Startling day for Sabres
Boosted by junior forward Amanda Waigand’s natural hat trick, Marian ended a seven game winless slide with a season-defining upset over sixth ranked St. Scholastica, Saturday afternoon in Fond du Lac. Waigand, the all-time scoring leader for the Sabres, scored twice in a span of 56 seconds in the third. The Saints had held a 2-1 edge midway through the final period before Waigand struck. Waigand, who currently has 36 career goals, completed her sharp performance with an empty net goal with 55 seconds remaining in the period. Marian held the nation’s top scorer, Nina Waidacher pointless for the first time this season. Waidacher collected a pair of goals, and was named the third star of the game in the series opening 6-3 Saints victory, Friday night. In registering five goals, the Sabers tied for their highest offensive output of the season.
Sophomore goalie Ali Glazer finished with 43 saves in gaining her second win of the season. The successful result for Marian provided the Saints with their initial loss of the season away from home. The Sabres (4-8-1) triumph marked the programs’ first against a ranked opponent. With the win, Coach Jamie Kivi’s team surpassed their three win total of a year ago (3-20-2).
Beacons successful in reset mode
In spite of being outshot 43-13, Massachusetts-Boston squeezed by St. Anselm 1-0 at the Clark Athletic Center in the Beacons lone action of the past weekend. Following an unpromising 1-6-1 start to the season, the Beacons have spun off a seven game unbeaten run (5-0-2) and improving its overall record to the .500 level. In the competitive ECAC-East, the Beacons have moved within two points of fourth place Castleton. The Beacons are certainly labeling themselves as a tough draw, given the second half surge. In addition to its most recent win, UMB has well against top clubs such as Colby (4-3), Southern Maine (3-0) and St. Thomas (1-1).
Batters, Falcons take three
Wisconsin-River Falls capped a three-win week with a 2-1 win over host Concordia (Minn.) at the Moorhead Sports Center, Saturday afternoon. Katie Batters was front and center, producing a record-tying five-point performance (3-2-5), as the Falcons overwhelmed host St. Olaf 8-1, Wednesday night. The Falcons limited Concordia to a scant 16 shots on goal in a 3-0 win on Friday. Batters, tied for eighth in goals nationally, finished with a seven point week. The Falcons (10-3-2, 3-2-1 WIAC) are 8-0-2 in their last ten. The three road victories upped W-RF’s mark to 8-2-0 overall.
NESCAC at the top
A pair of conference wins over Colby this week elevated Amherst into a tie with Middlebury at the head of the NESCAC standings. The Jeffs and Panthers are both 5-0-1 in conference action. Senior goalie Kerri Stuart lowered her GAA to 1.40 and record to 5-0-0 in conference with the 4-1 and 2-1 result over the Mules. Amherst will host Middlebury this upcoming weekend at the Orr Rink on Friday and Saturday.
Crusaders repeat
Holy Cross junior forward Nicole Giannino earned MVP honors at the Rutland Herald Invitational, as the Crusaders captured the tournament for the second consecutive season. Giannino put four points on her stat sheet for the weekend, including a goal and a helper in a 3-2 win over host Castleton in the championship game. Giannino finished with a dozen points in 27 games a year ago. Her weekend efforts advanced point total to 14 (6-8-14).
