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MOFFAT AND HARBEC LEAD SAINTS

BACK TO FROZEN FOUR

Mar. 18: The St. Lawrence University women’s hockey team is headed back to the NCAA Frozen Four for the third consecutive year after a 1-0 victory over the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs in Appleton Arena on Saturday evening. The Saints (31-4-2) received a 24 save shutout performance from senior goaltender Jessica Moffat, and the game-winning goal came off the stick of 2006 Patty Kazmaier finalist Sabrina Harbec.

The Saints will play Wisconsin at 5 p.m. EST at Minnesota on Friday with the winner advancing to Sunday's NCAA Championship game. The tournament will be televised by CSTV which is available to those who have digital cable or the dish in the North Country. The game will be broadcast by WBDR and will also be available through SLU's regular hockey webcast.

The NCAA Quarterfinal match-up between the Saints and Bulldogs may have been the most attractive of the four games due to the fantastic storylines it provided. The two head coaches, Shannon Miller of UMD and Paul Flanagan of St. Lawrence, are two of the winningest active coaches in Division I women’s hockey. Sophomore forward Sabrina Harbec and the two starting goaltenders, Jessica Moffat of St. Lawrence and Riitta Schaublin of Minnesota Duluth, were all selected in the top ten finalists for the 2006 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award honoring the nation’s top player. Throw in the fact that the two teams have now met three times in the NCAA Tournament and you have a bitter rivalry growing between two premier Division I women’s hockey programs.

The quarterfinal game was the first ever Division I NCAA women’s hockey game played in Canton, NY and it will perhaps go down as one of the best.

The Saints came out skating hard, and it appeared their game plan was to throw as many shots on Schaublin as possible to try and grab an early lead. However, the Basel, Switzerland native showed why she has been selected into the top three finalists for the Patty Kazmaier, making 22 stops in the opening frame. She made a fantastic save on fellow Patty Kazmaier finalist Sabrina Harbec on the breakaway in the first period to keep the score knotted at zero. Moffat, on the other hand, had a very quiet but efficient first period, stopping all six Minnesota Duluth shots.

The Saints, who entered the game second in the nation on the power play, knew that their special team’s play was going to be important if they were to defeat the Bulldogs, who have captured three of the last five national championships. It was on the power play that the ECACHL regular season champions would net the opening goal at 13:27 of the second period.

Minnesota Duluth was unable to clear the puck out of the zone as the waning seconds of the Saints’ seventh power play dwindled down. Unfortunately for the visitors, the puck landed on the stick of Harbec, who moved in on Schaublin one Patty Kazmaier finalist-on-another. The sophomore dragged the puck through the crease to her forehand, sniping a shot over the Minnesota Duluth netminder’s shoulder to electrify the crowd and give the Saints their coveted 1-0 lead.

"She (Schaublin) made so many good saves in the first period, we were just trying to make her go from side to side,” said Harbec.

The Saints would need their senior goaltender to flash some leather to help protect their lead though. While on the power play, the Saints regrouped behind their own net. As they tried to work the puck into the center of the ice, freshman Mari Pehkonen intercepted the pass and rifled a shot towards the right corner of the net. Moffat showed her quick glove and snatched the puck while falling backwards on to the ice.

"That was a great game and amazing atmosphere.   It is a credit to our players to set the stage for this match-up.  We had awesome fan support, and some great individual efforts,” explained Saints’ head coach Paul Flanagan.

Moffat would again protect the Saints lead late in the third period, as she made two saves on Krista McArthur and Noemie Marin on the doorstep while the visiting team had a player advantage.

“I’ve been going over the game in my head all week,” said Moffat with her roommate Harbec agreeing whole-heartedly. “I just tried to keep my head in the game as best I could.”

As the clock ticked down to zero, the Saints began to celebrate the victory that sends them on to Minneapolis , MN for the 2006 NCAA Frozen Four. They will face the winner of No. 2 Wisconsin and Mercyhurst. New Hampshire , the top-seed in the tournament, will take on the hosting Minnesota Golden Gophers. Both games will be played on Friday, March 24th at Mariucci Arena.

Moffat finished with 24 saves, while Schaublin closed with 40. Harbec’s goal was her 25th of the season and 61 st point. The 2006 Patty Kazmaier award winner will be named on Saturday, March 25th, and will be the St. Hubert, Que. native, Schaublin, or junior forward Sara Bauer of Wisconsin.

HARBEC IS FIRST SAINT TO EVER BE NAMED IN TOP

THREE FOR PATTY KAZMAIER AWARD

Mar. 13: USA Hockey today announced that St. Lawrence University sophomore forward Sabrina Harbec is one of the top three finalists for the 2006 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award. She is the first St. Lawrence player to ever be named in top three candidates.

Harbec is joined by junior forward Sara Bauer of the University of Wisconsin and junior goaltender Riitta Schaublin of Minnesota Duluth in the top three candidates for the nation's top individual honor in women's hockey.

This year’s winner of the Patty Kazmaier Award will be revealed at the ninth annual Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Dinner on March 25 at the Radisson University Hotel in Minneapolis, Minn., and will feature all three finalists, the top two teams in the NCAA Women’s Frozen Four, as well as special keynote speaker and 2005 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winner Krissy Wendell (Brooklyn Park, Minn.).

Harbec, the 2005-06 Eastern College Athletic Conference Hockey League Player of the Year, has helped St. Lawrence to its first-ever 30-win season (30-4-2). She leads the nation in assists (36) and points per game (1.76). Harbec’s 60 points, 24 goals and 36 assists all rank second on the Saints’ all-time single-season chart.

MINNESOTA DULUTH WILL VISIT APPLETON

ARENA IN NCAA QUARTERFINALS

Mar. 12: The St. Lawrence University women's hockey team has been selected to participate in the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive year. Although the Saints were unable to capture their first ECACHL Championship this weekend, their first step towards the National Championship will take place at Appleton Arena on Saturday, March 18th against the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs.

The Saints and Bulldogs have a history in the NCAA Tournament, having played two times in the last five seasons. Minnesota Duluth topped St. Lawrence in the National Championship game in 2001, and just last season, the Saints stunned the No. 2 seeded Bulldogs in the NCAA Semifinals to advance to the Frozen Four. It was the only time Minnesota Duluth has ever been defeated in an NCAA Tournament game.

The Saints will need to bounce back from their disappointing 3-1 loss at the hands of the 2005-2006 ECACHL Champions the Harvard Crimson on Saturday. The Saints will hope that their "bounce back" trend will continue, as each of the previous three times they've lost this season, they have won the next game.

Minnesota Duluth will also enter the NCAA Tournament hungry, as they lost in their conference semifinals at the hands of their arch rival, the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

The NCAA Quarterfinals are as follows:

Harvard at No. 1 New Hampshire

Mercyhurst at No. 2 Wisconsin

Minnesota Duluth at St. Lawrence

Princeton at Minnesota

Ticket information for Saturday's game at Appleton Arena will become available tomorrow afternoon.