Location Troy, New York Arena/Stadium Houston Field House | Colors Cherry and White Conference ECAC Hockey | |
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University Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Head coach John Burke
8th year, 122–80–25 | ||
The RPI Engineers women's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I women's college ice hockey program that represents Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The Engineers are a member of ECAC Hockey (ECACHL). They play at the Houston Field House in Troy, New York.
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History
The Engineers women's hockey program began for the 1995–96 season, playing at the NCAA Division III level in ECAC East. In their final season in Division III, the 2004–05 season, the Engineers qualified to the championship game of the ECAC East Tournament. It was their second consecutive season in the championship. That season, RPI had 21 wins, compared to only 6 losses and a league record of 17–2–0. In addition, the Engineers were ranked second in the nation in scoring defense (allowing only 1.22 goals per game). Nationally, the Engineers were fourth in power play percentage and eighth in scoring offense. The star of the team was sophomore Julie Aho. She was selected as an AHCA National All-America, and led the team in scoring in each of her first two seasons.
In 2005–06, RPI was a Division I independent. The club won 18 games, lost 6 and tied 2. During that season, the team notched wins over Colgate, Northeastern, Connecticut and Boston University. Despite being an independent, the Engineers were ranked fourth in the NCAA in winning percentage (.731) and seventh in scoring offense (3.23 goals per game average). Senior goaltender Rosina Schiff would become the program’s all-time leader in wins with 40 (since broken) and games played with 65 (since broken).
Rensselaer joined the ECAC for the 2006–07 season. In its second season in the ECAC (2007–08), Rensselaer won 13 games, compared to 15 losses and 5 ties and a conference record of 6–12–4. The Engineers matched the single season record for ties, including its first-ever point over then nationally ranked Dartmouth in a 1–1 draw in Hanover.
The record for most wins at the NCAA Division I level in one season is 19, which was set in 2008–09 (19–14–4). The overall program record is 21, set in 2004–05, the team's last year at the Division III level. The Engineers made NCAA history on February 28, 2010 beating Quinnipiac 2–1 in five overtime periods. Senior defenseman Laura Gersten had the game-winning goal. She registered it at 4:32 of the fifth overtime session to not only clinch the win, but the series victory. It is now the second longest college hockey game in NCAA history, surpassed a few weeks later on March 12, 2010 in a men's hockey contest between Quinnipiac beat Union.
During the 2010–11 season, the Engineers boasted one statistic that no other Division I team in the country could: three Alaskan players on its current roster. Amanda Castignetti is from Anchorage (and attended Shattuck St-Mary's in Minnesota), Jordan Smelker, a freshman from Anchorage, and Nona Letuligasenoa (attended the North American Hockey Academy in Stowe, Vermont) were the three players in question.