Providence, R.I. - The Providence College women's ice hockey team was defeated by RPI, 3-2, in overtime, to snap the Friars' five-game winning streak and take the first-ever meeting between the programs.
The Engineers earned the game-winner 2:12 into the extra session. RPI junior Jill Vandegrift broke in on a two-on-one and fed sophomore winger Taylor Horton cutting to the net. Horton's shot deflected off the shoulder of Friar goalie Genevieve Lacasse (Scarborough, Ontario) and into the back of the net.
Providence controlled play throughout the first two periods. Midway through the opening period, at the 12:21 mark, Friar senior defenseman Leigh Riley took a shot from the point and hit a crowd of bodies in front. PC junior Abby Gauthier (Lynn, Mass.) pounced on the loose rebound and buried it for a 1-0 edge.
Providence struck again just 44 seconds into the middle period. Gauthier and classmate Kate Bacon (Chanhassen, Minn.) broke on a 2-on-1, with Gauthier feeding Bacon alone in front and the winger depositing her seventh of the season. 2-0 Providence.
The game turned quickly in the third, with the Engineers scoring two goals within 59 seconds. The first RPI tally came at the 48 second mark, with freshman Jordan Smelker making a nice pass from the half boards to a wide open Alisa Harrison. The junior finished to cut the deficit to 2-1.
The game-tying score came courtesy Tony Sanders, who benefitted from a scrum in front that popped the puck to the left of the doorstep where she stood alone. She easily knocked home her first career goal for the 2-2 score.
Both goalies, Lacasse and RPI's Sonja van der Bliek, were outstanding, making 24 and 27 saves respectively. The save of the game belonged to Lacasse in the second period. On the power play, she attempted to catch the Engineers in a line change with a long clear from her own corner. The puck was intercepted, and Lacasse had to dive well in front of her own net, stopping the return with the edge of her paddle.
The Friars return to Schneider Arena tomorrow afternoon, hosting ECAC foe Princeton at 4 p.m. All of the proceeds from tomorrow's game will benefit Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention, including the Sojourner House and SOAR. Sojourner House serves victims throughout the Providence area, providing shelter, advocacy, and information. SOAR is a task force of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence, made up entirely of survivors of Domestic Violence, and is designed to make sure domestic violence victims' voices are heard and considered in the making of policy in Rhode Island. Tickets are available by calling the Providence College ticket office at 401-865-GOPC.