MIDDLETOWN, R.I.- William Smith College junior Rebecca Begley scored with 1:11 left in the third period to lift the Heron hockey team past Salve Regina 1-0 at Howard Rink this afternoon. The win improved William Smith to 2-0-0 on the young season.
For the second straight game Heron junior goalie Maggie Salmon and Seahwks’ goalie Jennifer O’Connell pitched shutouts in the first period. Salve Regina (0-2-0) finished the opening period with a 13-5 edge in shots on goal.
In the second period, William Smith was able to turn the tables, outshooting the Seahawks 9-7; however, neither offense was able to solve the goaltenders. The Herons had an opportunity to break the deadlock when junior Krista Federal was awarded a penalty shot, but was unable to slide the puck past O’Connell.
In the final 20 minutes, the game appeared destined for overtime before Begley struck to put William Smith in front. Fresh off the bench, she collected a loose puck in the offensive zone, skated into the center of the ice, and wristed a shot past a screened O’Connell. With just 71 seconds left in the game, Salve Regina pulled its goalie in favor of an extra skater. The Seahawks got two shots on net but Salmon was there to preserve the shutout.
Salve Regina’s Amanda Cronin peppered Salmon with a game-high 15 shots but none found the back of the net.
Salmon made 37 saves on her way to recording her third career shutout. At the opposite end of the rink, O’Connell made 21 stops in 59:35 of action.
Neither team took advantage of the power play. The Herons were 0 for 7 with the extra skater, while the Seahawks were 0 for 5.
William Smith will be back in action next weekend, Nov. 5 and 6, when it hosts preseason No. 1 Plattsburgh at the Cooler. Friday’s game will serve as the home and ECAC West opener for the Herons.
