HAMILTON – Colgate defeated Merrimack 6-0 on Saturday behind three points from junior Annika Zalewski.
Senior Cat Quirion and freshman Anonda Hoppner each pitched in two points of their own to help the Raiders secure the victory.
Colgate and Merrimack held one another scoreless for the first 11-plus minutes of the game, but Bailey Larson broke the tie with a goal at 11:36 in the first period. Zalewski pushed the puck up the ice, finding Quirion on the right side. Quirion then found Larson who took a hard shot from left side of the net that slipped past goalie Lea-Kristine Demers.
Zalewski would bolster Colgate’s lead with another goal less than five minutes later, taking the lead 2-0. Lauren Wildfang found Megan Sullivan right in front of the crease and Sullivan passed the puck to her right to Zalewski who fired the shot into the net.
The Raiders’ final goal of the period came with just over 2.5 minutes remaining in the frame. Quirion once again found herself with an opportunity for an assist as she found Hoppner cutting towards the net. Hoppner then passed to Jessie Eldridge, who found the goal after firing the puck from the left side of the ice.
Colgate improved its lead with two goals in the second frame, increasing the lead to 5-0.
Hoppner recorded her second point of the afternoon and her second goal of the season when Eldridge passed the puck through the neutral zone to find Zalewski. The junior captain found the freshman right outside of the crease on the left side of the net and Hoppner was able to sneak the puck past Merrimack’s goalie.
Shelby Perry joined in the scoring-fest with her own goal 13-plus minutes into the second period. Perry found herself right in front of the crease with the puck after Eldridge passed to Labbe and the sophomore found Perry. Perry got off a hard shot and found the net to give the Raiders the 5-0 lead.
The Raiders scored within a minute of the third period to take a 6-0 advantage over the Warriors. Kaila Pinkney fired a shot from just in front of the blue line. The goalie got her stick on the puck, but Labbe was there to pick up the rebound and dish the puck to Larson. The sophomore skated around the net to score her second goal on the day.
The Raider defense proved too strong for the Warriors, holding them scoreless for all three periods and only allowing 23 shots on goal. Julia Vandyk made 23 saves on the day, improving her gaa to 1.00 on the season.
Colgate is back in action on Friday, Oct. 21 when the team takes on Syracuse at 7:00 p.m.
Bottom Line
– Colgate 6, Merrimack 0
Won-Lost Records
– The Raiders improve to 4-0-0 in their 2016-17 campaign.
– Merrimack drops to 1-3-0 on the season.
Key Raider Info
– Zalewski led the Raiders with three points on the day.
– Larson, Hoppner, Quirion, and Eldridge each pitched in two points in the game.
– Vandyk recorded 23 saves and improved her goals-against-average to 1.00 on the year.
– Sullivan, Pinkney, Labbe and Wildfang each contributed a point of their own.
Facts and Figures
– The Raiders recorded 39 shots to Merrimack’s 23.
– Colgate went 1-6 on power-play opportunities. Merrimack finished 0-3.
– The Warriors racked up 10 penalties while Colgate only recorded four.
– Colgate won 46 faceoffs, Merrimack won 16.
From the Source Head Coach Greg Fargo
– “I thought our team played really well tonight. Our start was a key component of the game. We came out and got the start we wanted and never really looked back.”
– “We’re starting to see some of the habits come to life that we’ve been preaching and talking about for a few weeks; it’s great to see.”
– “I like our game right now, we’re getting better every day. I’m looking forward to diving into this next week of practice. With the next weekend off we can keep taking steps towards getting closer to where we want to be.”
Up Next
– Colgate is back in action on Friday, Oct. 21, when the team takes on Syracuse at 7:00 p.m.
