Smith Propels Saints Past Clarkson for Eighth Straight Win
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clarkson (14-7-4, 8-4-1 ECAC) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| St. Lawrence (14-7-3, 8-4-1 ECAC) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Scoring Summary | |
|---|---|
| 2nd - 06:30 | Nisbet, Shelby (Clarkson) |
| 2nd - 14:45 | Brooke Fernandez (St. Lawrence) |
| 3rd - 11:00 | SH - Kelly Sabatine (St. Lawrence) |
| 3rd - 12:01 | PP - Skirrow, Danielle (Clarkson) |
| 3rd - 16:20 | PP - Rylee Smith (St. Lawrence) |
| Clarkson | St. Lawrence |
|---|---|
|
G:
2 Players (#13, #28 - 1)
A: Carly Mercer - 2 Sh: Jamie lee Rattray - 6 Sv: Erica Howe - 28 |
G:
3 Players (#10, #15, #16 - 1)
A: Rylee Smith - 2 Sh: Karell Emard - 6 Sv: Carmen Macdonald - 32 |
| TEAM STATISTICS | Clarkson | St. Lawrence |
|---|---|---|
| Power Plays | 1 for 5 | 1 for 6 |
| Shorthanded Goals | 0 | 1 |
| Penalties (min) | 7 (14) | 6 (12) |
| Shots on Goal | 34 | 31 |
| Face Offs Won | 28 | 29 |
Jan. 20: Sophomore Rylee Smith scored her 11th goal of the
season on the power play with only 3:40 left in regulation and
added two assists, lifting the St. Lawrence women's hockey team to
a 3-2 victory over Clarkson University at Appleton Arena on Friday
night.
The win, which moves the Saints to 14-7-3 (8-4-1) on the year, is
the eighth consecutive victory for the Scarlet and Brown and third
straight against the Golden Knights. Meanwhile, Clarkson
falls to 14-7-4 (8-4-1) despite outshooting their opponents
34-31.
"I thought it was a great game between two very evenly-matched
teams," said St. Lawrence head coach Chris Wells. "We've been
able to come up with big plays in key moments, and our special
teams were key with a short-handed and a power play goal in the
third."
Though the two teams skated to a scoreless first period, the 20:00
minutes were full of action including three shots that hit the post
in a one minute span. Clarkson's Jamie Lee Rattray and
Katelyn Ptolemy hit back-to-back posts followed by a bid from St.
Lawrence senior Alley Bero.
Clarkson, which held an 11-7 edge in shots in the first, finally
cracked St. Lawrence rookie goaltender Carmen MacDonald at 6:30 of
the second period, when Shelby Nisbet lifted a shot glove-side for
her third of the season. Carly Mercer earned her 17th helper
of the year on the goal that gave the Knights their only lead of
the evening, 1-0.
Junior defenseman Brooke Fernandez would help St. Lawrence even the
score at 1-1 at 14:45, as the Bloomfield, CT native snapped a
one-timer past Clarkson's Erica Howe for her ninth goal of the
year. Classmate Kelly Sabatine and Smith assisted on the goal
that set up an exciting third period.
Clarkson appeared to have the edge midway through the third as they
skated on a power play. However, Smith sent an outlet pass up
the near boards to Sabatine who skated into the Clarkson zone
one-on-one with a defender. The Hamilton, ON native was able
to get off a shot across her body, which fooled Howe and beat her
inside the far post for a short-handed goal and a 2-1 St. Lawrence
lead at the 11:00 mark. Senior assistant captain Josee
Belanger also assisted on the goal.
Clarkson would waste little time in rebounding, however, and tied
the game 2-2 on the same power play. Danielle Skirrow
re-directed a centering pass from Rattray past MacDonald at 12:01
to square the game heading into the final minutes.
A two minute penalty on Kali Gillangers with 5:10 remaining gave
St. Lawrence an opportunity on the power play against the nation's
top-ranked penalty kill unit. After forcing Howe to make a
few nice saves, Fernandez laced a slap shot that bounced off of the
goaltender's pad directly to Smith inside the right circle.
The Hagersville, ON native quickly fired the puck into the net to
give her team the lead for good, 3-2.
MacDonald, who was solid throughout the game, made a few stops in
the final minutes, but St. Lawrence did an excellent job of keeping
the puck in the Clarkson end of the ice. Junior Michelle Ng's
key faceoff win with only six seconds left allowed St. Lawrence to
celebrate the one-goal win.
MacDonald closed with 32 saves to Howe's 28, and each team finished
with a power play goal (CU 1-for-5, SLU 1-for-6).
The two teams will square off again tomorrow, Saturday, January
21st at Cheel Arena in Potsdam, NY. The puck is set to drop
at 3:00pm.
