Without a Peer: Women's Hockey - North Dakota (2/3 Oct)

RPI jumped out to an early lead against sixth-ranked North Dakota on Friday night but eventually fell short in a 4-3 decision. In Saturday's rematch, the Engineers didn't fare as well, falling 4-1 despite a 41-save effort from freshman goalie Lovisa Selander.

Friday

Horwood/Gruschow/Rooney

Wash/Schwalbe/Tremblay

Grigsby/Mankey/Tomlinson

Thomas/Hylwa/Raspa

Hansen/Godin

Behounek/Banks

Kimmerle/Renn

Selander

Alexa Gruschow and Laura Horwood put RPI up 2-0 in Friday night's regular season opener, but North Dakota eventually came out on top by a 4-3 margin. After UND took a 3-2 lead in the second, RPI tied it at three, but Becca Kohler came through with the game winner for the visitors with 1:59 left in regulation.

Gruschow's goal got the Engineers on the board at 6:19 of the first, with two seconds remaining on a power play chance. Lauren Wash dumped the puck on net and Gruschow was in front to tip it home.

Horwood doubled the lead at 12:02, picking up her own rebound off a wraparound chance to put a wrister past Shelby Amsley-Benzie to make it 2-0.

The two-goal margin was short-lived as Sam LaShomb got UND on the board 54 seconds later, taking a feed from Kayla Gardner behind the net and blasting it past Selander before she had time to react.

UND tied it at two 1:57 into the second period, with Halli Krzyzaniak threading a point shot through traffic and past a screened Selander to make it 2-2. North Dakota then took a 3-2 lead at 8:09 of the middle frame off another Krzyzaniak goal, this time coming off a rebound but again through traffic.

UND had a chance to extend the lead late in the second on a 2-on-0 which Selander managed to stone to hold the score at 3-2. Freshman Josefine Hansen pulled RPI even at 9:30 of the third period. Skating 4-on-4, Hansen fired a rocket from the top of the circles which found the back of the net to make it a 3-3 game.

The Engineers couldn't hold the score there, and Kohler picked up a rebound off a Sam LaShomb shot and put it past a sprawling Selander who couldn't cross the crease quickly enough to get in front of it.

RPI couldn't find another tying goal and the 4-3 score held up to give UND the victory in game one of the weekend series. The Engineers were outshot 38-14 on the night

Saturday

Horwood/Gruschow/Rooney

Wash/Schwalbe/Tremblay

Grigsby/Mankey/Tomlinson

Thomas/Hylwa/Raspa

Hansen/Godin

Behounek/Banks

Kimmerle/Renn

Selander

After keeping things close with North Dakota Friday night, RPI had a harder time keeping up on Saturday and fell by a 4-1 margin. Despite a few periods of sustained pressure in the UND zone, the Engineers couldn't find the back of the net to make the most of the opportunities. Selander gave the Engineers a chance in the game with 41 saves.

UND scored first in the second game of the weekend, with Layla Marvin sending a shot on net that Selander got the blocker on, but the puck bounced up and over into the net at 14:06 of the first.

The visitors extended the lead to 2-0 at 6:28 of the second, when Meghan Dufault put home a rebound off a shot by Anna Kilponen.

Taylor Schwalbe cut that lead in half for the Engineers when she scored her first collegiate goal at 15:28 of the middle frame, an even-strength tally after a long stretch of power play time for RPI that included over 1:30 of 5-on-3 time.

LaShomb gave UND back their 2-goal lead at 7:34 of the third period, scoring late in a power play after the Engineers were stuck in their zone for about a minute and a half.

RPI tried to claw back late in the third with the extra attacker, but Kohler picked up an empty netter to give UND a 4-1 lead with 14 seconds left in regulation which held up as the final score.

RPI will hit the road next week for a pair of games at RIT before coming home to host Robert Morris in the last of their early non-conference action. RIT opened their regular season with a weekend split against Minnesota State after a 9-0 rout of the Ottawa Senators.

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RPI vs. North Dakota

Non-Conference Game - Houston Field House (Troy, NY)

10/2/15 - 7pm

UND 4, RPI 3

BOX SCORES:

RPI: http://www.rpiathletics.com/boxscore.aspx?path=whock&id=5178

College Hockey Stats: http://collegehockeystats.net/1516/boxes/wndkren1.o02

RECAPS:

RPI: http://www.rpiathletics.com/news/2015/10/2/WICE_1002152312.aspx?path=whock

UND: http://www.undsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=210389493&DB_OEM_ID=13500

Video Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEmsv7AEjcY