Knights Break Out Offensively in Exhibition Win
Potsdam, NY - If the opening exhibition is a
harbinger of things to come, opponents of the Clarkson University
Women's Hockey team could be in for a tough time when facing the
Golden Knights. The Green and Gold peppered the Ottawa Senators
PWHL squad with 54 shots in a 7-3 victory Saturday afternoon at
Cheel Arena.
The Knights recorded 17 shots in the first period and took very
little time getting on the scoreboard. After the initial shot was
stopped by Ottawa goaltender Erica Howe, the puck rattled out to
the top of the goalie crease where an alert Meg Omand (Cold Lake,
ALB) came sliding in to tip the puck into the net for a 1-0
Clarkson lead. Classmate Gabrielle Kosziwka (Limehouse, ONT) earned
the assist.
Though Ottawa trailed in shots in the first period, its offense
was working as well. At the 8:11 mark, the Senators tied up the
score 1-1 with a power play goal. After the puck found its way out
to the point, a quick pass was sent to Jamie Lee Rattray, who
delivered a one-timer from the top of the right circle. Assists
went to Emma Fillman and Jennifer Nedow.
Just two and a half minutes later, Clarkson scored on a power play
chance of its own when Dominique Thibault (L'Original, ONT) scored
her first, albeit unofficial, goal as a Golden Knight. Melissa
Waldie (Newmarket, ONT) made a quick move in front of the goal and
flipped a pass to Thibault at the side of the net, and the senior
transfer didn't miss, giving Clarkson a 2-1 edge at 10:26. Senior
captain Britney Selina (Thornhill, ONT) also assisted.
Goals came fast and furious at the start of the
second period as the Knights took a 3-1 lead at the 3:02 mark of
the middle frame as Selina skated in along side of the right circle
and flipped the puck over the goalie's glove side. However, Ottawa
responded with a goal of its own just 20 seconds later with a
strong rush culminating in a score from Monika Leck. The rest of
the third period was all Clarkson, however, as the Knights owned a
20-3 edge in shots, resulting in two more goals. Waldie connected
from Selina at 13:36 for a 4-2 Knight edge, and the Green and Gold
closed out the period with a score in the final minute when
sophomore Juana Baribeau (Amos, QUE) blasted a shot from the middle
of the left circle.
The third period was relatively quiet until the final portion of
the period. Skating a player down, Dominique Thibault picked up a
loose puck on a break away and deposited the puck top shelf on a
backhand to make the score 6-2 at 13:24. On the same power play,
the Senators came back at 14:03 with a goal from Kelsey Gunn. The
Knights remained unsatisfied with their offensive production and
scored once more with just over three minutes to go when Selina
scored her second goal of the game, with Brittany Mulligan (London,
ONT) also earning her second assist of the contest.
Junior goalie Lauren Dahm (Baldwinsville, NY) made nine stops
through two periods for the Knights, and Kelsey Neumann (China
Grove, NC) came on to make two stops in the final frame. Howe
stopped 32 shots through the first two stanzas before being
relieved by Allison Raganold in the third, who made 15 saves.












