Engineers outclassed in loss to Yale Bulldogs

The Rensselaer women's hockey team suffered another defeat to the Yale Bulldogs this weekend, bringing their record to 0‒23‒1 and extending their losing streak to 17 games.

Through the first ten minutes, there was hope for RPI in the almost empty Houston Field House as the two squads appeared evenly matched. With 7:55 left in the first period, RPI’s Maddy Peterson ’23 slotted her second goal of the season, rebounding the puck in a goalmouth scramble. The Engineers looked promising for the rest of the first period. With 33 seconds left in the period, Peterson struck the inside of the left post; the Bulldogs’ counterattack left Claire Dalton with a breakaway, sliding the puck between the legs of RPI’s Ena Nystrøm ’23 with 20 seconds remaining. The period ended 1‒1 with Yale leading RPI in shots on goal 11‒9.

The first half of the second period was when the Engineers showed their resolve. After giving up two minor penalties, the short-handed Engineers defended against the Yale onslaught, with the heroics of Nystrøm denying every opportunity. The freshman goalie pulled off some impressive saves, including a miraculous toe save with the right pad to keep the game level. After facing heavy pressure, the Engineer’s defense was bound to break. After weaving her way past a couple players, Yale forward Tess Dettling sniped the puck above Nystrøm’s left shoulder and into the top right corner to put Yale into the lead 2‒1 with 12:22 left to play in the second. With no more goals scored in the period, the second period wrapped up with Yale retaining their lead and outshooting RPI 13‒6.

The third period was where the Engineers lost their form. When RPI turned over the puck in their defensive zone, a quick snapshot from the faceoff circle was deflected by Yale’s Rebecca Vanstone, confusing everyone in the arena. The puck, appearing invisible to most in the arena, slid across the goal line under a standing Nystrøm. After rewatching the game via the RPI TV recording, the puck was played by a high stick and should’ve been disallowed, but the confusion of the play was enough to have the goal stand without question; Yale now led by two with 14:38 left in the game. Two minutes later, RPI lost the puck in their offensive zone and gave Yale another counterattack. The 3-on-2 in favor of Yale resulted in a cross-crease pass from Laura Anderson to Kirsten Nergaard with a one time shot into the bottom left corner. The game ended in a 4‒1 Yale victory with the Engineers remaining winless this season.

The team in the first 30 minutes was far superior to the team in the last 30 minutes. If the RPI women's hockey team can stay consistent, they could finish the season with at least one win under their belts. Fingers crossed.