ITHACA, N.Y. — Freshman forward Madlynne Mills scored an extra-attacker goal on the power play with 12.1 seconds remaining in the third period, but the women’s hockey team’s late charge came up just short in a 2-1 loss to consensus national #1 Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon at Lynah Rink.
The Big Red kept its goaltender on the bench for six-on-four opportunity for the remainder of the game, but the Badgers held on to sweep a highly-contested weekend non-league series. Wisconsin, the nation’s top women’s hockey team affirmed its lofty standing by improving to 16-0 — but Cornell proved a worthy challenger right to the final buzzer.
Cornell (3-3), which entered the weekend ranked seventh in both major national polls, scored its lone goal on an ultra-rare six-on-three advantage with time winding down. Kristin O’Neill worked the puck to Jaime Bourbonnais at the top of the right circle, and her shot through a maze of bodies at the top of the crease was redirected in by Mills to cut the Big Red’s final deficit to one.
The teams battled to a scoreless first period. Wisconsin got off to a quick start by peppering Marlene Boissonnault for a handful of shots in a choppy first few minutes of the game, but most came from distance and were easily coraled. Cornell used a pair of power plays in the opening frame to generate most of its chances, creating five of its eight shots on goal during those opportunities after numerous series of tape-to-tape passes.
The Badgers gathered some momentum early in the second period with the aid of their own power play, then opened the scoring at the 6:30 mark. Boissonnault had just made a pair of great saves on Mekenzie Steffen and Brette Pettet from in tight, then the Big Red cleared the zone up the wall in front of the visitors’ bench. Wisconsin defender Lauren Williams’ quick-up along the same wall hit traffic near the blue line, and when the puck it sent Pettet into the zone up the right wing. Cornell had numbers back, but Pettet used her defender as a screen and ripped a shot from the top of the circle that soared over Boissonnault’s right shoulder.
Cornell’s made a valiant push toward the midway mark of the final period, with the crowd voicing its approval. Wisconsin was next to capitalize, though, when a puck was forced to the net from along the goal line to Boissonnault’s left and Presley Norby was free on the other side to jam the puck into the wide side of the net.
The Big Red returns to ECAC Hockey play next weekend, when it visits Yale at 6 p.m. Friday and Brown at 3 p.m. Saturday.
