Engineers bested by the Big Green

The Engineers’ losing streak extends to 25 games and their record falls to 0‒31‒1 with a 4‒1 defeat to Dartmouth.

The first period saw a revitalized Engineer squad—they were on the front foot and showed much potential, taking lots of shots to test the ability of goalie Kayla Wormsbecher. With 13:14 left in the period, Dartmouth forward CC Bowlby attempted to beat goalie Amanda Rampado ’23; Rampado’s positioning enabled her to comfortably make the save.

Minutes later, Rensselaer went on the counterattack. Mikayla Capelle ’22 drifted into space on the left wing as Sabrina Repaci ’20 skated up ice. Repaci dished the puck off to Maddy Peterson ’23 on the right wing and she ripped a snapshot. The puck rebounded off of the right pad of Wormsbecher and fell to Capelle, although she could not get a shot off before she was closed down by the Dartmouth defense. With 8:46 left to play in the first, Capelle dropped the puck back to Peterson, who took a one-time shot that was corralled by Wormsbecher. With 6:40, Repaci executed a toe-drag, blowing past two Dartmouth players and giving her a scoring opportunity. The lethal offensive line of Capelle, Repaci, and Peterson was bombarding Dartmouth with shots, at one point leading shots on goal 9‒4.

The Big Green began to come back, making the game much more intense. With 1:03 left to play, Madeleine Burnett ’21 ripped a shot from the blue line and the rebound was almost knocked in. The first period ended in a 0‒0 draw with the Engineers leading shots on goal 15‒8.

The second period started off very close, with possession ebbing and flowing between the two teams. With 16:58 left in the period, the puck bounced off of the boards behind the goal and out in front to Bowlby, forcing Rampado to make a great reaction save to preserve the scoreline. Less than a minute later, there was a goalmouth scramble in the RPI defensive zone, but fortunately for Rampado, no chance was too threatening.

The Engineers looked much less confident as the period progressed, shown by an increase in the number of turnovers and decrease in offensive pressure. However, with 14:20 left in the second, Peterson took a wrist shot from the right wing and the rebound was once again almost put in by Capelle.

Dartmouth increased their offensive pressure, pinning the Engineers back. With 11:08 left to play in the period, Dartmouth forward Currie Putrah took a shot and collected her rebound, sliding the puck through Rampado’s five-hole and giving Dartmouth the lead. A couple minutes later, a pass from the blue line fell to Bowlby and she tucked the puck between Rampado’s left arm and left pad to extend the Big Green’s lead. Twenty seconds later, Dartmouth forward Sydney Hill slipped past Taylor Zahirnyi ’23 and was on a breakaway, but Rampado was up to the challenge and made the save.

The Engineer offense began to regain their strength towards the end of the period, especially Peterson, who looked especially in form. The period ended with Dartmouth leading 2‒0 and leading shots on goal 26‒21.

RPI looked more promising in the final frame, but it would not be enough to grab the victory. With 15:11 left to play, Burnett was called for boarding; on the power play, Bowlby toe-dragged into the slot and placed a shot perfectly, ringing off of the right post and in; this brought the Big Green to a 3‒0 lead. Similarly, the Engineers converted on a power play with 12:25 left to play as Capelle rebounded the puck into the net before Wormsbecher had time to reorient herself.

With 8:04 left to play, Capelle was on a promising breakaway before being hooked. Despite following the criteria for a possible penalty shot, the referees just gave a power play. 30 seconds later, Rampado froze the puck and Farole pushed Bailee Brekke to protect her goalie; in retaliation, Brekke’s hands went into the face of Farole and pushed her over, leading to both players being given roughing penalties.

The Engineers pulled Rampado with 2:47 left in regulation to give them a player advantage. Dartmouth came back up the ice and Catherine Trevors took a shot that was sailing wide, but a diving Farole accidentally redirected the puck into the empty net. The game ended in a Dartmouth victory 4‒1 with the Big Green having the shots on goal advantage 38‒35.

This game was RPI’s best opportunity at obtaining a victory as the Big Green were 6‒17‒3 coming into Saturday.