Terriers torn to shreds

Rensselaer beat previously undefeated Boston University in an intense match on October 22, continuing their winning streak. Julia Blitz ’23 clinched the victory with a game-winning wrist shot late into the third period.

The first period started with a lot of back and forth. Both teams attempted to weave their way from one zone to the other, but unfortunately, both nets remained dry, despite three different power plays—one for RPI and two for BU.

In the fourth minute of the period, Boston University’s Lacey Martin received a minor for slashing. The Engineers maintained possession of the puck in the ensuing faceoff but failed to put a shot in the goal. Following RPI’s power play, the Terriers gained two of their own. Nyah Philip ’24 was sent to the penalty box for tripping six minutes into the match, and Taylor Larsen ’24 received a penalty for interference in the ninth minute. BU kept the puck in RPI’s zone in both instances, but with Amanda Rampado ’23 protecting the net, the Terriers did not stand a chance.

Later into the period, the Engineers cleared the puck into BU’s zone, and goaltender Callie Shanahan tapped the puck in front of her for a Terrier defender to scoop away. Following this, the Engineers' offense had a shift change, leaving BU with a gap to get the puck away from their zone. The Terriers failed to fetch the puck, allowing Sarah Bukvic ’23 to punish BU for their delay; she swept the shot into the net’s corner only seconds after hopping off the bench. The score was 1‒0 in the fourteenth minute of the first period.

Less than two minutes later, BU responded to RPI’s goal by scoring one of their own. Two Terriers soared down the ice, and the Engineers struggled to find a good angle to block or cut them off. In the flurry, BU forward Courtney Correia glided toward the right side of the net only to plant the puck into the back left corner, ending the period with the score tied at 1‒1.

It took a quick two minutes into the second period for RPI to score their second goal of the match. Despite two Terriers pressing her into the boards, Maddy Papineau ’24 was able to pass the puck to teammate Lilli Friis-Hansen ’22, whose shot bounced off BU’s goaltender. Multiple Engineers sat in front of the net, swiping at the puck to obtain the lead once again, but it was Ellie Kaiser ’24 who found success in the cluster, scoring her first goal of the season.

With 13:27 left in the second period, the referees called a goalie interference penalty against Boston. The first minute of the Engineers’ power play was sloppy as they struggled to keep the puck in BU’s zone. Following RPI’s failure to score, the Terriers gained two opportunities to tie the game once again. In the ninth minute, Magdalena Erbenova ’24 received a penalty for boarding, while Mikayla Capelle ’22 obtained a minor for body checking with 6:49 left in the second period. Rampado kept the net secure and the Terriers failed to tie the match, while the Engineers were short-handed.

In the final three minutes of the second period, Asiah Taylor-Walters ’24 made an excellent push into BU’s zone, but her shot couldn’t find the back of the net. An RPI shift change left Rampado one-on-one with Julia Nearis, unable to save a difficult slap shot from the right circle. The second period ended with a score of 2‒2.

Only a minute and a half into the third period, Bukvic was sent to the box for boarding. Still, BU failed to score during their power play opportunity. Much of the third period saw intense, aggressive play from both teams.

With 2:32 left on the clock, BU received a penalty for tripping. An opportunity arose for RPI with the power play, so to take full advantage of it, the Engineers took a timeout. Following the timeout, the team made strong passes and kept tight possession of the puck in the Terriers’ zone. With 1:13 remaining on the clock, Blitz scored the game-winning goal. Riena Jahnke ’24 snatched the puck from a collision near the boards involving two Terriers and one Engineer. Although Jahnke appeared to be lining up a shot as she glided toward the goal, she ended up sending a sharp pass to Blitz on her left. Blitz swung a quick wrist shot into the back left corner.

Capelle scored a goal in the last second of the game, dribbling the puck straight into an empty BU net, as they pulled their goaltender within the last minute in hopes of bringing the match to overtime. Rampado ended the match with 24 saves, 14 of which came from the first period alone, which earned her the MAC Goaltending Goalie of the Week recognition from ECAC.

The final score was a 4‒2 Engineer victory, bringing RPI’s overall record to 3-4. This is the first time since December 2017 that RPI’s Women’s Ice Hockey team has won three consecutive games. The Engineers’ 2‒0 victory over No. 9 Providence College on October 23 brought this streak to four—the first since the 2012-13 season—and their record to 4-4. Rensselaer’s exemplary performance scored them four votes in the USCHO Division I Women’s Poll-October 25, 2021. The Engineers hope to maintain their winning streak by taking down St. Lawrence University in an ECAC hockey match at the Houston Field House on October 29 at 6 pm.

Click here for RPI TV’s broadcast of the game and here for the box score.