MANCHESTER, N.H. - The Saint Anselm women's ice hockey team hosted the College of the Holy Cross Crusaders this evening for its first ECAC East Conference game since December 11, 2009.  In a back-and-forth nail-biter, the Hawks took control in the third period, skating to a 5-3 victory over the Crusaders.  The win lifts the Hawks to 9-5-1 (7-2-1 ECAC East), while the Crusaders fall to 13-2-1 (10-1-1 ECAC East), taking their first conference loss of the season.

Sophomore Michelle Lacombe (Delafield, Wisc.) opened the scoring for the Hawks just two minutes and one second after the opening puck drop, as she knocked in her own rebound on a breakaway drive.  The goal was assisted by freshman Ciara Petry (Poolesville, Md.).  The Crusaders answered less than three minutes later, as Stacey Hochkins (New Boston, Mich.) drove the puck down the ice from the blue line, faking out goalie Amy Zappen (Huntington Beach, Calif.) to knock in her conference-leading 18th goal and 30th point of the season.

Ten minutes later, at 14:29, Kathryn O'Connor (Brookfield, Conn.) slapped a shot past the Hawks' defensemen to give the Crusaders their first lead of the game.  However, the Hawks responded quickly, as team captain Maria Dougherty (Middletown, R.I.) knocked in Aly Zappen's (Huntington Beach, Calif.) rebound to tie the score at two heading into the first intermission.

The second period was scoreless, but at 1:24 in the third, Sarah Ellins (Greeley, Colo.) converted a pass from Kathryn Picarello (West Roxbury, Mass.) right in front of the net, to regain the Hawks' lead.  Four minutes later, Picarello returned the favor, knocking in a pass from Ellins to increase the Hawks' lead to two.  At 18:37, the teams received matching penalties and the Crusaders kept goaltender Carly Dominick-Sobol (Syracuse, N.Y.) on the bench to give Holy Cross a 5-on-4 advantage.  At 19:03, with just 57 seconds remaining in the game, Caroline English (Dorchester, Mass.) curled in a shot from the goal line to bring the Crusaders within one.  However, just 11 seconds later, Rosemarie Giarrusso (Royal Palm Beach, Fla.) drove the puck down the ice and let loose a soft shot that trickled past Dominick-Sobol, giving the Hawks a 5-3 victory.

In the evenly-matched, close game, both teams took 24 shots.  Amy Zappen made 21 saves in 59:56 minutes in the net to pick up her fifth win of the season, while Sobol turned aside 19 shots and earned her second loss.  The Hawks return to action tomorrow afternoon, when they host in-state rival New England College in an ECAC East conference game beginning at 1:30 pm.