first place, with eight points.
The Engineers will play Southern Maine next weekend, and will travel to New England College on January 9 and 10.
