Terriers finally trip
When No. 9 Boston University lost to Boston College on Jan. 8, that broke a streak of 23 straight conference wins for the Terriers. Because none of those 23 victories came over the Eagles, it was largely a case of BU beating those teams over which it was a favorite.
That string also came to an end on Friday at Providence after 24 victories over Hockey East teams other than BC. The Friars came from two down and scored the game’s final three goals to win, 4-3. Cassidy Carels tied the game in the second period and scored the game-winner in the third, both on the power play, with Haley Frade and Molly Illikainen assisting. Carels earlier had helpers on the goals by Beth Hanrahan and Rebecca Morse, allowing Providence to overcome a two-goal effort by Maddie Elia of the Terriers.
Things didn’t get any better for BU on Sunday, as it was upended by Northeastern, 4-2. Sarah Lefort scored for the Terriers to give her 19 goals on the season, tied for tops in the country. However, the Huskies got two goals from Brittany Esposito, and a goal and a pair of assists by Paige Savage, to win despite having only 13 skaters available. Northeastern also triumphed on Wednesday at Connecticut, 3-1, while being similarly short of bodies.
Colonials not going away
In most seasons, the fresh new face from the first half of the season begins to cool off as January lengthens. No. 8 Robert Morris faced its biggest test of the season to date, on the road at No. 10 Quinnipiac, and while RMU didn’t quite ace the test, it did pass convincingly.
The Colonials battled back to earn a 1-1 tie on Friday. Cydney Roesler’s goal 18 seconds into the third period had the Bobcats poised for a big win, but Anneline Lauziere scored on a late power play to even the score, and 36 saves by Jessica Dodds allowed the visitors to overcome a territorial disadvantage.
On Saturday, RMU took advantage of specialty situations in the second period to score four unanswered goals and went on to win, 5-1. Rebecca Vint scored both short-handed and on the power play, Rikki Meilleur tallied four-on-four, and Lauziere added another power-play marker. Thea Imbrogno connected on a third-period breakaway to offset an earlier score by Shelby Wignall for the Bobcats. Vint finished with four points and Dodds made 26 saves in staying undefeated through her first 18 starts.
Crimson improve prospects for crown
No. 6 Harvard’s 5-4 win at Colgate on Friday was less than emphatic. Melissa Kueber put the Raiders up, 4-2, in the third, but Miye D’Oench, Elizabeth Parker, and Hillary Crowe produced goals in a spirited rally over a 3:26 stretch over the back half of the third period. D’Oench finished with three points, and Crowe tallied twice.
The Crimson responded on Saturday with what is likely their best game of the season in a 3-1 victory at No. 3 Cornell. D’Oench opened the scoring and Marissa Gedman got the lead back after Anna Zorn had tied it up. Mary Parker finished the scoring into an empty net. Samantha Reber had a pair of helpers and Emmerance Maschmeyer was back in form with 30 saves. As seems to be their custom, the Crimson were outshot in both wins.
The Big Red opened the weekend with a 3-0 victory over Dartmouth when Taylor Woods scored twice and Paula Voorheis posted a 30-save shutout. Thanks to a game in hand on Harvard, Cornell still controls its own destiny for the ECAC title after losing the head-to-head with the Crimson and being down by a point in the standings.
Bulldogs fit to be tied
The Bulldogs were unable to win, but then, they didn’t lose either. Which Bulldogs? Pick one.
Host Yale got the weekend started with a 3-3 tie with No. 5 Clarkson. The Bulldogs’ Jamie Haddad opened the scoring while short-handed late in the first period, only to have Erin Ambrose respond for the Golden Knights on the same power play. Jamie Lee Rattray gave Clarkson its first lead with the only goal of the second period. Gretchen Tarrant tied the score, but it took only 67 seconds for Brittany Styner to give the visitors another lead. Three minutes later, Phoebe Staenz completed the scoring. Jaimie Leonoff needed 52 saves in the Yale net to earn her squad a point.
On Saturday, the Bulldogs got another game-tying goal, this time at 13 minutes of the third period from Taylor Marchin, for a 1-1 final versus St. Lawrence. Rylee Smith had given the Saints the lead back in the first frame. The ice was far less tilted in this contest, as Leonoff made 30 saves to 33 for Carmen MacDonald.
Farther west, the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs played to 0-0 and 2-2 ties with Ohio State. Nobody could figure out UMD’s Kayla Black all day as she made 21 saves during regular play and stopped all three Buckeyes in the shootout. Lisa Steffes was just as strong in the OSU net, making 34 stops. Katerina Marazova, the newest Bulldog, finally broke through in the shootout to gain UMD the extra WCHA point.
On Sunday, Ally Tarr scored her second game-tying goal in as many weeks at 15:17 of the third period. Until then, UMD looked to be positioned for the win, thanks to goals by Ashleigh Brykaliuk and Zoe Hickel sandwiched around one by Claudia Kepler. Once in the shootout, Steffes denied two shooters and both Annie Svedin and Kepler converted for the Buckeyes. The three points earned on the weekend allow Ohio State to move ahead of both Minnesota State and St. Cloud State into sixth in the WCHA.
Wisconsin wins record and status quo in rest of WCHA
The bottom four teams in the WCHA standings played series against the top half of the league, and the Buckeyes were the only lower-division team to gain points, as the top three enjoyed sweeps.
Minnesota State’s Danielle Butters had a busy weekend in facing 101 shots from No. 1 Minnesota. Whether it was outside in a chilly TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis or in All-Seasons Arena in Mankato, the games followed a similar script. The Gophers scored early in the first, held that lead until the latter stages of the second period, then blew the game open with a surge. Sarah Davis had three points outside in a 4-0 win, Kelly Terry scored twice and Rachel Ramsey contributed three assists in a 5-0 victory on the road, and Meghan Lorence and Rachael Bona scored in both games. The two shutouts give Amanda Leveille eight on the season, second to Clarkson’s Erica Howe with nine.
No. 2 Wisconsin took host Bemidji State down by 6-0 and 3-1 scores. Ann-Renée Desbiens turned in the 19-save shutout and was backed by three-point games by Blayre Turnbull, Brittany Ammerman, and Kaitlyn Harding, with the line of the latter pair including two goals. The news from the second game was Alex Rigsby’s return to the Badgers’ net. The senior picked up career win 92 to move ahead of Jessie Vetter for most in Wisconsin history. Her team took a lead in the second period on a power-play goal by Katy Josephs and Ammerman short-handed. Alex Citrowske moved BSU within a goal in the third period, but Karley Sylvester provided the coup de grâce into an empty net.
Results were similar in Grand Forks, where North Dakota triumphed over St. Cloud State, 4-0 and 3-1. Goals from Josefine Jakobsen, Gracen Hirschy, Andrea Dalen, and Layla Marvin were added to the 16 saves from Lexie Shaw in a comfortable win. On Saturday, Hanna Brodt broke the ice with the Huskies’ only tally of the weekend, but Michelle Karvinen struck twice to reverse the advantage. When Jakobsen hit an empty net, everyone on her line with Karvinen and Amy Menke finished with two points.
Engineers gain key sweep
Rensselaer was able to move up to sixth in the ECAC by sweeping Union, 4-1 and 3-0. The RPI defense was stout in front of Kelly O’Brien, holding the Dutchwomen to 11 and 18 shots. Ali Svoboda scored twice in the first game, as did Lauren Wash in the second. Jordan Smelker had two points in each in her return from an injury.
How the rest of the top 10 fared
No. 7 Boston College quelled any drama while playing without star Haley Skarupa in sweeping Vermont, 5-2 and 2-0. Melissa Bizzari and Haley McLean led the way in the opener by each scoring and adding a couple of helpers. Corinne Boyles’ 34 saves ensured that tallies by Emily Pfalzer and Andie Anastos would be enough in game two.
In the aftermath of the tie with Yale, Clarkson responded with an onslaught against Brown. It had a 32-4 advantage in shots on goal by the time the Golden Knights’ lead grew to 3-0 at 7:30 of the second period on goals by Genevieve Bannon, Olivia Howe, and Carly Mercer. Clarkson was able to coast to a 4-1 win.
2014 Hockey Humanitarian Award nominees announced
The BNY Mellon Wealth Management Hockey Humanitarian Award Foundation announced 18 nominees for this year’s award, and they include:
- Amanda Colin, Quinnipiac;
- Alyssa Gagliardi, Cornell;
- Ashley Johnston, Union;
- Brandi Pollock, Robert Morris;
- Danielle Rancourt, Vermont;
- Jocelyn Simpson, Colgate; and
- Kelly Wallace, Northeastern.
All seven are seniors. The foundation will announce the finalists in February and recognize the recipient of the award on April 11 in Philadelphia at the Men’s Frozen Four.
