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NO. 5 SAINTS KNOCK NO.2 LAKERS FROM THE RANKS OF THE UNBEATEN WITH 3-2 VICTORY Nov. 18: The No. 5 St. Lawrence University women’s hockey team again found themselves down 2-0 in the second period against the second-ranked Mercyhurst Lakers, the exact same scenario they faced on Friday evening. However, the Saints were able to again battle out of their two-goal deficit, and this time, senior co-captain Chelsea Grills netted the game-winning goal at 11:44 of the third period, lifting the Saints to a thrilling 3-2 upset over the previously unbeaten Lakers in Appleton Arena on Saturday afternoon.
The Scarlet and Brown (9-4-1,4-2-0) improved their all-time record against Mercyhurst to 12-2-2 and earned the weekend split, moving the team’s mark versus ranked opponents to 4-4-1 . The victory also halted the Saints three game winless streak.
“That was a great win, coming back from a disappointing result last night,” said Saints head coach Paul Flanagan. “I give our kids a ton of credit for again digging out of an 0-2 hole.”
Mercyhurst again came out and set the tempo in the first period, using a furious fore-check in the offensive zone to set up several chances on St. Lawrence junior goaltender Meaghan Guckian. It wasn’t until 9:07 that the Lakers would cash in to take a 1-0 lead, when freshman forward Meghan Agosta, who hurt the Saints with a three-point effort on Friday, continued her success with an unassisted goal to put her team ahead midway through the first period. The Canadian gold medalist took a rebound off a shot that hit the post and slid it past Guckian on the far side of the net to give the Lakers the early lead.
St. Lawrence would not be without their share of chances in the first period, with most of the prominent opportunities coming on the power-play. Mercyhurst was whistled for three first period minor penalties, but Laker goalie Laura Hosier kept the Saints off the board again in the opening stanza with seven first period saves. Guckian made ten stops in the first, but again found her team trailing 1-0.
The second ranked team in the nation would again create a turnover in the offensive zone to extend their lead a mere 2:40 into the second period. St. Lawrence defenseman Britni Smith tried to elude a Laker attacker and break her team out of the zone. However, her pass bounced off the boards and came to Mercyhurst’s Stephanie Jones. Jones threaded a pass to Stefanie Bourbeau, who finished the play by sniping a shot past Guckian, putting the Lakers ahead 2-0 early in the second frame.
The Saints knew they needed to respond and get themselves back into the game quickly, and they were given that chance when Katariina Soikkanen was given a two minute penalty for tripping at 3:36 . St. Lawrence worked the puck behind the net to sophomore Carson Duggan, who slid a pass outside the near circle to junior Sabrina Harbec.
With Mercyhurst rotating defensively, they made the mistake of leaving junior defenseman Annie Guay all alone at the point. When Harbec found her inside the blue line, she rifled a furious slap shot past a screened Hosier, getting the Saints on the board and back into the game, 2-1. Guay’s fourth of the season came at 4:09 of the second, with assists going to both Harbec (12) and Duggan (6).
Duggan and Harbec would again hook up on a highlight reel play that tied the game at 2-2 and gave the Scarlet and Brown great momentum heading into the final period. Duggan made an outstanding block in the defensive zone to start to play, quickly gathering her senses and slapping the puck off the near boards.
From there, Harbec took over, dangling the puck around two defenseman and moving in on Hosier from the right side. Though the goalie did her best to poke-check the puck away, Harbec’s stick-handling skills were too sharp, as she made a quick move around the goalie and buried the shot to even the score at 9:11 . It was the St. Hubert , Quebec natives seventh of the season.
The game’s score mirrored that from Friday’s, and the Lakers hoped to duplicate their performance from last night and take another game to complete their trip to Canton , NY . In a back and forth third period, both teams had a few stellar opportunities to grab the lead.
With five minutes gone in the third, the puck came to Duggan again to Hosier’s left side. The Ma-Me-O Beach, Alberta native flipped a shot that clanked the near post and ricocheted out away from the goal. However, Mercyhurst quickly pounded on the puck and fed an outlet pass to Valerie Chouinard along the boards. The sophomore ripped a slap shot from Guckian’s left, and though the goalie was unable to stop it, the puck hit the crossbar and sailed out of play.
Mercyhurst’s Ashley Pendleton then found her chance to give the visitors the lead when she moved in from her defensive position, crashing Guckian’s net. The Lakers fed a pass into the slot, where Pendleton one-timed a blast that seemed headed for the top-left portion of the net. However, Guckian flashed some leather, reaching out and gloving the puck while falling backwards towards the goal line. The Victor, NY native showed her awareness by holding her glove ahead of the line as she fell to the ice, keeping the game tied at 2-2.
As the Saints tried to take their first lead since November 4 th in a 4-2 win over Harvard, the puck came to first year defenseman Brittaney Maschmeyer along the boards. She did well to keep the puck in the zone, and flipped a pass to sophomore forward Alison Domenico. Domenico, who had an outstanding series this weekend by showing great hustle, drawing penalties, and working hard on both ends of the ice, slapped a shot towards Hosier.
Though the puck was headed wide of the far post, Hosier didn’t notice Grills, who had slipped in front of the crease and stuck her stick out, awaiting Domenico’s bid. She deflected the bid, and on a shot that seemed to go in slow motion, the puck floated into the netting and put the Saints ahead 3-2 at 11:44 of the third period. The goal forced Mercyhurst head coach Michael Sisti to use a time out.
However, the momentum had clearly shifted in favor of the home team, and they appeared to extend their lead to 4-2 on a shot that many thought went into the goal off Domenico’s stick. Though the red light went on the horn sounded, the referee waived off the goal and let play continue.
Mercyhurst desperately tried to get some pressure on Guckian, but St. Lawrence’s offense did a fantastic job of keeping Hosier in the net and not allowing for the extra skater to come on the ice in the final minute. As the goalie finally headed for the bench, two Mercyhurst players jumped on the ice, and the linesman whistled the Lakers for Too Many Players on the Ice at 19:21, seemingly ending their hopes at a sweep.
Sisti’s team had other ideas, though, as they worked short-handed to create an opportunity to tie the game. As the Saints tried to keep the puck in the zone as time ticked away, a Mercyhurst skater released on the play towards Guckian. When a Laker player gathered the puck, she slid a long, cross-ice pass right on the stick of her teammate. However, the play was called offsides, ending Mercyhurst’s final chance and along with it, their hopes of an undefeated season.
“Our kids have worked so hard the previous three games and really didn’t have much to show for it,” added Flanagan. “Seven of our last eight games have been against ranked teams, so I think we’ve picked up some valuable experience that may help us in the upcoming months. We’re just glad to get a win tonight and start preparing for Cornell and Colgate.”
Guckian finished with 26 saves on the evening while collecting her seventh win of the season. Hosier took the loss, her first of the year, while making 21 stops. Perhaps the surprise stat of the game was that Mercyhurst was not awarded a single power play as St. Lawrence took only one penalty, which was a coincidental minor in the third period. The Saints, on the other hand, were 1-of-7 with the extra skater.
Next weekend, the Saints will hit the road and head to Central New York to take on the Cornell Big Red and the Colgate Raiders in a pair of ECACHL contests. The puck will drop on the Saints and Big Red in Ithaca, NY on Friday, November 24 th at 7:00pm .
NO. 2 LAKERS REMAIN UNBEATEN WITH 4-2 VICTORY OVER NO. 5 SAINTS Nov. 17: Trailing 2-0 heading into the second period against No. 2 Mercyhurst without one of their premier players, the No. 5 St. Lawrence University women’s hockey team showed their resiliency by scoring a pair of goals late in the stanza to knot the score at 2-2 heading into the third. However, Lakers’ goaltender Laura Hosier slammed the door on the Scarlet and Brown, making 11 third period stops, while Olympic Gold medalist Meghan Agosta provided the offense as the visiting team down St. Lawrence 4-2 in Appleton Arena in Canton, NY on Friday evening.
Special teams would play a major role in the game between the two ranked opponents, as the two squads combined for 23 penalties including a hitting-from-behind game misconduct call against St. Lawrence senior forward Crystal Connors at 14:45 of the first period. However, by that time, the Lakers had already gotten a pair of power play goals to take a 2-0 lead.
Julia Colizza netted her seventh goal of the season at 7:31 of the first period, when a pass from Natalie Payne found her streaking through the slot. Saints junior goalie Meaghan Guckian had come out to play a shot from her left, but when the pass was slid into the center of the zone, Colizza was left with an unguarded net and gave her team the 1-0 lead on the power play. Payne picked up her eighth assist of the season, while Agosta tallied her first assist of the night and tenth of the year.
Less than five minutes later, the Lakers would strike again with the extra skater to build a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission. After Guckian stopped a big blast from the right point off the stick of Valerie Chouinard, the puck came back to the left point to Agosta again. She faked a shot and slid the puck back to Chouinard, who controlled the puck and sent a slap shot off her back foot towards Guckian. However, the puck deflected off a St. Lawrence defender, shot up in the air, and sailed over Guckian’s head to extend Mercyhurst’s lead to 2-0.
The Saints (8-4-1, 4-2-0) were not without their chances in the opening frame, as both junior Sabrina Harbec and sophomore Marianna Locke earned one-on-one breakaway opportunities in the final two minutes on Hosier. However, the goalie turned back each attempt, protecting the coveted two goal edge.
“They came out ready to play and set the tone with their two power play goals,” said Saints head coach Paul Flanagan. “I was really proud of our team the way they responded in the second period though. Having to kill off over three minutes of five-on-three and then tying the score really showed something.”
As Flanagan explained, the second period belonged to the home team, though they had to fend off the Lakers for over three minutes in the early going as Connor’s five minute penalty for hitting-from-behind was coupled with two other Saint minors. The power play unit buckled down, however, and refused to allow another Mercyhurst goal.
After Guckian stoned Mercyhurst’s Stefanie Bourbeau on the doorstep late in the second period, the Saints turned up-ice and created an opportunity of their own. As the home team worked along the boards in the offensive zone, senior co-captain Chelsea Grills got the puck and sent a pass in front to Locke. The Brasher Falls, NY native completed the play, sliding the puck behind Hosier and cutting the Saints deficit to one at 2-1.
Less than a minute later, St. Lawrence found themselves with a prime chance to tie the score when Payne was sent off the ice for Mercyhurst for Tripping at 15:27 . With the power play unit back on the ice, the Saints used crisp passes to spread out the Lakers’ defense and to earn their best shot on goal. It would come when a pass through the slot from first year student Tara Akstull found Harbec in the right circle. Hosier slid through the crease to make the save, but the St. Hubert , Quebec native was a step ahead, feeding a pass back through the slot to line mate Carson Duggan, who tapped the puck into the goal tying the score at 2-2.
“ Carson ’s goal gave us some momentum, and I was glad to see us respond to the early adversity we faced,” said Flanagan.
Through two periods, the Lakers were out-shooting the Saints 26-22, with Guckian leading Hosier in saves 24-20.
With the game up for grabs, the Saints had perhaps their best chance to take the lead as they skated up two players for over 40 seconds. However, Hosier was big in goal, turning away each St. Lawrence opportunity.
Midway through the third, the Lakers started to really pressure the Saints in their own zone, and the visitor’s hard work paid off when Colizza stole the puck in the zone and found Payne again along the boards. She fed Agosta in the circle, and the rookie skated in on Guckian, made a nice move around the poke-check, and scored her seventh goal of the year at 11:15 to give Mercyhurst their lead back at 3-2.
The Scarlet and Brown began to press offensively, trying to net the tying goal and perhaps force the extra period. However, as they tried to keep the puck in Mercyhurst’s zone, a defenseman interfered with Agosta, creating a delayed penalty situation. However, Mercyhurst didn’t stop playing, rushing the puck up the ice as Hosier headed for the bench. Before she could get there, though, Agosta slid a beautiful cross-ice pass to Bourbeau at the far post, who tipped the puck past Guckian to extend the Laker lead to 4-2. The goal came at 12:47, a mere 1:32 after the third goal, with assists going to both Agosta (12) and Colizza (12).
Though the Saints tried to get back into the game late with a few power play opportunities, the damage had been done, and the No. 2 Lakers escaped the series opener with a 4-2 non-conference road win. Hosier was the difference in the final period, stopping each of the eleven shots she faced, finishing with 31 saves on the night. Her counterpart, Guckian, made four third period saves for a total of 28.
The two teams combined for 57 penalty minutes, with Mercyhurst going 2-of-9 on the power play and the Saints 1-of-6. Friday night was only the second win for the Lakers over the Saints in the program’s history, as they are now 2-11-2 all time against the Scarlet and Brown.
Meanwhile, the Saints winless streak extends to three games for the first time since February of the 2004-05 season and drops their record against ranked teams this year to 3-4-1 .
“This is a tough loss for us after battling all the way back in the second period,” added Flanagan. “But they’re a good, solid team, and we know we have to come back ready to play tomorrow.”
The Saints will get their crack at revenge in the series finale tomorrow, Saturday, November 18th in Appleton Arena. The puck is set to drop between the Saints and undefeated Lakers again at 4:00pm.
SAINTS HOLD DOWN FIFTH SLOT IN BOTH USCHO.com AND USA TODAY POLLS Nov. 14: The St. Lawrence University women's hockey team, coming off a difficult stretch of games that included nationally ranked Princeton, Dartmouth, Harvard, and New Hampshire, continue to hold their own in both the USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Polls.
The Saints (8-3-1, 4-2-0) found themselves ranked fifth in both polls this week after earning a 1-1 tie and falling 4-2 in Hamden, NH to the third-ranked Wildcats of UNH on Saturday and Sunday. However, the Scarlet and Brown will welcome back All-America Annie Guay to the line-up this weekend against the No. 2 Mercyhurst Lakers. Guay helped Team Canada win the goal medal in the 2006 4 Nation's Cup in Kitchener, Ontario last weekend.
Wisconsin remained the unanimous choice for first place in each poll once again, while the Lakers checked in at No. 2 for the second straight week. New Hampshire continues to hold down the No. 3 slot, followed by Minnesota (No. 4) and St. Lawrence (No. 5).
The Dartmouth Big Green, who was upset by ECACHL foe Colgate this weekend without several key players who were also at the 4 Nation's Cup, came in at No. 6 in the USCHO.com Poll, one spot ahead of No. 7 Minnesota-Duluth. Fellow conference member Harvard is ranked eighth, while Princeton (No. 9) and Boston College (No. 10) close out the USCHO.com Poll.
The USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine has the Bulldogs from Minnesota-Duluth at No. 6, followed by the Harvard Crimson at No. 7. The voters were not as kind to Dartmouth in the USA Today Poll, as the Big Green slipped to No. 8, followed by the Tigers and Eagles at nine and ten, respectively. Both the USCHO.com and USA Today polls can be found below.
The No. 5 Saints and No. 2 Lakers will battle in Appleton Arena this weekend, Friday, November 17th at 7:00pm and again on Saturday, November 18th at 4:00pm. The Scarlet and Brown, who will look to improve on their 3-3-1 record against ranked teams, lead the all-time series against Mercyhurst with an 11-1-2 mark.
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