Duggan and Chartier Shine in Season Opener
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| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Lawrence (1-0-0) | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Providence (0-3-0) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Scoring Summary | |
|---|---|
| 1st - 07:35 | PP - Tara Akstull (St. Lawrence) |
| 3rd - 04:15 | Carson Duggan (St. Lawrence) |
| 3rd - 18:38 | PP - Veharanta, Laura (Providence) |
| 3rd - 19:48 | EN - Carson Duggan (St. Lawrence) |
| St. Lawrence | Providence |
|---|---|
|
G:
Carson Duggan - 2
A: 4 Players (#8, #13, #18, #22 - 1) Sh: 2 Players (#19, #22 - 4) Sv: Brittony Chartier - 27 |
G:
Veharanta, Laura - 1
A: 2 Players (#14, #16 - 1) Sh: Veharanta, Laura - 6 Sv: Lacasse, Genevieve - 26 |
| TEAM STATISTICS | St. Lawrence | Providence |
|---|---|---|
| Power Plays | 1 for 8 | 1 for 3 |
| Shorthanded Goals | 0 | 0 |
| Penalties (min) | 5 (10) | 8 (16) |
| Shots on Goal | 29 | 28 |
| Face Offs Won | 40 | 25 |
Providence, R.I, - Senior assistant captain Carson Duggan scored two goals, including the game-winner, and junior goaltender Brittony Chartier made 27 saves in her St. Lawrence University debut as the No. 7/6 women's hockey team held off Providence College by the score of 3-1 at Schneider Arena on Friday night in the team's 2008-09 season opener.
The Saints (1-0-0, 0-0-0) won their season opening game for the seventh time in eight years and Duggan pulled to within four goals of the University career record with her 80th and 81st tallies. Meanwhile, Providence dropped to 0-3-0 on the season after they were unable to pull off the upset at home.
"Our goals were timely to say the least," said St.
Lawrence head coach Chris Wells, who won his debut behind the
team's bench. "They really seemed to get some momentum on us
in the first and third periods, but Tara (Akstull) and Carson
(Duggan) came through with key goals. I also can't say enough
about Brittony's (Chartier) performance in goal as she made big
save after big save."
Both teams had several quality scoring chances in the opening
period, with Providence outshooting
St. Lawrence 12-11. However, it was Akstull who opened the scoring when she tallied a power play goal, beating Providence goaltender Genevieve Lacasse at 7:35 of the first period. Assists on the goal went to seniors Alison Domenico and Marianna Locke.
The remaining part of the opening period belonged to Chartier, who showed why her addition was key to the Saints this season after the graduation of starting goalie Meaghan Guckian. She finished with 12 first period saves to keep the Friars off the scoreboard.
Akstull's goal would be the only score in the opening 40 minutes of play, as both goaltenders kept the opposing offenses quiet. The Friars relied on their penalty killing unit in the second period, as they didn't allow a goal on five power play chances for St. Lawrence. However, the visiting team did pepper Lacasse with 11 shots on goal in the second, while Chartier only faced two bids in the second period.
St. Lawrence would extend their cushion to 2-0 at 4:15 of the third period when Duggan picked up her first goal of the season at even strength, with an assist going to sophomore defenseman Michelle Zimmerman.
Trailing by two goals, Providence picked up their offensive attack throughout the period and managed to outshoot St. Lawrence 14-7 in the frame. However, Chartier continued to impress with save after save and it wasn't until Providence pulled Lacasse for an extra attacker while already on a power play that the Friars pulled to within a goal at 2-1. Laura Veharanta scored with 1:22 remaining in regulation on a 6-on-4 chance with assists going to Abby Gauthier and Katy Beach to get the Friars back in the game.
With the goalie still pulled and Providence looking
for the equalizer, Duggan put the game out of reach and gave Coach
Wells his first career head coaching victory with an empty net goal
at 19:48 to seal the Saints' 3-1 win.
Chartier earns the first win of her career at St. Lawrence behind
27 saves, while Lacasse falls to 0-2-0 on the season despite making
26 stops. St. Lawrence finished 1-of-8 with the extra skater,
while Providence was 1-of-3 on the power play.
St. Lawrence will look to sweep their opening weekend tomorrow, Saturday, October 11th when they visit Storrs, CT, to take on the UConn Huskies. The puck is set to drop at the Mark Edwards Freitas Ice Forum at 4:00pm.
