In a well played defensive game, the Clarkson University Women’s Hockey team’s role players provided an early spark, and then one of the Green and Gold's leading scorers came through in the end as the third-ranked Golden Knights defeated 7th-ranked St. Lawrence University 4-1 in the ECAC Hockey opener before 707 fans at Cheel Arena Tuesday night.
Clarkson, which has won three straight, all against Top-10 ranked teams, improves its record to 7-1-1 overall and 1-0-0 in the conference. The Knights, preseason pick to finish fifth in ECAC Hockey, close out a five-game home stand this weekend hosting league foes Brown and Yale.
The coaches’ preseason pick to win the conference title in 2009-10, St. Lawrence (2-2-3, 0-1-0) controlled play early against the Knights, but it was Clarkson that struck first. After a strong penalty kill on the first power play of the game, the Knights scored just 31 seconds after returning to full strength as sophomore Gabrielle Kosziwka (Limehouse, ONT) connected on a shot from the left circle at 12:54. Junior Daris Tendler (Verwood, SASK) set up the goal which came on Clarkson’s first shot of the game.
The Saints tied it up early in the second frame when Michelle Ng was credit with a goal that deflected in off a Clarkson stick in front at 2:12. Just 17 seconds later, however, the Knights regained the lead as sophomore Kali Gillanders (Kyle, SASK) lifted in a backhand from the bottom of the circle for her first goal of the year. Junior Melissa Waldie (Newmarket, ONT) and senior Britney Selina (Thornhill, ONT) assisted.
With 3:48 remaining, St. Lawrence pulled goaltender Brittony Chartier for the extra attacker, but the moved backfired as Clarkson senior Dominique Thibault (L’Original, ONT) scored into the empty net at 16:48. Thibault struck again one minute later with a shorthanded empty-net tally to seal the Green and Gold’s third victory ever over their archrival. Tendler picked up her second assist of the game on the goal.
The Knights out shot the Saints 27-18. Junior Lauren Dahm (Baldwinsville, NY), who has earned ECAC Hockey Goaltender of the Week three times this month, was solid again in the Clarkson crease posting 17 saves.
Clarkson was 0-of-2 on the power play, while St. Lawrence was 0-of-4 with the man-advantage.
