Boxscore

DURHAM, NH -- The St. Lawrence University women's hockey team saw their season come to an end on Saturday afternoon in the Whittemore Center, as the University of New Hampshire erased a one-goal deficit in the third period and scored 2:40 into overtime, lifting the No. 3 seeded Wildcats to the 2008 NCAA Frozen Four.

St. Lawrence (28-10-1, 18-3-1) had one goal leads after the first and second periods, but were forced to play their fourth overtime game in the last five contests. New Hampshire (33-3-1, 20-0-1) used the nation's top power play unit to tie the score with only 6:32 regulation, and extended their unbeaten streak to 19 games with the win.

The Saints, who dominated the Wildcats 6-2 in last year's NCAA Quarterfinal game in Durham, NH, got off to a quick start when junior Carson Duggan scored her 18 th of the season only 4:39 into the game. Senior Chelsea Grills got the play started, as she fed fellow classmate Sabrina Harbec right in front of New Hampshire goaltender Kayley Herman. Harbec made a heads-up pass, sliding the puck across the top of the goal mouth to Duggan who buried a shot for the 1-0 lead.

On the far end of the ice, senior Meaghan Guckian was very sharp in the early going, turning away all ten of UNH's shots on goal in the opening 20 minutes. The Victor, NY native stoned both junior Sam Faber and sophomore Steph Holmes on the doorstep to protect her team's 1-0 lead. Herman settled in after allowing the first goal, stopping the remaining four shots during the first stanza.

In a very evenly played second period, the two squads exchanged goals only 3:08 apart to set up a crucial third period. New Hampshire tied the score at 1-1 at 6:28 of the second period thanks to a miscommunication in the defensive zone by St. Lawrence. Courtney Birchard picked up a loose puck in front of Guckian off of a turnover, and buried her 8th goal of the season.

St. Lawrence came right back as they used their first power play chance to their advantage, reclaiming the lead at 2-1. As Duggan skated the puck into the Wildcats' zone, the Ma-Me-O Beach, Ontario native pulled up in the left circle and dropped a pretty pass into the slot for Harbec. The St. Hubert, Quebec native wound up and launched a one-timer that beat Herman's left leg pad to put the Scarlet and Brown back on top after two periods of play.

With their backs against the wall, the home team had the edge in the third period, as UNH faced elimination on their home ice for the second straight season. Guckian turned in perhaps the best period of her career at

St. Lawrence, making several incredible saves to keep her team on top midway through the third.

A minor penalty on first year student Michelle Zimmerman would open the door for the Wildcats, though, at 11:38 of the third period. This time, the Wildcats would convert as St. Lawrence was unable to clear the zone on several prime chances. Kelly Paton, who was very solid offensively for the home team on Saturday, swung a pass to the blue line for Kacey Bellamy, who quickly sent a pass to Jenn Wakefield at the top of the circle to Guckian's right. The rookie blasted a one-timer past the goaltender's glove at 13:28, giving UNH new life with the game tied at 2-2. The Wildcats seemed to feed off of the goal, as they took the momentum and continued their onslaught of shots on Guckian, who made fantastic saves that left several Wildcat forwards stunned as the game went to the overtime session.

The first shot on net proved to be the game-winner in overtime, though there was very little Guckian could have done to prevent it from crossing the goal line. After a give-away in the St. Lawrence zone, the puck came to the top of the left circle for senior Sadie Wright-Ward, who sent a slap shot towards goal. Guckian went to the ice to stop the shot, but the puck deflected off of a St. Lawrence defender, changing direction and slipping inside the near post for the game-winner, as the Wildcats stormed on to the ice in celebration of their second Frozen Four appearance with a 3-2 win.

"First and foremost, congratulations to UNH on an impressive win and good luck to them at the Frozen Four," said St. Lawrence University head coach Paul Flanagan, whose team lost for the first time in the NCAA Quarterfinal round. "I thought we showed a lot of resilience out there and left it all on the ice. Certainly we're disappointed, but we have a lot to be proud of, including our six seniors (Guckian, Harbec, Guay, Grills, Kerri Wallace and Sarah Callan), who we hope will pass the torch on to our returning players."

Guckian made 30 saves in the contest, including ten in each period, but suffered the loss and fell to 23-10-1 on the season in her final contest in the Scarlet and Brown. Herman, meanwhile, made 20 saves and improved to 29-2-1.

St Lawrence's string of four straight Frozen Four appearances comes to an end with the loss, as New Hampshire will face the winner of the Mercyhurst/Minnesota Duluth quarterfinal game. The Wildcats return to the national semifinals for the first time since 2006, with the Frozen Four beginning in Duluth, MN on Thursday, March 20.