Senior Amanda Boulier scored a pair of goals to tie the program record for goals by a defenseman, but two late Princeton tallies helped the No. 8 Tigers edge the St. Lawrence women’s hockey team 4-3 to force a game three in the quarterfinal series. It will be the first game three for the Tigers in a quarterfinal series in program history.
“That was another exciting game vs Princeton,” Head Coach Chris Wells said. “There always seems to be a flare for the dramatic in our games with them and tonight was no different. The playoffs have certainly arrived as both teams played with great emotion. Especially the second half of the game.”
Each of the four games the teams have played against one another this season have been decided by a goal. While the shots were even through two periods, the Saints held a 18-8 advantage in the third period to finish with a 36-27 edge in the contest.
First-year Justine Reyes opened the scoring for St. Lawrence at the 7:45 mark of the first period with senior Jenna Marks and Kailee Heidersbach assisting after making a great play at the Princeton blue long to block a clear attempt and keep the Saints on side for continued pressure.
The puck kicked below the red line for Marks, whose wrap-around attempt was stopped by netminder Kimberly Newell, but the Saints kept the play alive with both Heidersbach and Marks getting a touch in the corner before Reyes picked it up and took a wrister from the bottom of the left circle that beat Newell high on the blocker side for a 1-0 Saints lead.
With time winding down in the first period, it looked like Boulier had notched a power play goal to extend the lead to 2-0, but after an official review it was waived off for goaltender interference.
However, just over seven minutes into the middle frame Boulier blasted her first of the day from the right point through traffic to make it 2-0 in favor of the visitors. Brooke Webster and Kennedy Marchment assisted on the play.
Two minutes later the Tigers cut the deficit in half when Stephanie Sucharda’s shot from the right circle snuck under the glove of St. Lawrence goaltender Grace Harrison and trickled inside the near post.
With the Saints already on the kill late in the frame, Hannah Miller was assessed a major penalty for checking after contact with Kelsey Koelzer in the Princeton zone left Koelzer shaken up on the ice but she returned to the game without missing a shift. She would eventually tie the game at 2-2 with a power play tally with 52 second remaining
in the period.
At the 2:17 mark of the third, Boulier put the Saints out in front again with the record-tying snipe on the power play. After work on the half wall from Miller and Webster, Miller hit the Watertown, Conn. native on the right point for one-time blast and a 3-2 lead.
With the second goal, Boulier matched former Saints defensemen Mel Desrochers ’14 with 27 career goals. She is also now just one point shy of tying former blueline standout Annie Guay ’08 for points by a defenseman with 103.
After taking the lead in the third, the Saints had a number of odd-man rush opportunities, with Webster, Miller, Marchment and Marks all getting looks in close on Newell, but the Tigers’ netminder stood her ground and kept her team within one. She finished with 33 saves, while Harrison stopped 23 for St. Lawrence.
“We had some really nice chances when we were up 3-2 to get the game to 4-2, but we were unable to convert,” Wells added. “Tomorrow is going to be fun.”
Koelzer notched her second of the game with a shot from the point that ricocheted off a pair of bodies in front to tie it at the 13:18 mark and Karlie Lund scored the game-winner exactly four minutes later to give Princeton the win.
The Saints and Tigers will play the deciding game three on Sunday afternoon, with puck drop schedule for 2:00 p.m. at Hobey Baker Arena.
