An inability to score on the power-play cost the fifth-ranked Clarkson University Women’s Hockey team who tied Robert Morris 3-3 on Friday night. A shootout was used to decide who would move onto the final of the Windjammer Classic with Clarkson moving on.
Clarkson is now 12-3-2 overall and unbeaten in 11 straight games. Robert Morris continues its best ever start to a season and is now 9-1-5 on the year.
“I thought we started the game fairly well tonight generating some good chances and creating some power play opportunities, but Robert Morris did a good job staying in the game and battling hard,” stated Head Coach Matt Desrosiers. “As the game went on I thought we lost a little energy and momentum with all the penalty calls and allowed some sloppy play to creep in. Giving up those two goals at the ends of periods were tough but it was great we were able to come away with the shootout win.”
Clarkson started the scoring 6:37 into the first period when Michaela Pejzlova scored off a feed from co-captain Savannah Harmon. Robert Morris was able to tie the game at 12:51 in the same frame when Kristen Welsh scored during a power-play.
In the second period, the Green and Gold began to separate themselves. Taylor Turnquist scored her first collegiate goal 4:19 into the frame with Cassidy Vinkle and Jessica Gillham getting assists. The Golden Knights extended the lead at 19:00 when co-captain Cayley Mercer scored from a pass by Loren Gabel. With Clarkson holding a 27-8 advantage in shots and a two-goal lead, it looked like the Golden Knights were going to earn a comfortable victory. However, with just a half-second left in the second period, Brittany Howard deflected Welsh’s shot into the Clarkson goal to cut the lead in half.
That goal proved to be a complete turnaround in momentum as Robert Morris grabbed the game by the scruff of its neck in the third period. The Colonials poured forward, looking to tie the game. Overall, Robert Morris outshot Clarkson 17-5 in the third period. It was the final shot that finally hit the mark for Robert Morris though. With Clarkson a man-down, Robert Morris pulled its goaltender for a 6-on-4 advantage. The gamble worked when Welsh scored a rebound goal to tie the game.
Having seen its two goal lead evaporate, Clarkson could have folded and allowed Robert Morris to win the game in overtime. That was not the case as the Golden Knights fought back and dominated the overtime, and peppering the Robert Morris goal with shots, including two in the last five seconds of overtime that just barely missed.
The scoreless overtime meant the two teams each added a tie to their record, but it also necessitated a shootout to decide who advanced to the championship game on Saturday. Neither team could score on its first two attempts, but assistant captain Genevieve Bannon’s attempt was true on the third shot to put Clarkson up one. Unfortunately, Robert Morris answered with a goal of its own to keep the shootout going. After a miss by each team, Harmon buried her shot to once again stake Clarkson to a lead. That proved to be the winner as goaltender Shea Tiley was able to deny a final Robert Morris effort, sending Clarkson onto the next round.
Clarkson finished with a 37-27 edge in shots. The Golden Knights were 0-10 on the power-play while Robert Morris scored on two of its five extra man opportunities. Tiley finished with 24 shots for Clarkson while Jessica Dodds made 34 stops for Robert Morris.
Clarkson will take on host Vermont at 7:00 pm on Saturday night for the Windjammer Classic title.
(Clarkson Photo)
