Emard and Akstull Lead Saints Rally
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| 0:00 - OT | 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Lawrence (1-0-1) | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Connecticut (3-1-1) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Scoring Summary | |
|---|---|
| 1st - 00:17 | Thibault, Dominique (Connecticut) |
| 1st - 01:31 | Josee Belanger (St. Lawrence) |
| 1st - 18:19 | Marianna Locke (St. Lawrence) |
| 1st - 19:13 | Weber, Monique (Connecticut) |
| 2nd - 09:56 | Thibault, Dominique (Connecticut) |
| 2nd - 12:30 | Hollstein, Amy (Connecticut) |
| 3rd - 00:56 | Karell Emard (St. Lawrence) |
| 3rd - 02:30 | Tara Akstull (St. Lawrence) |
| St. Lawrence | Connecticut |
|---|---|
|
G:
4 Players (#7, #8, #10, #76 - 1)
A: 2 Players (#10, #76 - 1) Sh: 4 Players (#4, #7, #8, #22 - 4) Sv: Brittony Chartier - 24 |
G:
Thibault, Dominique - 2
A: Binning, Michelle - 2 Sh: Thibault, Dominique - 9 Sv: Garcia, Alexandra - 27 |
| TEAM STATISTICS | St. Lawrence | Connecticut |
|---|---|---|
| Power Plays | 0 for 3 | 0 for 2 |
| Shorthanded Goals | 0 | 0 |
| Penalties (min) | 3 (6) | 4 (8) |
| Shots on Goal | 31 | 28 |
| Face Offs Won | 33 | 26 |
STORRS, Conn. -- Sophomore Karell Emard and junior Tara Akstull scored third period goals only 1:34 apart to rally the No. 7/6 St. Lawrence University women's hockey team to a 4-4 tie with the University of Connecticut at Freitas Ice Forum on Saturday afternoon.
The Saints (1-0-1, 0-0-0) finished with a tight 31-28 advantage in shots on goal, while neither team was able to get much going on the power play. St. Lawrence finished 0-for-3 with the player advantage while UConn was 0-for-2.
The Huskies (3-1-1, 0-0-0) didn't wait long to welcome the Saints to Storrs, CT, as Dominique Thibault took a pass from Amy Hollstein and scored on St. Lawrence goaltender Brittony Chartier only 17 seconds into the game. Senior assistant captain Lisa Batchelor would respond for the Saints, as she scored her first goal of the season on UConn netminder Alexandra Garcia only 1:14 later to even the scoring at 1-1. Emard picked up an assist on the goal.
St. Lawrence sophomore defenseman Michelle Zimmerman and Connecticut's Monique Weber would exchange goals only 54 seconds apart to close the first period scoring. Zimmerman tallied her first of the year (unassisted) at 18:19 of the opening frame to give St. Lawrence their only lead of the game. Her goal was followed at 19:13 by Weber to tie the game at 2-2, with an assist going to Sami Evelyn.
Though the home team was out-shot 9-7 in the second period, the Huskies would score the only two goals of the stanza to take a 4-2 lead into the third. Thibault scored an unassisted goal at 9:56 when she beat Chartier to give UConn a 3-2 lead, and Michelle Binning extended that cushion at 12:30 to 4-2.
St. Lawrence finished 1-7-1 last season when trailing after the second period, but Emard and Akstull would take only 2:30 to tie the score at 4-4 early in the first period. Emard picked up her second point of the game when she beat Garcia 56 seconds into the third to close the deficit to 4-3. Akstull then tied the game at 4-4 with an unassisted goal, her second of the season, at the 2:30 mark.
Despite the offenses combining for eight goals in 42:30, the remainder of the game was stolen by outstanding play between the pipes by both Chartier and Garcia. The Saints' goaltender made seven crucial saves in the third period and four more in overtime to keep the Huskies from regaining the lead, while Garcia nearly matched that effort with ten total saves in the third period and overtime.
"I think UConn showed why they're consistently considered one of the most dangerous teams in the country and will certainly be a team to watch in Hockey East this year," remarked St. Lawrence head coach Chris Wells. "I'm happy to see the resiliency of our team, though, as we battled back in the third to come away with a tie."
The Saints are sure to be tested again next weekend as they square off with another Hockey East duo on the road. St. Lawrence will first head to No. 4 New Hampshire on Saturday, October 18 and will follow with a Sunday afternoon game against Boston University.
