REISTERSTOWN, Md.-The William Smith College ice hockey team skated to a 2-2 tie with Stevenson in a UCHC game at the Reisterstown Sportsplex this evening. With the tie the Herons are 3-0-1 overall and 1-0-1 in conference play this season.
Senior Rebecca Begley led the way for the Herons with two points on a goal and an assist. Senior Maggie Salmon made 32 saves in goal for the Herons.
Begley opened the scoring with a power-play goal at 6:38 of the first period. The unassisted goal was her fourth of the season. She collected her own rebound and fired the shot past Annie Smyth-Hammond. Begley’s initial shot was blocked by Allie Burns.
The Mustangs (0-3-1, 0-1-1) tied the game on Savannah Sommers first goal of the season. She fired home a shot off of a Chelsea Ellis faceoff win. Ellis and Sarah Antonelli were credited with assists on the goal.
Stevenson took a 2-1 lead on Chelsea Blackburn’s unassisted goal. She forced a turnover in the offensive zone, deked around a defender, and wristed the shot past Salmon.
Junior Stephanie Hampton tied the game at two for William Smith with her second goal of the season. Her power-play goal was assisted by Krista Federal and Begley. Federow left a drop pass for Begley, whose original shot from the point was blocked. Hampton jumped on the loose puck and flipped a shot past Smyth-Hammond.
Neither team found the scoresheet in the third period or overtime. The Herons outshot Stevenson 11-7 over the closing 25 minutes of the game. In the closing minutes of the third period, Ellis fired a shot that beat Salmon cleanly but rang off the post. At the opposite end of the rink, Begley had a point blank shot turned aside by Smyth-Hammond. Both scoring chances in the overtime period were turned aside by the goalies.
A major difference in the game was William Smith converting on two of its three power-play opportunities, while holding Stevenson off the scoreboard on all seven of its power plays. Smyth-Hammond made 32 saves in 65 minutes of work for the Mustangs.
The Herons will return to The Cooler next weekend, Nov. 18-19, for a pair of UCHC games. William Smith welcomes Chatham to Geneva, N.Y. for a pair of 4 p.m. starts.
