Since dropping two games to then No. 2 Harvard University and No. 8 Dartmouth College at the start of December, the women Engineers have done well, going 3-1-2 against a myriad of league opponents. Following a six-game winless streak, the team scratched out a 2-1 win over Quinnipiac University on December 7 despite a questionable checking-from-behind call that led to junior Mel Guillemette being thrown from the game during the first period.
The next afternoon, Quinnipiac’s traveling partner, the Princeton University Tigers, managed to catch a shutout victory over the home standing Engineers, behind a set of power play goals, including one five-on-three.
After a brief break for the holidays, RPI was back in session for a home-and-away against Union College that ended well for the Engineers as they picked up three points in the league standings while Union dropped to 1-15-2 overall.
This past weekend, the Engineers traveled first to Cornell University, and then Colgate University, picking up a win and a tie, respectively. The team now holds a respectable 9-8-4 overall record and is 4-5-3 in the league sitting tied for sixth in the ECAC with 11 points. With only the top eight teams making the cut for the playoffs it’ll be a tight contest again this year between the Engineers and Cornell, Colgate, and Clarkson University.
With two goals and an assist in the weekend’s games, freshman forward Kendra Dunlop was named by the ECAC as the Rookie of the Week for the second time this year. She is third on the team in scoring with seven goals and five assists for 12 points, and is ranked 24th nationally and sixth in the ECAC for points per game by a rookie with .60 thus far in the season.
In Friday’s 4-3 victory over Big Red in Ithaca, Dunlop contributed two of the Engineers’ goals. Cornell had initially grabbed the lead in the first period, going up 2-0 with a pair of goals in under two minutes. A quick change of goalies sparked the Engineers however, as freshman Sonja Van der Bliek stood strong in net to eventually get the win, making 22 saves. The ECAC Hockey League named the freshman to its honor roll this week for her performances in both games.
Sophomore Whitney Naslund, also on the ECAC’s honor roll this week, put RPI on the board midway through the second period with a shorthanded goal, before Dunlop scored the equalizer eight minutes later. Although Cornell pulled ahead with a shorthanded goal of their own at 12:10 into the final period, the Engineers wouldn’t let them keep it for long as Dunlop netted her second of the day followed by the game-winner by junior Nicole McDonald. Cornell would change up their net minder as well but couldn’t tie things up before the final whistle blew as they fell to 4-4-1 in the league.
The next afternoon, RPI was up against the Colgate Raiders in Hamilton, N.Y. It took the Engineers 57 minutes and 45 seconds of hockey to find the back of the net despite out-shooting their opponents 19-14 in the first two periods, but it was better late than never as the teams settled for a tie after five minutes of scoreless overtime play.
The first period was scoreless as well, with Van der Bliek and her antagonist Lisa Plenderleith both staying perfect until late in the second when the Raiders scored a power play goal. Sophomore Allysen Weidner netted RPI’s goal with the assist from Dunlop to force the overtime session. It was Weidner’s seventh of the season.
RPI returns home to the Houston Field House for a set of non-conference games against Robert Morris on Friday night at 7 pm and Saturday afternoon at 3 pm, while Colgate mixes it up in a key weekend against Clarkson and St. Lawrence University.
