Kayla Nielsen gave the St. Lawrence University women’s hockey team their first lead of the game just over four minutes into the third period, and the Saints held Yale off the scoreboard for the remainder of the game to post a 3-2 win and an ECAC Hockey weekend sweep on Saturday afternoon at Ingalls Rink in New Haven, Connecticut.
Nielsen fired a shot from the slot into the top left corner just over four minutes into the third period for her second goal of the weekend. Nadine Edney forced a turnover behind the Yale goal and fed Nielsen the puck in front to earn an assist on the play.
Yale appeared to tie the game with just over a minute left and their net empty for an extra attacker, but the goal was reversed after an official review.
“Both teams battled hard to the end,” said Saints head coach Chris Wells ’92. “We were fortunate to have their goal waved off at the end. Amanda Butterfield came back to the bench and said the Yale player gloved it in, and she was spot on. We had a really good effort our there, and all three goals were hard-working plays. This is a big two points for us to head home with.”
Eden Murray gave Yale a 1-0 lead, flipping a backhand through a screen that St. Lawrence goaltender Grace Harrison never saw just over three minutes into the game.
Kayla Vespa tied the game with a power play goal late in the first, firing a rebound into the back of the net after Yale goaltender Tera Hofmann stopped Hannah Miller’s blast from the point.
Yale responded with less than seven minutes to play in the second, as Greta Skarzynski got possession of a loose puck after a blocked shot from the point and lifted a backhand over Harrison’s shoulder to give the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead.
Justine Reyes tied the game with just 4.2 seconds to play in the second period, collecting a loose puck in the corner and beating two Yale defenders before sliding the puck through Hoffman’s legs to send the teams to the locker rooms tied, 2-2.
St. Lawrence, ranked seventh nationally, improved to 5-3-2 overall, 3-1-0 in ECAC Hockey. Yale fell to 1-4-1, 0-3-1.
The Saints will return to Canton for a five-game home stand, including an exhibition game against Carleton on Tuesday night at 6 p.m.
