Four different players scored goals, and senior captain Kirsten Padalis had three assists to lead the St. Lawrence University women’s hockey team to a dominating 4-1 win over Yale in game one of an ECAC Hockey tournament quarterfinal series at Appleton Arena on Friday night.
The second-seeded Saints will have an opportunity to close out the series and advance to the conference tournament semifinals on Saturday at 3 p.m.
Brooke Webster gave the Saints a 1-0 lead with just over four minutes to play in the first period. Hannah Miller one-timed a pass from Amanda McClure in the Saints defensive zone right to Webster at the Saints’ blue line. Webster sped down the right side, cut across at the top of the faceoff circle and beat Yale goaltender Tera Hoffman with a high shot to the glove side for her team-leading 21st goal of the season.
Justine Reyes scored just at the 12:40 mark of the second to give the Saints a 2-0 lead. Padalis started the play with a high shot from the point, which was deflected in front by Kayla Nielsen. Hofmann made the initial save but the rebound came out to the left side, where Reyes slapped a backhand into the short side for her 12th goal of the year.
The Saints increased the lead to 3-0 with another goal in transition, as Padalis broke up a Yale 2-on-1 opportunity, then hit Kennedy Marchment with a blue-line-to-blue-line pass. Marchment fed Miller with a pass in the slot, and Miller lifted a shot high on the glove side for her 15th goal of the season.
“We really had good jump right from the puck drop tonight,” said head coach Chris Wells ’92. “We had solid chances the first 10 minutes and couldn’t get one by Hofmann. Those two goals in the second were just what we needed and allowed us to get the win.”
Maggie McLaughlin scored a power play goal early in the third period on a bang-bang play, converting a feed from Webster. Padalis skated into the left corner and fed Webster with a pass behind the net. Webster found McLaughlin parked right in front of the Yale crease and the rookie from McLean, Va., one-timed a shot five-hole for her fourth goal of the season.
Eden Murray scored the lone goal for No. 7 seed Yale (10-16-4), one-timing a feed from the point by Krista Yip-Chuck for a power play tally halfway through the third period.
St. Lawrence outshot the Bulldogs 31-15, building a 23-8 edge through the first two periods. Grace Harrison made 14 saves for the Saints, while Hofmann stopped 27 shots for Yale.
