Another rough weekend of conference play left the women Engineers 1-4-1 in the league this season, tied for ninth with Brown after the two losses. Although tied 4-4 with Dartmouth College midway through the third, RPI was unable to complete the upset after blowing a three-goal lead.
Facing nationally-ranked teams Harvard University and Dartmouth, RPI was tested against the best of the best, because even though many of the Olympians such as Julie Chu have graduated, both teams are strong contenders this season. Second-ranked, speedy, and balanced Harvard looks like it may have a shot at the national championship this spring as they remain the only undefeated team in the nation. While Dartmouth, ranked eighth in the country, did lose more talent, it too isn’t in bad shape with sophomore standout Sarah Parsons as a team leader.
After last season’s merciless meeting with the Crimson that served as a rough wake-up call, the home-standing Engineers were able to find scoring opportunities and kept the game more evenly matched this time around. Friday’s 5-2 loss doesn’t tell the whole truth as Harvard grew a four-goal lead early in the second that tested RPI’s character and determination. As a whole, the Engineers played with tenacity and speed to regain control of a game that was probably a lost cause, a sign of maturity and heart that is needed to survive in the competitive ECAC.
Sophomore forward Whitney Naslund was the first to put RPI on the board when she backhanded a shot at 11:12. Junior Nicole McDonald would add another but not before the Crimson did. Although Harvard outshot RPI 35-28, junior goaltender Ashley Mayr played a fantastic game making 30 stops, including many impressive ones against some of the top scorers in the league.
The next afternoon, a much closer game was played as Dartmouth won an exciting 6-4 game that should give the Engineers hope for the rest of the season. The Big Green improved to 9-2-1 overall with the win and are tied for second with St. Lawrence University in the ECAC. Going for a major upset, RPI put themselves ahead by three early in the second period when sophomore Allysen Weidner scored her sixth goal of the season, assisted by freshman Kendra Dunlop and junior Mel Guillemette, on a power play.
A short-handed goal by junior Jamie-Lynn Stewart started things off at 4:28 into the first period. She was assisted by sophomore Laura Gersten. Second to score was sophomore Allison Wright—assisted by Naslund, she lit the lamp at 17:00. The Big Green offense charged into action and scored four goals to take the lead by the end of the period, setting up the exciting third period finish.
McDonald tied the game at four apiece when she netted her team-leading seventh of the year. Once again, Dartmouth piled on the steam and found a way to put the game-winner past freshman goalie Sonja van der Bliek. In the final seconds, Dartmouth tacked on an empty-net goal to put the final tally at 6-4.
RPI continues its home stand as the team welcomes ECAC rivals Quinnipiac University and Princeton University on Friday night and Saturday afternoon respectively.
