Box Score

ITHACA, N.Y. - The Rensselaer women's hockey team scored three goals in final the 9:08 of regulation, but could not complete the comeback, falling 5-4 to eighth-ranked Cornell, in the ECAC Hockey Semifinals at Lynah Rink. With the win the Big Red improves 18-8-6 and advance to Sunday's Championship Game. The Engineers conclude their season with a 16-15-6 overall record.

Trailing, 5-1, midway through the third frame, the Engineers mounted a comeback, scoring three times, including two with an extra attacker.

Senior Whitney Naslund (Bloomington, MN/Bloomington-Jefferson) scored the first of her two tallies on the evening at 10:52 of the third, pulling the visitors to within 5-2. Classmate Allysen Weidner (Wichita, KS/Shattuck St. Mary's) and junior Kendra Dunlop (Granum, AB/Warner Hockey School) picked up the assists.

Five minutes later, senior Laura Gersten (Queensbury, NY/Albany Ice Cats) netted a 6-on-4 tally as Rensselaer used a power-play and an extra forward to draw to within two goals (5-3). Helpers on Gersten's eighth of the year went to junior Sydney O'Keefe (Prior Lake, MN/Prior Lake) and senior Allison Wright (Oakville, ON/Oakville Ice).

Once again with an extra skater, Naslund slashed to the net to notch her second goal of the game, at the 18:28 mark. The goal cut the deficit to just one (5-4), but it was as close as the Engineers would get as the Big Red got bodies front of RPI's last two attempts at goal to seal the win.

Naslund finished with a three-point night, picking up an assist on the Engineers first goal, which came in the opening period.

With the score tied 1-1 after one period of play, Cornell scored four times in a 12 minute span to open the second stanza. Laura Danforth (Grosse Pointe, MI/Honeybaked) tallied just 41 seconds in the period, followed by two goals from Liz Zorn (Churchville, NY/Rochester Edge) and the fourth off the stick of Amber Overguard (Sundre, AB/Warner Warriors).

Freshman Lauriane Rougeau (Beaconsfield, PQ/Dawson College) dished out three assists in the contest, including one on the Big Red's game-opening marker. RPI junior netminder Sonja van der Bliek (Toronto, ON/Toronto Jr. Aeros) made 24 saves, including 14 in the second period, while Amanda Mazzotti (London, ON/London Devilettes) finished with 10 stops.