Clarkson delivers
Neither cold nor snow could stop No. 6 Clarkson on Saturday; maybe RIT should have tried gloom of night.
After falling by a 12-1 score at Clarkson to open the season, the Tigers hosted the Golden Knights in the first outdoor game for the program. The temperature was 13 degrees when the puck dropped, and snow was falling through the game, which was still scoreless as it approached the midway point. Over a stretch of 3:20, Clarkson rattled off three goals, two by Carly Mercer. Kolbee McCrea scored late in the second period and again early in the third to get RIT back within a goal. Vanessa Gagnon had two goals, including a short-hander, as the Golden Knights closed with another three-goal run and skated off with a 6-2 win.
Bestland climbs charts for Lakers
In the only CHA conference games of the week, Mercyhurst traveled to Lindenwood for a series, where in the first game senior Christine Bestland and sophomore Emily Janiga blew away the Lions while engaging in a bit of can you top this.
Janiga tallied short-handed to open the scoring and give the Lakers a lasting lead. Bestland followed with a short-hander of her own eight minutes later, the first of her goals in a pure hat trick. Then it was Janiga’s turn once more, sandwiching goals in the second and third periods around a Caitlyn Post goal for Lindenwood to complete her own hat trick. Janiga wound up with three helpers and six points in the Lakers’ 7-1 victory.
Bestland finished with five points on the day, pushing her career total to 205 and moving her ahead of Valerie Chouinard (200) and Bailey Bram (201) into third place on the all-time list for Mercyhurst. Bestland figures to still have a shot at catching Jesse Scanzano (225) for second place. Meghan Agosta-Marciano holds first for both the program and the entire NCAA with 305. Bestland now has 33 points on the season, tied for second in the country.
On Sunday, Nicole Hensley was in the Lindenwood net and the Lions shut down Janiga and Bestland, but Jenna Dingeldein picked up the slack with two goals and an assist. Shelby Bram contributed three helpers. Katie Erickson had the lone goal for Lindenwood in a 4-1 Mercyhurst win.
North Dakota gets road sweep
No. 4 North Dakota gained 5-2 and 2-1 wins at Minnesota State. Meghan Dufault had two assists and was one of five goal scorers on Friday. Susanna Tapani scored twice on Saturday as UND completed the sweep despite 43 saves from Danielle Butters. The wins moved North Dakota to within a game of Wisconsin for second place in the WCHA.
Bulldogs bounce back
After going winless in its previous five games, Minnesota-Duluth closed 2013 with a pair of 2-1 triumphs at St. Cloud State. The Bulldogs’ top line carried them in the series. Senior Jamie Kenyon scored three of the goals, Hannah Bramm had four helpers, and Jenna McParland added two assists and put in the game-winner on Saturday with 14 seconds left. Kayla Black recorded both wins. Molli Mott had both goals for the Huskies on the weekend.
Vermont wins in overtime
Amanda Pelkey split the defense in transition and roofed a backhander 3:54 into OT to give Vermont a 1-0 win at Dartmouth. The Catamounts had the better chances throughout the game, but Lindsay Holdcroft stopped the first 24 shots. The Big Green’s best opportunity came when Laura Stacey got loose on a second-period breakaway, but she was stoned by Roxanne Douville, one of her 18 saves in registering the shutout. Vermont heads into the break with a winning record of 8-7-4, while Dartmouth (2-11-0) will look to regroup.
Dutchwomen and Black Bears split
Union took the first game versus Maine, 2-0. Stefanie Thomson and Courtney Turner scored power-play goals and Shenae Lundberg had the 21-save shutout.
Union’s power play continued to do good work in game two, scoring three times, but Maine matched that production and added three more tallies for a 6-3 win. Lundberg was chased after yielding four goals on 12 shots. Shawna Lesperance led the way with two goals, including the game-winner, while Abbey Cook and Kelly McDonald contributed two-point games. Thomson had two more goals for the Dutchwomen.
Future Frozen Four sites announced
The NCAA announced the locations for four future tournament championships. The Frozen Four is scheduled for Minneapolis, Minn., in 2015 and 2018, Whittemore Center Arena in Durham, N.H., in 2016, and Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo., in 2017.
