Balanced Scoring Leads Saints to Victory
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| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Lawrence (17-5-3;11-1-1 ECACH) | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| Rensselaer (12-10-3;7-5-2 ECACH) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Scoring Summary | |
|---|---|
| 1st - 02:08 | Vanessa Emond (St. Lawrence) |
| 1st - 03:14 | Kendra Dunlop (Rensselaer) |
| 2nd - 07:16 | PP - Karell Emard (St. Lawrence) |
| 2nd - 09:18 | Marianna Locke (St. Lawrence) |
| 2nd - 11:50 | Nicole McDonald (Rensselaer) |
| 2nd - 13:28 | Tara Akstull (St. Lawrence) |
| 2nd - 18:23 | Jamie-Lynn Stewart (Rensselaer) |
| 3rd - 05:38 | Britni Smith (St. Lawrence) |
| St. Lawrence | Rensselaer |
|---|---|
|
G:
5 Players (#10, #13, #14, #18, #76 - 1)
A: Alison Domenico - 3 Sh: Carson Duggan - 7 Sv: Brittony Chartier - 18 |
G:
3 Players (#4, #9, #27 - 1)
A: Kendra Dunlop - 2 Sh: Whitney Naslund - 4 Sv: Sonja Van der bliek - 25 |
| TEAM STATISTICS | St. Lawrence | Rensselaer |
|---|---|---|
| Power Plays | 1 for 4 | 0 for 4 |
| Shorthanded Goals | 0 | 0 |
| Penalties (min) | 4 (8) | 4 (8) |
| Shots on Goal | 30 | 21 |
| Face Offs Won | 24 | 36 |
TROY, NY - Five different members of the No. 4 St. Lawrence University women's hockey team scored goals on Saturday afternoon, as the Saints used a 30-21 shot on goal advantage to remain unbeaten against Rensselaer behind a 5-3 victory at Houston Field House in Troy, NY.
The Saints improved to 17-5-3 (11-1-1) on the season and widened their lead at the top of the ECAC Hockey standings with their fifth straight win. Rensselaer, which is now 0-6-0 against St. Lawrence in women's hockey, drops to 12-10-3 (7-5-2) on the season.
"Rensselaer was a tenacious team coming into today after a win against Clarkson yesterday, and they gave us all we could handle," said St. Lawrence head coach Chris Wells. "Our special teams were very sound this weekend, and we'll try to carry this momentum into next weekend."
The Saints and Engineers exchanged goals only 1:06 apart in the first period, as St. Lawrence's Vanessa Emond and RPI's Kendra Dunlop each got their teams on the board. Emond's goal came at 2:08 of the first period on Rensselaer goalie Sonja van der Bliek, while Dunlop solved St. Lawrence netminder Brittony Chartier at 3:14 with an assist going to Laura Gersten.
Though St. Lawrence would boast a hefty 14-5 advantage in shots on goal during the opening frame, van der Bliek did her job of keeping the Engineers within striking distance with a 13-save period.
Sophomore Karell Emard and senior captain Marianna Locke would give St. Lawrence their first two-goal cushion of the contest midway through the second period. Emard picked up a power play goal, with assists going to senior assistant captains Carson Duggan and Alison Domenico at 7:16 of the second, while Locke followed with a goal only 2:08 later. Helpers on Locke's goal went to junior Tara Akstull and Domenico.
Rensselaer would show their resiliency, as Nicole McDonald scored an even strength goal at 11:50 of the second period to cut the home team's deficit in half at 3-2. However, Akstull would respond with a tally only 1:38 later to extend the Saints' lead back to two at 4-2, with assists going to senior assistant captain Lisa Batchelor and sophomore Kirsten Roach.
The home team would carry some momentum into the second intermission, though, as Jamie-Lynn Stewart scored at 18:23 of the period to once again apply pressure to St. Lawrence as Rensselaer pulled to within one at 4-3.
The two teams combined for five goals in a high-pressure second period that saw each squad manage 10 shots on goal.
The third period proved to be a much lower-scoring affair, as each team only took six shots a piece and only one goal was scored. Fortunately for the Saints, that lone tally came at 5:38 by junior defenseman Britni Smith, who beat van der Bliek for her sixth goal of the season. Assists on the play went to Domenico and Duggan.
"Our senior captains really came through in a crucial game for us tonight," added Coach Wells. "Each one of them managed at least one point and the four combined for a total of seven points. There leadership and play has been a key for us already this season."
Chartier used a perfect six-save third period to improve to 17-5-3 on the year having made 18 saves in the game. van der Bliek closed with 25 saves in the contest, but fell to 11-9-3. The visitors also had the only power play goal in the game, going 1-for-4 with the extra skater to Rensselaer's 0-for-4 mark.
The Scarlet and Brown will be in action again next weekend when they head to Cornell and Colgate for a pair of non-conference tilts. The Saints will square off with the Big Red on Friday, January 30 at 7:00pm.
