UTICA, NY – Fresh off their best season since 2012-13, the Manhattanville College women’s hockey team kickstarted the 2017-18 campaign with a 4-1 victory over Utica Sunday afternoon.
Junior Nicole Mensi (Mamaroneck, N.Y./SUNY Plattsburgh), the team’s leading scorer last season, scored the first goal of the game, then assisted on two more to lead all players with three points. Senior Karly Kapur (Sparta, N.J./N.J. Colonials) finished with two goals, the recipient on both of Mensi’s assists. Senior Sarah Sinning (Southold, N.Y./National Sports Academy) added a goal, while classmates Cassandra Kent, Maeve O’Brien (Chicago, Ill./Loyola Academy), and Monika Molnar (Budapest, Hungary/Vasas HC) each added an assist for Manhattanville (1-0-0).
In the first period, after forcing a turnover deep in the offensive zone, Mensi ripped a wrist shot just over the shoulder of Utica (0-1-0) goalie Amanda Lupo from the faceoff circle to Lupo’s left 12:44 in. The Valiants finished the period with four fewer shots than the Pioneers, but maintained the 1-0 lead, thanks to 12 saves from junior goalie Rose Pijaca (Worcester, Mass./Worcester Academy).
Three and a half minutes into the second period, Kapur took a pass from Mensi, off an initial pass from O’Brien, and buried a slap shot from between the two faceoff circles, pushing Manhattanville’s lead to two. Sinning made it 3-0 with two minutes to go in the period, scoring in transition off a feed from Kent.
Danielle Haasbeek scored just shy of the midway mark of the final period for the Pioneers, spoiling the Pijaca shutout and cutting the Utica deficit to two. Later on, Mensi turned a Utica turnover near the center line into a three-on-one rush, then carried the puck deep into the zone and hit Kapur for a re-direction from just outside the crease at the 16:58 mark for the final goal of the day.
Mensi, Kapur, and O’Brien were three of five Valiants to post a +/- of +2, as did sophomores Amanda Sabia (Freehold, N.J./The Gunnery) and Ashley Lougheed (Vancouver, B.C./Pacific Steelers), while Pijaca finished with 32 saves, her third-highest total in a game, dating back to the start of last season.
Manhattanville hits the road next weekend for a pair of UCHC matchups with Neumann, Friday night at 7 pm, and Saturday afternoon at 2 pm.
