Lots of positional poll jockeying has been the norm the over the past two weeks, particularly in the bottom half of the top 10. This weekend was no exception, as chronicled below. Overall, the top ten clubs compiled a 14-4-1 record.
Colby stuns Polar Bears
There are road wins, and there are significant road wins. After dropping a pair to No. 2 Middlebury to start the season, Colby, under the watchful eye of first year interim coach Mallory Young, earned the latter with an eye-opening 3-2 overtime victory against No. 8 Bowdoin at Sid J. Watson arena, Friday afternoon. At 4:40 of the OT, Carolyn Fuwa with a helper from Elisa Rascia sealed the win for the Mules, who were outshot 48-20 by the Polar Bears.
Colby had forged a 2-0 lead into the third before Chelsea MacNeil and Schuyler Nardelli evened things up with goals within a span of 5:07. For Colby, the success was its first against Bowdoin in the last six contests. Big win in hand, the Mules were at it again on Saturday at familiar Alfond Arena. Colby senior Samantha Slotnick’s score at 6:00 of the third served as the game-winner that completed the sweep. The Mules, now 2-2-0, last finished over .500 in the regular season back in 2008-09.
WIAC split
No. 7 Wisconsin-Stevens Point and No. 5 Wisconsin-Superior squared off in the lone matchup of the week that featured two schools currently residing in the top 10. The Pointers holding home ice for the two games received a decisive goal from freshman forward Kendall Nelson 5:18 into the third in the opener on the way to a 2-1 win. Nelson’s score was her second of the year. Stevens Point’s Janna Beilke-Skoug continued her long string of consistent efforts in making 19 stops. Skoug’s counterpart at the other end of the rink, senior Shanley Peters who ranks sixth in the nation with a .952 save percentage recorded 33 saves.
The Yellowjackets got back into the swing the following day in piecing together three unanswered goals after the Pointers had forged a 1-0 advantage on Shauna Bollinger’s second goal of the season. Wis.-Superior made good on two of six power plays in the win, in contrast to the previous afternoon when the Pointers played a penalty-free contest. Wis-Superior came into weekend with a five-game win streak against Stevens Point.
Two teams remain unbeaten in ECAC East/West Conference play
St. Anselm carved out two road wins over Salve Regina and Holy Cross last week and in the process upped its record to 5-0-0 in ECAC East action and 7-1-0 overall. Norwich overtook Castleton and New England as well, improving to 6-0-0 in the conference.
Elmira, winless in the season opening East-West Classic, took a 5-1 nonconference triumph over Williams in its only game this week. The Soaring Eagles, currently on a five-game win streak, join Plattsburgh as the two unbeaten outfits in the ECAC West.
NCHA shootout
Lake Forest struck three times in the third period in overcoming a three-goal disadvantage in the first game, settling for a 6-6 result with high-scoring St. Scholastica. Michelle Greeneway potted the final two scores for the Foresters just 1:20 apart. Lake Forest held the nation’s top goal scorer, Nina Waidacher, to one tally on the afternoon. Saturday proved to be an entirely different scenario as the Saints got out in a hurry, taking a 3-1 lead after the first and adding three more unanswered goals in the middle period. Lake Forest scratched out a 45-26 advantage in shots on goal in the loss. Eight different players scored goals for the Saints.
