Orange you mad? Engineers take down Syracuse in overtime win

After two scoreless periods and several close calls, Rensselaer’s game against Syracuse last Saturday came down to an overtime knock-in from defender Sophie Helgeson to win 2-1. The Engineers’ win marked their second against the Orange this past weekend and kept their winning streak alive.

Despite a shot count of 19 for Syracuse and 20 for Rensselaer, defense on both sides barred all scoring in the first two periods. Engineers’ goalkeeper Maelee Ambrass, in her second official game in goal, saved 22 of the 23 shots that came her way. However, a strong defensive formation for the Orange matched the Engineers’, and the game remained scoreless at the end of the second period despite efforts from the offense.

The Engineers were the first to put one on the board after pulling Ambrass for an extra attacker. Natalie Tulchinsky and Nyah Philip set up Andrea Trnková for a slapshot dead center and far up the ice, which caught Syracuse’s goalkeeper by surprise and found the back of the net. With just thirteen minutes left in regulation, Rensselaer returned Ambrass to the net to play at even strength. They focused their efforts on widening their 1-0 lead in the last minutes of the game. The Engineers took 12 more shots on goal, despite none of them hitting home.

Syracuse eventually followed suit from the Engineers, taking out their goalie Allie Kelley for an extra attacker while Engineer Cioffi was in the penalty box for tripping. With just two minutes left in the third period, Syracuse’s Peyton Armstrong managed to net the tying goal and their first point of the game with an assist from Jackson Kinsler. The last-minute score sent the game into a sudden death overtime.

With tensions high and both teams’ goalies back on the ice, Rensselaer and Syracuse fought to take home the win. At the two-minute mark, Sabrina Beaudoin passed a crisp assist to Hegelson, who tucked a goal safely away and won the game for Rensselaer, bringing the final score to 2-1.

The Engineers rise to a 4-2 record with a three-win streak. Their next game is at RIT on Thursday, October 17 at 6 pm, and their next home game will be the Women’s Hockey Blackout game against Dartmouth, on October 25 at 3 pm. Click here for the box score and here for the RPI TV broadcast.