Box Score | Season Stats
TROY, N.Y. -- Two second period goals from Jordan Smelker and Alisa Harrison proved to be enough as Rensselear defeated the Syracuse ice hockey team, 2-1, on Saturday afternoon at Houston Field House, earning a split of the weekend series.
Jordyn Burns scored the lone goal for the Orange (6-10-0), while
Jenesica Drinkwater made 21 saves in her third straight start between the pipes.
"We failed to play a full 60 minutes, and it cost us," said head coach
Paul Flanagan. "We were outworked in the second period and fell behind 2-0. We put together an excellent third period but we came up short."
The Engineers outshot the Orange 23-17 for the game, while RPI was 0-of-5 on the power play. SU went 0-of-6 on the man advantage.
After playing through a scoreless first period, the Engineers came out firing in the second, notching two goals on 11 shots to take a 2-0 advantage following 40 minutes of play. The first goal came from Smelker, her third of the weekend, after taking a feed from Eleeza Cox and blasting a shot past Drinkwater for the score just 49 second into the middle stanza.
Harrison would give RPI a two-goal edge six minutes into the period with her sixth goal of the year off a pass from Kill Vandegrift and a wrist shot that beat Drinkwater to the side.
Coming out of the second intermission, the Orange cut the deficit to one with 6:45 left in regulation on Burns' second goal the year as fellow freshman
Nicole Ferrara dished the puck back to Burns at the point, who then blasted a shot through RPI goaltender Brianna Piper (16 saves) for the score.
Syracuse would pull Drinkwater in favor of the extra attacker late in the period, but the Rensselaer defense limited the SU offensive corps to just two shot attempts in the final 44 seconds.
"We pressed them hard in the final few minute, but couldn't find the back of the net," Flanagan said.
The Orange will return home next weekend to host future CHA foe Lindenwood in two games at Tennity Ice Pavilion, beginning Friday night at 7:00 p.m.