Women's Hockey - at Mercyhurst (2/3 Jan)

It was a bit of a rough welcome to 2016 for RPI this weekend. Playing their first games in a month, the Engineers dropped a 3-1 decision to Mercyhurst on Saturday before scratching out a 2-2 tie on Sunday despite being heavily outshot and blowing a 2-0 lead.

Friday

Horwood/Gruschow/Thomas
Rooney/Tomlinson/Mankey
Grigsby/Hylewa/Tremblay
Orzechowski

Hansen/Godin
Behounek/Banks
Kimmerle/Renn

Selander

Shayna Tomlinson's goal early in the second period tied the game at one, but Mercyhurst picked up two more goals afterward en route to a 3-1 victory over RPI on Saturday afternoon. Lovisa Selander had 19 saves in the loss.

Jenna Dingeldein scored at 15:34 of the first period to give the homestanding Lakers a 1-0 lead, getting the puck from Megan Whiddon behind the net and putting it past Selander.

Tomlinson's goal came just 1:20 into the second period, tying the game and giving the Engineers some momentum. However a pair of penalties on the Engineers slowed things down and RPI finished with only three shots in the middle frame. Instead it was Mercyhurst taking control, with Sarah Hine scoring at 14:09 to retake the lead for Mercyhurst.

Whiddon added a goal to hear earlier assist at 1:44 of the third, putting the Lakers ahead by a 3-1 tally which would hold up as the final score in the first game of the weekend pair.

Saturday

Rooney/Tomlinson/Mankey
Horwood/Gruschow/Thomas
Grigsby/Hylwa/Tremblay
Orzechowski

Kimmerle/Renn
Hansen/Godin
Behounek/Banks

Selander

Despite being more thoroughly outshot (38-18) than they were the day before, RPI managed to cling to a 2-2 tie after blowing an early 2-0 lead over Mercyhurst. Lovisa Selander earned third star honors with a 36-save effort, while Mercyhurst netminder Sarah McDonnell picked up the first star with 16 saves, coming into the game in relief of Jessica Convery after RPI's two early goals. Katie Rooney was the second star with a goal and an assist.

That early 2-0 lead was opened up by RPI less than five minutes into the game, with Rooney scoring 2:45 in and Mari Mankey adding a tally at 4:38. Shanya Tomlinson assisted on Rooney's goal, while Rooney assisted on Mankey's - the RPI top line for the night combining for all the points the Engineers would earn, after doing the same the afternoon before.

The 2-0 lead didn't survive the first period, as Dingeldein cut the lead to 2-1 at 11:06 before Samantha Fieseler tied it up at 16:59.

An extended power play, including some 5-on-3 time, didn't prove fruitful for the Engineers in the second, and both the third period and overtime passed without penalties or scoring. The Engineers were outshot 9-4 in the third period and 5-1 in overtime.

It's nothing but league play for RPI from here on out, with 14 straight ECAC contests remaining as the Engineers push to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2013. But the road won't be an easy one, as it starts out with the current top two teams in the league.

First up on that list is red-hot Quinnipiac, riding a 10-game winning streak and 13-game unbeaten streak, good for the fourth spot in the national poll, while things won't get much easier against a Princeton team hovering just outside the top 10, rocking an eight-game winning streak of their own. Those teams will visit the Field House for matchups on 7pm Friday and 4pm Saturday respectively.

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RPI at Mercyhurst
Non-Conference Game - Mercyhurst Ice Center (Erie, PA)
1/2/16 - 3pm
Mercyhurst 3, RPI 1

BOX SCORES:
RPI: http://www.rpiathletics.com/boxscore.aspx?path=whock&id=5195
College Hockey Stats: http://collegehockeystats.net/1516/boxes/wmrcren1.j02

RECAPS:
RPI: http://www.rpiathletics.com/news/2016/1/2/WICE_0102161338.aspx?path=whock
Mercyhurst: http://www.hurstathletics.com/news/2016/1/2/WHOCK_0102160129.aspx?path=whockey

RECORD: 5-10-2 (3-4-1 ECAC)

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RPI at Mercyhurst
Non-Conference Game - Mercyhurst Ice Center (Erie, PA)
1/3/16 - 1pm
RPI 2, Mercyhurst 2 (OT)

BOX SCORES:
RPI: http://www.rpiathletics.com/boxscore.aspx?path=whock&id=5196
College Hockey Stats: http://collegehockeystats.net/1516/boxes/wmrcren1.j03

RECAPS:
RPI: http://www.rpiathletics.com/news/2016/1/3/WICE_0103163909.aspx?path=whock
Mercyhurst: http://www.hurstathletics.com/news/2016/1/3/WHOCK_0103160107.aspx?path=whockey

RECORD: 5-10-3 (3-4-1 ECAC)

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ECAC Standings

1. Quinnipiac - 20 pts (9-1-2) (.833)
2. Princeton - 15 pts (7-4-1) (.625)
3. Harvard - 11 pts (5-3-1) (.611)
4. Dartmouth - 10 pts (4-3-2) (.556)
5t. Colgate - 8 pts (2-1-4) (.571)
5t. Clarkson - 8 pts (3-3-2) (.500)
5t. St. Lawrence - 8 pts (4-4-0) (.500)
8t. Yale - 7 pts (3-4-1) (.438)
8t. RPI - 7 pts (3-4-1) (.438)
10. Cornell - 6 pts (2-3-2) (.429)
11t. Brown - 2 pts (1-7-0) (.125)
11t. Union - 2 pts (0-6-2) (.125)

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Upcoming Schedule

Jan. 8 - Quinnipiac (7pm)
Jan. 9 - Princeton (4pm)
Jan. 15 - Union (3pm)
Jan. 16 - at Union (3pm)