READING, PA. — The Manhattanville College women’s hockey team earned a convincing 5-0 victory over United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) opponent Alvernia University, Saturday, Feb. 8, at Santander Arena in Reading, Pa. The win was the second of the weekend for the Valiants and 115th of head coach David Turco’s career which sets a new program record. The women also clinched a spot in postseason-play over the weekend and they sit atop the UCHC South standings.

Once again, the power play led the way for Manhattanville (12-7-3, 10-2-1 UCHC). The team scored three of its five goals with a man-advantage. The scoring picked up in the second period. The Valiants held a 1-0 lead after one period of play and then added two more goals in the second, both on the power play, to take a commanding 3-0 lead. Senior defender Ali Howard (Rye, N.Y./Rye) contributed to both goals, assisting on the first and scoring the second. The 3-0 score line carried into the second intermission.

The Crimson and White notched two more goals in the third to erase all doubt. Howard scored her second goal of the game in the period and led all scorers with three points. In total, nine different players tallied a point for the Valiants in the game. Leading the way was senior defender Zoey Pellowitz (Arlington, Va./Washington Pride (JWHL)) and senior forward Amanda Sabia (Freehold, N.J./The Gunnery), who each had two assists, as well as junior forward Tianna Lopes (West Vancouver, British Columbia/Pacific Steelers (JWHL)) and junior forward Adelle Clark (Lantzville, B.C./Ontario Hockey Academy) who each had a goal and an assist.

Manhattanville dominated in all facets of the game against Alvernia (4-17, 3-14 UCHC). The team went three for six on the power play, won the faceoff battle 46-15 and outshot their opponent 64-7. Freshman goalie Lena Flores (Chicago, Ill./Guerin College Prep) earned the third shutout of her career in the win.

The Valiants return to the ice next weekend, Saturday, Feb. 15, for a road matchup against UCHC opponent Neumann University. Puck drop is set for 2:00 P.M. and the team will look to extend their winning streak to three games.

POTSDAM, N.Y. – The SUNY Potsdam women’s hockey team (10-10-2, 7-7-2 NEWHL) hosted Buffalo State (5-15, 3-10 NEWHL) on Saturday night, falling by a final score of 2-1 despite outshooting the Bengals 41-25. The game marked the celebration of several special occasions including Senior Day for the women’s’ hockey team, National Girls and Women in Sports Night, as well as being part of Bear Pride Night.

The Bears dominated the play in the opening stanza, outshooting the Bengals 13-6, but were unable to break onto the score sheet. Bengal goalie Bri Gawronski was strong in net, stopping several prime scoring opportunities created by the Bears. Senior goaltender Alexa Pfeiffer (Sylvania, Ohio/Little Caesar’s) stopped all 6 shots she faced in the period. The game headed to the first intermission scoreless.

The Bengals would score two goals just 21 seconds apart in the second period to take a 2-0 lead. The first Buffalo State goal came at 11:46 as Hannah Gallivan fed the puck to the slot from behind the net where Lauren Madden was able to beat Pfeiffer. Gianna Brigante also assisted on the goal. Following the ensuing faceoff, the Bengals broke the puck out of their defensive zone with Lila Toczek starting the play. Natasha Steinle would then feed Jessica Carter for the breakaway opportunity. Carter beat Pfeiffer for the 2-0 lead. The Bears would have a powerplay opportunity later in the period but were unable to cut into the lead. The teams would head to the locker rooms with the score unchanged.

Searching for a goal to spark their offense, the Bears continued to dominate play in the third period. Gawronski kept her team in the game, turning away shot after shot, keeping the Bears at bay. Potsdam’s offense finally made their way onto the board as junior forward Natalie Wasielewski (Carnegie, PA./Pittsburgh Penguins Elite) entered the Bengals zone and sent a centering pass to freshman forward Kaylee Merrill (Wasilla, Alaska/Anchorage North Stars). Merrill then made a move to beat the Buffalo State defenseman and beat Gawronski on the glove side to cut the lead in half. The Bears would inch no closer however, as Gawronski slammed the door shut in the final minutes of play.

Pfeiffer finished with 23 saves in net for the Bears, Gawronski stopped 40 at her end of the ice.

Following the game, the Bears honored their six seniors which included Pfeiffer, defenseman Delphine Leonard (Anjou, Quebec/Dawson College Prep), goaltender Kayla McCabe(Watertown, N.Y./Syracuse Nationals), forward Lucy Condon(Waterloo, Ontario/Waterloo Ravens), forward Miranda Kolb(Watertown, N.Y./SUNY Cortland), and defenseman Shelbi Thacker(Chesterfield, Mich./Honeybaked).

Orange Top Tigers Friday Night

Syracuse lights the lamp three times to start the weekend in the win column

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Syracuse and RIT faced off for the third time this season Friday night and the Orange used the opportunity to take a 2-1 lead in the season series, beating the Tigers 3-1 at Tennity Ice Pavilion. Senior Anonda Hoppner got Syracuse rolling in the second period with her fifth goal of the season, and freshman Brynn Koocher netted her sixth of the year 13 minutes later. Senior Savannah Rennie capped off the Orange victory with her 26th career lamp-lighter. Senior Ady Cohen tallied 23 saves and held the Tigers scoreless until the final two minutes of the game.
 
“We came out with some pretty good opportunities early on,” head coach Paul Flanagan said. “We’ve had a tough time against RIT for the last couple of years, but I think we initially came out really focused and the game went well for us. The kids were getting on the loose pucks and forcing them back on their heels. Our kids were motivated offensively and that led to a lot of our chances tonight.”