MANCHESTER, N.H. - The Saint Anselm women's ice hockey team returned home this afternoon after a three-game road trip to host the Salve Regina University Seahawks in an ECAC East conference game.  In an evenly-matched, defensive duel, two heroic goals in the last three minutes of regulation handed both teams their first tie of the season, with a final score of 1-1.

Although the Hawks outshot the Seahawks 17-3 in the first period, the game remained scoreless for 57 and a half minutes until senior team captain Maria Dougherty (Middletown, R.I.) put the Hawks on the board with a dramatic late goal, assisted by fellow captain Alexa Hingston (Charlestown, Mass.) and assistant captain Kristen Byrne (Duxbury, Mass.). 

It seemed as though the Hawks were going to repeat last night's thrilling 1-0 victory, when at 19:19 in the third period, with just 41 seconds remaining in regulation, Sarah McCusker (Havertown, Pa.) scored a heart-wrenching, game-tying goal, assisted by Kendra Andrie (Muskegon, Mich.) and Shannon Ellis (Colorado Springs, Colo.), to send the game into overtime.

Salve Regina got two shots off in overtime, but after five minutes of scoreless play, the game came to an end in a 1-1 tie.  Sophomore goaltender Amy Zappen (Huntington Beach, Calif.) was just 41 seconds away from her third consecutive shutout, when McCusker snapped her 183:15 minute scoreless streak dating back to February 28, 2009.  Zappen made 15 saves in this afternoon's game, and Seahawk goalie Rebecca Simmons (Averill Park, N.Y.) made 31.

The tie leaves the Hawks at 3-1-1 (3-1-1 ECAC) and the Seahawks at 4-2-1 (3-1-1 ECAC).  The Hawks return to action on Tuesday, November 24th, when they travel to Brunswick, Maine to take on the Bowdoin College Polar Bears at 7:00 pm.