Box Score

CANTON, NY -- Junior forward Alison Domenico re-directed a shot from sophomore Brittaney Maschmeyer behind Brown goaltender Nicole Stock at 7:11 of the third period, breaking a 2-2 tie and giving the No. 6 St. Lawrence University women's hockey team an important 3-2 victory over the Bears on Saturday afternoon at Appleton Arena.

The Saints (23-8-1,16-3-1) dominated the Bears (3-19-5, 2-14-4) in shots on goal by a 42-20 margin, but Stock was fantastic for the visitors, making 39 saves including 22 in the second period alone.

The Bears, who have been a thorn in the Saints' side over the years, saw much of the play in their end of the ice during the opening period. However, it was Brown that capitalized on a power play chance at 15:37 to grab a 1-0 lead after the first stanza. Brown's Rylee Olewinski fired a shot from the blue line that St. Lawrence netminder Meaghan Guckian was able to steer away. However, the kick save came right to Andrea Hunter, who quickly punched a shot into the net for her 5th goal of the season.

St. Lawrence would right the ship in the second period, as they out-shot Brown 24-6 in the period. With the consistent pressure on Stock and the Bears' defense, it was only a matter of time before the Saints' offense got on the score board. Sophomore Courtney Sawchuk sent a long shot on net, and though Stock made the save, rookie Karell Emard tipped a pass to linemate Lisa Batchelor on the goal mouth. The Red Deer, Alberta native finished the play for her 6th tally of the season to tie the score at 1-1 at 6:02 of the second.

First year student Kirsten Roach, who had two goals against Yale on Friday evening, added her third goal of the weekend at 12:45 while her team skated on the power play. Senior Annie Guay again started the play with a long shot from the blue line that was turned aside by Stock. Emard again corralled the rebound and fed Roach who tucked in her 5th of the season to put her team on top 2-1.

Though Brown was thoroughly outplayed in the period, they were once again able to capitalize on the power play at 18:06 to even the score at 2-2 after two periods. Olewinski picked up the puck after back-to-back shots by Erica Kromm and fired it past Guckian for her 7th of the season. The goal stymied the Saints' momentum and kept the visitors hopes of a major upset in play.

The third period proved to be highly contested, as the Saints narrowly out-shot Brown, 10-9. With Brown's Jaclyn Small in the penalty box, the home team won the face off to Stock's right and senior defenseman Kerri Wallace fed a wide open Maschmeyer at the far point. Maschmeyer's shot was headed towards Stock, but thanks to Domenico's deflection, avoided the netminder and put St. Lawrence ahead 3-2 at 7:11 of the third period. The goal was Domenico's 13th of the season.

Brown, seeking their biggest win of the season, didn't get discouraged, however, and began to put St. Lawrence on their heels. Guckian, who made only nine saves in the opening two periods combined, came through in the third with nine more important saves to keep her team's lead in tact.

With less than two minutes remaining in regulation, Brown's Hayley Moore sent a shot towards Guckian from the left circle. A screen in front prevented the goaltender from seeing the puck, which bounced off the right post and began to trickle towards the goal line. However, Guckian quickly fell back and covered the puck just before it crossed the line, preventing the equalizer and allowing the Saints to hold on for a 3-2 victory.

"That was a great college hockey game. Brown made us work for everything tonight, and those are two huge points in a game that we really had to play hard in the third period," said Saints head coach Paul Flanagan. "I think playing in tight games like that is good for our team as we prepare for the playoffs."

St. Lawrence, who again wore specially designed pink jerseys in conjunction with ECAC Hockey's "Pink at the Rink," finished 2-of-10 on the power play while Brown was 2-of-8.

Guckian improved to 18-8-1 on the season behind an 18-save performance, while Stock suffered the loss despite making 39 stops, falling to 3-19-5.

The Scarlet and Brown, who have already nailed down the No. 2 seed in the ECAC Hockey Tournament, will complete the 2007-08 regular season next weekend at Appleton Arena when they welcome Princeton and Quinnipiac to Canton, NY. The puck will drop on the Saints and Tigers on Friday, February 22 at 7:00pm.