Union Snaps Losing Streak, Downs Sacred Heart
BRIDGEPORT, CT - The Union College women's hockey team picked up
its first win of the season with a 7-1 win over Sacred Heart at the
Wonderland of Ice Tuesday evening. The win snaps an NCAA Division I
record 33-game losing streak, dating back to November 4, 2006, and
is also the first career victory for first-year head coach Claudia
Asano.
Union's last win came against Sacred Heart on November 4, 2006. The
Dutchwomen have now won 12 straight games against the Pioneers,
spanning five seasons.
Twelve Union players registered points in the game, led by a goal and two assists from Gabriela Wintner (Calgary, AB). Freshman Callee Heywood (Innisfail, AB) scored two goals, while Suzy Pocock (Sterling Heights, MI) and Courtney Chais (Plantation, FL) each had a goal and an assist. Jackie Koetteritz (Breckenridge, CO) posted a two-point performance with a pair of assists.
Lauren Fontaine put the Pioneers (1-7-1) on the board at 7:14 when she slid in a puck sent across the crease by Whitney Dziama.
It was all Union from there as the Dutchwomen (1-11-0) netted seven unanswered goals to take the game.
Heywood sparked Union's rally with her first career tally at 7:42. She collected an outlet pass from Wintner along the boards and skated it up the left as the Dutchwomen went in for a line change.
Elsa Perushek (Maple Grove, MN) gave the Dutchwomen the lead 18 seconds later. Stephanie Gilbert (Salt Lake City, UT) got the puck down low to the left of the net, and passed across behind it to Brenna Malnar (Soughgate, MI) who sent the puck up to the blue line. Perushek took time to set up a high slapshot for her first career goal. Gilbert's assist marked the first point in her collegiate career.
Less than two minutes later Kelly Fleming (Lake Placid, NY) capped the period's scoring with her first career goal, knocking in a rebound from Pocock. Marissa Gentile (Groton, MA) set up the ply for her second assist of the season.
Chais started Union's four-goal middle stanza less than a minute into the frame, faking out Sacred Heart goaltender Jessica Little to her before sliding the puck across into the far corner of the net. Lauren Muske (Ramsey, MN) got the puck to Chais just outside the blueline before the senior carried it in the rest of the way on her own.
Heywood gave Union a four-goal lead at 14:05 with assists from Chais and Koetteritz before Wintner added a goal 10 seconds later. Maeve Kehoe (Chelsea, QC) won the faceoff after Heywood's tally, and dropped it back to Kristin Hissong (Littleton, CO), who passed across the ice to Koetteritz as the team headed into the Sacred Heart zone. The sophomore passed up to Wintner, who roofed it in the far corner from the left circle.
With less than a minute remaining in the frame, Pocock netted her first goal of the season, connecting on a long cross-ice pass from Wintner as the pair crossed into the Pioneers' zone. Wintner forced a turnover just outside the zone along the left boards, and found Pocock who fired from the top of the right circle in her appearance of the season.
Lundy Day (Calgary, AB) made 15 saves in the first two periods of the game before giving way to Danielle Kimble (Reston, VA) who stopped eight shots in the final frame. Little made 12 stops in the first 40 minutes, while Sarah Perry finished the game with 16 saves.
Union hosts Dartmouth and Harvard in ECAC Hockey action at Messa Rink this weekend. The Dutchwomen face off with the Big Green on Friday at 7 pm before facing the Crimson on Saturday at 4 pm.
