Cornell Falls in Showdown with Mercyhurst
ITHACA, N.Y. -- Jesse Scanzano scored the game-winning goal 1:06
into overtime while Mercyhurst was short-handed to send the Cornell
women's hockey team to a 4-3 overtime defeat on Tuesday night at
Lynah Rink. The loss was the first of the year for the Big Red
(4-1), which entered the game ranked second in the nation, and sent
Mercyhurst to 7-1 on the season.
A contest that pitted the nation's two most potent offenses didn't
disappoint as Cornell and Mercyhurst combined for seven goals, with
Cornell taking the lead three times, only to have the Lakers come
back to tie each time. Brianne Jenner had a pair of goals and an
assist for the Big Red, with Jessica Campbell tallying a pair of
assists. For Mercyhurst, Bailey Bram was the key player, scoring a
hat trick in regulation to keep the Lakers alive until Scanzano's
overtime game-winner.
Chelsea Karpenko also scored a goal for the Big Red, who also got
assists from Rebecca Johnston, Catherine White and Lauriane
Rougeau. Amanda Mazzotta made 24 saves in goal for Cornell on the
night as the Big Red went 1-for-5 on the power play.
For the Lakers, Vicki Bendus and Cassea Schols had a pair of
assists while Meghan Agosta, Christine Bestland and Samantha Watt
each added one assist. Hillary Pattenden got the victory in goal,
posting 22 saves on the night. The Lakers were 1-for-1 on the power
play, scoring on their only shot on goal during the man
advantage.
Cornell took the early lead just 5:05 into the game when Jenner
scored her first of the night, but the Lakers' Bram tied things up
just 2:47 later as the game went to the first intermission tied at
one. In the second period, it was Karpenko scoring off a scramble
on the power play, with White working the puck to Jenner, who sent
it to Karpenko in front for the tap-in. Again, though, the Lakers
tied the score quickly, tallying Bram's second goal of the night
just 3:01 later as the second period ended with the two teams
deadlocked at two.
In the third, it was Jenner again scoring, this time making a
tremendous effort to poke at the puck laying in the crease after a
shot by Campbell was stopped by Pattenden. Still a third time,
though, Bram knotted the score less than a minute later, tallying
the game-tying goal at the 13:06 mark of the third period.
Cornell had a pair of late power play chances to get the
game-winner, including a penalty on Bram that straddled the
overtime intermission. Cornell began the extra session with 1:17 of
the man advantage, but a Karpenko shot went narrowly wide before
Schols sent the puck the length of the ice where Scanzano chased it
down, worked around a Cornell defender and slipped the game-winning
shot past Mazzotta.
Cornell returns to action on Friday when it plays host to Harvard
in a 7 p.m. contest at Lynah Rink.












