ECAC Hockey League Women Gearing Up
ALBANY, N.Y. -- The 11 women's teams of the ECAC Hockey League are gearing up for the conference season with practice, exhibitions and regular-season games. Two teams were in action last week against NCAA opponents, with St. Lawrence topping defending national champion Minnesota and Clarkson taking games from Vermont.
St. Lawrence spent the weekend in Minneapolis at the Easton Shootout and came home with two wins. The first came in an exhibition contest vs. the University of Alberta with the Saints winning 4-2. Kate Michael led the scoring in the game with two goals, with Annie Guay and Elisabeth Pahler netting the other two. Guay also had an assist, while Emilie Berlinguette had two helpers, giving the Saints three players with multiple points in the game. Jess Moffat made her season debut between the pipes and stopped 13 shots to earn the win.
The big game came on day two of the tourney, with SLU entering the game ranked first in the country and the defending champs ranked third. The Saints struck first in the contest with freshman Alison Domenico lighting the lamp with a power-play goal halfway through the opening period. The rookie struck a second time in the middle period with what was the eventual game winner to give St. Lawrence a 2-0 lead. The Gophers came within one a few minutes later, but Berlinguette sealed the win at the end of the period with the Saints' second power-play goal of the game. Domenico finished with three points, as she also assisted on Berlinguette's tally. The Saints defense held Minnesota to just 16 shots on goal and Jess Moffat earned the win in net. It was the first home loss for the Gophers since February of 2004.
Clarkson also had double success in its opening games, downing Vermont 3-1 and 2-0. Jessica Cloutier scored twice and Melissa Marshall netted the winner in the first contest. The Catamounts scored first, but the Golden Knights went on to score three straight -- one in each period -- to secure the win.
The next day saw the Knights blank Vermont for the fourth time in six meetings. Kira Hurley, who also claimed the 3-1 victory, earned the shutout with 17 saves. Both Clarkson goals came in the second period, with Micheleen Devine and Ashley Shaidle each scoring.
Looking at the coming week, Quinnipiac starts things off tonight with a game at Boston University. More teams will head into competition this weekend, with four others in action. Colgate will play a home-and-home series with Division I newcomer Rensselaer (to become an ECACHL member in 2006-07), and Clarkson is home for two games vs. Mercyhurst. St. Lawrence heads to Michigan to take on Wayne State in two games, while Union and Quinnipiac head to Massachusetts for games against Boston College and Boston University, respectively.
