Late Goal Gives Saints First Win

Photo by Tara Freeman

Final	1	2	3	Final
St. Lawrence (1-1-1)	1	0	2	3
Robert Morris (1-4-0)	2	0	0	2

Scoring Summary
1st - 06:27	Dayna Newsom (Robert Morris)
1st - 15:40	Vanessa Emond (St. Lawrence)
1st - 16:03	Sara O'Malley (Robert Morris)
3rd - 01:08	Alley Bero (St. Lawrence)
3rd - 17:26	Michelle Zimmerman (St. Lawrence)

St. Lawrence	Robert Morris
G: 3 Players (#8, #9, #14 - 1) A: 3 Players (#10, #12, #16 - 1) Sh: Vanessa Emond - 7 Sv: Brittony Chartier - 16	G: 2 Players (#16, #24 - 1) A: 4 Players (#8, #15, #17, #29 - 1) Sh: 3 Players (#14, #16, #24 - 3) Sv: Daneca Butterfield - 38

TEAM STATISTICS	St. Lawrence	Robert Morris
Power Plays	0 for 3	0 for 7
Shorthanded Goals	0	0
Penalties (min)	7 (14)	4 (8)
Shots on Goal	41	18
Face Offs Won	21	23

full stats

Boxscore

PITTSBURGH, PA -- The No. 8/10 St. Lawrence University women's hockey team picked up its first win of the 2009-10 season on Friday evening against Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh, PA.  Sophomore Alley Bero tied the game at 2-2 early in the third period, while junior defenseman Michelle Zimmerman tallied the game-winner with only 2:34 left in regulation to lift the Saints past the Colonials 3-2.

St. Lawrence improves to 1-1-1 on the young season, while Robert Morris, which already scored a major upset this season by defeating nationally-ranked Minnesota Duluth, falls to 1-4-0.  The Saints were able to come up big on the penalty kill, as they held the Colonials to a 0-for-7 mark including 0-for-4 in the third period.  The Scarlet and Brown also built a commanding 41-18 advantage in shots on goal and were eventually able to slip two goals past RMU goalie Daneca Butterfield in the third period.

"This was a great comeback win, as our team worked throughout the game and really hit our stride in the third period," said St. Lawrence head coach Chris Wells.  "Brittony (Chartier) made some nice stops in the final minute to help up pick up the win."

Despite being outshot 12-8 in the first period, Robert Morris went to the locker room at the end of 20:00 minutes with a 2-1 lead.  Dayna Newsom rifled a slap shot from just inside the blue line that beat Chartier inside the near post for a 1-0 Colonial lead at 6:27 of the first period.

St. Lawrence would even the score at 1-1 at 15:40, as sophomore Vanessa Emond scored her second goal of the season.  During a scramble at the front of Butterfield's crease, first-year student Kelly Sabatine tipped the puck to Emond who flipped it over the goalie's glove.  Rookie Brooke Fernandez also assisted on the play, extending her assist streak to three consecutive games to start the year.

The Colonials would come right back, however, and regain the lead at 2-1 only 23 seconds after Emond's goal.  Captain Whitney Pappas sent a feed up the ice to Maria Stoa, who relayed it to Sara O'Malley waiting by the near post.  She corralled the pass and lifted a shot over Chartier into the left corner of the net to give the home team a 2-1 lead at the first intermission.

St. Lawrence again had the majority of scoring chances in the second period but came up empty thanks to Butterfield's 12-save stanza.  Her play allowed Robert Morris to enter the third period on the verge of upsetting St. Lawrence for the first time in the program's history.

However, Bero had other ideas and took only 1:08 to knot the score at 2-2 and energize her team early in the third period.  Bero snagged a pass from first-year student Jamie Goldsmith and fired a shot through Butterfield's pads to level the score.  It was Bero's first goal of the season, and helped propel the team to its best period of hockey this season.  St. Lawrence managed to outshoot its host 17-5 in the frame and applied continuous pressure on the Colonial defense.

Though Butterfield continued to impress for Robert Morris, her 15-saves wouldn't be enough as Zimmerman snapped a shot off the elbow of the goal that came back to the ice and trickled across the goal line to give St. Lawrence its first lead at 3-2 at 17:26 of the final period.  The unassisted goal was Zimmerman's first of the season.

Robert Morris opted to pull Butterfield in the final minute of action to try and apply more pressure on Chartier.  Though the Colonials were able to get off a few bids, the Saskatoon, SK native delivered a few clutch saves to secure the Saints' first win of the 2009-10 season, 3-2.

Chartier finished with 16 saves in the game to Butterfield's 38.  Neither team was able to get much going offensively on the power play, as St. Lawrence was 0-for-3 and kept Robert Morris without a power play goal despite taking seven minor penalties.

The Saints and Colonials will square off in a rematch tomorrow, Saturday, October 17 at 4:05pm.