Cornell Loses Lead, Game to Wayne State

Box score

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Wayne State rallied from a 4-0 deficit to knock off Cornell 5-4 in overtime on Saturday afternoon at Lynah Rink to complete a two-game sweep of the Big Red. Cornell slipped to 2-2, while Wayne State improved to 4-2 with the victory.

Liz Zorn, Laura Danforth and Brittany Forgues all had a goal and two assists for the Big Red, who held a 34-29 edge in shots on the afternoon. Freshman Rebecca Johnston added her third goal of the season in the loss. In goal, sophomore Jenny Niesluchowski saved 24 shots.

Wayne State goalkeeper Valery Turcotte rebounded from her early struggles with 30 saves, including all 17 shots she faced in the third quarter to get the visitors to the extra period. Once there, Melissa Boal made a winner out of her just 1:37 into the overtime on a power play goal. Boal ended the afternoon with two goals and two assists. Lindsay DiPietro added a goal and three assists, while Sam Boyton had a goal and two assists in the victory. Ashley King also found the back of the net for the Warriors.

The Big Red raced out to a 3-0 lead at the end of one period, taking a lead 6:04 in when Zorn cashed in on her third tally of the year. Just 11 seconds later, Cornell was back in business with Johnston cashing in on a shot past Turcotte to make it 2-0. Danforth completed the scoring in the 18th minute with Zorn and Forgues assisting.

The second period saw the Big Red tack another goal onto its lead before Wayne State begain its rally, scoring three unanswered in a span of 5:01 midway through to get back within 4-3. The Cornell defense settled down and dominated the third period, outshooting the Warriors 17-8. Despite the sizable advantage, Wayne State was the only team to cash in on a scoring chance, knotting the game at 4-4 with 6:46 remaining in regulation when DiPietro found the back of the net for the third time this season to set up Boal's overtime heroics.

The Big Red will attempt to get back to its winning ways when it visits Niagara on Friday, Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 3 at 2 p.m.