Weisz, Power Play Turn Back Brown 3-1

by: 

Tara Freeman

The Saints celebrate Britni Smith's power play goal to open the scoring in Saturday's win

Oct. 31: Senior goaltender Maxie Weisz stopped 17 of 18 shots to earn her first win since January of 2008 and St. Lawrence University's women's hockey team converted on its first three power play opportunities of the game to complete a weekend sweep of its home-opening ECAC Women's Hockey series with a 3-1 win over Brown at Appleton Arena Saturday afternoon.

The Saints, ranked 7th nationally, improve to 4-2-3 overall and 2-1-0 in conference play while Brown is now 1-3-0 overall and 0-2-0 in ECAC Hockey.

Weisz, who missed all of last season with an injury, made her second start of the season and was solid in goal as the Saints outshot Brown 40-18. The Saint senior, who had no decision in a start against Robert Morris earlier this year, earned her 10th career win, but first since a Jan. 28, 2008 7-1 win over Union.

The Saints were without head coach Chris Wells for over half the game as he was struck in the eye with a deflected puck while on the bench midway through the second period. Associate head coach Ted Wisner and assistant Mare McDougall ran the team while Wells received medical attention.

St. Lawrence scored on its first three power play chances, using a total of just 24 seconds of power play time on their second and third opportunities to provide Weisz with all the offense she was to need.

The Saint power play accounted for a pair of first period goals and an early lead over the Bears. Senior Britni Smith scored the first goal of the game at the 5:55 mark as Vanessa Emond cycled the puck back out to the center slot after pressure down low and Smith took a shot which looped over the shoulder of Brown goalie Katie Jamieson and just under the crossbar 1:20 into the game's first power play.

Brown came back to tie it as junior Sasha Van Muyen scored on the Bears' first shot of the game, cutting from the right faceoff circle and tucking the puck between Saint goalie Maxie Weisz and the post at 11:36.

The Saints went back in front on their second power play chance of the period and needed just five seconds to do it. Kelly Sabatine won a faceoff in the Brown end back to Kayla Sullivan and Sullivan darted across the front of the crease, snapping a wrist shot which banked in off the right post for her fourth of her rookie season and a 2-1 lead.

Smith set up rookie Michelle Ng for the third Saint power play goal as Ng was stuffed by Jamieson on the first shot, but Ng was able to stuff the rebound under Jamieson's outstretched pad for her third of the season to complete the scoring.

Neither team scored in the third period with the Saints holding a 13-7 advantage in shots on goal. Brown pulled Jamieson for an extra attacker with 2:11 to go and on a power play, but the Saints had the better scoring opportunities, twice just missing the empty net.