women's hockey

Nov. 21: The St. Lawrence University women's hockey team, which jumped to No. 4 in the national polls after last weekend's sweep of Dartmouth and Harvard, suffered their first set back in ECAC Hockey play this season as they fell to Princeton University by the score of 4-2 at Hobey Baker Rink on Friday night.

The Saints (7-2-2, 4-1-0) outshot the Tigers (4-5-0, 2-3-0) by a 30-18 margin, allowing the home team only six shots on goal in the final 40 minutes of hockey. However, Princeton would use three goals in the second period, including two power play tallies, to pick up the upset.

"I thought we skated hard all night and had a bunch of chances that we just didn't take advantage of," said Saints' head coach Chris Wells. "(Kristen) Young was solid in net for them and they've got a tough team that can skate with anyone in the country."

Sasha Sherry would give Princeton a 1-0 lead at 8:58 of the first period while skating on a power play chance. Sherry's bid got past St. Lawrence junior goalie Brittony Chartier, with assists going to Katherine Dineen and Paula Romanchuk.

The Saints would answer to tie the score at 1-1 to close first period, as first-year student Vanessa Emond picked up her second collegiate goal at 16:05, with assists going to junior defenseman Brittaney Maschmeyer and senior forward Alison Domenico.

Nov. 15: Junior goaltender Brittony Chartier continued to shine on Saturday afternoon, as the Saskatoon, SK native piled up 28 saves and paved the way for the No. 8 St. Lawrence University women's hockey team to victory against national powerhouse, No. 4 Harvard at Appleton Arena by the score of 3-1.

St. Lawrence (7-1-2, 4-0-0) earned a weekend sweep against Harvard (3-2-1, 3-2-1) and Dartmouth for the first time since February of 2006, despite being outshot by the Crimson 29-23 on Saturday. Harvard was swept in ECAC Hockey play for the first time since January of 2004.

"We continued to focus and work together as a team, which is a formula that has worked for us so far," said St. Lawrence head coach Chris Wells, whose team won their sixth straight game. "We scored some timely goals that really helped us keep the momentum against one of the best teams I've seen."

The game's format was distorted by a zamboni malfunction, forcing the rivals to play a full 20 minute first period, followed by half of the second period before the ice was resurfaced. After the resurfacing, the two teams finished the second period then played a full 20 minute third stanza.

Chartier was tested early and often in the first period, as Harvard held a 12-7 advantage on shots on goal. However, she and her counterpart Christina Kessler stopped each of the shots they faced in the opening frame to keep it 0-0 after twenty minutes.

Nov. 14: St. Lawrence University senior assistant captain Carson Duggan broke the school's goal record with the 86th of her career on Friday night, and thanks to a fantastic performance in goal by junior Brittony Chartier, the goal was an insurance tally in the No. 8 Saints' 3-0 upset over No. 3 Dartmouth at Appleton Arena.

St. Lawrence improved to 6-1-2 overall and remained perfect in ECAC Hockey play at 3-0-0, while Dartmouth suffered their first loss of the season, falling to 5-1-0 (4-1-0).

Though the two teams found themselves scoreless after the opening period, there were plenty of chances for each team to grab the early lead. However, Chartier and Dartmouth netminder Carli Clemis stole the show in the first period, making nine and 15 saves, respectively. St. Lawrence seemed to have the majority of the quality scoring chances, as sophomore Karell Emard and senior Jordan Pyers were both robbed by Clemis on the door step.

Special teams would clearly tilt in favor of the home team, as an impressive power play chance would give the Scarlet and Brown a 1-0 edge at 13:12 of the second period. Junior defenseman Courtney Sawchuk skated the puck along the boards, and after beating a defender, she fired a pass to the top of the crease for a waiting Alison Domenico. The Nepean, ON native re-directed the pass over Clemis' right shoulder and into the net for her sixth goal of the season and a 1-0 advantage.

Nov. 8: Senior captain Marianna Locke tallied the game-winning goal and classmate Alison Domenico delivered a goal and an assist as the No. 9 St. Lawrence University women's hockey team extended their winning streak to four games with a 3-2 victory over Brown University on Saturday afternoon in Providence, RI.

The Saints blitzed the Bears' goaltender Nicole Stock with 50 shots at Meehan Auditorium, outshooting the home team 50-23. Though Stock put forth an impressive 47-save performance, St. Lawrence junior goalie Brittony Chartier was able to keep Brown's rally one goal shy with a 21-save showing.

"Overall I think this was a very productive and important weekend for us," said St. Lawrence head coach Chris Wells, whose team improved to 5-1-2 (2-0-0) with the win. "To go on the road against two tough ECAC Hockey teams in their buildings and come out with a pair of wins sets us up for next weekend."

First-year student Alley Bero opened the game's scoring at 8:32 of the first period with her fourth goal in three games while skating on the power play. Junior defenseman Brittaney Maschmeyer and rookie Vanessa Emond picked up assists on Bero's goal that made it 1-0.

Nov. 7: Six different players scored goals on Friday night for the No. 9 St. Lawrence University women's hockey team, including senior assistant captain Carson Duggan, whose 85th career goal tied the all-time University record. The Saints (4-1-2, 1-0-0) captured an impressive 6-2 victory over Yale University at Ingalls Rink in New Haven, CT in their 2008-09 ECAC Hockey regular season opener.

With the victory, St. Lawrence improved to 26-0-1 all time against Yale (1-3-0, 0-2-0).

After a scoreless first period that saw the visiting Saints outshoot the Bulldogs by a 12-4 margin, the two teams exchanged goals only 13 seconds apart midway through the second period. Junior defenseman Courtney Sawchuk scored her first goal of the season at 10:18 of the second period, with assists going to classmate Tara Akstull and Duggan. However, Yale's Aleca Hughes would answer at 10:31 to tie the game at 1-1, with assists going to Bray Ketchum and Crysti Howser.

St. Lawrence would build a 3-1 lead in the following minutes, as senior Alison Domenico and first-year student Vanessa Emond would tally goals on Yale goalie Genny Ladiges only 1:25 apart. Domenico's goal came at 13:37 of the second period, with helpers from classmate Lisa Batchelor and sophomore Karell Emard while Emond's first collegiate power play goal was assisted by Sawchuk and first-year student Alley Bero at 15:02.

Oct. 27: Junior goaltender Brittony Chartier was honored on Monday afternoon for her efforts on the ice over the weekend for the No. 9 St. Lawrence University women's ice hockey team, as the squad enjoyed two wins over Robert Morris this past weekend.

Chartier (Saskatoon, SK/University of Minnesota) stopped 43 of 44 shots and had a season-high 30 saves Friday in the Saints' 5-1 win over the Colonials. Chartier followed-up Friday's performance by stopping 13 shots in posting her first shutout of the season, a 5-0 win Saturday. She elevated personal record to 3-1-2 on the season and now holds a .927 save percentage mark.

St. Lawrence will open the 2008-09 ECAC Hockey regular season on Friday, November 7 against the Yale Bulldogs.

Oct. 25: The No. 9 St. Lawrence University women's hockey team got a pair of goals each from senior assistant captain Alison Domenico and first-year student Alley Bero, while junior goalie Brittony Chartier turned in a 13-save performance to pick up her first shutout of the season as the Saints blitzed Robert Morris at Appleton Arena on Saturday afternoon, 5-0.

The Saints (3-1-2, 0-0-0) outshot the Colonials 50-13 in the contest, and with the weekend sweep, improve to 18-1-1 in their last 20 meetings against CHA teams.

"I thought today's game was certainly our best team effort of the season," said St. Lawrence University head coach Chris Wells. "We were able to create pretty consistent offensive pressure and get some important goals against a very solid goalie (Brianne McLaughlin)."

The home team wasted little time in taking a 1-0 lead, as first-year student Vanessa Emond fed senior captain Marianna Locke in front of McLaughlin and the Brasher Falls, NY, native banged in her own rebound for her first goal of the season to open the scoring. The goal occurred only 1:24 into the first period, but would be the only tally as McLaughlin made 15 first period saves to keep her team in the game.

Oct. 24: Senior assistant captain Carson Duggan pulled to within one goal of the University's all-time record with a hat trick against Robert Morris on Friday evening at Appleton Arena. The Ma-Me-O Beach, Alberta native's three goals, along with a fantastic 30-save performance in net by junior Brittony Chartier, led the No. 9 St. Lawrence University women's hockey team to a 5-1 win over the Colonials in the first ever meeting between the two teams.

The Saints improve to 2-1-2 (0-0-0) on the season while Robert Morris' win streak ends at two games as they fall to 3-2-0 (2-0-0).

"I thought Robert Morris came out with a head of steam and really took it to us in the opening minutes, but Brittony (Chartier) kept us in it," said St. Lawrence head coach Chris Wells. "We got a few timely goals that certainly gave us confidence as the game wore on."

Duggan got the Saints on the scoreboard at 6:37 of the first period, as she picked up a pass from rookie Alley Bero and skated into the Colonials' zone along the far boards. Her initial shot hit squarely off goaltender Brianne McLaughlin's leg pad and bounced right back to Duggan's stick as she lifted it into the open net for the 1-0 lead. Junior Tara Akstull also assisted on the goal.

Oct. 19: St. Lawrence University junior Tara Akstull scored two goals with the extra attacker in the final 2:49 of regulation on Sunday afternoon, helping the No. 6 women's hockey team to a 2-2 tie against Boston University in the first ever meeting between the two teams at Walter Brown Arena. It was the second time in three games that the Saints (1-1-2) have overcome a two-goal third period deficit, as they dominated the play against the Terriers in the final 20 minutes.

Boston University (3-2-1), which is off to a solid start with wins this season against nationally-ranked Mercyhurst and Clarkson, jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first period. Melissa Anderson scored her first goal of the season at 7:15 on St. Lawrence goalie Brittony Chartier, with an assist going to Erin Seman.

The Terriers, who out-shot St. Lawrence 11-7 in the first period, made it 2-0 with a power play goal in the later stages of the second period. With St. Lawrence rookie Alley Bero serving a two minute penalty, Jenelle Kohanchuk notched her second goal of the season at 13:18, with helpers going to Melissa Anderson and Lauren Cherewyk.

Despite only taking one penalty in the first two periods, BU put itself in a tough spot with four penalties in the third period. Goaltender Allyse Wilcox was brilliant for the home team, though, making 16 saves in the final period which seemed to have St. Lawrence headed for their second straight loss.

With 3:07 remaining in regulation, BU's Jonnie Bloemers was sent to the penalty box for hooking, giving

Oct. 18: In a rematch of last season's NCAA Quarterfinal battle, the No. 6 St. Lawrence University women's hockey team squared off with No. 4 New Hampshire at the Whittemore Center in Durham, NH, on Saturday at the same venue the Saints' season came to an end in 2008. Though they led 1-0 after the opening period, the Scarlet and Brown would fall behind 3-1 in the third period and were unable to overcome the deficit, as they fell to the Wildcats by the score of 3-2.

St. Lawrence dropped their first game of the season in falling to 1-1-1 (0-0-0) overall while New Hampshire remains amongst the unbeaten in women's hockey at 3-0-2 (0-0-2).

Despite being out-shot 10-8 in the opening frame, St. Lawrence found itself with a 1-0 lead thanks to a pair of first year students. Rookie Emma Clark took a pass from classmate Vanessa Emond and beat UNH netminder Kayley Herman at 12:37 of the first period. The goal and assist were collegiate firsts for the Saints' newcomers and gave them an early 1-0 lead.

Meanwhile, junior Brittony Chartier did her job between the pipes for St. Lawrence in the first period, as she stopped all 10 shots she faced.