Clinton, N.Y. – The visiting Trinity College Bantams snapped a six-game conference losing streak with a 3-2 victory against the Hamilton College Continentals in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) women’s ice hockey action this evening at Russell Sage Rink. Trinity opened up a 3-0 lead and held off the Continentals to take the opener of the two-game set in Upstate New York to improve to 6-7 overall and 1-6 in the league. Hamilton falls to 7-4-1 overall and 2-2-1 in the NESCAC while ending a three-game winning streak. The teams conclude the weekend series with a 3 p.m. game tomorrow.
Trinity broke open the scoreless tie with 3:09 left in the opening period. Seven seconds after the Continentals were called for their second penalty, Bantam senior forward Cheeky Herr (Princeton, N.J.) finished a 2-on-1 break with her fourth goal of the season. Classmate Emma Tani (Orange, Calif.) took a pass from sophomore Delaney Harrop (Walpole, Mass.) at the high slot, but her shot was saved by Hamilton’s Sam Walther ’18. Herr gathered the rebound at the right side as she was going to the ice and pushed the puck between Walther and the near post.
The Bantams scored on their first shot of the second period when senior defender Shelby Labe (Pine Brook, N.J.) snapped a shot from the left circle into the Hamilton net. Later in the period, Trinity rookie Lindsay Miller(Manhasset, N.Y.) netted the game-winning goal off assists from senior captain Shannon Farrell (Kennebunk, Maine) and sophomore forward Hannah Oganeku (Castle Pines, Colo.).
Megan Ahern scored with 75 seconds left in regulation to close the gap to one but the Continentals were whistled for too many players on the ice seven seconds later and were unable to get a shot at the tying goal while killing the penalty. Ahern had also assisted on Hamilton’s first goal late in the second period. She took a pass from line mate Olivia Hawes and fired a shot that Trinity sophomore goaltender Sydney Belinskas (Port Orange, Fla.) saved. The rebound wound up at the stick of Hannah Bartlett on the left side and she put her shot into the open top right corner of the net. Walther made 31 saves and Belinskas stopped 23 shots.
