women's hockey

Feb. 6: St. Lawrence University first-year student Alley Bero broke a 2-2 tie at 11:33 of the second period on Friday afternoon, giving the No. 6 Saints their first lead against a tough Rensselaer team. The goal would prove to be the game-winner, as junior goalie Brittony Chartier made 10 saves in the third period to help her team snap a two-game losing streak and remain atop the ECAC Hockey standings.

St. Lawrence moves to 19-7-3 (13-3-1) on the year despite being outshot by the Engineers 21-16. Rensselaer falls to 12-13-3 (7-8-2) and remains winless against the Saints in the all-time series (0-7-0).

Both goaltenders would have their struggles in the opening 20 minutes, as Chartier and Rensselaer's Sonja van der Bliek each allowed two goals in a span of 4:24 in the later stages of the stanza. Jamie-Lynn Stewart would score an unassisted goal at 13:45 to put RPI on top 1-0. Engineer captain Melissa Boik nailed a slap shot off the crossbar that came down behind Chartier, who failed to find the puck before Stewart was able to chip it across the goal line for her second of the season.

Feb. 4: The No. 6 St. Lawrence University women's hockey team dropped their second straight ECAC Hockey game on Wednesday evening, as the Saints ran into a gritty Clarkson University team at Cheel Arena in Potsdam, NY. Despite the loss, the Scarlet and Brown continue to stand alone on the top of the conference standings with six games to play.

It didn't take long for the two arch rivals to collect solid scoring chances, as St. Lawrence (18-7-3, 12-3-1) took the opening face-off and sprung sophomore Karell Emard on a breakaway against Clarkson netminder Lauren Dahm. Dahm made a big save on the back-handed try, which led to a Golden Knight one-on-one try for Kali Gillanders against St. Lawrence's Brittony Chartier, who much like her counterpart answered with a blocker stop.

The dominant team in the opening period proved to be the home squad, as the Golden Knights out-chanced their opponents by an 11-6 margin. Using consistent pressure on both Chartier and the Saints' offensive break-out, Clarkson (14-9-5, 8-5-3) created turnover after turnover which led to the game's first goal. Melissa Waldie took the puck away from a St. Lawrence forward along the boards and chipped a pass behind Chartier's net to Gabrielle Kosziwka. Kosziwka used a nifty spin move to back-hand a pass to the near post, catching the goalie off guard and setting up Genevieve Lavoie for her sixth goal of the year at 15:28 of the opening period to put Clarkson ahead 1-0.

Jan. 31: The No. 4 St. Lawrence University women's hockey team dropped their third straight game to Colgate in Starr Rink on Saturday afternoon, as the Scarlet and Brown were unable to dig out of a 2-0 deficit in the third period. Colgate University head coach Scott Wiley, a St. Lawrence University alumnus, picked up his 100th career victory behind a 3-1 effort in Hamilton, NY.

The Saints (18-6-3, 12-2-1) saw their six game winning-streak come to an end with the loss, which also cut their point lead at the top of the ECAC Hockey standings to a single point over Dartmouth. Meanwhile, Colgate (15-9-3, 9-4-3) remains one of the hottest teams in the nation, unbeaten in their last nine contests.

"Colgate played us very tough once again, as they have a history of doing on their home ice," said St. Lawrence head coach Chris Wells. "We had some great chances, but (Kimberly) Sass was excellent in net and was in complete control of her game."

The Saints had several prime chances in the first period, including nearly eight minutes of power play time. First year student Vanessa Emond had the best chance with a one-on-one chance against Sass, but her wrist shot headed for the net was blocked away by Sass.

Jan. 30: For the second time this season, the No. 4 St. Lawrence University women's hockey team appeared to be headed for overtime against a feisty Cornell University team. However, senior assistant captain Carson Duggan had other plans, as she picked up the game-winning goal with 23 seconds left in regulation to help the Saints escape Lynah Rink in Ithaca, NY with a 2-1 victory.

St. Lawrence remained unbeaten against Cornell in their last 21 meetings with the Big Red and won their tenth straight game at Lynah Rink. Head coach Chris Wells' team, which won for the first time this season after trailing through two periods, improved to 18-5-3 and 12-1-1 in ECAC Hockey. Meanwhile, Cornell (10-10-2, 6-7-2) was unable to capitalize on another strong showing by Rebecca Johnston and a solid goaltending performance by Amanda Mazzotta.

"We played with very good composure, which you always like to see as we head towards the postseason," said Coach Wells. "It was a very evenly played game and we were certainly fortunate to get the last bounce. (Rebecca) Johnston is a fun player to watch and is proving why she is one of the best in the sport."

The two teams, which tied 4-4 in their previous meeting at Appleton Arena this season, played a scoreless first period that was owned by the two goaltenders. Mazzotta, making her first start of her collegiate career, matched St. Lawrence goaltender Brittony Chartier save-for-save, with each player making 11 stops in the opening stanza.

Jan. 24: Five different members of the No. 4 St. Lawrence University women's hockey team scored goals on Saturday afternoon, as the Saints used a 30-21 shot on goal advantage to remain unbeaten against Rensselaer behind a 5-3 victory at Houston Field House in Troy, NY.

The Saints improved to 17-5-3 (11-1-1) on the season and widened their lead at the top of the ECAC Hockey standings with their fifth straight win. Rensselaer, which is now 0-6-0 against St. Lawrence in women's hockey, drops to 12-10-3 (7-5-2) on the season.

"Rensselaer was a tenacious team coming into today after a win against Clarkson yesterday, and they gave us all we could handle," said St. Lawrence head coach Chris Wells. "Our special teams were very sound this weekend, and we'll try to carry this momentum into next weekend."

The Saints and Engineers exchanged goals only 1:06 apart in the first period, as St. Lawrence's Vanessa Emond and RPI's Kendra Dunlop each got their teams on the board. Emond's goal came at 2:08 of the first period on Rensselaer goalie Sonja van der Bliek, while Dunlop solved St. Lawrence netminder Brittony Chartier at 3:14 with an assist going to Laura Gersten.

Though St. Lawrence would boast a hefty 14-5 advantage in shots on goal during the opening frame, van der Bliek did her job of keeping the Engineers within striking distance with a 13-save period.

Jan. 23: The No. 4 St. Lawrence University hockey team moved into first place in the ECAC Hockey standings on Friday night, as the Saints out-shot a much-improved Union College team by a 40-21 margin to pick up a 4-1 win at Messa Rink in Schenectady, NY.

St. Lawrence (16-5-3, 10-1-1) had four different players score goals in their victory, which was the narrowest margin of victory over Union in the 11-game history. Meanwhile, the Dutchwomen fall to 2-20-3 (0-12-1) on the season despite a stand-out performance by goaltender Lundy Day, who made 36 saves in the loss.

"Obviously we're pleased to find ourselves in first place in the standings, but it only matters if we're in this same spot come February 22nd," said St. Lawrence head coach Chris Wells. "We've got to keep our focus, as we meet up with a tough Rensselaer team tomorrow that is looking for a weekend sweep."

Though the Scarlet and Brown dominated play throughout the opening period, Union was able to keep the nation's 10th-ranked offense off the scoreboard. The visitors outshot the Dutchwomen 15-5 in the first, but Day's play between the posts kept the game scoreless. St. Lawrence goaltender Brittony Chartier also turned in a blemish-free period by making five stops.

At 4:18 of the second period, Union's Lauren Cromartie scored an even strength goal to give the home team a 1-0 lead over the heavy-favored Saints. The goal, Cromartie's fourth of the season, gave the Dutchwomen their first ever lead over St. Lawrence in women's hockey.

Jan. 21: The No. 4 St. Lawrence University women's hockey team held on for a dramatic 2-1 win over their cross-town rival, Clarkson University, on Wednesday night at Appleton Arena. With the victory, the Saints are in sole possession of second place in the ECAC Hockey standings while improving to 8-1-2 all time against the Golden Knights.

St. Lawrence (15-5-3, 9-1-1) remained perfect while leading after the second period, improving to 14-0-0. Meanwhile, Clarkson falls to 12-7-4 (6-3-2) with the loss despite having several great chances to tie the game in the final minute.

"I thought it was a good, hard, clean hockey game between two of the least penalized teams in the country," said St. Lawrence head coach Chris Wells. "We tried to get some traffic in front of (Lauren) Dahm, but she made some really nice saves. Getting the second goal late in the third period obviously proved to be huge."

In her first career game against Clarkson, rookie Emma Clark launched herself into the rivalry with a power play goal 6:22 into the opening period. With the Saints' first power play try about to run out, senior assistant captain Lisa Batchelor sent a centering pass into the slot where Clark was waiting for a clean try on Clarkson netminder Lauren Dahm. The East Barre, VT native sniped a low wrist shot that sailed over Dahm's right pad for her third goal of the season and a 1-0 lead.

Jan. 17: Junior goaltender Brittony Chartier made 35 saves, while four different Saints each scored a goal as the No. 5 St. Lawrence University women's hockey team blanked Yale 4-0 at Appleton Arena on Saturday afternoon. Senior Jordan Pyers logged her first goal of the season in the victory, while first-year student Alley Bero picked up her first collegiate game-winner.

The Saints (14-5-3, 8-1-1) kept their dominant streak against Yale intact, as they've won the last 24 meetings with the Bulldogs. Meanwhile, Yale fell to 7-11-0 (3-8-0) on the season, despite a solid performance in net by Genny Ladiges.

"For the second straight game, I very happy with the intensity we brought to the rink and with our entire team's effort," said St. Lawrence head coach Chris Wells, whose team improved to 10-1-1 on their home ice. "Yale is a dangerous team with a lot of talent, but Brittony (Chartier) was sharp tonight and our goals proved to be momentum changers."

The game was only scoreless for 34 seconds, as Bero collected her ninth goal of the season on the opening shift of the contest in what would stand up as the game-winner. The Akwesasne, NY native lifted a soft backhander over Ladiges' glove off of a pass by sophomore Karell Emard for the early goal. Senior assistant captain Carson Duggan also picked up a helper on the opening tally.

Jan. 16: Senior assistant captain Carson Duggan scored her 15th goal of the season, the 94th of her career, at 9:28 of the third period to lift the No. 5 St. Lawrence University women's hockey team past Brown University by the score of 3-2 on Friday night at Appleton Arena. The Saints (13-5-3, 7-1-1) outshot the visitors by a wide 41-20 margin, winning their 10th straight against the Bears (3-13-1, 2-8-0).

A trio of Saints collected a goal and an assist in the game, including Duggan, sophomore Karell Emard and rookie Alley Bero. Brown's Andrea Hunter also picked up a goal and a helper in a losing effort, while senior goaltender Nicole Stock put forth a valiant 38-save effort to keep the Bears in the game late.

"I was very pleased with the full effort by our entire team, and our power play unit came up with a big goal to get us a win," said St. Lawrence head coach Chris Wells, whose team improved to 12-0-0 when leading after the second period. "Brittony (Chartier) came up with some huge saves down the stretch, and I was impressed with Brown as they played hard and had a few bids at the end to tie it up."

The Scarlet and Brown dominated play throughout the first 20 minutes of the game, as they consistently put pressure on Stock and the defense in front of her. Emard finally broke the game's scoring open with her eighth goal of the year at 16:49 of the first period when she took a pass from Bero at the goal mouth and stuffed it behind Stock for a 1-0 St. Lawrence lead.

Jan. 10: The No. 5 St. Lawrence University women's hockey team was unable to come up with a weekend sweep of No. 7 Boston College on Saturday afternoon, as the Eagles got two goals from Allie Thunstrom and a solid goaltending performance by Molly Schaus to earn a 4-1 victory at Appleton Arena.

The Eagles moved to 13-5-3 (7-3-1) on the season thanks to their solid penalty killing effort, which kept St. Lawrence in check at 0-for-8 with the extra skater. The Saints (12-5-3, 6-1-1) received a solid outing between the pipes by junior Brittony Chartier, but her 34 saves were not enough to lead the Scarlet and Brown to a win.

"They really came out firing early and got a quick goal, but I thought we started to chip our way back into it midway through the first period," said St. Lawrence head coach Chris Wells. "They're a very good team. They can beat you with offense, defense or goaltending. Tonight, it was our inability to put the puck in the net on the power play that did us in."

Boston College wasted little time in grabbing a 1-0 lead when Meghan Fardelmann scored only 3:49 into the game. After the Eagles won a face-off to Chartier's right, Fardelmann fired a high wrist shot that deflected off of the goaltender's blocker and into the goal for her sixth tally of the season.