Potsdam, NY - A four-goal outburst in the final 12 minutes, 40 seconds helped the Clarkson University Women’s Hockey team recover from an early deficit and pick up its first victory of the season with a 5-2 win over sixth-ranked Mercyhurst in front of 273 fans Friday afternoon at Cheel Arena.
The Golden Knights moved to 1-3-1 overall and will face off against the Lakers, who dropped to 3-2 overall, again at 2:00 pm on Saturday.
Clarkson has suffered from first period defensive woes all season, and the trend continued against Mercyhurst, as the Lakers scored in the opening minute. Just 38 seconds into the game, junior Meghan Agosta took a shot from the bottom of the right circle and was denied by Clarkson goaltender Lauren Dahm (Baldwinsville, NY), but the rebound found its way to the stick of Bailey Bram who quickly deposited the next shot into the back of the net from the other side of the crease. Agosta and Melissa Lacroix each were awarded assists on the score. It was the ninth first-period goal that Clarkson has given up this season, and the second that the Knights have allowed in the opening minute of a contest. The remainder of the first period would be scoreless as Clarkson capably denied the Lakers’ chances.
In the second frame, the Knights would get on the scoreboard against the sixth-ranked team in the country while on the power play. With just over six minutes expired from the period, Gabrielle Kosziwka (Limehouse, ONT) took a shot from the top of the circle that went wide, but bounded off the end boards to Genevieve Lavoie (Delson, QUE). The junior found herself at a tough angle and sent a shot through the crease behind Mercyhurst goalie Hillary Pattenden. From there, senior assistant captain Marie-jo Gaudet (Sherbrooke, QUE) skated in quickly for a better angle and scored into the side of the net to tie the game up 1-1 at 6:04. Both Lavoie and Kosziwka picked up assists.
The score was untied by the Lakers just over 10 minutes later, also while on the power play. At 16:13, Cassea Schols took a shot from the point that was initially stopped by Dahm, but Jesse Sanzano wouldn’t let the rebound be corralled and chopped away at the puck in front as her second shot slid over the line.
Two scores midway through the third period gave Clarkson an advantage late which they would not relinquish. At 7:20, the Knights tied up the game with another power play goal. Junior Carlee Eusepi (Oakville, ONT) took a slap shot from the point, a shot that had been denied earlier in the power play, but this time Danielle Boudreau (Whitby, ONT), placed neatly between the two circles in front, wisely put her stick near her waist and deflected the shot over the shoulder of Pattenden. It was Boudreau’s first collegiate goal, and Juana Baribeau (Amos, QUE) received an assist, as did Eusepi.
Three and a half minutes later, Clarkson scored one of its more dazzling goals of the young season when sophomore Courtney Olson (Brunswick, CA) took another shot from the point. The shot was saved by Pattenden, but Baribeau slid across the ice in front and, with the shaft of her stick, somehow deflected the puck into the net to give Clarkson a 3-2 lead at 10:51. Olson gained the assist, her first point of the season, while Gaudet added an assist to her credentials.
The Knights added two insurance goals in the span of 26 seconds with less than two minutes remaining in the contest. Gaudet received a pass from senior captain Kim McKenney (Smiths Falls, ONT) and unleashed a slap shot from the slot to put the Knights up 4-2 at 18:22, and then sophomore Melissa Waldie (Newmarket, ONT) recorded an empty-net goal at 18:48, with the assist going to classmate Daris Tendler (Verwood, SASK).
Dahm finished with 31 saves for Clarkson and Pattenden made 25 stops for the Lakers. Clarkson had a 14-9 edge in shots in the third period, but trailed in the other two periods by a combined 24-16, finishing in the deficit 33-30. The Knights went 2-for-9 on the power play while the Lakers were 1-for-4.
