Women's Hockey - at Syracuse (23/24 Nov)

If you were hoping to see the Engineers close out their two weekends of non-conference play on a positive note, you were sorely disappointed this weekend as RPI was shutout 4-0 on consecutive nights at the hands of the Syracuse Orange. While the Orange have been steadily improving since starting their Division I team in 2008, there's no good way to spin the results of this weekend for the Engineers, which saw them outshot by a 60-31 margin across their two games.

Friday

Mahoney/Gruschow/Horton
Smelker/Wash/Svoboda
Sanders/Padmore/Mari Mankey
Letuligasenoa/Wash

Le Donne/Schilter
Daniels/Banks
Godin/Marzario

O'Brien

A first period in which RPI was outshot 14-1 set the tone for a rough afternoon, with Kelly O'Brien stopping 32 shots but the Engineers still surrendering four goals en route to a 4-0 defeat Friday evening at Tennity Ice Pavilion in Syracuse.

Margot Scharfe scored on the only power play of the first period to put the Orange up 1-0. Melissa Piacentini tacked on a goal just shy of the midpoint of the second period, then picked up a second at 7:01 of the third period to take it to 3-0.

With back to back power play chances in the latter half of the third period, RPI took a risk in pulling O'Brien in order to try for a 6-on-4 push, but the effort backfired and Holly Carrie-Mattimoe notched a shorthanded empty netter at 13:24 to make it a 4-0 game. O'Brien returned to the net for the remainder of the game and the 4-0 score stood with the Orange outshooting the Engineers 36-14 on the night.

Saturday

Smelker/Wash/Svoboda
Mahoney/Gruschow/Horton
Sanders/Padmore/Mari Mankey
Letuligasenoa/Wash

Godin/Marzario
Daniels/Banks
Le Donne/Schilter

O'Brien

While the overall effort from the Engineers improved from Friday to Saturday, back to back penalties in the third period made all the difference as a pair of power play goals helped push Syracuse to their second 4-0 shutout in a row.

A first period which had been going much better for RPI took a turn for the worse at 10:19 when Sadie St. Germain scored to give the Orange a 1-0 lead.

A fairly evenly matched second period followed, with RPI and Syracuse trading penalties but neither team capitalizing on their opportunities. In the third period, however, the wheels fell off for RPI once again.

A checking call on Lauren Wash early in the third period set Syracuse up for a power play goal just 16 seconds into the man advantage, and another penalty less than 30 seconds after the goal had Syracuse putting RPI in a 3-goal hole all before the five minute mark of the period.

An empty net goal would finish things off in much the same fashion as the night before, with the Engineers being shutout in consecutive games for the first time in nearly two years.

RPI returns to ECAC action next weekend with a rematch of their last league games at Quinnipiac and Princeton. The Engineers will need a substantially better effort then they've shown in the past few weeks if they hope to improve upon the sweep they suffered at the hands of these teams three weeks ago. Game times are 7pm Friday from Hamden and 4pm Saturday from Princeton.

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RPI vs. Syracuse
Non-Conference Game – Tennity Ice Pavilion (Syracuse, NY)
11/23/12 - 7pm
Syracuse 4, RPI 0

BOX SCORES:
USCHO: http://www.uscho.com/box/womens-hockey/2012/11/23/rensselaer-vs-syracuse/
College Hockey Stats: http://collegehockeystats.net/1213/boxes/wrensyr1.n23

RECAPS:
RPI: http://www.rpiathletics.com/news/2012/11/23/WICE_1123124333.aspx
SU: http://www.suathletics.com/news/2012/11/23/WICE_1123123100.aspx

RECORD: 2-9-2 (0-4-0 ECAC)

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RPI vs. Syracuse
Non-Conference Game – Tennity Ice Pavilion (Syracuse, NY)
11/24/12 - 4pm
Syracuse 4, RPI 0

BOX SCORES:
USCHO: http://www.uscho.com/box/womens-hockey/2012/11/24/rensselaer-vs-syracuse/
College Hockey Stats: http://collegehockeystats.net/1213/boxes/wrensyr1.n24

RECAPS:
RPI: http://www.rpiathletics.com/news/2012/11/24/WICE_1124123812.aspx
SU: http://www.suathletics.com/news/2012/11/24/WICE_1124124120.aspx

RECORD: 2-10-2 (0-4-0 ECAC)

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ECAC Standings

1. Cornell - 14 points (7-1-0)
2t. Clarkson - 12 points (6-0-0)
2t. Harvard - 12 points (6-0-0)
4. St. Lawrence - 10 points (5-1-0)
5. Quinnipiac - 9 points (4-3-1)
6. Dartmouth - 7 points (3-2-1)
7. Princeton - 4 points (1-5-2)
8t. Union - 2 points (0-2-2)
8t. Brown - 2 points (1-5-0)
8t. Yale - 2 points (0-5-1)
8t. Colgate - 2 points (0-6-2)
12. RPI - 0 points (0-4-0)

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Upcoming Games

Nov. 30 - at Quinnipiac (7pm)
Dec. 1 - at Princeton (4pm)
Dec. 7 - Brown (7pm)
Dec. 8 - Yale (4pm)